Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• I live in a subdivision not far from a creek.  About two weeks ago I started noticing a ton -- and I do mean a ton -- of birds everywhere and this weekend it dawned on me: Doves. 
• I watched the first episode of The Knick over the weekend. It's a medical drama set in 1900 New York starring Clive Owen as a cocaine addicted doctor. It was intense. It was fantastic. It was like House on acid. 
• Texas Police Chief shot dead. 
• One thing I noticed about the 1960s Bridgeport Indexes I've been going through is that there was a poll tax imposed at the time. In fact, there was a local vote on the issue and it was supported by a 2 to 1 margin. (Those issues are like a snapshot in time, and I'm posting quite a few of them this week.)
• Most of adult life I didn't have kids in the house but paid a fortune in school taxes. Socialism! And, you know, I didn't mind paying it one bit if I were helping contribute to the greater good.
• Texas Monthly's latest issue has a great article on the state of UT's athletic program. Let me tell you something, the Empire better keep an eye on new AD Steve Patterson and give him a very short leash.  (And doesn't he resemble the stuttering lawyer from my cousin Vinny?)
• Patterson defended players not being paid saying saying that, in essence, the school is doing them a favor. After all, "No corporations are going to be lining up to pay them money out of high school." Sheesh, buddy. That's because the slowly dying NCAA won't let them get paid by a corporation. Get ready, these times they are a changing. You don't think a corporation wouldn't sponsor players on Rivals.com Top 100 of 2014 list if they could? Patterson, by the way, earns $1.4 million a year.
• Texas Monthly, by the way, is my favorite magazine of all time.
• Up until 1989, only a metal rail separated those being subjected to a Texas execution and those who were there from the public to observe it. (Source: Texas Monthly.) More death penalty trivia: The first man in the U.S. ever executed by lethal injection was a Fort Worth man, Charlie Brooks. His last words will make some of you crazy.
• Football: (1) Denver receiver Wes Welker had his third concussion in less than a year, and Sam Bradford tore his ACL for the second time in a year.  The NFL won't survive fifty years from now --- Too big. Too fast. (2)  Michael Sams (the guy who just happens to be gay) sacked Johnny Football on Saturday and flashed the money sign. I'm surprised ESPN didn't go 24/7 coverage on that event alone. (3) I watched some of Sam Houston State play Eastern Washington on Saturday and almost had my eyes burned due to the red field. (Photo.) (4) I think Tony Romo has a tiny, tiny limp. That back isn't going to make it through the season. (5) Ticket reference: Michael Irvin was in the booth for the Cowboys game on Saturday and every time he spoke I could only hear, "Allen ISD, Closed! Alvord ISD, Closed!"
• More mothers are crying this morning than at any other time of the year. 
• The Junior in the House has four minutes between classes. 
• Journalist James Foley was executed by a 23 year old British rapper who joined ISIS?
• I woke up in the middle of Friday night and watched two episodes of The Simpsons -- part of an FXX marathon. I really hadn't watched that show in years but I had heard that the first part of this weekend would have shows from its "golden years". Verdict: I had forgotten how incredibly clever and funny that thing was. 
• If Jon Stewart doesn't target Fox News coverage of yesterday's earthquake, he's missing out on a goldmine. Case in point, reporter Claudia Cowan, showing a shot of several broken wine bottles on a convenience store floor, said, "As you can see, guys, there is just total devastation here."
• I mentioned that my high school class had somewhat spare Dallas Cowboy Scott Laidlaw speak at our Bridgeport All Sports Banquet. I learned the 1974 class had Lee Roy Jordan speak.
• Double motorcycle death in Grapevine over the weekend.
• There's an ad for a diet pill on The Ticket and it says it is "only for people who are overweight by thirty pounds" and to "discontinue to take this product if you lose too much weight too quickly."  I yell at the radio every time. What lies. 
• Fascinating story of a guy accused of shooting a drunk driver who killed two of his young sons in Alvin, Texas. Even more fascinating in that his defense is not "I'm sorry, I lost my mind. Give me probation" or "I was temporarily insane -- find me not guilty". Nope, his defense is, "I didn't shoot him."
• Holy crap: Official Liberally Lean baseball player Chris Davis is batting .191!
• Someone mentioned that there are people dying all over the world because of a lack of clean water and people in the U.S. are dumping it over their heads. 

(Edit: Moved to Top) Wise County Random Thought Girl From 50 Years Ago

From the front page of a 1964 Bridgeport Index. Read that caption. She was 19 at the time.

