Judge to Bolton: Tell Your Story Walkin’

Just got this from Dallas spokesman Frank Librio: Disgraced former DPD Chief Terrell Bolton’s lawsuit against the city has been thrown out. Jump for the release.

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The Lazy Man’s Way to Read FrontBurner

If you subscribe to our daily e-mail feed, you just got it. If you don’t and you want to get it, then get it.

Scenes From My Weekend

I’ve been busy trying to avoid editing today, but I wanted to note what an idyllic weekend it was for Team Celeste. Especially since we spent a few hours jogging around the track at Woodrow Wilson High School on Saturday and Sunday, where we were able to watch the goings-on at Randall Park Fields. Kids playing baseball. Parents cheering. Brothers and sisters chasing each other, bored between innings. The ice cream man stopping by. It was everything America is supposed to be. Oh, and every one of the hundreds of people there were Hispanic. It was so 1950s, just the sort of community gathering that the folks in Farmers Branch remember fondly, and the sort they probably rarely see anymore, due mostly to, you know, the hate-mongering and such.

UT-Austin No. 3 Party-inest School In The Nation

So says The Princeton Review. Which strikes me as weird. If you were going to name a party school in Texas, don’t you immediately think of Argosy U?

Re: The Monday Morning Haiku

Thanks to all who took the time to submit a haiku. My favorite, from a proud papa:

See video link
Highlight of my month so far
Can’t stop watching it

This Just (Sorta) In

A FrontBurnervian with a hankering for fine Italian wine sends this incomplete report:

Someone shot Adelmo’s [Adelmo Banchetti of Adelmo’s]cat, Sebastian. Cool cat. Took two hits from a bb gun–one in the paws and one in the head. He’s at the cat doctor trying to survive. Nice cat, never hurt anyone.

Have I got a witness?

A Little Much With the Drama, DBJ

Friday’s print edition of the Dallas Business Journal sure looked scary — “Forcasting gloom, doom” — complete with a hooded figure of death with glowing red eyes. Or maybe it was a Jawa. Anyway, I got around to the piece today, and wow. What a load. Now, I’m not saying that a bump in the sublease market isn’t notable, and I’m not saying Craig Hall isn’t right to be concerned about the wider effects of the subprime morgage collapse. But come on. This is ridiculous. It’s not Pollyana when I say the market fundamentals are solid. Job growth is steady in our market and unemployment is at historic lows. Those are the drivers of commercial real estate. “Doom and gloom?” Are you kidding me? Do you people remember the late 1980s, or the collapse in the late 1990s? And then the jump headline “Once-aggressive developer sees a permanently changed RE landscape.” I have serious doubts anyone as smart as Hall would declare any changes the real estate market goes through as permanent. Someone’s definitely overplaying his hand. This is the kind of overwrought, underreported business story I expect to see in Fortune magazine, not my local business journal.

Motley Fool Finds Dallas

The popular investing web site has a series called “Investing in Your Backyard.” Today’s pick: Dallas. Kudos to writer Anders Bylund for 1. Having a cool name like “Anders Bylund.” 2. Being bullish on the area. 3. Coming up with the nickname for Dallas “Silicon Prairie.” (Okay, Anders didn’t come up with it … but still props for mentioning it.) Shame to Anders Bylund for using the word “metrop—.”

Good Luck, Stephen Fielder

For only the second time (that I know of), the Dallas-Fort Worth area can lay claim to a finalist in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest. Two years ago — nearly to the day — Dallas psychiatrist Harold Cronson made it to the final three. More recently, in the August 20, 2007, issue, Stephen Fielder of Arlington has made the cut. His caption for the cartoon at left:

“Yeah, but the weirdest thing was, once he built it I suddenly felt compelled to give him a list of things to do around it.”

Good stuff. Sadly, it appears as though the voting is closed. Winner is announced next Monday.

Reason No. 81 We’re Better Than Houston: DART Rail

Thanks to the traffic-concerned FBvian who passes along this story, which says that building more roads to the burbs isn’t as smart as building commuter solutions.

The Best Crime Story I’ve Read All Year

A part-time stunt driver. A 425-horsepower Mustang. Car chases at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour, with bullets flying everywhere. Exploding propane tanks. What is going on in Cedar Hill?

Re: The Monday Morning Haiku

Superbad is good
Though not as good as Knocked Up
But Sunday naps? Best.

The Monday Morning Haiku

It’s the 5-7-5 answer to the question “How Was Your Weekend?” As always, feel free to share. Mine:

Neighbors out of town
Diabetic Labrador
Dangit! Eat, you bitch!

Re: Tim’s Daily Cluelessness

If it’s dry food (as I’m sure it is), pour something yummy over it. (Warmed bacon fat always works.) And make sure Tim isn’t around, as dogs don’t react well to irritated disdain.

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Regards,

Dept. of Common Sense

Is There A Vet In The Cyberhouse?

Timmy just called. They are dogsitting for a neighbor. The hound is refusing to eat therefore they can’t give him an insulin shot. Anybody have a suggestion? 

It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Culinary Year

If you can’t make it to Hatch New Mexico for the annual Labor Day weekend salute to the chile pepper, fear not, there are plenty of local celebrations. Last weekend I toured the fetes at Whole Foods (HP) and Central Market (Lovers). Both stores had huge rotating roasters outside and oodles of chile-flecked samples inside. Whole Foods in Highland Park was lower key that Central Market but WF passed out more free wine and the grilled chile-stuffed burgers on the patio were devine. Central Market was a foodie temple teeming with chile worshippers. Their chocolate gelato scented with green chiles is my newest obsession: delicious dark chocolate with a gentle kick of smoky pepper on the finish. The celebration continues next weekend at Central Market but I’ll have to check with WF (website confusing). If you want the ultimate taste of New Mexico, you can down the Hatch at their yearly all-things-Hatch dinner party on Thursday. Con tequila.  Do it.

Leading Off

1. DISD is now allowing parents and staff to have a say in principal hirings. This is a good idea. A better idea would be to let me make all such decisions.

2. American Airlines is suing Google. It has to do with sponsored ads that appear when search for terms like “American Airlines.” I don’t know why they’re upset. I mean, “www.CheapAir.com” seems like a sensible match.

3. Can’t break into the safe? Solution for these Garland theives: Just take some beer instead. Hans Grubers they are not.