An Ad that Didn't Age Well

Younger readers may need an explanation. It used to be that to make a long-distance telephone call, you'd have to use an operator. (And if you're too young even to know what long-distance means, or what an operator is, use Google.) It was an exciting innovation when direct long-distance dialing was introduced. In the UK and Australia, the feature was called "subscriber trunk dialing," abbreviated STD. STD was still a big thing in telephone service when this ad appeared in Australia in 1976. Now you know. Hopefully, I don't have to explain the other meaning of STD.

The Time to Travel is NOW

This article was originally published in "Richardson Living" magazine. Read it on that website or read it here. Or read it in print. In mail boxes now.

I don't want to talk about why you should travel. If the delight of seeing new places, undertaking new adventures, meeting new people and cultures and, in the process, learning more about yourself, if that doesn't appeal to you, well, turn the page. For those of you who are still with me, let me tell you why the time to travel is NOW.

Young and Just Starting Out

"I always knew that you would take yourself far from home
As soon as, as far as you could go."
— 10,000 Maniacs

POTD: House Hunting in Uglich

From 2018 08 19 Uglich

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Uglich, Russia. It shows a representative house of the area. The owner is a school teacher who likes gardening — flowers and vegetables.

A look inside the house is after the jump.

POTD: Grace

From 2018 08 19 Uglich

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Uglich, Russia. The church is the Church of the Transfiguration, which dates to the early 1700s, replacing an earlier church on the same site that dated to the 1400s. Uglich itself dates back a thousand years. History is rich here. In 1591, according to Advantour, the original church's "bell ringer announced the death of Tsarevich Dmitry to the Uglich people by a peal of bell. Later this ill-fated bell, which brought bad news, was given a flogging with a whip just like humans and, like a criminal, exiled to Siberia."

POTD: Church of Tsarevich Dimitri On the Blood

From 2018 08 19 Uglich

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Uglich, Russia. The church was built on the spot of the murder of Tsarevich Dmitry. According to Advantour, "On May 15, 1591, young Tsarevich Dmitry, the last heir of Ivan the Terrible, died in mysterious circumstances. The chronicles of the Time of Troubles are full of gloomy stories about the death of the tsarevich, but the real causes of death of the last Rurik has never been found out. However, the most popular version was a cold-blooded murder, allegedly plotted by Boris Godunov, the pretender to the throne. This version was so well known and argued, that later on it provided the basis for the famous historical play 'Boris Godunov' by Alexander Pushkin."

POTD: Sunset on the Volga

From 2018 08 18 Yaroslavl

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Volga River near Yaroslavl, Russia. No history lesson today. It's just a pretty picture.

My First Car

The photo shows me being presented with the keys to my first car, a 1958 DeSoto Firemite. It's a 3/8 scale car with a polystyrene plastic body, whitewall tires, a gasoline engine, and battery-operated headlights, taillights and horn.

Yes, there's a story behind it. In 1958, Chrysler Corporation dealers were promoting their new cars. When my Uncle Floyd bought his 1958 DeSoto station wagon, Winnebagoland Motors held a "Family Days Car Jamboree" contest for new owners. Floyd entered the name of his six-year-old nephew, me. I was lucky enough to win a new car. I've never had quite that same smile on my face since.

Yesterday (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

Yesterday (2019): Beatles music alone would be worth it, but the whole is a perfect blend of that with a sci-fi premise and a bittersweet love story, with each component leaving you wanting more, as it should be. Comic elements are a bonus. Maybe you have to be a Baby Boomer. A-

Murder Mystery (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

Murder Mystery (2019): Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston in a Netflix movie says all you need to know about this comedy/mystery. The jokes are bad, then explained to the audience ("eggplant donut emoji"). Skip this one and rewatch any version of "Murder on the Orient Express." C-

POTD: Yaroslavl Festival

From 2018 08 18 Yaroslavl

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Yaroslavl, Russia, located on a strategic bluff overlooking the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl Rivers. Yaroslavl celebrated its 1000th anniversary in 2010. Another celebration is underway in this photo.

Idle Thoughts: Only One Item on the Ballot

Tweets from June, 2019:

• 2019-06-03: There is only one item on the ballot and there is no line. It shouldn't take a half hour to vote. But then you might not know who I went to vote with.
• 2019-06-06: Rocketman (2019): Less a concert movie than a study in the personal demons that drove Elton John to rehab. A couple of big Broadway song and dance numbers adds to the patchwork quality. Would have preferred more concert footage. A good behind-the-scenes look at a genius. B+
• 2019-06-07: Ma (2019): Psychological thriller with Octavia Spencer as the psychopath. Builds slowly to a climax that borders on torture porn. Spencer's performance should make a big impression on a younger generation of movie-goers, who might learn to be nicer to their classmates. C+

After the jump, more idle thoughts.

Sears Redevelopment

Social media has a long thread about the meeting last week at the Richardson Civic Center about the Richardson Square Sears site. Everyone was drooling about the names of the potential tenants that the developer dropped as bait, among them Trader Joe's and Sprouts (he's good at public relations). Correction: there was one naysayer, but even he cared only about the tenants: "I say NO! to Jersey Mike's. I hate their sandwiches, 70% bread."

MIB International (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

MIB International (2019): There's no reason to make this sequel but if you liked the first three, you might like this one. Tessa Thompson (best) plays a spirited new hire to MIB. Chris Hemsworth (worst) plays a goof-off. Kumail Nanjiani (cute, fun) is here mainly to sell toys. C+

POTD: Assumption Cathedral and Eternal Flame

From 2018 08 18 Yaroslavl

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Yaroslavl, Russia, one of the Golden Ring cities northeast of Moscow. In the background is Assumption Cathedral, rebuilt in 2010 after the original was destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1937. But it's the eternal flame in the foreground that strikes me most. Russia suffered unimaginable losses during World War II. Estimates of the dead, military and civilian, are 20 million people, or even higher.

Bonus photos after the jump.

Frisco's 2,500-acre Fields Development

According to Steve Brown of The Dallas Morning News, "Frisco officials have gotten a first look at plans for the city's biggest pending development, the more than 2,500-acre Fields development on the Dallas North Tollway...The massive development will have more than 10,000 homes and up to 18 million square feet of commercial space."

Late Night (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

Late Night (2019): Dramedy packed with workplace topics, maybe too many: diversity hiring, being the new hire, sexism, growing old, #MeToo, all centered on a talk show's writers' room. Mindy Kaling brings her deft touch to a straightforward story. Emma Thompson is great. B-