Gun Violence

And so Seattle makes the headlines, with a major shooting event near the Space Needle this evening with multiple deaths reported (it actually flashed up as a news alert on my phone, which is when you know it is a big deal).  And, naturally, the US government will do absolutely nothing to address yet another incident of gun violence.  Just useless thoughts and prayers.  And it won't be long before this particular incident is forgotten about, and the same thing will happen somewhere else.  It's a never ending cycle.  And a tragic state of affairs.  What is wrong with this country?  So much.  

New TV

I still want to get a new TV.  But I was shocked to discover today that the model I had my eye on is already unavailable.  It was a 2025 model, and has already been supplanted by 2026 models in a couple of the stores I was considering purchasing from.  They don't muck around do they - what a swizz.  So I need to reconsider my needs, and I guess which new model I want to consider getting.  And naturally, these 2026 models are a whole lot more expensive.  Though their specs are only marginally better, hardly justifying the increased cost.  However, I'm sure the price will come down over time.  Or, as I've observed with the TV I was originally thinking about getting, there will be the occasional flash sale.  So it's all about timing.        

Shower

It's typical that in the hottest week of the year, my shower decided to break today.  Well I say break, it just appears that my shower hose has sprung a leak.  So I've ordered a new hose.  This isn't the first time I've had to make this repair, and not something I need to bother my landlord with.  But without a shower today, I felt even more sweaty and horrible than I normally do. 

Sunset

I could have sworn the sunset was still after 9 pm.  But nope, it was officially 8.55 pm today.  And quickly getting earlier and earlier in the evening every day.  I only noticed it because my phone switched to dark mode much earlier in the evening than I was expecting.  A quick Google search tells me that the latest sunset in Seattle this year was at 9.11 pm about a month ago.  A month ago already... before you know it, summer will be over.   

Algorithm

I don't know how the YouTube algorithm works.  But my feed is currently full of clips from international hide and seek game shows featuring "professional" hiders.  And I approve.  They seem to be quite entertaining.  There seems to be a Japanese show where people hide in a school and the students try to find them.  And there also seems to be a Russian (?) show where people hide in an old house and a hunter has to find them.  I'm kind of surprised there isn't a US or UK version of these game shows - it seems like a missed opportunity.  Especially since it's like a real-life version of Meccha Chameleon, a viral hide and seek video game that is also prevalent in my YouTube feed.   

Heat Advisory

We are currently under an official heat advisory until tomorrow evening.  What does this mean?  It's bloody hot.  Too hot to go outside during the day, and too hot to get a comfortable night's sleep.  I've got both my portable AC units running in my bedroom.  It may get quite noisy, but it does make it a bit more comfortable.  Though I'm still sleeping on top of my duvet rather than underneath it.  There is not a single drop of rain in the forecast until I come back to the UK.  Perfect wildfire weather, and we've already started to be affected by wildfire smoke causing hazy skies.  The smoke is coming from wildfires in Canada and in the east of the state.  It's probably one of the reasons why Trump has increased tariffs on some Canadian goods.  Though at this point, everyone knows these tariffs are just stupid and arbitrary - and it's the consumer who suffers. 

Jimothy

Seattle has a famous (well, internet famous) raccoon now:

This weird-shaped raccoon (due to a spine abnormality) has been seen in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle and has been named Jimothy.  Yep, now that the World Cup has finished this is the kind of content you can expect in my posts now.