TGIF

Friday has proved to be the best commute day of week, once again.  Was this always the case?  Historically, I always thought that Friday was supposed to be the worst day of the week for traffic.  Maybe things are different nowadays (working from home, flexible hours, etc.), and I’m just feeling nostalgic in my old age?  My experience over the last year has been that Wednesday morning and Thursday evening are the worst commutes here.  Maybe because I get in and leave later than norm then  I avoid the worst of the Friday traffic as people get early starts on their weekend plans.  Who knows.  There definitely tend to be less people in the office on Friday, which means less meetings so much easier to get more work done.  I have a bad feeling that next week could be nightmarishly busy – lots of stuff going on, all with overlapping deadlines.  That’s typical, hardly anything to do for weeks on end then absolutely tons to do in an incredibly short period of time.  

Big Sam

So Big Sam manages England for one game, gets caught in an undercover sting, and leaves after 67 days by mutual consent with a 7 figure payoff.  What a disgrace.  What a farce.  Kind of epitomizes our national team.  Are we really surprised that he was involved in some shady shenanigans?   I know I wasn't - he was always a kind of manager in the same vein as Harry Redknapp.  It doesn't seem to have been an issue for previous England managers - god knows what kind of pies El Tel had his fingers in - so it does seem a bit harsh.  But who next for the England manager?  Or more to the point, who cares?  I know I don't.

Health Screening

Oh boy, I did a health screening today at work.  Not something I enjoy – I don’t need anyone else to tell me I’m unhealthy when I know for myself, but I understand the importance.  And, of course, has nothing to do with the fact that I need to do the screening in order to earn my wellness credit for next year (which is $10 per pay-period – so a whopping $240 over the year).  The results were as bad as I was expecting.  I’m obese, which I know, but I haven’t weighed myself for quite some time and it appears I’ve put on about ½ stone over the last year which is disappointing, if not surprising.  What is new from last year is that my blood pressure is high.  That is a little bit concerning.  My cholesterol levels were kind of as expected – low on good cholesterol, high on bad.  All in all, it doesn’t paint a particularly good picture of my health.  Is this the wake-up call I need to do something about it through diet and exercise?  Maybe.  I still feel I live a too sedentary lifestyle, so I can do something about that e.g. by going out more often and more regularly at weekends.  Diet is the tough one.  I think to begin with I at least need to eat more sensibly – cut down on the junk food and snacking, something I’m very guilty of indulging in.  But a lot of the foods I should cut out – bread, pasta, rice, cheese – are my favorites, so that is where I struggle.  I can maybe cut these down gradually, but I’m not prepared to eliminate them totally – I’m not prepared to compromise totally on my enjoyment of food and eating out, one of the joys of life.  But as long as I can do this in moderation and eat sensibly more often than not then I hope my health can improve over time. 

Home Sweet Home

I’ve made a decision – I decided to renew my lease for another 6 months.  The rent increase was just about tolerable, and it was the easiest option.  A choice I’m sure I will come to regret (the omens are already there – one of the rings on my electric stove has stopped working, and 2 accidents made for a hellish commute this morning).  I think I’m probably just delaying the inevitable – that I have to go through the hassle of moving again – but I didn’t find anywhere I really wanted to move to (though I confess to probably not looking as hard as maybe I could have done), and the things that most bothers me in my current home (outdoor noise and smells) shouldn’t be so much of an issue during the colder and wetter months.  I’m sure I will find other things to complain about – for example, the heating in my home is hardly anything to write home about.  But the timing of a 6 month renewal also works in terms of my long term plans – it takes me to April next year, when hopefully I can find a 12 month lease for somewhere nicer and bigger, which will take me to April 2018 when I would ideally like to find a new job and move on (this would be over 2 years since starting this job – so no paying back relocation costs – and leaving after I get my not insubstantial annual bonus).  Of course the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.  But I can dream.  So long as I don’t spend another summer in my current place, that’s the main thing.    

Presidential Debate #1

I didn’t make it in home in time to watch the start of the 1st presidential debate – it started at 6pm local time, and I don’t tend to leave work until 7pm (and checking the commute time on Google Maps did not persuade me to try to leave early).  With an estimated 100 million plus watching, this was a big deal – and I don’t need to tell you about the importance.  So, my opinions are entirely formed by internet updates plus a little live streaming at work (against company policy – too much live sport streaming has apparently caused network problems!), catching the end of it at home and a few highlights afterwards.  It’s difficult for me to be impartial – it’s no secret that I absolutely detest Donald Trump – but I found the debate really unwatchable.  On the one hand you had Hillary talking too much and monotonously reciting prepared responses to questions that weren’t posed, and Donald Trump spouting his usual xenophobic rhetoric.  But he did seem a little bit more subdued than I was expecting, at least to begin with, though he still managed to spout all kinds of fictitious fact and numbers.  And I found it hilarious and preposterous that he tried to take the higher ground at the end.  Ultimately, my impression is that the debate is not going to change opinion.  You either love Donald or hate Donald, and that is how you are going to vote.  I honestly think that most people’s opinion of Hillary is in many ways irrelevant.  Politics is just so depressing.  And, just for the record, I think Hillary’s red pantsuit is utterly repulsive and I hope is never seen again.   

