Liberally Lean From The Land Of Dairy Queen

12.27.2012

Someone Doesn't Like The PoPo in Weatherford

Funny GIF I Missed During The Year

Peyton Manning Was On The NFL Network Yesterday

I think I remember that he endorses a particular kind of car. But I don't recall. If I could only remember. What was it? Hmmmm.

Wise County Possum Caught Last Night

Almost looks like a panda.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

It sounds like George H.W. Bush's health is deteriorating rapidly.
Downtown Decatur was like a ghost town yesterday morning. (And I think most businesses and offices that shut down used a pretty low threshold to make the call. But the day after Christmas should be an official holiday as well.)
The Family Cat made a break for the backyard this morning so I was out there in a suit and hiking boots trying to run him down. The dang thing never jumps the fence and runs off to chase his dreams.
Despite a good night's sleep, I was so sleepy driving into work this morning that I felt like I had been drugged.
Baylor's final game of the season is tonight in the Bridgepoint Holiday Bowl, but what's the deal with an 8:45 p.m. start time? There's a great chance that game will be four hours or more. (It's amazing how many people refer to it as the Bridgeport Holiday Bowl.)
I bought Mrs. LL a book on the West Memphis Three. She is locked in to it.
It was pretty big news earlier this year when new Dallas ISD Superintendent Mike Miles brought in a hot and young "communications director" from his prior school at a salary of $185,000. Last Friday, she quietly resigned. Weird.
Mrs. LL got a mandolin for Christmas. Yep, a mandolin. I told her I expect her to sound like Allison Krauss as well.
Texas Monthly's Bum Steer Awards have been revealed and Wise County didn't make the cut. I would think that electing a County Surveyor and simultaneously voting to eliminate the position of County Surveyor would be worthy of one.
You are seeing a preview of the Dallas Mavericks for the next ten years.
I don't think there's a single football analyst who understands that when a receiver catches the ball near the sideline and then gets knocked backwards a couple of yards and out of bounds, that the clock still rolls. "He went out of bounds!" they will all yell. But the receiver can't have it both ways. He'll get the benefit of his forward progress but that means he was technically down while in bounds. (Pet peeve of mine.)
The chances of a deal being worked out on the "fiscal cliff"? I'd make it as high as 95%.

12.26.2012

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

A decent snow falling on Christmas Day in Wise County was a sight to behold. Absolutely picture perfect.
And as much as we dog on weatherman, it was about ten days ago they predicted the possibility of snow on Christmas. I find that amazing.
At my parents house yesterday, I found a few rolls of developed 8 mm home movies from 1957. Now I'm going to try and find a place that can convert fragile film to a DVD. This could be incredible.
I also found this camera (close if not exact) that took those movies. It was basically in pristine condition. (Compare that to a movie shot on your phone and this mini projector connected to it as reviewed by the NY Times.)
I've been tormented by the worst dreams lately. Incredibly intensive. A theme of losing everything. It's bad enough to consider going through some type of sleep study.
I turned on the TV early this morning expecting to see traffic carnage but there wasn't much going on.
Django Unchained, released on Christmas Day, doesn't seem to be the "feel good movie of the year" but it does look bizarrely good.
Character actor Charles Dunning died over the weekend. For those O Brother Where Art Thou? fans, he's the guy who uttered the line, "Is you is, or is you ain't, my constituency?" while playing Gov. Pappy O'Daniel.
Alabama dad gets tickets for National Championship Game for Christmas. What's not to like about his reaction?
Mrs. LL saw about five minutes of Caddyshack as I forced her to be introduced to Bill Murray's character Carl. She actually laughed when he explained his new grass he had developed to Chevy Chase but also added, "I can hardly understand a word he is saying."
Sad news of the passing of Wise County Sheriff's Office Sergeant Bo Wright. I heard in the courtroom about three weeks ago that he had been diagnosed with cancer with only weeks to live. I couldn't believe it then. I believe it now. What a horrible disease. It's never a fair fight.

12.24.2012

Can't Believe I'm Having To Issue A Liberally Lean Winter Blast Alert

I'm in the laboratory monitoring this. Santa will be in bed before me.

From the National Weather Service:

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

What? I'm here on Christmas Eve? Yep, once again I prove I'm the hardest working man in show business.
I sometimes try to wrap my head around basically everyone I've ever met celebrating Christmas today and tomorrow. It's hard to do.
The house is quiet right now with everyone asleep. This may be the best part. Then again, it's not.
Changing gears, Mrs. LL and I watched Bowling For Columbine (I had seen it before.) I had forgotten that Charlton Heston's "from my cold bare hands" speech before the NRA was 10 days after the Columbine massacre. That kind of explains their low profile these days. They've learned.
There was an out of control wedding reception at the Worthington Hotel in downtown Fort Worth on Saturday with what sounds like a massive police response.
I looked forward to this four day weekend and then I ended up sick as a dog on Saturday.
Mrs. LL bought one of those blood sugar dohookies and she's been stabbing me all weekend. The readings aren't out of control but in the midst of my sickness I had a drop of 50 points in two hours.
I think she enjoys stabbing me with that thing.
From the Cowboy game: Tony Siragusa Vs. Moose Johnston Ugly Christmas Sweater-Off Competition. I vote Moose.
We've got some type of critter in our attic. The Others In The House have been trying to convince me but I finally heard. Definitely something running on top of our kitchen ceiling. Almost want to unleash the Family Cat on it.
You'll still hear people say That A Wonderful Life is shown countless times every Christmas season. That hasn't been true since the early 1990s before a copyright was successfully enforced.
I watched some of the high school championship football games on TV this weekend, and I couldn't help but take note of a Vince Young starter kit who was absolutely fantastic. Jerrod Heard of Denton Guyer, only a junior, ran for five TDs and threw for two others. I looked him up to see where he plans to go to college. I'll be dang: The Evil Empire.
And in the final minutes of the final game of the day a defender and a receiver hit head to head while going for a pass and both ended up laid out and motionless in the end zone. I can see how football could some day be discontinued in high school in the future. Those kids may not have been even 18.
Just a brief flurry of snow on Christmas Day would be fantastic.
A list of local TV news personnel who have left over the year. I love you, Jane.
Whenever I see a wedding announcement I wonder if the couple will make it.
I'm near the end of the fourth season of Breaking Bad. I'd be hard pressed to think of a better television drama. A typical episode is better than most movies I've ever seen.
Out of the blue, I watched the first half of the old Helter Skelter television movie which scared the heck out of me as a boy. Sorry to report it doesn't hold up to the test of time. I also acknowledge that's not a very Christmasy movie.
Newsweek's final paper cover:

