Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• Fox 4 just told me that today will be the "busiest day of the year" at DFW Airport. Any bets that they say the same thing around Thanksgiving?
• I bet our work day will be a beating. 
• And there's another winter storm coming in on Tuesday night? They sound pretty sure about that.
• I've heard several people say that the Decatur Walmart was "insane" on Saturday.
• The NFL beats me down because of its obvious money grabbing.  Moments after the Super Bowl ended, it was offering a Green Bay T-shirt, cap, and DVD package for $89.99. And that NFL Experience over in Dallas ($30 to get in) sounded like a bunch of junk surrounding an overpriced gift shop.
• Speaking of, Phil Simms almost attacked Desmond Howard on Saturday due to Howard correctly pointing out that Simms son at the University of Tennessee is one awful quarterback. 
• How would you have liked to have had to deal with the 400 displaced ticket buyers at the Super Bowl? That would have been one angry crowd.
• And the story is that 1,250 seats were declared unsafe and that 850 were able to be seated elsewhere. Where in the world did they come up with 850 seats?
• And that whole seat debacle is still a mystery. The Fire Marshal now says he had nothing to do with the bleacher section being declared unsafe because he only inspects "completed bleachers." So the NFL just decided to "deal with it" on game day? And how in the world were they not completed? 
• Jerry Jones was no where to be seen after the game. Not a single interview. He had to be running for cover.
• A jet fly over when it's a domed stadium seems a little silly. 
• I think if you spend a week cooped up in a house and you don't end up wanting to kill each other, then it's been an outstanding success.
• Except I wanted to kill the dog when she looked straight at me while she peed on the carpet. Did they teach you that in Puppy School? 
• Katy Perry "Hey, Now".
• After every Super Bowl don't you hear people say, "The commercials didn't seem that good this year."
• It's a strange phenomenon how we get excited over celebrities. I would have thought I'd be disinterested in seeing Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston at Sundance Square, but when I saw them I couldn't take my eyes off of them.
• The flooding at Bridgeport High School had to be from a broken pipe.
• Pretty good headlines: A Brett Favre reference in Green Bay and a play on words on an old movie title in Pittsburgh.

