2024 Eclipse Mini Road Trip

The Diamond Ring. Photo by Amir Omar.

We made a mini road trip to see the 2024 total eclipse of the Sun. This despite our backyard being smack dab in the path of totality. For a week leading up to the eclipse, we anxiously checked the weather forecasts. They were stubbornly pessimistic, predicting rain for the day of the eclipse. But...the National Weather Service said the odds of seeing the eclipse were better the farther northeast of Dallas you were. So, to improve our chances, we planned to drive 100 miles to Paris, Texas, on the morning of the eclipse, then check the forecast and local conditions and decide what to do from there. And so we did.

Wish (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Wish (2023): Disney homage to its own history. Animation and story feel like something from the vault. Not even the music is fresh. The moral—surrendering your dreams for security is a bad exchange—gets lost in a traditional story about an evil villain. C+

Disney+

Charter Review in Dallas

The City of Richardson is due for a Charter Review this year. It's a once-in-a-decade process. Likely, a Charter Review Commission will be formed, including members of the public. It's not too soon for members of the public to start doing homework to ensure the public interest is served. A good place to start looking is at the city to our south. A Dallas Charter Review Commission is in process of gathering and winnowing recommendations for charter amendments for that city. The Dallas Morning News has an update on its progress.

POTD: Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba

"Great Mosque encircles
Cathedral nestled within,
Unity in stone."

—h/t ChatGPT

From 2023 09 10 Cordoba

Today's photo-of-the-day is of the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, officially known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, but due to its status as a former mosque, it is also known as the Great Mosque of Córdoba. Not to take sides, but it's the architecture of the mosque that is impressive here. The cathedral was built inside of the mosque and, big as it is, is completely encircled by the sprawling mosque. Little appreciated fact: Jesus lived his whole life without ever stepping foot inside either a mosque or a cathedral.

A bonus photo of the cathedral inside the mosque is after the jump.

POTD: Royal Alcázar of Seville

"Through centuries past,
Alcázar's splendor endures,
A timeless fortress."
—h/t ChatGPT

From 2023 09 09 Seville

Today's photo-of-the-day is of the Royal Alcázar of Seville, "a historic royal palace in Seville, Spain. It was formerly the site of the Islamic-era citadel of the city, begun in the 10th century and then developed into a larger palace complex by the Abbadid dynasty (11th century) and the Almohads (12th to early 13th centuries). After the Castilian conquest of the city in 1248, the site was progressively rebuilt and replaced by new palaces and gardens." Is it a fort, a castle, a citadel, a palace, a city? Yes. It's a sprawling maze of delights.