Onya, Tillies!

Friendly-shmendly. A win over Argentina is a win over Argentina. Pair of cracking goals and a few near misses. We play 'em again on Monday.

While the gals have been training, I've been reading. Saucy manga courtesy of RS1. Wargaming magazines. Randy Savage bio from the library.

Considered writing a blog entry about all of the beloved coats I've lost - left in a taxi, stolen from a pub, given to a visiting relo who hadn't packed adequately for the weather, outgrown, worn until shabby then sadly ditched... No need now :-)

Atlantis > Springfield

COMIC COVER OF THE WEEK

By Uzuri. Predictable choice from moi.

SONG OF THE WEEK

"Feel Like" by Eve (Japan).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGfC3lCFPRM

OK-EST FILM I SAW THIS WEEK

(Also the only one.)

From kick-off to the final whistle

Here's my team at the beginning of this season's Fantasy Premier League.

Here's my team at the end. I think I made at least one change every round, due to injuries or poor performance or some cockamamie strategy I had in mind based on the draw.

I finished roughly 3.8 millionth out of 11.5 million. Will I play again next season? Abso-friggin'-lutely!

Will it ever stop raining so I can mow the damn lawn?

Taxi-ed to/from hospital yesterday. Received exemplary care, even though the place was insanely busy. Had a bunch of tests. On the positive side, they couldn't find anything obviously wrong. On the negative, they also couldn't explain the random little jabs of pain I've been experiencing for days. The doctor cautiously concluded it may be "one of those things" that goes away on its own. RS2, who is a Master of Chiropractic, bets it's a pinched nerve.

In other news, Season 2 of "The Devil's Plan" was <two thumbs up>.

In other OTHER news, RS1 - and it's possible I've numbered these mates the opposite way in the past, and equally possible I'll do so again in the future - is coming over on Sat for our annual "Magic: The Gathering" sealed-deck showdown. Looking forward to it! We'll be cracking a box of "Foundations". Presumably that'll mean a trio of best-of-three matches wherein we each open and build a deck from six boosters. If there's time, we might even combine the contents of our 18 packs and play a fourth match. I'll certainly be suggesting that if RS1 doesn't beat me to it!

Low, loud, smoky

COMIC COVER OF THE WEEK

By JM Linsner. Perverse form of nostalgia, I suppose - Penelope P. rendered by a famous cheesecake artist.

SONG OF THE WEEK

"In My Heart" by The Maneken (Ukraine). Big sound. Funky groove. Killer chorus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLJI_CM91Os

Honourable mentions to "Inept Apollo" by Nation Of Language (US) for the retro-synth mood. And "Pantera" by Jamal (Poland). Beaut jam whose clip stars an S-tier manic pixie dream girl.

WORST FILM I SAW IN THE PAST WEEK

(Also the only one.) Addster's review: This is indeed content that was produced.

Overgrown screenager

PROS & CONS OF "INDIANA JONES AND THE GREAT CIRCLE"

Pros: 

* Superb voice work from Troy Baker as Indy. Never didn't sound like him.

* The character of Gina Lombardi was a spunky and endearing companion.

* Moments in the cut scenes that were take-your-breath-away stunning.

* Appropriately spooky mythology, exotic locations and dastardly foes.

* Clever skill and hint mechanics.

Cons: 

* Too long, padded out with too much busywork.

* Excessive killing made Indy seem far less of a hero (when you thought about it).

* Not a fan of dream sequences.

* Combat repetitive, while more could have been made of stealth.

House mouse

Latest walking audiobook >>>

Publisher's blurb:

"India is the forgotten heart of the ancient world.

"For a millennium and a half, India was a confident exporter of its diverse civilisation, creating around it a vast empire of ideas. Indian art, religions, technology, astronomy, music, dance, literature, mathematics and mythology blazed a trail across the world, along a Golden Road that stretched from the Red Sea to the Pacific.