Random Thoughts: Super Bowl Live Edition

• Christina messed up the National Anthem? Heck, I didn't even catch that.
• Sneak peek of the halftime dancers.
• Seems like they'd have to sell a lot of Doritos to recoup the cost of all of those commercials.
• At Sundance Square this morning, there was a guy walking around in blue carrying a Denver Bronco flag. That's a man who won't be upstaged regardless of dignity. 
• A shot a Jerry Jones' box showed Cameron Diaz feeding A-Rod popcorn.  This is like Roman Dignitary watching the Christians and the lions. (Screenshot.)
• The new Sandler/Aniston movie had a commercial showing a shot to the groin. One of the first commercials in the Super Bowl did as well (Pepsi). Idiocracy. 
• Something seems weird about this Super Bowl and I think I finally figured it out: Both teams having yellow pants on bugs me. 
• 3:20 left in 1st: Big Ben throws an interception returned for a TD. Obviously, hanging out at Pete's Dueling Piano Bar should have been a bigger story. #kidding
• The NFL ignores arrest after arrest but readily flags someone for excessive celebration in the Super Bowl? 
• The GoDaddy.com with Joan Rivers made me smile because I just watched her documentary. Otherwise, I'm not sure I would have giggled. (Still power down whenever I see Danica Patrick.)
• It may take 50 years, but I bet there will be a technology one day that will allow you to virtually walk around the field during live action. I'm serious. 
• The "Tiny Dancer" Budweiser commercial made me think of Almost Famous. Was that their intent?
• The Teleflora "You're rack is unreal" ad is the early leader in the clubhouse. 
• I like the idea of The Ticket's "Fake Jerry Halftime Dance Party" but it's hard to turn down the sound on Fergie. No way Mrs. LL would let me do that anyway. (Praying for podcast later in the week.)
• I read that the NFC has won the coin flip for 14 straight years. Is that right? 
• Did I need to be on acid to understand the Coke dragon commercial? (Stolen line.)
• First shot of the people outside who paid $200 to watch it on TV screens. Look, if I'm young, I understand paying $20 to do that. Maybe $50 if I went with a bunch of friends. But even then I'd feel idiotic. 
• 21-3 before halftime.  For all of us who didn't spend $1,500 for a ticket, high five! (Uh, or fist bump.)
• I'm sorry, I really thought the CarMax "I feel like . . . " commercial was funny.
• I'll admit: I get all of the Woodson defensive backs over the last 10 years confused. 
• Oops. Not so fast. 21-10 with under a minute left before halftime. It's a million to one chance, but do you think there's a Steeler fan that was walking outside to his car to leave when that happened? 
• Just saw a tweet saying that Cowboyrita's (sheesh) were priced at $19.00.
• Halftime verdict on Blackeyed Peas: Despite some audio issues, I thought it was fantastic. 
• The Mrs. just wanted to watch the halftime show and decided to go to the bathroom when it started. Get some bladder control, woman!
• Actually listened to a couple minutes of The Ticket's halftime show. I hate to say it, but the Fake Norm with Fake Goose has turned from a funny bit into an unlistenable bit.
• Break: Had to go look for the dumb Family Cat that hasn't been seen in three hours. Found her. (Ugh.)
• Now 21-17, Pack, just inside the 3rd Quarter. "I've got a feeling" that the Steelers may roll. (Rimshot.)
• Isn't it a little tough to pay attention to the commercials? Once I hear that Fox-go-to-break music I immediately power down. 
• I remember the first time I saw the down, distance, score, and time icon in the corner on Fox. It was an NFL preseason game -- their first I think. Can't imagine not having it now. 
• Eminem is the most mainstream bad boy we've had in a while. 
• Third quarter winding down. Not bad. But not exactly riveting. 
• Total attendance just announced: 103,219. Not a record despite the fact it includes folks outside IN THE RAIN!
• Re: The catch/no catch at :25 left in the 3rd. You know, that looked like a catch to me. Third and 10 now not converted. That might be a pivotal play. (I just turned into serious sports guy.)
• The NFL commercial with bits from Sitcoms was great. With a late entry appearance by Cartman to top it off. (And Seinfeld's Newman was a Cowboy fan? I don't remember that.)
• Now Pack is up 28-17 with the 4th underway after a Steeler fumble. As much as I hated Bill Parcels, he was absolutely right about preaching "hold onto the ball." 
• Now a Flozell Adams holding penalty. He has remembered he's in Cowboys Stadium. 
• Wow. Pitt TD with 7:34 left. And going for two. With the option! Golden. I felt like I was watching Nebraska in the 1980s.
• The Beaver-save-the-guy from the bridge that was out was very cute. What do you call the chest pound and then point move?
• Now the Packers are driving with 4:00 left. There's more momentum shifts than my multiple personality disorder. Huge drive. And on 3rd and goal and incomplete pass. 2:10 left. Pack up by 6.  Will Steelers come back? I'd be scared to bet. 
• On the Steelers return, there was a 15 yard personal foul penalty (which was Huge and Stupid) but we never got to see it because of commercials. Edit: Well, we finally did from an awful overhead shot.
• And then the final drive petered out before it ever got started. A potentially dramatic ending doesn't even get close to happening. 
• There was nothing odder than Roger Staubach bringing in the Lombardi Trophy. So uncomfortable. And once he reached the stage the mic picked him up saying, "I can hand it to you so I can get out of here, right?" And then he handed it off and scrambled off stage. Strange.
• Giving the MVP a new car is kind of a slap in the face to the rest of us working stiffs, isn't it?

Went Down To Sundance Square This Morning

Got "this close" to my nemesis Chris Berman as he interviewed Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston.

On another note, there appears to be a problem with those temporary bleachers inside the stadium as well as the party deck outside the stadium per the fire marshal. How is that possible?

