Had a chili recently that had beetroot in - a little disconcerting when the juice has a bright pink tinge to it, but tastes good.

Low. Heard Hey What and absolutely loved it, then found out that Mimi had just died. Saw Alan solo a couple years later at a festival, and you could still really feel his grief in his voice.

Otoboke Beaver - Japanese (songs are a mix of Japanese and English)

Death Pill - Ukrainian (but sing in English - used to have some songs in Russian, but they re-wrote them)

The sleeper - the beer that you’ve never heard of, has a shitty label, but tastes like the nectar of the gods. You will never see it again, but will think about it for weeks

Seems my brain just assumed that Brass Eye had already been mentioned… Double checked the thread, and it somehow hasn’t, despite the Paedogeddon episode being one of the most notorious pieces of British TV in history. If you’re going to watch just one piece of Morris’ TV work, it should be this episode.

Jam.

Dark and weird sketch comedy from Chris Morris (probably best known for the film Four Lions, and the already-mentioned TV series Brass Eye). Transgressive comedy from the past usually either feels tame or completely unacceptable as social mores drift over time, but this (for the most part) still manages to sit in the sweet spot.

Terry Scott Taylor has an incredibly deep back catalogue on his Bandcamp page - some pretty middle of the road, and some totally weird, worth having a rummage and seeing what you get… For those who don’t want to play lucky dip, there’s the full soundtrack to Neverhood, plus a couple of related albums (Songs from the Neverhood Vol 2 which was the platformer sequel, and Return to the Neverhood - which was released as a companion to the graphic novel).

I used to use this as an icebreaker, until I got a very uncomfortable response from a female colleague. Turns out that whilst men’s “worst dates” are usually weird or awkward, and tend to make for good light entertainment and a little window into their lives, women’s are way more likely to be sexual assault related… Made me wonder how many answers I had heard in the past were glossing over some trauma that didn’t need to be brought up in a social setting.

I now usually rely on the way more positive “what’s the next thing you’re looking forward to?”.

My only complaint as a user (without considering any of the economics, or environmental impact) is that there has definitely been a bit of an adjustment period for the drivers - I’ve seen a few standing passengers go flying when the buses accelerate from zero like go-karts.

As call and response in the office whenever two “absolute top priority, over all else” tasks arrive in quick succession;

If everything is urgent?

Nothing is urgent!

If you’re finding it hard to get started, totally strict exclusions can force you to start actually thinking about what you’re putting in your mouth. Even if you don’t particularly care about veganism from a moral/ethical viewpoint, try following the diet for a while. You’d be surprised how much snack food contains milk powder, or other animal products. Strictly following the rules eliminates mindless consumption, then after a while you find yourself thinking whether or not something is worth consuming, rather than just sticking it in your mouth because it’s there.

Weigh yourself consistently (i.e. same time, same outfit) - I find it easiest to do straight after jumping out of the shower in the morning, post-poop and pre-breakfast, but ymmv. And the important part, record it. I have smart scales, which makes life easier, but absolutely not essential. There’s something very motivating about watching the line go down - and will quickly highlight if you’re on the right track, or if you need to cut back a little more.

I find it easier to maintain a hard no-snacking policy, than to try to reduce snacking but with case-by-case exceptions. Stick to eating at mealtimes only, rather than allowing yourself to rationalise that slice of cake (it’s a colleague’s birthday, rude not to), bag of chips (I only had a small lunch) or dozen donuts (they’ll go stale if I don’t eat them, that’s wasteful).

• Calva Louise - Third Class Citizen
• Heriot - Coalescence
• Capra - The Locust Preacher
• Ex People - Dread
• Cassyette - BOOM

Edit - thought of a couple more…

• Black Moth - Blackbirds Fall
• Vodun - Mawu

Most trips are organised around arbitrary goals, why not beer? People want to try pizza in Italy, or see the northern lights, or swim with dolphins - all geologically locked, ultimately frivolous goals. But if it brings you joy and you can afford it, why not?

I wouldn’t consider this particularly lightweight - it’s a bit of a battery monster, even with the moving background turned off

Friends through eternity, loyalty, honesty

We’ll stay together through thick or thin