Greatest Political Comeback

Jim Jordan: "This election was the greatest political comeback we've ever seen."

Well, maybe not. Nixon's win in 1968 was arguably bigger after Nixon's defeat in 1962 and pledge to the press, "You don't have Nixon to kick around any more, because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference." Biggest comeback and, later, biggest eventual collapse. Maybe something still to look forward to.

The Forest Was Shrinking

"The forest was shrinking
but the trees kept voting for the axe.
Because his handle was made of wood,
he convinced them he was one of them.”
— Turkish Proverb

POTD: The World's Most Beautiful Bookstore

"Readers in box seats.
Books fill up the former stalls.
Cafe on the stage."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 03 14 Argentina Patagonia

Today's photo-of-the-day is from The Grand Splendid Athenaeum, a bookstore in Buenos Aires. In 2019, it was named the "world's most beautiful bookstore" by the National Geographic. It gets no argument from me. It's located in a former theater called Teatro Gran Splendid. Customer seating exists in the still-intact theater boxes. A cafe serves food and drinks on the former stage. Over a million people visit annually, including "L" and me. We didn't buy any books (the vast majority are in Spanish), but we did eat lunch. Beautiful.

Another photo after the jump.

POTD: Buenos Aires on Saint Patricks Day

"Beneath city lights,
Buenos Aires sports Kelly Green,
For St. Paddy’s cheer."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 03 14 Argentina Patagonia

Today's photo-of-the-day is the view from our hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Saint Patrick's Day in 2024. Across the street is the most famous Irish Pub in Buenos Aires, The Kilkenny.

After the jump, The Kilkenny.

My Instant Election Analysis

My instant election analysis:

Same Space, Different World

Same Space, Different World, Part a Jillion

Water, Water, Everywhere

"Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink." — Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

The City of Richardson's Holly Water Tower lost all pressure on Thursday, triggering an alert on the City's website, on social media, and elsewhere (we'll come back to that) to boil water before usage. City staff and volunteers quickly moved into action acquiring truckloads of bottled water for distribution to affected residents. All well and good. Triage before post-mortem, you know. There'll be time enough for questions later. First things first. The City is testing water and hopes to have results back Friday, November 8. When it's deemed safe to drink again, the City will spread the word...somehow.

When that day comes, there are some questions that I'd like the City to publish answers for.

November 5th was a Huge Disappointment

November 5 was disappointing, but not a surprise. It's certainly not like 2016, where the result did catch me by surprise. This time, I took a wait-and-see attitude. Two weeks before the election, I told someone struggling to be optimistic that "the most I can offer is what keeps me from despair. The odds are pretty much 50/50. That's not a reason to be optimistic, but it's equally not a reason to be pessimistic."

Now that the results are in, and Donald Trump's win over Kamala Harris is certain, it's time for despair. Hear me out.

Book Review: The Lincoln Highway

From The Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles:

Amazon

"Billy went back to the front pocket of his backpack and took out something that looked like a pamphlet. When he unfolded it on the table, Emmett could see it was a road map of the United States from a Phillips 66. Cutting all the way across the middle of the map was a roadway that had been scored by Billy in black ink. In the western half of the country, the names of nine towns along the route had been circled.
—This is the Lincoln Highway, explained Billy, pointing to the long black line. It was invented in 1912 and was named for Abraham Lincoln and was the very first road to stretch from one end of America to the other."

The Fall Guy (2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Fall Guy (2024): Love story. Crime story. Mostly a star vehicle for Ryan Gosling with a plot full of stunts and blowing things up. It's not very good at any of these things. Emily Blunt gets short-changed. C+

Prime