Things I Stop Down For

Alisandra Galvan's family plans to meet with lawmakers this week to talk about proposed amendments to a bill sponsored by Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie. The proposals would require anyone who installs or maintains a septic system to have an insurance policy of at least $2 million. And they would require that safety violations, including missing or damaged covers, be reported to the state within 30 days. Let me get this straight. You don't watch your daughter and she drowns. And your regret is that there's not someone else that you can point the finger at who was required to have a big liability policy? Really? Story.

Exclusive Photo

. . . of my date at the Bridgeport Chamber Of Commerce Banquet held this weekend. (Very enlargeable.)

I Completely Missed This

And in an unrelated item, the Update also had a story about a guy who ended up on shore after his boat capsized on Lake Bridgeport. (And I saw yet another drowning in Dallas County.)

Dolly?

I guess they mean Dolly Parton, but it's odd that her last name isn't used. Edit: Maybe it's an impersonator. I don't know where Dolly Parton is playing these days, but I seriously doubt it's local country clubs. But that's her picture in the ad, it would seem. (Thanks emailer Scott.)

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• 

• Downtown Dallas always wants to be like downtown Fort Worth. That's kind of hard to pull off when people get shot while waiting for valet parking.
• Sports no-shows on Sunday: The Dallas Mavericks, the Oklahoma Sooners, and whoever that guy was that Tiger Woods chased down.
• I dropped by the new Eddie V's off 7th and University in Fort Worth on Friday night. Nice place.
• Mark Cuban got fined $25,000 for criticizing an official on Twitter. He did it just so he could get in the news for being fined for using Twitter.
• I looked up and saw a military fighter jet and what looked like an American Eagle plane get a little too close to each other yesterday. I thought about how I didn't have a camera.
• I know the guy who is missing from his sailboat on Lake Lewisville.
• There's also a body missing in Lake Grapevine. That would kind of make you hesitate before taking a boat out.
• Then again, taking a boat out in this wind is insane. And not any fun.
• And to think we all used to sit around the TV and watch Hee-Haw. Oh, my.
• I'm not going near the NASCAR race this weekend, but I always want there to be good weather for all the folks that do.
• "A Denton police officer was arrested Saturday morning after his boyfriend said the officer punched him in the face, a Denton County sheriff's spokesman said." They allow that in Denton? The gay thing, that is.
• I like our ADA Kevin Henry but I think he's losing it over this "good vs. evil" thing.
• I was watching some of Traffic over the weekend and thought I recognized some politicians in a party scene. Yep. Barbara Boxer, Harry Reid and Orrin Hatch.
• I'm sick of the Ryan Moats/Officer Powell story. Moats is supposed to be on Good Morning America this morning.

Crazy Talk

The Dallas Morning News allows comments on their stories. Some of the craziest stuff shows up there. These were posted on the story about the Dallas officer who didn't immediately release the guy going to the hospital to see his dying mother-in-law.

Remember Kids, Don't Gamble

The line on the game was Connecticut -5.5 over Missouri. That means, you can bet on either team but you must subtract 5.5 points from Connecticut's final score to determine if you won the bet. (I could soooo be a college professor.) So with Connecticut leading last night 82-75 with seven seconds remaining, Missouri will have one last meaningless possession. Unless you're a betting man. Which I'm not. Thankfully.

Slight Giggle

From the Star-Telegram web site this morning. The caption under the photo and the second headline on the right caught my attention.

The (Not So) Lucky Lady Convenience Store

Off of FM 51 in Decatur. (Thanks emailer Will.)

Got This Today

Hang out with a DA for $250? Defense lawyers welcomed? And it's over a year before the primary? In a race where I bet there's no way he'll draw an opponent.

I'm Stealing From Denny Crane's Blog

He asked: Would you have shot this dog? (And go visit crazy Denny to make me feel better about this grand blog theft.)

Meet Rocket Scientist Drew Matthews

From today's Letters to the Editors in the Dallas Morning News.

Friday Afternoon Pick Me Up

"Now Joining Us On The Bob's Steak & Chop House Hotline . . . "

This story doesn't make since* sense. It sounds like a civil breach of contract instead of theft. But, as I say more and more, you can get indicted for anything these days. (I've never eaten at that restaurant, but I had a buddy who did late last year. He really didn't know what he was walking into until he saw the menu prices.) ___________ *One of these days, I'll stop doing stuff like this.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• It seems that the Red River threatening Fargo is not the same Red River that separates us from Oklahoma.
• Every time I hear about Fargo, I think about the movie Fargo.
• Amarillo weather forecast from the National Weather Service for today: "Snow. Blowing snow. Windy. Snow may be heavy at times. Visibility one quarter mile or less at times. Snow accumulation of 5 to 7 inches. Highs in the upper 20s. North winds 25 to 35 mph. Gusts up to 55 mph decreasing to 45 mph in the afternoon." And it gets worse tonight.
• I wish I was in Amarillo today.
• I just thought about "Amarillo by Morning."
• Being an assembly line worker at GM (which we see from stock footage on newscasts) looks like a tremendous beat down.
• Regarding that horrible Montana private plane crash a week ago that killed several persons of the same family. Well, it has been learned that the plane's owner and the individual that lost several family members in the crash provided abortion services. Some are suggesting the crash is God's revenge. A local blogger has referred to it as "karma". Incredible.
• Ok, Ok, enough about the Dallas cop who detained the NFL player for running a red light as his mother-in-law died. I get it.
• And Chief Kunkle sure will sacrifice one of his own officers to the Media Gods pretty quickly.
• 48 dead in Pakistan - the most dangerous place in the world.
• I watched The World's 21 Sexiest Beaches last night on the Travel Channel. Now I want to go to Patong Beach in Thailand. I'm certain I've never said that before.
• Not to be confused with the Travel Channel's Bridget's Sexiest Beaches which may be the best show ever. (I think part of its schtick is scantily clad women, but I'll need to watch more of it to be sure. It is very educational.)
• After watching rich people walk along pristine beaches, I like to switch over to the Natural Geographic Channel and see a war torn country like Darfur so I can rest assured that this is one crazy world.
• Can a guy use ":)" in an email or text? I hope so.
• I haven't read it but Texas House Bill 286 introduced by "M. Fischer" regarding "Creating a DWI Czar" made me roll my eyes.
• Most confusing bill introduced by our own state senator about a problem that I didn't know was a problem: "SB 257 [introduced by] Estes [concerning] Criminalizing the sale or delivery of salvia divinorum to a child." Huh?
• Had a defense lawyer tell me the other day that he had been to Collin, Denton and Tarrant Counties in the last week and his experience in those places was better than in the Wise County Courthouse. That could mean several different things.

Musical Flashbacks

Growing up, I remember Seals & Croft, and I'm 100% sure Dan Seals was the, uh, Seals part of the duet. I also remember a couple of his country hits. (Edit: Someone just posted that I might want to back off on the the 100% statement.) But in a different post, someone wrote that they remembered him as "England Dan." Holy cow, I checked out the Google and learned Dan Seals was England Dan of "England Dan and John Ford Coley." I had no idea. And you've got to be old to remember this hit of theirs. And 61 is too young to die. Edit: I'm going to admit I liked him with Marie Osmond in "Meet Me In Montana".

Thursday Afternoon Pick Me Up

Former Fox 4 Anchor Megan Henderson and some guy. (Click for super happy enlarging.)

Old Guys And High School Girls

George Dunham Bringing The Pain

This is of limited interest, but for you Ticket fans out there, here is a comprehensive look (including video) of last night's game of Ticket personalities vs. the Lake Highlands Thunder girls basketball teams. Off.