Memorial Day

I am aching today.  It was Memorial Day weekend, and after a couple of days of not feeling very well and not doing very much I decided I’d better make the most of a rare bank holiday and go out and do something yesterday.  So I went out for a hike.  I did a part of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail through Iron Horse State Park, with an extension to Twin Falls.  That probably sounds a lot more impressive than it really was!  However, the John Wayne Pioneer Trail is a big one – it follows the old Pacific Railroad that goes all the way to Chicago.  Because it’s an old railroad, at least that means the trail is relatively flat – although it was quite a descent to get down to Twin Falls (with subsequent ascent).  My guidebook said that this was a 7 mile round trip to Twin Falls – a reasonable distance after a couple of days of inactivity.  However, the trail head at the start of the hike said it was a 9 mile round trip – but that wasn’t enough to put me off, so I did the hike.  Considering how tired I was by the end of it, I think it was closer to 9 miles than 7 miles – so if anything at least I got some good exercise!  I wouldn’t call this a particularly picturesque hike – just some peek-a-boo views of the Cascades mountain rage, some remnants of the old rail line plus the falls at the turn around point.  

But I was glad I had got there at 7.30am when the parking lot was almost empty, because by the time I got back at 11.30 the parking lot was full and there was a ton of cars parked (illegally?) on the sides of the road leading up to the trail head.  And naturally, encountered many more people on the return trip back to the car.  I’m glad I’ve started doing these hikes early rather than late – it means I can actually enjoy and appreciate the surroundings without being disturbed by the riff raff.

Game of Thrones S6E6

Unusually, I haven't read any recaps yet of last nights Game of Thrones episode, so there are my unbiased thoughts.  As much as I love Game of Thrones, and I think it might be the only current TV series I would consider recapping in this manner, last night's episode was underwhelming to say the least.  The confrontation in King's Landing was a massive anticlimax, it appears that Arya's adventures in The House of Black and White was just a massive waste of time, we are introduced to another dysfunctional family (with only a not subtle indication that the sword might be quite important), Danny has her dragon back (big whoop), and we have a new (and more articulate, therefore more exposition heavy) Hodor for Bran.  I'm getting inpatient with GoT - there's been more than enough setup, pieces and people moving into place, wheels turning - I want action, I want a payoff, I want to see things happen.  There's only 3 episodes left this season - we are running out of time.  Traditionally, the penultimate episode is the big one - but please let's have more than one big one this season.  I would say I would like to re-watch those series of images Bran saw - I'm sure there was some good stuff there.

Pharmaceutical Industry

Also in this week’s issue of Time, an article about rising drug prices, and the price-gouging carried out by some pharmaceutical companies that has been making the news recently.  And, unsurprisingly, my employer was one of the companies that got mentioned in the article.  It’s interesting working for an industry that is much maligned!  Both Trump and Hilary have said they will do something about it if they get elected (but that is unlikely to get much traction because of the lobbying power that the pharmaceutical industry has).  Even though my entire career has been in this industry, I’ve always remained skeptical of it.  Drug companies don’t want to cure diseases because it’s not profitable - much better to contain or prevent diseases though long-term treatment.  And frankly, the profits that companies like mine make are obscene.  However, what price can you put on developing new drugs that save lives and/or improve quality of life?  It’s a fine lead to tread - just another symptom of what is an extremely dysfunctional healthcare system in the US.  

Quote

From a quick take in this week's Time magazine:

"It's not just O.K. to be single for both men and women - it's wonderful to be single, and society needs to embrace singlehood in all its splendiferous, solitary glory."

Amen sister.

James Bond theme

A cool jazzy version.

