Scott, you should try golf.

Back when Mrs. Mendalla and I were dating, we playing 9 holes with two of my buddies who golfed. That was enough for us. Mrs. M is more into racket sports (she plays badminton and tennis in local clubs when there's no pandemic) and I am not much of an athlete unless you count cycling for exercise.

Kettle is on. Anyone else for tea?

Hello Everyone👋🏼

It's been a long time since I've been here and it's nice to still see familiar faces :)
Hope everyone is doing well :)

Greetings! Nice to see you. Not sure we've actually met before, but I love having new faces around the cafe.

* grabs a tea and some cookies *

The Masters is led by Hideki Matsuyama being played live now. It is going to be a nail-biter I think. Matsuyama leads by 2 strokes at present through the 15th hole. If he holds it will be the sixth first-time Master's winner in the past 7 tournaments. I'm certain Ping is watching but there is no telling about that now.



And Matsuyama hung on to win by only one stroke. First Japanese man to win a major, though their women have picked up a couple. Will Zalatoris in second came close to becoming the first rookie to win the Masters.

Not sure if the courses are open around here or not, but probably not. I don't play myself so didn't really pay attention to that when the stay-at-home order went out last week.

I shall join Roland in the green tea. I will, however, raid the cookie jar for some pecan divines. My weight was up a bit but is back down to its usual (which my doc says is too high but whatever).

Having a blah day today so not really doing much. Cooler than it was but I'm not complaining. Yesterday was getting dangerously close to my heat tolerance level, which simply should not happen in early April.

Four days until Godzilla : King of the Monsters hits Netflix in Canada! Yeah, I'm behind on my monsters stomping each other movies. Still not sure when I'll get to see GvK. Cinemas are closed here now with the new lockdown.

Lovely day. Will get out later. Putting my taxes to bed first.

Got a pot of my wakoucha (Japanese red tea) going. Anyone for tea?

Speaking of, any new members with oddly Ping-adjacent names that may or may not be coded messages from beyond?

Now I'm tempted to start registering random Ping-like names. But I am also too lazy to bother using VPNs or something to do it so Maggie would probably catch me based on IP address.

No GvK here. We are in a stay-at-home order now and HBO Max isn't available up here (Bell Canada owns the rights to most HBO stuff and runs their own streaming service for it which doesn't have the connection to Warner). However, Godzilla : King of the Monsters finally hits NF Canada next week so there's that.

Nice weather but I haven't been out yet today. Had work stuff going on. My wife is booked for shot 1 next week so I hope my turn is coming soon.

Time for some green tea and cookies to unwind.

Good news from Gill. I was chatting with my son and daughter-in-law last night and am starting to hope I can actually meet her in-person. They are coming down in May so he can get his all-season tires and she can visit her family for Eid (Ramadan ends May 15). There's a chance my wife and I will have had our first shot by then. Not so sure about the kids but we'll see.

Got some work done yesterday, including setting up the patio furniture. Might go work on the deck some days when weather is good. Alas, today did not qualify as showers moved late in the morning.

Tea and cookie time.

Only 60-61F here. Sunny, though, so my deck should feel warm. Planning to do some outdoor work this afternoon. How much depends on how warm it actually feels.

And Zilla-Kong still calls out from the movie theater!



GODzilla. "Zilla" is what the Japanese call that monster that the Americans mistook for Godzilla in 1997. Please have some respect for our kaiju rulers.

* scarfs cookies and makes a green tea *

I have lived forever, Or so it seems to me, In my little temple, By the shining crystal sea. Some come in celebration, Some have come to sneer, Some have run in terror, I can be one to fear. My power is enormous, My mercy can be rare, Given to the wise folk, Calling me in prayer. But my world is fading, The magic in my heart Feels like it may leave me, I have played my part. My legend may...

