What The?

Story. (History.) Compassionate grounds? Sheesh. Where's Ronald Reagan when you need him? First, he'd blow the plane that this little bomber is taking (to wherever it is he is going) completely out of the sky. Then he'd head back to Libya and take care of the business that was left unfinished by bombing ol' Muammar al-Gaddafi's tent to oblivion. And then, in a move that would remind the world what a "Super Power" was, he'd start bombing Scotland until they screamed "Freedom" at the top of their collective lungs. Man, I miss the good old days.

"I Can't Live" / "Ken Lee"

A buddy just sent me this, and it didn't really grab me at first. But, the more I thought about it, the more I laughed. (And, yeah, I've seen the Britney Top Ten from Letterman last night, but it's so bad that I can't subject you to it if you haven't seen it.)

Slow Wednesday: Rate The Newly Released Bass Hall Schedule

Oct. 24: Marc Broussard and special guest Caitlin Crosby - Never heard of them.

Nov. 2: Doobie Brothers - Without Michael McDonald? No way

Nov. 3: Chanticleer - Never heard of them. Cool name.

Nov. 14: Rufus Wainwright with Police Woman - Never heard of them. Cooler name.

Nov. 17: ABBA Mania - Probably an ABBA cover band. My mind is mush from hearing "Mamma Mia" on cable for the last six months.

Nov. 24-25: Lyle Lovett & His Large Band - I can't name a single song he sings.

Dec. 14: Michael Martin Murphey’s "Cowboy Christmas" - I was out at "Cowboy"

Dec. 15: Wynonna: A Classic Christmas - 1/2 of the Judds is 1/2 of the Christmas

Dec. 30: Robert Earl Keen - Wise County Night at Bass Hall

Feb. 22: The Band of the Irish Guards and the Pipes, Drums and Highland Dancers of the Royal Regiment of Scotland - I bet, of all the shows, this is pretty good.

Feb. 23: Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons - Also known as "Ears Bleeding Night".

Feb. 24: TAO: The Martial Art of Drumming - I wouldn't mind seeing this.

Mar. 2-4: The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess - That's just too high tone for me.

Mar. 22: Los Lobos and Leo Kottke - I know one song! I know one song!

Mar. 23: Joe Bonamassa - A question mark just formed over my head.

Mar. 25: What It Is! Featuring Mavis Staples, Booker T. Jones and JJ Grey - I almost bought tickets when I thought it read Booker T and the MG's.

Source.

Fire Near Alvord?

I've gotten a couple of reports that it is "pretty big." Anyone?

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• At least 75 are dead in Baghdad this morning. "Mission Accomplished" was when?
• Pudge Rodriguez has lost a lot of weight. But I think we all know why.
• I suppose that the civil unrest felt in this country is similar to what was felt in the Sixties except now the public is too fat and lazy to get out an protest.
• For a hurricane that will never touch land, Bill sure is getting a lot of attention.
• The Wise County Commissioners are setting the current budget. During my first year as DA, I voluntarily cut $10,000 (or was it $5,000?) due to a line item that read "Outside Appellate Attorney" that I didn't need. I bet I am the only elected official in this county in the last 50 years to cut their budget on their own. And I was elected as a Democrat.
• I just bragged a little bit. I apologize.
• What hotel do you think Paul McCartney is staying in tonight?
• Someone wrote me and said this Explorer patch for Wise County has some unusual markings on it. I don't know enough about history to understand. Edit: Patch in context on county web site.
• I've got a live Fantasy Football draft in Paradise this weekend. The draft is probably more fun than the season is.
• I bet un-re-re-retired and now Minnesota Viking Brett Favre doesn't even start for the last half of season. His skills have diminished, he's a year older, he's coming off shoulder surgery, and he has a torn rotator cuff. Maybe we'll get to see a mid-season tearful re-re-re-retirement.
• Caller to KLIF this morning on the issue of whether we should be spending or saving, "If it don't go 'bang' and I can't reload it, I ain't buying it right now." Good grief.
• There was tremendous outrage when Texas appellate judge Sharon Keller allegedly shut down the Court of Criminal Appeals preventing a last minute appeal of a death row inmate. Over the last two days, her ethics hearing has been going on and you hardly have heard a peep about it.

