Great. Just Great.

"What for he take me along anyway?Pay up! This place is nasty!"

I just know the Family Pup is now going to turn up missing, and Mrs. LL will be telling me that "I need to get that dog back from those skanks before sundown!!"  Man can't catch a break. (Story.)

Sidenote: She took the little dog to a non-Wise County groomer on Friday, and told her that she wanted the hair clipped "just a little bit."  The Yorkie, who used to look like the pic above, now has less facial hair than Chaz Bono.

Dave Ramsey . . .

. . . was at the Potter's House (a church) this weekend. The purpose was to have you get control of your finances. I like the guy. His advice is pretty good, but it can pretty much can be summed up with: "Pay down your debts no matter what it takes."

Then I heard they charged $5 for parking.

Big Chemical Plant Fire In Waxahachie

Everyone is really concerned what is being emitted. A witness on WBAP says, "It really stank."

Edit: Say what?  If I put on a suit that was toxic, I certainly would be asked to leave. Duh.

Calling All Ladies

Mrs. LL and I saw this on the news last night -- a world record for a bikini parade with 357 women. Her reaction? That's all it takes? 357? We could organize that in Wise County in a New York minute, and it'd be a heck of a lot more entertaining than some Australian looking models!  We'd have character.

And for a moment we could all put aside out differences. Liberals and conservatives. Thongs and Tube Tops. I might even get a Nobel Peace Prize as well.

After Yesterday's Loss

Fans yell, Romo dejected, Rowdy smiling -- all taking place in a billion dollar stadium.  Ah, yes, America.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• Tony Romo slowly but surely loses a few fans with each passing year. And I think it is getting close to the tipping point.
• Regarding the last play, not only did Felix Jones not know it was fourth down, but neither did Fox's Joe Buck or Troy Aikman. I wonder what their combined salary is to be football experts?
• Married moment last night as I snuggled into my recliner at 6:30: Family member (on Mrs. LL's side of the family) was in a slight crisis that required us to spend the next three hours driving, waiting, and driving. Honestly, I expected stuff like that happens more often than it does. 
• So Rick Perry leased a ranch to hunt on that was allegedly called "Niggerhead," and definitely had that name painted on a huge rock (which may or may not have been painted over in the 1980s.)  At this point, the allegation is far more damaging that the ultimate truth.
• A pdf of the lease shows that former Wise County state rep Ric Williamson signed the lease along with Perry. Good to know we are connected somehow.
• What might be more shocking is that Perry said over the weekend that he wouldn't rule out federal troops in Mexico to combat drug violence. The failed War on Drugs is actually going to become a real War on Drugs.
• Did anyone see Fox 4 news at 9:00 p.m. on Friday? Steve Eager and Heather Hays were (surprise) having audio problems outside of The Ballpark in Arlington, but when they finally cut back to them, Heather invited a drunk fan to join them. The look on Eager's face was priceless. (Was Heather, uh, a little loopy?)
• I can't say I've followed the "Occupy Wall Street" protest but it looks like quite the party from the pictures.
• I'll admit posting was a little slow last week, but I'm in the middle of back to back trial weeks (the government is picking on me.) 
• A stage actress in Houston died over the weekend, and was lauded in the Houston Chronicle. She grew up in Decatur. Can't say I ever heard of her. 
• Last Friday, two people were arrested in Wise County in connection with the death of a Cooke County child. I'm not sure if they lived here or were just arrested here.
• I dreamed last night I owed tens of thousands of dollars to a Nigerian gang who had an arsenal of torture tools, and (perhaps unrelated) I was picking up a snake with my hands. Not sure what is going on. 
• This weekend: Decatur/Bridgeport.  Oklahoma/Texas.  Good times. 
• All over the news, including leading the Update this morning, is the Ray Perryman study telling us what a great financial impact the Barnett Shale has had. Sure, it's big, but is it that big? My first question was who paid for the study. Answer: The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. Have you ever heard a Chamber of Commerce say anything negative about a local economy?

Fort Worth Mayor At Gay Pride Parade Yesterday In Fort Worth

That is waaaay too much hair for a mayor.  (Assuming I don't have them mixed up.)