Thanks YouTube, where I spend far too much time randomly finding music to listen to from all decades and genres (currently getting nostalgic over early 90's tunes)

Sleep, lack of

So, so tired today.  I fear I might be coming down with something – my ping pong game was off today and I got humiliated by my competitors.  I’m definitely suffering from a lack of sleep.  I already sleep with ear plugs in – I probably don’t need them where I live now (I only really notice noise from neighbors when I’m in the living room), but it’s something I’ve got used to over the years.  However, I think I’m waking up earlier as it gets light earlier – the blinds in the apartment are absolutely useless at keeping much of the light out.  So, for the last few days I’ve tried also sleeping with eye shades on (fortunately I kept hold of some from the various trans-Atlantic flights I’ve taken) – but without much success.  I don’t exactly know what I do when I’m asleep but I think I must move about a lot because both mornings I’ve woken up and my eye shades have come off and I’m sleeping on top of them.  Weird.  But it still seems that I’m waking up at dawn – and sunrise in Seattle at the moment is at the shockingly early time of 5.19am.  So I think the accumulation of short nights of sleep are starting to catch up with me.  In the past, work stress has also been a cause of my sleeplessness – but unless not enough work rather than too much work is a cause, then I don’t think this has anything to do with it this time.  And I don’t think I need a new mattress – although I’ve had it for a while (8 years?), it’s not uncomfortable and I’m not waking up with back pain or anything.  Could this just be another symptom from getting old?  I hope not, I’d like to get my full 8 hours of beauty sleep a night if I can…

Best TV shows of all time

Here is a list of my top 10 favorite TV shows of all time, in no particular order.  This is obviously very subjective and open to debate and to change, and only consists of TV shows that no longer air new episodes:

The Wire

The Sopranos

Deadwood

Lost

Breaking Bad

Mad Men

Band of Brothers

Battlestar Galactica

The Office (UK version)

Planet Earth

Honorable mentions to (and possible new entrants to the Top 10 on a different day):

The Good Wife

The Wonder Years

24

The Shield

Justified

Hannibal

Spaced

Star Trek: The Next Generation

The World at War

Banshee

And possible (and in some cases extremely likely) new entries once they finish up:

Game of Thrones

South Park

The Americans

Rectify

Homeland

Fargo

Silicon Valley

Black Mirror

Mr Robot

Better Call Saul

If I gave this more thought, I could probably come up with a whole new set of shows that I’ve momentarily forgotten about that should be in these lists.  What is interesting is that the majority of these are American dramas, with only a handful of comedies and British shows thrown in.  Is that why, or because, I moved to the US?  Curious. 

Brexit

I’m going to say it, I will be extremely disappointed if Britain votes to leave Europe.  I think Britain for the most part has the best of both worlds at the moment – not quite fully integrated into Europe – so I don’t see why we would to change that.  And from a strictly selfish point of view, I think an exit would hit the worldwide financial markets hard – and that would negatively impact my net worth.  So I would prefer the stability of Britain staying where it is.  There are obviously pros and cons both ways.  Generally, and historically, immigration has had an extremely positive effect on British society and well-being – but I can see how the recent wave of predominantly East European migration maybe viewed in a less positive light.  And yes, I do think that in some aspects EU policies have undermined British interests and national sovereignty.  However, I think the potential risks of Britain leaving Europe – in particular the likely loss of influence, loss of foreign investment, loss of trade, loss of relevance on the world stage – could have a really devastating impact on Britain in the short and long term.  I also think Britain needs the EU, and the EU needs Britain, in order to best address the big concerns of our time – terrorism, the environment, conflict, the economy, poverty, etc.  Therefore, if I could, I would vote to stay.  

Game of Thrones S6E5

Hold the door.  Hold door.  Hodor.  My oh my, I did not see this coming.  That was quite the time-continuum messed-up twist.  Tragic, but great TV and great episode.  Amused to see “The Actor Kevin Eldon” and what I think was Richard E Grant as actors in the play that Arya watched.  I hope her plotline leads somewhere, as it’s not one of the more riveting threads at the moment.  However, lots of other interesting developments and set up for bigger things to come (clearly the Sansa-Bolton battle is going to be the big one this season).  Halfway through the season – I should make some outlandish predictions for the remainder of the season.  But I won’t, suffice to say that I think some of the major theories bandied about on the internet will be proved, however I also think that there will be at least 2 major and surprising deaths (including at least one Stark child).  I’m also hoping we’ll see Bronn again – I think Game of Thrones needs his sarcasm to lighten things up a bit – and I also look forward to, but am not entirely sure how he will fit into things just yet, the introduction of Lovejoy/Swearingen.

