Last five movies watched

Pick of the bunch: "Woman In Gold". Mirren, Maslany, art, history, Austria, identity, justice...and only the odd dino roar through the common wall :-)

"Dragons Of Tarkir" intro pack round robin

Here are the results of the Randwick jury...

1st - "Relentless Rush" (B/R, dash) - 4 matches, 8 games
2nd - "Cruel Plots" (B/U, exploit) - 3 matches, 8 games
3rd - "Furious Forces" (G/R, formidable) - 2 matches, 7 games
4th - "Massed Ranks" (G/W, bolster) - 1 match, 5 games
5th - "Enlightened Mastery" (U/W, rebound) - 0 matches, 2 games

Difficult to separate the top two. The duels betwixt them finished 14 - 0 (B/R), 2 - 0 (B/R), 14 - -1 (B/U). So it could easily have gone the other way.

All I can say about the U/W pile is you'd be angry if you stepped in it!

Given the theme of the set, I'm disappointed with the number/power of dragons in these decks. There are just three in each (OK, four in "Furious Forces"), plus a mana artifact that can temporarily become one; and only a few of those wyrms are above 4/4. Harbinger Of The Hunt and Ruthless Deathfang are the standouts -

Watching: Political thriller "Secret State" (BBC First).
Playing: "Diablo" clone "Torchlight II" (Steam for PC).

One day, I shall reminisce about these reminiscences

Between the ages of roughly 18 and 19, I rode a Kawasaki GPZ 250 motorcycle. It was similar to the bike in this pic, except it had been painted light blue and had a luggage rack fitted to the rear. I purchased it from a workmate of my father's. There were signs it had been in a serious accident, e.g. a visible repair to the handlebars. The morning I took delivery, I went riding with my pal BP (who owned a Yamaha RZ 250), pushed it to ~160km/h, almost got into trouble on a roundabout and never repeated that stupidity. I mainly used it for travelling to the cinema where I was as an usher or to PG's joint. A lone experimental trip to uni was enough as I hugged the bike for warmth (due to the lack of fairing) and was tailgated by semitrailers on the mostly single-lane highway. I recall an occasion where I was heading home from the cinema around midnight and the headlight suddenly went out on the deserted coastal road. It was pitch black. Amazingly, I found the high beam still worked, so I left that on for the rest of the way. BP removed the luggage rack for me and resprayed the beast a racing red. I then sold it to an acquaintance of ours. I'd had it slide out from under me in loose stones (minor damage) and nearly been collected by a 4WD (their fault entirely), and concluded that motorcycling was too hazardous for a person of my limited dexterity. The dude who bought the "Kwacker" made the mistake of allowing the local hooligans to borrow it. From what I heard, the bike ended up a burnt-out wreck. My matching red helmet and gloves reside in the top of a wardrobe at Mum and Dad's, the only proof of a brief foray into the outlaw lifestyle ;-)

Star talker

If you didn't catch the ads during "StarTalk", ace science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson is touring Oz in August. His Sydders show is being held at the Hordern Pavilion. I've got my ticket. Get yours here - http://thinkinc.org.au/events/an-evening-with-dr-neil-degrasse-tyson/

Last five movies watched

Pick of the bunch: Spanish sci-fi "Automata" (ta, PB). Not hard when the others were either silly or unpleasant.

Update

Jumped the pistolsword by a week on "Titansgrave". Here's the new preview - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oaspvru4T3w

All killer, no filler

My birthday gift to myself - besides a game for a console I don't own* - was a ticket to see tribute band Killer Queen at Souths Juniors. Did they look like Queen? Yes, especially "Freddie". Did they sound like Queen? For my money, they were close enough. The gig was 90 minutes of monster tracks and frontman theatrics, plus a mirthful moment when a lady let out a hysterical scream in the middle of a song. F.: "Madam, did you sit on a dill pickle?" I would absolutely see Killer Queen again.

Here's their promo vid (recommended!) -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SuXwrcjhQI

And here's a ghostly shot I snapped when F. ran up to the mezzanine and sang down upon us -

*I'll explain later.

Japanese, Austrian, Chinese

Marked 43 years on Sol III by dining at Sushi Bar Rashai, Annandale with sister AK and her family. Had takoyaki (with bonus green salad), spicy prawn nigiri, a delicious wagyu beef teriyaki don and a couple of Sapporos (my first booze in 11 days). Back at their place, I enjoyed apple strudel and ice-cream for dessert, then played dominoes against my nieces. It was a lovely, TV-free evening.