Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Dirk Nowitzki is engaged according to that hot bed of news station KSCS. Hey, I wonder if his crazy ex-girlfriend is still locked up?
• Those trying to overturn Texas tort reform finally took a shot in federal court in East Texas. They lost this week. (The link is primarily for my plaintiff lawyers friends since its a press release from the insurance industry that will drive them crazy.)
• Motorcycle death last night in Dallas. That's two in two days. 
• Having a refrigerator repair guy in the house is weird because someone gets to go through your refrigerator. 
• Craig James' new ad defending his Helicopter Parent actions while his kid was at Texas Tech proves he has the ability to suspend reality.
• There have been two Major League regular season baseball games already played. Now those teams go back to playing pre-season ball. Weird.
• There was a wreck in front of McDonald's in Decatur this morning. 
• Mrs. LL asked me what I would do if I won the Mega Millions jackpot. My answer: "Disappear."
• My odds of disappearing because of winning, by the way, are 1 in 176,000,000. Well, those are the odds if I actually bought a ticket (and if you can't "quick pick" it, I wouldn't go to the trouble.)
• Cool picture: A group of Confederate veterans standing on the Wise County Courthouse steps in 1906.
• Another angle of pregnant Jessica Simpson.
• I don't think I've ever asked for an apology from anyone. 
• The Obamacare analogy of the government already forcing us to buy auto insurance makes sense to me. You can say "but you don't have to drive", but that is simply not true in Texas. We have to drive.
• There was a grand prix race track that was built in northeast Wise County a few years back. At least I think it was built. Has there ever been a grand prix race there?
• Man, that police video of an apparently uninjured George Zimmerman isn't going to help the Trayvon Martin controversy.

This Editorial Cartoon In The UT Student Newspaper . . .

. . . caused quite the controversy. That free speech thing doesn't play too well in Austin sometimes.

Greatest Photobomb Ever?

"Yeah, the ol' 'bunny ears' in the background will be hilarious!"

Sportin' A Hoodie In The House Of Representin'

This is such old news. I've been protesting since 2008:

Me In Gated Community Eating Hot Dog Full Of Skittles

Considering The News From Florida

Is this the worst name for a high budget movie or, under the belief that any press is good press, the best?

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• The Cowboys open the NFL season this Fall on Wednesday night against the NY Giants. The game is normally held on Thursday but will be moved to accommodate the Presidents acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. Obviously, we have a communist conspiracy here.
• Everyone sure seems confident about which way the Supreme Court will rule based upon the questions asked yesterday. I'll defer to the experts who say the Court normally doesn't take a Devil's Advocate position during oral argument and the questions generally indicate how a judge is feeling. However, everyone still better tap the brakes a bit. 
• If I'm part of the group that subdued the nutty Jet Blue pilot yesterday, I think my first question aftwerwards would be: "There is someone who can land this plane, right?"
• The Messenger caught some heat on a cover story a couple of weeks back about "glamorizing" an attempted suicide victim.  Now they say the story has done some good, but I don't know if it is a very good idea to get two folks who have recently contemplated suicide together. 
• In my dream last night I had to run through Las Vegas which didn't look anything like Vegas and which was under construction on every single block. 
• In the next dream, some girl was being abducted so I fired a warning shot with an assault rifle -- a rifle where you could see the bullets in the air like a pellet gun. I have no idea. 
• I wake up multiple times a night. 
• Fishermen discuss places to eat in Decatur.
• Part of Mrs. LL's birthday gift were pillows like they have in The Mirage. (I think I just figured out why I had a Vegas dream.)
• Ticket Fans: Grubes is leaving the Hardline to go to the University of North Texas? I don't understand that. At all. (And I'm pretty sure this is his lawyer dad.)
• It's no big deal, but I wonder why the Messenger won't print the name of the boy who lost his leg in that horrible lawnmower accident from last week. Some people might want to send some get well wishes. 
• The lawyer who wrecked the Porsche that killed him and a young couple  in Las Colinas back in January had twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system. Pure speculation: Something weird happened in that car. 
• Edit: Allen motorcycle death with a 40 foot fall.

Messenger Above The Fold

Tuesday Afternoon Pick Me Up

Jessica Hart

Bluebonnet Murder

Joe Duty Photo From 2003

The Messenger is reporting that the bluebonnets at Oaklawn Cemetery have been mowed down over the last 24 hours after the flowers' (along with some weeds, as well) execution was authorized by the cemetery's board. I'm guessing one of the reasons the Mess is jumping on the story is because the following blog was posted by them three days ago:

If the only thing that is left is a bag of Skittles and a hoodie, I'm gonna freak out.

Liberal Analyst and Author Thinks Supreme Court Will Strike Down Obamacare After Today's Arguments

Toobin: "This law looks like it is going to be struck down."

Link. (Video from CNN.)

Hot Girl Who Walked Into Propeller Wants Bag Of Money

You may remember her from last Christmas.

I might need some silk-suited Plaintiffs/Insurance lawyer to explain this to me, but I think this is what is happening: Under the insurance policies she is making a claim under, the question is whether or not she was a "passenger" at the time she walked into the propeller. If she is, the most she can get from the insurance companies is $200,000.  If she was not, the limit is $2 million.

They offered her $200,000. She turned it down and has filed suit.

