I Must Be Dreaming

Story.

France? France takes military action in a land they generally have no interest in? And against a country they are not at war with?  France?  A country whose "French Resistance" in World War II meant bad service to the Germans in restaurants? France?

This world is getting more confusing by the moment.

Edit: Well, at least I know we'll act rationally. Wait, what's that? You're kidding. For the life of me, I don't understand this at all.

Come Monday, I'm Going To Be Turning Some Heads

Random/Crazy Decatur Photo From Yesterday

I call it "Lady With Two Leashes And Dog Disrespecting Neighbors"

Taken by the "old Decatur bus barn". 

(Thanks emailer Marie!)

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• A car hit a cow this morning on 287 just south of the Saginaw cutoff. Hitting a cow at any time is not good. Hitting a cow on a freeway is triple not good. 
• And another.
• The "monster truck" involved in the strip club parking lot death was ridiculous. 
• And the media is bending over backwards to make sure we all know the victim did not work at the strip club. But we all know that nothing good comes from being in a strip club parking lot at 2:00 a.m. on a Thursday morning. On a Saturday morning maybe. But not on a Thursday. 
• Posting will be slow today since I'm engaged in "family time." I suggested the Dallas Arboretum and got royally poo poo'd. 
• Beat down: Having a piece of ice fall to the floor out of the freezer and not immediately being able to spot it. That's something you've got to track down. 
• TCU's baseball team started the season #1 in the nation and then promptly lost 5 of its first 15 games.
• I finally got around to putting the broken down Family Truckster on Craig's List. You know what happens when you are honest and tell people that it is not drivable and then price it ridiculously low? You get money thrown at you hand over fist, that's what. It sold within 24 hours to a couple of guys that showed up with a trailer to haul it away. 
• They weren't particularly interested in me giving them the title. They are probably going to use it in some bank robbery today.
• Mohammed Reza was convicted of a sexual offense in Wise County in 2009 and sentenced to 15 years. His conviction was affirmed by the Fort Worth Court of Appeals late yesterday. (And I would link to the Messenger story back when he was convicted but I can't because their redesign has jacked up all their archives.)
• President Obama announces his picks for the womens's NCAA Tournament today. Prediction: He chooses Baylor and specifically mentions Britney Griner. Edit: I'm done with him! He picked UConn to beat Baylor in the finals.
• And, yeah, he'll be criticized for not taking action in the Middle East where unrest, especially in Libya, continues. But for once, I'm glad the U.S. isn't sticking its nose in everyone else's business. 
• Channel surfing last night and came across a Ranger's exhibition/preseason game. I lasted 10 seconds before boredom set in. 
• NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell isn't an independent advocate for the league -- he's an agent of the owners who pay him a shocking $10 million a year. (And his publicity stunt of cutting his salary to $1 during the lockout only highlights this fact.)
• Channel 8 weather gal Coleen Coyle is pretty cute. I'm not sure how I've missed her. 
• The Liberally Lean Tourney ended up with right at 200 entries. After day one, five of you got 14 of 16 picks correct. Standings.
• I'm pretty sure Decatur lawyer Mark "The Decatur Hammer" Howell and I will provide a gift card to the winner.  How's that for commitment?
• South by Southwest even makes the cover of a hip New York newspaper.

That's One Fancy Want Ad

Thursday Afternoon Pick Me Up

There's A Lot Going On There

So How's This Supposed to Work?

Last week there was concern that our business neighbors might have a gas leak. So the gas company was called and they came out, detected gas, and brought out a backhoe to tear up the street. (They actually worked until about 10 at night.)  

Once done, however, the street is torn up and three cones are left to mark the spot.

Question: How long do you think it will stay that way?

Note: That building in the background still reminds me of The Amityville Horror house.

Greatest Extra Ever

His name is Jesse Heiman.

It's St. Patrick's Day So You Know What That Means!

 Where da lepacon at??!!

