1.02.2019

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts



  • My weather team has been locked in the basement all night monitoring the situation: If there's any severe ice, it's over the next three hours. From there, they think were safe. Even for tomorrow.
  • BEVO going after Georgia's mascot pre-game was high entertainment. Hear are a couple of good looks at it here and here.
  • That was a big win for the Evil Empire. I really thought Georgia would crush them. I suppose Georgia was still "down" after losing to Alabama and not making the Final Four, but that analysis is easy to make once the game is played. 
  • New Republican Senator Mitt Romney comes out swinging:
  • The Fort Worth Star-Telegram had some not-so-happy new year's headlines yesterday. (And this doesn't include the story of the bullet coming through the roof during a church service -- although that was one pristine bullet.)
  • I would have thought people would be just a little offended of cops clowning on a wrecked and burnt donut truck, but they weren't. 
  • In one morning over the holidays, I got my oil change, car inspected, hair cut, and bought and spread top soil. Other than that, I did nothing for a couple of weeks. 
  • Most large DA's office, when a new DA is sworn in, also have every assistant DA and investigator show up to be sworn in as well. Dallas did that yesterday morning, January 1st. That would be a beating. 
  • I don't think he's familiar with the woman with two coins (and that doesn't surprise me one bit.)
  • Uh . . . 



at 8:30 AM

1.01.2019

Random Tuesday Morning Tweets



  • Hardest working man in 2019 show business.
  • America couldn't even wait until the new year to threaten to gleefully drop bombs. They pulled the tweet and apologized.
  • I'm not sure I've ever seen a print/radio ad campaign like that for Juul. They are spending a fortune to dominate the vaping market.
  • Most Failed NYE Kiss (video).
  • Most Failed NYE Fake Kick (video):
  • Ronald Reagan reminded us "Where we're going, we don't need roads."  Trump gives us Walls and Wheels as his New Year's Eve message. Sheesh.
  • Bridgeport PD has a new facial hair and tattoo policy. I have no problem with this whatsoever. 
  • Here's a pie chart as to how DPS spends its astronomical budget. The Texas Sunset Commission says it needs more information from DPS as to "what the tax payer is getting from the massive spending":
  • The Liberally Lean First Warn Triple Alert Winning Weather Forecast: I don't like what I'm seeing tomorrow morning until midday Thursday. My best projection for Wise County is a thin layer of ice. (I would call it "black ice" but, of course, I don't see color.)
  • Random weather location today: Fargo, ND. 
  • This has made a few "best of" lists of 2018, but I'm almost scared to read it. 
  • I hope at least one person asked the guy on the right about a plethora . . . . 



    at 8:30 AM

    12.31.2018

    Random Monday Morning Thoughts



                                               
    • The most entertaining part of the Clemson/Notre Dame game was the eagle landing on at least two people during pre-game. 
    • Jerry's sleeve length is as bad as Trump's tie lengths. (Trump could fix his problem without a tailor, though.)
    • The Alabama/OU game wasn't much to watch because Alabama, all of them, came willing to play through the pain.  (Oh, and with the win, Nick Saban's earnings so far this year have reached $9,025,000.  The players still get nothing.)
    • There's a case on appeal which involves Wise County which is moving as fast as I've ever seen. A Notice of Appeal was filed on November 20th and both sides had their briefs filed by December 30th. And it's complicated. (I know of at least one criminal case on appeal in Wise County where the defendant hasn't even filed his brief yet and it's been almost a year.)
    • It's plain weird that the University of Houston fired Major Applewhite after just two seasons --two seasons that weren't that bad.  (Baylor was the last Texas DI school to pull the trigger so quickly when it canned Dave Roberts in 1998.) Some think that West Virginia's coach will take the job. Noteworthy: His buy out goes from $2.5 million to $1 million tomorrow.
    • That "Masked Singer" show looks dumb. Just dumb. 
    • Trump is still crying about the dumb Wall, and the government shut down continues. Democrats have an easy retort if they were smart enough to do it: "You promised Mexico would pay for it." Just say that again and again.
    • Coulter is harder on Trump than I am -- just from the opposite direction:
    • So do I . . .
    • The man's got two pretty strong points here:
    • How in the world did State Farm decide it was worth millions to pay an ad agency to come up with that goofy Aaron Rodgers and his two agents campaign? 
    • Delkus has already gone into cartoon mode for Wednesday: 
    • Seriously, look at this "forecast" that he is making. With the "and/or" stuck in there he is predicting rain -OR- sleet -OR- freezing rain -OR- rain and sleet -OR- rain and freezing rain     -OR- sleet and freezing rain -OR- all three. Then he qualifies all of that with "not much snow." 
    • I don't know anything about the federal district judge in Tarrant County who struck down Obamacare (other than he was behind me when we were both at the Tarrant County DA's office), but he put his decision on hold yesterday. Oddly, he used this language: "[B]ecause everyday Americans would otherwise face great uncertainty . . . . " What exactly is the difference between an "American" and an "everyday American"? 
    • Take a couple of minutes and read this thread. It's well worth the chuckle.
    • Messenger: Above The Fold.


