Liberally Lean From The Land Of Dairy Queen

4.04.2012

Justice Of The Peace Office Hours In Jack County

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

One of those news helicopters is going to go down one of these days trying to get footage of a tornado.
But that video of the trailers being tossed around like toys in Lancaster is riveting.
Yesterday was bad, but one of these days a massive tornado is going to hit the metroplex. And with subdivisions all over the place, it's going to be historic.
I'm not giving Pete Delkus credit for his pre-tornado rants. If anything, it makes us slow to react when really bad weather does bear down on us. (And he warned of the possibility of 60 mile per hour straight line winds. That wasn't exactly Nostradamus-like.)
I'm still not sure if DFW Airport was shut down yesterday evening or just most flights cancelled as they were checked for damage from the hail storm that moved through there. (American took 80 planes out of service for inspection.) I mean, there wouldn't be a reason to cancel inbound flights once the storms cleared out.
"God was looking out for us." - A common refrain from those whose homes were badly damaged but spared bodily injury or death. Always, to me, one of the great theological things to ponder.
Cops declared a curfew in the worst areas of damage. Honestly, I don't know if they have the authority to do that.
Channel 8 had coverage of a home where two 4X4 boards blew threw a window and pierced a wall. I wish I could find a link to it. Amazing.
Cumulus made an odd decision yesterday when it simulcast weather coverage on WBAP, KLIF, The Ticket, and probably at least two other stations they own.
And I can't watch tornado news coverage without remembering Troy Dungan not being able to find downtown Fort Worth on the map when a tornado was roaring through in 2000.
I'm still tracking down the winners of the Liberally Lean Tourney. I've got two identified and should get to the rest today.
You could see Baylor coach Kim Mulkey's diagnosis of Bell's Palsy revealing itself on TV last night. I felt sorry for her to have to suffer through that during a career highlight.
And I suppose I'll her from the guy/gal who wants to tell me how so much better UConn was a few years back. You realize the starting five for the Baylor girls are coming back next year, don't you?
Back to weather, here's a really good collection of photos and videos from yesterday put together by Texas Monthly.

4.03.2012

National Championship #2

If I'm late posting Random Thoughts tomorrow, it's because I'm driving to Waco to turn over some cars and start some fires in celebration.

This sounds crazy in eastern Dallas County

It's Armageddon! In all seriousness. Lancaster suffered some pretty large damage.

Arlington:

Am I The Only Guy That Didn't Hate This National Anthem Last Night?

Everybody is hating on it this morning and I just don't get it.

But I might be biased because I've purchased five songs by The Fray over the last three years which makes them the leader by a mile in my purchased music collection. Not even close. That's almost half an album I've shelled out money for!

And there's a pretty good chance I'm retiring and joining that band. I've studied the drum routine in this video very closely and I feel pretty confident, with lots of practice, that I could do that.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

Jim Nance called the National Championship game last night and gets to do the Master's this weekend. I wonder if he likes that gig?
The Ticket's Corby Davidson played Pebble Beach last week. The green fee? $495. And that didn't include the tip for the caddie. (Assuming he tipped - which is not a given.)
It's amazing how a story like seven shot dead at an Oakland college becomes the fourth or fifth story on television news.
Mrs. LL managed to lock both sets of her car keys in the car yesterday.
My iPhone now says "4G" when in Decatur. Have we had a change?
A "football play" used in a high school basketball game went viral yesterday. Hey, it was an all-star game which means the defense didn't care (not to mention the 10 second back court violation that was ignored.)
I noticed that the Tarrant County Grand Jury didn't indict a woman who (probably accidentally) had a gun with her at DFW airport and also failed to indict a Keller teacher who allegedly had sexual relations with an 18 year old student who wasn't part of his campus. It wouldn't surprise me if they aren't going against the DA's recommendation in those two cases.
Do people really pay attention to the Wise County Youth Fair?
I love this forecast just posted by Pete Delkus on Facebook: "Damaging wind (60mph straight line) and large hail (quarter to half dollar size) are the main severe concerns but an isolated tornado CANNOT be ruled out." I'd like to add that a flood for forty days and forty nights CANNOT be ruled out either.
An interesting fact that means nothing: The last six times Kentucky won the basketball championship the Yankees won the World Series.
A Texas private investigator is out promoting a book "O.J. Is Innocent And I Can Prove It." Why, why would anyone book him on a radio show? (I'm looking at you WBAP.)

And The Winners Of The Liberally Lean Pick 'Em Tourney

Hmm. I wonder if it was important to pick Kentucky?

The uncomfirmed winner is Jason Brookshire out of Arlington (no doubt the heir to the Brookshire Grocery fortune and a One Percenter.)

