Review: Sing, Unburied, Sing

Amazon

From Sing, Unburied, Sing, by Jesmyn Ward:

They perch like birds, but look as people. They speak with their eyes: He raped me and suffocated me until I died I put my hands up and he shot me eight times she locked me in the shed and starved me to death while I listened to my babies playing with her in the yard they came in my cell in the middle of the night and they hung me they found I could read and they dragged me out to the barn and gouged my eyes before they beat me still I was sick and he said I was an abomination and Jesus say suffer little children so let her go and he put me under the water and I couldn’t breathe."

Jesmyn Ward is the winner of two National Book Awards for Fiction: Salvage the Bones (2011, also reviewed here) and Sing, Unburied, Sing (2017). This latest novel is a heart-wrenching story that starts in a bad place, takes us steadily to darker places, and then ends in a kind a truce with death.

Phantom Thread (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes

Phantom Thread (2017): A study in codependency. He's a dress designer, a standoffish fussy genius. She's his model, hopelessly in love. They're cuckoo for each other. Or maybe just cuckoo. Very slow. Very arty. B+

Single Member Districts Coming to RISD

Former Richardson ISD school board trustee David Tyson, Jr., wants to change the RISD's at-large election system. He wants it enough that he has sued the RISD, alleging its at-large election system is a violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. One possible solution (not the only one) is for RISD to adopt single member districts.

POTD: Steampunk the Dickens out of Galveston

From 2017 12 01 Galveston

Today's photo-of-the-day is from December's "Dickens on the Strand" festival in Galveston, Texas. Three clothing styles dominate the Strand during the festival: Victorian fashion, pirate costumes, and steampunk fashion. Oddly, they don't clash; they compliment each other.

Repeat Tweets: Here Lies Mark

Repeat tweets from January, 2018:

• Jan 1 2018: RT @azalben: "How about we use predictive text to write our own epitaphs? Write 'Here lies [YOUR NAME]. [preferred pronoun] was...' and let your phone finish the rest."
  Here lies Mark. He was going to be so awkward.
• Jan 1 2018: RT @EmilyRCWilson: "My Odyssey translation is ... $3.99 RIGHT NOW ON KINDLE."
  If your New Year resolutions involve supporting scholarship in the humanities, this is a no-brainer (and they should, d'oh).
• Jan 1 2018: RT @jaketapper: "Trump's first 2018 tweet: Pakistan has 'given us nothing but lies & deceit'".
  Trump is a textbook case of psychological projection.

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

POTD: Ice Bar

From 2017 12 01 Galveston

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Ice Bar in Ice Land at Moody Gardens in Galveston. The temperature is kept at 9 degrees Fahrenheit. The tables and chairs are made of ice. Cold hands. Warm heart.

Bonus photo after the jump.

Personal Shopper (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes

Personal Shopper (2017): Three movies in one. Ghost story that doesn't go anywhere. Crime thriller that comes and goes quickly. And a study in grief that maybe explains all the rest (or not). Kristen Stewart's portrayal of grief is the best thing here. D+

I Married into Royalty

What do Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton, and I have in common? Quit sniggering. The answer? We all married (or are engaged to marry) into the British royal family. Again, quit sniggering. I'm serious. Kate Middleton married Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. Meghan Markle is engaged to Harry, Prince Henry of Wales. And I, of course, am married to Ellen, princess/duchess something/something, ...well, read on.

POTD: Pirates of the Gulf

From 2017 12 01 Galveston

Today's photo-of-the-day is from December's "Dickens on the Strand" festival in Galveston, Texas. Three clothing styles dominate the Strand during the festival: Victorian fashion (as expected), steampunk fashion, and pirate costumes. Oddly, they don't clash; they compliment each other.

Oscar Snubs and Surprises

Oscar nominations were announced January 23, 2018, and as usual there were some snubs and surprises. I happened to see more than my usual number of movies this year before the Oscars are handed out on March 4, so naturally I have some strong opinions.

The B-Side (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes

The B-Side (2017): Documentary of 20x24 Polaroid portrait photographer Elsa Dorfman. Elsa is mildly interesting but movie needs more info on her absolutely amazing large-format camera that makes giant, instant, high-detail prints. C+

POTD: The Merrie Mary Show

From 2017 12 01 Galveston

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Strand in Galveston. Comedic acrobat Mary Evanoff is the star of the Merrie Mary Show, juggling while balancing on her Evanoff Pole held on the shoulders of two volunteers from her audience.

