I'm Calling For An End To Chupacabra Talk

Edit: The Messenger explains itself.

Wednesday Morning Pick Me Up

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• Crazy pileup on 287 southbound out of Decatur this morning - - traffic backed up for a couple of miles. My expertise in accident reconstruction says fog has something to do with it.
• Haiti had a 6.0 earthquake this morning. It would seem that not much damage was caused since if a building can withstand a 7.0, a 6.0 isn't going to bring it down.
• I've mentioned Kayak.com before as a great travel site, but I'll do it again. If you fiddle with it, you can set up an email alert for a specific flight in the future so you'll know if the prices drop on it.
• Got an email about a Decatur teacher's home being burglarized in the last few days. A couple of flat screen TV's taken among other things. (And it wasn't far from the courthouse.)
• The Bridgeport Bulls basketball team is 2-17? Eeek.
• The concept of raising money by text messaging is brillant since it is so easy. As of last night, $24 million had been raised for Haiti relief via that method.
• And it's stunning to think there are folks who believe Haiti should "handle their own problems and we need to focus on helping Americans."
• You won't believe the front page of the Messenger today. Never has a fake chupacabra received so much attention. I'm talking a huge photo above the fold.
• Republican Scott "Aw Shucks" Brown won the Massachusetts Senate race last night. My predictions lately have been awful. Completely awful.
• I wonder if everyone has been taking their mood controlling drugs lately?
• Standing next to Brown last night was a hawt gal who, I learned, was his daughter, Ayla. I also learned Ayla was a Top 24 finalist for American Idol.
• Ladies: ESPN is after you.
• And he didn't mind using both daughters to get votes.
• I hope Fox and Friends urging people to vote for Brown by suggesting that their 401Ks would benefit by a Republican victory didn't have anything to do with it.
• It takes a second to load, but the Worst Album Covers ever is pretty funny.
• Boy, those Rick Perry commercials are condescending. Does he really spend all his time going out to ranches and shaking hands?
• The kindergartner from Mesquite who was kicked out of school for long hair (all aspects of the story make me insane) is now back in class. Problem solved by the mother, Elizabeth Taylor, putting his hair in french braids. "He looks a little like Princess Leia," she said. Note to kid: You're doomed.

Crazy and Abrupt End To Marijuana Trial

OK, this is what I know about the marijuana case which began this morning in the County Court at Law. The jury is picked and sworn in, and then there's a break for lunch. One of the jurors goes to Chili's to eat and sits in the bar area (sans alcohol). Coincidentally, the defendant, along with two girls, eats there as well. As the juror asks for his bill, the waitress tells him that it has been taken care of "anonymously". (Insert dramatic music.) He sees an acquaintance at the restaurant and asks him if he paid for it. Nope. The juror then seeks out the waitress and asks. insistently, who paid his bill. She is hesitant to disclose the information but points in the general vicinity of the defendant. Oh, my. So the juror is kind of freaked out and pays the bill anyway. (He didn't want any part of this whole mess.) He then heads up back to the courthouse and stops by the office of someone there that he knows and explains what happens. His confidant says (and I paraphrase), "sheesh" and takes the juror up to the judge to disclose what happened. The juror is very uncomfortable at this point. This is when I stumbled into the scene and get excited simply because of the craziness. The judge then gets the prosecutor and the defense lawyer together and explains what is going on. A mistrial is going to happen but let's at least get the defendant's story. The defense lawyer checks with him and comes back and declares that, "He says he didn't do it." That my or may not be true. Who knows. Well, since the juror at least thinks the defendant tried to buy his lunch, either with ill intent or by trying to make an innocent (but idiotic) nice gesture, the damage is done. Heck, this probably would make the juror more likely to convict than it the whole incident didn't happen. But now law enforcement is checking into the whole situation.

Hypnotic

A Wise County resident is currently attending a press conference in Cowboys Stadium where some boxing match in March is being announced. She sends along this photo which just seems weirdly futuristic.

