Liberally Lean From The Land Of Dairy Queen

10.21.2014

State of the Wise County Sheriff's Office in 1973

And another:

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

Greg Abbott says as a state AG his job is to defend any challenge to any law passed by the legislature. So someone asked him if he would have defended an interracial marriage ban back in the day. He dodged the question. That's interesting. I suppose he does have to defend any law regardless of whether it is idiotic.
Speaking of idiotic, Abbott is also encouraging straight ticket voting.
"iPad sales are down but it's because they are too good." That's true. I bought mine two and a half years ago and it still runs flawlessly. It is difficult to justify an upgrade.
The phrase "this was a wake up call" to describe a life changing event is becoming an outdated term since I doubt wake up calls in hotels happen very often anymore. People trust the alarm on their phones to wake them up.
I'm seeing more residential Halloween lights. (Like Christmas lights, but orange.)
Whatever happened to the "border crisis"?
The City of Decatur "moving" Halloween made USA Today.
Last week: "Moody's Investors Service said it has downgraded to A2 from A1 the rating on the city of Decatur, Texas' tax and waterworks and sewer system surplus revenue certificates of obligation." Someone explain the impact, if any.
Sports: (1) I'd bet on TCU to win the Big 12. They've got the easiest schedule the rest of the way (Kansas State at home is dangerous and be very careful about that trip to Morgantown). Win out and it is there's because there's no way Baylor will win out. (2) Hey, I won't dodge my prediction that the Cowboys would only win seven or less. I was wrong. And it doesn't help that everyone else was wrong either. (3) I probably won't watch any of the World Series. (4) I don't see DeMarco Murray staying healthy all year. (5) For those who have an interest in whether that was a correct call at the end of the Notre Dame/FSU game, this video came out yesterday. Notre Dame may have been robbed. (6) aTm and Florida are perfect examples of how things can go downhill in a hurry.
That cop that shot that dog in Cleburne needs to be fired. He is a danger to society.
Fox 4 had a story of a Spirit Airlines flight to DFW from Fort Lauderdale had to turn back after hitting a plane. Sean Hannity, assuming he isn't lying, posted a crazy picture of the damage.
Mayor Rawlings has stopped Ebola in its tracks and "Earth cooking up record temperatures" . . .

10.20.2014

One Defendant Had The First Name Of "Rocksan"

4 defendants are headed to prison for their role in 2012 murder & cover-up.The vic was found in rural Wise County. http://t.co/nfjjDnO8A6
— GET THE LATEST (@TarrantDAOffice) October 20, 2014

Ironically, I'm betting her mother was a fan of The Police. Not a very good speller but a nice taste in music.

The Keene State Pumpkinfest In New Hampshire Looks Fun

Edit: Hey, we have a little comedy with a Sean Hannity wannabee . . .

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

The other day I pointed out that a JP in Montgomery County was holding a "prayer breakfast." I thought it odd. Now I thinks it is even odder: "A Texas judge, under fire for opening court proceedings with a Bible reading followed by a prayer, has scheduled a prayer breakfast next week where he claims he will address the issue." Even you hardliners don't believe that it is OK for a court to open with a Bible reading, do you?
I don't know where I heard it, but I heard someone say that, in case of a power outage, his home is on a "one hour maximum" outage list because he has a handicapped child who requires electrical medical equipment at times. Are there designated homes like this which will have power restored quickly? And how is that possible?
Well it looks like it took one weekend to end the Ebola Will Kill Us All In Texas Scare.
Ed Bark tweet last night: "Latest NFL history made at 8:42 p.m. CT. Peyton Manning now all-time career leader in TD passes with 509." Little bit of an oversell there? Bark acted like he was Cronkite announcing JFK's death.
Tweet from Wendy Davis over the weekend about the ruling to let Texas' new voter ID law to go into in effect: "The disappointing decision by the Supreme Court is 1 more reason it's so important all Texans exercise their right to vote starting Monday." That's really confusing. I hope she saying that your votes for the Texas legislature impact the kind of laws that are enacted. But it comes across as she is saying Supreme Court seats are up for election next month.
As I flipped around the radio dial this morning, both WBAP and The Ticket were talking about the announcement that Pitbull would perform at the Cowboys' game on Thanksgiving. Both acted like this was novel. Uh, this is a return performance for him since he performed at the the game in 2011.
At the exit of DFW airport, there are about six unmanned gates with the word "CREDIT" over each. I watched cars pull through and they just waited for the gate to open. They didn't roll down a window, insert a card, or anything. I'm guessing those are Toll Tag lanes but why are they labeled "CREDIT"? Edit: What if I pull in there because I have a credit card which seems like lots of people would do. Are they screwed?
At the automated check in at American Airlines to get your boarding pass, you have to confirm that you are not carrying any prohibited items. What's the purpose of that?
Oh, to the commenter who told me to eat at Primanti Brothers in Pittsburgh: I did it. I actually ate a sandwich that was topped off with cole slaw and french fries in the sandwich. (Well, I ate half a sandwich.) It was featured on Man vs. Food.
Mrs. LL saw Gone Girl over the weekend and then last night just blurted out the ending to me.

