Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Great Denton book in photo.
• I was a below average athlete but I still  re-live one football play when I was a sophomore. I knew exactly what was going to happen -- a quick pass to a wide receiver that I had cheated up on as a cornerback -- and it happened exactly like I envisioned it. I was just a second to late.. Why do I still think about that?
• The Kids in the House are now becoming witty and funny. I wasn't prepared for that.
• My joke line to Mrs. LL has always been "They grow up so fast."  I'm beginning to regret that. 
• My commitment of not watching a single second of a Mavericks game is still intact.
• RG3 is in a bad way.
• A bizarre flashback yesterday. The Kids wanted to measure our living room (who knows why) so they took out the tape measure and got after it.When I was in fourth grade our class did the same thing and discovered it was 30 feet wide. I've used that standard forever. I guess that's why I told the Kids to "remember that number".
• There is not a JFK show that I'm not enthralled by.
• About 15 years ago I had the chance to buy an original AP bulletin (the thing that rolled off of a printer) of the JFK assassination for $10,000.  No way, I thought. I regret that now.
• I ran across "Panic In Needle Park" this weekend. Pacino is fantastic even at a young age
• .Mav's coach Rick Carlisle gave a terse interview a couple of nights ago and then "jokingly" called it a "Popovich" impersonation. Make no mistake: That guy is a jerk. A 100% jerk. His attempt at humor was last second damage control which, sadly, the public bought. 
• I don't think I'll ever own a home which is worthy of  being included in the  "The Tour of Homes" and I'm ok with that. 
• The "knock out game" may be the most horrific thing I've ever seen.

King's Spa

Mrs. LL and I live by Russians. Real Russians. Their accent is fantastic. And they are fantastic neighbors.

I'm not sure that matters but it makes this story a little better. The Russian mom texted Mrs. LL yesterday morning to invite the Fifth Grader in the House to go to King's Spa. Stay with me here.  For some reason, everyone in the house was downstairs before 8:00 a.m. so the morning was already surreal. It got more surreal when Mrs. LL simply handed me her phone with the King's Spa message jumping off the screen. My jaw dropped.

The only thing I could say was, "We're going, too."

Background: A couple of years ago Mrs. LL and I got lost and actually ended up driving by King's Spa. It is massive. It is mysterious. We were convinced there was a ton of seediness going on in there. So when the Russians call to invite The Kid to the place, my head exploded. Either we've got crazy neighbors or the place was nothing like we feared. But we were going. It was an invitation to an adventure.

So we load up and headed to North Dallas (the place is somewhere off Luna and Royal).  I'm nervous and prepared to bolt the moment we walk in.

My head is still spinning as we walk through the front door. First, no wearing shoes inside. Secondly, you must change into "uniforms" which are pretty much pajamas.

So what is this place? It's huge (34,000 square feet!). It's bizarre. And the concept is very Korean and very un-American: The building  has basically ten different rooms with different themes: a hot room, a warm room, an ice room, an infrared room (still not sure what that was) and on and on. You walk into one and there are people laying on mats on the floor. Some people are sleeping. Some are meditating. Each one is beyond peaceful.

Kids? Yep, they are welcomed. They have their own kid's room. And the ones I saw were all incredibly well behaved. They actually embraced the relaxation.

Verdict: That place is fantastic. If you ever want to disappear for a few hours and relax, that place was Heaven. Absolute Zen. Clean. Safe. It was nothing like I expected it to be.

As we walked in, Mrs. LL said, "Opulence?"  I replied, "We has it."

(Dallas Observer review)

The Dog

Not the actual dog, but pretty dang close.

On the way to work this morning, not more than 100 yards from my driveway, I saw what appeared to be a lost German Shepherd.  Let me correct that, he was lost.

I'm not sure what has gotten into me lately, but for some reason I stopped the car and got out. Hey, before you jump on me for a "look at what a good guy I am" post, that's not my point. I've looked the other way a shameless amount of times. An embarrassing number of times, in fact.

