We don't do Taco Tuesday

We do, however, do Sushi Monday most weeks. There's a beaut place at the end of our street, run by a couple of nice Korean families. It's actually a combination sushi bar/European cafe. One of the owners is a classically trained pastry chef. Yeah, we lucked out. I think my friend PB would approve of the lunch combo below. Note: The fork is only for the pickled ginger. (Nothing against tacos, either. We just don't eat 'em on the reg.)

"I'll be fine solo"

The conclusion of Season 2 of "Solo Leveling" [Crunchyroll] was magnificent. Some artistic shortcuts, but magnificent. If you're into real-world/fantasy crossovers* where the protagonist goes from less than zero to superhero, there are none better.

*It isn't technically an isekai.

Blumps of Doober!

Book 6 done'n'dusted, Book 7 under way. Failed to finish this series as a younger man. I reckon I will succeed this time. I own them all. The majority were purchased in the early '90s from Witchcraft Antiques in Nightcliff (Darwin). Google has never heard of said establishment. Gone the way of the dodo trainer now, surely. Filled in the gaps via AbeBooks.

Four books in the hand is worth three at the Bush gig (possibly)

The charity stores in my area are becoming increasingly picky about donated books. Sometimes they only take them in perfect (i.e. unread) condition. Sometimes they simply won't accept any. For a change, I lugged a pile of tomes I wanted to offload to a book nook inside a nearby shopping centre. I'm so glad I did! The spot was alive with users. One person was scouring the shelves and had four novels under their arm. Another was contentedly reading in a comfy chair. Two more patrons arrived, talking excitedly, while I was there. I'll definitely be returning to the nook with more choice titles.

Tomorrow, I'm going to a Kate Bush tribute show with JS and SS. Because I socialise so rarely post-Pandemic, it's fair to say I'm feeling trepidation. The outing will also involve a long drive - two long drives, actually - and finding a feed in an unfamiliar suburb. I KNOW it will be enjoyable and memorable and good for me. However, a small part of my brain is wishing I could stay home, eat fish'n'chips and watch the footy on TV instead. There was a time when I was out most nights...movies, gigs, launches, lectures, sporting events, pubbing, clubbing, restaurant-ing. Covid made me a shut-in.

Family secrets

Every clan's got 'em. One of my paternal grandfather's brothers was a real tearaway. He'd had run-ins with the constabulary in their native New Zealand and eventually fled an unhappy marriage. His last known whereabouts was at Pearl Harbour during WW2! If AncestryDOTcom starts telling me about Xth cousins in the US, I'm going to put two and two together.

Answer-based question solving

Felt like buying footy cards...for the first time in about 40 years :-)

They're more expensive now, with loads of fancy "chase cards" randomly inserted. They don't include a stick of pink gum. The backs of the cards don't form a giant picture of a scene from a famous game. They're not available at the corner store. Said shop is long gone!

If you wanna save money, you can purchase the basic common set (male and female players) from an eBay dealer for about $15. Which is what I did with the 2025 AFL/AFLW cards.

Or, if you're crazy -

Doubt I'll ever "invest" in another box. That said, I scored an above-average number of NRLW gals, plus a deluxe-o card of a key Knights fella. So not complaining. Was fun to open the packs. They smell good - although not as good as when there was gum inside.

I wonder how much those signed cards are going for...

Have I told these'uns before?

Over a bad cold but with my voice still gone, I was at a uni philosophy tutorial. It just so happened that no-one else wanted to speak that day, either. They likely hadn't done the set readings. While far from a perfect student, on this occasion I had. So, anyway, after repeated unsuccessful attempts to inspire debate, the lecturer frustratedly called a halt to the tute. As my classmates filed out, I went up to him, gave an apologetic look and gestured to my throat. I may've even rasped a little. He quickly twigged to the sitch. "You wanted to contribute but you've lost your voice?" I nodded. "That's OK. Thanks for telling me." In hindsight, I like to think I turned his exasperating experience into a mildly amusing one.

For some reason, the above story reminds me of when I was at a local MMA event with MR. It was an arvo show, with several families present. Which is why we were surprised when every fighter seemed to be walking out to gangster-rap tracks full of swearing. Finally, a dude made his way to the cage to some more kid-friendly music. No sooner had we noted that fact amongst ourselves when the announcer informed the crowd the fighter in question was deaf. The only combatant with a socially acceptable theme song wasn't able to hear it (and perhaps hadn't chosen it). He deserved to win. I don't remember if he did. MMA is EXTRA hard when your cornermen can't yell important instructions to ya during the bout.

Manners, innit?

I say "Pardon me" when I burp and "Excuse me" when I cough/sneeze. That's the way Mum raised me.

A schoolmate would call people out when they DIDN'T do so, reproaching, "Excuse pigs!" His manners weren't exactly textbook, though. If he didn't hear something or wanted it repeated, he'd go, "Because?"

A close chum who shall remain nameless would attempt to turn politeness into rudeness by saying stuff like "Pardon my arse" or "Excuse the f**k out of me". Of course I laughed - wouldn't you?

I'd also chuckle when a poker buddy would respond to someone else's long beer belch with, "Coming, mother!" On a similar note, I recall dear old Dad once acknowledging his own loud fart with, "Well, that appears to be working."

At karate, we were doing pushups or situps or something - 38, 39, 40, 41, 42 - when a fellow student ripped off a beauty. Without missing a beat, the instructor said, "I'll count, thank you."

What do you say to excuse yourself after an audible bodily expulsion? Do you just blame the dog?