Chapter 280

Up early, with my alarm, to do my shit-shower and walk the dog and come back in time for my guest appearance on my friends’ podcast. Together we reviewed new releases in four vastly different subgenres: Necroticgorebeast (slam/brutal death, 9/10), Rivers Of Nihil (pretentious prog metal with very distant death metal influences, 5/10), Scarfold (energetic and furious New York-style hardcore, 8/10) and Brainstorm (generic but fun power metal, 7/10). Scores reflect only my opinion based on likelihood of re-listens and perceived artistic merit.

I stuck around on the Zoom chat, offline, and talked with the guys before it was time for them to go to bed. Then, I went back to the hospital to get my nucleic acid test result printed out. Chinese ID card holders can get the result by scanning a QR code from the comfort of their homes, but filthy foreigners can’t. I’m trying to imagine how such a policy would be received in Canada, but then again there’s a bit of news that has been doing the rounds about a government-issued booklet in Calgary, with instructions for voting that have been translated in over ten languages... but no French to be seen (one of Canada’s official languages).

Either way it wasn’t a very difficult task, and it gave me a reason to go ride my bike a bit and get some “active rest” for my sore muscles. I also went to an upscale supermarket to buy steaks and seafood and vegetables I can’t buy elsewhere.

Back home, I brought stuff downstairs to the storage room and got the shovel to go bury our kitten. Sad moment. Then I showered and sat in the AC, I browsed the web a bit, and saw that there’s a hardcore show coming up in Hangzhou, on the night I’ll coincidentally be in town. I looked up the headliner, a Beijing-based act called 不复之血 (or, its Chinglish name, Unregenerate Blood) and it was decent, the vocals were a bit subpar but at this point, live shows are so rare in my life, I’ll take whatever comes.

The girlfriend made a sashimi salad, brussel sprouts and two small steaks, that we ate watching a mindless compilation of funny videos, since Netflix didn’t let us watch The Office with a VPN. I already discontinued my Netflix subscription now that I finished the Hip-Hop Evolution series. Then I washed the dishes and we walked the dog for an hour or so. Life is good.