10.18.2014

This a placeholder for my trip to Morgantown for the Baylor/WVU game.

But I just got back to the hotel more than 12 hours after I left it. And I'm catching the red eye in a few hours.

Edit; I'm home. Next morning. Landed at 8:20 a.m.

After my awful experience with Google Maps trying to get to Canton on Thursday, I took no chances. I researched and researched my route. The game was to kick off at noon, and Google told me the trip would take an hour and a half. I don't trust you. So I checked other sources. Their time might be right but they were using highway numbers that were changed four years ago! I'm apprehensive.
I left at six a.m. (Hey, I've come here for a reason. Let's get after it. ) I finally made it through an incredible tunnel that led out of Pittsburgh and was headed down I-376 looking for an exit a few miles away (I even had tracked down the exit number. I'm all over this. ) Life is good. It's Saturday. I'm headed to a college football game in Morgantown!
Uh. oh. Detour. This was insane. Overnight construction had shut down the highway and everyone was routed off into (and I'm not kidding) a residential district. I promise this would be the equivalent of I-35 being routed into a residential district in Fort Worth. I'm driving blind now. Just following the car in front of me -- at least when we moved.
When they finally dumped us back on the highway (30 minutes later?), I'm back on I-376 but past my designated exit. Ugh. I put my faith in Google maps again and it finally came though. Back on track.
I was now headed south on a freeway in Pennsylvania that doesn't end! It's a clean shot to Morgantown with great navigational signs that even I couldn't screw up.
A big smile broke out on my face when I saw the "Welcome to West Virginia" sign that read the state was "Wild and Wonderful!"
I arrive in Morgantown around 8:00.
Four hours is a lot to kill, but I love walking around college campuses prior to games like this. Problem: The stadium isn't on the main campus. It basically looked like a hospital district under construction. I shall not be discouraged.
I did find this statue, however:
It appears to be a Mountaineer with students from early history to modern days at his feet. But the modern day gal has a big laptop. You know, in time, that'll be really cool.:
They've got a monorail! Not sure where it goes. You can see the little bus (?) on it . . .
I had heard about tailgating at WVU but this was insane. Here are two pics take taken around 9:00 a.m. as I pan from right to left from the base of the stadium:
The weather? A comfortable windless 60ish degrees. But hang on.
I roamed around the tailgate area for a while. Festive stuff. And game time is still three hours away. Funniest overheard comment: "They wanted to keep my ass locked up until Wednesday! Man, I had to be at work on Monday. So I called in and told 'em I was taking some emergency sick days." His buddies were all nodding their understanding.
Lots of signs put up that read. "Be Respectful. Be a Mountaineer".
I kept hearing people talking about improvements to the grounds (i.e. sidewalks.) It sounds like they have been spending their Big 12 money to upgrade the place but they have a ways to go. There are gravel walkways within 30 feet of the stadium in places.
I noticed this huge concrete staircase and at the top of it was their law school. Heck, I've got time to kill - I'll walk it. It was massive and steep.
A view from the top of the stairs of the stadium and tailgaters:
Their fancy College of Law had a gravel parking lot:
Remember I talked about the weather? Well, as I'm at the top of those stairs (I heard someone said the last time they were there they were wooden) a cold front comes through. Rain. 30 mph winds. It didn't last long, but it was brutal.
I made it to cover by the stadium and then spotted their mascot. Or he spotted me. He's got a gun and looking at me. (He's the guy in the coonskin hat in the background).
How in the world does the back of the stadium's press box not have signage or a logo?
Later, I waited for the gates to open. A very excited student/fan (maybe he knew something) was there as well:
Into the stadium. They sell beer. A lot of beer. But by every beer stand they have a sign warning of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Wild and Wonderful indeed.
My seats were fantastic. $109 bucks on Stubhub. 19th row. 40 yard line. That's cheap for that location.
If you have never sat as a fan in the middle of a crowd for the other team, you've got to do it. It's insane. But I feared ugliness. I'll give them this: That crowd was the nicest bunch of drunks I've ever seen.
(I'll leave out the game thoughts. Baylor deserved to lose. But I will point out that one guy next to me yelled, "Finish them! Finish them!" in the fourth quarter. It was like he wanted WVU to kill an Offensive Dragon before it could come to its senses. He got his wish.)
We lost. But I knew to stick around to listen to the crowd sing "Take Me Home, Country Roads." A couple of things. They actually play the John Denver song for the crowd to sing along to it. All of it. Also, after a rabid crowd was still hyped up over beating Baylor, it might have been one of the most amazing stadium experiences for me ever. (And I've been in a lot of stadiums.) I found this clip of the moment from yesterday on the Internet:
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Heck of a moment. I hated the loss but I didn't come all this way for a game. I came for an experience. I got one.
Oh, and then the students "rioted" later that night and cops fired rubber bullets and tear gas.

