Midwinter at the Richardson Civic Center

Brrrr. But just try calling someone in Wisconsin and see what kind of sympathy you get for our cold weather.

S2L77: Venice

From 1977 05 02 Italy

Well out of Asia and deep into Europe, we're moving fast now. A different city every day. Today, it's Venice. Enjoy.

More photos after the jump.

Skyline Women at RHS: Basketball at its Finest

From 2014 02 04 Skyline vs Richardson women

It was the last game of the District 9-5A season. It was also the game of the year. The two teams had a combined district record of 21-1. The outcome would determine the district championship. The crowd was large and boisterous. The players talented and scrappy. It was basketball at its finest.

Three weeks ago, when these same two teams met, the Richardson women's basketball team handed Skyline their first defeat in district play in 134 games. But Tuesday night, in the rematch at the RHS gym, Skyline prevailed 58-52. Richardson lost the game, but still ended up winning a share of the district championship with Skyline, both with 11-1 records. Thanks for the great season, Eagles and Raiders.

More photos after the jump.

CAFR Rebounds

For city finance wonks, Christmas comes twice a year: once in August when the city budget is set and again in February when the city financial audit is published. The budget specifies the city's cash flow (its planned revenues and expenses). The financial audit details the city's assets (the value of city property, bank accounts, etc.) and its liabilities (outstanding debt, pension obligations, etc.).

After the jump, a quick look at this year's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR).

OTBR: Mile-wide Floodplain of the Mississippi

Latitude: N 39° 29.976
Longitude: W 091° 02.382

A child on a road trip with his family asks, "Where are we?" and the father answers, "Let's check the map. We're off the blue roads [the Interstate Highways marked in blue on the road atlas]. We're off the red roads [the US and state highways]. We're off the black roads [the county highways]. I think we're off the map altogether." It was always my dream to be off the map altogether.

After the jump, a few of the random places (and I mean random literally) that I visited vicariously last month that are "off the blue roads".