Catching Up on the Cotton Belt

It's been a while since I've written about the Cotton Belt rail line, that dream of east-west mass transit through Richardson, connecting everything from Wylie to D/FW Airport. That's because the Cotton Belt line remains more dream than reality.

The Martian (2015)

IMDB

The Martian (2015): Too far-fetched for serious drama, but mostly fun in a sciency, good way. Spoiler alert: of course he's saved. B-

Room (2015)

IMDB

Room (2015): Woman and son locked in backyard shed for years. Horrific premise, delicately treated. Faithful to novel, if more detached. B+

POTD: Chichen Itza

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Chichen Itza on Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. Whereas Dzibanche is still far enough off the beaten path for the few tourists who make it there to still be allowed to climb all over the ruins, in Chichen Itza that's no longer the case. It's been ten years since tourists have been allowed to climb to the top of the pyramid for an awesome view. Still, the view from the ground is awesome enough and worth the trip.

Bridge of Spies (2015)

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Bridge of Spies (2015): Cold War prisoner exchange. Well-done, paint-by-numbers movie. Tom Hanks in what used to be a Gregory Peck role. B-

Vote YES on the RISD Bond

It seems like it took forever, but the Richardson ISD school board finally approved a bond package to go to the voters in the May 7 election. Public engagement began way back in November with a series of meetings in a so-called listening tour.

I was originally skeptical. There were gaps, there were frills, there were areas not thought out yet. But the RISD administrators were up front with the public. They said they deliberately asked for public feedback early in the process to give the public maximum opportunity to shape the final package. And it looks like that's just what happened. The "listening tour" was, in fact, really truly, a listening tour. The RISD listened and adapted the bond package accordingly. Kudos to the RISD.

The End of the Tour (2015)

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The End of the Tour (2015): Five days with David Foster Wallace, brilliant, self-conscious, troubled author. All talk. Shallow. Flat. C+