    at 8:30 AM

    12.28.2018

    It's Friday. Let's Get Out Of Here.




    s











    at 2:00 PM

    Random Friday Morning Thoughts



    • The Wise County Sheriff said last night that 85% of "our inmates are jailed due to meth related charges", and had a message to Congress: "Fund the danged ole wall." There's a lot to process there. (I was interested in looking at the jail's pdf of current inmates and their charges, but it hasn't been updated since 11/13/18.)
    • A power plant near New York City last night caused lots of people to freak out as to why the sky was blue. I've seen those alien movies. I'd freak out, too.
    • Shout out to a reader who found this news pic from Arizona. Check out the truck in the background going by the wreckage yesterday. The whole pic is a Cheeze-Its Bowl metaphor.
    • The Secret Service has already spent  $54,020 for tents to be used at Mar-A-Lago's New Years Eve Bash where guests will pay $1,000 to attend. What was that swamp phrase?
    • I don't know what to think about this report from McClatchy that Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, was in Prague during the campaign based upon cell phone records. If true, its a bombshell because it lends more credence to the Steele Dossier, but (1) I don't recall "McClatchy" breaking any huge news before, and (2) Cohen, who has been cooperating with Mueller and has every reason to do so, denies it. 
    • The Dallas DA is throwing down some big news and he isn't even on the job yet: (1) He will fire 12 people, including heads of divisions, which most believe is because he "was explicit on the campaign trail that he will not tolerate overly aggressive prosecution and prosecutorial misconduct", (2) He will authorize the dismissal all first-time charges for possession of small amounts of marijuana, and (3) Announced he believes the length of probation for misdemeanor offenses, with the exception of family violence or DWI, should not exceed 180 days in most cases. I like this guy. 
    • There's a surprise new Black Mirror episode released today, and it's interactive meaning you can alter how it plays out.  I'm a fan of the series but not a fan of that bit. 
    • As for bowl investor winners, so far Cheeze-It (for sponsoring a laughable game) and ServPro (for sponsoring a cancelled bowl) have gotten there money's worth from a publicity standpoint. 
    • The local news has been referring back to the tornadoes three years ago on December 26th. I may be losing it, because I barely have a memory of that.
    • Can sports broadcasters come up with a new phrase for pushing and shoving between two teams other than "It's getting chippy out there"?
    • The price Wise County paid to run the multi-page ad of registered sex offenders around Halloween when there was no obligation to do so: $4,362.90. (Here at p. 3.) Those monthly county-wide expense reports have lots of interesting tidbits in them. 
    • Trump threatened to "close" the border this morning if he doesn't get His Wall.  If he can "close it", why is he so crazed about the The Wall?