Getting old

3 signs I'm getting old

1) Grey hair

2) Nasal hair

3) Ear hair

Changing Allegiances

As a kid in the 80s, I supported Liverpool - the best team in Europe at that time, and with so many good players (my favorite was Jan Molby, the Midfield maestro whose fitness level was dubious at best but whose ability to pass and spread the ball around was unsurpassed).  Then, wanting to break the shame of being a glory fan, I decided to switch my support to Oldham Athletic in the 90s.  I loved the way they played the game in the early 90s with their plastic pitch - lots of goals conceded but even more goals scored.  These were the good times - playing in the top division, making the FA Cup Final semis twice (I still remember the devastating Mark Hughes equalizer for Man Utd right at the end of extra time).  Then came relegation and 20 years of mediocrity.  As my passion for Oldham has waned over the years, now it is time to switch my allegiances once again (I have no scruples about displaying no loyalty!).  So, now my support is officially to Crystal Palace.  It really should have been from the start - this is the team most of my family has supported for a long time.  Ironically, one of the reasons I supported Oldham was because they won a load of games at the end of the season in the inaugural year of the Premier League to relegate Palace on goal difference.  Regardless, Palace is my team now, and I will support them from now on (at least until they get relegated!).  I believe they have some American investors now, so I hope that means that they will get even more coverage out here (they have already been featured in a pretty good behind the scenes doc called Behind the Badge).  As I write this, the FA Cup final has just finished (my goodness, what a shambolic opening ceremony - this ain’t no Superbowl, and I also wouldn’t sing our crappy national anthem) and once again Man Utd have ruined the FA Cup dreams of my team in heartbreaking fashion.  I hate Man Utd.  

Little Fluffy Cloud(s)

I haven’t talked about work much in these blogs.  I’ve tried composing a couple of blog entries, but ended up deleting them.  I think on some level I’m somewhat reluctant to share my feelings about work because I have very little good things to say about it, and I don’t want this blog to take a turn to the dark side.  So, instead here is a photo I took from my cube yesterday of a rain cloud with an interesting rainbow-like halo.  Maybe “interesting” is a bit of an exaggeration… but it was enough to warrant me taking a quick snap.

Bowling

A few of us went bowling last night.  I think this might be first time I’ve bowled in maybe 15 years – I don’t remember ever having been to a bowling alley in the States before.  Predictably it was a good laugh, but the quality of bowling left a lot to be desired.  At least I was consistently mediocre – all my scores were between about 100 and 125, with some spares and a couple of strikes thrown in.  I thought I bowled quite solidly, but don’t generate the pace, accuracy or any curve whatsoever to really threaten knocking all the pins down consistently (as opposed to say Wii Bowling, where I think I’ve bowled 250+ before!).  And I didn’t show any particular progression in my game – I think my last score was my lowest, and I didn’t settle on any particular weight of ball throughout the night (and I don’t know if my fingers are particularly pudgy, because I couldn’t find any balls with comfortable sized finger holes either…).  We started bowling quite late after all the league play had finished(something which I think is taken quite seriously here), and I think we were the oldest people there at that time!  But it was enjoyable, and I don’t know if this will turn into a regular thing but I think we will play again soon.

