The President's Golf Weekend Is Over

His golf weekend in Florida at an exclusive community is over. He golfed with Tiger Woods. Hung out with the boys. Relaxed as he prepares for the next four years.

(Is this post the equivalent of pouring gasoline on the floor, dropping a lighted match, and saying, "Fire? Who me?" Why, yes. Yes it is.)

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• There was a huge Internet rumor yesterday of Tony Romo being in a car crash and breaking both of his legs. I never saw it, and first heard about it on the way home when both The Ticket and The Fan were talking about it simultaneously. Apparently the rumor was engulfed by the Facebook World and never got traction in the Twitter World.    
• Bud Kennedy last night with a picture of Greg Abbott addressing the Tea Party in Kingwood: He didn't know what the speech was about, but he doubted it concerned voting rights or diversity. Funny.
• Sports: (1) #1 Baylor women beat #3 UConn on the road last night, and I watched every second of it, (2) Johnny Manziel is only taking online classes this Spring because he's become such a distraction in Aggieland. Kind of defeats the college experience, doesn't it? (3) Josh Hamilton got everyone fired up because he said Dallas was not a "baseball town". He may be dumb, but he's right about that, (4) The only college football teams to go for it on fourth down more than they punted it are Air Force and Army. That seems fitting. 
• Ted Cruz is getting roasted by being the new "bad boy" of the Senate. I respect him for taking the positions he said he would, but he will be incredibly insignificant and irrelevant for doing so. 
• Tim Tebow is going to speak at the First Baptist of Dallas but now the national media is finally focusing on its crazy (and, my words, "ambiguously gay" pastor.) "Agreeing to speak at intolerant church is Tebow's greatest sin" reads the headline.
• Mrs. LL made a call back joke the other day to the Geico commercial of, "Because I'm a pooooooothole." Loved that commercial. 
• Ticket fans only: Did former Tech coach Spike Dykes record that commercial in a well? 
• From the Update: "Senior citizens ages 55 and older are invited to an enchilada lunch with all the trimmings noon Thursday at the Decatur Senior Citizen Center." 55? Woah! Woah! Woah! Let's tap the brakes on that minimum age!
• The jury in Fort Worth returns today to deliberate the guilt/not guilt of the female counselor accused of "sexual assault" by using her position to seduce a husband of another women. Hey, sue her if you want to but the State of Texas prosecutes that as a crime?
• Something I read in 2011 that stuck with me: The federal government does not have the budget of the typical American family. During times of a recession, if the government does not spend more than it has, the country might not pull out of it. 
• All the Girls In The House are convinced the Family Pup is pregnant. 
• If I ever read a headline about a shooting in or outside of a metroplex club, I have to click on the story to read the name of the place. There was one last night in Dallas. The name of the club? "Chocolate City".
• What I refer to as a "Hey, Now", TMZ says "Great Googly Moogly!" I may like their saying better. (In reference to a new pic of Katherine Webb, the Alabama QB's girlfriend.)
• I finally watched Duck Dynasty last night after everyone told me that I would hate it. I didn't. But I didn't like it either. It's more scripted than a State of the Union speech. 

Craziest Photo Of The Day

Katherine Webb (girlfriend of Alabama quarterback and object of Brent Musburger's affection) and Kareem Abdul Jabbar (former NBA great.)

Edit: And this just happened - Dirk with Olympian Gabby Douglass.

Burger King Twitter Account Hacked

Think they are scrambling over at corporate headquarters?

Wise County Guy Makes It Into New York Times

Link.

Down Goes The Ump! Down Goes The Ump!

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• For some reason I read an article about the assassination of Robert Kennedy this weekend. I had no idea that NFL star Rosie Grier was the first one to get to Sirhan Sirhan after he open fire. 
• Per the Update, Rhome has a "Full Armor Biker Church"?
• Explain this to me: NFL commission Robert Goodell made more than $29 million from the NFL in 2011. 
• I finally saw Mumford and Sons this weekend when I recorded VH1's Top Twenty Countdown. I'm not sure what I think. They aren't bad but they sure are over-singers. 
• The prisoner on the run in Grapevine was shot and killed this weekend. The cops justification for the killing? He was armed with "sticks". It was an unnecessary killing by the police that no one will care about. 
• Mrs. LL eats the potato skin of her baked potato. That's weird, right?
• Saturday Night Live had a shocking skit this weekend which was a biblical take off of Django Unchained.
• Danica Patrick won the pole position for Daytona. That is absolute and definitive proof that NASCAR drivers are not athletes. 
• Mindy McCready dead of suicide at 37. Her wheels have been off for a long, long time. 
• Mrs. LL and the girls watched a coming of age movie called Sleepover this weekend.  For a movie I would have never have watched five years ago, I was teary eyed by the end of it. 
• Nothing like spending a Saturday afternoon watching a cup stacking competition.
• Channel 11: "Good Deed By Boyd Girls Gets Noticed"
• How in the world could the Die Hard sequel win at the box office this weekend?

Above The Fold

Congressman's Secret Daughter Taking You Into The Weekend

He was tweeting her during the State of The Union and everyone thought the single congressman had a girlfriend. In order to stop the rumors, he had to admit he had a daughter.

