Nobody Wants This (TV 2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Nobody Wants This (TV 2024): Sitcom about a sex podcaster and a rabbi...and their families who meddle in their unlikely relationship. Stereotypes abound. The chemistry is winning. The dialog is witty. And it has something serious to say about mixed-religion relationships. B+

Netflix

The Pale Blue Eye (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Pale Blue Eye (2022): Macabre murder mystery set in the cold, gray winter at West Point in 1830. A cadet is found dead, with his heart removed. Christian Bale is the detective who recruits a cadet named Edgar Allan Poe (yes, that one) to assist him. Everyone is quirky, creepy, and suspicious. B-

Netflix

#VeryTardyReview

Conclave (2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Conclave (2024): The cardinal running the conclave picking the next pope uncovers one deep secret after another. An intelligent plot that sheds light on the ancient practice of Vatican polit ics. Informative if maybe implausible at times. It keeps you guessing who it's going to be. A-

In theaters

Council Recap: Review of Almost Final Comp Plan

On October 21, 2024, the Richardson City Council and City Plan Commission (CPC) reviewed a close-to-final draft of a new Comprehensive Plan.

My own feedback can be found here:

• Point North...Park?
• Grading Richardson's Comprehensive Plan
• Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker

I'll add that the best thing about this draft Comp Plan isn't the plan. It's the list of 77 action items. It's a better list than the list the Council came up with during their own goal-setting retreat at the beginning of their term. But there's too much latitude in it. They shouldn't leave it to City Manager Don Magner to prioritize and schedule, not if they care about what gets done and what gets kicked down the road.

POTD: Calafate Smoothie

"After the long day,
Calafate refreshment.
Mountains call me back."
— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 03 11 Chile Patagonia

After a long day touring the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, we relaxed at the Hotel Las Torres with a calafate smoothie. Calafate is a small, round, purple fruit with a sweet and sour taste. It's the symbol of Patagonia. A legend says if you eat calafate berries you will be sure to return to Patagonia. Sure enough, the next day we returned, this time to Argentinian Patagonia. More glaciers in store.

POTD: Torres del Paine National Park

"Horns of blue in mist,
Clouds hide the towering peaks,
Knee bends against will."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 03 11 Chile Patagonia

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Chile's Torres del Paine National Park (Towers of Blue). The park "encompasses mountains, glaciers, lakes, and rivers in southern Chilean Patagonia." From a distance of 20 miles we got our first, and least obstructed, view of the Cuernos del Paine (Horns of Blue).

A bonus photo is after the jump.

Presumed Innocent (TV 2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Presumed Innocent (TV 2024): Excellent whodunit. The plot is an intricate clockwork, full of suspects and red herrings. Based on 1987 novel. Public prosecutor is charged with murdering another prosecutor, one he has been having an affair with. Did he or didn't he? Even his wife and kids are torn. A-

AppleTV+

Salvage Yard: Gateway to Richardson IQ

At the Richardson City Council meeting of October 14, 2024, the Council approved yet another car dealer to locate in Richardson. And not just any car dealer. This was a request by AutoSavvy. Does Richardson benefit from yet another auto dealer? Especially AutoSavvy? I say no. No City Councilmember could offer a reason to say yes, except maybe as a placeholder for five years, the length of the special use permit under consideration. But they unanimously voted for it anyway.

Council Recap: Cars & Signs, Ad Infinitum

At the Richardson City Council meeting of October 14, 2024, the Council approved yet another car dealer and, in a separate action, amended the existing planned development for the Eastside development to allow the applicant to develop a "master sign plan" for the development. A master sign plan is a way of getting approval for signs that are currently prohibited by ordinance. Because of course they did. They know better, just listen to them during deliberations. But when it comes time to vote, they can't help themselves. They vote yes.

POTD: Serrano Glacier. Salud!

"Blue ice, ages old,
chilled hands hold a frozen past,
soon to cool our drinks."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 03 11 Chile Patagonia

Today's photo-of-the-day is from our first South American glacier, Serrano Glacier in southern Patagonia in Chile. Ellen is holding a piece of ice that calved from the glacier. Soon it will be cooling our drinks.

A bonus photo is after the jump.

POTD: Puerto Natales, Chile

"Southward, dreams unfold,
Patagonia's heart revealed,
One step closer now."
— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 03 11 Chile Patagonia

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Puerto Natales, Chile. It was our first overnight stay way down south in Patagonia. The Andes Mountains stand tall, beckoning us to come closer. That awaits for another day.

Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker

Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker.
Resident, Employer, Landowner, Developer.
Renter, ..., wait, where are the Renters?

The City of Richardson has published a draft of its long-overdue Comprehensive Plan update, the first since 2009. I noticed words like residents, citizens, stakeholders, etc., used in different contexts. Are the distinctions significant? Dunno. The Plan doesn't say. And the closest it comes to a definition for any of the terms is this: "stakeholder—residents, employers and business owners, landowners, brokers and developers, partner agencies and organizations, nonprofits, and public officials." That's pretty comprehensive. It doesn't explicitly include renters, but because renters are residents, I'd argue that it implicitly includes them. But does the City think that? Really?

