Liberation Day

It was "Liberation Day" yesterday according to Trump.  The only thing that was liberated today was my retirement savings and all the profits in my stock portfolio.  One of the big reasons why Trump was elected was that it was thought he would be better for the economy.  I think we can all agree that has not proved the case.  His administration's pig-headed haste to introduce tariffs that nobody wants is a disaster for the global economy.  And his election promises to lower grocery prices proved predictably empty.  It's clear we're heading into a recession, and the worst is that it was (and is) totally avoidable.  And even if we avoid a recession, the world is going to become a lot more expensive and unemployment is on the rise.  For all of Biden's faults, at least he left the US with a relatively strong economy.  But it appears that Trump and his administration are doing everything to run it into the ground.  When his policies start to affect my retirement, then I start to worry.    

Turkish proverb: "When a clown moves into a palace he doesn't become a king, the palace instead becomes a circus"

Dilemma

Oh no, what to do.  For the first time, all 6 of Sean Connery's official James Bond films (i.e. not including Never Say Never Again) are going to be released on 4K Ultra HD.  And not just that, but they will be housed in Steelbooks with original art.  And for a bit more money, include a limited edition Steelbook library case.  Which of course you know I would be interested in.  But do I really need this?  I've already got all the films on Blu ray.  Is 4K necessary?  And if the only other original thing about the release is the artwork and casing, then I'm not sure it's worth it.  If they were to also include a bunch of new extras - both on the disc and in addition to the disc - then I would definitely be sold.  But as it is, I'm just not sure.  And for me to say that, then it might have to be a reluctant pass.   

Noises

One of my least favo(u)rite noises is that of a chainsaw.  And unfortunately I had to endure it most of the day today.  My landlord decided to cut down some more branches from the trees alongside my driveway.  Ostensibly I understand why he is doing it - to allow bigger vehicles to more easily be able to go up my driveway by increasing the clearance.  Specifically, his justification is to ensure emergency vehicle access.  Is there something he knows that I don't?!  Either way, I don't like it.  I don't like the loss of tree cover, both for me and for the local bird life.  It reduces my privacy.  Particularly to the neighbo(u)r's house that has been on the market for a while - and which I went online today to discover that it has been sold (for a million dollars!) pending inspection just within the last few weeks.  Now the side of my driveway seems very open - and I don't know if it will ever fill out with other growth.  I'm sure just taking down a few branches doesn't make a big difference to how much noise I receive - but it certainly has a psychological effect.  Out of sight, out of mind.  But now the newly sold house is in sight, in mind.  Let's hope my new neighbo(u)rs aren't too noisy.    

Sunday Night TV

I know that in this era of streaming TV that watching scheduled programming is very passe.  But an interesting observation is that at 9 pm on Sunday nights, there are currently 5 programs airing simultaneously that I watch.  There was a 6th, but I quickly dropped that.  The quality of these programs is variable to say the least, but not enough to stop my DVR getting a good work out.  This is the only time of the week that anything likes this happens.  Indeed, there are only a handful of scheduled programs that I bother watching during the week.  But Sundays are the exception, even beyond the 9 pm to 10 pm slot.  In that slot the 5 programs that I currently watch are The White Lotus (quality drama), Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light (which will probably remain unwatched on my DVR for a while because the original Wolf Hall is no longer free on streaming and I didn't get to finish watching all those episodes), Dark Winds (quality thriller), Watson (mediocre Americanized/modernized medical drama featuring Sherlock Holmes characters), and Suits LA (even more mediocre spin-off from the already fairly mediocre show Suits).  And the show that I stopped watching after 1 episode was David Blaine Do Not Attempt - after the realization that I really don't like David Blaine.        

More Backyard Wildlife Action

I knew there had been a bit of wildlife action in my backyard because I'd seen the bunny from my sofa, and I also saw the deer walk right across my back patio.  I'm glad my trail cam confirmed it - a couple of good photos here.

Fulham 0-3 Palace

We're going to Wembley!  But it's only a semifinal.  That somehow seems wrong.  In my humble opinion, Wembley should only be for the final and the semis should be played somewhere else.  But I'm not going to let that detract from Palace's achievement.  Just a continuation of a fantastic 2025.  Sadly I didn't catch the game - it was on too early for me, and it was streaming on ESPN+ which I don't have.  However I'm going to do my damnedest to watch the semi-final, and hopefully also the final.  I think we have as good a chance, if not better, than any of the remaining teams - all of them are beatable, and we are the form team.   

Layoffs

A tough week at work with my company laying off more people - including people I know.  I think it's only a matter of time until I get laid off.  I'm busy in the near future, but nothing in my schedule for later in the year.  It's never a good sign when middle management are scheduling last minute meetings to try to keep up the morale of those of us remaining - and woefully failing.  And this was all avoidable - an upper management decision to outsource most of our work, which in the long term won't save money and will only cause major headaches in terms of poor quality of work and not meeting our company's aggressive timelines.  And it's not like our company needed to streamline - we're still very profitable and the share price is really high right now (and since I have loads of company shares, one reason it's not a total catastrophe if I get laid off and don't find a new job immediately).  These are dark times, and I think my current mood reflects that.