I was leaving the station this evening and saw this guy on this really tall bike.  I told him to pull over and submit to an interview, you know, like a citizen’s arrest.  He did. 

Beginning at 6:00 tonight, KTBS 3 is back on Dish.   We’ve settled the programming dispute that resulted in our removal from Dish.   For more information, go to www.ktbs.com or watch the news tonight.   

I’m sharing this story with you so you don’t have to go through the horror I experienced.  Please, people, learn from my mistakes and have a fruitful life before it’s too late!

I was blogging when The Boyfriend brought his puppy, Blue, over.  Spuff was not amused. 

In all the cat-dog chaos, I set my laptop on top of a burning candle.  Not on purpose. 

The Boyfriend, a firefighter, asked what was burning.  I said, “I’m not cooking anything tonight that smells like toxic plastic.”  Then I noticed my laptop, rapidly melting around the flame of the candle.  

What now?  I’m sitting two feet away from a fireman and nothing’s sinking in by osmosis.  Do I stop, drop and roll?  Implement my escape plan?  Begin crawling on the ground to avoid the heat and smoke?  Do I get some baking soda? 

It’s sad that all these options had to run through my mind before I actually removed the computer from the flame. 

But hey, I’m not blaming myself.  I’m blaming the school system, my parents and our government for not having the foresight to drill laptop fire relevant phrases like, “Stop, drop and roll” into my memory bank.  I mean, what catchy phrase comes to mind as a course of action when you think of laptop blazes?  See!   The empty set!  Oh sure, Texas gives every child a laptop in the classroom.  But do they teach them what to do in case they burst out in flames?  No.  They don’t.    

It’s one thing for a kid’s laptop to combust in flames, but what if it were you?  You’d be forced to talk on the phone or actually meet with someone face-to-face!  OMG!

So, that’s why in addition to opening a discussion forum here on what we can do as a community, city, nation and world to end the senseless burning of computers, I’ve started a for-profit organization called, “My Laptop Is On Fire, So Now What Do I Do?”  Or MLIOFSNWDID? for short. 

Here’s how it works.  With my new internet upgrades since the fire, you can leave your suggestions for how to handle a laptop fire, including catchy phrases that can be taught in our schools, under comments.  As soon as your comment is posted, your bank account will be hit for the cause.

Do it.  It’s for the children.    

Remember when we were talking about CrossFit?  Just do a search here or head to the fitness category to your right to refresh that groggy memory. 

Red River CrossFit is offering a free Saturday morning 9:00 workout at AC Steere Park in Shreveport. 

The organizers, who are fit and not cross, say they’ll accomodate all ages and all levels.

I’m considering whether I can get up that early, but may give it a shot. 

Oh, Mel, thanks for letting us use the pic of your bicep here.  

Here’s another KRMD radio jock.  Meet Todd Nixon.  What fun I had yesterday on the air there, talking with James Anthony and Dr. Donald Mack, helping them sell KTBS St. Jude Dream Home tickets.  Want one?  1-800-724-2423.

Seriously, we’re about to deliver these two stories on the 5:00 news.   Are these fights really about chicken fingers and mac and cheese or is there some unresolved resentment here?

1.   Around 2:30 this morning, two cousins were arguing over chicken fingers when they decided to take it outside.  One was shot in the shoulder.  The other was hit in the head with what police think was a rake.

2.  A father came home to find his son sitting on the floor in his underwear.  The son had showered and was eating macaroni and cheese.  Problem is… the father says the son is on the dope and not welcome there.  The son’s in jail now on burglary and property damage.   

That was fun! 

You might expect tempers to flare in the hot sun, with hundreds of people waiting for hours in traffic.   But, Bossier Police say there were no wrecks, no fights and minimal complaints as KTBS 3, Horseshoe Casino and Cumulus Radio got together to provide $1.40 a gallon gasoline yesterday to the first 1,000 drivers who came by The Raceway on Old Minden Road in Bossier City.   The 1000th customer arrived almost exactly at 2:00 p.m., when the rollback ended.  Nice job, everyone!

Is it just me or have you, too, noticed more vehicles decorated like someone’s MySpace page?  It’s as if the car came with Photoshop or GIMP. 

Today, I saw an array of stars on the side of an SUV.  Yesterday, I saw that someone went to great lengths to put tiny decals on the door handles of a little white car and actually gave the vehicle a name, proudly displayed in big black adhesive letters…something Elf 7.  

These aren’t your traditional soccer mom decals on the back windshield.  These are carefully decorated all over the vehicle.  

Is it disconcerting to have, “In memory of…” stuck on your car?  Well, that is, unless it’s Dale Earnhardt you’re memorializing.   

Then, there are the usual suspects:  bumper stickers.  According to researchers in Colorado, people who customize their cars with stickers and other adornments are more prone to road rage than other people.  Do bumper stickers bother you?  Entertain you?  One of my favorites:  “Look busy.  Jesus is coming.”

Centenary College Police Officer Todd Field and another officer gave chase when this baby goat ran into heavy traffic on East Kings Highway in Shreveport this afternoon.    

Officer Field thought about writing the goat a ticket, but then reconsidered because it’s just a kid. 

The owner of the goat has yet to come forward.  Call Centenary Police if this is your goat. 

The officers nicknamed the goat, “Hobo”. 

Awe, look at it all snuggled up there.