Edit: Look what I found!!!!

Last Place Team. 100 Degrees. Day Before School.

My god it's come to this for the Rangers. Looks like a 1982 crowd. pic.twitter.com/PzVvAV1dVw
— Corby Davidson (@corbydavidson) August 24, 2014

This is what you get.

(Although I have thought about searching Stubhub for a ticket right behind time plate during the final days. They have to be dirt cheap.)

Gold Has Been Found In The Bridgeport Index Archives!!!

Check out that kid, second row, second photo.  Handsome. Obvious great sense of humor. Classy dresser. Looks just like me. Wait!!! That is me!!!!

To quote Raising Arizona:

H.I. (as he looks at their new baby): He's a scandal in't he, he's a little outlaw.
His wife (concerned): Naw, he-he-he's a good boy.
H.I. (still looking straight ahead): He ain't too good, you can tell by that twinkle in his eye.

But what's up with the kid with the phone that he is using as a prop? No one told me I could have tricked up my photo and do a bit!

Random Golf Volunteer Biting It

Just hypnotic. The way both legs hit the ground after the faceplant made me think for a second he was hit by a sniper.

I Wonder If Everyone Knew His Name

DFR, DPD on scene, vehicle vs building in the 1700 block of Greenville Ave. No major injuries. Pic: Dallas PD pic.twitter.com/Hbcy88O7u7
— DFW Scanner (@DFWscanner) August 23, 2014

Norm Peterson: [Sam has raised the price of beer] I'm gonna have to figure out how much I can drink and still stay within my suds allowance. 
Sam Malone: [Norm punches figures into his calculator] What do you got? 
Norm Peterson: I'm gonna have to cut back 8.7%. It comes out to, uh... 
[Norm calculates more numbers] 
Norm Peterson: ...one beer every half hour. Guess I'm gonna have to drink a little more slowly. 
[Norm downs his beer in one gulp] 
Norm Peterson: [brief pause] Slowing down isn't so bad. 

Above The Fold

Cruz. Abbott. Perry. My head just exploded.

Whale Teases Kids

I saw a few seconds of this on the news last night. The whole clip is pretty funny. Stick with it. Slow start.

Index

Once again, it was 50 years ago -- a much different political time and place -- but there are a couple of shockers in Shootin' Blind.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• A body was found in the Trinity River near Panther Pavilion. Wasn't one found last year around the same area? And you guys want to tube in that thing during concerts?
• Earlier in the week: "A Collin County justice of the peace today found sufficient probable cause for Frisco police to continue their investigation into the death of 10-year-old Arnav Dhawan." That's the boy-preserved-in-the-bathtub case. A Republican judge in Collin County refused to rule in favor of a woman of Indian descent (despite the medical examiner not knowing the cause of death)? I'm shocked, I tell. Shocked. 
• Wendy Davis is a goofball on every criminal justice idea she throws out there. Being "tough" on crime takes so much less brain power than being "smart" on crime. 
• Maybe my Random Thought Girl concept is genetic. 
• I've had the weirdest memory recall over the last few weeks. Things I hadn't thought about in over twenty years are suddenly flashing into my mind. Maybe it's because of all of those old Bridgeport Index covers I've been looking at.
• Lee Ann Meador is listed in the obits. Dead at 51. Despite the last bullet point, my memory is completely failing me on her because I'm positive I knew her but can't recall how or when. (Someone tell me something about her in the comments. I won't even post them.) 
• Jose Canseco thinks his daughter is a "Hey, Now." Creepy, but he's right. 
• I think the news cycle on Ferguson is just about over with. Next crisis, please. 
• I got a letter from Wise Electric Coop saying they were going to turn my $60 electricity deposit from the 1990s over to the state if I didn't claim it. I had no idea. I also have no idea where I put the letter which had instructions on how to claim it. 
• Inside Ticket Reference: Whomever commented that they thought of the Corby brag montage and orchestra music when I wrote, "Let me tell you something, I'm a master tire changer", has made me laugh for two days. 
• The Cowboys defense this season will be historic. Historically bad. Get the Benny Hill theme ready. The number of points they will give up will be mind boggling 
• Heard on the radio that the Ebola doctor looks like the red headed G.I. Joe from the 1960s.

Hot Chick Responds To Guy's Matrix For Women

I posted it a while back, but some guy came up with a really funny (and very true) matrix for dating women. Now this gal comes along with her "oh, allow me to retort" video.

