POTD: Chicón

From 2019 08 18 Sacred Valley, Peru

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Sacred Valley in Peru. It's a highway overlook, showing Chicón, an 18,140 ft high mountain peak of the Andes Mountains.

Bonus photo after the jump.

POTD: Chinchero Woman

From 2019 08 18 Sacred Valley, Peru

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Chinchero in southern Peru.

Bonus photo after the jump.

Bombshell (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

Bombshell (2019): Dramatization of sexual harrassment at Fox News. Gretchen Carlson and Megyn Kelly bring down Roger Ailes. Movie builds tension as stakes grow. For me it's not a satisfactory ending. Fox News is still #1 and the harrasser-in-chief is more powerful than ever. B+

Richardson City Council Goals - Part 3

The Richardson City Council recently decided on the City's 2019-2021 Statement of Goals. There's so much to say, this blog post comes in three parts. Part 1 covered the process. Part 2 covered the (in)significant changes from last year. Today, I close with my biggest disappointment.

Richardson City Council Goals - Part 2

The Richardson City Council recently decided on the City's 2019-2021 Statement of Goals. There's so much to say that this blog post comes in three parts. Part 1 covered the process. In part 2, I cover the (in)significant changes since last year's goals. Tomorrow I'll close with my biggest disappointment.

Richardson City Council Goals - Part 1

The Richardson City Council recently decided on the City's 2019-2021 Statement of Goals. There's so much to say about it. Where to start? Let's break this blog post into three parts, starting easy, with process. I'll move on to covering the (in)significant changes from last year, then close with my biggest disappointment.

POTD: Toritos de Pucará

From 2019 08 18 Sacred Valley, Peru

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Chinchero in the Sacred Valley in Peru. It shows two clay Pucara Bulls on a rooftop. It could be any of countless rooftops in central and southern Peru. The two bulls are placed on the roof when a new house is completed, a promise of protection, happiness, and fertility within.

POTD: Llama, Llama, Llama

From 2019 08 18 Sacred Valley, Peru

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Sacred Valley in the Andes Mountains of Peru. You know what that means. Llamas. If this photo doesn't get you excited about that, maybe the Llama Song will.

Cats (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

Cats (2019): The costumes/makeup/CGI is distracting. The comic relief doesn't work (dancing cockroaches?). The plot is thin. But so? Cats is what it is, a musical made from a book of poetry about cats. It's always been about the singing and dancing. Critics hate it. I like it. B+

The Two Popes (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Two Popes (2019): Conversations between Benedict and Francis when Benedict decided to retire. Two very different men, with different philosophies, portrayed by two great actors. Only action comes from flashbacks to Francis's early career, which deserve their own movie. B+

Random Thoughts: Big Ten Football in the Snow

Tweets from December, 2019:

• 2019-12-01: Big Ten football in the snow. Wisconsin gets Paul Bunyan's Axe, clinches Big Ten West championship and a place in the Big Ten title game.
• 2019-12-01: The Irishman (2019): Scorsese directs De Niro, Pacino, Pesci (that's all you need) in a 3.5 hour intimate epic (there can be such a thing) about the mob and the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. A disapproving look from De Niro's daughter, just a look, supplies the morality. A-
• 2019-12-03: Ford v Ferrari (2019): A sports movie. A good one, but still. Predictable plot. Two-dimensional characters. Clichéd dialog. The guys from Ford are supposed to be the good guys, but I found myself cheering for the "wops" from Ferrari. Good performance by Christian Bale. B-
• 2019-12-06: The Sixth Extinction: Global warming, ocean acidification, crop and animal disease, poor land use patterns, all are involved in extinctions rivaling the death of the dinosaurs. Why don't we act? If anything, this book is not alarmist enough. B-

After the jump, more idle thoughts.

Uncut Gems (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

Uncut Gems (2019): Fast-talking gem dealer is a compulsive gambler whose debts spiral out of control. Shouting, bullying, foul language, and manic intensity from start to finish. Like watching a pot boil over. Adam Sandler is great and atones for every bad movie he ever made. A-

Little Women (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

Little Women (2019): Clever meta-adaptation of the classic novel. If you are unfamiliar with it, the many characters and arcs and jumps in timeline will be challenging to follow. But by the end, it all comes together. Great acting all around but Saoirse Ronan excels. A-

POTD: Bajada de los Baños

From 2019 08 17 Lima, Peru

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Bajada de los Baños neighborhood in the Barranco District of Lima, Peru. It's a narrow pathway down from the city to the sea, today lined with restaurants and amazing street art.

Bonus photo after the jump.

POTD: Pageant Queen

From 2019 08 17 Lima, Peru

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Bajada de los Baños neighborhood in the Barranco District of Lima, Peru. The district provides beautiful backdrops for beautiful women to be photographed beautifully.

Bonus photo after the jump.

POTD: Mujeres

From 2019 08 17 Lima, Peru

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Bajada de los Baños neighborhood in the Barranco District of Lima, Peru. It's a narrow pathway down from the city to the sea, today lined with restaurants and amazing street art. It's a must-visit scene in Lima.

Bonus photo after the jump.

POTD: Vermillion Flycatcher

From 2019 08 17 Lima, Peru

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Lima, Peru. It shows a Vermillion Flycatcher perched on a, well, I'm not positive what kind of tree this is. Can anyone help?

Vitruvian Lights 2019

Merry Christmas from Vitruvian Lights in Addison, Texas.

More photos after the jump.

POTD: Lima Street Art

From 2019 08 17 Lima, Peru

Today's photo-of-the-day is from a city street in Lima, Peru.

POTD: Breastplate in Museo Larco

From 2019 08 17 Lima, Peru

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Museo Larco in Lima, Peru. It shows a pre-Columbian turquoise and clay breastplate.

The Aeronauts (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Aeronauts (2019): Account of a record-setting balloon ascent in 1862. Not a documentary, not a biopic, not even a very good drama. Story arc is entirely predictable. But still, it gives some idea of a time of life-risking scientific exploration mostly forgotten today. B-

POTD: Sala Erótica del Museo Larco

From 2019 08 17 Lima, Peru

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Museo Larco in Lima, Peru. It shows a pre-Columbian pottery piece from the Sala Erótica. It's one of the tamer pieces in this gallery. Enough said.

POTD: Lima Hillside

From 2019 08 17 Lima, Peru

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Lima, Peru. It shows a residential neighborhood far from the city center. There are countless stories here, waiting to be told. Unfortunately, I don't know any of them, so all I can offer is an enticing photo.

POTD: Lonely Isolation

From 2019 08 17 Lima, Peru

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Pachacamac, an archaeological site outside Lima, Peru. For 1,500 years it flourished with a large population and 1,500 acres of pyramids, temples, palaces, government buildings, and residences. Today it stands in magnificent isolation, desert all around except to the west, where the Pacific Ocean stretches out seemingly without end.

Bonus photo after the jump.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019): Love letter to a grand old house and one man's search for roots, family, friends, and belonging. Story avoids predictable paths. Characters surprise in their resistance to stereotypes. Except for the whites. B+

POTD: Pachacamac

From 2019 08 17 Lima, Peru

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Pachacamac, an archaeological site outside Lima, Peru. The site dates from about 200 A.D. The pyramid shown probably dates to about 1400, just prior to the Inca conquest of Peru. The whole site flourished until the Spanish conquest in the 1500s.

Bonus photo after the jump.

Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019): 28-yr-old, not very likable woman with low self-esteem decides to train for a marathon to get in shape. Totally predictable plot, starting with the title. Only very occasional laughs. Still it could be inspirational for the right audience. C+