But this time I got out of the car in my ridiculous white shirt, tie, and overcoat and coaxed the dog over to me. It had a collar and a tag. I grabbed the collar after getting on my knees and doing my best "here puppy" voice. Then the dog leaped on me (it was as big as me) and for a second I thought it was an aggressive move and it was going to bite my face off. Nope. The dog was happy. Just playing. So at that point I was prepared to walk the dog back up to Liberally Lean Manor and surprise everyone inside that I had brought a dog home.

But this kid suddenly showed up on a bike. Out of no where.  He first asked me if that was my dog and I told him "nope" but that I thought it was lost. Now, assured that I wasn't a dog kidnapper, he told me excitedly that it was his neighbor's dog. He then took the dog by the collar and walked quickly up the street -- his bike left behind.

A good kid.

What's the point of all of the? Maybe just a message to myself that I should no longer look the other way.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• Mrs. LL became violently ill yesterday (if projectile vomiting equals violently ill). I proclaimed to the Kids in the House that I was the Best Husband In The World after cleaning up a bathroom that required a trip to the grocery store to get Drano. They told me "TMI". I agree.
• As good at weather forecasting has become, those boys missed the Arctic Blast Of 2013 like nobody's business.
• The OSU beat down of Baylor was just that: A beat down. The only consolation I have is that I'm not heart broken over a last second field goal.  Baylor was beaten. Badly. No excuses.
• Channel 8 replayed the original two hours of their coverage of the JFK assassination. It was fascinating. A ramped up anchor talking and smoking while he brings in Mr. Peppermint was golden TV.
• New Fox 4 gal Jenny Anchondo is pretty hot and pretty good. Is she the reason Fiona is leaving? 
• Mrs. LL took two kids to the new Hunger Games movie at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday.
• And I know nothing about the Hunger Games but the lead actress was on David Letterman last week. The girl looked high. When she revealed that she still had to go to a premiere and a party, Letterman asked how she could hold up. She said, "They will stick a needle in my butt and say 'Dance monkey.'" Someone needs to watch that girl. 
• If you are in a tent outside of a store waiting for "Black Friday", there's a reason your in a tent and waiting. Decision making does not come easy to you. 
• I've got a great post coming about a trip to King's Spa in Dallas. I ended there yesterday.
• Judge Jerry Ray's "bizarre outburst" at a Tarrant County jury has now found its way to American Bar Association Journal where they even gave proper credit to this here blog. 
• The Fifth Grader in the House will tell me from time to time, "Good luck. We're all counting on you." And I don't think she's ever seen Airplane.
• Can I admit that Mrs. LL and I woke up on Saturday morning at 3:00 a.m. and watched The Notebook? 
• BagofNothing guy opined this morning that the Bush family legacy trumps the Kennedy family legacy. Couldn't disagree more. Substance is what we will remember. 
• There was another Fort Worth police shooting which resulted in death. I'm sure it's justified but it doesn't help that the officer was part of an outfit called the "Fugitive Unit and Zero Tolerance Unit". 
• Another Eagle Mountain Lake earthquake over night. 
• Edit: Random college football observation -- The very dumb coached Florida Gators lost to Georgia Southern who, get this, did not complete a pass and only tried to throw three times.

Decatur Rising

Another football playoff win and the volleyball team plays for a state championship today.

Above The Fold

And we wrap it up with . . .

At 12:30 P.M.

During moment of silence at #JFK50 event, Coalition on Political Assassinations members point toward Elm Street pic.twitter.com/j9Hz7Md4i4
— Robert Wilonsky (@RobertWilonsky) November 22, 2013

For The Second Time In A Week, An OKC Fan Has Hit A Halfcourt Shot to Win $20,000

Story.

And it gave rise to one great photo:

40th Anniversary Photos

I went down to Dealey Plaza on the 40th Anniversary. Dallas had shut down a couple of streets but there was no city sponsored program. But this is a look at the crowd. For some reason Jesse Ventura was there who made some crazy speech into a make shift audio system.

