Dale Hansen Gets The Auto Tune Treatment

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• Bridgeport ISD is purchasing 670 Macbook Airs for the high school per the Messenger. We've got some redistribution of wealth going on!!!
• Mrs. LL gets involved in something called "geocaching". She emailed me yesterday morning to tell me she was looking for something in a tree when she fell out of it. Girl ain't right. 
• TV and print media have to love election time. The ad revenue has to be insane. 
• Ted Nugent has said some crazy stuff over the years but Greg Abbott must not be aware of it. He dodged the criticism of their joint appearance in Denton yesterday by saying, "I can't read everything."
• The only part of the Olympics I watched last night was snowboarding -- five or six guys going down the mountain at the same time. It was carnage. It was fantastic.
• The guy in the back of the two man bobsled has the worst job, right?
• Two kinds of "Hot Pockets" are being recalled due to being made with "diseased and unhealthy animals." Good lord. 
• A "constitutional conservative"? Not sure I've heard that one thrown out in campaign ads before. I guess it's the result of trying to out conservative the conservative.
• I didn't follow Michael Dunn trial out of Florida. I don't know why. (But I do believe that people over emphasis the "stand your ground" instruction that jurors receive. In the end, I'm guessing, they "try to do the right thing" instead of literally reading and applying the legal instructions they receive before they deliberate.)
• Frisco banned e-cigarettes yesterday. For a region that hates big government, we sure do have a lot of big government. 
• Fox 4 kept showing a "Navy dad surprises daughter" video. Touching? Yes. A worn out bit that we no longer need to see? Absolutely.
• A friend of The Sophomore in the House who was over yesterday had a "Keep Calm and Save Babies" t-shirt on. 
• The Decatur Lady Eagles got bounced from the basketball playoffs last night after hitting one field goal in the second half. 
• More TCU football problems: Their second leading receiver has been kicked off the team for pot possession.  I think that's too harsh. (Baylor kicked out Josh Gordon for two violations before he could even blossom -- and that guy, by they way, may be on his way to being the best receiver in the NFL.) Another football note: Former Baylor and current NFL players RG3, Terrance Williams, Kendall Wright, and Gordon would make a heck of a starting QB/WR group. 
• WFAA says there is a "Fire Weather Watch" in effect for tomorrow. I think that's a weird phrase but I'm not sure why. 
• When I hit the snooze button, I tend not to go back to sleep but instead tend to lie there waiting for the inevitable repeat of the buzzer. 
• The Aggies are installing a video board at Kyle Field larger than the one UT has. Countdown to video board wars in three, two . . . 
• The Cowboys and the Ravens flipped a coin this morning to see who gets the 16th and 17th pick in the draft this Spring. Really. (And people are saying it would cost a 4th rounder to move from 16 to 17?)

Above The Fold

I'm Not Sure Why More Politicians Haven't Distanced Themselves From That Guy

Wendy Davis just told @wfaachannel8 that Greg Abbott campaigning with Ted Nugent is "repulsive" and "an insult to all Texas women".
— Jenny Lyon (@wfaajenny) February 18, 2014

Edit:

To press, Abbott says Wendy Davis' association with President Obama hurts her more than his speaking with Ted Nugent.
— Bud Kennedy (@BudKennedy) February 18, 2014

Sometimes I Get Emails That Simply Say, "Blogworthy?"

Get Me This White Chicken And Two Legged Chihuahua!! (What?)