Armondo's In Decatur Serving Sushi?

(Thanks, Kat.)

Funny and True

Credit.

Well I'll Be: Guess Who Is Coming Back To The Rangers?

Source.

Tuesday Afternoon Pick Me Up

That's Michelle Keegan. Who is Michelle Keegan you ask? I have no idea.

District 9: The Sequel

I'm not exactly sure what the purpose is of the new street repair around the courthouse in Decatur. It seems the go about two blocks away from the square, tearing up the road next to the curb (but not the curb itself), and then placing a brick crosswalk in at the farthest (furthest?) point away. But it's finally heading toward my office, so I'll take it.

Tuesday Morning Pick Me Up -- The Different Kind

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• I've heard for years that most money in the U.S. has cocaine residue on it, and yesterday there was a new report putting that number at 90%. I don't believe that. At all.
• It's extremely rare to even see a cocaine criminal case these days.
• KXAS's Jane McGarry said last night at 6:00 that Sen. Kay Baily Hutchison officially "threw her name in the hat" for Texas Governor. Uh, isn't that "threw her hat in the ring?"
• Frequent commenter Denny Crane says if he wants to call our President a "nigger", he will. Good lord, man. Throttle back! Throttle back!
• Over at the Morning News web site this morning, they had a "Live Blog" covering something called Plano ISD's Convocation (which sounds like a pep rally for all of the teachers.) It started at 7:00 or so and included school board members being led in by cheerleaders. That would power me down.
• And that live blog posted this thrilling poll: "Are you ready for the 2009-2010 school year to begin?" After it had been up for over an hour, no one had responded.
• Outliers, which I promote constantly, made the case for year round schools.
• Watched a bit of Hard Knocks on HBO (the documentary about preseason training camps, this time with the Cincinnati Bengals.) Former Cowboy Roy Williams was schooled in a drill getting knocked on his back but, after the fact, wasn't even embarrassed by it. Good riddance.
• Woodstock looked like it would have been a beating. I don't do crowds. I don't do mud. I don't do bad music.
• Y.E. Yang, who bested Tiger Woods this weekend and who lives in Southlake, speaks no English.
• Ticket Fans only.
• Yesterday we had Britney in a pink bikini, today we've got a new color. Love that girl.
• Did the ol' slice the thumb with a knife in the kitchen trick last night. But it wasn't too bad.
• Last night was the deadline to sign players from this year's Major League Baseball draft. The first pick signed for a record $15 million. The Rangers failed to sign their high school pick who now heads to TCU. To paraphrase Dale Hansen from many years ago, "The kid needs an education."
• Reader's Digest filed for bankruptcy reorganization. I liked it as a kid, but haven't read it since then (unless I was stuck at a doctor's office.)
• The Obama kids always look like they are having the time of their lives

Squirrel Photo Bomber

I thought this was fake, but the couple in the background were on The Today Show this morning telling me differently. And, of course, we have to photoshop the squirrel into other pics.

The Kid That Caught Two Foul Balls At The Same At Bat

Unfortunately, we have about 55 seconds of Jim Knox not wanting to shut up, and 10 seconds (if that) of the kid catching the ball.

I'm No Construction Guy

. . . but a garden hose hooked up to a fire hydrant seems like a bad idea. (On the square in Decatur -- it was already leaking big time.)

I Was Half Asleep Yesterday . .

. . .when I looked up at the TV screen (showing the Little League World Series) and saw some kid with the graphic underneath him that read, "Luke Ramirez, 6'2", 205 pounds. 13 years old." Good grief. I wasn't dreaming. It's some kid named Luke Ramirez out of California and, trust me, this picture does not do him justice.

Definition of "Odd"

A guy strikes a bicyclist head on in Grand Praire, the cyclist ends up going through the back windshield, the driver decides it's a good idea to park his car with the body in it near his home, and to hide under a neaby car. Story.

Jerry Jones Meets A Monkey

And I noticed that after the Cowboys played the Raiders on Thursday nights, that the Oakland A's, who play in the same stadium, had to compete with the football line markings in the outfield. Unstable.