Sunday "Funday"

I had good intentions to go to Mount Rainier today.  The only catch was that I had to leave early, because that is the only time I'm prepared to go there on a weekend to avoid the worst of the crowds and any parking issues.  Sadly, I had a terrible night's sleep and by the time my alarm went off early I had a stinking headache and was in no condition to go.  So I didn't.  I don't know if I'll have another opportunity before the roads up there close for the season, at least with a good weather forecast.  Oh well.  I did go for a hike this afternoon - about 5 miles hiking around Redmond Watershed Preserve, a perfectly pleasant and autumnal walk through some woods about 30 minutes drive from home, but it was no Mount Rainier.

Fall TV Season

In many ways this is one of my favorite times of the year - the start of the fall TV season.  It's not quite the event it used to be, thanks to streaming, watch-on-demand and several years of mediocre new programming.  So what new shows are on my radar?  Not a great deal to be honest.  Several half hour comedies - all watchable, but nothing truly outstanding so far.  I think the most memorable might be Designated Survivor - starring Kiefer Sutherland.  It's very 24ish - for better or worse - which means that even though he plays a seemingly meek politician, at any moment you expect him to go all Jack Bauer on someone's ass!   Otherwise, I think most of the programs on my DVR are ones that have been around for a few years.  But I am looking forward to Westworld on HBO - big budget, big actors, big hopes.  It had better be more Game of Thrones than Boardwalk Empire...

Murder Mystery

Another team-building event today, this one much less successful.  It involved solving a murder mystery by solving a number of very convoluted clues and puzzles.  I think we came third.  This was frustrating because one of the key puzzles to solve was being handled by some of our “less competent” team members, and so there were quite a few of us just hanging around whilst we waited for them to finish up their bit (and their inability to discuss/share what they were doing so that we could all help didn’t exactly promote team harmony!).  Overall, I didn’t think this was a particularly well-designed game – some of the methods to solve puzzles were very abstract, and other puzzles that we felt proud to solve were fairly irrelevant to progressing in the game.  Perhaps I was just a bit annoyed with myself for making a schoolboy error on one of the first puzzles which was to match up sets of teeth with their bite marks.  Annoying.  I’m better than that.  No MVP for me this time.  At least happy hour afterwards was nice to chat with a few people I don’t normally see or talk to – a too rare social opportunity at work! 

Between Two Ferns

I recommend watching all episodes of Between Two Ferns – we’ve had one with Obama, and now the one for Hillary dropped today.  I think it helps humanize her a little bit – something much needed.  A lot of the podcasts I listen to have this kind of sense of humor as well, which is maybe why I like it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrkPe-9rM1Q

Lego Addiction

A Disney Castle lego set came out recently that I really want to get, but it's been out of stock almost as soon as it came out at the start of September.

As you can see it's pretty nice with lots of turrets and spires, but this would be more of an investment purchase as much as something I would build.  And judging by the popularity of it being sold out, I think I'm right and I don't want to miss out.  The lego website says that due to high demand this is going to be in and out of stock through to the end of the year, so I need to be patient.

In addition, a new Star Wars Death Star set is coming out at the end of the month (4000+ pieces, not cheap at $500).  Another wildly extravagant and unnecessary purchase on the horizon then... I guess I also need to consider where and how I'm going to display all these sets!

