State Farm Accident in the Making

Along with the three office towers, KDC's initial phase of the mixed-use development includes 1,000 multi-family residential units, an 150-room select service hotel, a health clinic and fitness facility, a specialty anchored grocery store and more than 75,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space.

Source: DBJ Confidential.

After the jump, why this is all so damned depressing.

Wait List for Packers Tickets Shrinks

Being an NFL team owner brings a responsibility to keep an eye on operations, so our trip to Wisconsin included a visit to Lambeau Field to check up on construction activity. Lambeau Field is adding 6,000 new seats to bring the total to 77,000, still not quite enough to hold the whole 106,000 population of Green Bay. The expansion means that about 5,000 people on the wait list, all of them waiting for at least 30 years, will finally get the opportunity to buy season tickets. Inside the stadium, those new decks in the south end zone will be hard to miss. Outside the stadium, the big new scoreboard is hard to miss. Approaching Green Bay from the south on US Highway 41, the big "G" on the back of the scoreboard is visible from miles away. Construction is expected to be complete this month, in time for the 2013 season. Go Pack!

OTBR: A Mill on a Pond in the Czech Republic

Latitude: N 49° 10.146
Longitude: E 015° 25.086

A child on a road trip with his family asks, "Where are we?" and the father answers, "Let's check the map. We're off the blue roads [the Interstate Highways marked in blue on the road atlas]. We're off the red roads [the US and state highways]. We're off the black roads [the county highways]. I think we're off the map altogether." It was always my dream to be off the map altogether.

After the jump, a few of the random places (and I mean random literally) that I visited vicariously last month that are "off the blue roads".

S2L77: Lahore, Pakistan

Lahore, Pakistan
March 15, 1977

Srinigar to Jammu. 200 miles. Nine hours. Delays due to army trucks blocking narrow mountain roads.
Jammu to India/Pakistan border. Three hours at the border.

Source: Personal travel notes.

From the Heaven on earth that is the Vale of Kashmir, it was back to the hot, dusty plains of the Punjab, across the India/Pakistan border (crossing took three hours, a sign of trouble in the region), and on to Punjab's largest city, Lahore, home to millions. Like much of northern India, Mughal architecture dominates tourism, from the ubiquitous Red Fort to the tomb of Mughal Emperor Jehangir to the gigantic Badshahi Mosque.

From 1977 03 17 Pakistan

More after the jump.

The Glorious Fourth

From 2012 07 04 Breckinridge

Richardson's Family 4th Celebration 2012
Photos from 2012's celebration can be viewed on Google Photos.

Django Unchained (2012)

IMDB

Django Unchained (2012): Quintessential Tarantino. Over the top, exaggerated violence, cartoonish spaghetti Western with an attitude. B+

Repeat Tweets: Reward Good Trustees, Voters

Repeat tweets from June, 2013:

• 1 Jun 2013: MT @aviselk: "Irving ISD has private investigator looking into board President." Richardson ISD is well run. Reward good trustees, voters.
  
• 1 Jun 2013: Silver Linings Playbook (2012): Bipolar patient meets flipped out young widow. Somehow it works. Uncomfortable with a happy ending. B+
  
• 2 Jun 2013: Overheard: "I keep asking when they are going to hire a qualified person to run the Dyslexia program." And school board candidates. ;-)
  
• 2 Jun 2013: "We were put here on earth to help others. I'm not sure what others were put here for." -- W.H. Auden
  
• 2 Jun 2013: RT @SenTedCruz: "Obama Admin is using machinery of govt to target political enemies." Who needs evidence? Darrell Issa's "gut" is enough.
  
• 2 Jun 2013: Unfortunate choice of headline: "One-legged torso found floating in Venice lagoon has authorities stumped."
  

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

Looking in the Kitchens of Richardson Restaurants

Did you know the City of Richardson's Health Department publishes restaurant inspection scores? Not on the front door of the restaurant, that's for sure (the city doesn't require restaurants to post them). Not on the city's "Dine Smart, Dine Local" promotional emails or website (the city doesn't include inspection scores with the tons of other information they helpfully provide on each restaurant).

The last time I looked at how the city handled this, I wasn't impressed. Hunting through the city's isolated restaurant inspection score website is the only way to find out what the health inspector thinks of your favorite restaurant's kitchen.

After the jump, technology comes to the rescue. If Richardson opens up its database, that is.

S2L77: Srinigar, Kashmir Valley

Srinigar, Kashmir
March 12, 1977

Staying on the houseboat Babar -- living in luxury, lounge room, dining room, bedrooms with private baths, roof deck, servants. Evening boat ride on Dal Lake!

The next afternoon a three and a half hour shikara boat ride to the Mughal gardens.

Trip to Gulmarg. Horse ride up to snow fields.

Source: Personal travel notes.

From 1977 03 02 India

The Vale of Kashmir is sometimes called Heaven on Earth for its natural beauty. Kashmir has lakes and snow-capped mountains, making it a prime vacation spot and a welcome break after my travels through the hot, dusty plains of northern India. We stayed on luxurious houseboats on Dal Lake.

More after the jump.

Mother (2009)

IMDB

Mother (2009): Korean murder mystery. Mother desperately seeks to clear her mentally challenged son. Tense, tragic, heart-breaking. B-