What Do Richardson and Gilmer Have in Common?

It takes about two hours of driving on I-20 into east Texas to get from Richardson to Gilmer. What do they have in common? At first glance, maybe nothing. Taking a closer look, maybe a lot.

POTD: Rooftop Dining in Khiva

From 2025 09 17 Khiva

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Itchan Kala, walled inner town of the city of Khiva, Uzbekistan. As the sun sets, the desert air cools, and dining on the rooftop is a pleasant way to spend an evening on the Silk Road.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Baking Naan in Khiva

From 2025 09 17 Khiva

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Itchan Kala, the walled inner town of the city of Khiva, Uzbekistan. From round, clay ovens called tandirs comes an aroma of fresh naan. Bakers, faces protected from the heat of the ovens, press round loaves of bread onto the hot clay walls of the tandir, where the the bread puffs and blisters from the intense heat. From the landscape to the architecture to the people, Khiva reminded me of Tatooine from Star Wars. (I mean that as a compliment.)

Bonus photos are after the jump.

Council Recap: Key to the City

Source: City of Richardson.

I've already covered the Richardson City Council's deliberation on applying for grants from CDBG and creating a UDC ("Council Recap: CDBG and UDC Spell PROGRESS").

The agenda also had an item for how to honor individuals or organizations. There were two parts. The first is awarding a "Key to the City." The second is namiing a City asset like a building after a person. At the time, I said I'd cover these when a final draft policy came back before council in a week or two for approval. But I don't expect the final policy to differ much from the draft policy we saw. The design of the "Key to the City", on the other hand,...

Council Recap: CDBG and UDC Spell PROGRESS

Let's celebrate. For the first time in a while, every substantive agenda item deliberated by the Richardson City Council had an outcome I liked. And I'm not easy to please, I know. The three topics were CDBG, UDC, and Naming Things. The first two will take a long time to implement. I'll cover those in this week's council recap. The third will be decided when it comes back to council in a week or two. I'll cover it at that time.

Rooster (TV 2026)

Rotten Tomatoes

Rooster (TV 2026): Steve Carrell sitcom where he plays a professor at a small college where his daughter and his ex-wife also teach. Good ensemble cast. Nothing new in the formula. It's just a feel-good, throw-back sitcom trying to appeal to a wide audience. B+

HBO

Monday Night Follies at City Hall

Finally, progress on addressing housing needs in Richardson for Low and Middle Income families and on getting our Comprehensive Zoning Code aligned with the Envision Richardson Plan we spent so much effort on. It's about time. Two home runs.

Young Sherlock (TV 2026)

Rotten Tomatoes

Young Sherlock (TV 2026): Definitely not canon. Hoped for more sleuthing and more exploration of Sherlock's early relationship with Mycroft and Moriarty, but if you ignore that this is a Sherlock Holmes story, you might like it just as a family-based crime/mystery story. B-

Prime

POTD: Itchan Kala

From 2025 09 17 Khiva

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Itchan Kala. According to Wikipedia, "Itchan Kala is the walled inner town of the city of Khiva, Uzbekistan. Since 1990, it has been protected as a World Heritage Site. The old town retains more than 50 historic monuments and 250 old houses, dating primarily from the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries."

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Ulli Hovli

From 2025 09 17 Khiva

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Ulli Hovli ("Big Yard"), a restored 17th-century Turkmen fortress-settlement located in Uzbekistan’s Khorezm region. Originally built by the Khan of Khiva as a fortified outpost to protect trade caravans, it has been transformed into a living museum and popular tourist complex. We stopped for lunch...and camel rides.

Bonus photos are after the jump.