And Another - Georgia

Bad on the looks but big on the effort.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• "MOSCOW (AP) -- A meteor that scientists estimate weighed 10 tons streaked at supersonic speed over Russia's Ural Mountains on Friday, setting off blasts that injured some 500 people and frightened countless more." What? Must see videos.
• Mrs. LL predicted what would happen in a scene in The Office last night seconds after she saw the premise of the scene. She has a crazy knack for that. 
• The CEO of bankrupt American Airlines will receive nearly $20 million after the airline merges with US Air.  Explain that to me. Please.
• The new president of UTA is named Vistasp Karbhari.
• Language warning, but an entertaining fight video in a hotel lobby between a fat and drunk white guy and a little black guy is here. It's worth watching the whole thing but the fight starts at around the 2:20 mark. 
• I keep hearing good things about The Americans and House of Cards.
• I was watching CNN last night while the anchor was talking to a 14 year old girl who was on the stranded cruise ship. When she responded that she was most looking forward to eating "greasy food" upon her return, the anchor said, "then your situation can't be that bad." After the next question, she started crying which gave rise to some great awkwardness. 
• A lot of people are saying the passengers of the cruise ship have a great lawsuit against Carnival. Not so fast. You were inconvenienced for three days. Yeah, you deserve a little compensation but it's not like your spouse was killed or you've got permanent brain damage.
• The Dallas DA did not appear to testify in a hearing yesterday accusing him of, in essence, prosecuting someone at the request of a big donor (Lisa Blue, whom I despise). His lawyers said that he was sick but the DA was seen in the courthouse earlier that day.  Rumors are circulating that the FBI is after him, and I predict a big scandal is forthcoming. 
• The headline in my trial of "Jury Gives Maximum Sentence" is a little misleading. He was acquitted of the charge in the indictment (which carried life in prison without parole), acquitted of a lesser charge of Aggravated Sexual Assault (which carried a possibility of 30 real years before parole eligibility), but convicted of a second degree felony (parole eligible after 10 years.)
• That being said, it was gut wrenching to be in the courtroom post verdict with the family. 
• The defendant handed me a letter on the last day of trial. "I just want to thank you." As much as criminal defense is an emotional business for those who care about what they do, there are some good moments. But there are a lot of bad ones. 

Billy Joe McAllister?

This photo was just posted on the Messenger's Facebook page with sketchy details of a man who apparently jumped/fell/whatever off the Big Sandy Bridge between Decatur and Bridgeport.

Edit: Wow. The Messenger now says it was a Jeffrey Curry of Fort Worth. I wonder if it is the same Jeffrey Curry who the subject of this story!:

Edit: And a man of the same name an age was arrested in December in Fort Worth for forgery.

Oh, My

BREAKING: Coast Guard official: Disabled cruise ship stopped off coast of Ala. because of broken towline
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 14, 2013

Riveting 1st person account of life on the crippled cruise ship on @brookebcnn show.LIVE on CNN."I don't think I can describe the smell"
— Wilson Surratt (@SurrattCNN) February 14, 2013

Edit: First Photos

Harlem Shake? Turn Off The Internet.

The Harlem Shake meme involves 30-second videos that begin with a sole person, typically masked, casually bopping to music while a handful of people around him go about mundane business. Then “the beat drops,” as the kids say, the camera shot changes, and suddenly an entire crowd appears in bizarre costumes and they go crazy, flailing their limps, and, well, doing the Harlem Shake.

What the heck is this? What's so funny? 

And proof that it is not cool because The Today Show has done it. 

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• The Olympic "Blade Runner" has been accused of murdering his girlfriend. If he had used his blade foot as the murder weapon it would have been the craziest story ever.
• Can they not find the guy who escaped in Grapevine? And he sounds like a complete nutball.
• If I hadn't been involved in my trial this week, I would have wanted to watch the bizarre Tarrant County case where a female marriage counselor is accused of criminally seducing a client. Has sin become a crime?
• The merger of US Airway and American has to be good for this area right? The largest airline in the world will be based out of Fort Worth?
• And throw in that in about a year that Southwest will be allowed to fly nationwide out of Love Field then we should see healthy competition.
• Crystal's Pizza in Irving is closing!
• Heard on the radio: Can some company please make decent Valentine's Day cards? I don't want to outsource a 200 word poem. When I open one up and it's blank on the inside, I'll buy it. 
• It's not unusual during a criminal trial for the family of the client to tell me, "I don't know how you do this for a living." Meaning: "How can you emotionally handle this time and time again?" 
• I like it when I can slowly change lanes on the highway and not hit one of the reflectors on the center stripe. 
• Fort Worth motorcycle death. And the victim was only 11.
• Just read there was a motorcycle death in Dallas this morning.
• Most trials don't have anyone in the courtroom who don't have some connection with it, but there has been an older couple who have sat through my whole trial and no one knows who they are. Considering the subject matter, it's really pretty unusual. 
• Mrs. LL was in the driveway this morning before 7:00 a.m. because someone brought by $7 for underpayment for girl scout cookies. Yep, I asked her, "You've got to be kidding." 
• It's Valentines Day: "And I need you more than want you. And I want you for all time." Still a great line from Wichita Lineman.

Random Carnage

Above The Fold

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• This is an abbreviated version. Trial days will wear a guy out.
• Hey Rage and Wordkyle, the prosecutors asked if you were on the jury panel. I'm serious. 
• I watched a portion of the State of the Union. John Boehner looked like he was stressing over whether he should applaud or not over the next point the President was about to make.
• This on Twitter last night regarding Ted Nugent's appearance: "Imagine if a rapper had 1. Threatened the President 2. Brandished assault rifles 3. Got invited to the SOTU 4. Showed up in jeans."
• Marco Rubio's "water break" during the Republican Response. Even I worry about this country when that becomes a headline. 
• Based upon my inbox this morning, I was twitter hacked last night.
• Wrong way driver on I-35 in Fort Worth last night caused three wrecks. No deaths. 
• I'm behind on the details, but the circumstances surrounding the  presumed death yesterday of the crazy Los Angeles cop on the run sounds like a movie script.