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• "Pilates" and "Pirates" should rhyme.
• Today Samsung releases a computer that is lighter than the Macbook Air. But, in a twist, it is more expensive.
• A traffic control light will installed on 380 and Business 380 by the Sheriff's Office? 
• Political junkies: I love Congressman Anthony Weiner (D - New York) who goes on Sean Hannity and just beats him senseless.
• When the news came out about the crazy guy that abducted the Perrin lady and burned her house down, I thought about a possible connection to the missing Perrin teen mom from last summer who I've written about. And although that's a stretch, law enforcement now want to talk to him about it.
• Saw a shot of a helicopter trying to dump water on one of the nuclear reactors in Japan. That looked like a very futile act.
• I think Mrs. LL is about to kill the family cat. Whoever out there told me that that type of cat would be a holy terror, you were absolutely right. 
• And the other night she was in the kitchen just fixated on one location on the ceiling. Wasn't there a scene like that in Poltergeist or some other horror movie (except it involved a dog)?
• Twitpic of Greg "The Hammer" Williams asleep this morning in a hotel in Surprise, Arizona. As the caption says, "Crime scene?"
• If you haven't seen the baby who is both scared and entertained by his mother blowing her nose (I know, weird), you have to see it. One of the cutest things you'll ever watch.
• Hip Hop guy Nate Dogg died yesterday, and I felt out of the loop because I had no idea who he was. Then I felt at least 1% of hipness when I discovered I knew the song Regulate that he was featured in. 
• Those Lake Highland parents who are getting fined by their homeowner's association for their noisy toddler seem to really like the attention. 
• During the last NFL work stoppage in the 1980s, I was 100% behind the owners. This time around, I'm in the players' corner.  Edit: And the next person that says "millionaires fighting billionaires" gets tased. 
• Idea for a cartoon I had last night: A swimming and talking breaded fishstick.
• 23 year old stripper from Granbury killed by monster truck in club parking lot in Dallas. If this is her Facebook page (name, age, and high school match up), the slogan of "I'm the master of my fate" was woefully untrue. Edit: A commentor points out that the story doesn't identify her as a stripper and just states she was in the parking lot. Duly noted. (And Fox 4 has some pictures.) Edit #2: Fox 4 reports her friends and family members say she not employed by the club. 

Liberally Lean Tourney Reminder

• First game is at 11:45 a.m. on Thursday. That should be the deadline but I'm not exactly sure when Yahoo! shuts down the entries. 
• Enter here.
• Had a ton of entries. The list should be here. Some funny names. 
• The winner will get something worth $100 or more. I'm thinking about just going with a generic Master Card gift card or something like that. 
• You have to search a bit, but you are able to change your team's name. 

You Would Think . . .

. . . that a company that employs 43 people in Decatur being sold would be news.

The company (which I had no idea was out at the airport) presumably will stay put. Let's at least hope so.

Note To Self: Never Go To Fort Worth Zoo On Half Price Day

And there's no way I would.  People rarely factor in time and inconvenience when getting discounts. Those things have value, too.

Sign In Parker County

Just got this sent to me from a buddy.  Not sure why I blocked out the number -- I might actually be hurting his cause instead of protecting him from harassment.

(Thanks, David.)

