The unkindest cut &c

We took the smaller dog, Moose/Mousse/Mus, to the vet this morning for that little operation. They called this afternoon asking to have him picked up, though the original arrangement had been to keep him until the morning. This dog has a vocalization that could be called a scream rather than a bark. I worried that his adjustment might raise his range to some equivalent of a canine castrato countertenor, a high note beyond human tolerance, a note that could be used to break up prison riots. Hard to know so far, but his ebullience seems intact.
Went into town this morning for a doc's appt for the wife and decided to catch some testimony in the trial of the guy accused of doing in a kid who purportedly had ripped him off for a few bucks. The defendant, Sebastian Mejia, was up on RICO charges with a lesser of murder. He was described as being a Texas Syndicate boss for Victoria. The accused took the stand, a very rare thing, and handled himself pretty well, an even rarer thing. On cross-examination he sparred skillfully with DA Steve Tyler. Course, the defendant had the advantage of having heard all testimony against him and having some time to dream up explanations and counter stories. I don't know yet what the verdict was.* Visited a bit with Gabe Semenza, who was there for the Vicad. Glad to see they're covering notable local trials again. Trials are as much fun as a news reporter can have, with drama and conflict and, sometimes, life and death on the line. Readers find them fascinating.
*Jury found him guilty, and he'll be going away for a long time. Notice a memorial classified ad today for Polo Conchola, little boy whose murder set off a series of gang trials a little while back.