"William Dalrymple draws from a lifetime of scholarship to highlight India's oft-forgotten position as the heart of ancient Eurasia. For the first time, he gives a name to this spread of Indian ideas that transformed the world. From the largest Hindu temple in the world at Angkor Wat to the Buddhism of China, from the trade that helped fund the Roman Empire to the creation of the numerals we use today (including zero), India transformed the culture and technology of its ancient world - and our world today as we know it."

Tree rings & ice cores

I bragged here on DGN when I finished all of the Danish lessons available on Duolingo. I've since gone back and done them all again but at Legendary level. Thought youse would want to know. Reader: "So you can speak Danish now, right?" I wouldn't go that far. More like I can understand most of a simple sentence if it's (written down or) said slowly enough. Really need to spend a year or two in Denmark, immersed in the language. Need to.

An inkling that it's sprinkling

COMIC COVER OF THE WEEK

By David Talaski. Providing reassurance that desktop adventures are real ;-P

SONG OF THE WEEK

"Karasu" by Some-Linez (Japan). Beatboxing + shamisen = rad timez.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tmeHq7RKGo

BEST FILM I SAW IN THE PAST WEEK

(Also the only one.)

PODCAST RECOMMENDATION

"Starship Alexandria". Genre book talk with the excellent Emma Newman and Adrian Tchaikovsky.

My kind of official news

“There’s also the chance to transform enemy wizards into simple, water-loving amphibians with these arcane frogs.”

Blockery

Concluded this project yesterday. Took several sittings. Sneaky assist from my niece when she visited with my sister and spied the unattended WIP. I've realised that I find building LEGO *incredibly* relaxing. Next kit will be Jaws attacking the fishing boat (arrives in a day or two). Then a model of Diagon Alley, the street with all of the magic shops from "Harry Potter". Just gotta free up sufficient space to display the buggers!

Decisive victory

"Gloomhaven" last night. Instead of controlling the monsters, I took over the character of a young fella who couldn't make it. Despite joking that I was gonna "drive it like a rental", I not only finished the scenario on full health, I completed the quest that will allow him to evolve into a new class. Must have been the power of the alcoholic ginger beer (Brown Snake).

Speaking of motoring - as I, erm, vaguely was - earlier in the day I'd seen a car with the following message paint-penned on the rear windscreen: "TAILGATERS - WANKERS OR DICKHEADS? YOU DECIDE".

Driving across the border

On the left, a fun, single-sitting read that was in Dad's library. On the right, a bumper retro celebration of an RPG tome that'll definitely take multiple sittings to ingest...although, I am halfway through already. Both played in and DM-ed B1 back in the day. B2 I only experienced as a player. Am tempted to solo a stack of pregens through the 5E updates, using a homebrew system for randomising character behaviour, etc.

Lot's wife & vinegar

COMIC COVER OF THE WEEK

By Nimit Malavia. A different, real-looking face for Black Canary. I like the bat-erflies, too.

SONG OF THE WEEK

"Metal" by The Beths (NZ). Perhaps not as beaut as their "Expert In A Dying Field", but certainly beaut enough to earn this widdle accolade.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrVEgP0LkDA

BEST FILM I SAW IN THE PAST WEEK

(Also the only one.)

Safe seat

Did my civic duty and voted in the federal election. I once had an idiosyncratic workmate, KC, who didn't like using the bathroom at work. He'd wait until there was an excuse to leave the office, then use one of the loos at a nearby pub, The Civic. He referred to it as "doing his Civic duty". On the way back from voting, I stocked up on beer, wine, rum and soju (total savings: $40!). I reckon KC would approve.

Papering over the gaps

Completed Book 10 and thus the "Chronicles Of Amber". A unique, intelligent fantasy saga worth the journey. Commenced Moore's latest, which PG is patiently waiting for me to pass along.

Well done to the Lady Blues on convincingly winning Game 1 of the Women's State Of Origin! (But given what happened in last year's series, I'm not counting any unhatched chickens...)

It's been raining for five days

As a result, I've been doing a lot of walking up and down the staircase (and up and down, and up and down) instead of my daily wanders outdoors. This is my present audiobook of choice.