Not sure why they let Grimaldo (who is apparently looking very promising as a left back at Benfica) leave either. But yeah, Alves clearly has several years left in him as one of the best right backs in the world. Luis Enrique's (perhaps temporary) retirement might be good for FCB.

He's derivative of Murnau's Faust?

Divinity: Original Sin 2: Originaler Sin's DM mode sounds neat. Surely I can make some friends by the time it comes out.

A Psych holiday special. Well, I don't see why not. It could even be good.

I found out about him via the McElroy brothers' D&D podcast they do with their dad, The Adventure Zone. It uses a song from Ataraxia in the intro.

Plantasia (warm earth music for plants… and the people who love them) by Mort Garson

I'm a big yay, too. Especially in summer, gin drinks are darned refreshing.

And the shield + health thing was a good, and pretty important, solution to the problem of undodgeable projectiles without littering the game with health and armor pickups.

I don't know that I'll ever drink rye again on account of how drunk I got the first time I had it.

I've never read any of the Blandings novels, though I suppose it may pop up in the Uncle Fred omnibus I have. I've never gotten to the actual novels in it, instead just reading "Uncle Fred Flits By" repeatedly.

Gin, yea or nay?

Ramos gin fizzes are great. I've only ever made a sort of ersatz version because I can't get the foaminess right.

He's really just using delay pedals to get those repeating guitar effects, not spooky alien blood.

Started reading Nikolaus Pevsner's An Outline of European Architecture (what's more popular than buildings?*)

I think I remember Balotelli would only submit to an interview if it was conducted by one of the Gallagher brothers when he was in England, which is another point in their favor.

Did members of Drive Shaft (Lost, wiki says) ever convince one of the members he was haunted by ghosts?

And "A Courting Song"

I think it is fairly common in the Appalachians. Another song, "Shady Grove" (Doc Watson version here), is also pretty common and comes from the same roots. It's a courting song and in it Shady Grove is the name of the woman. Nobody dies in any of the versions of it I've heard.

I know the Doc Watson version. The lyrics sound somewhat similar to Green Maggard's (that's a great name).

Tell your dad to get off my back, at least.