lol today's tennis x cryptic crossword crossover

To make up for the politics post! Vignarola in Rome in May is non-negotiable afaic. God the way the perfectly crispy guanciale just BURSTS in your mouth

Roman graffiti out of a bus window. Fuck Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper forever

Sabalenka's 10th Slam SF. I've been waiting for someone new to get to double-digit Slam SFs for SO LONG (since 2008, to be precise)

Elena Rybakina on suddenly finding herself having to navigate a 2024 junior draw

Taylor Fritz his self-awareness

(haven't processed him reaching a Slam SF yet)

what an unusual week for Kyoka Okamura: b2b walkovers to reach the Nonthaburi ITF final, then gets into AO qualies as the last direct entry at the last minute thanks to Krejcikova's withdrawal, then beats the top seed to win her biggest title to date

and a vaguely ordered list-dump of my albums of 2024

some tennis fans make pilgrimages to slam stadia, I came to the beautiful Jardim Quinta Magnolia in Funchal where I watched Kristina Dmitruk win an ITF event last month on a shonky stream

Discovered via Dita's phenomenal RA mix ra.co/podcast/959

Found this in our Madeira apartment. It's a game I vaguely remember from childhood but WHAT? "Nine goose game" is beyond google

50ish trax I really enjoyed in 2023 in a vague order

40 albums/EPs I really enjoyed in 2023 in a vague order

Kind of in love with Madeira with its impressive gradients, goth beach, jurassic park style landscapes and the best sandwich I've ever had (a prego especial: what if the best burger bun ever wasn't a brioche but garlic bread, with extra garlic?)