Infernal majesty

Season 4 of "Single's Inferno" is better than the frustrating fizzer that was S3. Still not as great as S2 (yet). I'm also watching the modified Chinese edition, which features more contestants, more games, less alcohol and less sauciness than the Korean original. But I like it regardless. There's a fellow I'm sure was selected primarily in an attempt to recreate the Dex role. Then again, you could say that about the Korean Season 4 as well. Fun fact: the Chinese call a big muscly dude a "double door".

Update: OK, I officially hate the eliminations in the C. version. It discourages participants from committing to a single person, instead playing the field so as to hopefully receive more popularity votes.

Bikes and birds*

The terrier next door goes berserk when it hears the postman's motorbike, and keeps yapping until he's left the cul-de-sac. Today, the postie must have forgotten to deliver an item and so was forced to visit our street a second time. The pooch went menerk, running back and forth and barking even more determinedly than usual. It was like it couldn't believe this noisy thing's gall in returning when it had already been successfully chased away.

I was outside mowing at the time. One of my brothers-in-law was telling me recently he never uses the catcher on his mower, so I'm giving that a try. As well as allowing the lawn to reseed itself, the cuttings should provide some cover from the summer sun (it was 41 yesterday). Have I mentioned that the local adult magpies will trustingly trot along beside the mower, feasting on any crickets or other bugs I disturb? Superhero team-up :-)

*Sounds like a mag from the '70s.

Aneem

"Sakamoto Days" [Netflix] and "Ubel Blatt" [Prime] are both decent. But Season 2 of "Solo Leveling" [Crunchyroll] is the business.

RIP, David Lynch

While your filmography wasn't long, every entry was memorable. I'm still traumatised from seeing "The Elephant Man" at a young age. "Twin Peaks" was event television before the term existed. "Eraserhead" and "Blue Velvet" were a hoot to watch - and rewatch - with mates on VHS. "Wild At Heart" blew me away at the cinema. "Mulholland Drive" was brilliant sexy madness. And I prefer your spin on "Dune" to the technically stunning newies. I'd like to imagine that, through some cosmic quirk, you're now happily painting portraits for a race of giants in another dimension.

Five, six, pick up sticks

The backyard is strewn with fallen branches. I can't gather them up for snapping/sawing into binnable pieces until the rain stops. Crazy-wild storm here last night. Maybe not as bad as they got in parts of Sydney, but bad enough. When you live in a building bordered on two sides by big trees and realise how often they will drop a sizeable branch, you understand why campers are cautioned against pitching a tent beneath them. A teenage chum was nicknamed Treebeard. I haven't the foggiest why. We went to different schools, so there must have been an incident I missed. His other sobriquets were Quiche Eater and Frog. Those I can explain, only it would take too long. I need to return to staring out the window at fallen branches.

Blog entries I haven't found the chance to write

* Completing every Danish lesson on Duolingo, not wishing to remain permanently in revision mode and having to decide where to take my learning next.

* Returning from a trip to the loo in the wee hours <chortle> to spy a spider on my pillow. Realising it's time for a fumigation. Just for funsies, listing the many types of arachnid encountered regularly around our house and yard.

* Following the formula of the "Scarred For Life" podcast by revealing my Top 3 childhood scares. Or did I do this already? In short: kid-at-window scene from 1979 "Salem's Lot" miniseries, framed print of abstract face by Picasso that I thought looked terrifying in low light, recurring nightmare about being engulfed by the leech-filled pond up the road (which turned out to be one colossal leech).

Given that we have visitors arriving any minute who'll be staying with us for a few days, I doubt I'll be blogging in detail about anything else soon, either.

Reco: British uni-student comedy-drama "Fresh Meat". Am up to Season 3.

Knowest thou of...

...The Future Library?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_Library_project

Somebody should do a genre-specific version.

Bronzed Aussies

There was a decade or so where Australia was OBSESSED with Ironman* athletes. Kenny, Hendy, Leech... They advertised various products, especially breakfast cereal. Their private lives made it into the gossip pages. (To be fair, they also did positive things in the community.) We had the Ironman drama flick "The Coolangatta Gold". And we had parodies in "Mad" magazine and on sketch-comedy institution "The Late Show". Who could forget "The Bermagui Bronze"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH0EGzrNDVY

*Longer form of the triathlon.

Hot take

Listened to this award-winning 2018 take on "The War Of The Worlds" during my morning walk, then while watching cricket/NFL with the commentary muted, then while preparing and eating lunch. Armitage and Briggs-Owen give superb performances. The build-up draws you in completely. The thoughtful bits are truly thoughtful. The horrific bits are truly horrific. So much is crammed into 2.5 hours. Basically, it breathes new life into the tale...before injecting new death into...

The 10 days of Christmas

Yay! My favourite team on this year's Xmas edition of "University Challenge" (for distinguished alumni) went all the way. Are they the first entirely female team to win the whole she-bang? There's no reason why they should be, except for women being underrepresented on the program across the decades. But that's a separate conversation about boys and their contests, unequal levels of public scrutiny and so on.

Looking back at my scoresheets for the 10 episodes, I managed 21, 20, 20, 18, 33 (which I think is a PB), 20, 15, 22, 12 and 17. Average of 19. Obviously there's no pressure playing at home, where I won't be ridiculed for dumb guesses, nor penalised by host Amol when I buzz in early and get it wrong. That said, I only award a point if I answer correctly out loud before any contestant does. Just so we're clear :-)

Jedi jelly

The intersection between cosplay, foodie travelogues and cute laughter.

Singaporean cos-er Yosuke's channel >>>

https://www.youtube.com/@yosukecosplay/videos

Japanese cos-er Keeko's channel >>>

https://www.youtube.com/@keekoriiin/videos

Both ladies are super likeable and fun hosts.

NYE was...

Old faces and new. Friendly magpies. Interesting convos. Eight players on the "Jackbox" trivia/bluffing/drawing, etc. videogame (along with audience quasi-players). Rich food. Too much beer and wine. Six of us testing out the "Let's Hit Each Other With Fake Swords" not-exactly-a-boardgame. Watching distant fireworks from the top of a hill. Big sparklers. Little sparklers. Triggered memories. Reminiscing. Plenty of laughs.

Added a day later:

Forgot to mention the toasts. We didn't sing "Auld Lang Syne", although I briefly heard it being sung in the distance.