The Magazine Cover That Trumped Another

After the assassination of Kennedy, JFK was placed on the cover of Life. But it was Roger Staubach who had been planned to be used on the cover and a few issues were printed before it was yanked for the special Kennedy issue.

But the subheadings on the Staubach cover make it clear that was a different time in America.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• Fox News was not happy with the change in the Senate filibuster rule that will now make it next to impossible for the minority Republicans to block judicial candidates. Now a simple majority rules on the issue. What a concept. 
• Just when I thought it was dead, Slate.com picked up the Judge Jerry Ray chastising the Tarrant County jury story.  They called the judge "dyspeptic." (I admit I had to look it up.)
• And the incident also became a full story in the Texas Lawyer trade publication (paywall?) as of yesterday (where it's pseudo viral status was attributed to everyone and their dog except me.)
• For all the hubbub about the JFK 50th Anniversary Celebration(?) at Dealey Plaza, the timing with the weather could not have been worse. It is miserable out there. (Check out Gordon Keith's set up where he is reporting live from there, and under a tarp, this morning. It is beyond funny and beyond beaten.)
• David McCullough will speak at the Dallas ceremony today. I fell in love with his voice as the narrator of Ken Burns' The Civil War and on an audiobook where I listened to him read his 1776.
• Fox 4 News showed the sand trucks last night and said they were "standing by." Seriously. 
• JFK tidbit: Dallas federal district judge Sarah T. Hughes swore in LBJ on Air Force One that day but beforehand the whole federal courthouse was scrambling to find the text of the Oath of Office. It is Hughes understanding that someone actually called the Attorney General to get the text. But it's actually right there in the Constitution. You could win a Jeopardy answer with that trivia someday. 
• I watched a program last night on the two hours immediately after the assassination. It said that most believed LBJ hurried to be sworn in so that AG Bobby Kennedy couldn't come up with a way to keep him from being President. I scoffed. Then later in the program they played audio from years later of LBJ saying he basically couldn't get in the oval office for three days and he had thought Bobby was trying to figure a way to keep him from assuming the role of the President. 
• They also had audio of LBJ calling Rose Kennedy, JFK's mom, from Air Force One as it flew back to Washington. Her first words were, "Hello, Mr. President." 
• There is a guy tweeting historic photos of Kennedy in Fort Worth and Dallas and he appears to be trying to post them at the moment they happened 50 years ago. Fort Worth photos are being posted right now. 
• Some of the protesters were not being nice to Republicans yesterday at Dealey Plaza.
• Yesterday a Boeing 747 cargo plan landed at the wrong airport in Kansas described as "rural" (surprise!) For awhile they were concerned that the runway might not be long enough for takeoff but the engineers and slide-rulers did the calculations and said it was OK. It took off a few hours later -- with new pilots.
• I know I rile up only one commenter when I dog Dennis Prager, but if you want a taste of what Prager is about read his recent column on five ways to "ensure your child won't" be a liberal. I can summarize it for you: Brainwash him so he won't have the ability to make his own decisions. Incredible. (But, man, he can fire up the masses -- that thing had over a 1,000 comments when I looked yesterday.)
• Speaking of riling people up, Mark Davis' column in the Dallas Morning News on the Cheney sisters gay marriage controversy got people riled up as well. (Davis has been writing there for years but the News interestingly doesn't list him on their "columnists" page.)
• Jerry Jones saying yesterday that head coach Jason Garrett will return as the Cowboys coach in 2014 is like a politician saying he won't run for President. If they later do the opposite, they will just say, "I believed that then but circumstances changed."
• Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon is on Twitter and is full of self-promotion with a "lock 'em all up" attitude.  So I don't know why I was stunned yesterday to read a new case, In Re Ligon, 408 S.W.3d 888 (Tex.App.-Beaumont 2013, no pet. h.) where he tried to prosecute a trespass case where he was the victim! When a judge threw him off the case and appointed the equivalent of a special prosecutor so the defendant could receive a fair trial, Ligon amazingly appealed the decision. There's a word for that: Hubris. As anyone could guess, he lost the appeal. And to think he is responsible for exercising judgment in other cases that can destroy lives. 
• Baylor/OSU Nerd Stat Thought that makes me feel better: Of the all-time offensive Top 10 teams based upon yards per game, Baylor has a shocking three teams on the list: Teams from 2011, 2012, and 2013. And most of those teams are just high flying air-raid teams but not Baylor. Of those teams on the list, Baylor has three of the top four rushing offenses. 

