The Lightning Thief musical opens in London today and we’re there! @seananmcguire

I’m reasonably happy with the אב now; pivoting to ひらがな because Colin has had his בר מצווה and Expo is in Osaka next year.

Are there driving games which are as seriously simulationist as Microsoft Flight Simulator and not populated exclusively with hypercars?

I want to know how driving an Audi TT or a Tesla 3 feels different from driving a Dacia Sandero without spending hundreds on rental cars.

Attach the ears E to the lid L using 4.5x50mm self-tapping screws (not provided)

Backbone of the orchestra …

Unfortunate linguistics: the very unpleasant sounding SHIT/BLERJE simply means ‘sale and purchase’ in Albanian, and usually denotes a used car lot

Look at the bedding planes on that!

Does a wise and prudent Tom who knows his Greek mythology drink the ‘Medusa’ cocktail at Aphrodite’s Garden? Tequila blanco, lime, mango, honey syrup, orange liqueur.

What about the actually existing Tom?

The weather and the traffic are both rather copious here: it’s getting to the level of Indonesia where you take the taxi because it will keep you dry while proceeding at walking pace

In Hotelistan: only the fact that the water bottles are labelled Qafshtama betrays my location

(That’s the brand; water is ujë, bottle is shishe)

My inner nine-year-old mildly amused that one of the four chains of petrol stations here is Kastrati.

Tirana airport’s less larcenous Albanian currency exchange was 5% spread on usd and eur, 10% on gbp, about 100% on Turkish lira!

I should probably be suspicious when, as I buy a pair of hardened-steel pliers with unusually shaped jaws, Amazon asks whether I want to get this item on subscription…

The pliers worked (they were the last-ditch attempt to get the cross-threaded salt reservoir on the dishwasher open) and remain intact for future use. Sold as oil-filter pliers.

Is there any road marking or signage in the UK which, if you are on an otherwise empty road at night, immediately indicates whether it is half a dual carriageway or not?

Is it reasonable to expect hiking trousers to protect you from brushing against nettles? These Mountain Warehouse ones do not meet that benchmark.

One lousy second …