The Amateur (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Amateur (2025): Rami Malek stars as a low-level CIA analyst whose wife is killed and wants revenge, only to uncover a bigger crime involving the CIA itself. Malek lacks the killer instinct, leading to gimicky methods to take out his wife's killers. That's the only thing novel about this. B-

Hulu

Council Recap: Development Priorities

The Richardson City Council met Monday, February 2, 2026. There was one agenda item that I particularly wanted to witness. That was: "9. PRESENT AND DISCUSS THE CITY COUNCIL’S CURRENT DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES." I'll get to it in a minute, but let's dispense with the other agenda items first, or at least the one I have something to say about.

The Worst Places to Eat in Richardson Last Month

Graphic by City of Richardson.

The City of Richardson is rightly regarded as having some of the best and most diverse dining options in north Texas ("Eat & Drink"). But that doesn't mean every restaurant in Richardson exceeds in every measure. Here is a list of the worst places to eat in Richardson last month, based on the City of Richardson's Health Department Restaurant Scores from inspections last month. Not all Richardson restaurants are inspected each and every month. Only those inspected last month are ranked here. Only the lowest scores are shown.

Random Thoughts: Championing Richardson's Marwan Marouf

2025-10-06: Public speakers were out in force today at the Richardson Texas City Council meeting to speak on behalf of Marwan Marouf, a community leader from Richardson, TX, who was detained by ICE on Sep 22, 2025, while dropping his son at school. His detention coincided with the denial of his green card application, which cites decade-old accusations of providing "material support" to the Holy Land Foundation (HLF) through his volunteer work and nominal donations in the 1990s.

POTD: Puebla's Calle de los Dulces

From 2025 06 01 Puebla

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Puebla, Mexico, along a (mostly) pedestrian avenue known for its wealth of candy stores. It's Calle de los Dulces.

---

"Footsteps slow themselves
when sweetness fills the senses.
Commerce yields to joy."
— h/t ChatGPT

POTD: Bike Lanes in the Sky

From 2025 06 01 Puebla

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken on the road into Puebla, Mexico. Above us was an elevated lane dedicated to bicycles. Really. I can't say what the usage is or the economics of doing it this way, but it sure looks cool. According to PedalPowerTouring.com, "Puebla definitely outdoes itself by adding a bike-path and propping it up high in the sky, about one or two stories over the car traffick. Not only do we get to enjoy stress-free riding, we also get a great view!"

---

"Stress-free bike riding,
a phrase rare as quiet streets,
made literal here."
— h/t ChatGPT

POTD: Real del Barro

From 2025 05 30 Mexico City

Today's photo-of-the-day was from Real del Barro, a restaurant in Mexico City. It's where we were served an appetizer of ground up grassphoppers on a small, flat taco shell. That's all I remember.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Mexico City Street Food

From 2025 05 30 Mexico City

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken on a street in Mexico City. Whether it's called tacos al pastor, or shawarma, or döner kebab, it's delicious.

---

"Spinning spit of pork,
thin slices fall like petals,
tortillas wait warm."
— h/t ChatGPT

A House of Dynamite (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

A House of Dynamite (2025): A single ICBM is headed towards the US. 18 minutes until impact. Tension mounts as the entire government — military, diplomatic, political — tries to determine who is behind it and how to counter it. A thriller without resolution. B+

Netflix

Roofman (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Roofman (2025): Channing Tatum plays a smart but struggling army vet who takes to burglarizing small stores by entering them through their roofs after hours. He takes to hiding out in a Toys-R-Us. Eventually he falls for a single mother working there. Keeping his secret leads to complications. Movie is a charming true story. B-

On airplane

Nobody 2 (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Nobody 2 (2025): Bob Odenkirk plays a working stiff whose undercover job happens to be assassin. In this sequel, he just wants to take his family on vacation to an aging theme park in Wisconsin, where he runs into all kinds of bad guys, which he dispatches in clever ways. Think of this as a violent "Home Alone" for grownups. C+

On airplane

Jurassic World Rebirth (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Jurassic World Rebirth (2025): Nothing wrong here, just meh. A predictable story about having to get DNA samples from the three largest, baddest beasts on land, sea, and air. What's missing is intelligence and cunning on the part of any dinosaurs, like those velociraptors in the original. C+

Peacock

POTD: Teachers Strike

From 2025 05 30 Mexico City

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Mexico City. It shows a tent city set up by teachers on strike against the government. Everything was quiet and peaceful when we walked freely in the area, but writing of the striking teachers, a report in The New York Times said, "The 100,000-strong group's demands include doubling teacher salaries and appealing pension and education laws they deem harmful. Earlier this week, the group paralyzed traffic along one of Mexico City's most emblematic avenues, and Mexican journalists reported that they were assaulted by protesting union members outside the National Palace in the old city center."