That New Brand Of Attorney And Their Advertising

Obtained from Above The Law which thinks it is worthy of a caption contest.

Newest Hoax Via Text Message

HOUSTON -- It's a new twist on an old scam. Instead of promising wealth over e-mail, scammers are sending death threats to cell phones. Diana Hendrix got an unsettling message via text on Saturday. More.

Man, this world is getting crazy. Back in the day all we had to worry about was holding $10 million for some Nigerian for a $2 million fee.

Simpler times.

JFK Memorabilia Up For Auction

Lee Harvey Oswald's last paycheck for the half day of work* on November 22, 1963.

Yep, they paid him.

Opening bid is $3,000.

*Edit: "4 1/2 Days/ Lee Harvey Oswald/ for Nov. '63". That's what's written in the corner.

Base Running Skills - Who Ya Got? Old Ranger Ian Kinsler or New Ranger Prince Fielder

Reporter Face Plant In Ice Of The Day

Ouch. But she's quite the trooper.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• I think I dodged the onset of the flu yesterday.  Incredible chills, weakness, no appetite and the like. I forced down soup in the evening and buried myself in bed under a ton of covers. Based on the way I feel this morning, I think I might be lucky.
• Mrs. LL took a nap earlier because her neck was still killing her. She started talking gibberish so I asked her if she had taken anything. "Muscle relaxers" she mumbled. Oh, boy. I figured she would be out for the evening but in an hour she was up and acting completely normal. The gibberish might have been because she was dozing off.  I was almost responsible for making tacos for the Kids In The House!
• And the Fifth Grader in the House told me how all the kids in school are getting sick.
• And then the Family Pup threw up. (It's always pathetic if she ever does that because I'll rush over to clean it up and comfort her and she just sits there with the saddest eyes thinking she is in trouble.)
• It was an odd commercial for ESPN three years ago, but it had Ian Kinsler and Prince Fielder sitting on a couch talking about being traded. (For the non-sports fans out there, Texas traded Kinsler for Fielder last night.)
• I knew about the oil boom in East Texas but the recent issue of Texas Monthly taught me about an equally productive oil find in South Texas called the Eagle Ford Shale (sounds like a car dealership.) Anyway, yesterday Devon announced it would invest $6 billion into it. Edit: This is in the Update. Didn't think they would see it. 
• Billy Graham, 95, is in the hospital again, but is expected to be released. It was 20 years ago this month that Time magazine put him on the cover with the headline of "A Christian In Winter" -- that is, the last season of his life. 
• I probably should have covered the Bell County trial of C.J. Grisham more because it was fascinating. Did he commit an offense when he objected to turning over his rifle (which can legally be carried out in the open) when an officer, who may or may not have had a reasonable suspicion to detain him, asked to inspect it. After refusing, he was arrested and charged with Interference with a Police Officer. He was found guilty two days ago and sentenced to a $2,000 fine with no jail time yesterday. Gun rights people were, needless to say, up in arms. 
• I've got a bad feeling about Baylor/OSU. It's to the point where I don't want to read anything else about it, and I kind of wish it was over and someone would just tell me the score. 
• Baylor has chosen some outfit named SMG to manage its new stadium and, shockingly, alcohol will be sold at non-Baylor events. 
• I spent 10 minutes scanning the TV guide for any show on JFK last night and couldn't find a single one. That seems impossible. But if I'm wrong, I can blame it on "flu like symptoms."
• Pete Delkus says the "Artic Front" is 12 hours ahead of schedule and will be in DFW around 10:00 p.m. tonight.