Funnel Cloud Near Bridgeport

A sixteen year old's pic  taken off of FM 2123 made it to KXAS Channel 5.

(Thanks Amy Lou for the tip.)

Edit: And hail in Runaway Bay (per Facebook report)

I Finally Watched A Mavs Game

The Head Coach aka A Miserable Human Being

The Owner: The Beneficiary of Yahoo's Stupid Money

Mrs. LL is out shopping for an Easter dress (it's not going well -- something about dresses being made for "short people") so I found myself with a drugged cat, puppy in my lap, and cloudy skies. Might as well channel surf. Oh, the Mavs are on? I'll stay on the channel while I read a magazine.

Oh, my.

The Mavs were up by 23 (23!!!!!) and then lost the game 84-82 (getting outscored in the 4th Quarter 35-15).  Same old song.

At 6:00 PM On Saturday, Bridgeport and Alvord Saw Something Called Rain

And it looks violent.

Edit: And at 7:00 pm Wise County got a purple box. I'm not sure what that means, but it can't be good. And Decatur joined the party.

Edit: A then they extended the Severe Thunderstorm Warning until 8:30 p.m. Man, that line of storns is not moving.

Edit: And then I get reports on Sunday that the rain, while heavy, wasn't anything over the top.

Free Antoine!!!

Story.

Taking Us Into The Weekend

And You Think This Country Is Going To Make It?

The Internet is blowing up (slight overstatement, maybe) of a video of a "fight" in McDonalds where one girl gets savagely beaten. I've mentioned before how I despise these things (I really do), but I bet this will make every news network in the nation over the next few days. And it should until her attackers are arrested. Heck, I'll volunteer to be special prosecutor.

We are a violent, stupid nation.

And I'm the last person to yell "lawsuit" (despite the claims of those that don't know me), but the McDonald's employees bear some responsibility here. It's one thing for a fight to break out and to kick them out, but it's quite another to stand back and watch a girl get beaten. The only honorable person is an old lady who tries to stop it.

Video here. (Insert you own disclaimer.)

Edit: The comments are almost as over the top as the video.

Edit: We have an update as to what's happened with this story. (Thanks commentor.)

Edit: Wow. The guy that filmed the incident was a McDonald's employee. He has been fired.

Controversial Images Of Kids And Violence? Art?

9/11 

Saw this story on CNN.  It's the photo art work of some guy name Jonathan Hobin. Google images search.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• Just like Madonna got in trouble with the Catholic Church for Like A Prayer, now the Catholics are upset with Lady Gaga for her song "Judas" to be released over Easter.  Her and Donald Trump should hook up  - they are PR machines.
• But the song's reference to "Even after three times, he betrays me" indicates she has Disciple Confusion.
• Fox News had a priest on this morning who opined that Lady Gaga was "crying out" because of the songs. If that's his belief, I'm glad he's not my spiritual advisor. 
• Nothing like getting a text From Mrs. LL while driving home saying that we have had a "plumbing incident" but she's "close to having it under control."  Let's just say that I walked in and realized "ceiling" and "water" were involved. #headslap
• She explained that it all began with spiders in the backyard followed by panic followed by clothes thrown in the sink with water running over them. I'm not sure I heard all of it because I was staring at the ceiling. 
• Jim Carrey is in the season finale of The Office? Are they trying to ruin the legacy of a good sitcom? (But it sounds like there will be a ton of cameos from big name stars so hopefully he won't be on screen very long.) 
• Shakira watching a soccer match is a blueprint for all girls who wish to be sports fans. If a guy isn't jazzed by that, he's unjazzable™. (Yep, just trademarked a new word.)
• The Family Cat (yep, pic) is now post surgery, groggy, and has one of those goofy inverted half cones around her neck to keep her from chewing out her stitches. 
• News broke this week that the iPhone tracks where you've been (which really doesn't seem that surprising) and some speculated that such technology could help solve crimes. I bet less than 2% of the cases I handle involve the issue of whether the defendant was at the scene of the crime. 
• But it is kind of interesting on the issue of DWI -- could the police access data as to where the driver had been before the arrest?
• I now see how most American families struggle financially. Households spend a lot of money, don't they? And I'm not talking about extravagant or frilly purchases. 
• Six (mostly teenagers) were arrested in Florida after a 15 year old was lured by his ex-girlfriend and then ambushed and murdered. Man, that sounds like the plot of Bully (which was based both in Florida and on a true story.)
• And one of the teenage defendant's lawyer had a sound bite on The Today Show this morning: "'Did he do it?' is a different question than 'can they prove it?' I don't even reach the question of 'did he do it?' - that's kind of a moral question."   He might take some heat on that but that guy knows exactly what he's doing. 
• Even I'm tired of President Obama's pandering based upon current events. High gas prices? He promises to form a task force to investigate whether there is price gouging. Nuclear reactor melt down in Japan? He promises a safety check on every U.S. nuclear reactor. 