Drinking

My eating habits are far from ideal, but I think perhaps that my drinking habits are even worse.  And I don’t mean that I go out (or stay in) and drink myself into a drunken stupor every night.  I don’t consume much alcohol at all nowadays – just treating myself to glass of red at home every now and then, and the occasional social beer.  No, my addiction is to soft drinks.  I drink far too many of these – and I am really struggling to reduce my intake.  It doesn’t help that we get free cans provided at work – so the temptation is always there.  And I don’t seem to have the willpower to say no – I’m sure there is probably some chemical that they add to these drinks with massive addictive qualities that keeps me coming back.  I don’t drink hot drinks like tea or coffee, so most of my fluid intake is through water or soft drinks.  And I have noticed recently that I am drinking a lot less water and a lot more soft drinks, and that is a disturbing development that I need to turn around.  I would probably drink more water in the form of squash if I could – but they don’t generally sell squash in the US so it can be difficult (and expensive) to obtain.  So I need to find some soft drink alternatives.  Living in Seattle – the home of Starbucks – I should consider coffee but I don’t really like the taste, so perhaps it is time to embrace my Britishness and to start drinking more tea.  If it’s good enough for Captain Picard, it’s good enough for me.  Tea.  Earl Grey.  Hot. 

Commuting

I think I spend an average of about 8 hours per week in my car commuting to and from work.  How depressing is that?  That’s a whole (American) working day.  And it’s only getting worse.  Seattle has been consistently climbing up the rankings as one of the worst commutes in the country (6^th worse now I believe).  And I’ve definitely noticed the difference since returning to Seattle, even in just a year away.  I mostly blame the booming economy of Seattle – which has increased the population, and hence also the traffic, in the greater Seattle area.  You could argue that it’s a victim of its own success.  Just in the vicinity of where I work, there is absolutely loads of construction going on (business and residential) that is just going to make things so much worse.  And just down the road is the ever expanding Amazon headquarters, I think home to something like 225,000 employees now.  When I first came to Seattle, that wasn’t even there.  All of this adds up to horrendous traffic, and I’m just relieved that we’ve got a garage at work because finding street parking is almost impossible.  On top of this, I chose to live in Bothell – a suburb about 12 miles NE of Seattle proper as the crow flies.  By road,  that is a commute about 20 miles one-way each day, with most of that normally on the notoriously busy I-5 freeway – the only freeway that goes through Seattle.  If there is a crash, then that can turn my commute into an absolute mess.  With the quality of driving and drivers round here, invariably there is a crash during most commutes – just yesterday there was a big pile up that happened just in front of me that I had to weave around.  Honestly, I think it’s just a matter of when rather than if I’m going to be involved in an accident – I don’t think I’m a bad driver by any means, but someone else is going to do something stupid that invariably I’m going to get caught up in.  I’ve tried adjusting my work day slightly – I tend to arrive later and leave later.  And I have started to check Google Maps before every commute to tell me the quickest route – which has helped.  If I was to commute during peak rush hour every day I could easily spend more than 10 hours a week in traffic, so I have managed to shave some time off that.  But most days it’s still a nightmare and I hate it.  I don’t know when exactly we’re supposed to be getting driverless cars, but they can’t come soon enough for me!

Game of Thrones S6E4

Well, there was a lot of political maneuvering and posturing during this episode – in a good way.  A few observations I had – in a series with a dearth of heart-warming moments, it was touching when Sansa and John Snow finally reunited and embraced.  Goodbye Tonks, it was nice knowing you albeit extremely briefly.  And a big welcome back to Littlefinger, one of my favorite characters.  Although you may have the various kings and queens and leaders in Westeros, it is the players pulling the strings that are really in control and Littlefinger is the ultimate puppet master (which is why I also like Varys so much).  Littlefinger is an important character, and clearly will have a pivotal role in events going forward.

Hikers

I managed to break my step record yesterday with just over 22,000 steps.  This was mainly due to going on a hike yesterday morning on something called the Lime Kiln Trail (which, as you might guess, contains the remains of an old lime kiln). It's a good trail, not too far away and just over 7 miles round trip and relatively flat, but it's also a popular trail.  So I was glad I got there early (8am) because it definitely started to get busier later on and the parking lot was full when I got back to my car.  However, because it is popular trail you invariably encounter 2 types of hiker who I do not like.  The first is the dog-owner who lets their dog or dogs off the leash - a pet hate of mine (literally - a "pet" hate if you will).  This trail was clearly signposted as saying that dogs should be on the leash at all times, but I encountered lots of dog-owners willfully ignoring this much to my disgust.  The second is the person who plays music through the speaker on their phone whilst walking the trail.  Very annoying when you encounter this person on public transport or on the street, let alone on a quiet trail in a middle of a forest.  Talk about disrespectful to other hikers and to nature.  Sadly, I've seen too many of both of these types of hiker in the Pacific NW.  

