Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Hasbulla and Tilapia


That's me in real time, pretty much, writing this post. I'm sitting out in the garden, having already washed dishes and folded laundry. And it's not even 7 a.m.!

One of my happiest discoveries was learning that our WiFi signal stretches out to the garden bench. So I can sit out here in nice weather and read blogs and (obviously) write my blog, which is pretty great. It's about 60º F (15.6º C) at the moment according to my phone, though it doesn't seem that cool to me. Olga is sniffing around the garden and under all the plants, no doubt searching out the scents of any foxes that wandered through overnight.

That photo on my desktop is one that I took way back in December 2013 when Olga, Dave and I went up to Norfolk to stay at a bed & breakfast run by some acquaintances from work. I blogged it here. God, that seems like a long time ago. We hadn't even had her a year yet.

The 10th graders didn't protest the changes in the library yesterday. They seemed to accept that their large group was a little too unmanageable for the fiction section. Or maybe they're plotting some kind of retaliation. Ha!


This cardboard cutout was standing beneath the school stairs, in an area where the seniors often gather. Do you recognize him? I didn't, but someone filled me in -- he's a Russian MMA and TikTok star named Hasbulla. Why he's standing beneath our staircase I have no idea.


That sign in the background is even more of a mystery.

27 comments:

Moving with Mitchell said...

I'd never heard of Hasbulla. I love Tilapia. The cutout is oddly entertaining. I wonder where the tilapia sign came from.

Andrew said...

The cut out is interesting. I've taken a shop window photo of similar figures which I thought was a bit creepy. I'll put it up soon.

River said...

Call me squeamish, what is that white stuff floating in your coffee? I couldn't possibly drink that.

Steve Reed said...

Mitchell: I am mystified. Maybe someone stole it as a prank?

Andrew: Figures like that are sort of surreal.

River: It's just a reflection of the sky through the branches overhead. There's no floating white stuff! :)

Yorkshire Pudding said...

In the second paragraph you seem to say that your blog is "pretty great" but I suppose that in your defence you will argue that the comma changes everything. Maybe it is one of those instances where the usefulness of commas is exemplified.

Rachel Phillips said...

Ah, you have been to Norfolk and close to where I live. I would not like to stay at North Lopham without a car though. Lots of churches within a few yards of each other in the Lophams.

Ed said...

A number of years back, we switched over to a mesh wifi system. Because they need to be plugged in, they are mostly situated near the outside walls of our house. While providing excellent wifi coverage anywhere inside, I have found that our wifi coverage stretches some 60 feet or more around our entire outside of the house. I love it in the fall when I'm sitting by our firepit enjoying a fire while surfing.

Boud said...

Sounds as if the seniors are doing some sort of game there. Never a dull moment.

Bob said...

I thought it was Inmate# P01135809 as a child!!

Ms. Moon said...

I like Bob's comment.
World's Best Tilapia. What?! I would be so mystified. I AM mystified.

Ellen D. said...

You do look comfy sitting in your garden. You get a LOT done before you go to work!

Red said...

Cool that your wi fi reaches the garden. I changed modems and can't get my ipad on it.

NewRobin13 said...

I love the laptop image and the current Olga view together. Sweet photo.
Interesting things showing up at the school... cardboard cutouts and Tilapia lover sign. I wonder what's next.

Tasker Dunham said...

I think your blog is pretty great too. Thanks for the tip about where we can get free wi-fi in London.

ellen abbott said...

I have no idea what MMA means and I've never been on TicTik. and world's best tilapia isn't saying much as it's the least nutritious fish out there.

I think about getting a laptop when my desktop finally dies. I'd like to be able to sit out on the deck in the morning with my coffee and blogging.

Michael said...

I think I have a similar laptop. MacBook Air? I am looking forward to being able to go out on the deck and read. It is still too hot here.

Margaret said...

Your coffee made me want to have MORE coffee! I don't do TikTok and especially dislike "influencers" so I'm not familiar with that person. I used to like tilapia until I read what a dirty fish it is. Now I stick with Alaskan salmon.

Kelly said...

I'm anti-tilapia. We use to grow catfish (commercially), so I encourage buying (and eating) US farm-raised catfish.

The Bug said...

Those items ARE mysteries! I think I'll just make up a short story in my head about how they got there.

Catalyst said...

Mysteries in the school library. I must agree with The Bug that a short story is prompted.

Colette said...

I'm sure the 10 grade boys knew they were pushing the envelope, and expected some kind of change.

John Going Gently said...

Small adults that look like children cream me out
Oh god I’ll get bollocked for that thought

Debby said...

Hasbulla is 21 years old!

Steve Reed said...

YP: Ha! I didn't mean it that way but I can see how it sounds like that. I should have just deleted the words "my blog."

Rachel: Yeah, it's hard to be in any village without a car. I remember this is your neck of the woods as you have mentioned Diss.

Ed: I'm not sure what a mesh WiFi system is -- I wonder if that's what we have? Don't all WiFi systems need to be plugged in somewhere?

Boud: Yeah, who knows!

Bob: Ha! He does have that look!

Ms Moon: As are we all.

Ellen D: Well, that was an unusually busy morning!

Red: That's a bummer.

Robin: It's a never-ending parade of weird stuff out there! LOL

Tasker: Ha! I wasn't patting myself on the back, I swear. As for the WiFi, if you can hack my password you're welcome to it. (Even I can never remember it!)

Ellen: MMA is Mixed Martial Arts. A laptop has changed my life. I would never have a desktop computer now.

Michael: Yes! Circa 2015!

Margaret: I don't know if Hasbulla is an "influencer" or more of an entertainer. Or what the dividing line is between the two!

Kelly: I almost never eat either one. I guess being in Britain we see more ocean fish than anything else.

Bug: Ha! Maybe Hasbulla loves tilapia?

Catalyst: As with so many curious sights! I guess this is the kind of stuff writers watch for.

Colette: Maybe, yeah. They might have known coming in that things would be different!

John: Ha! I assume you mean "creep" you out. It's probably not "politically correct" that this cutout was even on display.

Debbie: Yes! You probably read this too, but he has a human growth hormone deficiency.

Ed said...

Old wifi systems came with single source routers that emitted the signal at one point, where ever you plugged your router into an outlet. So one had to put it in a central location that may or may not cover all portions of your house. A mesh system actually has three or more different emitters that you can plug in around the perimeter of your house. As you walk around with your wifi device, they hand off the signal seamlessly between each other. The result is that you have a seamless strong signal throughout your house and in my case, quite a ways around our house. Our mesh routers are made by Eero. After living with them for a number of years now, I would be hard pressed to go back to having one single router with those plastic antennas on them again.

Sharon said...

Goodness, that's a lot of mystery items. I have never even heard of that Russian kid. But, I love the two shots of Olga in one picture at the top. Good one.

Jeanie said...

Well, there's nothing boring about your school, that's for sure! That's a great desktop photo -- glad the wifi reaches!