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Verdict on the Eagle Mountain Park: Not bad considering we walked it in the middle of winter. Well maintained. Great views. Very relaxing. (It's on Boat Club Road and easily accessible to Wise County.)
• We took The Family Pup who, out of no where, decided to run into the lake. It was insane. She just sprinted towards the water and didn't stop -- and then just sat there and looked back at us with this "I'm stuck in the mud" kind of look. . I still don't know what the heck that was about.
• Edit: There is a sign that says "No Dogs." We're rebels. 
• When we saw a bunch of beer cans on the shore, we started picking them up. For a moment, we were environmentalist hippies from the Sixties. Felt pretty good. 
• We walked along the shore for a bit and came across a fisherman in a bass boat listening to Christian (loud) radio. I kind of wanted to know his story. 
• Bode Miller, the wheels off skier turned family man, is married to a "Hey Now." 
• And that interview of Miller the other day was ridiculous. One question too much. 
• The Fifth Grader in The House likes watching Jeopardy. But both Kids laugh at the expressions of the OU student who has been on the show for the last few days. 
• I think my Favorite Candidate Who Is A Nut, based upon his ads, is Dan Patrick. He's like a Nazi who says everything other than, "I'm a Nazi, and I want your vote."
• Mrs. LL and I watched This is 40 again. That's really, really funny.
• I'm not sure I've intentionally watched Letterman, Conan, Kimel, or Leno  over the last 10 years.
• "Ted Nugent, Greg Abbott's New Campaign Pal, Has a Thing for Underage Girls" -- Not sure there's any breaking news there, but I just like seeing those two names and "Underaged Girls" in the same headline. 
• Mark Cuban bought a tract of land at Northwest Highway and Preston Road in 1988. Someone needs to check into his rags to riches story.
• I put Mrs. LL in charge of moderating the comments yesterday. There's no telling what she let through. 
• I didn't know Decatur High School had an "open campus" for lunch. That's crazy, isn't it? 
• For Baylor Fans: What an insane weekend as two games were sent to overtime. One with Baylor scoring on their fourth shot in one possession, and last night where Baylor turned the ball over throwing the ball in with under three seconds left. 
• The Family Unit played Name The Presidents last night. I've got some late 1800s history to brush up on. (And I apologize to the dead presidents by calling the "spare" simply because I didn't remember them.)
• Edit: I just went back and read the comments about becoming a foster home. Chilling. Thank you. 

Not Sure Of The Back Story

A message of forgiveness is gaining attention in one small TX town. Tune in at 10 @wfaachannel8 pic.twitter.com/tY3lIfmVAW
— Todd Unger (@ToddWFAA8) February 18, 2014

Random afternoon pic

Random Ad in the Messenger

Those dang Azle Nazis.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

•  "Texans should be free to express their religious beliefs, including prayer, in public places." - A resolution on the Republican primary ballot. Really.
• The Dallas Country Club has finally admitted its first black member. I don't know much about him other than he began caddying there around 1954, Let's say he was 15 at the time. That makes him 75 today. If he has been employed there all this time (I have no idea), this is nothing more than a pat on the head instead of a change in policy. We'll see.
• A shooting in The Stockyards in Fort Worth last night left one women dead. (It happened around 9:00 p.m. which is way too early for a gun fight.)
• I'm seven episodes into House of Cards. Good stuff so far. It's not Breaking Bad or The Wire, but pretty good. 
• There's a weird story out there about a metroplex criminal defense lawyer sexually assaulting teenage girls who were his clients. Very weird.
• Mrs. LL asked me what my favorite Beatles song is. I quickly said Eleanor Rigby. I'm still thinking about why I blurted that out so fast. 
• Someone running for public office bought an ad running over the Messenger's masthead in the weekend edition. What did that cost? 
• Dan Patrick's current ads for Lt. Governor have an eagle-fly-by sound at the end. As idiotic as it sounds, I could see him in a runoff with David Dewhurst. That would be high comedy. (And that scenario worked out well for Ted Cruz.)
• The BagOfNothing guy is having a retaining wall put in his back yard. Hey, buddy, email me and tell me what that cost.
• 16,579. The number of posts Google tells me I've done. 
• The Family Unit had a discussion last night about becoming a Foster Child Family. It would have warmed you heart. TV off. Everyone contributing. 
• The son of Jim Henson, the deceased creator of The Muppets, has died at age 48.
• There's a remake of About Last Night in theaters. The original, with Rob Lowe and Demi Moore, my be my most favorite cheesy movie,
• It's President's Day and I'm taking the day off. Mrs. LL and I are planning to walk a trail in something named Eagle Mountain Park. Will report. I'll decide.
• Ice skater Meryl Davis looks, well, different. I think it's the wide space between the eyes.
• "Republican candidate for [Weatherford] Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Greg Martin claims to hold a bachelor’s, MBA, law and doctorate degrees." It sounds like he's lying.

Hockey?