Edit: Oh, my.

Two Notable Shots Of Cowboys Stadium

A hole in the roof (oh, my) and a coke machine crushed by falling ice.

Random Taunting Flashback

TCU fan taunts Baylor players after the Frog beat down of the Bears in September.  Gets a little intense.

If I'm Baylor's head coach, I know what I'm showing before the rematch this Fall. Baylor will still probably get killed, but I'm firing that video up nevertheless.

Reader Email

"Guy riding a bike south on Trinity Street [in Decatur]. Almost saw him wreck several times."

Small Rant

There are a ton of Super Bowl parties this week but I'm beaten down by the "star power" and the crazy prices. A party sponsored by Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed? Really? In an interview this week promoting the party, Simmons said that it would be a chance to meet some "important people." I promise that  Tweed, who was by his side during the interview, let out an audible sigh at that moment. (She's still hot by the way.) 

And why on god's green earth would anyone walk across the street to meet "The Situation".

Complete list of the parties.

Edit: At least you didn't pay $1,500 to see Prince on Friday night and have him fail to show up. 

UFO Spotted In Jerusalem?

Almost as amazing as someone from Mississippi being in Jerusalem.

That's Something . . .

. . .that everyone should have seen coming, but I didn't even think about it when I saw that snow covered dome.

Edit: The local news stations keep showing a helicopter shot of the ice and snow sliding off the roof. Fox 4 finally noted last night that no one knows if that was the snow slide that caused the injuries.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts - Delayed

Uh, I might be out in the snow.

Edit a couple of hours later:

• Mrs. LL and I might have taken a quick walk around the block at midnight when we saw the snow had fallen.
• It didn't start off too well as I ended up on my back on the sidewalk after my first step. No injuries. Miracle.
• That wouldn't be the last time I fell down. It's a little tricky to see the ice when its covered in snow. 
• Before we took off, I coaxed the Mrs. into waking the kids up to see the snowfall. She did. They blurry eyed looked outside, uttered a collective "meh", and went back to bed.
• Odd moment this morning when I was fully dressed to go out in the snow and woke Mrs. LL to make her get the kids up. She told me I was crazy and went back to sleep.
• We ended up sledding later in the morning on the same hill that I separated my shoulder on about one year ago. Man, I landed on it one time and was scared to death I had done it again. But, nope, they built me back stronger.
• I helped push the car of a stranded motorist on the street this morning. 
• Craziest weather week in a long, long time, no?
• Kids sledding down the hill in a laundry basket is a funny scene.
• Everyone is friendly when playing in the snow. It's kind of a "this is the way life is supposed to be" mindset. 

Houston Police Abuse Video

For months I've been hearing that once a video of a beating of a suspect by police was released, the public would be shocked.

Maybe I'm getting jaded, but I'm not particularly outraged. The guy doing the kicking needs to throttle it back a bit, but this isn't a Rodney King incident.

The Metroplex Has Gone Crazy

I'm seeing things. I could have sworn there's a pic floating around of Nolan Ryan and Bugs Bunny on Radio Row at the Super Bowl media center.

But that's just ridiculous.