Chupacabra Update

Artist's Rendition

It was a hairless raccoon. You know, a raccoon without hair. Edit: A genius and talented faithful reader sends this along:

Wise County Marijuana On Trial

I had a DWI case set for trial this morning but it pled out at the last moment (which is bittersweet because that's a ton of prep gone down the tubes but with a result my client was happy with -- I even got a "fist bump".) Anyway, the back-up case that the jury is actually hearing is a misdemeanor marijuana case. Those don't go to trial very often, as they shouldn't, so this is a bit of a rarity. (I'll explain what's going on behind the scenes once it's over.) But, having dodge a trial, I sat around to watch jury selection hoping to learn something. In a word: Fascinating. Of probably 30 potential jurors, at least five said it should be legalized. One guy went so far to say, "We ought to legalize it and tax the hell out of it!" But almost everyone else, save two or three, said they did not have "strong feelings" about the marijuana laws with several saying, "I couldn't care less one way or another." That's pretty strong when most of the jury panel really doesn't care about the crime allegedly committed. One guy even admitted to using marijuana, and the vast, vast majority said they had been "in close proximity" to marijuana being smoked. Then, as the jury panel was being excused on a break, one of them looked at me and said, "If you get caught with the s&^%, just fess up and do your time. Maybe I was raised different than everyone else." Power. Down. (Since one of the issues is whether the marijuana was a "usable amount" as required for prosecution. I believe the evidence is going to show it was .06 grams.) Jim Shaw is the defense attorney. I might have been the only one, be he entertained the heck out of me. Edit: A mistrial was declared after one of the craziest developments I've heard of. More later.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Overnight: A TCU student is found dead on her bed with duct tape over her mouth and police think it is not a homicide. Oh, my.
• Tech thoughts: Is Google Wave a bust? And everyone sure thinks Apple is about to unveil a tablet computer.
• #1 UT lost at Kansas State last night. That's going to happen.
• The Update says that the Boyd ISD's superintendent believes he has been fired after 2012 based upon the school board's decision last night not to extend his contract. But since the vote was 4-3, couldn't an intervening change in the make up of the board change that decision in future votes?
• Guilty pleasure: The Fail Blog.
• I didn't go outside once yesterday after I entered my office early in the morning (the courthouse was closed.) People tell me it was beautiful outside.
• Business news I don't understand: Citigroup loses $7.6 billion (with a "B") last quarter but that "meets analysts estimates" so the stock "remains unchanged." Callback: Remember when I bought $1,000 of Citigroup shares a year ago on the hunch that it wouldn't go bankrupt? Prediction = Success. Make Money = Fail.
• ABC has a new series called "The Deep End" about a bunch of fun loving first year associates in a law firm. The New York Times says in today's legal landscape, that's a fantasy. True that.
• Somebody busted me yesterday by pulling out an old Random Thought that Brett Favre would be a failure this year. Boy, was I wrong.
• After actually to the "lyrics" of "Pants On The Ground", anyone else uncomfortable with Favre singing that in the locker room in front of a bunch of black guys?
• I still laugh at Favre's appearance in Something About Mary.
• That was some Favre overload.
• I ordered a book called "Living In Costa Rica."
• Roy Williams is due $10 million next year? No. Way.
• I always thought former conservative Senator Bill Frist was a fraud (at least every since he, as a doctor, misdiagnosed Terri Schiavo from the senate floor.) But I noticed that he's in Haiti putting to use his skills as a surgeon. I appreciate that.
• The federal government is about to hand out a "river of cash" to the states for the creation of bullet trains, but Texas will get the short end of the stick. When your a right wing state in a country with a Democratic President and Congress, that's going to happen. A lot.

Chupacabra Craziness

Second video here. The Messenger hit a home run with their critter story from yesterday. The Weekly World News is on it as well as our local Fox affiliate (and it's already being picked up by some other national affiliates.) It's going big time, baby! If somebody doesn't start printing T-shirts quickly, they are missing out.

Paradise's Only (?) Red Light Knocked Down: Chaos Ensues

(Thanks James.)