Kid Steals Mav's Player's Towel

Just rips it off his neck? And Tyson Chandler doesn't even bat an eye despite have a towel burn and, no doubt, a newly ruptured disc? And that kid just stares back with this "What are you looking at?" look? What the heck is going on?

And to think you guys believe they'll go far in the playoffs. Not with that kind of attitude. You've got to body slam that kid and send a message.

DPS Wants You To Know They Are All Over IT

I love the first sentence of the press release: "A sex offender wanted on 18 counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child is behind bars after his arrest last night at an international bridge in El Paso."  Wow. At an international bridge? Did they tackle him as he raced toward the border? Taze him as he tried to sneak back in? Was it a secret operation? Tell us! Tell us!

Nope. Read a little further and you'll find that Mexican officials arrested him and turned him over to DPS at the border. [Insert sound of Sad Trombone.]  Although DPS takes credit for learning of his location within Mexico.

I Would Dog Perry For Pandering But I Had A Different Thought

More.

And I've always wondered why we think the more people that pray, the more likely there will be results. That seems a little shallow and, in fact, demeaning to God. Are we trying to get His attention with numbers? I always thought that "go into your closet and pray alone" meant something.

Clemson Fantasy Camp

Hey, I didn't watch all of this nor do I expect you to. I think it's a bunch of middle aged guys going to a fantasy camp where they pretend they are Clemson football players. Hey, if Baylor held one and promised me I would be awarded the Fantasy Heisman Trophy at the end of it, there's no way I'd take part in that silliness.

But I do want you to watch one part: Go to the 1:35 mark where the old men recreate running down the famed Clemson hill in the end zone onto the field. That guy looks like John Candy in Stripes when he's running out of control through the trail in the woods.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Edit: Oops. Sorry for delay. Forgot to hit "publish". 
• The hype for next week's Royal Wedding really hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. 
• Helped try to hang curtains in a very small window last night. When the place is so cramped that you can't use a drill, it makes a simple job a beating. And the need to use a hack saw is always a bad sign. 
• Speaking of: In cleaning out the garage last weekend, I learned I had three hack saws, two sets of bolt cutters, and five tape measures.
• NBC 5's Jane McGarry big timed us last night on Twitter.
• If you've seen the Exorcist, you'll probably giggle/be disturbed by this.
• There's a viral video going around about a reporter with an awful runny nose. I'm not watching that. 
• I heard that "the Flip" had been discontinued this week and thought they were talking about a flip phone. Nope. It was the Flip video camera that was purchased by Cisco less than two years ago for more than a half billion dollars. They even ran a Super Bowl Ad a couple of months ago. Odd. 
• The Family Cat is at the cat hospital getting "fixed" right now. (Yep, we were a little slow in getting that done.)  Maybe that will give her an attitude adjustment in general as well as eliminate a severe personality change that occurred every three weeks that really creeped me out. 
• The murdered Frisco fitness instructor case gets more tragic as we learn she had an eight year old autistic son and an ex-boyfriend is a "person of interest.
• And I'll continue to point out that "person of interest" is a made up term in the last 15 years or so that has no legal meaning. It's simply a way for the media and law enforcement to refer to a suspect as something other than a suspect in order to avoid defamation issues. 
• Probably the best collection of Texas wildfire photos here. 
• Texas Rep. Kirk Watson was on the radio this morning promoting his bill that provides limited immunity for alcohol related crimes for minors if a person calls 911 to report possible alcohol poisoning of someone else. So a kid's buddy is dying and he's so morally bankrupt that he won't call in because he fears a $500 fine for Minor In Possession? And Watson thinks a law would change that? And how often does this happen anyway?
• Fox News this morning teased a story on the Houston child who dropped a gun at school with a graphic that read "Kindergarten Justice?". It then teased a story on President Obama's use of Facebook with the question "Does that give him a dangerous advantage?"  Dangerous?
• I think the new White House Press Secretary is the worst one in years. 
• I was finally disappointed with an episode of Modern Family last week. 

Just When You Think Wise County Is A Bit Sheltered

 And closer . . .

I'll admit that I saw this yesterday on the way to the courthouse and didn't have a clue what it meant. Only today, when by chance I was reading a movie review in Time, did I find out.

If you know,  I give you big props. For the rest of you, you'll only be interested if you like the Tea Party or are familiar with Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged (which has been released as an independent movie).  Safe to say we've got someone in the former category behind that door.

Sports Talk Interest Only

Deadspin (if I have to explain, stop reading) is after The Fan's Richie Whitt (ditto) for dogging Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis for missing his start in New York to see the birth of his second child. Lewis finally took the mound last night and got lite up.  Now Deadspin is trying to do the same to Whitt.

