Saturday, July 5, 2025

POTD: Watching the World Go By

"In a rear courtyard,
Smoking grandmother keeps watch,
While clothes dry on line."


— h/t ChatGPT
From 2024 09 08 Dubrovnik

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Dubrovnik, Croatia. Dubrovnik is heavily touristed, but as this photo shows, there are still locals behind the walls who make Dubrovnik their home.

A bonus photo is after the jump.

Friday, July 4, 2025

POTD: Dubrovnik Rebuilt

"Dubrovnik stands proud,
A jewel cupped by the coast—
Stone walls kiss the sea."


— h/t ChatGPT
From 2024 09 08 Dubrovnik

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Dubrovnik, Croatia. Dubrovnik is a walled city on the Adriatic coast. You can explore the city on foot. You can walk the walls that surround the city. Dubrovnik is a gem from any angle.

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

The Worst Places to Eat in Richardson Last Month

Restaurant Scores
Graphic by City of Richardson.

The City of Richardson is rightly regarded as having some of the best, most diverse, dining options in north Texas ("Eat & Drink"). But that doesn't mean every restaurant in Richardson exceeds in every measure. Here is a list of the ten worst places to eat in Richardson last month, based on the City of Richardson's Health Department Restaurant Scores for last month. Not all Richardson restaurants are included in this ranking. Each month, different restaurants are visited by the Health Department. Only those visited last month are ranked here. Only the bottom ten are shown*.

* This month, thirteen restaurants are listed. Five restaurants tied for ninth place with a score of 81, which is objectively good.

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Random Thoughts: US Marines invading Los Angeles

Mastodon

2025-06-10: US Marines invading Los Angeles shows the folly of 2nd Amendment supporters saying it's needed to oppose government oppression. It's tragic how many school kids have given their lives for a theory of the 2nd Amendment that's proven to be a fiction all along.

Monday, June 30, 2025

September 5 (2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes

September 5 (2024): Dramatization of ABC Sports' coverage of the terror attack in Munich at the 1972 Olympics. Not the story of the murdered Israeli athletes or the Black September terrorists, but the ABC broadcast team who never expected to be in this role. That's probably the 3rd most interesting story. B-

On airplane

Sunday, June 29, 2025

POTD: Will You Marry Me?

"He said, 'Let’s elope.'
She laughed, 'We’re already here.'
Mountains held their breath."


— h/t ChatGPT
From 2024 09 07 Korto

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Kortor, Montenegro. "The old Mediterranean port of Kotor is surrounded by fortifications built during the Venetian period. It is located on the Bay of Kotor, one of the most indented parts of the Adriatic Sea. Some have called it the southernmost fjord in Europe, but it is a ria, a submerged river canyon."

But that's not what you came to read about. Today's photo-of-the-day is a photo of a bride. I like taking photos of brides who I don't know. Sometimes you can make up a story about them.

A bonus photo is after the jump.

Saturday, June 28, 2025

POTD: Corfu

"Here, history sighs
not in ruins, but in life.
Corfu ever thrives."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 09 06 Corfu

Today's photo-of-the-day is of Corfu, Greece. "The ancient city of Corfu, known as Korkyra, took part in the Battle of Sybota which was a catalyst for the Peloponnesian War, and, according to Thucydides, the largest naval battle between Greek city states until that time. Thucydides also reports that Korkyra was one of the three great naval powers of fifth-century-BC Greece, along with Athens and Corinth.

"Medieval castles punctuating strategic locations across the city are a legacy of struggles in the Middle Ages against invasions by pirates and the Ottomans. The city has become known since the Middle Ages as Kastropolis (Castle City) because of its two castles.

"From 1386 to 1797, Corfu was ruled by Venetian nobility; much of the city reflects this era when the island belonged to the Republic of Venice, with multi-storied buildings on narrow lanes. The Old Town of Corfu has clear Venetian influence. The city was subjected to four notable sieges in 1537, 1571, 1573 and 1716, in which the strength of the city defenses asserted itself time after time, mainly because of the effectiveness of the powerful Venetian fortifications. Writer Will Durant claimed that Corfu owed to the Republic of Venice the fact that it was the only part of Greece never conquered by the Ottomans"

Needless to say, with that history, Corfu offers a blend of surprises around every corner.

Friday, June 27, 2025

POTD: Olympia

"No marble remains,
yet a stride can still be felt.
The race never ends."


— h/t ChatGPT
From 2024 09 05 Olympia

Today's photo-of-the-day is of the ancient stadium in Olympia, Greece, "where the ancient Olympic Games were held every four years throughout classical antiquity, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD." There's not much left of the stadium except the bowl itself. After the jump is a bonus photo of a modern athlete demonstrating how heroes are made.

A bonus photo is after the jump.

Monday, June 23, 2025

The Residence (TV 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes

The Residence (TV 2025): A fun whodunnit in the White House during a State dinner with a large cast of suspects. The eccentric Detective Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba) is the standout character in this overstuffed murder mystery. A-

Netflix

Sunday, June 22, 2025

POTD: Santorini Blue

"Domes of quiet faith,
curved against the cobalt sea.
Santorini blue."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 09 04 Santorini

Today's photo-of-the-day is the classic view of Santorini, "the largest island of a small, circular archipelago formed by the Santorini caldera." The city clings precariously to the rim of an ancient volcano. "One of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history struck the island about 3,600 years ago, leaving a large water-filled caldera surrounded by deep volcanic ash deposits." Today, it's a Greek paradise in the Aegean Sea.