Election Update

Donald Trump is unbelievably, inexplicably still relevant in the US Presidential election.  What a tragic state of affairs.  But clearly he appeals to the base American voter.  It was interesting when I drove out to Glacier that as soon as I escaped the city then I passed a number of Trump signs, but absolutely no Hillary signs.  No matter what outrageous lie, unsubstantiated fact, or awful slander he makes, a certain proportion of the populace just laps it up.  The fact that the polls show that the race is so close is just shocking to me.  I don’t think I know of a single detailed policy proposal from Trump – I don’t think he has any, yet he is the running for becoming the leader of the most powerful country in the world.  It’s a downright scary proposition.  Hillary has hardly helped her own cause, but I’m not sure whether it’s more embarrassing for her or a more embarrassing reflection of America that the race is seemingly so tight.  Just as with Brexit, the media is not exactly covering itself in glory with its wall to wall coverage of each preposterous sound bite that Trump makes.  The first presidential debate is next week.  It will be interesting to watch – I honestly hope that Trump’s ignorance is put on full display, rather than it devolving into a ridiculous charade like the Republican debates.  The libertarian candidate (yes, there are people other than Trump and Hillary on the ticket) got recently mauled in the press for not knowing what  Aleppo was.  I can guarantee that Trump wouldn’t have known that either – this is the kind of thing he needs to be called out on, otherwise the prospect of having a total ignoramus in charge of the country is a very real possibility. 

I Hate House-Hunting

The joys of looking for somewhere new to live.  The indecision and uncertainty is causing me all manner of grief.  I started looking at some places over the weekend – and invariably I am finding fault with everything I look at.  There was a great place that was just too small and commute-unfriendly for the price (and I think they were quite keen on me – even offering a small reduction in rent to tempt me over someone else who was also interested), and a great-price great-located place that was just showing too much wear and tear.  I think I’m probably trying to find the perfect place to live that doesn’t exist, and so maybe I need to accept that I might need to compromise on a few things.  I’m giving myself about a week to find somewhere to live – I need to make a renewal decision on my current place by Sep 28^th.  As much as I moan and complain, I wouldn’t be surprised if I do renew my current lease (maybe not for a full 12 months – I don’t think I can tolerate another summer enduring the sounds and smells of my neighbors).  That would be typically disappointing of me to take the easy option.  But I will still try to find, and more particularly commit to, somewhere to move before then.  I’m also thinking long term that this might be the last time I live in the Seattle area before I, ideally, move back to SoCal – so this might be the only chance I have for a while to live in a decent-sized home whilst I can still afford it, especially since I don’t see myself buying anywhere anytime soon.  Might be time to expand my search to bigger homes – even if I don’t necessarily need or use 3 or 4 bedrooms!  My ideal home would have just 1 big bedroom and an enormous amount of living space, but sadly that just doesn’t exist.  Anywhere.

Car Wash

Even though there is an outdoor "faucet" where I live, the powers that be in their infinite wisdom do not allow us to use it to wash our cars.  Therefore unless I go to some ropy car wash place, I have to go round to a friend's place to wash my car.  So this is what I did today.  Nobody home (as expected, he was out playing golf), so it must look weird to any of his neighbors when I just show up, wash my car, and go.  Oh well, if it's alright with my friend then it's alright with me - and it's actually my hose anyway, so I feel that earns me the right to just show up to wash my car when I want.

Windows 10

I've got 2 laptops with Windows 10 installed.  One which came with Windows 10 pre-installed, the other which I upgraded to Windows 10.  The one which came with Windows 10 works like a dream.  The one which I upgraded does not.  It takes ages to load up, ages to run anything, and has resulted in all kinds of issues and problems.  And it only seems to be getting worse.  My frustration level and patience reached breaking point today when an upgrade didn't download properly, I couldn't access my e-mail and my whole computer ground to a halt.  Slow I can barely tolerate, but when everything freezes then I feel like throwing my laptop out the window.  Microsoft sucks.

Friday Night Lights

Friday night football is for high school American Football, not English Premier League football.  Me no like.

Happy Mooncake Day

Today, went for lunch with my Chinese colleagues to a Chinese restaurant called Shanghai Shanghai.  The occasion?  Why to celebrate this year’s mid-autumn festival of course.  This is China’s equivalent of a harvest festival, on the day of the full moon as part of their lunar calendar.  I didn’t have any “mooncakes” to celebrate the occasion, but tried a variety of different family style dishes that were ordered to share amongst the table – I have no idea what everything was (we are not talking Panda Express style Chinese food at this restaurant, but more authentic dishes like pork shoulder and duck) but almost all of it was good.  Most of the table chatter was Chinese, which occasionally lapsed into English for my benefit, but that was fine as it was nice to just be invited.  My one big issue – chopsticks.  What is the point?  Chopsticks are stupid.  I gave up after a while, and asked for a knife and fork.  I don’t care how embarrassing this was, the chopstick is the most useless food utensil ever devised and I don’t know why we still have them (I’m sure the billion plus East Asians who use chopsticks regularly would disagree with me!).     