Credit: Bud Kennedy on Facebook.

Who Was That Gal On The Aggie Sideline Yesterday?

And is that Jude Law beside her? And why does Aggie collapse in second half?

This world is a mystery.

Edit: Oh, my. Arkansas fan at the same game.

Shocking Scores All Over The Place

Oh, and from the video below we learns (1) more people show up to an Alvord football game than a college game between Pacific and Lewis and Clark, and (2) a block PAT is still a live ball.

Criminal Justice Idiocracy

Twenty-two years old. No criminal history.

36 years?

That's insane.  We deserve the destination to which we are heading.

Story.

Friday Night Lights: Limited Wattage Edition

Bridgeport 24
Graham 21
Instant Analysis: Both teams ran the ball a lot (58 times combined). This makes those who like how Texas high school football has turned into a Run and Shoot video game very sad.

Decatur 52
Burkburnett 27
Instant Analysis: Decatur, feeling very confident about next week's game with Bridgeport, has agreed to actually go to Bridgeport. Many of the players are excited about this first time experience. No, you don't need a passport.

Tampa Bay Rays 9
Texas Rangers 0
Instant Analysis: C.J. Wilson is schooled by the Ray's pitcher who was starting his second major league game. Pontificate about that, California Boy.

Messenger Above The Fold

Anyone missing a zeppelin over Newark?

Rainbow Taking You Into The Weekend

What's That Thing Worth?

Google Search Turned Up This One

He was pretty much a struggling lawyer before he snuck into the DA's job with the Democratic sweep about six years ago.  And that sounds like one suspicious crime. 

If You Owned A Dallas Gold Exchange Shop . . .

 . . . and someone walked in one day with buckets containing melted down gold weighing 99 pounds and then came in a few days later with more buckets (Home Depot kind, no less) with melted gold weighing 85 pounds, would you have let them walk out with $3 million in cash total? It's real gold, too. What could possibly go wrong?

First A Statue. Now This.

Story.

Edit after the fact:

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• Big news this morning that the "public face" of al qaeda, Anwar al-Awlaki, was killed after a secret operation in Yemen. He was born, by the way, in that hotbed of terrorism: New Mexico, U.S.A.
• I had never heard of him. 
• Humbling experience last night with the Softball Team. After an inning an a half, my pitcher's wheels had fallen off, and we also went an unusual three-up/three-down at the plate. The scoreboard read 10-0. Who came up with that saying, "All responsibility lands at the feet of the coach"?
• Mrs. LL didn't get to see the game meltdown because an officer of the law was questioning her driving a quarter mile away. (No ticket. Amazing.)
• President Obama is coming to Dallas next week and will deliver a speech at Eastfield College. Wait. Eastfield College? If we could have had the Wise County campus of Weatherford College finished by now, we could have hosted that gig.
• A 4:07 start time for the Rangers today will be used as an excuse for a lot of people to sneak off from work.
• Tons of people in Arlington this weekend. In addition to two Rangers playoffs games, the Aggies and Razorbacks play at the Death Star on Saturday, and the Cowboys have a home game on Sunday.
• So why did the Decatur Eagles play a home game on a Thursday night? I understand playing one on the road against a school that has to share its home stadium with other schools, but a home game here?
• Houston cops allegedly eat marijuana brownies, on purpose, after a drug bust. Awesome.
• That lightening storm last night was brief, but it was a big time show. (Great picture of downtown Dallas last night.)
• Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson is absolutely unlikable. I challenge you to listen to one extended interview with him and come away thinking, "He's a really solid, down-to-earth guy."
• I have no memory of Christina McLarty who used to work for Channel 11 News, who married the Girls Gone Wild guy, and is now dating David Arquette. But she sounds like a funster.
• The Wise County wreck victim from yesterday died. But what an unusual first name: Juanathan
• Wichita Falls had a drug bust this weekend which led to 40 arrests. All the mugshots are in one place. I don't believe for one second that the demographic breakdown of drug users in Wichita Falls matches that composite.