10.17.2014

Maybe we are going to hell in a hand basket

	RedditCFB (@RedditCFB)
10/17/14, 1:53 PM OU team chaplain arrested on drug, larceny charges: newsok.com/article/5357432 pic.twitter.com/SgZZrIHIAM

Barry

Immaculate Reception Site Now on Sidewalk

New issue of Texas Monthly.

But I bet that Skip Hollandsworth article might be the best thing in there.

Walked across bridge to downtown

PNC Park as I look back. Right on the river. Heinz Field is the same way.

Couples put bad locks on the bridge

Fountain where three rivers converge. Heck of a park, too.

Selected busts from Hall of Fame trip

Troy

Tony

Tex

Tom

O.J.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts On An iPsd In Pittsburgh

Arrived yesterday afternoon The airport has a pretty amateurish statue of Franco Harris' Immaculate Reception.
Flying is exciting and a beating. But for the first time in years the American Ailines flight attendants didn't act like they were all going through a bitter divorce.
Renting a car should be easier especially when you do everything online beforehand.
I decided to immediately "run" over to the NFL Hall of Fame Google Maps hates me because I think I took every backroad in southern Ohio. Then again, this part of the country seems to hate the freeway. And signs.
But the leaves are turning and I saw some incredible country. Just beautiful.
I think I drove by Kent State (4 dead in Ohio).
And by the way, the news up here is all Ebola all the time. Dallas is getting lots of attention.
The NFL Hall was impressive. At least the one room with all of the busts was. That's one thing they didn't cheese up. But, in true NFL fashion, the place had a gigantic gift shop.
I got back to Pittsburgh after dark so I haven't seen how downtown looks in the light. But at night it looked fantastic. Downtown was packed with pedestrians on what looked like a classy Sixth Street.
I hate driving in a crowded area and everyone knows every highway and byway except me.
I'm staying on the North Shore and was in quick walking distance to Heinz Field for the Pitt/Va Tech game. I figured the stadium would be almost empty (interest was so low that mt ticket cost $19 on stubhub). But it was a good and rowdy crowd.
A guy in the hotel lobby was describing the game to someone else with a lot of intensity. "What was the final score?" Reply: "I don't know. I left early". (Insert my head shaking). That game wasn't over until the last seconds.
This appears to be walking town and I'll do that this morning. I'm not sure I'm up to another long day sitting.
Baylor/West Virginia tomorrow with an early start. That has trouble written all over it.
My stomach has hurt all week. Could it be .... (Dah dum)

10.16.2014

Former Ardmore Stripper Got Paid?

	Robert Wilonsky (@RobertWilonsky)
10/16/14, 9:05 AM Looks like a mediator found a way to make ex-stripper's lawsuit against Jerry Jones disappear share.d-news.co/GDWjcmb pic.twitter.com/Eckazzf2PK