---

"Banners speak of pay
of years promised, years withheld.
Hope stitched into seams."
— h/t ChatGPT

POTD: Avenida Francisco I. Madero

From 2025 05 30 Mexico City

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in a major shopping street in central Mexico City, La Avenida Francisco I. Madero.

Another photo, of Calle de Fray Pedro de Gante, is after the jump.

Ballerina (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Ballerina (2025): The torch is passed on the John Wick saga. Ana de Armas takes over as an assasin in training. Same old shit as Keanu Reeves's four movies. If you like action movies with lots of violence (or you're stuck on an airplane over the Atlantic), this could be for you. C+

On airplane

The Chair Company (TV 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Chair Company (TV 2025): Corporate fraud thriller/comedy? Tim Robinson plays a manager whose chair collapses while he's giving a presentation. He's embarrassed enough to investigate the chair company and uncovers a vast conspiracy theory that gets more convoluted as time goes on. Don't expect answers. C-

HBO Max

No Truman Exception in Richardson

The Richardson City Council directed the City Manager to draft a City Charter amendment that would require a council member who announces their candidacy for another office to immediately resign from the City Council. The amendment, if passed by voters in May, would apply retroactively, meaning that Council Member Dan Barrios, who is running for Congress, would automatically be removed from office.

Can they do this? Setting aside the retroactive nature of the amendment, they can. ("A home-rule city with two-year terms may provide in its charter that a mayor or council member who becomes a candidate for another office automatically vacates the current office." — Attorney General Opinion No. GA-02 17.)

Ne Zha II (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Ne Zha II (2025): Children's movie, but be warned: it's nonstop violence. Visually stunning animation, but the style seems to change with each scene. Too many characters. Too much confusing back story. Maybe you have see Ne Zha I first. C+

HBO Max

Marty Supreme (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Marty Supreme (2025): Timothee Chalamet plays a small-time, fast-talking hustler trying to beg, borrow, or steal the funds needed to get into the world table tennis championship in Tokyo. Fascinating to watch the acting, even if you can't like the character. A-

In theatres

POTD: Sanborns Madero

From 2025 05 30 Mexico City

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Sanborns Madero in cental Mexico City. According to Gemini, "Sanborns Madero in Mexico City is the iconic, historic first location of the Sanborns chain, nestled inside the stunning blue-tiled Casa de los Azulejos (House of Tiles) on Madero Street, offering traditional Mexican food like Enchiladas Suizas, a classic department store experience, and a glimpse into history with its beautiful architecture and murals, making it a must-visit landmark in the Centro Histórico."

---

"A café, a store,
a museum of habits
still alive, still strong."
— h/t ChatGPT

POTD: National Museum of Anthropology

From 2025 05 30 Mexico City

Welcome to Mexico City. Our first photo-of-the-day in Mexico was taken at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. According to Wikipedia, it is the largest and most visited museum in Mexico. The exhibition halls surround a courtyard with a fountain featuring a huge concrete umbrella supported by a single pillar.

---

"Under umbrella,
many worlds stand side by side,
still speaking softly."
— h/t ChatGPT

TIL: Americans Are Not Exceptional

I used to think (a long, long time ago) that America was exceptional. That it couldn't happen here, where "it" was some atrocity or another that was perpetrated by another country in another time and place. Then I had to acknowledge that there were just too many exceptions to hold that naive thinking. Today I read two things that bring that point home, from two different eras in history.

Pluribus (TV 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Pluribus (TV 2025): Extraterrestrials make everyone on Earch happy. Only Rhea Seehorn is immune. So she takes it as her mission to save the world from happiness. It's like a Twilight Zone episode where the twist happens in the first episode and the interesting part is watching how it all plays out for nine episodes. A-

AppleTV

Materialists (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Materialists (2025): A professional matchmaker's own perfect man must offer it all — love and money. When a client is sexually assaulted, she questions everything about her job and her own goals. The first half of movie is a thought-provoking look at dating. Second half reverts to rom-com tropes. B-

HBO Max

Ballad of a Small Player (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Ballad of a Small Player (2025): High stakes gambling addict knows his luck will change if he can just con someone into staking him enough for one big bet. Colin Farrell is great and Macau is luxurious, but the plot and the characters are threadbare. C+

Netflix

Champagne Problems (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Champagne Problems (2025): Young woman is sent to Paris to negotiate the acquisition of a champagne winery. First day she meets a handsome man. Naturally, romance ensues. The only plot twist is predictable. But it's harmless fun with plenty of shots of Paris at Christmas time. B-

Netflix

POTD: Goodbye to Thailand...and to John

From 2025 03 26 Bangkok (2)

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at Wat Arun in Bangkok on the morning of our last day in Thailand.