ESPN: We Gets Us Some More Wade

Link. And the mediocrity will continue.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• Well, that Cowboy game was a dud. No offensive line. No defensive line. No receivers. They just got plain beat.
• Hey, Keith Brooking, if you don't like the Vikings scoring in the final two minutes, do something to stop them. (Brooking called the score "classless and disrespectful" and then confronted Minnesota's bench.)
• Conan might get $30 million severance because of the Jay Leno/Tonight show issue? What's to complain about?
• Christina Hendricks (from Mad Men -- which I still haven't seen) qualifies as a "Hey, Now" at the Golden Globes last night. As did a rare Christina Aguilera sighting (who presented with Cher.)
• But overall the Golden Globes was fairly boring despite the very funny Ricky Gervais hosting.
• I may be the only person who doesn't appreciate, "Pants On The Ground."
• And when Brett Favre is singing it in the locker room, I'm totally confused.
• Brendan Higgins is out as co-anchor of the Channel 5 local morning news. Brutal business.
• And the Star-Telegram announced on Friday that it would layoff 28 people and not fill 17 open positions. This is a slow death which is hard to watch.
• After almost screwing it up, I doubt if the Democrats will lose Ted Kennedy's long time Senate seat. I think.
• Incredible story: The Fort Worth man who needs a face transplant after his was literally destroyed because of an electrical accident while working on a church window. You think you have hardship? Sheesh.
• I got to play with a Kindle over the Christmas holidays. Very, very cool device. (I didn't know it ran over it's own wireless connection -- you don't need Wifi, you don't need a cell phone plan: You just turn it on and it works.)
• I like jogging in the mornings and then walking around my neighborhood on weekends. Something oddly peaceful about it.
• It's about at this point in time when Americans will get bored with the suffering in Haiti.

Livin' Large

It's the weekly crime report.

What the .......?

From Runaway Bay.

Quickie Movie Reviews

Showed up at the new 7th Street Movie Tavern yesterday at 3:00 to see The Lovely Bones but, nope, sold out. Sheesh. A matinee sold out? My female companion was dead set on seeing it but the next showing was at 7:00. So what to do? I looked up and saw Up In The Air about to start so we decided to do a rare double header. Yes, two movies back to back. (And I thought half marathons were hard.) My abbreviated movie reviews: Up In The Air: A confirmed bachelor (read: George Clooney being cool) spends 300 days a year traveling for a company with his sole job being firing people. Dream job, right? Throw in a fling with another travel-all-the-time girl combined with a cute little new female employee that he is to mentor, and what do you have? I'm not sure. Funny. Smartly written. Mildly thought provoking. But, at the risk of being a spoiler, no sappy sweet ending. That, I liked. (I had a recently divorced friend tell me he hated the movie. That, I understand.) Verdict: Strong B- The Lovely Bones: I have no idea. It was trying to tell me something, but I'm just not sure what. Cherish life? Move on after tragedy? The dead can provide you guidance? Heaven has lots of CGI effects? Still not sure. I was told "the book is much better" but I think she just liked the power of saying, "the book is much better." (I also enjoyed watching the two high tone gals that decided to bring their 10 year old daughters to a movie about a 14 year old getting murdered and communicating from the afterlife. Rethinking that ladies?) Warning: Kip Dynamite plays the villain in this movie. That's a little hard to overcome. Verdict: C+ 7th Street Movie Tavern: Absolutely the greatest place to see a movie. Ever.

Got Any Friends At Padre Island?

Link. And I'd love to know the back story. You just know some boys in a big ol' boat coming up from Mexico or Central America got spooked by the cops and just dumped the load overboard. (And I've been reading In Search of Captain Zero which involves similar, crazy stories --- I briefly met Captain Zero in Costa Rica who "retired" to a secluded village down there 20 years ago. Here's his story that appeared in High Times magazine. Fascinating stuff.)

Problem Solved

I never thought I'd wake up today an google "geodes", but I'm glad I did. You see, I just had what smart people call "an epiphany." In case you didn't know, a geode is a rock that, best I can tell, is hollow but has a pretty crystal inner crust. (Think Tootsie Pop without the chocolate center.) Now I'm sure those boys in the Wise County Fossil, Rock and Mineral Society can always accept a couple of new members, right? And I'm sure the boys and girls in the North Texas Singles Club wouldn't mind checking out those in the Mineral Society (especially since the members of the latter have to be in shape from walking all over the Southwest Proper looking for sedimentary and metamorphic rocks), right? Well, problem solved: Take a couple of big geodes. Bust 'em in half. And, voila, we got us a fancy punch bowl and dip bowl! Throw in some Maddog 20/20 and some bean dip, get those two societies together, and we've got us a full blown Wise County mixer the likes of which hasn't been seen since the joint Baptist/Methodist revival in the 1970s. E-harmony couldn't have done a better job.

Pick Me Up (I've Fallen Behind)

That's Carrie Prejean (Miss California/No Gay Marriage/Implants/Sex Tape) and spare NFL quarterback Kyle Boller.