3.17.2014

Random Monday Morning Thoughts




  • And we're back. In case you were wondering, we went to Ian Anderson's Caves Branch in Belize. It bills itself as a "jungle lodge" and an "adventure company".  I discovered it in an old New York Times article here
  • I rode a horse up and down a slippery and steep 30 foot "canyon" (picture me wildly frightened on a horse and you've got me pictured correctly), I repelled 15 feet over a cliff and then was lowered down the next 270 feet (scary), Mrs. LL and I and a guided tour into the depths of a river cave which led to a dislocated shoulder after climbing a waterfall about an hour in (which was then put back in place by two guides who spoke broken English.), we all went to the Mayan ruins in Guatemala (where I could only think about Apocalypto and the rest of the Family Unit wouldn't stop looking at the monkeys in the trees.) 
  • After snorkeling and stopping at a small island, the Fifth Grader in the House asked me "if you discover an island is it yours." I told her, "I think that's true if it's in international waters which, I believe, is like 15 miles from the coast of any country, but I'm not sure." Some wise guy college kid who was standing nearby said, "To not be sure, that was a pretty specific answer."
  • I was completely, and I mean completely, in a news blackout last week. There was no WiFi and no TV.  That was pretty refreshing. (But I didn't expect the missing Malaysian plane to still be missing once I got back on the grid.)
  • When I loaded the plane to go home, Weatherford attorney Dan Carney was two rows behind me holding an issue of Texas Monthly which had an article on current Wise County assistant DA Tim Cole -- an issue which I had taken down there and read as well. 
  • Not that I use it much, but going through customs in DFW is now a breeze. Completely automated and they make you take a "selfie" -- I'm guessing some type of facial recognition software is being used. 
  • I read Dallas Morning News columnist Tim Cowlishaw's book on his addiction to alcohol called Drunk On Sports.  It was pretty interesting but he sure thinks a lot of himself. He told us how much he made, how he was selected as being to valuable to be laid off by the News, and referred to himself as a "powerful voice" in the DFW media. And despite two years of sobriety, his tone at the end of the book does not sound like a guy who can keep it up. 
  • I always thought Quizno's was a little wheels off and now it has declared for bankruptcy protection.
  • Some guy gets drunk and plows into a crowd at SXSW killing two people in Austin? I would understand an Intoxication Manslaughter charge but the DA will seek Capital Murder charges. That makes no sense. Edit: Here's the PC affidavit. There may be more to this than just aimlessly driving into a car. But it's still murky.
  • A list of the 35 riches "neighborhoods" in DFW. I suppose they all make sense except for #34: "Bedford". 
  • Did you know that the "kissing sailor" in that famous Life photo lived in Benbrook? And he died last week
  • TMZ got a hold of Justin Beiber's deposition last week and it is entertainment gold. That kid is such a tool.
  • The season finale of True Detective was beyond disappointing. Never has a brilliant cable show ended with an episode that wasn't even comparable to of a bad show of Law and Order. 
  • St. Patrick's Day Parade "Hey, Now."
  • You don't hear much about the "Bermuda Triangle" anymore. Man, it was a big player when I was a kid. 
  • Former tonight show regular David Brenner died last week. Maybe the most unfunny comedian ever. 
  • Sports: (1) UT's new coach kicked two players off the team over the weekend, Charlie Strong is either going to be a great success or an epic disaster,  (2) Baylor makes the NCAA Tourney but has its first game at 11:40 a.m. on Saturday, (3) 7 of the 10 teams in the Big 12 made the tourney,  (4) The owner of the Colts got arrested last night for DWI and possession of a controlled substance, and (5) Troy Aikman was average at best over his last five seasons.