TV Cancellations

It’s that time of year when TV shows get cancelled.  And more often than not there is at least one show that I’m gutted to say goodbye to.  Off the top of my head, some shows from recent (?!) years that didn’t last as long as they should have – Terriers, Better Off Ted, Kings.  This year, I would say it would have to be The Grinder.  In a genre that traditionally contains more than its fair share of total duds – the ½ hour comedy – this was actually quite funny and quite clever, and I’m going to miss it.  And it is especially disappointing when you see some of the shows that inexplicably do get renewed and continue to air.  I welcome the advent of TV shows on streaming services like Netflix and Amazon, in addition to those on premium channels like HBO and Showtime, where the quality tends to be higher and they are not beholden by the ridiculous and hypocritical  rules in the US on regular TV regarding no nudity and no swearing but OK with copious amounts of graphic violence.  I actually haven’t renewed my Netflix subscription since moving back to Seattle, but when I do there are a ton of shows to catch up on that will take up far too much of my time.

Smells

I’ve found yet another thing to complain about where I live.  Here is an extract from the e-mail I sent to the office:

I wanted to quickly update you on the neighbor situation.  I'm afraid to say that something else has come up - it's not noise but it's the smell of cooking odors...!  I don't know whether I've got a new neighbor since I hadn't noticed this before this week.  And I don't know exactly which neighbor it is, but I'm guessing it is someone below me.  The smell may come from outside but is very strong and unpleasant (at least to me) and it is affecting my living situation - so that when I smell it I cannot sit on my deck and I cannot leave my door or windows open since that means the smell gets into my apartment.  Obviously this is a big inconvenience because my apartment gets so hot when it's sunny, and I'd like to be able to vent it - and also be able to sit outside to enjoy it.  If this was a one off I wouldn't say anything, but it's now been about 3 times I've smelt it in the evening this week.  Would it be possible to reach out and say something?

I strongly doubt there is anything they can say or do about it, but it won’t stop me complaining.  I think it is very likely that I will probably move again when my lease is up later in the year.  I’m kind of fed up with living in apartment communities – I’ve had so many issues with neighbors and noise and everything else over the years, and I hardly ever use any of the community amenities to make it worth it.  It is time for a change.  Invariably, I will find something else to complain about no matter where I move to – but I think I have to, and am prepared to, spend a bit more on rent in the hope of finding somewhere a bit more pleasant and peaceful.  If it can improve my quality of home life, then that is priceless.

Northern Lights

Apparently, the aurora borealis was so strong last weekend that you could see the northern lights over Seattle.  I didn’t know this, otherwise I might have made the effort to see it.  Very disappointing, as the times before when I’ve known it might be visible in Seattle have coincided with cloudy skies, however we had clear skies over the weekend and by some accounts it was quite spectacular.  Gutted.  However, I have neither the patience, equipment or skills to photograph the lights well, so here is a photo I got from the internet (I have no idea whether it is genuine, but apparently was taken last weekend). 

Retirement

There was a presentation I attended at work yesterday on “Making Better Investment Choices with Confident Investing”.  It was essentially about making sure that you save up enough money for retirement.  As my 40's loom on the horizon, this has all of a sudden become unnervingly relevant.  And scary.  Almost immediately after coming out of the presentation, I increased the percent contribution of my salary towards my 401k (the American equivalent of a workplace pension).  For the most part, I have been pretty good at contributing enough to ensure I get the maximum matching employer contribution as well.  But I don’t think this is enough, considering I was relatively late at starting to contribute to my retirement in the US.  But there is so much uncertainty attached to retirement, it’s almost impossible to know what is best.  Who knows how much the investments we make now will be worth 20 or 30 or 40 years down the line?  When will I retire, and how many years of retirement will I have and which therefore I need to save up for now?  Will I even live long enough to reach retirement age?  If I’m going to be honest, I’d rather live my retirement years now – quit my job, go travel the world and see and do everything I’ve ever wanted to do whilst I’m still in relatively good health and state of mind.  Only when the money runs out would I return to work and see out my final days there.  Since that takes out so much of the uncertainty of growing old, doesn’t that sound better?  If only I had the guts to do it! 