Bonus photo after the jump.

Sharing is Good

Everyone is getting riled up over the sight of bicycles left out in public. They're everywhere. They're an eyesore. They're a nuisance. I'm late to this hate rally, but my hope is that after everyone vents, the bikes are still there. I'm with Krista Nightengale:

I'm not bothered by the brightly colored bikes lining our sidewalks. And when I see one that has fallen down? I pick it up.

Source: Krista Nightengale.

POTD: Votes for Women

From 2017 12 01 Galveston

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Strand in Galveston. Women campaigned for decades to get states to recognize their right to vote. Voting is precious. The deadline to vote in the March primaries in Texas is Monday, February 5, 2018. Register and vote.

The Post (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Post (2017): The decision that made Kay Graham and her Washington Post an icon for freedom of the press. An important movie for our threatened times. A fine drama, even thrilling for at heart a legal drama. Streep and Hanks? Very good but no Oscars this year. A-

Governor Doesn't Know Best

I recently saw a link to a page on Texas Governor Greg Abbott's personal campaign website, along with the endorsement, "I'm starting to like this guy..." I clicked on the link hoping to find proposals for how local governments are supposed to fund local needs -- you know, things like education for special needs, relief of overcrowded classrooms, giving teachers raises, repaving our streets and alleys, keeping swimming pools open, etc. But it turns out that those aren't the problems Governor Abbott cares about. And he certainly isn't interested in working with local government in coming up with solutions.

POTD: Beer Here

From 2017 12 01 Galveston

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Strand in Galveston.

I, Tonya (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes

I, Tonya (2017): Comedy? Tragedy? Exposé? Mockumentary? What? Everyone in this movie is abusive or an idiot...or both. Movie lets viewers decide whether Tonya was a victim or another abusive idiot. Great performances by Margot Robbie and Allison Janney. B+

POTD: A Portrait of the Artist

From 2017 12 01 Galveston

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Strand in Galveston.

Neighborhood Schools, Segregated Schools

Two societal values are in conflict when it comes to school attendance boundaries. On the one hand, parents want their children to attend their neighborhood school. On the other hand, schools segregated by race are considered harmful to society.

Courts allow school districts to take demographic information into consideration when drawing school attendance zones. But because the concept of the neighborhood school is so strong, school districts tend to shy away from using that power. A common result is schools that reflect neighborhood segregation.

Neighborhoods in the Richardson ISD range from almost all white to almost all minority, with everything in between. How do the schools in those neighborhoods compare with their surrounding neighborhoods?

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (TV 2017)

Rotten Tomatoes

Marvelous Mrs Maisel (TV 2017): Energetic, witty, privileged stay-at-home mom struggles to break free of 1950s conventions. Greenwich Village's beatnik/stand-up comedy scene is her opportunity. Rachel Brosnahan is a delight, supported by Alex Boorstein. A-

Why Teach Music...and Mathematics

I'm not musical. I never played an instrument. My choir classes ended in eighth grade. My music appreciation class in ninth grade gave me my lowest grade in my whole high school career. Yet, I've come to appreciate a musical education for all the reasons given in the Facebook post below.

Darkest Hour (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes

Darkest Hour (2017): Good depiction of the free world on the brink. Great acting by Gary Oldman. Good history allows a new generation to see current events in a new light. Unexpected thought: could Donald Trump be our era's Winston Churchill? A-

OTBR: The New Virginia Avenue Tunnel

Latitude: N 38° 52.710
Longitude: W 076° 59.694
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 (not actually) last month that are "off the blue roads".

Vote for Change

Have you ever noticed how education professionals (school boards, adminstrators, teachers, etc.) have historically taken a low profile on election day, but then caravan to Austin when the legislature opens? Have you thought like me that this is backwards? That laws and regulations and policies helpful to public education are decided in the voting booth, not afterwards? In these early days of 2018, I'm hopeful that this is changing.

