Hey, We Get To See Inside The Sunset Inn!

And to think it got bad reviews online.

The Condo Damage

Channel 8 was flying around.

The Paradise Wreck Civil Re-Trial Enters Its Second Week

I'd hate to be a juror on a trial that lasted longer than one week. (I can't remember the last criminal case that lasted more than five days.)

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• WBAP reported that the Sunset Inn in Decatur sustained heavy damage last night. They even had a reporter up here to report "live at the scene." The same Sunset Inn that was bulldozed last month? (Although I think one of the buildings remained.) 
• Well I'll be: The story even made the AP with reports of a woman being taken to the hospital who was staying at the fabulous Sunset Inn. (And a roof was blown off a four unit condo in Runaway Bay.)
• Edit: Now it sounds like every news outlet is headed to Wise County. 
• How times change: Saw a bit of  the movie "Up In The Air" last night (made in 2009) and noticed George Clooney's character questioned whether a new employee was a technology expert "just because she has a myspace account." Myspace?
• A dirty Mesquite cop was sent to the slammer for stealing fake drug money yesterday. And the federal judge who did the sentencing went on a bit of a rant about how cops in trouble tend to get a slap on the wrist these days.
• Even with all the quality closed circuit cameras these days, 7-11 still has the tape measure strip on its doors so the height of a robber can be seen once he flees. That never made me feel particularly safe to see that when I was leaving. 
• I don't think I remember a (now) 51 year old actor from "The Green Mile" who married a, uh, sixteen year old over the weekend. Talk about getting younger at that position. Very younger.
• It's the longest day of the year. 
• The Longhorns were booted from the College World Series yesterday and the same thing can happen to the Aggies this afternoon. (Why are those games on in the afternoon.) 
• The first big rain after the still-in-progress Flower Bed Project of 2011 showed very minimal drainage damage.  That topic has been a big player in the household. 
• President Obama sent in a 30,000 troop "surge" in Afghanistan in 2009. Today he will announce that number will be withdrawn by the end of 2011. That's a start. 
• The death of the kid at the "rave" in Dallas over the weekend was treated completely differently last night by the media. Channel 8 took the sensational angle by having a kid on talking about the "chaos" of the rave. Fox 4, on the other hand, had three young girls on who spoke of how the vast majority of those attending were there for a good time and weren't high or drunk. (And a great review of the event by an "old man" who attended the event is here.) 
• Defeated Dallas mayoral candidate David Kunkle wouldn't go on the air with Richie Whitt and Greg Williams of The Fan prior to voting day. I think that's odd. (Williams' first interview with Kunkle is legendary.)
• A high profile case in Brownsville was resolved yesterday (below). Two things: The victim has the same name as the Dallas Morning News' sports media reporter, and the judge allowed the defendant to plea "no contest."   That kind of plea basically means, "I'm not saying I'm guilty, but I'll agree that the State has enough evidence that, if believed, a jury could find me guilty beyond a reasonable doubt." Considering the plea bargain was for life in prison, I'm surprised the judge accepted the plea unless the defendant admitted his guilty.

Vancouver Rioter Cries Like Little Girl

Cry me a river, brother. I'm not saying you shouldn't be provided all the rights that Canada assures you of (whatever that may be), but don't be a baby while the process is ongoing. If you're going to shove rags down a gas tank to create a massive fuse for your own little cop car bomb, then prepare to suffer the consequences. Man up.  Nobody likes a weeping anarchist. They're the worst.

Megan Fox Pick Me Up

Tattoo on ribs reads: "There once was a little girl that didn't believe in love, until she met a boy that broke her heart."  

"Jackass" Star Is Dead In Wreck. Posted Pic Of Drinking Hours Before.

From TMZ. (I don't know who this guy is because, other than a quick HBO flyby, I haven't seen the Jackass movies.)