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• President Obama filled out a men's bracket and a women's bracket with the top four seeds in each to get to the final four.  He puts in as much effort as I do. (And he's already receiving criticism for taking a little time out to do a bracket. Sheesh.)
• I think Decatur's internet is screwing up again this morning. 
• Mrs. LL doesn't seem to understand that the front bumper of her car is about three inches off the ground. Yet another incident yesterday which caused me to "whisper yell" at her according to a member of the household. 
• The Caravan Inn sign on Jacksboro Highway may soon be a thing of the past. When I was a kid, we'd always take that road into Fort Worth, and the sign would always catch my attention. "That must be a really nice hotel," I'd think to myself. It wasn't then. Certainly isn't now.
• Dumb question: When was 287 from Rhome to Fort Worth built? I remember 114 into Dallas as a kid but don't have any real memory of 287 until I was a teenager. Might just be my faulty brain. 
• Rick Perry apparently agreed to reach into the Rainy Day Fund and take about three billion out of it to balance the budget. But it looks like this doesn't change the school funding crisis one single bit. (I think the money is going to be used to cover the shortfall before the budget for the next two years even kicks in.)
• A teenage girl's song has 8.7 million hits on youtube. It's an earworm. Edit: I finally listened to it. I dare you. Friday! Friday! Friday!
• Completely under the radar: Protesters in Bahrain are knocked back by Saudi troops which have entered the country. Saudi troops? Yep. If it weren't for the Japanese earthquake, this might be the lead story. Edit: Wow. Shocking video released this morning. 
• Three or four helicopters landed at the Decatur Hospital last night. Was it a drill?
• I don't condone violence, but the viral video this week of a bully receiving a beat down almost made me condone violence. (Warning: Youtube wouldn't even keep it up.)
• Dumb service advertised on WBAP: Have weather alerts sent to your cell phone for $2 a month. 
• The Texas Senate agreed to allow employees to have guns in their cars at the work place. You think those folks in the northeast, where guns are like leprosy, are shaking their collective heads?
• The story behind the headline in the paper below is weird. I just hope that DA's office in Denton doesn't indict someone over it. 

Last Call To Sign Up For The Liberally Lean NCAA Tourney

Here. (And sometimes the name of the team is the best part.)

Edit: Someone signed up as "BSG's Neighbor Boy". Funny.

Wild Pictures Just Keep Coming

More found here today (but some are hard to look at.) But it also includes a couple of maps that are pretty informative.

That NFL Lock Out Of The Players?: Three Big Time Quotes

"I don't think we've got your attention," Jerry Jones said to the players [during the last negotiation session], several of whom recounted the incident to [Sports Illustrated]. "You clearly don't understand what we're saying, and we're not hearing what you're saying. So I guess we're going to have to show you to get your attention." Source.

"It's modern day slavery." -- Minnesota Vikings Runningback Adrian Peterson. Source

"Uh, don't expect the NFL to start on time this fall. And there goes my much anticipated, and universally expected, 2011 Wise County Courthouse Fantasy Football Championship." -- Barry Green

About that silicone dying snake in Random Thoughts? Not so fast

Source.

Random Texas Traffic Question

As long as I've been involved in cases that often begin with simple traffic violations, I've never had this come up: Are those yellow Texas signs (above) simply "advisory" or is it a violation to travel in excess of the designated miles per hour? I guess they could get your for reckless driving or some other offense, but the specific question is can they give you a ticket for speeding.

The DPS Texas Driving Handbook (pdf) - which is where I got the above graphic - doesn't really answer the question. (And there's no way I'm hitting the Texas Transportation Code when someone out there knows the answer.)

I brought this up to someone before, and they thought it was a no brainer that the signs were the equivalent of maximum speed signs on the highway. But if that's the case, why are they yellow?

Edit: And for you knuckleheads that think I don't understand the basic speeding statute, I at least educated myself four years ago.

Lady Gaga Fans From Last Night

More. (Dallas Observer)

It's like an episode of Glee exploded onto the streets.

Edit: Oh, and here's 170 more. (Star-Telegram's sister publication)