Step Challenge

I won a prize!  I signed up for a step challenge we are doing at work.  So I have a pedometer, and have been tracking the number of steps I’ve been doing each day.  Fortunately this 8 week challenge has coincided with some unseasonably good weather in Seattle, so I have been able to get out and about – particularly during the week when I can go for a walk at lunch or after work (which has the added benefit of avoiding the worst of rush hour).  This is something I like to do anyway – a good way to escape my cube and de-stress from work.  Well, at the mid-point of the challenge I have won a “walk star award” in the 10,000 step category!  I’m not entirely sure how this was reached – but I have been averaging over 10,000 steps a day.  Which is great!  So I have won some, wait for it, massage balls.  Yes, something that I will probably never ever use!  But I will try to maintain, if not improve upon, this 10,000 step average.  However, I have a confession.  I have not recorded the number of steps I had on every day of the challenge.  This includes when the battery died in my pedometer, which is understandable, but also during a couple of lazy weekends, which is tantamount to cheating.  I feel guilty, but also more determined than ever to keep up the number of steps I do – particularly at weekends.  Now if only I could also improve my diet then perhaps I might be able to consistently lose some weight!!!

Game of Thrones S6E3

This episode of GoT was dark.  I mean literally dark.  For most of the episode I was squinting at the screen, trying to make out what was going on.  I think I need to adjust my TV settings to brighten up the screen – I already get a lot of glare because my TV faces some windows, but I can’t blame this because the sun had already set when GoT was on.  It made what was already a frustrating episode even more so.  When the pacing of an episode is right, like last week, GoT is great.  However, when the pacing is wrong, like this week, then it makes for a more disappointing episode.  I came away from this episode thinking that nothing had really happened – none of the plotlines had any real significant developments, instead they just moved a few of them along at a glacial pace.  I think they could easily have cut down what happened in this episode to half the time, and get to the more interesting stuff like inside the Tower of Joy (has it ever been called that in the TV series yet?  Having not read the books yet – even though I own some of them - I think I’m getting that name from the internet, plus the important fan theory that will probably be proved with it).

Whilst we’re talking about Sunday night TV, here is a link to a terrific story by John Oliver.  I think it’s of particular interest to me because it’s in my field – scientific studies and the statistical inferences that can be made from them. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rnq1NpHdmw

     

I think, correctly, that the main focus of his ire is the media and the way they exaggerate and sensationalize scientific findings.  You can prove anything that you want if you collect and use the right data – which is why I hate it when people justify their opinions citing studies with the conclusions they want to hear (such as concerning climate change and vaccines), even if it clearly goes against the vast majority of scientific evidence and consensus.  This creates needless resistance to causes we, as a society, can and should address now.  I’m no activist, and I’m not much of an environmentalist, but I fear for the future of the human race.

Russell Brand

I watched a documentary on Russell Brand last night, and it got me wondering a few things.  First of all, what the hell is he up to nowadays?  I haven't heard anything since the general election.  I imagine he is still preaching his hippy social ideologies, but just that the media are no longer interested so he doesn't get the attention he once had.  But the other thing this documentary had me wondering, is he the absolute polar opposite to me?  We are not of dissimilar ages, but we have lived totally different lives in every conceivable aspect.  And we are at the total opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to character, personality, beliefs and outlook.  It made for a fascinating documentary.

Math(s)

I don't know whether this story is symptomatic of a Trump America or a sad reflection of the American education system - I suspect the latter - but it definitely caught my attention:

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/may/07/professor-flight-delay-terrorism-equation-american-airlines

I never thought differential equations could be mistaken for terrorism.  Since I have a Math(s) degree, does that make me a trained terrorist?