After the jump, one last photograph.

POTD: Our Last Dinner

From 2025 03 26 Bangkok (2)

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at the rooftop restaurant of the Bangkok Marriott Hotel Sukhumvit on Ellen's and my last night in Thailand after a wonderful two week vacation. We were thankful that John and Dessy flew from Jakarta to Bangkok to be with us. Little did we suspect it was to be our last supper ever with John. Three months later, back in Jakarta, John was hospitalized after a short illness. Ellen and I made the long trip to Jakarta to be with him. John passed away, surrounded by Dessy, Ellen and me, and Dessy's family and many of their closest friends. John was only 36. We will be forever grateful for those 36 years and all of the times and places we were able to share with him.

---

"Rooftop memories
where our laughter met the dark.
Love outlives the meal."
— h/t ChatGP

The Worst Places to Eat in Richardson Last Month

Graphic by City of Richardson.

The City of Richardson is rightly regarded as having some of the best and most diverse dining options in north Texas ("Eat & Drink"). But that doesn't mean every restaurant in Richardson exceeds in every measure. Here is a list of the worst places to eat in Richardson last month, based on the City of Richardson's Health Department Restaurant Scores from inspections last month. Not all Richardson restaurants are inspected each and every month. Only those inspected last month are ranked here. Only the lowest scores are shown.

Random Thoughts: Something Deeply Disturbing About AI

2025-12-01: I just tested a web service that "detects AI-generated content." I fed one of my blog posts through it. It reported that it contained 74% AI-generated content. Then, for a fee, it offered to rewrite my blog post to make it appear 100% human. There's something deeply disturbing about that.

The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Shop Around the Corner (1940): Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan in a romcom with the "Lubitsch Touch." Also starring Frank Morgan, who you will recognize as the Wizard of Oz in the 1939 classic. See how many romcom tropes that are still standard today are in this movie, some used for the first time. B+

HBO Max

#VeryTardyReview

Weapons (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Weapons (2025): Less a horror film, more a mystery/thriller. All but one child from the same class flee their homes at 2:17 am one night and disappear. Story is told from different perspectives, each filling in a few more details. Slow build to a satisfactory conclusion. B-

HBO Max

Book Review: On the Calculation of Volume (Book I)

From On the Calculation of Volume (Book I), by Solvej Balle:

Amazon

"My name is Tara Selter. I am sitting in the back room overlooking the garden and a woodpile. It is the eighteenth of November. Every night when I lie down to sleep in the bed in the guest room it is the eighteenth of November and every morning, when I wake up, it is the eighteenth of November. I no longer expect to wake up to the nineteenth of November and I no longer remember the seventeenth of November as if it were yesterday."

POTD: High Protein Refreshment

From 2025 03 23 Chiang Mai

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at a food store at the foot of Doi Suthep, the site of a popular temple. As healthful as I imagine the products on sale here to be, we didn't partake.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Wat Phra That Doi Suthe

From 2025 03 23 Chiang Mai

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. According to Wikipedia, it "is a Theravada Buddhist temple (wat) in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. The temple is often referred to as "Doi Suthep" although this is actually the name of the mountain where it is located. It is a sacred site to many Thai people...The temple is said to have been founded in 1383 when the first stupa was built."

Bonus photos are after the jump.

Wicked: For Good (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Wicked: For Good (2025): Elphaba is not all bad. Glinda is not all good. Kind of like this movie. The running time of the two movies is twice the length of the entire stage musical. There's just too much. There's a great two hour movie in there. B-

In theatres

F1: The Movie (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

F1: The Movie (2025): Cocky, arrogant Formula 1 racer, played by Brad Pitt (of course), tries to reclaim glory 30 years after a bad accident. It's a sports movie. Enough said. What did I learn about F1 racing? The win goes to the car with the best tires. Or at least the driver who knows how to get the most out of them. B-

AppleTV

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025): A murder mystery where the crime is just an excuse to explore irreconcilable views of religious faith, with Benoit Blanc's lack of faith also on view. As for the murder plot, it has too many elements that lack credibility. B+

Netflix

TIL: More Offensive Words

Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer.

