While we wait for Sam to post from the city council briefing -- where, for the first time, the entire council will discuss the smoking ordinance -- a few random notes. First, a Friend of Unfair Park points us toward the latest earnings report from Irving-based arts-and-craft emporium Michaels Stores, which posted a net loss for third quarter of $20 million. That's $2 million more than it lost in the same time period last year -- and the chain notes a loss of $70 million for the year to date. On the upside, that's $15 million less than it lost from January to November 2007 ...
In happier news, the Meadows Foundation of Dallas today announced it's giving a $100,000 grant to the Galveston Historical Foundation, to help "stabilize its operations disrupted by Hurricane Ike." Our old pal Dwayne Jones, ex-executive director of Preservation Dallas and now the big bossman in Galveston, is very happy about that: "GHF is extremely grateful to the Meadows Foundation for this generous gift at a critical time in our history." ...
And, after the jump, someone named "Carlos" has posted to Vimeo a short film consisting of scenes from downtown Dallas, set entirely to Jon Brion's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind main theme, which makes everything seem extra sad. --Robert Wilonsky