US Sports Stars I'd Like to Punch in the Face

American Football - Cam Newton or Tom Brady or Eli Manning or Aaron Rodgers (Jeez, I hate a lot of quarterbacks)

Baseball - Alex Rodriguez (Cheat)

Basketball - Russell Westbrook (conversely, might have loved him if his Oklahoma City Thunder team were still the Seattle Supersonics)

Sick Day

Not for the first time this year, woke up feeling like crap so decided to take a sick day.  Not sure why I wasn't feeling great - maybe lack of decent sleep, maybe overindulged with food yesterday, maybe something genuinely wrong with me.  But feel a lot better now after a day of doing very little - which included binge-watching some mediocre stuff that had been sitting on my DVR for ages (hello Beowulf).  Perhaps this was more of a "mental health day" - but I think I needed it, especially when you consider that I don't think I've taken a single vacation day this calendar year yet.  That's the problem with only getting 15 annual vacation days - you just don't want to waste them.  Thanks America and your emphasis on employee happiness and a good work-life balance...

Donald Drumpf

President Donald Trump.  Could you imagine it?  I can feel the shiver go down my spine.  We are one step closer to the unthinkable – with Mr Trump seemingly securing the Republican nomination for President.  It is a sad day for America.  It is an absolutely tragic day for the Republican Party.  And it is a great day for Hilary – because if she wraps up the Democratic nomination then I have to believe she cannot lose.  There are many ignorant, racist and sexist Americans who will vote for an ignorant, racist and sexist President – but I think (and hope) that there are many more that will vote against.  As a permanent resident rather than a citizen I cannot vote – but if I could, then I would vote Hilary.  No matter how much you might dislike her personally, she is clearly and by far the most qualified candidate on either side for the president.  And now the race barrier is broken for president, why not break the gender barrier as well?  I think the only person who would be worse than Mr Trump is Bernie Saunders – but as much as I loathe his socialist policies and ideals, at least I can respect the fact that he has principals and an ideology he believes in.  That is something you cannot say about Mr Trump – who is just an ignorant blowhard who makes outlandish and outrageous statements just for the attention.  I’ve said in the past that if Mr Trump becomes president then I will move back to the UK.  That is a scary and real possibility still.  Shame on America. 

Leicester City

Leicester City - Premier League Champions.  Well I never.  What more can I say that hasn’t already been said - amazing and unbelievable story, and hooray to the underdog.  I can claim at least some affinity with Leicester having lived there for a year whilst doing my Masters - though I can’t remember whether I ever went to see a game (I think I only saw rugby matches rather than any football matches when I was there).  It has even made all the front pages of the American sports news - though I don’t think Americans really appreciate just what a fantastic story it is since there is no promotion or relegation in any professional American sports.  The greatest sporting upset/underdog story ever?  I don’t know.  The statistician in me says that whoever made the decision to give Leicester 5000-1 odds to win the league should be fired - those odds were just ridiculous. I don't know whether the following fact is really true, but this is great if it is:

Bookies say if Leicester win PL title then 5000-1 will be longest odds on any successful single event (not accumulator), any genre, ever.

Game of Thrones S6E2

Two words - Euron Greyjoy.  Only kidding, of course it's Jon Snow.  Need I say more. Great episode.  Even though essentially similar to the first episode in just moving along several of the myriad but disparate plotlines, this episode somehow seemed much more watchable with the pacing just right.  Looking forward to seeing more of Hodor’s/Whatcha Talkin Bout Willis’s past.  

Multnomah Falls

Visited Multnomah Falls - once yesterday evening, when there were tons of people there, and once early this morning when there was nobody there.  Guess which I preferred?  For the 2nd tallest year-round waterfall in the US, I have to confess to being a little bit underwhelmed.  But then I have seen about 10 waterfalls this weekend (and I probably could have doubled that had I done more hiking), so perhaps I've just been spoilt...