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• This software for this blog now allows you to read it in a mobile-friendly format. Or so they tell me. Edit: Getting a couple of negative comments on this, but I thought it looked pretty spiffy on the iPhone.
• Got the sweetest hand crafted gift ever yesterday. I didn't tear up. Much. Ok, maybe a lot. 
• And then the Family Cat almost caused it to go crashing to the floor later in the evening. 
• Former Dallas City Councilman Al Lipscomb died over the weekend. The only time I did a double take on the story was when I saw an interview with a blast from the past: Diane Ragsdale. If you know those names, you remember some crazy times. 
• There's a new mayor-elect for Dallas, and the Morning News lead headline today says his priorities are for "Growth, Schools."  Schools? Someone want to enroll him in Local Government 101?
• Heard that current mayor Dwaine Caraway told the Mavs' parade crowd that he wanted them to "two-peat." As someone on The Fan said, "Don't we already have a word for that?"
• There was some type of extravaganza on the courthouse square in Decatur on Saturday afternoon. Unless it was a glacier themed water park, it had to be a beating.
• Did I see Fox 4 say the actual highs for Saturday as 111 for Wichita Falls and 114 for Vernon?
• On a sleepy, late Saturday night, Mrs. LL and I started to watch Inception. Uh, we'll get back to it. 
• Had the "next Tiger Woods" win the U.S. Open this weekend. I have a question: Why does the NBC logo and the Golf Channel logo appear on top of one another in the corner of the screen?
• Still not exactly sure what happened on Friday to cause the The New Teenager In The House to get her phone taken away for a week, but Mrs. LL seemed to be more traumatized about it than her. 
• P.F. Changs yesterday. Thoughts: (1) Not bad, (2) Oddest comment by waitress when someone in our party indicated that they hadn't been there before: "We're not Panda Express", and (3) Do some people roll out of bed and go to a restaurant? 
• A line of thunderstorms was going through Jack County as I type this line at 8:05 a.m. 
• Tuned into catch the last minute of the Miss USA contest  last night. Here's your winner, Miss California. Just okay. (Did you know Miss Texas won that pageant five times in a row in the 1980s?)
• Gov. Perry sure did sound like he was running for President over the weekend as he gave a speech in Louisiana. And he harped on new (but largely meaningless) legislation  which was perfect to jazz the right wing crowd: Voter ID and Tort Reform. If you thought he wanted the new laws only for a presidential campaign, you were right.
• And if he's the savior for the Republicans, they got big trouble. 

They Still Have Raves?

The Story (Edit: It now identifies the dead man as a 19 year old out of Argyle. This Facebook page bears the same name and lists him as studying at College Station)
:

Rumors of multiple deaths at the event were greatly exaggerated on Twitter, however:

Pics I could find from last night. Edit: the Observer has a wacky slide show up.

Chico Tree Meets Its Maker

Hail in Chico. Almost Artistic.

And, it's small, but this trailer has holes in it like it was hit with giant buckshot.

Chico Hit By Big Winds And Big Haul

Pics coming.

Barry (from iPhone)

"Ned The Alien" At Aurora Fundraiser

The Most Confusing Theft Story Ever

Feel free to sort it out.

Britney's New Concert Tour Taking You Into The Weekend

More.

Random Interesting Man

James Goldstein who made a fortune in real estate, attends most Laker games on the front row (even though he's not a team fan), and can be seen at a different NBA playoff game anywhere in the country almost every night (once again, on the front row.) He also has a cool house that was featured in Charlie's Angels.

And more of the girl here. (That pic was from Mavs/Lakers Game Two.)

Dear Mrs. LL:

I'll be home a little late tonight because I've joined eHarmony and taking this girl out on a date. I know that sounds crazy, but trust me on this one. Oh, yeah, The Family Cat is going with me.

Problem. Solved.

"English. Do You Speak It?"

USA TODAY - During testimony at a committee hearing this week in Austin, a Texas state senator [Chris Harris from Arlington] interrupted a Spanish speaker to say that it was "insulting" that he was not addressing the panel of lawmakers in English.  Antolin Aguirre, of the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition, was testifying against a bill that would help crack down on illegal immigrants in Texas, KTRH radio reports.

Aguirre, who came to the United States in 1988 and speaks some English, spoke through an interpreter.

(Right around the 40 second mark is when things kick off.)