We booked our plane tickets back to Sydney for next month. Now every time I do something in Munich, I think about the fact that it might be the last time.

(I made the mistake of saying that to Rodd the other day. He pointed out that, you know, that’s true for everything all the time. I told him to quit being so morbid.)

Anyway, all that is to say I went for an Autumn ride along the Isar today, and I was very conscious that it might be my last long ride here, so I should savour it. I stopped to take several photos. 🍁🍂🚴‍♀️

I ducked into the Englischer Garten for part of the ride home.

I walked my bike through the Altstadt, where I was happy to see the Christmas tree is set up in front of the Rathaus!

I also grabbed a sunset photo of the Rindermarkt, one of the prettiest decorated buildings in Munich.

Here’s my ride on Strava if you want to have a look at the route.

“How to Join Mastodon, the Ad-Free Social Network Billionaires Can’t Buy”

I read that article earlier this week and it helped me finally understand how Mastodon’s decentralisation works. I’ve set up an account on @aus.social and I’m playing around with my profile and following folks. If you’re over there, please connect! I’m @web_goddess@aus.social. 🐘

I felt like doing some knitting today so I decided to finally watch Austenland on Netflix. And you know what? It was charming! As a big fan of Jane Austen (and someone who can pretty much recite the entire script to the 1995 P&P miniseries), I really enjoyed all the nods and references to the Austen-verse. The casting was also spot on. I yelled out lout at one point, “THAT’S MR. HURST!” Nicely done, movie. I also loved that Jennifer Coolidge was basically playing a nicer version of her White Lotus character, and I had fun spotting both Shadow Moon (from American Gods) and Dr. Gaius Baltar (from Battlestar Galactica) in supporting roles. As for the central romance, I was legitimately torn between the two guys in much the same way the lead character was. I mean, Bret McKenzie as a charming stablehand? But also JJ Feild doing a stellar Mr. Darcy impression? I totally get why it didn’t land with critics, but for Austen superfans, this was light but fun. (And don’t even get me started on the post-credits sequences. My head exploded, in a very fun way.)

And on the topic of Regency LARPing, I started the movie thinking, “I would totally go to Austenland!” And about halfway through I was right there with Jane thinking, “OMG this would be totally boring.” And then at the end I was like, “I want to go to Elizabeth Charming’s Austenland TOMORROW.” 🎢🫖

Why did images of early pregnancy cause such a social media firestorm? https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/3/23435111/early-pregnancy-abortion-tiktok-social-media-images

Like many folks, I saw these images shared on social media in past few weeks. I never doubted their veracity though. I have a vivid memory as a kid of visiting the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago and seeing their Prenatal Development exhibit. I’d recommend it to anyone. There is a lot of misinformation out there, and I’m not surprised that some folks would rather believe that at 4 weeks an embryo is a miniature person rather than an undifferentiated clump of cells. #stillprochoice

We Baked Loads of Pies to Find the Best Pie Pans https://www.seriouseats.com/best-pie-pans-6752341

This is relevant to my interests. 🥧

Public Service Announcement: If Google has been screaming at you that you’re running out of storage – I somehow got up to 87% full on mine – there is a useful tool that lets you review and delete things like large email attachments, Drive files you no longer need, etc. I used it to blast a lot of junk. 💥🗑

Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration – OH MAN. Just watching the trailer was like an instant dopamine hit. Straight back to my childhood… 👾

I like to pretend I’m above crappy American fast food, but let’s be honest – I would 100% try (and likely enjoy) this new Papa John’s monstrosity. 🍕

When shocked Europeans hear that I am sad about moving back to Australia, the lack of cycling infrastructure is one of the main reasons that I cite. And it’s not just that – some people are actively hostile to cyclists and in far too many cases have deliberately injured them. I have loved riding my bicycle in Munich. I ride it to work and the shops and the hairdresser, and I take short joyrides around the parks near my house, and every now and then I take a longer ride out of the city. In all of those rides, I rarely have to share the road with cars and I’ve seldom felt worried for my safety. I have a helmet but I don’t wear it very often. (I should wear it all the time, I know.) I see all kinds of people on bikes here – old people, kids, serious athletes, parents pulling bike trailers. None of this happens in Sydney. The end result is that I’m not going to bother to ship my bike back, because I know it will just gather dust and I’ll feel sad.

I should stop moping and go out for a ride today while I still can, I guess. 🚴‍♀️

I was delighted to see on my friend and neighbour Michael Mobbs’s blog that his Sustainable House in Chippendale will be featured on Season 2 of Zac Efron’s Netflix documentary series. If you watch the trailer, you can totally hear Michael’s voice in the shot where they’re drinking the water! I can’t wait to see it.

Here’s the trailer…