Added 30 Oct 2020 | Category Poetry | Votes 6 | Avg Score 5 | Views 239 | 6 Comments

Something flew past the bedroom window as Shannon closed it for the night. The dark shape went by quickly, so quickly that Shannon could not really see what it was. Startled, she jumped back. “Probably just a bat or bird,” the young woman muttered as she quickly closed the window and curtains. She did not quite believe that. The shadow passing through the night had seemed too big for...

Added 27 Oct 2020 | Category Horror | Votes 9 | Avg Score 5 | Views 274 | 10 Comments

Talala looked down on the city square of Tantovar and smiled. Around her, people danced in a throng that filled the square. The rhythmic beat of hand drums and skirl of pipes filled the air with joyous sounds. “If only I could dance with them,” thought the goddess. But her body of carved stone was affixed to the temple dais. For deities could not enter the world of their own accord. They...

Added 21 Oct 2020 | Category Fantasy | Votes 11 | Avg Score 5 | Views 478 | 11 Comments

High up among the mountain peaks, 'Midst towering trees and flowing creeks; There I will find a holy space, That’s filled with beauty, love, and Grace. In this temple I shall bow and pray, And worship to the Cosmos pay.    ...

Added 15 Oct 2020 | Category Poetry | Votes 8 | Avg Score 5 | Views 251 | 9 Comments

Frank Baldwin stared out the window of his office. The lights of downtown Eversham shone before him. Usually, the mayor smiled when he looked out at those lights. A lifelong resident who had been the city’s mayor for twelve years, Frank was pleased and proud with the work he had done to improve the city. Tonight, though, he gazed out at them and sighed. It was looking like twelve years...

Added 10 Aug 2020 | Category Romance | Votes 7 | Avg Score 5 | Views 378 | 7 Comments

Butterflies and bees danced under the summer sun as Gail walked to the raspberry patch. The heat was increasing as the day wore on but was still bearable. With the lake as her pool, the heat did not really matter to Gail. She would re-apply sunscreen and go for a dip later. Finding a bush with plenty of ripe, red berries, Gail started picking. Her husband Michael was grilling a trout he...

Added 28 Jul 2020 | Category Flash Fiction | Votes 19 | Avg Score 4.89 | Views 668 | 18 Comments

I am slumped in a chair, staring at my newest painting. For over twenty-four hours I have been awake, painting in a near-trance for more than half that time. The painting portrays a scene not far from my studio, a shallow bay on Lake Madeline. A woman emerges naked from the water. An overturned canoe floats nearby. The woman’s name is Lily. Memories flood in. ***** Thunder rumbled in...

Added 30 Sep 2019 | Category Supernatural | Votes 9 | Avg Score 5 | Views 664 | 11 Comments

Spooky people come out to play. This is now your special day. Scare the other folks away. Spooky people play! Monster people come out to dance, Tonight will be your perfect chance. Caper, spin, stomp, and prance! Monster people dance! Witch-y people grab your broom, Soar up through the twilight gloom, Past the stars you're going to zoom, Witch-y people zoom! Halloween people this is...

Added 31 Oct 2018 | Category Poetry | Votes 8 | Avg Score 5 | Views 705 | 5 Comments

The rider came swiftly towards Avenigar. Keeping his horse at a fast trot, he reached the cluster of buildings that stood beyond the town’s West gate. Those buildings stood mostly empty and boarded up now that winter had arrived. During the summer, though, they were home to hundreds when trade caravans passed through en route to the mountain passes. Dev Jackelbury, Warden of Avenigar, stood...

Added 13 Oct 2018 | Category Fantasy | Votes 8 | Avg Score 5 | Views 824 | 8 Comments

I saw the light born and reborn this morning. From dark sea and dim horizon came a holy glow, A signal that night's rule was ending; A first, tentative announcement that light and life would indeed return from the underworld. That first dim glow grew brighter, and my heart quickened, Delighting in the light, celebrating the warmth and brightness that soon would be. Then it happened. In...

Added 15 Jan 2018 | Category Poetry | Votes 6 | Avg Score 5 | Views 1,012 | 5 Comments