I'm So Stir Crazy That I Was Actually Entertained By That Snake Charmer Move

Yeah, it's a wrestling video. But the NFL could learn a thing or two about absolute silliness.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Anyone else about to go crazy?
• Actually walked the dogs around the block yesterday. The fear of slipping and ending up unconsciousness in 19 degree weather kind of took the joy out of it. 
• Watched Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work last night. I'm really indifferent towards her, but that documentary was fantastic. 
• Earlier Mrs. LL and I were trying to watch a movie which didn't seem appropriate for kids so I kept my finger on the  pause/change button in case they walked in. Moments later I learned that if a kid thinks you are trying to hide something from them then their curiosity meter goes off the chart. 
• Just looked up at the TV and saw a Fed Ex truck wrecked on some freeway. Like I said yesterday, those things are wrecked everywhere.
• Dallas County [Administrative] Judge Clay Jenkins has kept the Dallas County government and courthouse open all week. That didn't serve much of a purpose since the DA's office and basically every judge shut down, and he received a lot of criticism for it. Yesterday, on his way to work, he slipped and broke his leg. 
• Question: Jimmy Johnson spent the entire day yesterday making quick appearances on local TV stations and every radio station on Radio Row at the Super Bowl media center. He was promoting some liquor company and it's free ride home program for Sunday.  Basically, the company knows any station will want Jimmy on, those stations agree to let him promote the product for a bit, and then they can talk to him about anything else. Question: How much does it cost to hire Jimmy Johnson for one day of work like that? I'd guess $200,000 but I might be way off. 
• The conflict in Egypt yesterday was riveting television.  I really don't know anything about the country, but it sure looks like it's about to implode.  But does the public not have guns? 
• I had a pipe freeze yesterday which scared me to death as I pictured the house flooded. But I must have caught it early because a hair dryer and a couple of minutes solved the problem. I've had is in Slow Drip Mode ever since.
• There was a heck of an apartment/condo fire in Dallas this morning off of Central Expressway. 
• The cars stuck on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago may have been one of the craziest things this storm has caused. 

Random Wreck Caught On Channel 8

The News 8 helicopter just panned down to show this wreck.

Hey, wait!! Does anybody see anything which might give us an indication of one of the driver's general level of safety?

From The Messenger's Flickr Page

From yesterday.

Link.

And, hey, Messenger, don't try that "All Rights Reserved" stuff on the photo. We all know everything is free on the Internet. The way it works is that I steal it and give you credit and provide a link to your Flickr page. It's a win-win. (I'm joking, but that's basically the premise behind the book What Would Google Do?)

You Don't Get To See Molotov Cocktails Thrown Every Day

But you can if you turn on CNN or a national news channel right now at 9:52 a.m.

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• Finally got in the car late yesterday afternoon to run to the grocery store. It was a heck of a lot slicker than I expected. Can I say that I'm a great fish-tail stopper? (Which feels really weird to type.)
• I've got a house with very high ceilings. The concept of heat rising is on full display. As well as the concept of my-gas-bill-is-going-to-be-outrageous.
• It seemed like every time the local news showed a stuck truck on a freeway yesterday it belonged to Fed Ex. 
• Watched March of the Penguins again last night. Fantastic.
• Can't get Mrs. LL to appreciate Arrested Development as much as I do. 
• Team Media Day during Super Bowl week is a time waste. (But the hot Mexican reporter was there.)
• I saw in the paper that a guy from Boyd was arrested for DWI and the cops found child porn on his cell phone.  That'll be an interesting legal issue: Can the cops search a cell phone after an arrest without a warrant? I've never researched that one but I would suspect there have been some court decisions on it by now. 
• Child porn is bad enough but do you really need to keep it on your cell phone?
• After the Steelers arrived on Monday, several of them promptly visited a strip club. They can't keep away for one week?
• Well, the Family Cat knocked over a plant I had kept alive for eight years so many times that it died. (The plant, not the cat.)  I'm sure the cat is very, very sorry. Edit 8 hours later: That was the worst sentence I've ever written. 
• The developments in Egypt were exciting to watch yesterday. But there is this feeling that the Middle East is on the verge of collapse.
• This morning there were 15 minute intentional rolling black outs all over the State due to power demands. Dallas was being hit pretty hard by it. Oncor is having major issues. (Update: Some of the reports are saying power is going out for over an hour. And when it impacts psuedo-important ESPN employees, this isn't good for Dallas.)
• It was supposed to get into single digits last night. It didn't make it. (But I did walk outside around midnight to see what negative wind chill felt like. Verdict: I got back inside.)
• Why do we care what someone's Super Bowl prediction is? 
• If the news would put a live camera on a slick portion of the highway which has traffic and stick with it, I think I'd watch it all day. (Fox 4 did this about three years ago and it was big time entertainment.)
• Had six kids in the house at one time yesterday. Try watching a documentary with that going on.