I wouldn't want Deadspin picking on me, but Whitt can't buy that much publicity. (Whitt's blog at the Dallas Observer is here and - trust me - no one has more haters in the comments that he does. Even I can't rival it.)

Edit: Richie's reply to the masses.

This Does Not Look Good

Last night there was a report of a missing Frisco fitness instructor.

This morning they found her car.

Now they've found a body.

Wow: Forgot There Were Other Texas Fires Going On

Heck of a photo. (On Facebook.)

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• Opened my sock drawer yesterday and looked down to see the Family Cat. She looked at me like I was intruding. 
• The Cowboys released their 2011 schedule yesterday with the big storyline being they would play in New York on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 in a nationally televised evening game on NBC.  Unfortunately, I bet that game never happens due to the current lockout.
• Note to local sports talk shows: Going through the new schedule and saying "I predict win" after every game is a tired bit. (Greg Williams did it on The Fan at around 6:05 p.m. and then Mike Rhyner did it on The Ticket about ten minutes later. I'm sure Randy Galloway did it on ESPN Radio but there's no way I'm listening.)
• Edit: Deleted reference to fire investigation and fund raiser. Different fires.
• It will make you nervous, but mint.com is an amazing budget/finance site. It actually sucks in data from your credit card and bank accounts in order to track and categorize every purchase. Throw in a couple of automatically created pie charts and suggested budgeting, and it's pretty cool. 
• I still wonder how all the hotels in Decatur stay in business.
• The history of 420. (That sentence either caused immediate acknowledgement or a question mark to form over your head.)
• While the Messenger first ignored the proposed creation of the new legislative Texas house district 88, it has now gone crazy with nicknames for it: First it was the "Great 88" (dumb) to "Crazy 88" (A Kill Bill reference?) to now "The Dairy Queen District" (an obvious Liberally Lean trademark infringement.)
• There was a 50 car pile up in Arlington yesterday blamed on the sun reflecting off the wet pavement. I'm surprised you don't see more of that.
• Mavericks are up 2-0.  I'm still not convinced they win this series and, as I predicted before the season, they definitely won't get out of Round Two. 
• Lots of bottled water and supply drives being held to benefit the firefighters to our west. I bet they'll be overstocked if they aren't already. (Palo Pinto isn't Haiti.)
• Bridget Marquardt is still a Hey, Now.
• "Denton Mayor Mark Burroughs’ law firm will collect the city’s delinquent property taxes for at least another year." That seems wrong. .
• After three years of use, I think the iPhone is a technological marvel. (And the Droid has already become what Windows was to the Apple operating system.)
• Edit: University of Texas female rugby player dies after injuries sustained in game (although it wasn't a UT game.)

Palo Pinto Evacuated

Which might have been a little premature, but I can understand why everyone's on edge. But I noticed on the news that Wise County had a police presence in the town.

Wise County Sheriff's Office Car With Loud Speaker Telling People to Evacuate

This Guy Reminds Me Of Some Actor And It's Driving Me Nuts. Ed Norton?

Come On, Pete. Give Us Something!!!

Thunderstorms? Softball size hail? Tsunami? You know there has to be something that Wise County is in imminent danger of!!!

If that man doesn't go into panic mode in the next two hours, I'm going to lose all faith in guys who know how to read reports from the National Weather Service and act like it's their own personal work.

Edit: Sooooooo close, yet so far @ 3:40 pm:

Just An Average Tuesday Morning For A Six Year Old. Wait. What?

Link.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• I watched The Bridge a while back - a documentary about suicides of people who jump off of the Golden Gate Bridge. With a survival rate of only 2%, a 16 year old girl is lucky after she jumped on Sunday.
• I really don't see how high humidity plays a significant role in deterring wildfires.
• There's a Burn Ban today in Wise County: Let me suggest that anyone dumb enough to create a fire outside today is too dumb to be aware of a Burn Ban.
• I'm not certain it starts today, but a trial of a Wise County inmate who has made verbal outbursts at docket calls for the last few months is about to be tried. For months he wanted to represent himself but had a change of heart at the last minute. 
• Upper 90s today? (Nope, it's no proof of global warming, but I wonder where the skeptics are that always post when it's an unseasonably cold day.)
• Update on the Texas deputy killed yesterday: The victim was a part-time female deputy and the alleged shooter was a 21 year old inmate with mental issues. He was caught about an hour later. 
• I dread my water bill and electricity bill if the weather doesn't change.(And did we really have to be recreating Antarctica when I walked in the door last night?)
• President Obama kind of jumped on a local Channel 8 reporter yesterday. (It made USA Today, but doesn't seem to be that big of a deal.)
• I've given her a chance, but I think Fox 4's Lauren Przybyl is to Good Day what Angela is to The Office. (Both went to Baylor, by the way.)
• The headline all over the place yesterday was "45% of Americans Pay No Taxes." For a while, I thought that meant that 45% of Americans owed no additional taxes above their withholdings on tax day. But, nope, the story means no taxes.
• Baylor cheerleaders in the pool. Hey, now. 
• The stripper who falsely accused three Duke lacrosse players of rape has been arrested for murder. 
• Easter and Mother's Day sure are close together this year.
• Girl builds life sized Barbie --- with the exception of that small head, she's kind of hot. 

