Category Archives: Life
Playstation Language Settings
Nine out of ten times when I turn on the Playstation I have to change the interface language from Japanese, my daughters’ preference, to English, which is mine. Why can’t I set the preferred language at the user profile level … Continue reading
The Platonic Ideal of KFC
A roadside KFC restored my faith in the fast food gods. Continue reading
Dolphins
The early bird catches the worm, and also gets to see a dolphin up close if it’s in Bunbury. Continue reading
Mendokusai
If I want to say, internally, that something is a hassle, this is the word I reach for. Continue reading
The Coffee Dilemma
A note for future me — when at work and faced with the choice between drinking instant coffee or using a couple of paper towels as a make-do coffee filter because you left the filters you bought the day before … Continue reading
Not Much of a Career
A near-miss carjacking brings a Billy Bragg classic to mind. Continue reading
A bit of a hit around
We’ve been driving past Robertson Park tennis courts for years, thinking we should pop in and give it a go sometime. That feeling gained some impetus when I found out that Steve Malkmus played there when Pavement came to Perth … Continue reading
Just One Cookbook’s Macaroni Gratin
This macaroni gratin is probably the first actually new recipe I’ve made this year. It was a late request on a Sunday, with just enough time to get to the shops. For ages I’ve shied away from anything vaguely rouxish. … Continue reading
Salt & Fat’s 707 Fried Chicken
I’ve made this chicken one billion times. You should give it a try. Continue reading
That sweetens the memory
A lovely quote from Kogonada on the double dialog memories in After Yang. Continue reading
Alvvays: Belinda Says
Alvvays’ Belinda Says is the first song in ages that makes me deliberately drive more slowly so I can hear it all before I get home. I’m sure I look pretty silly as I sing along to the “See how it … Continue reading
Hot Spring Amber
While I was dozing off yesterday in a relaxation chair at a hot spring in the Japanese countryside my brain recognised a slight similarity in the bland piano background music to Dick Diver’s very much not bland song Amber and … Continue reading
Fire Ceremony
A new year ceremony at Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine. Continue reading
If Pressed
He stands by the door, all ready to go — 250 yen in his left pocket, bus fare, and 550 yen in his right, which is for the subway. He knows he should probably get one of those cards that … Continue reading
Calendar Days is Back
I made it through a week or so without having Calendar Days playing on repeat in my head. It’s back now, especially the verse that goes “There’s a kind of quiet. A fighter jet’s applause. They’re all saw toothed fragments. … Continue reading
The Phone Disguised
Despite the valiant attempt to disguise it, nothing can hide the futuristic technology lurking with this box plonked down randomly in the Sumiyoshi Taisha grounds. It’s trying to fit in with this, so it’s a kind of high bar.