RE: NEW BISHOP, OLD BISHOP

The News‘ Rod Dreher gives his take. I just read the study he quotes, and that old sinking feeling returned to my stomach. By the measurements of active priests, ordinations, and adult conversions, the Dallas diocese had the third largest decline in the nation from 1995 to 2005. As Rod says, the new bishop has nowhere to go but up.

MARK CUBAN SAYS WEBCASTING IS DEAD

At least, I think that’s what he’s saying in his latest blog post. But I’m not very smart. Tell me if I’m wrong.

SEE JOHN REOCH GROPE UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN

Remember when we had a fashion party at Ghostbar last week and we shared some pictures from it? Thing is, you think what happens in the photo booth stays in the photo booth (and, well, on that little strip of pics you take with you). But that turns out not to be true. For instance, John Reoch probably never thought these pictures would find their way onto the Interweb. VERY handsy. (More pics from the party here.)

RE: JUSTIN IS, LIKE, OMIGOSH, SO HOT

Another positive, and more succinct, review is in:

AMAZING. LIFE CHANGING. I want to rock his body!!!!!!!!

PATTING OURSELVES ON THE BACK

Remember yesterday when I drew attention to Paul’s great story about Greg Dunagan, the one that got the Innocence Project interested in Dunagan’s case? We learned today that the story is a finalist in the City and Regional Magazine Awards, in the Reporting category. This is a big deal. We compete for these awards against publications across the country that have far larger circulations than our humble little magazine. Paul’s story is up against finalists from Chicago magazine and Texas Monthly. If he wins, just imagine how tall he’ll get.

But hang on. Because that’s not the only category in which we’re a finalist. We’re also up for best cover, against Diablo and, again, Texas Monthly. Here’s what the covers look like:

And, finally, we’re also a finalist in the category known as Ancillary Publications, for our D Fashion book. In that race, we’re up against pubs from Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul magazines. Some good work comes out of these offices. Congrats to everyone — except Eric, because he’s only worked here a month, so he clearly had nothing to do with it. If we’re not finalists in at least three categories next year, we’ll know why.

NEW BISHOP, OLD BISHOP

An wry comment from a top Catholic website.

PINK = “INTERESTING”

From a Webmastering FBvian:

Hey, I got there for Pink. I saw her at Nokia, and she was ripped and in camo. This time, not so much: slinky attire and a very, very interesting ending lifing her and her female counterpart into the air in very suggestive positions . That was interesting.

indeed.

MAVS CLINCH, ARE GOOD

Catching up on all my blogging duties. But am I right that Mike Fisher over at DallasBasketball.com was the first to notice that the Mavs technically clinched a playoff berth in the first week of March?

WHO NEEDS A 401K?

Early retirement, here I come.

SOUPED-UP GOLF CARTS IN THE WSJ

Comes a story this morning in the WSJ about guys who trick up their golf carts so they can go upwards of 70 mph. You need a subscription to read the whole thing, but tip o’ the hat to two Dallas-area guys who are big into the hobby and who get prominent mention in the story: Frank Gatlin, a “middle-aged International Business Machines Corp. technician from Flower Mound, Texas” whose “chrome-trimmed cart is raised for clearance on big 27-inch tires rimmed for sand. In the rear of the cart, where golf clubs belong, he has a ‘wheelie bar’ to hold his cart steady in case he wants to rear up on his hind wheels. His motor is a cement-mixer motor.” And then there’s Dwight Dolliver, a “63-year-old project manager for an elevator company in McKinney, Texas, [who] put a snowmobile engine in his cart, which he calls The Beast.” You can see video of the carts in action, even without a subscription (middle column).

JUSTIN IS, LIKE, OMIGOSH, SO HOT

(Now that the D Internet Goddess has me blogging again from our Abrams Road bureau.)

Very good review in the Star-Telegram today by new critic Preston Jones that pretty much mirrors what my wife said about the show: Justin is a fine singer and dancer, but the production elements and the song lineup (three songs in a row with him at the piano = BOR-ing!) could be improved. My 12-year-old daughter, who got back in town in time to see the show (and who is going to a dentist appointment this morning with a very sore throat), says:

“It was good. The screens were annoying. And he shouldn’t dress like his dancers, because I lost him a few times. And he kept saying ‘Dallas,’ I think because Christina Aguilera accidentally said ‘Houston’ when she was here. But it was good.”

Alas, they missed most of Pink, the opening act. I think her new album is great, so I’d love a FBvian report on her set, as well as anything you’d like to add about JT. Other than the fact that he was good. We know that.