Christmas Tipping for Dummies

The controversial Marty Cortland offers his tips for those who are unsure in the season of glad tidings. After the jump.

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What a Difference Four Dozen Years Make

Apropos of nothing, here’s a shot from above Central Expressway at Walnut Hill looking south, taken in 1959. That building near the top, in the dead center of the photo, and along the east side of the road is the Meadows Building at Lovers Lane. The cloverleaf just below that is Northwest Highway. This is the landscape Ray Nasher saw when he visualized NorthPark Center.

(Hat tip in-house to Cynthia who sent the pic.)

Where’s the Glove?

Apologies to those expecting headlines that actually have descriptions of posts to follow, but some puns are too good to pass up. Like the one above. See, Jennifer Gooch, a grad student at Carnegie Mellon School of Art, has started a Web site called One Cold Hand? According to this not-terribly-dated AP story, Gooch was saddened by the number of unmatched gloves she saw on the streets of Pittsburgh. So she did something about it, putting the Web site up like fliers on telephone posts of found kittens. The site’s been live for about three weeks and hadn’t match a glove yet, but Gooch said that’s okay:

“It’s kind of whimsical and bittersweet,” Gooch said. “It makes you feel there’s this opportunity for benevolence.”

For whatever reason, I like the sound of that.

That Day Dallas Cops Didn’t Have Hookers to Harass

Reason.tv has a new video about those paramilitary poker house raids last summer. The Dallas VFW case goes to court this Wednesday.

Click me.

Re: Leading Off - Broadway Baptist Church

Um…note the date of this story. And then the date of this story.

Duly noted, fair reader.

Paul Kix’s Decimation of Southlake is Complete

Since Paul Kix’s cover story on Southlake ran:

1. Southlake Carroll lost for the first time in 48 games.
2. Former SC coach Todd Dodge’s North Texas squad endured a 2-10 season.
3. Former Southlake QB Chase Daniel spit the bit in Missouri’s biggest game.
4. Southlake Carroll fumbled its way out of the playoffs, ending its string of state titles.

If it were me, I’d move out of Southlake until this all blows over. Or at least install a panic room in my house.

Gerald Ford Picking Up SMU’s Next Coach?

A flight-tracking FrontBurnervian points out that Gerald Ford’s jet is headed to Baltimore later today. Perhaps to pick up Navy’s Paul Johnson, in nearby Annapolis? You heard it here first. Unless we’re wrong. In which case, I’ll simply delete this post later.

Budget Burglars

Most robbers aim high. They go for banks because, you know, “that’s where the money is.” But a couple of burglars are out there targeting the least likely of venues: dollar stores. I guess it makes sense if you’re going to ask for the requisite small, unmarked bills. Or maybe they’re going for volume, volume, volume.

Alibaster K. Abthernabther Gets a Real Job — Sorta

Talk about a meteoric rise. Whoever invented this Abthernabther ruse launched his blog about a month ago. Now he’s got a weekly column in Quick. For my money, I wish his debut column had been something more than a mere introduction. But kudos to the folks at Quick for signing Abthernabther. Smart move. I know I’ll be checking it out every Monday.

Bark Brings Out Another Side of Gordon Keith

Who knew The Ticket’s Gordon Keith is really a softy at heart? A guy who likes Charlie Chaplin for the “sweetness” of his comedy? Who gets all weepy over family tragedy? Who’s got nothing but nice things to say about the Belo empire? About 60 people who turned out for the premiere episode of Ed Bark’s Uncle Barky Show at Stratos Greek Taverna, that’s who. (more…)

The Ups And Downs Of Birdwatching

On Friday November 23 at 3PM, I hung my thistle feeders at the D office located in Frankston, Texas. By 10AM on Saturday, I had 25 goldfinches. By happy hour I had close to 50. Did I have my camera? Nope. A few days ago I returned to find two almost-empty feeders and no finches. However I do have a loyal white-breasted nuthatch and a pine warbler hanging around the peanut gallery. At this moment, I have white-throated sparrows and dark-eyed juncos pecking across the lawn, but the huge flock of goldfinches has dwindled down to just three or four. Dang. Any Dallas sightings? I heard them high in the trees last week.
 

Leading Off

1) Mitch Rasansky may be a surly old coot sometimes, but he’s got the right idea on what to do about the surfeit of uninsured drivers in Dallas. As the great man once said, “Are there no prisons? And the Union workhouses, are they still in operation?”

2) Hoping to publish a book that leaves out some uncomfortable realities? That doesn’t sound like a church, does it?

3) And proving you can fool some of the people all of the time…

The Monday Morning Haiku

What? You thought we’d given up on the haiku? Please. Here’s your 5-7-5 answer to “How was your weekend?”

Hanging Christmas lights
While wearing shorts and t-shirt
Inconvenient truth?