Friday, January 9, 2026

TIL: Americans Are Not Exceptional

I used to think (a long, long time ago) that America was exceptional. That it couldn't happen here, where "it" was some atrocity or another that was perpetrated by another country in another time and place. Then I had to acknowledge that there were just too many exceptions to hold that naive thinking. Today I read two things that bring that point home, from two different eras in history.

Thursday, January 8, 2026

Pluribus (TV 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes

Pluribus (TV 2025): Extraterrestrials make everyone on Earch happy. Only Rhea Seehorn is immune. So she takes it as her mission to save the world from happiness. It's like a Twilight Zone episode where the twist happens in the first episode and the interesting part is watching how it all plays out for nine episodes. A-

AppleTV

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Materialists (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes

Materialists (2025): A professional matchmaker's own perfect man must offer it all — love and money. When a client is sexually assaulted, she questions everything about her job and her own goals. The first half of movie is a thought-provoking look at dating. Second half reverts to rom-com tropes. B-

HBO Max

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Ballad of a Small Player (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes

Ballad of a Small Player (2025): High stakes gambling addict knows his luck will change if he can just con someone into staking him enough for one big bet. Colin Farrell is great and Macau is luxurious, but the plot and the characters are threadbare. C+

Netflix

Monday, January 5, 2026

Champagne Problems (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes

Champagne Problems (2025): Young woman is sent to Paris to negotiate the acquisition of a champagne winery. First day she meets a handsome man. Naturally, romance ensues. The only plot twist is predictable. But it's harmless fun with plenty of shots of Paris at Christmas time. B-

Netflix

Sunday, January 4, 2026

POTD: Goodbye to Thailand...and to John

From 2025 03 26 Bangkok (2)

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at Wat Arun in Bangkok on the morning of our last day in Thailand.

After the jump, one last photograph.

Saturday, January 3, 2026

POTD: Our Last Dinner

From 2025 03 26 Bangkok (2)

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at the rooftop restaurant of the Bangkok Marriott Hotel Sukhumvit on Ellen's and my last night in Thailand after a wonderful two week vacation. We were thankful that John and Dessy flew from Jakarta to Bangkok to be with us. Little did we suspect it was to be our last supper ever with John. Three months later, back in Jakarta, John was hospitalized after a short illness. Ellen and I made the long trip to Jakarta to be with him. John passed away, surrounded by Dessy, Ellen and me, and Dessy's family and many of their closest friends. John was only 36. We will be forever grateful for those 36 years and all of the times and places we were able to share with him.


"Rooftop memories
where our laughter met the dark.
Love outlives the meal."

— h/t ChatGP

Friday, January 2, 2026

The Worst Places to Eat in Richardson Last Month

Restaurant Scores
Graphic by City of Richardson.

The City of Richardson is rightly regarded as having some of the best and most diverse dining options in north Texas ("Eat & Drink"). But that doesn't mean every restaurant in Richardson exceeds in every measure. Here is a list of the worst places to eat in Richardson last month, based on the City of Richardson's Health Department Restaurant Scores from inspections last month. Not all Richardson restaurants are inspected each and every month. Only those inspected last month are ranked here. Only the lowest scores are shown.

Thursday, January 1, 2026

Random Thoughts: Something Deeply Disturbing About AI

Mastodon

2025-12-01: I just tested a web service that "detects AI-generated content." I fed one of my blog posts through it. It reported that it contained 74% AI-generated content. Then, for a fee, it offered to rewrite my blog post to make it appear 100% human. There's something deeply disturbing about that.

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes

The Shop Around the Corner (1940): Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan in a romcom with the "Lubitsch Touch." Also starring Frank Morgan, who you will recognize as the Wizard of Oz in the 1939 classic. See how many romcom tropes that are still standard today are in this movie, some used for the first time. B+

HBO Max

#VeryTardyReview