    at 8:34 AM

    12.27.2018

    Random Thursday Morning Thoughts


    • Dallas' ServPro First Responder Bowl was cancelled due to lightning yesterday. Not postponed. Cancelled. They didn't have a back up plan? Heck, it's sunny today, play it. Or for that matter, they could have announced the moving of the location to The Star a couple of days ago. With as few people which were in attendance, they'd fit. 
    • Then again, ESPN couldn't even spell ServPro right so the bowl isn't high on the priority list.
    • In the ugliest game in college football bowl history, we had TCU/California last night
      • The teams combined for nine interceptions. 
      • It took overtime for TCU to win with only 10 points.
      • Decatur's own Grayson Muehlstein had the horrific line of 7 of 20 for 27 yards and 4 interceptions. 
      • This play -- short video -- might be the worst trick play ever, and sums up that game.
      • Although TCU receivers caught only 7 passes, TCU's defense caught five passes from Cal QBs.
      • Ironically, TCU never lost a game that Muehlstein played in. 
    • Elmer Gantry really put me in the Christmas spirit:
    • Trump finally got shamed into visiting the troops (for three hours), but managed to screw it up by lying to them about having given them a 10% raise.
      They always dress that way for dinner?
    • Have you ever heard of a "nonessential" employee in the private sector?
    • I had to issue this line to Mrs. LL yesterday: "This house is not Grand Central Station."
    • I don't get these videos of private moments where someone does something good. Case in point: A rookie pitcher "wrote a letter to his parents, thanking them for everything ... and then revealing that he'd paid off all of their debt as a Christmas present." That's great. But when your mom is filmed reading your letter and you publicize it for everyone to see, it cheapens it beyond belief. (Side note: How do you know all of your parents' debt without tipping them off?)
    • This is insane. At 0.05 you are normal despite what the government says. (Ask an honest prosecutor.)
    • I hadn't seen this one: Trump and a pregnant Melania in 2006 as photoed by Annie Leibovitz.
    • You begin to understand Sarah Sanders the more her dad speaks.
    • Messenger: Above The Fold
    at 6:34 AM

    12.26.2018

    Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts


    • It's "Did you have a nice Christmas?" day. 
    • The following people were pardoned by Greg Abbott late Friday on Christmas weekend (when the press doesn't have time to snoop around.) Why these people for minor crimes who have paid their punishment years ago? Give me an hour and I can come up with a list of hundreds of former clients who are worthy are complete forgiveness from the government. 
      • Javier Rojas Jr., 39, for unlawful possession of marijuana in 1997 (El Paso County). Rojas was sentenced to six years' probation and a $1,000 fine.
      • Raymond Eldon Lindholm, 46, for unlawful possession of marijuana in 1997 (Morris County). Lindholm was sentenced to five years' probation and a $2,000 fine.
      • Pamela Hawon Wren, 46, for theft between $200 and $750 in 1999 (Denton County). Wren was sentenced to 180 days' probation and a $100 fine.
      • Reginald Charles DeCuire, 53, for theft in 1983 (Jefferson County). DeCuire was sentenced to five days in jail.
      • Joseph Clinton Blackwell, 39, for burglary of a vehicle in 1996 (Tarrant County). Blackwell was sentenced to 15 days in jail.
      • Ruth Anne Griffith, 22, for assault causing bodily injury in 2014 (Harrison County). Griffith was sentenced to 100 days in jail.
    • When you think about it, it's still our money: 
    • The days leading up to Christmas need to be cold.
    • The number of alarm clocks/phones that go off on holiday weekdays has to be astronomical. (That theory is based upon the sample size of those in my home.)
    • One of the weirdest stories of the holidays was the Secretary calling the heads of the major banks in the U.S. from a vacation in Mexico and then issuing a statement on Sunday that the banks had “ample liquidity”. Something going on we need to know about? If not, why issue that statement causing another stock market plunge? 
    • An odd TV programming event on Sunday. Local Fox, after the early NFL game, ran a bunch of spare "science fun tricks" shows and then began an abbreviated version of "Fox 4 News at 5:00" at 5:45. I wonder if this was a Christmas snafu?
    • Odd gift I threw in for Ms. LL. She was reading it last night:
    • In case you missed it: Wise County spent $10,000 on a couple of drones. (Let's make a mental note as to how often they are used and/or useful.)
    • My favorite purchase of the year was a timer for the Christmas lights.
    • Random people posting pics of a current trip via train from Moscow to Beijing. 


    at 8:31 AM

    12.25.2018

    Random Christmas Morning Thoughts





    at 8:30 AM
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