"Passenger," as defined by the policy, is "any person, other than the pilot, who is in the aircraft or getting in or out of it."  So once she put here feet on the tarmac, was she no longer a "passenger"? That's a tough one, pal. If she was still a passenger, at what point did that status end?

(I'm assuming - a big assumption - these are liability policies covering the pilot for his negligence.  Before she blows off $200K, she might want to consider if she bears any responsibility for walking into a moving propeller.)

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• At a softball game last night, I saw a guy who looked like Jerry Sandusky who was spending a lot of time socializing with little kids. I told Mrs. LL about him and asked her if she could pick him out of the crowd. She did. Weird.
• At that game, I think I witnessed a dad and a step-dad loudly yelling dueling instructions to a little girl who was at the plate. Tense.
• First it was the over-reaction of the pro-Trayvon Martin crowd and now we've got equally over the top behavior from the pro-Zimmerman people (like this site which just oozes racism.) I almost feel like a race war is about to break about between the two. And as I heard on the radio this morning, "It doesn't seem like anyone cares what the facts really are." 
• Everyone learned yesterday just how boring Supreme Court oral arguments are as the justices considered the constitutionality of Obamacare.
• The Baylor women beat Tennessee last night but I was taken aback by the limited roll of Tennessee coach Pat Summitt who I've always been a fan of. Last year she announced she had been diagnosed with dementia, but I didn't know that her assistant coaches pretty much run the show now as Summitt basically just sits in a chair. She doesn't even do the post-game press conferences. Sad.
• Any story with "Ghost Ship" and "Tsunami" in the headline makes you want to read it. 
• There's a new documentary coming out on Friday about bullying called, uh, "Bully". The current controversy is that it has a R rating which eliminates, in theory, its targeted audience. I feel like I'm the only one that remembers a very dark movie by the same name which was based on a book (of a real life event) by the Dallas Observer's Jim Shutze. 
• Oh, in addition to not wanting to hear people scream in radio ads, I don't want to hear your kids either. 
• There's nothing more depressing than the stories of mothers going crazy and hurting their own kids like yesterday.  I mean, she truly is crazy so what do you do? 
• It seems like almost every Subway I go into they are training a new "sandwich specialist." 
• Bill Parcel to take over for the New Orleans Saints for one year? I tell you, Parcell's is sounding exactly like he did before he joined the Cowboys in that he acknowledged the discussion and didn't dismiss it outright. I think it might happen.
• The Ticket boys always talk about watching Mad Men, Game of Thrones, Sons of Anarchy, Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad, etc.  Even I wonder how they have the time.

Afternoon Pick Me Up

That's Jessica Simpson. That'll teach ya to dog me about the Random Thought Girl from this morning.

She Has Responded To My Inquiry

I mentioned last week that she hadn't covered it.

On a broader note, I'm not really sure we are in any position to call for (or to not call for) an arrest.  We truly don't have any idea what happened out there.

From outside Dallas City Hall

Mrs. LL Just Told Me About Breaking News

The Family Cat either fell through or jumped through a second story window which was covered by a screen.

And, I'll be dang, the thing didn't hurt herself at all. She just scampered back in the house when Mrs. LL opened the door to figure out what the noise was about.

Stupid cat.

Oh, My

A beauty pageant has booted a contestant out the competition after . . . (story)  Edit: Link fixed

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• When watching a news clip on some health related issue yesterday, I saw a doctor hitting the knee of a kid with a little hammer to, I assume, to test his reflexes. I hadn't thought about that in years.
• The 60 Minutes segment on the wrongful conviction of Michael Morton last night will probably be the final chapter in the political life of District Judge Ken Anderson -- the prosecutor at the time who is alleged to have withheld favorable evidence from the defense.
• Radio is a cuthroat business: KLIF over the weekend completely changed their format leaving most of the hosts without a job. Now I feel kind of bad of dogging Jeff Bolton last week who is no longer heard on mornings.
• Dick Cheney had a heart transplant over the weekend. Is the priority list for a heart just first come first served?
• Rick Santorum said a bad word! Rick Santorum said a bad word!
• I stepped on a toy monkey last night that, much to my surprise, makes screaming monkey sounds.
• And to think I said one week ago that there wasn't enough enough press coverage about the killing of Trayvon Martin. Now you can't turn on the television . . . 
• The Pope wearing a sombrero is not a good look. 

Liberally Lean Tourney Update

Dang Missouri.

Full list.


Sponsors:

-All Wise Garden Center in Bridgeport has pledged and delivered a $100 and $50 gift certificate for in-house purchases (counts as two prizes). 

-Bloomoon Pet Resort in Chico has pledged and delivered a $50 Visa Gift Card

-Wise Liquors in Bridgeport has pledged and delivered a 1.75 liter bottle of Crown Royal for the last place finisher. Two caveats: (1) Your bracket must be completely filled out to win, and (2) I need a little Baptist forgiveness for this one. 

-A signed Lebron James jersey with a certificate of authenticity pledged and delivered by attorney Paul Belew

- New: $100 Silpada Designs Gift Certificate pledged by April Cowling (can be used online or through April)

-A $100 Visa Gift Card has been pledged and delivered by Chris Miller's Farmer's Insurance Agency in Bridgeport.