I've got a hot sports opinion: Women like this should not try to do comedy. If you're a female, you need to have a little bit of innocent mischievousness to you if you're trying to do a bit. You should not come across as humorless (bad for comedy), not send off a vibe of "I will kill you in your sleep the first time I'm angry with you", and not copy material without clever modification.  This gal is trouble. For you younger guys out there: Keep away from women like this. And to make it clear, I've charted it below for you on the original guy's matrix. You're welcome.

Forgot To Post This About My Flat Tire

I got home and glanced at the spare. At the very top, perfectly placed, was "LL".  It was so magical that it was like looking at a double rainbow.

Index Time

• Mariners club - bring your own wieners.
• Cosmetologists hanging out at the coffee shop.
• Alvord death.
• Preacher gets a mission trip to Jamaica but has to preach three times a day. 
• Editor is sick.
• A high jumper which I'm very worried about. 

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• I got the new tires yesterday. There's nothing particularly fun about such an experience.
• The Family Pig has moved on. Someone sent a comment earlier in the week (didn't want it published) who said they had a farm in Wise County and would love to have the pig. It has been delivered (with the promise they won't eat it.) Goodbye, pig. You were cute but you were a mess.
• Less than half of Fort Worth police officers don't live in Fort Worth. For Dallas, it is less than 25%. Source. 
• Vince Young says he now wishes he had returned for his senior year at Texas. I said that in 2011.
• I ran across a show called Bucket List Texas (a Texas travel show), and a commercial came on for Biggar Hats on the square in Decatur. 
• I can't tell you how much fun I had writing yesterday's post about my flat tire experience. That part was actually created in the middle of the night when the I woke up and the bullet points began firing off in my head. 
• Radio guy Mark Davis said this morning that we shouldn't presume we know what happened in Ferguson and should wait until we have all the facts. He then said that the cigars that Michael Brown stole were going to be used to make blunts.
• I think Hard Knocks is so good. The most recent episode showed a scene where a doctor told a player that he thought is patellar tendon was torn. "Wouldn't I know that?" the player, who was in denial, said. The doctor then showed him the preliminary x-ray and tried to explain what looked wrong. "But it may be just the way you're built. We won't know until we do the MRI and can compare it to your other one."
• Former Buffalo Bills QB Jim Kelley has been battling cancer but was diagnosed as cancer free yesterday. There is just something a little odd about all the hospital photos his family sends out. Just a weird "look at me" vibe at a time when you would think privacy would be important.
• I'd hate to have a job where I could be fired for a misdemeanor arrest unrelated to my employment. Case in point: CBS 11's Brendan Higgins. (Careful, that's a link to the very volatile Ed Bark. Do not tell him he is wrong. About anything.)
• I'm beaten down by the Ice Bucket Challenge. 
• On The Ticket yesterday they talked about Nicki Minaj's new Anaconda video. I watched it. Good grief. I think late night Cinemax is tamer. 
• You wouldn't think the father of the "affluenza" kid would be accused of something (impersonating a peace officer) that wealthy people normally don't engage in and not look particularly affluent. 

Criminal justice has come to this? Burn it down.

08/20/2014 17:32:33 Jerry, 45 yrs old ♐ Bond: $500 CO SOLICIT MONEY WITHOUT A PERMIT http://t.co/rWrSAYThKV pic.twitter.com/NtqqFPOCVB

— Arrests by @DentonPD (@DentonPolice) August 20, 2014

There's A "Black Open Carry" Group?

#blackopencarry at Elaine's in south Dallas say 2nd amendment is there's too. pic.twitter.com/cQeXl5GODG
— Shaun Rabb (@shaunrabbfox4) August 20, 2014

"Are you not entertained?" Oh, yes. I'm very entertained by this.

Random Index

There's nothing crazy about these issues (yet pretty fascinating), but my former classmate seems to be posting the front pages in chronological order and these were just posted. We are slowly moving closer to JFK's assassination, and even though I could go find that issue, I won't.  I like anticipation.

But I love the crazy writing style back in the day. There is so much opinion in every story. And "Shootin' Blind" was a 1960s version of Random Thoughts.  But I have noticed something: If some guy in town had become a new father, the editor would always mention that the guy had a "smile on his face" or "walked faster". It was just a simple way to say, Mr. X has had a new baby and I want you to know it.

Hey, you boys over at the Messenger: You might want to think about posting your archives for free. Throw some ads around them would be fine. But the old Decatur crowd would go crazy.