Count Binface

Yes, the 2026 Clacton by-election has even made the news over here.  No surprise really when the only serious contender to Nigel Farage is a guy with a trash can on his head.  It is ridiculous, but quite amusing - and extremely confusing to an American audience who don't get these joke candidates in their elections.  Of course Farage will win the by-election, but I think he is already a big loser in the court of public opinion.  Even more so than he already was.  I note that Nigel Farage has stopped accepting Cameo requests - I wonder if the video clip I got from him (I hasten to add this was something a friend paid for and got for me as a joke, since it is definitely not something I would do for myself) is still available?  

Commonwealth Games

It has only come to my attention recently that the Commonwealth Games is going on.  An event that has exactly zero coverage over here.  And frankly, I don't why it's still a thing.  It just seems like an expensive waste of time.  So expensive, that the original 2026 hosts (Victoria. Australia) withdrew due to financial concerns.  And isn't this a really watered-down version of the Games with just a handful of sports?  This sure is no Olympics.  It is just an outdated relic from the British Empire.  Something we maybe shouldn't honor any more.  

Travel Bug

Because I've been trying to make some plans for when I come back to the UK, I've been thinking about travel a lot recently.  I think I lost the travel bug a long time ago.  And that's a real shame.  Lots of reasons for that: age, a lack of travelling companion, a lack of vacation days.  There are still so many places in the world I would like to see.  I've always said to myself that I would love to take a sabbatical from work and do some traveling when I turn 50.  I'm almost there.  But will I actually follow through with that?  I doubt it.  It's one thing to get laid off, but it's another to quit.  And I'm not sure it's in my best interests to quit my job right now given the state of the job market.  Perhaps I need to make better use of the vacation days I currently have.  Most of them tend to get used up from trips back to the UK.  But I think I need to be a bit more selfish and take a holiday for myself.  To somewhere I want to go to, somewhere I've never been to before.  It may be somewhere within the US, it may be somewhere abroad.  I doubt it will be anywhere particularly exotic, because it's somewhere I have to be comfortable going to and doing stuff by myself.  That is surprisingly restrictive.  Maybe it's time to start completing my goal of going to every single National Park in the US.  Particularly before Trump shuts them all down so that they can be ruined by mining/drilling/data centers.    

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.