That's Supposed To Be A Signature

And not just any signature. It belongs to Jack Lew who today was nominated to become Secretary of the United States Treasury.  So you know what that means? This:

Credit.

People Can Be In Horrific Pain

Turned out to be this lady, wife of the pastor of the Park Cities Presbyterian Church of Dallas:

The Dallas Observer reviewed the situation today and a column that was written about the death in the Dallas Morning News.  The author questions calling the underlying reasons that cause suicide to always be a "mental disease": "But I do have a mini-rant to offer on the assumption that suicide is automatically and always a symptom of disease. What if people really do have overwhelming problems they can't overcome? And here is the really tough one: what if they just don't want to be alive anymore?"

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• Has Decatur's Firehouse Gym out on 287 shut down? Seems to have an empty parking lot this week.
• Decatur's Wise Regional Health System recently announced a new hospital in North Fort Worth. Yesterday, HCA North Texas announced plans of a $71 million hospital pretty close to it. 
• This time I think all this flu talk is based more reality than just the typical hype. (And don't you freak out a little if you believe you are beginning to feel anything other than normal?)
• On Cowboy's firing of defensive coordinator Rob Ryan: I won't miss him, not sure he deserved to be fired, but I'm not sure he should have ever been hired.
• I'm not sure why everyone got so bent out of shape about Brent Musburger's comments about the girlfriend of Alabama's quarterback. You can't mention that a girl is hot any more?
• I went through a preliminary workout with the Xbox using some Nike program. Sheesh. I'd rather run five miles any day. But I'm seriously thinking about retiring from jogging and going to some other fitness routine. Just seems time to move on. 
• I thought I was just kidding about building an ark.
• You always here about some shooting at some spare bar in the parking lot of some seedy Dallas bar but last night a guy was killed in the evening hours at Red Rock Bar at Midway and Frankford.  That's a pretty high tone area. To make the story more bizarre, it occurred on the patio of the bar after an argument. 
• When did Ruben's Ballroom on 380 towards Denton become the Crazy Horse? 
• After hearing everyone talk about it, I recorded Best Funeral Ever on The Learning Channel last night. Haven't watched it yet. 
• And I caught the first ten minutes of Frost/Nixon last weekend. Man, that really got my attention. Politics. Media. History. It's almost a trifecta for me. 
• Alabama playing the Aggies on September 14th this Fall might end up being the most hyped game ever. (And how did the Aggies manage to get eight home games next year?)

Above The Fold

A Single Digit Loss

The new Perot Museum Of Nature and Science in Dallas sounds fantastic. But about a week ago a wall of silence went up after a patron had suffered some type of injury on some type of interactive exhibit. The museum wouldn't say anything else.

Until this afternoon. Someone lost a finger. Oh, my.

Reunion At Wise County Animal Shelter

And look at that little thing in the background.

Gals Switch Channel From National Championship Game To "The Bachelor"

Thanks, Mrs. LL.

Someone Was Excited About Baseball Season

The official Dallas Cowboys twitter feed was not impressed. Story.

Couple Buys House For $500. Finds It Torn Down.

You hear stories like this all the time. Some demolition crew tears down the wrong house, someone mistakenly buys the wrong property, and in this case it looks like their new house was demolished after a tax auction.  Regarding the details, I don't really care. I just love this picture. He has the most beaten down look on his face in the history of ever. She has a subtle I'm-Dating-An-Idiot look.

Heck, that $500 is worth the story to tell your friends.  (And it kind of ruins the story to read that the $500 was refunded. Maybe he's just a beaten down guy in general.)

• There was a commercial before the National Championship game which featured the actor who played "Rudy". I mentioned it to Mrs. LL. She was confused because she thought I was talking about Rudy from the Cosby Show.
• There are rumors floating around that RG3 will need knee surgery and will be out 12 to 16 months. In this day and age where the NFL proclaims that player safety is its number one priority, I'm beyond angry. 
• Alabama's quarterback seems like a nice young man with a hot girlfriend, hot mom, but one freaky chest tattoo.
• In case you haven't heard, we might want to build an ark based upon the amount of rain we are about to get. 
• I think the Little Kid In The House (who is staying until Friday!) and Mrs. LL are about to go to war. They can only stay cute for so long, right?
• It was announced yesterday that our state government has an $8.8 billion surplus. Thanks for the conservative Texas GOP for not taxing us too much. 
• If you heard the Al Roker story from yesterday, you may never want to watch Al Roker again. That is beyond bizarre to tell that story.
• The Eighter From Decatur apartments caught on fire yesterday. That wasn't the first time. 
• Just think: President Obama's second term hasn't even started yet. 
• The Family Unit bought some Dance Game for the X-box.  Let me tell you, it ain't American Bandstand. It's all set in a club of your choosing. And let me tell you, it's not Frilly's or Bono's.
• The 911 operator who took the call from the guy in Grapevine who said he "might have two dead teenagers in his house" sounded like he almost passed out from shock. Don't blame him. (But they will never be able to tag the other surviving kid in the house with Criminally Negligent Homicide for not getting help in time -- there's just not going to be enough evidence.)

Is That A Trooper Car In A Handicap Spot At The Whataburger In Decatur?

Edit: That's one tricked up paint job. Maybe it's just an old handicap space.

And Another

2013 comes out the blocks fast. Story.

Very Random Federal Appeals Court Opinion Issued Today

Excerpt from it:

A prosecutor named Luke Skywalker? Really? Yep, he changed his name from Stephen Peters after seeing the original Star Wars.

Calling All English Minded Folks

The editor of D Magazine just posted this on Twitter with the caption of "Dangling modifier of the day."  Lord knows I can't see it. You? Teach us.

LeAnn Rimes Bringing in 2013 In Cabo

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• Up until I tore my Achilles a few years back, I used to brag about never having spent a night in the hospital. Over Thanksgiving, I learned I was admitted to Cook's Children's Hospital when I was 18 months old. 
• X-box with the kinect is amazing technology. I'm giving big thumbs up.
• Sports: (1) RG3 had no business being on the field after the first quarter yesterday because he was so hobbled. If he hasn't torn his ACL or MCL, I'll be shocked. (2) I've watched a ton of college football in my life, but I've never seen a better performance than Johnny Manziel against Oklahoma. (3) Hockey is back? Meh. (4) I bet the Aggies will open up in the Top Five next year. 
• Two Southlake teens died of an overdose. I bet they "got hold of some of the wrong stuff."  And another guy was arrested in the incident who has one crazy book in photo.
• I mentioned my buddy Robert Wagstaff last Friday. His hunting accident made the Abilene news. He's lucky to be alive. 
• I've never had a flu shot. 
• There are lots of headlines about a Cleburne pastor having acted in prior porn films. His actual quote was, "Me and my ex-wife were in porn, we were in the booze and the drugs.” I think that's an admission of watching porn, not starring in it. (And after seeing his interview last night on the news, he was pretty easy to forgive.)
• The Ticket/Cumulus ran a radio ad a month or so ago advertising for a position in sales for females who were also young. Uh, you can't do that. I heard it once and have never heard it again. I'm guessing someone pointed that out to them. 
• And Another.

Tonight: Johnny Football In Oklahoma Casino?

Above The Fold