12.21.2012

Mrs. Claus Taking You Into The Weekend

Peace On Earth and Good Will Towards Men

From this morning.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

The Polyphonic Spree shows up on local television every now and then. They are a huge "meh" to me.
This Fiscal Cliff is pure silliness and politics. And John Boehner is no match for the President in this deal. (For you actually following the situation, Boehner couldn't even get "Plan B" passed in the House last night).
Watch Ocean's 11 last night. I've seen it a couple of times, and I still think I need someone to explain it to me.
When I tried to bring the family up to date that Carl Reiner's character was playing an American who was acting as a German the Freshman-In-The-House said, "Does he get found out when he holds up three fingers the wrong way?" My mouth dropped. If you get the reference, your's might too. (She claims she hadn't seen the Tarantino movie but that only "a friend told me about it.")
Lake Worth ISD has cancelled classes today because students needed time to "cope" with the events at Newtown. Is that the biggest give up ever?
Christmas falling on a Tuesday may be the perfect day for the longest of long weekends.
Whenever I walk out of the office on long weekends I always stop and think, "Remember this feeling."
I think "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" is my favorite holiday song. And the James Taylor version may be at the top of the list (although I learned a second ago it was originally recorded by Judy Garland.)
A Judy Garland concert was the first ever event at the Astrodome. (A little random trivia for you.)
Mrs. LL and I woke up at 4:00 in the morning with a bizarre and rare case of duel insomnia. We watched the last half of an obscure movie from 2003 called The Shape of Things with Paul Rudd. I never went back to sleep.
Mrs. LL also walked around the house all evening singing R.E.M.'s "It's The End Of the World As We Know It."
I flipped over last night to Fox Sports Southwest to see the last minute victory of Stamford over Mart in a Class A Texas high school championship game at Jerry World. I'll take that over the NFL any day.
I came home yesterday to watch all the Females-In-The-House watching a Glee concert on cable. The main theme of the show was acceptance and love. Kind of hard to argue with that.
If you are a fan of Talladega Nights and heard any of the Josh Hamilton and Wife press conference last weekend, you'll giggle at this. Very funny.

Anybody There?

Well, I've got this one configured to go up at one minute after midnight on 12/21/12. (Because we all know the Mayan's were referring to Central Standard Time.)

Either we just met the business end of a doomsday proclamation, or I've got to wake up in a few hours and start thinking about Christmas shopping.

I haven't been this nervous since the early 1980s!

12.20.2012

I Think We've Got A Bus Accident Near Decatur

Facebook description is: School bus accident on 2264 several people being taken away by ambulance...bad scene!

FM 2264 is the road that connects to 287 south of Decatur near Landmark Industries. That looks like Landmark in the background. Maybe.

Edit: Update from photographer - "About two miles from 287 by the plastic pipe manufacturer. Took a few kids off the bus on stretchers, awaiting another ambulance . . . . Another ambulance just arrived, putting two children on it, still have two more to transport. Can't tell how severe the injuries but think they may be minor...hoping!"

Now that was some serious wind last night. But I'm surprised I haven't seen more damage than I have (which is basically none.)
It's the day before the Apocalpyse. Longtime readers will remember the commenter 12/21/12 guy from way back. Three years when he first appeared? Four years? The first few times he showed up we had no idea what he was talking about.
I was looking at Time's Top Ten fiction books and I'm not sure I had heard of any of them. But one that jumped out at me was Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk.
Miss USA was crowned Miss Universe last night. But when the pageant is held in America (last night it was in Las Vegas) and Miss USA wins, it seems so rigged.
The Fourth Grader In The House while watching the swimsuit competition: "This seems weird."
I got slammed in the comments yesterday for my "thought" that it was always boys who commit school shootings and not boys. Some guy said I was attacking men who raise their sons to be responsible hunters. Buddy, you think way more about my thoughts than I do.
Our Elf On The Shelf was in our decorative bowl on the formal dining room table this morning. The contents of that bowl had been strewn around the floor. Creepy.
I like Bud Kennedy but I think he was partially wrong yesterday in his column (asserting Texas teachers can already carry guns in schools). In his defense, Texas guns laws are far more complicated than one would think. (A teacher without a CHL could not carry a handgun into a school even if the school authorized it. But that authorization allowing her to carry a firearm would allow her to carry a rifle or shotgun.)
Seventy-four new troopers graduated in Austin yesterday. One was a former Bridgeport Police Officer.
Fox and Friends brought in Santa Claus this morning to discuss the "war on Christmas." With his concept of the free distribution of wealth, I wouldn't have thought he was a Republican.