Raw (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes

Raw (2017): French. Vegetarian gets a taste for meat in first year in vet school. Bloody. Violent. Lurid. But yet...you feel for our girl. It's not her fault. Worst. School. Ever. B-

Downsizing (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes

Downsizing (2017): Interesting concept bogged down by not-so-interesting treatment of global inequality, climate change, and threat of human extinction. Cut Matt Damon. Cut subplot with Christoph Waltz. Give Waltz the lead. Or Hong Chau, who steals the movie. C+

Idle Thoughts: Cognitive Dissonance

Idle thoughts from December, 2017:

• Dec 2 2017: Cognitive dissonance is being at Dickens on the Strand listening to youth band with 15 bagpipes playing Camptown Races.
• Dec 2 2017: Pete Sessions is pleased with a massive tax hike on the middle class to pay for a massive tax cut for the 1%. I look forward to voting him out in 2018.
• Dec 2 2017: RT @NumbersMuncher: "From a year ago, but point remains: Ted Cruz propped up Trump during the primaries because he desperately wanted Trump's supporters. Ted Cruz is the worst."
  Ted Cruz is the worst...and not just for his cynical support for Trump in the early 2016 primaries.
• Dec 2 2017: RT @TASBGR: "Behind Oklahoma, Texas Has Made Deepest Cuts To State Education Funding In Past Decade."
  Don't let Villalba or Button or even Koop claim to support education without complaining about this to high heaven.

After the jump, more idle thoughts.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017): "If they blow you up one day, you'll blow them up the next. It's just business." The gist of any Star Wars movie, including this one. With jokes, the gap between Star Wars and Spaceballs lessens with each movie. C-

POTD: Street Musicians in Galveston

From 2017 12 01 Galveston

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Strand in Galveston, Texas, site of the annual Dickens on the Strand festival. Child labor laws may have been non-existent in Dickens's day, but even in our own day, after listening to these street urchins perform for tips, all I can say is, "Please, sir, I want some more."

The Sense of An Ending (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Sense of An Ending (2017): Discovery of old diary forces man to investigate and confront his repressed memories. Wrongs were done, but just what were they? A touch of mystery to this watchable quiet character study. B-

Compare with the book, reviewed here in 2012.

POTD: Santa Rests

From 2017 12 01 Galveston

God Rest You Merry, Santa Claus. Today's photo-of-the-day is from a curb along the Strand in Galveston, Texas. Although this photo was taken in early December, it seems appropriate for the day after Christmas. After a busy day delivering presents, Santa deserves a vacation somewhere it's warm, right? Maybe even give him a beer.

POTD: Merry Christmas from the Strand

From 2017 12 01 Galveston

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Saengerfest Park on the Strand in Galveston. Good health is the best Christmas present of all.

Bonus photo after the jump.

POTD: Merry Christmas from Galveston Beach

From 2017 12 01 Galveston

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the beach in Galveston, Texas. I picked up a small seashell for "L" to add to the souvenirs she keeps in her jacket pocket. It joins another tiny shell from Hermosa Beach in Los Angeles and a bead that "L" was given in Mumbai along the jetty by the Gateway of India. An old man approached "L" and held out his hand offering something. She naturally opened her own hand to receive what he offered after which he motioned for a donation. For a few rupees, "L" ended up with a souvenir tucked away forever in the pocket of her jacket. Her jacket spends most of the year put away in her closet at home, but when the weather turns cold and she puts it on, the forgotten surprises she finds in the pockets are pleasant memories of places worlds away.

Another photo after the jump.

Review: How the Mind Works

Amazon

From How the Mind Works, by Steven Pinker:

The complex structure of the mind is the subject of this book. Its key idea can be captured in a sentence: The mind is a system of organs of computation, designed by natural selection to solve the kinds of problems our ancestors faced in their foraging way of life, in particular, understanding and outmaneuvering objects, animals, plants, and other people."

That's the gist of this 20-year-old best-selling work of popular science. It's what attracted me. After the jump, whether it succeeded.

POTD: Little Boxes in Galveston

From 2017 12 01 Galveston

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Seawall Boulevard in Galveston, Texas. I'd name the condominium complex, but they all look just the same.

Little boxes on the hillside
Little boxes made of ticky-tacky
Little boxes on the hillside
Little boxes all the same
There's a pink one and a green one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same

Source: Malvina Reynolds.

The song is from 1963. It must have made quite an impression on my 12-year-old mind, for it comes to mind automatically anytime I'm presented with a scene like this.

