Does This Look Like . . .

. . . a teacher that would run off with a 15 year old boy and hide out at Motel 8? Motel 6, perhaps, but not Motel 8. Edit: We have a new pic. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Gmail went down last night.
• I really like David McCullough 1776 (I'm about two hours into it) and was even more pleased to learn he is the narrator of the audio book. Great voice. I immediately recognized him from Ken Burns' The Civil War.
• I should put the Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro on my bucket list.
• Fat Tuesday in New Orleans, however, looks like it could be a beating.
• I haven't seen The Bucket List.
• Newest Obama approval ratings: 63% overall (89% among Democrats, 30% among Republicans, and 4% among Wise Countians. Last number made up, but probably accurate.)
• Another murder-for-hire was thwarted yesterday (a sweet mother/daughter plan). I wonder how many murders are the result of successful murder-for-hire plots?
• It's kind of neat that the Bridgeport and Decatur girls meet at this level of the playoffs.
• Note to Channel 5 morning news: A child found safe in a daycare van yesterday afternoon does not constitute a "Developing Story" this morning.
• Any traffic report that estimates the number of minutes it will take to travel a specific path is silly.
• Are there still travel agents?
• A buddy sent me a link to a recent Frontline episode called "Inside The Meltdown" -- an hour long documentary on the financial meltdown. I started it last night and was hooked. Absolutely great. And it will scare you to death.
• One good thing about being single: If there's a Depression era meltdown, I only have to take care of myself (and people I choose to take care of.)
• Jerry Jones was 46 when he bought the Cowboys.
• I was annoyed to no end by a drunk guy who thought he was entertaining at the West Village in Dallas on Saturday.
• I'm already monitoring the weather for this Saturday's Cowtown Half Marathon. So far, so good, around 50 with little wind.
• Texas shouldn't get too excited about beating Oklahoma on Saturday since OU's beast-of-a-payer Griffin played only 12 minutes due to a concussion. Baylor, on the other hand, has had a horrible season after starting the year off in the Top 25.
• Guy believes Aggies will win National Championship this fall. In other news, I bet he believes the world will end on 12.21.12.

Holy Crap!

For years I've invested in an S&P 500 Mutual Fund which was managed by E-Trade. Moments ago I received an email (below) which, loosely translated, means we are selling your shares in our mutual fund at its lowest price in years and giving you the cash. You want to be a long term investor? Too bad. We are forcing you to sell it. Uh, I need a little help here. Financially, I know what it means to me, but is this a sign of bad things to come? I know I'm shipping my money out of E-trade once the sell occurs. I've never heard of anything like this. The email: After long and serious consideration, E*TRADE Securities has made the decision to discontinue our family of proprietary index mutual funds. As a result, the E*TRADE S&P 500 (ETSPX), Russell 2000 (ETRUX), Technology (ETTIX), and International (ETINX) Index Funds will be liquidated on a date no later than March 27, 2009 (the "Liquidation Date"). Of course, even though we are discontinuing these funds, as an E*TRADE customer, you have access to over 7,000 funds to help you find the right alternative. Here are a few important points to keep in mind: Effective as of the close of business on February 23, 2009, no purchases of the funds may be made and any applicable redemption fees or account fees charged by the funds will be waived. If you do not redeem your shares yourself, your shares will be automatically converted to cash equal to their net asset value on the Liquidation Date. You will receive proceeds equal to the net asset value of the shares you held on the Liquidation Date after provision for all charges, expenses, and liabilities of the fund. The redemption is treated as a taxable transaction, and you will have to pay taxes on the proceeds of the liquidation, even if your shares are automatically redeemed on the Liquidation Date. Please be assured that this decision has nothing at all to do with the financial health of E*TRADE FINANCIAL, which has been, and continues to be, very well capitalized by every applicable regulatory standard.

And Another

Story. (And going back to my creepy suicide-by-car post, there was this story this afternoon. I have absolutely no reason to believe that way anything other than an accident, but who in the world would ever know?)

The People's Court

Our district judge was in a good mood today when he tolerated a couple trying to get divorced when the case was set for an "agreed prove up." They both approached the bench, the judge asked to see the paperwork about the agreement, and the guy says she still had "some of my stuff." Judge: "So this isn't really isn't agreed, is it?" Him: "She can have her divorce, I just want my stuff." But the guy had a hard time coming up with a list of property that he was owed. Normally, you'd see a judge tell them to come back when everything is agreed to or go hire a lawyer if it was going to be a fight. But he worked through it and got them divorced. (The ex-husband will get his "collectible beer" back, by the way.) Then the soon-to-be-divorced guy made me feel a little sad when he announced, "Thirty five years [of marriage] wasted." But his dramatic exit out of the courtroom kind went awry when he smashed in the back door (you pull it, don't push it.)

