Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• That girl reminds me of a young Bernadette Peters (who I will always associate with Steve Martin in The Jerk.)
• There was an NFL field goal record set this weekend with one from 64 yards. I saw it live (thanks to the greatness that is the Red Zone channel). I felt old when I recalled I watched the half-footed Tom Dempsey set the original record of 63 yards -- also live.
• According to the Messenger today, there were 30 people indicted by the last grand jury. Fifteen of them were for drugs. The system is broken. 
• It probably deserves a post of its own, but I'll interested in the reaction to the sentence of probation for the sixteen year old Keller kid who pled guilty to drunk driving and causing the death of four people. Whatever your reaction, you have to remember: He's sixteen. A sixteen year old who did a dumb, but not intentional, act.  The prosecutors asking for the maximum of twenty years did themselves no favors. Seeking the maximum may get you an award from MADD at the end of the year, but it shows laziness and a disregard for true justice.  
• That being said, I'm surprised the judge didn't showboat and sentence the  kid to twenty years. Why? Because under the "determinate sentencing" scheme in place twenty years doesn't mean twenty years. The kid would have spent around two years in juvenile prison and then would go back before the court where the judge could probated the remainder of the sentence of send him to adult prison. So a headline grabbing twenty year sentence would really mean probation with a little bit of jail time up front. 
• Ice falling from Great Wolf Lodge.
• This morning: Pope Francis has been selected by Time magazine as the Person of the Year. I liked that guy. 
• During the ice storm, I parked my car on Thursday afternoon in the garage (thanks to Mrs. LL, we actually got TWO cars in a two car garage) and didn't fire it back up until Tuesday morning.  I walked outside a couple of times, but that was about it. I didn't mind it a bit. 
• Want to be a lawyer? Try sitting down and telling a twenty something year old that she is going to jail for violating probation and there is nothing that can be done to stop it. Happened to me twice in the last few months. It's gut wrenching. That's why I normally refuse to take revocation of probation cases. Those cases aren't about skills as a lawyer. It's begging. 
• I bundled up and took off jogging yesterday evening, and the sidewalks were too icy so I ran down neighborhood streets. With the various houses lit up with Christmas lights, it was fantastic.
• If it is 30 degrees with no wind and sunny, I have no problem with that. 
• I'm guessing that all Wise County ISDs are closed only because the less traveled country roads are still too icy for school buses. (Chico will open at 10:00 a.m. but will keep the buses off the road.)
• I actually researched the "Oxford comma" last night after seeing this.
• Nick Saban to Texas? Wouldn't surprise me. It also wouldn't surprise me if he's not playing Alabama to make him richer than he already is. (But look at this story - which may or may not be true - about how Texas alums might bail him out of $20 million in bad investments to entice him.) Edit: Link fixed.
• Big 12 "awards" per Fox Sports. Good stuff (even if I disagree with a lot of it.)
• I have to think John Cornyn will crush Tea Partier Steve Stockman. If your campaign platform is "John Cornyn is a liberal" there are only a handful of nutcases who will agree with you. 
• I remember Charles Haley just destroying and disrupting a backfield during crunch time.  It seems DeMarcus Ware gets sacks during trash time. It's night and day to me. 
• I saw about two minutes of Danica Patrick hosting the Country Music Awards. She was as awful as I expected. 
• A fantastic essay on aging parents and Alzheimers that ran in the Star-Telegram over Thanksgiving It's worth your time. Well worth your time.