Zac Crain Quits Smoking: Day 1

Our colleague Zac Crain asked yesterday for our forbearance, as today would be the day that he would give up his cancer sticks (again). So far, he has only cried once. Oh, and he threw a Garner’s Modern American Usage across the room when he couldn’t get the printer to respond immediately. Also, he’s chewing nicotine gum like he’s at a rave and on his second dose of ecstasy. Still, though. That’s pretty good for the first day.

Hang in there, Zac!

Texas Tribune Catches Up With Laura Miller

I wonder what the two women would say if you hopped in your time machine, traveled back to 2006, and told former DMN scribe Emily Ramshaw that she’d be working for an online-only nonprofit and former Dallas mayor Laura Miller that she’d be a lobbyist for an energy company that wants to build a $2 billion coal-fired plant. Strange world.

What to Do in Dallas Tonight: Sept. 1

Finally, it’s September, and in honor of this pleasing turn of events, I lead with a song, written by the late Alex Chilton of Big Star and nicely covered by the Bangles.

Anyhoo, tonight you’ll be eating cheese. Rich at Scardello tells me his California Cheese and Wine class features a lineup of 10 cheeses–including a hard-to-find goat cheese–paired with four wines he hand-picked just yesterday. If you like American sparkling wine, you’re in for a treat. Rich’s favorite example, the wedding cuvée from Iron Horse, is part of tonight’s curriculum. Yum.

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Leading Off (9/1/10)

1. Our former co-worker Eric Celeste has his work cut out for him. As the communications director for DA Craig Watkins’ reelection campaign, today he’ll be dealing with a story about how, when Watkins was a defense attorney, he got a 10-year-old girl to declare that she did not want to pursue charges against the stepfather who molested her. Because that isn’t exactly being “tough on crime.” Seems like something any defense attorney might have done, but that’s the problem with going from one side of the legal system to the other. Oh, also, Collin County prosecutors weren’t happy with the way DA Watkins made their jobs more difficult as they sought a conviction for the molester. Have a good day, Eric!

2. If you’re a have-not and you’re looking for another reason to hate the haves, here you go: because money is tight, the NTTA DART is looking at allowing solo drivers — but only those solo drivers who are rich and evil enough — to pay extra for the privilege of driving in the HOV lane. What is this? Russia? I thought I lived in the United States of America. I guess I was mistaken.

3. Are you ready for the next scaremongering TV news tease? I’m just going to give you one paragraph from the DMN story: “Kyle Lewis and his family went swimming last week in the Paluxy River at Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose. Three days later, he died from a brain-wasting disease caused by an amoeba known as Naegleria fowleri.” Whatever you do, don’t follow the link and look at the picture of 7-year-old Kyle. He’s so cute, it’ll break your heart.