Monday, May 19, 2025

Charter Review: "We the People"

Artist: John Trumbull.

On May 15, 2025, the Richardson Charter Review Commission completed their review of the Richardson City Charter. Well, almost completed. They still need to come back and review the final drafts of the amendments and formally vote on what they'll submit to the City Council.

After 10 meetings and I don't know how many suggested amendments (we won't know for sure what the number is until the City Attorney packages them up in way to submit to the City Council), the commission finally added one substantive amendment that I consider to be primarily in the public interest, not the commissioners' own interest, not the city council's interest, but in the people's interest. Read all the way to the end to see what it is.

Sunday, May 18, 2025

POTD: Garmo Stave Church

"Timbers soaked with time,
Withstand a thousand winters.
Strong the stave and stone."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 07 Lillehammer

Today's photo-of-the-day shows the Garmo Stave Church in the Maihaugen outdoor museum in Lillehammer, Norway. It "originally came from the village of Garmo in Lom. It was built circa 1150 on the site of a previous church believed to have been built in 1021 by a Viking chieftain. In 1730, it was expanded into a timber cruciform church...It was dissembled and brought to Lillehammer in sections. It was re-erected at Maihaugen in 1920—1921."

Saturday, May 17, 2025

POTD: Turf Roof Above Lillehammer

"Perched where flight begins,
Watching skiers pierce the sky,
Wood and sod stand still."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 07 Lillehammer

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Lillehammer, Norway, site of the 1994 Winter Olympics. At the top of the ski jump stands this turf-roofed house, its firm grounding to the solid earth offering a counterpoint to the soaring skiers nearby.

Friday, May 16, 2025

My Coffee with Alan C. North

Source: RichardsonMayor.com.

It turns out that newly-elected Mayor Amir Omar is not the only candidate who has coffee with voters. This week, mayoral candidate Alan C. North had coffee with me. And now, with his permission, I'm here to answer all your questions.

Thursday, May 15, 2025

The Sandlot (1993)

Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes

The Sandlot (1993): Family-friendly nostalgia from the '90s about growing up playing baseball in a neighborhood sandlot — in 1962, just like I did. A Christmas Story did the nostalgia better. So did TV's The Wonder Years. But this movie comes in a close third. I don't know why it's not better known. B-

Disney+

h/t to Leo for this #VeryTardyReview