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• Megan Henderson is leaving Fox 4 News!! She announced it at 6:50 a.m. and kind of teared up (along with every man in the metroplex.) She's going to the west coast, and they introduced her announcement with Phantom Planet's California.)
• I say it every year: The Academy Awards is the slowest and most boring awards show on TV.
• There was a great article in the Star-Telegram on the 20th anniversary of Jerry Jones buying the Cowboys. I can't believe there hasn't been more hype about it.
• Speaking of the Star-Telegram, I now proclaim it to be a better paper than the Dallas Morning News.
• I stood behind a guy in the self check out line in the grocery store who decided to pay with quarters because, as he told me, "I had a lot of change to get rid of."
• The new Jenny Craig spokeswoman is Felisha Rashad. I've always disliked her for some reason.
• The interview of Bristol Palin by Greta Van Susteren on Fox bordered on the bizarre. Bristol came across as more immature than even her 18 years and, it was clear, she did not want to be a mother. And then Sarah Palin just "dropped in" to chat and hi-jacked the interview.
• Everyone needs to tap the brakes on the Chandra Levy case being "solved." I mean, one inmate says another inmate "confessed" to the murder and that's it? Case closed?
• There was a wedding announcement in Star Telegram yesterday which was accompanied by a picture of a close-up of half the bride's face. That's it. (I can't find it online but it was the Hoopingarner-Heffley wedding.) Edit: A google loving reader found it.
• Saw a guy in the theater on Saturday drop his krillion ounce drink as he reached his seat. He just sat down in disgust with a severe case of give up.
• I've felt better physically over the last two weeks than I have in a long time. The only difference is that I've added a salad to every meal. I wonder if that is it?
• Everyone tells me that I have to see the new HBO movie, "Taking Chance" with Kevin Bacon.
• Ticket trivia: The first time I ever heard about Slumdog Millionaire was when Gordon Keith interviewed director Danny Boyle last October on the now canceled Gordon Keith Show. (And Boyle thought Gordon was hysterical.)
• I've started reading David McCullough's 1776.

A New Failed Bit: The Two Wise County Bubbas

Random Tension. That I Love.

“Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun got into a heated exchange at a postgame news conference Saturday with a freelance journalist and political activist who questioned why the coach of a public university was making $1.6 million in tough economic times.” From last night.

Slumdog Millionaire

Finally saw this movie last night in a packed theater (it must have been the pre-Oscar rush.) Verdict: It might move into my top ten list of all time favorite movies. Loved it. It was educational (you get to learn about India), brutal (you will not believe the treatment of children), disgusting (one scene caused the audience to issue the loudest grown I had ever heard - twice!), inspiring (love over money), guilt inducing (oh, the conditions of the slums), a guilty pleasure (you get caught up in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire), and touching (never has the "Phone a Friend" lifeline caused me to tear up before.) The pacing between current day and flashbacks was absolutely brilliant. Once it was over, I bet 90% of the audience remained in their seats as the credits rolled. And it didn't hurt that the movie suddenly transformed itself from a gut wrenching drama to bring-a-smile-to-your-face music dance video. I sat in my seat and just said, "wow." Does it live up to the hype? Absolutely.

"Man On Wire"

I just watched this new documentary about Philippe Petit's 1974 tightrope walk across a cable strung between the two buildings of the World Trade Center. I can't tell you enough how great it is. I had never considered:

• How he and his buddies were able to sneak up to the top of the towers
• How they strung a 450 pound cable across the span in the middle of the night
• How he went about his training by replicating the event in a field in France
• How long he was on the wire (amazing)
• Why the film was named "Man On Wire" instead of "Man On A Wire" or "Man On The Wire." The answer will make you smile.

And you get to see incredible film footage and still photos of his training and the actual walk (including the crowds below). Most of those involved were interviewed in the documentary and still smile with glee that they were able to pull it off. Also, the extra footage of the WTC being built a couple of years before is dang near worth watching the film alone. But there was one oddity. The film, which documents that man's obsession and love of the structure, never mentions its demise.

Sissies 48, Llano 38

And it looks like they will play Decatur on Tuesday night in Saginaw. Good times. Edit: The game has been moved to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night at Texas Woman's University in Denton. Edit: And the outdated picture comes from Decatur High School's current "Lady Eagle Basketball" page.

The Only Thing We Have To Fear Is . . . A Lot

Drudge has been running stories of the craziness involving the stock of Citibank and Bank of America today. In essence, there is a fear that the banks are in such bad shape that the government is going to seize them and run them. If that happens, they say, every share of stock becomes worthless. I started watching Citigroup about an hour ago when it was at a shocking $1.90. And it keeps getting worse.

