Articles for December 19th, 2008
Look What I Found on Eric Celeste’s Desk…
I guess he plans to catch up on some reading over Christmas break. Ho ho ho.
Re: Triple Homicide in North Dallas
Very sad stuff. Coincidentally, People Newspapers’ Josh Hixson spoke with the late Jeanmarie Geis on Dec. 8, two days after the first of three incidents she reported to police this month.
Friday Afternoon Random Question: Maybe the 18th Time is the Charm
Would you rather have 18 kids or, twice a year, every year, be forced to say something accidentally racially charged around John Wiley Price? I think it’s an easy choice. One is definitely infinitely more frustrating.
Ron Kirk is U.S. Trade Rep
It’s official. Now the question becomes: Will he still call back?
Triple Homicide in North Dallas
We’re busy right now with the February issue of the “print product,” so we’re just now getting around to what happened this morning in North Dallas: a real estate agent named Jeanmarie Tolle Geis was murdered in her home, along with her two young children. One disturbing detail about the story is that the woman suffered a series of attacks over several days and was aware that her life was in danger. Police are questioning the husband, Frank Geis, though he is not a suspect at this point. I’m told by a neighbor of the Geises’ that the reason the husband wasn’t also killed was because during the attack this morning, he was at the hospital having stitches removed from a wound suffered during one of the earlier attacks.
Very much still developing.
The Year in Music: Part 1
Because it’s that time of year, I asked a few folks who know a thing or two about a thing or two to send me a year-end music list. There were no other restrictions, so long as it was music-related. Here are the first three, and they’re fairly standard, as far as format. I think we might have something slightly different on Monday. Anyway, after the jump, Hunter Hauk (Quick), Eric Grubbs (Theme Park Experience, POST), and Kris Youmans (Granada Theater, the Paper Chase) have the floor. And comments are ready for yours.
It’s Gettin’ Real Western Around Here
Very quietly, the world’s No. 1 Western-wear retailer has relocated its headquarters to North Texas. Find out why in an exclusive chat with Sheplers CEO R. Mark Syrstad in the new issue of D CEO.
Still Smokin’: One Last Thing
Meant to post this earlier in the week. A former DaFoWo-based FBvian passed along this Garrison Keillor-penned excerpt from William Zinsser’s On Writing Well because she thought I’d enjoy it. I did. Maybe you will, too. Especially if you smell of Marlboro Lights and/or freedom:
The last cigarette smokers in America were located in a box canyon south of Donner Pass in the High Sierra by two federal tobacco agents in a helicopter who spotted the little smoke puffs just before noon. One of them, the district chief, called in the ground team by air-to-ground radio. Six men in camouflage outfits, members of a crack anti-smoking joggers unit, moved quickly across the rugged terrain, surrounded the bunch in their hideout, subdued them with tear gas, and made them lie face down on the gravel in the hot August sun. There were three females and two males, all in their mid-forties. They had been on the run since the adoption of the Twenty-eighth Amendment.
Avery Johnson Refuses to Stop Being a Jerk
I think Avery Johnson will be an NBA coach again, sooner rather than later. And he’ll probably do well. But in order for that to happen, he’s got to own up to some mistakes he made with the Mavericks. Does this sound like he’s getting there?
“Most of the time, when a coach has to be a dictator is when he doesn’t have a great leader. You think [Boston's] Doc Rivers has to be a dictator? No. Kevin Garnett is the dictator.”
I can see how Avery got confused, since the Mavs, during his tenure, also had three absolute superstars, a genius defensive assistant*, and a coach — though he was a former point guard — who was smart enough to let his young PG have a fairly long leash.
*Okay, the Mavs actually did have this in the great Del Harris, who was defensive acumen was as strong as his resemblance to Lt. Frank Drebin.
It’s Hard To Work When The Jonas Brothers Are Watching
I was shooting Mike Berry, president of Hillwood Properties [1], for D CEO at Alliance Airport yesterday. I had a limited amount of time, so when Berry arrived, I needed to work fast. Moments after I started shooting, the Jonas Brothers’ jet pulled up directly behind me. The brothers and their entourage walked off the plane and hung out while waiting for their Suburbans. The oldest was talking on his cell phone and pacing behind me.[2] I turned around, gave him my biggest smile, and held my camera down so as not to scare him away.[3] He stopped, smiled, and waved. Berry was a little distracted by the tween sensation, but I managed to get my shot. As for the Jonas brothers, if you can hear me out there, I would love to show you all around Dallas sometime.
1. Hillwood Properties developed Vaquero, where the Jonas Brothers bought their six- bedroom house for more than $2.8 million in June 2008. 2. Although I only had a short amount of time to shoot Berry, in light of our unexpected guests, I managed to get my bulky jacket off and unbutton the first couple of buttons on my shirt. 3. I hate paparazzi scum.
Looking Like No Movie House For Casa Linda
It’s yesterday’s news, but still worth passing along if you missed it. Wilonsky delved into the rumors of Austin’s Alamo Drafthouse coming to Casa Linda Plaza. As Wilonsky himself would say, Not so much.
ShopTalk’s Weekly Giveaway
Looking for a stylish gift for someone special but not wanting to spend any money? And does that special someone have hair? You should try to win today’s ShopTalk giveaway: a consult, color, cut, and style from Blaine’s Color.
Friday Fun: Jigsawce
Good morning, time-waster-seeking FrontBurnervians. A little McGill family Christmas tradition: Every year, my mom would buy the most challenging Hallmark holiday-themed jigsaw puzzle she could find, thinking it would take my dad and me a week to finish it, but we’d usually polish it off in a few days and then start on another one. Every year, my brother—no jigsaw puzzler, he—would surreptitiously swipe a piece and tuck it away until it was the final piece needed. As my dad and I would look for the missing piece in the couch’s cushions and the dog’s mouth, my brother would saunter in, place the piece, and declare victory as the one who finished it. Good times.
In that spirit, today’s Friday Fun is Jigsawce. It’s a jigsaw-puzzle game, but you play against other people. The more pieces you put together, the more points you get. Beware the high frustration levels when someone grabs the piece you want or moves the puzzle unhelpfully. Enjoy.
Ron Kirk Has A Lot Of Talking To Do
The NYTimes notes the newly designated trade representative is a free-trade advocate for a president who ran on an anti-free trade platform.
Leading Off (12/19/08)
1. An independent auditor confirms what we thought we knew about the DISD budget shortfall: it happened because of lax controls in the budget and payroll offices, which were covered up in previous years by higher-than-expected revenues and Michael Hinojosa’s sweet ’stache.
2. Folks in Farmers Branch who are suing the city over its attempts to establish new anti-illegal immigrant laws are accusing city leaders of trying to keep the allegations in the lawsuits secret. That doesn’t sound like the Farmers Branch I know.
3. Dallas Cowboys officials say there will be extra security on hand Saturday night to make sure no one tries to take a piece of Texas Stadium home with them. Why someone thinks it would be cool to own a piece of the rat trap that remains at the 183/114 split is not discussed.
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