Unavoidably Detained

I'm in a CPS mediation - trying to work out custody and visitation in a case with some unusual facts. I'm court appointed to represent the mother. Not good times.

But I get to read the bulletin board during down time.

Look Familiar?

Answer.

(Thanks emailer.)

Three Chicks On My Desk

Not quite what I had in mind today. But, yep, someone (Amberly) stopped by to surprise me with her newest acquisition.

I'd Get Tasered For $40,000

Which is what this guy got according to the news today. (The taser is about 2 1/2 minutes into it.)

Craziest Headline Ever?

Story.

Meet Fred And Sharon

They produce videos. But I couldn't really concentrate on their product (which, based upon the editing of the commercial, is probably fantastic) because of Sharon's hotness. Sign me up.

The Good Stuff Is Always Buried

"Love" County? Escaped with a "female jailer"? Good times.

Random Morning Thoughts

- I'm not offended that Gov. Eliot Spitzer of New York got caught in a prostitution sting, I'm offended that he paid $4,000 to $5,000 an hour on a hooker. - And during his 30 second press conference yesterday (which has been replayed a million times), I can actually hear a cell phone go off in vibrate mode. Drives me crazy every time. - And speaking of hookers, only the media calls the customers "Johns." - Crazy murder/suicide last night of a high profile black couple in Dallas. (And, for what it's worth, the shooter published this blog yesterday.) - Fog is cool. - A treasurer for a high school volleyball team near Austin takes $15,000 from the team but pays it back quickly. The story then appears in the Austin American Statesman. DA John Bradley (who may be the most arrogant prosecutor in the state) reads the story and decides to pursue felony charges even those all of those involved had handled it "in house". - The Space Shuttle (a program which needs to be retired) fired off into space at 2:30 a.m. central time last night. - I hate that "Welcome Back" song that TXU plays in all of its commercials. (And, yes, I know its from the old sitcom.) - I finished Slaughterhouse Five and it was, in a word, great. I'm not a fan of science fiction, and I'm not real sure this qualifies as a science fiction book, but any novel that concerns itself with time travel, free will, true history, and the Crucifixion will get my attention.

Hey, Now

Random mugshot from The Smoking Gun.

War On Drugs ---- I Give Up My AntiWar

You make the call.

Basic law: If you possess between 1 and 4 grams of dope, the range of punishment is that of a Third Degree Felony (2 to 10 years in the pen.) To wrap your brain around that, a gram is the equivalent of a Sweet N Low packet.

Bonus law: If you commit the above offense but previously had been convicted of any felony and gone to the pen, got out, got convicted of another felony and sent to the pen again (regardless of the type of felonies and regardless of the length of the sentences) then you can be "Enhanced" to a "Habitual Offender." The new range of punishment for what had been a Third Degree is now no less than 25 years and no more than Life. Absent a plea bargain, the jury gets to pick that number.

So . . . a guy in Tyler gets caught with a whopping 1.46 grams of meth (not exactly Pablo Escobar), but he has the unfortunate background of being sent to the pen twice before.

So the jury says ...............Answer.

Yeah, yeah. Sure he's a "loser" and he "broke the law" but, in the end, it was 1.46 grams of dope.

I'd Love To See A Mike Synder vs. Jane McGarry Fight Like This

As I Was Up At The Crack Of Dawn . . .

. . . on Sunday, I snapped these pics. Not that they are earthshaking, but the sky was beautiful. Although the telephone polls in the background weren't exactly the accent I was looking for.

Patriots Hold Cheerleader Try-Outs

Boston Globe runs pic of belly button "ring" along with other photos.

Wise County citizens plea with Joe Duty to follow suit (not with a belly ring but with tricked up pictures.)

Sportzzz

- The Aggies and the Razorbacks have agreed to a 10 year deal to play in the new Cowboys stadium. Cool. (I haven't driven by that stadium in a year but I heard it's massive.)
- With a win over Tech on Saturday, Baylor should make the NCAA tournament. It'll be the first time in 20 years. And, yeah, it'l probably just be a one-and-done appearance, but it'll be weird to see the Bears' name on all the brackets.
- Most random of salary notes: Boston Red Sox reliever Jonathan Papelbon agreed to a one year deal last week. Is he good? You bet. He had 37 of 40 saves last year with a 1.85 ERA. He also saved 3 of the 4 World Series games for the Red Sox. So his salary for next year? $750,000. Yep. That's it. Baseball players make a ton of money as free agents, but unfortunately for Papelbon, he's two young to be a free agent. That comes in two years. (As comparison, his back-up, who almost got booed out of Boston last year because he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, made $6,000,000.)

Some Laws Even I've Never Heard Of

Breast feeding scandal in Denton. World stops turning. But mom is kind of hot.

Snow Talk

So the morning courthouse conversation brought up this issue: One fine lady on the second floor proclaimed that Decatur had more snow in either 1987 or 1988 than this weekend. I was working in Dallas back then so I couldn't refute it. I doubted it, but couldn't back it up.

Unavoidabley Detained This Weekend

- I really hate moving the clocks forward. It happens every year at just about the time I'm comfortable waking up early. - Stumbled across real guys playing tackle football with pads on at Pennington Stadium on Sunday. Something called "The American Eightman Football League." - I watched Eastern Promises. It's kinda good. - I noticed three knuckleheads decided to go canoing (sp?) last night on the Parker/Wise County line and had to be rescued. - I'm reading Slaughterhouse Five (nope, never read it before.) - This video isn't as good as the "Don't Have Maps/Such As" video, but it's pretty good.