I never watch hockey. I find it beyond boring. But I woke up early on Saturday (as I always do) and tracked USA vs. Russia* down on some NBC Sports channel (why it wasn't on network NBC is beyond comprehension.)  I had never heard of a single player on either team although I suspect many were household names to NHL fans.

A shootout? I didn't even know the rules. But that was riveting.

And that's a cool picture, no?
_________
*It would have been cooler if I could have typed "USSR".

Above The Fold

Some Guy Trying To Make The Rest Of Us Guys Look Bad Taking You Into The Weekend

Spotted over Frisco/Plano/Richardson.... Wonder how many guys will be claiming this??? pic.twitter.com/2yQljeAzX4
— FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) February 14, 2014

Dale on Ellen (Even Before It Airs Here)

The Art Of The Handwritten Note

This was stolen from Facebook.

It was posted by a lady that I know -- it is a note written to her son by, I assume, a Decatur High School administrator.

I'm sure she posted it because she is proud of her son. She should be. I would be thrilled. However, I was struck by the time given by, and kindness of, the author of the note. (I don't know the person. Promise.) But what a better world it would be if we just took out a pen every once in a while and jotted down heartfelt thoughts of encouragement and praise.

Texas College Flow Chart

There's something to offend everyone.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• There was a news conference yesterday by the severely injured Joshua teen, along with her parents, whose parachute didn't open. Key sentence: "Now, her parents say they are turning their attention toward regulations governing skydiving." Hey, dumb parents! You let your daughter skydive in Oklahoma because Texas requires someone to be eighteen years of age before they jump out of a plane. (And she was uninsured.) 
• Channel 8's Dale Hansen, whose gay tolerance Unplugged segment has gone viral, will be on Ellen today. (I promise I saw a photo last night of Hansen on stage with Ellen, but I heard this morning the interview was via satellite. I'm so confused.)
• This Hansen-going-viral is a social science phenomena right out of Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point. Hansen has been doing those bits for years - and they are great - but for some reason this one takes off.
• Has there ever been a bigger and quicker cultural shift in America than its attitude towards gays?
• Ten years ago today we had over three inches of snow on the ground. I'm trying to remember it without success. 
• Sting and Paul Simon performed at American Airlines Center last Sunday, and Sting did a couple of songs with Simon as he, in essence, assumed the role of Art Garfunkel. That would have been great to see. (But it is crazy to think that Sting is in his 60s and Simon is in his 70s)
• You kind of get the impression that everyone competing in the Winter Olympics grew up as a rich kid. (At least those raised in a free market.)
• I'm very confused by the story of Olympian Katie Uhlaender (the artificially red-headed skeleton racer). NBC ran a story two nights ago of how she had taken over her family's farm in Kansas -- with the obligatory footage of her driving a tractor on the farm. But last night, KXAS 5 had a story profiling her "hometown" of McGregor, Texas and how the town was so excited about her success. To confuse matters, all official sites list her hometown as Breckenridge, Colorado.
• As I was falling to sleep last night, I swear I saw an Olympic sport of team ice skating racing around a very short track with about a krillion skaters on the ice at the same time -- many of whom ended up busting their arses into the sideboards. Fun. 
• Tomorrow's hockey game between Russia and the U.S. is pretty historic. It's the first rematch on their soil since the 1980 historic Miracle on Ice. 
• I always write about the NPR radio show This American Life, and today Google's home page pretty much has a new episode of it featured in candy hearts. I clicked on the first one and heard the familiar voice of Ira Glass. 
• SI's cover for this year's swimsuit issue has been released. Always a "Hey, Now."
• Gordon Keith's column today in the Morning News is about Valentine's Day and Those Who Have Divorced. There are so many gems in there. Read it.
• I've watched a lot of Teen Jeopardy this week because I can actually answer some of the questions. 
• There's a strange case of a woman found dead yesterday who had gone missing last month after going for a walk in a San Antonio suburb. She had just finished spending two years traveling around the world with her husband and blogging about it, and some family members have speculated that she was having trouble facing "regular life". That's the story lead story below. (I noticed the side story was about a judge who will resign after allegations surfaced he reduced bail in exchange for car repair services. Good grief.)