Mid-air refuelling

Got my six-monthly Covid jab. The next 24-48 hours will inevitably involve some unpleasant flu-like symptoms. Better than the alternative!

Backed Professor DM's "Deathbringer" TRPG on BackerKit. I like deadliness of the rules and the unreconstructed nature of the art.

Are you into Chess? The latest ep of the "Perpetual Chess Podcast", with special guest Bruce Pandolfini, is equally entertaining and insightful, supported by an unmatched authority lightly worn.

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2026/7/14/ep-490-bruce-pandolfini-on-50-years-of-teaching-chessnbsp

Saw the fourth flick in the "Roundup" series, from 2024. As the villains keep getting nastier (and stabbier), watching Don Ho's rule-bending detective punch seven shades outta them grows increasingly more satisfying. And knowing the actor himself beat UFC powerhouse Alex Pereira's score when they had a contest on one of those video-arcade punching machines in Korea only adds to the believability of the blows.

Did the Sherlock Holmes-themed "Exit The Game" on my own last night. Was so impressed with the ingenuity of the design and the sneakiness of the puzzles! Scored 5/10 possible stars. I was fast, but had to use several clues. I suspect the next "E/T/G" I tackle will be easier because - SPOILERS AHEAD!!! - I now know a problem may require combining separate puzzle elements, scrutinising/utilising the packaging, temporarily breaking a game rule (a line of text urged me to "rebel")... Physical challenge-wise, I had to assemble two little cardboard cabinets with drawers! I also had to line up depictions of a room's contents in order, foreground to background, on wooden skewers to plot the trajectory of a bullet! Cheers to PG for recommending this range of escape rooms in a box, of which he and his missus have solved a few.