Commuting Hell

Today was the worst morning commute I've had for ages - it took me nearly 1.5 hours to get into work.  Unsurprisingly, I was in a foul mood for the rest of the day.  The issue is that schools have started up again this week, and some progressive idiots have decided to make the school start time later.  So this has really started to impact my commute, even when I leave a bit later.  It's making me reconsider how important location is - I'm thinking that it might be too much for my stress levels to commute any further or longer than I already do!  I really hope I can find somewhere to live with the right compromise between convenience and expense.  Knowing my luck, I won't...

R2D2

I should be finding somewhere new to live (I've still got plenty of time) but instead I spent most of the day looking up luggage on the internet, because I could do with getting a much better carry on suitcase and a daypack.  I saw someone with this bag at the airport, and I can’t decide where I love it or whether it’s just a little too geekish (probably the latter!):

If You're Going To

After getting in around midnight and not getting to bed until around 2am, not exactly the most constructive of days today…  Aching legs from the amount of walking I did over the weekend is not helping!  

Last couple of San Francisco photos, this time taken from my camera (and this is just a few of the very many photos I took that is going to take me ages to sort out!):

I Left My Heart in

An early post today, since I'm not getting back to Seattle until some ungodly hour tonight.

3 things that I always seem to experience in SF: (1) Fisherman's Wharf is a tourist nightmare, (2) it's impossible to take a good photo of Lombard Street, and (3) I walk too far for too long up and down too many hills that I'm exhausted by the end of the day.

More photos from my phone (I've also got some on my camera, which I'll need to sort out when I'm back)

Fake Tales of

Quite disappointed by hotel I picked in SF - I went for a budget choice (though certainly not budget price thanks to inflated SF prices) and it shows.  Smelly (it may be nonsmoking now, but it certainly doesn't smell like it used to be), noisy, uncomfortable room with shower that switches between scalding hot and bone chilling cold at a whim, and bed with mattress that sags horribly.  But big mistake for me was that it isn't particularly close to any decent public transportation, which was something I should have checked and have come to regret.  Serves me right for being a cheapskate and trying to save a few bucks!

Flower in your Hair

After a pointless morning at work, I made my way into San Francisco this afternoon where I'm staying for the rest of the weekend.  I like SF, but wouldn't want to live here.  Too expensive.  Too noisy.  Too many people.  Very similar to New York really - however, I don't mind visiting every now and then.  I've seen and done most of the sights now, so just going to chill and explore things leisurely for a few days.  It's the kind of place you could easily spend hours finding perfect photo ops and views, but I'm sure I'll end up taking loads of photos regardless so no pressure then.  From a bit of a cloudy early evening:

Treasure Hunt

Today was team-building day within our programming team, and it involving going on a treasure hunt around Palo Alto.  Basically, you get given a load of puzzles to solve which direct you to some address or intersection in downtown Palo Alto, and from there you have to search around to find a plaque or similar to answer a question.  Naturally, our team crushed it and we won, and I was awarded MVP so I got 2 Amazon vouchers!  Maybe my geocaching skills (which some of you even doubted I had) may actually have served me well!  Though I think the real reason is that I was the only person whose first language was English, and so I was able to easily solve the puzzles and exactly answer the questions being asked.  My map-reading skills and sense of direction were absolutely appalling, but being the token Caucasian has its advantages!

Up in the Air

Whilst gazing out of the window on my flight down to San Francisco this afternoon, I couldn't help but be in awe at the fact that here I was sitting in a metal cylinder flying thousands of feet above the ground getting me to a destination a long way away in a really short amount of time.  As much as I detest humanity, flight is a stunning human achievement that we just take for granted now.  And nobody was in the middle seat next to me, so I can't tell you how much better this made my trip (and thank god, because the woman on the aisle seat was so big she had to get an extra belt)!

The first of what I suspect will be many shots of the Golden Gate Bridge this weekend!

RVs

The inevitable finally happened, I forgot to post my blog yesterday.  Here it is - better late than never!

Seattle has a homeless problem.  It’s had this problem for a while, but the significant increase in the cost of living here has exacerbated the problem.  To the extent, that there are now RVs in almost every Seattle neighborhood where people are living and sleeping.  And it’s no different where I work.  There are about 4 RVs that regularly move around to avoid getting ticketed, but always in the vicinity of my workplace.  I am very suspicious that they are street legal, but presumably they must have up to date registration otherwise they would get towed.  And they look (and smell) lived in - I dread to think of where they depose their waste.  And we are talking old and beat up RVs, not the fancy and flashy new ones.  They are an eyesore and I would hate to see one of them parked outside where I live – it’s bad enough that there was one parked right outside our work entrance this morning.  I bet it won’t be there tomorrow (post-blog note - it wasn't!).  I haven’t ever seen any of the occupants, so I don’t know whether they are just honest people down on their luck or slightly more unsavory characters.  But with the increase in RVs, has also come an increase in the number of people at road junctions with signs asking for money.  Unfortunately, this is all the cost of Seattle becoming “successful” and excessively affluent.  I've got to find somewhere new to live soon, and this is yet another reason why I would rather suffer the inconvenience of living outside the city than having to deal with the expense and issues of city living – especially a city struggling to find a good solution for the homeless.   

