Thursday, October 31, 2024
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
The Pale Blue Eye (2022)
Netflix
#VeryTardyReview
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Conclave (2024)
Monday, October 28, 2024
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:
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.
Sunday, October 27, 2024
POTD: Calafate Smoothie
"After the long day,
Calafate refreshment.
Mountains call me back."
— h/t ChatGPT
From 2023 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.
Saturday, October 26, 2024
POTD: Torres del Paine National Park
"Horns of blue in mist,
Clouds hide the towering peaks,
Knee bends against will."
— h/t ChatGPT
From 2023 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.
Thursday, October 24, 2024
Presumed Innocent (TV 2024)
AppleTV+
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
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.
Monday, October 21, 2024
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.
Sunday, October 20, 2024
POTD: Serrano Glacier. Salud!
"Blue ice, ages old,
chilled hands hold a frozen past,
soon to cool our drinks."
— h/t ChatGPT
From 2023 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.
Saturday, October 19, 2024
POTD: Puerto Natales, Chile
"Southward, dreams unfold,
Patagonia's heart revealed,
One step closer now."
— h/t ChatGPT
From 2023 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.
Thursday, October 17, 2024
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?
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Feud: Capote vs. The Swans (TV 2024)
Hulu
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
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.
Monday, October 14, 2024
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.
Sunday, October 13, 2024
POTD: San Cristóbal Hill
"From the hill’s great height,
her hands open, blessing all,
A promise of peace."
— h/t ChatGPT
From 2023 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.
Saturday, October 12, 2024
POTD: Catalina Andrea Opazo Martinez
"In Santiago,
Catalina may be gone,
but her spirit lasts."
— h/t ChatGPT
From 2023 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.
Thursday, October 10, 2024
Kaos (TV 2024)
Netflix
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
Bodkin (TV 2024)
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
His Three Daughters (2024)
Monday, October 7, 2024
"Resolved" Doesn't Mean What They Think It Does
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.
Sunday, October 6, 2024
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.
Saturday, October 5, 2024
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.
Thursday, October 3, 2024
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)
Hulu
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Manhunt (TV 2024)
AppleTV+
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
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...