Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• The Bridgeport family dying in that Garland home fire is horrible.
• There was a shooting at Parks Mall in Arlington late yesterday, and the mall was shut down. If malls weren't in trouble already, crap like this isn't going to help it. And it looked like a scene out of Die Hard.
  
• I was stunned that the Irving Mall survived after a guy was killed in 1993 as he was eating pizza in the food court with his wife and two daughters due to a stray bullet from a gang member. (I had forgotten that his name was Kevin Bacon.) 
• The guy who shot and killed the DPS trooper a few days ago is a US Vet. 
• Who wore it better?: Crazy former Trump consultant and current Fox News lapdog Sebastian Gorka or McLovin? I'll go with McLovin. Always go with McLovin.
  
• College football: (1) Well, once again, I proved I'm a Sports Genius™. I predicted Auburn would upset Alabama. It happened. (2) OU will throttle TCU in the championship game. (3) Prediction: OU wins the National Championship, (4) I was in an Arkansas home watching TV when the UA fired its coach. The local news stations came on moments later and went nuts. (5) The Aggies fired Sumlin. I'm not so sure that's the right move. Just like I'm not sure it was the right move for the Aggies to leave the Big 12. (6) Mack Brown averaged 10.6 wins in his 1st 12 seasons at Texas. In 4 years since they fired him, the Longhorns averaged 5.5 wins a year. They have not won more than 6 games the last 4 years. (7) The Baylor/TCU fight was a really good one. (8)  But is was a good college football weekend, bruh.
  
          
•  I really don't go on road trips, but I went to Arkansas this weekend to see Mrs. LL's side of the family. In the past, I could get out of it because I could use the excuse that someone had to take care of the dogs. Then two of them turned on me by dying, and I lost my out. Honestly, it was great. They basically give me a room with a TV, give me a remote, and everyone tells me to alert them on college football scores. And, man, they all play a lot of cards.
• One thing I noticed along the way was the number of "Pilot" convenience stores. The place off of 407 in Wise County was just bought by them and, in a genius move, they put up a neon sign that can be seen from a mile away. I never thought the prior owner would make it because no one knew it was there. 
• The "Snoop Dogg Trooper" has sued DPS. (Have I mentioned that DPS head Steven McCraw is paid by you in the amount of $220,039 plus medical benefits plus a pension plus other benefits? Have I mentioned my wife and daughter spent all morning in a DPS "Megacenter" on a Monday morning just to get a Provisional driver's license?)
  
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• High School Sports: Jacksboro advanced to play New Diana in the Area Round this weekend. Yep, New Diana. 
• In case you missed it, Trump got crushed for this: 
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• I would like to point out that I was PROBABLY going to be appointed to the Supreme Court but I would have to agree to an interview and a major photo shoot. I said probably is not good and took a pass.
• The Toddler in Chief is obsessed with Time's Man of the Year. In addition to having remove the fake Time magazine pictures from his resorts which showed him on the cover (he wasn't), he also has tweeted these over the years. It's borderline bizarre: 
  
• Hot. Hunting. Opinion!: 
  
• Hot Shopping Opinion: "Black Friday", "Small Business Saturday" and "Cyber Monday" are all cons. Just shop for the best deal regardless of when it happens. Those days are meaningless.
• Speaking of cons, I talked to a pastor over the holidays who told me he absolutely agreed on my views about FBC of Dallas pastor Robert Jeffress. 
• This "Diamond and Silk" bit by Fox News is the dumbest thing I've ever seen. His base, trust me, is not entertained by those two. [If had filmed that bullet point, Mrs. LL would be beside nodding her head and yelling, "Uh, huh!" and "That's right!"]
• Stolen thought relevant to old timers like me: 'Happy Days' premiered in 1974 and was set in 1955. If a modern-day 'Happy Days' premiered in 2018, it would be set in 1999.