Feud: Capote vs. The Swans (TV 2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Feud: Capote vs. The Swans (TV 2024): The backstory behind Truman Capote's unfinished novel about New York's elite society women. No one comes out looking good, Capote worst of all. He's a drunk, manipulative whiner. The Swans are entitled and self-absorbed. The series is more exhausting than revealing. C+

Hulu

Grading Richardson's Comprehensive Plan

Source: City of Richardson.

The City of Richardson has published a draft of its long-overdue Comprehensive Plan update, the first since 2009. The initial grade I'd award? Incomplete. I was interested in, for example, what the recommendations would be for increasing the so-called missing middle housing in Richardson, that is, housing types like duplexes, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), bungalow courts, and townhomes. I found some mushy aspirations, but nothing that commits the City to any changes.

Point North...Park?

The City of Richardson has published a draft of its long-overdue Comprehensive Plan update, the first since 2009. My eyes went immediately to how Point North Park is represented in our new plan. Point North Park is in far northwest Richardson, wedged between Canyon Creek and UT-Dallas.

POTD: San Cristóbal Hill

"From the hill’s great height,
her hands open, blessing all,
A promise of peace."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 03 08 Santiago

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the top of San Cristóbal Hill in Santiago, Chile. "On April 26, 1908, the sanctuary of the Immaculate Conception was inaugurated, with its large statue [of the Virgin Mary]. This statue, visible from much of the city, is considered a symbol of Santiago."

A bonus photo is after the jump.

POTD: Catalina Andrea Opazo Martinez

"In Santiago,
Catalina may be gone,
but her spirit lasts."
— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 03 08 Santiago

Today's photo-of-the-day is from central Santiago, Chile. It shows a shrine placed at the site where 17-year-old Catalina Opazo was killed when the car she was traveling in was crushed by two buses. The tragedy occurred on November 12, 2016. Seven years later, the family still maintains the shrine. Thousands of people walk past it every day. Hopefully, more than a few pay their silent respect to this stranger and pledge to drive more safely.

Kaos (TV 2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Kaos (TV 2024): Retelling of Greek mythology set in the modern day. Like the Greek myths, there are too many gods, too many stories. Only Euridice (Aurora Perrineau) stands out. Focus on Zeus's fear of a prophecy foretelling the downfall of his reign on Olympus and in the end it will all come together. B-

Netflix

Bodkin (TV 2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Bodkin (TV 2024): Three podcasters go to a small town in Ireland to investigate a 20-year-old cold case, only to find the case isn't cold at all. Everyone in town seems involved in an ongoing coverup. Too many characters. Too many subplots. Too many crimes. None I ended up caring about. C+

Netflix

His Three Daughters (2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

His Three Daughters (2024): Three sisters gather for a vigil at their dying father's apartment. More like a stage play, with much more dialog than action. The sisters talk out their lifetime of sibling rivalries until, maybe more through exhaustion than consensus, they reach an accord. B+

Netflix

"Resolved" Doesn't Mean What They Think It Does

Steven King's "IT", not my alley. IJS.

Driving home Saturday night, I noticed that a grate on a storm drain in the alley was out of place, leaving a potentially dangerous surprise for an unsuspecting driver. But...another neighbor had already taken action, moving an orange traffic cone from a nearby construction site over to the missing grate. Thank you to a good neighbor. Immediate danger addressed, I filed an issue on the MyRichardson app.

POTD: Singapore from On High

"Night falls, city hums.
Skyline sparkles in the dark.
Dinner in the sky."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2023 12 24 Singapore

Today's photo-of-the-day is from a restaurant on the roof of the Marina Bay Sands resort in Singapore. If offers a stunning view of Singapore at night in all directions. Singapore was our family's destination for Christmas, 2023.

Click for a bonus photo.

POTD: Lotus on Water at Marina Bay

"Skyscrapers reach high,
Lotus floats in calm repose,
Balance in the bay."
— h/t ChatGPT

From 2023 12 24 Singapore

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the lotus pond at the Marina Bay Sands Resort in Singapore. The growing skyline of Singapore is the backdrop. Singapore was our family's choice of destination for Christmas, 2023.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024): Generations later, apes rule and humans have lost their ability to speak (but not the humans in this movie for some reason). The ape world is split and our hero sets out on a quest to restore his clan's freedom from a rising dictator. Only in the last few minutes does the key question get asked, Can humans and apes ever get along? C-

Hulu

Manhunt (TV 2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Manhunt (TV 2024): Historical drama. Fans of true-crime and detective stories will love it. So too will amateur historians who study events that change history. More than just the story of John Wilkes Booth, it's a story of America's reckoning with slavery, Civil War, and an aborted Reconstruction that we live with to this day. B+

AppleTV+

Random Thoughts: You Could Have Seen This Day Coming 14 Years Ago

2024-09-06: You maybe could have seen this day coming fourteen years ago when his son was born and he named him "Colt."
cbsnews.com/news/georgia-scho...