2021 Top BGG Heavy Games

BoardGameGeek has been releasing collections of games in different categories leading into the holiday gift-giving season. They have come upon their list of “Heavy Games” – ones that hard-core gamers enjoy. There were five on their list, and I touched each of them. Three of the five are reimplementations of prior games. I think that’s … Read more

Fast Lounge to Guyville

I have vaguely heard of Fastball in the background of my brain, but they never came into my consciousness. They are ultimately an Austin band, and you don’t see many of those in Houston. Or maybe I wasn’t looking. Or it wasn’t what I needed at the time. Anyway,… i acquired the late 90s album … Read more

The Trouble with Voting, 2018 Midterm Edition

After spending the past year (post-Harvey) unemployed, I finally landed a new job (and I’m loving it). However, the new job took me to Austin. I started the new job on the first day of early voting: Oct 22.

"I voted" sticker.
2018 Midterm Early Voting

I went to the Harris County Clerk’s Office on Wed Oct 12 to request my ballot-by-mail. After a full week of early voting and not having yet received a ballot, I called and then officially wrote a signed letter delivered via email to the clerks office requesting a second ballot.

Read more

It Burns

I was… having an enjoyable evening. Exploring my new neighborhood, dining at a new place, enjoying the food, the drink. I stopped into a japanese book store: interesting nick knacks, a nice pen, an intriguing book. I stepped into the japanese market: looked at the deli items, the varieties of fish cake, the baking ware. … Read more

Open Letter on Bike Path Diversion

Mayor Sylvester Turner
sylvester.turner@houstontx.gov
@SylvesterTurner

Council Member Ellen Cohen
districtc@houstontx.gov
@EllenCohen1

Dear Mayor Turner and Council Member Cohen,

When I read the Chronicle article attached below, I understood the need for a detour around the often used route, and appreciated the thought put into it. It seemed like a good solution.

The article states “The detours will not be continuous, but periodic throughout the construction project when construction nearby could create unsafe conditions along the original bike trails” as well as “the detour and reroute are expected to begin between April and May and will last through the third quarter of 2017.”

However there seems to be either,

  1. a miscommunication,
  2. a failure to execute, or
  3. deception by someone

going on in this situation.

There are already signs up along the path redirecting users to use the detours. They have been up for over 10 days. There is also signage that appears to indicate that cyclists should use the sidewalk on the west side of Houston Avenue as the detour.

This is neither safe, nor acceptable.

I would like to know if the original decision has been changed or if there is a timing and communication failure occurring. Please remedy the situation.

Your Constituent,
Bill Shirley

Heights Area Bike Trails to be Rerouted to Houston Avenue“, Tara White, Houston Chronicle,  Wed Mar 9 2016

CC:
Council Member Karla Cisneros (as the detour is in your district)
districth@houstontx.gov
@Karla4Houston

Deidrea George, TxDOT Houston Public Information Office (quoted in the article)
Email via web-form
@TxDOTHoustonPIO

Tara White, freelance writer for Chronicle (author of the article)
viewpoints@chron.com
@houstonchron

Read more

Politically Correct Incorrectness

Recent Reuters coverage by Emily Flitter of the 2016 campaign was asking Donald Trump supporters why they liked and supported Trump. Many of the answers were “he’s not Politically Correct”, that he “says what he thinks, I like that, he’s not political [sic] correct”, “he’s not afraid to say what he thinks”, and “he’s speaking for … Read more