The top six winners will, in order of finish, get to pick their prize. Of course, I've got a headache because we've got a three way tie for fourth place. If at all possible, I'd appreciate it if all those who qualify would, at least for today, not make their email "hidden" on the tourney site so I can contact you. The bottom two finishers who tied (and completely filled out their brackets) need to do the same.

Thanks to all the sponsors.

-All Wise Garden Center

Bloomoon Pet Resort

Wise Liquors

completely

Paul Belew

April Cowling

Chris Miller's Farmer's Insurance Agency

4.02.2012

National Championship 2013 Promotion Spelling Fail

Thanks, Scott.

Crazy Cat People Arrested

How many cats you ask? 134.

How this is a New York story and not a Texas story is one of life's mysteries.

(And that woman looks like a character out of South Park.)

April Fool's Day Pranks

Yesterday I saw several references to the Sports Illustrated article of "The Curious Case of Sidd Finch." It was written in 1985, and I still remember four guys huddled around it at the Baylor Law School library where, like most days, I was spending my time. They were "oohing" and "ahhing" and dropping some "you've got to be kidding me's." All I could gather was that there was about to be a new pitcher in the Major Leagues the likes of which had never been seen.

I care about baseball about as much as I do now (very little), so I never got around to reading the article after them. But, whatever it said that day, they all absolutely believed it. And it had a credible author: The great George Plimpton.

But it turned out to be a hoax with the first and only clue being that this particular issue of SI had a date of April 1, 1985.

I finally looked at the article yesterday and quickly came upon this tidbit: The mysterious Sidd Finch's fastball was clocked at 168 miles per hour. Really? And people bought that?

The New Drug User: Prescription Drugs Without The Prescription

Story.

After being a bust as the second pick in the 1998 draft, Leaf ended up coaching at West Texas A&M and looked to be on the road to normalcy. Then after allegations that he asked a player for a pain pill, he resigned in 2008 and was later charged with burglary and drug charges in Amarillo. He was placed on probation after pleading guilty to Obtaining a Controlled Substance by Fraud (which normally means a forged prescription or making a misrepresentation to obtain a prescription.)

Fast forward to over the weekend when news broke that he was again arrested for burglary and drug charges for allegedly "entering an acquaintance house in order to steal a bottle of prescription painkillers." Now today the news comes down that right after posting bail on that charge he allegedly commits a new burglary/drug charge.

The chances of him being addicted? Oh, about 100%. And the U.S. is seeing these type of addictions more and more.

P.S. I told anyone who would listen back in 1998 that I'd use the #1 draft pick on Leaf instead of Peyton Manning. My sports brain had not yet fully developed.

Another Thing I Don't Understand

I don't understand rioting after winning a National Championship. I dang sure don't understand rioting after winning a semi-final game.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

I watched some of Platoon this weekend and realized that Johnny Depp has a minor role as one of the soldiers.
A meat and fish salesman came by the house last week. Based upon the amount of fish and meat in the refrigerator, he was a very good salesman.
I asked Mrs. LL if she bought a lottery ticket. She said she did. I asked how many. She said "twenty" -- followed by a pause and a "kidding."
The Lady Aggies had this yell leader play the part of Baylor's Britney Griner in practice. (And with one more win to go, I still think the Baylor women's team (39-0) has to be at least considered as the best ever.)
Wrestlemania over the weekend in Miami had a paid attendance of 78,363 and who knows how much in pay-per-view receipts. Now that is Idiocracy.
A movie shown at SXSW, "America's Parking Lot" prominently features Decatur resident Stan "Tiger" Shultz. I think it's about tailgating at the old Texas Stadium.
Hey, now.
Heck of an upcoming sports week: Men's and Women's basketball championships, The Masters, and Opening Day for the Rangers.
I've never had any desire to skydive, and the news of a man dying in Central Texas over the weekend when his parachute did not fully open pretty much solidifies that feeling.
Gruesome last week: A 10 year old's body is being sought in Ellis County -- police believe he was starved to death, a teenager is gunned down in a residential neighborhood in Wylie, and a two year old wanders off and drowns in a pool near Houston. Depressing.
Mrs. LL and I ate Habanero's restaurant in Fort Worth on Friday evening and then I saw a comment on here about it a little later.
The Wise County Messenger brought home the sweepstakes award for twice-weekly newspapers in the 2012 North and East Texas Press Association Better Newspaper Contest. How many "twice-weekly" newspapers are there?
I saw a pitcher in a Girls 10 and Under league strike out five in a row on Saturday morning. That came right after she hit three out of four batters.
Sarah Palin is going to host the Today Show for one hour tomorrow. She called in today to promote her appearance and Matt Lauer asked her is she was preparing by reading newspapers. Ouch.

4.01.2012

Prank At University of Michigan

There isn't anything particularly remarkable about this bit, but I was amazed at the size of that class.

And Down The Stretch They Come

Kind of sad to see the Dead Tulips get so close but fall short.

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