I first wrote about the loss of values in American politics in 2011, with "Civility: What's Not To Like?". But "civility" was not the first word to transform from being a value to being offensive. I wrote in 2017: For me, "it started with 'tolerance'. Long ago, I was surprised to learn that tolerance is not universally considered to be a virtue. (Tolerance was imagined to be synonymous with approval - approval of gays, of Muslims, of sin.) Then, I learned that 'compromise' is not universally considered to be a virtue, either. (Compromise was imagined to require a surrender of principle.)" That article was called, "Now Kindness is a Dirty Word, Too".

Now in 2025, I learned a whole bunch of other words that have transformed from being values to being offensive. Also, I learned an explanation of what's behind it.

POTD: Umbrella Factory

From 2025 03 23 Chiang Mai

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at an umbrella factory in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Beautiful. That is all.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Among the Elephants

From 2025 03 23 Chiang Mai

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at an Elephant Sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Think of it as a retirement home for elephants who age out of being worked in the logging industry, in circuses, in zoos. Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Camp 6 is an internationally accredited elephant camp with recognized welfare standards. It falls into the category of ethical tourism-funded sanctuaries. Tourists still interact with the elephants, feeding them, petting them, bathing them. It's probably a good middle ground that generates income for animal welfare. Anyway, that's our story and we're sticking with it.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

Book Review: Lost Enlightenment

From "Lost Enlightenment: Central Asia's Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane", by S. Frederick Starr:

Amazon

"This was truly an Age of Enlightenment, several centuries of cultural flowering during which Central Asia was the intellectual hub of the world. India, China, the Middle East, and Europe all boasted rich traditions in the realm of ideas, but during the four or five centuries around AD 1000 it was Central Asia, the one world region that touched all these other centers, that surged to the fore. It bridged time as well as geography, in the process becoming the great link between antiquity and the modern world. To a far greater extent than today’s Europeans, Chinese, Indians, or Middle Easterners realize, they are all the heirs of the remarkable cultural and intellectual effervescence in Central Asia that peaked in the era of Ibn Sina and Biruni."

The Roses (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Roses (2025): Remake of the 1989 classic black comedy. Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch star as the couple in a love/hate marriage. Best scenes are when the two trade barbed insults and admire each other for it. Nothing really fresh here. These actors are wasted in these roles. C+

Hulu

Last Samurai Standing (TV 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Last Samurai Standing (TV 2025): Japanese. Part Shōgun. Part Squid Game. Violent action thriller set at the end of the era of samurai. Figuring out who is behind the 100 billion yen contest in which samurai are pitted against each other adds mystery. Bad ending, like they had an eight episode story but filmed only six episodes. C+

Netflix

Whereto Arapaho Station?

Source: Richardson Convention & Visitors Center.

The 1% of CityLine that makes all the brochures

We all know where you can get to from Arapaho Station: wherever DART goes. What I want to know is where the City of Richardson will get to with the redevelopment of Arapaho Station. Is CityLine an exemplar of how it should be done or a cautionary tale?

POTD: Wat Rong Khun (White Temple)

From 2025 03 22 Chiang Rai

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at the Wat Rong Khun Temple (White Temple) in Chiang Rai in northern Thailand. According to Wikipedia, "The White Temple was created by master Chalermchai Kositpipat, the national artist who designed, constructed, and opened it to visitors in 1997."

Contrast it with the newer Blue Temple, also in Chiang Rai.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Trinidad meets Thailand

From 2025 03 22 Chiang Rai

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in an Akha village near Chiang Rai, Thailand. These two people speak languages without a word in common, yet without a word, both could share a dance game that originated in the Caribbean island of Trinidad. Laughter is a universal language.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

Nouvelle Vague (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Nouvelle Vague (2025): French. Richard Linklater's tribute to Jean-Luc Godard's 1960 classic New Wave movie "Breathless", matching its style perfectly. This movie's subject is Godard making the original movie, all the while explaining to his actors what he is after. Nouvelle Vague is must-see for film students. A-

Netflix

Breathless (1960)

Rotten Tomatoes

Breathless (1960): French. Jean-Luc Godard's classic New Wave cinema. Story of a charming but self-destructive anti-hero and the independent young American woman who falls in with him. Godard makes his small budget work for him—jump cuts, hand-held cameras, shooting on the streets of Paris. A+

HBO Max

#VeryTardyReview

Jay Kelly (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Jay Kelly (2025): Aging movie star George Clooney plays an aging movie star who is beginning to question his life choices. He is estranged from his wife and daughters and agent and everyone in his life. This obvious fact comes as a revelation to him. Clooney is upstaged by Adam Sandler. B-

Netflix