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Mrs. LL got an early birthday present and went to see Lady Gaga in Dallas last night. That sounded like a scene (although I admit I didn't hear much about it because I went to be when she finally got home.) Uh, did I see face paint on the bathroom counter?
• One final Gaga thing: No one tours harder than that crazy lady. Scan down to the bottom of this Wikipedia page to see where she's been on the incredibly long The Monster Ball tour.
• Odd story on Fox 4's web site: "Snake Dies Of Silicone Poisoning After Biting Models Fake Breast" (with video).
• I don't have all the details, but the War With The Neighbor Kids might have escalated yesterday. Let's just say it involves outside nakedness. Good grief. 
• I've mentioned how much I like the writing of Skip Hollandsworth of Texas Monthly. (His Still Life article may be one the greatest things I've ever read.) Rumor has it that next month he has a story that is a guaranteed tear jerker.
• And the magazine needs to put Hollandsworth on the story of the guy that kidnapped the lady from Perrin, burned her house down, and then held her for 12 days.  (He is suspected in the deaths of at least two other women but the news story is so horribly written its hard to follow.)
• Speaking of confusing, are the leaking nuclear reactors in Japan no big deal or a potential catastrophe of biblical proportions? It depends on who you listen to, but the news this morning sounds frightening. (Ann Curry might want to get out of there after all.)
• An expert was on WBAP this morning to talk about it, and Hal Jay asked him, "If Comanche Peak has a meltdown, would we have to worry about it up here in Fort Worth?" 
• I had never heard of the word Tsunami before the big one that hit about five or so years ago. Did they used to be called simply tidal waves?
• Do we really want Justices of the Peace deciding when cops can stick a needle in your arm to draw blood? According to the Update, a representative of Wise County is in Austin today to try and accomplish just that. 
• “I was talking to my Japanese real estate agent. I said ‘is there a school in this area.’ She said ‘not now, but just wait.’” That Tweet got Gilbert Gottfried fired as the voice of the Aflac Duck. (Which causes me to ask: He was the voice of the Aflac Duck?)
• Reminder that the Liberally Lean Tournament Pick 'Em online competition is here.  (Despite some weird games today and tomorrow, the deadline is before the first game Thursday.) And it looks like we might have some pretty good prizes after all. (If any merchant wants to throw out a $100 or $50 gift certificate, let me know.)
• We picked up about 50 entries in the Tournament yesterday, and last year we eventually cracked 200. So get after it. 

This Was All Over The News Yesterday

But in case you missed it, you'll want to take a look.

Japan has one heck of a trifecta: Earthquake, tsunami, and now (it looks like) a nuclear meltdown.

Anybody Want To Bet On America's Future?

There are several of these videos, far more graphic, over at Youtube from last weekend. (You'll see most of them on the right.) It's some St. Pat's party from Albany, New York but that's about all I know.

I can't tell you how much this puts me over the edge. Just random violence all for the sake of "partying".

And did you notice that there is no looting in Japan right now? It's just not part of their culture to act like a fool.

Tournament Pick Em

I'm still looking for a sponsor who will provide the winner with gold and silver (or a gift certificate), but in the meantime you can enter here.

Edit: This link should work if the other does not.

UCLA Chick Rants About Asians

Just when she couldn't push it any further, she does a Fake Asian On The Telephone voice.  She can't possibly leave this video up.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• The Texas Supreme Court ruled against some Wise County residents in a drilling case on Friday. 
• The Messenger's web site seems to have gone behind a pay wall. That's a dicey move.
• First a younger mother of five gets hit by a car in Dallas, and then over the weekend a pregnant mother of five gets gun downed in her car at around six in the morning. It was actually caught on survelliance tape (they knew each other.)
• I told you we should be concerned about those nuclear reactors in Japan. Now 17 U.S. navy men have tested positive for radioactivity over there. (Did you know that the best thing to do in that situation is to simply take a shower?)
• Dave & Buster's has a new item called "Chicken and Shrimp Tsunami".
• Should I be concerned that Mrs. LL, in her ongoing war with the neighbors kid, set up her phone in an upstairs window and streamed a video via Ustream to catch them taunting the dog? And it worked.
• Loved this guy's hair in the crowd of a basketball game. 
• I'll put up the Liberally Lean Pick Em Basketball Tourney later.
• Hal Jay on WBAP this morning: "It's down to the Sweet Sixteen after just one weekend?" 
• On my jog yesterday, I passed a family which in order was (1) a girl walking a dog who looked like the 7th Grader in the house, (2) the dad pulling a handicapped child in a red wagon, and (3) another handicapped boy walking in front who waived at me with biggest smile. For those that know me well, you can guess what happened to me next. 
• One of these days I'm going to the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Greenville Avenue. Then again, I say that every year.
• Mike Huckabee spoke at the First Baptist of Dallas over the weekend and the Dallas Morning News said he brought his "trademark humor." Really? If they mean trademarked-not-funny-humor, then I forgive them. 
• You might want to scroll down to March 5th in the Wise County crime reports.