Favorite TV themes

#2 in the series - a classic theme, with the news that it will be returning to TV soon with Stephen Merchant presenting.  He ain't no Ed Tudor-Pole, and certainly no Richard O'Brien, so I remain skeptical.

Wouldn't it be awesome to do a team-building event at "The Crystal Maze" in London?  I bet that would be far better than the crappy team-building events I've got coming up.  Apparently going for a "treasure hunt" on Thursday.  Sounds suspiciously like geocaching, which I have had more than enough experience (and frustration) with already!

Big Pharma Bashing

Yet another article bashing the pharmaceutical industry and the price gouging going on:

It's not that I disagree with lowering drug prices, however any enforced changes will have an enormous impact on my industry and my career in the industry (certainly working for my current company, which although not mentioned in this article is definitely one of those considered to be overcharging for their drugs).  If there is to be a "pharmaceutical crisis", then as part of R&D then my job is definitely at risk as I am far from essential.  However, the pharma industry has such strong lobbying power and seems to have weathered these kind of storms before that I'm not sure whether anything will really change.  I think it depends on lot on how much Hilary, as the presumed heir to the presidency, would position herself on many of these hot issues - if Bernie's influence has been felt, then I do think that the pharmaceutical industry could be right there front and center in the cross-hairs for reform.  Yikes.

Lazy Day

Not untypically for the first day of a long weekend where I don't have any plans, I didn't really do very much today.  An attempt to have a lie in, some chores, some shopping, some catching up on TV and films.  That's it really - sorry for the lack of drama!  I think the most exciting thing that happened was that I somehow contrived to trap my finger in a sliding door - which was bloody painful.  That's probably going to leave a scar, to go with the scar that I got from the time when I nearly chopped off the end of my finger.  At least this means that I feel guilty about not getting out much today, which should mean that I'll go out for a hike tomorrow.  

Work woes

I haven’t talked about work too much in these blogs.  An intentional choice.  I want to be careful about what I say.  But, no surprises here, I’m getting increasingly fed up and disconsolate about my job.  I’m not happy with how I’m being used, how I’m being managed and the kind of work (or lack of work) that I’m being asked to do.  I didn’t think I’d feel like this, because this is the same job and the same company that I worked at before for a number of years with relative success.  I think this is due to working with different people (none of who are based in Seattle) and having a remote manager who hasn’t really got to know me and doesn’t really understand my strengths, my weaknesses and my aspirations when it comes to work (and hasn’t really shown any inclination to do so, she just wants to pigeonhole me into a role that I’m not particularly comfortable with).  It’s really starting to get me down, and it’s even started to make me question my career choices.  I transitioned from being a statistician to a statistical programmer about 10 years ago – a choice I’ve been happy and comfortable with until now, when I’ve started to wonder whether I’d like to revert back to being a statistician again.  I also wonder whether it might be a cultural thing (this is the first time I’ve had an Indian manager)…  But perhaps, more than anything, not working with anyone else in the Seattle office has left me feeling isolated, neglected and lacking support.  I’m not going anywhere any time soon (mainly because I’d have to pay back the cost of relocation and temporary accommodation if I leave before 2 years!), so I think I need to address these things as best as I can soon rather than continue to be unhappy for another year.  I guess I should be grateful that I don’t particularly have much of a workload at the moment (and really haven’t for most of the last year), so I’m being paid good money to not do too much.  But I just know that at some point the pendulum will swing to the opposite extreme and I’ll start to stress out about having too much on my plate and too little time to work on it.  That is part of the reason why I left this job last time, and I can easily see it happening again. 

Words vs Photos

It seems that people prefer photos to my various ramblings and whinging when it comes to my blog – I guess it’s true that a picture is worth a thousand words.  Thank you internet and the prevalence of short attention spans!  I guess this means that I need to start taking more photos (and going out more so that I can take more diverse photos – not a bad thing!) for posting here.  So, to be a bit random, here are the 2 photos that I currently have as my background on my iPhone and iPod respectively.  One is an interesting view of Mount Rainier from an airplane window, the other is a cargo ship that I saw on the Seattle waterfront (note the name!).