The Shape of Water (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Shape of Water (2017): "Beauty and the Beast" meets "Creature from the Black Lagoon." In a heist movie with Russian spies. The premise is preposterous but it works. A love story with something for everyone. A-

She's Gotta Have It (TV 2017)

Rotten Tomatoes

She's Gotta Have It (TV): Smart young independent brash black female artist in Brooklyn and her friends, who talk mostly about sex and race. An exotic world (for me) but still shallow, even if Nola is deeper here than in the 1986 movie. Saw 3 of 10 episodes. C-

The Beguiled (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Beguiled (2017): Wounded Union soldier takes shelter in southern girls' school. Repressed social norms dominate, leaving movie disappointingly bloodless for subject matter. But everything and everyone look great. C+

The Vietnam War (TV 2017)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Vietnam War (TV): Ken Burns documentary. All the battles, lies, protests, it's all here. It tore our country apart. The war is now being lost to history, but the wounds never really healed. Even at 17 hours, the memories resurrected here fly by too fast. A+

Alias Grace (TV 2017)

Rotten Tomatoes

Alias Grace (TV): Real-life mystery. Maid is convicted of murdering her employer in 1843 Canada. Mystery is explored through sessions with her doctor and flashbacks. Murderess or victim? Strong acting that lets us see into her soul but only so far. A-

POTD: Greetings from Galveston

From 2017 12 01 Galveston

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Saengerfest Park on the Strand in Galveston, site of the annual December festival, "Dickens on the Strand."

The Disaster Artist (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Disaster Artist (2017): A biopic about a real-life wacky auteur and the making of his bad cult movie, "The Room." No matter what they might say, it's more Hollywood insiders mocking him than embracing him. The result is a failed movie for different reasons. C-

Godless (TV 2017)

Rotten Tomatoes

Godless (TV): Old West town where all the men died in a mine accident is now terrorized by an outlaw and his gang. Dark mood and look. Scenes allowed to linger on senses. Rich subplots with religion, race, gender and sex. B+

POTD: Supermoon over a Pleasure Pier

From 2017 12 01 Galveston

Today's photo-of-the-day is of the last supermoon of 2017 over the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier.

POTD: Supermoon over Galveston

From 2017 12 01 Galveston

Today's photo-of-the-day is of the last supermoon of 2017 rising over a Victorian-era London bobby on Galveston's Strand, site of the annual "Dickens on the Strand" festival.

The Role of the Council

The City Council of Richardson agreed on its 2017-2019 Statement of Goals and, not surprisingly (given it's me and all), I have a bone to pick, starting with the very first sentence.

The role of the Council is to be positive and resourceful advocates of the City.

Source: City of Richardson.

No, the role of the council is to represent the people of Richardson. Being positive is also good. Being resourceful is also good. Being advocates of "the City" is also good, unless that interferes with being advocates for the people of Richardson. First, last, and always, the Richardson City Council needs to represent the people of Richardson.

Wonder (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes

Wonder (2017): Self-conscious boy born with facial deformity starts school, deals with bullying. Well-crafted, sensitive, uplifting family drama. Hits all the right notes to bring tears. Although unrealistically optimistic, still a lesson for all. #ChooseKind A-

OTBR: Abandoned Chateau in Czech Republic

Latitude: N 49° 04.158
Longitude: E 015° 18.312

/>

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 (not actually) last month that are "off the blue roads".

Repeat Tweets: 25 Conservatives to Follow on Twitter

Repeat tweets from November, 2017:

• Nov 1 2017: Salon recommended 25 conservatives to follow on Twitter. One was @JayCaruso of DMN. I'm from Dallas, so I thought, great.
• Nov 1 2017: It turns out, on Twitter, @JayCaruso doesn't offer facts and logic. His tweets start and end with assertions and insults.
• Nov 1 2017: Maybe on editorial team, @JayCaruso's partisan viewpoint is helpful to craft a balanced editorial. On Twitter, not so much. Unfollow.
• Nov 1 2017: How about some sensible gun regulations to reduce the 30,000 deaths by guns in this country annually that are not terror related?
  
• Nov 1 2017: @JayCaruso mocks Jimmy Kimmel for blaming the "gun nuts". Who else is responsible for the lack of sensible gun regulation than the people who keep electing politicians endorsed by the NRA?

After the jump, more repeat tweets.