Possum Kingdom

I have no idea of the people involved or where "Hells Gate Loop" is at PK Lake, but this photo taken this afternoon is insane.

Texas Deputy Killed By Inmate This Afternoon

As I was watching a tense hearing involving a Wise County inmate this afternoon,  a tragedy was happening elsewhere in the state:

The University Of Texas Just Took Possession Of 6,643 Gold Bars?

I'm not sure I understand this, but I think it's because a guy who made half a billion dollars on credit default swaps in the mortgage meltdown told them to. His reasoning (I think): If everyone who owns gold on paper actually asked to have that gold delivered, there would be a huge run and there wouldn't be enough gold to go around. So UT better get while the getting's good. The value of the Evil Empire's gold bars is almost $1 billion.

As the value of the metal reached an all time high today of $1,489 an ounce, something feels very apocalyptic about this.

It's Not Antoine Dodson Quality . . .

. . . but Eric Hubbard explaining at the 30 second mark what the tornado did with his tasty burger is pretty funny.

Monday Afternoon Pick Me Up

Wait a second. Is that McLovin? Twenty-one year old McLovin?

Source.

Baby News

Texas Ranger Colby Lewis skips the series with the Yankees to be with wife:

NBA player Shane Battier must have won a playoff game yesterday, but skipped the birth:

And I heard Messenger editor Brian Knox and wife just became parents to a 10 pounder. Yep. 10 pounds. Congrats. (No word yet whether Brian was out playing sports.)

(See what I did here? I'd post the baby pic if I had one)

Not Sure What The Reaction To This Story Is

I don't know if the public will be outraged, apathetic, or supportive.  I know online poker is big business (although I don't think I have a single friend who plays it), but most of these companies moved their operations overseas.  Now the U.S. shuts down their sites, issues indictments, and tries to confiscate their money.

Not to mention the millions of citizens who had credit balances with these companies who will now never get paid.

Since this is Tax Day, perhaps legalizing it and taxing it might be a better idea?

(Source).

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• I don't think I recall a wildfire burning for four days in Texas like we have to the west.(But I do remember a really bad one around the Parker/Wise County border several years back that went on for a couple of days.)
• It is kind of ironic for Gov. Perry to basically run on an anti-federal government/State's rights platform, but is mighty quick to ask the government for federal aid in wake of the fires. 
• You would think one of those smart cars would blow over in this wind. 
• I didn't go to the Main Street Arts Festival in downtown Fort Worth this weekend but that had to be like a wind tunnel. 
• Nicolas Cage was arrested over the weekend, but it was pretty funny when some gossip web sites used this book-in photo from Raising Arizona.
• Success of the weekend: I managed to drill three drainage holes in the bottom of a ceramic pot without shattering it.
• Failure of the weekend: Mrs. LL's hard drive on her laptop gave up the ghost. Recovery install wouldn't work.  And pulling it out and trying to access it as an external drive allowed it to be recognized but not read. Now New Hard Drive vs. New Laptop decision time. 
• I don't care about the NBA or Kobe Bryant, but I'm fascinated by this hi def screenshot of when he almost got injured yesterday.
• I didn't realize that Wise County would be the largest county in the new proposed Texas House District 88. And speculation has already begun regarding potential candidates. Who is the Wise County Republican Party Chairman again? Oh, yeah.
• The Update finally mentions the new district in today's issue.
• Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps has a new goatee and is killin' it in a Vegas pool. 
• Wrong way head on collision in Grapevine last night. How no one died is amazing. 
• Any of you Northside hanger-outers familiar with Randy Rostetter who died in a freak DWI incident as he was walking home? Edit: Picture.
• A prosecutor calling you with "new information" about a pending case is normally very, very good or very, very bad. And it doesn't matter how good an investigation was, something always seems to come up when one is headed to trial. 
• After two experiences of looking like we'll never be seated and leaving, we finally went back to Fogatas on Friday evening. I think we were seated in the bar area where one guy was playing live music. #AlwaysGetWorstTable. (But there was absolutely no wait which is not a good sign.)
• Mrs. LL disassembled a great deal of a shower in a massive cleaning project. The reassembling part has become a massive construction project. And I'm pretty sure we've got every type of tub, tile, caulk, and general goo remover known to man up there. 
• Sports Illustrated estimated that the government's pursuit of Barry Bonds cost $6 million and that was before the trial began.  Talk about government waste.