Howdy. We're supposed to be getting a blast of cold air today, but so far it's just kind of hot and humid. I hope it cools off.
Last night we all gathered for what we thought would be the season finale of Project Runway. Mandy made spaghetti and bread and salad and Jamie and Ryan brought some cupcakes. Donna Rene, Ellie, and Rami were also in attendance. The kicker turned out to be that it wasn't the final episode after all. There's some kind of controversy brewing about whether one of the designers actually did all of the work on his collection, and they've managed to stretch it out for another week. Next week we're going to have to go potluck for dinner, though, since Mandy already outdid herself on this week's "season finale" extravaganza.
Anyway, the food and the company were excellent, and we're going to have a to find another reason to have people over once the show reaches its conclusion because I've begun to look forward to seeing the gang once a week.
For those of you who haven't heard, a Travis County grand jury returned indictments for Mary Dodgen on Tuesday for intoxication manslaughter, two counts of intoxication assault, and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. I never really doubted that Dodgen would be indicted, but it's still good to see the legal process beginning to move forward.
I don't sit around obsessing about how to wreak vengeance upon this woman, but I'm definitely eager to see her receive an appropriate sentence for what she has done (which I think should be a pretty good amount of penitentiary time).
Aggravated assault and intoxication manslaughter are punishable by up to 20 years in prison, and intoxication assault is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Aggravated assault charges require a finding that the defendant either used a deadly weapon (and a car can be considered a deadly weapon) or that the assault caused serious bodily injury. Aggravated assault requires a finding that the defendant was either acting intentionally when she caused the assault or that she was acting recklessly (with wanton disregard for the safety of others). Intoxication assault requires only a showing that a person was injured by another who was driving a vehicle while intoxicated (there's no need to show a mental state of recklessness- intoxication assault is a strict liability offense meaning that only a showing of intoxication is required).
Anyway, its going to be a long, painful process watching Dodgen's case play out in court. This is just the beginning. It's very strange to be watching from a personal perspective after having worked on other people's cases for years on the other side of the bar.
Hope you guys are having a good Thursday. C'mon cold front!!!!