Oh, My

I just got my copy of Voice For The Defense which is a magazine for Texas criminal defense lawyers. A few months back they started a feature called "Kudos" which provides blurbs about lawyers receiving awards, winning appellate cases on unique legal issues, or doing great things like working successfully on the Innocence Project. Oh, yeah, and occasionally they will throw in a "not guilty" trial win. Which brings me to the above blurb. It's self explanatory but, if not, it says a guy was found not guilty of sexual assault while he was on probation (the result of a plea bargain) for a different crime that had originally been indicted as sexual assault of a child. I understand the kudo (since I assume the guy was not guilty or the evidence was insufficient to convict), but the magazine might want to tap the brakes on the way they word these things. If it made me cringe, I bet it will drive you insane.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• Some guy named Davila was convicted of capital murder in Tarrant County yesterday, but every reporter pronounces the name differently. But around here we know better.
• Some guy led cops on a chase through Ellis County yesterday morning and when he was captured he told the camera, "I'd like to apologize to the public." The man is a born showman.
• I made a mistake about Texas Stadium yesterday. Yeah, you can buy some junk there this weekend but you can't go inside the stadium.
• The State Judicial Conduct Commission is now after Judge Sharon Keller. If you've followed that story and it has your interest, you have to read the complaint (pdf) which details what happened on the they day the court closed at 5:00 p.m. Shocking.
• I've never had interest in American Idol except for 10 minutes a few weeks back when Katrina the Bikini Girl was on it.
• The Wise County Messenger's Update seems to have become boring since Roy Eaton stopped writing it.
• The A-Rod steroid scandal sure has brought out the "holier than thou" in people.
• I've got a friend who doubts that man walked on the moon. Crazy. Town.
• You see this from time to time, but there's a new photo comparison of fast food "What They Advertise vs. What It Really Looks Like." I think this is why we power down whenever we open up the sack.
• I like getting in my car before opening the garage door.
• I had a dream last night that I can't remember, but I woke up hurting from the exhaustion that it caused. That happens to me a lot.
• I've got a pretty good mental image of any commenter who makes reference to a "monkey being in the White House." And it involves cigarettes, a beer belly, and a T-shirt with a stupid saying on it.
• I should have dedicated this whole week to the the relationship between Sandy Herold and her chimp, Travis. Triple. Crazy. Town.
• But I wish I had a well behaved spider monkey who would sit on the couch and act like he was reading the paper.
• New Harris poll on who America considers a "Hero." #1 was Obama. #2 was Jesus.
• Referring to one's mouth as "your kisser" is still kind of funny. (i.e. "I thought my date was going to whack me in the kisser when she caught me looking at that hottie.")
• Motorcycle death last night.
• I still think we are headed for an economic collapse this year.
• I like the heels with shorts look.

Thursday Afternoon Pick Me Up

From an archive of photos of Life Magazine.

This Reminded Me Of Something

How many suicides do you think are caused by auto wrecks? I mean, how would you ever know? This came up as I finished The Tipping Point which discussed how, stay with me here, even suicides can be contagious. That is, one death can give other people the "courage" to do that act. And, as attempted evidence, the author cited studies that show an increase in fatal car crashes the day after a highly publicized suicide. (Uh, this does not constitute a Thursday afternoon pick me up.)

Something Out Of Austin I Like

It has no impact, but you have to like a Concurrent House Resolution 50 that has been introduced in the Texas Legislature. (Ok, federalism isn't as sexy as girls in bikinis but it's pretty darn close.) Source.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Southwest is now flying to Boston which reminded me that the Wright Amendment is gradually being repealed. Was the phase out period five years or ten years? And it seems like the legislation is about five years old.
• I could get that answer within 20 seconds, but I don't want to use the Google.
• Fox 4 News is in hi-def as of yesterday.
• Megan Henderson, who I wanted to see in hi-def, was not on the news this morning.
• It seems like the comments written here yesterday were particularly hateful. Not sure what caused the Bubba Factor to get out of whack.
• I saw Milk with my "companion" last night. (Ok, it's a cute little blonde gal so everyone calm yourselves.)
• Milk is great. Sean Penn is greater.
• Milk also has old news footage of Anita Bryant, a lady I hadn't thought of in years, and her anti-gay campaign. (Her life, as profiled on Wikipedia, would be a pretty good movie in itself, and the "pie in the face" footage was huge news when I was a kid.)
• I love it when movies based upon real life show photos at the end of the "real people" upon which it was based. (That was a hard sentence to word, and I'm still not pleased.)
• Jarhead is going to end up on the news some day in a road rage incident. Case in point. But I still don't understand what started it all yesterday.
• "Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards," - Our new Attorney General proclaimed yesterday.
• The world will not end in 2012?
• You can go to Texas Stadium one last time this weekend (free entry/free parking) and buy some crap. I might do it.
• The roads around Grapevine Mills Mall are confusing. But one did lead me by a place called Cutie Pie's that I had heard about.
• Some are wondering if Tech will fire Mike Leach. If I'm the Athletic Director, I'd be the one worrying about my job.
• Ever thought about Heath Ledger's The Joker and Beetlejuice in the same photo?
• Everyone tells me I would like Step Brothers.
• I hate this time of year for some reason.