Westworld Update

Westworld is still the most fascinating and the most watchable new show this TV season.  I thought yesterday’s episode was a doozy – a ton of crazy stuff went down and it was great.   A bit more action than previous episodes, but I still love the questions of morality and humanity being posed.  I was worried that the episodes would get worse over time, but if anything they’re getting better.  Halfway through the season, and I like where we are – lots of intrigue, lots of philosophy, and a lot of different directions the show can go from here.  This show is perfect for our times – spawning all kinds of discussion, disection and fan theories on the web, which just feeds into the show’s popularity.  Maybe the shows expectations have been excessively raised as a result, but whatever the endgame is it will surely be better than the only comparable show I can think of in recent times - Lost.

Favorite TV themes

#3 in the series - I inexplicably started whistling this in the shower this morning, for no discernible reason I can think of.  Classic - though not strictly speaking a TV theme, as it played over the end credits.

Birdman

I watched Birdman recently - winner of Best Picture at the 2015 Oscars.  Talk about one of the most pretentious, most overbearing, and most overrated films I've ever seen.  Everything from the official title - "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)" - to the soundtrack to the overly theatrical nature of the film was artificially and cynically art-house to me.  And filming it as if it was one continuous tracking shot was gimmicky and clear Oscar bait.  I think on some level I must have known I wouldn't like it even before I watched it, since it was sitting on my DVR unwatched for nearly a year.

IMing

We have instant messaging at work now – something I am not a fan of, as it means that people (i.e. your boss) can tell when you’re away from your desk, not good when you’re taking long lunches or ping pong breaks; and it can also be disruptive when you’re busy and trying to get on with things, not something I’ve had to worry too much with this year!  You can also add a little note that anyone can see when they check your status.  So now, if someone tries to IM me they will see the following message:

“The brain is a wonderful organ; it starts working the moment you get up in the morning and does not stop until you get into the office.” – Robert Frost

I thought about adding a David Brent quote, but they were either too rude or nobody here would get it.   

Lake Union

Apparently we’re on track to have the wettest October in Seattle’s history.  Nice.  So when it isn’t raining, I do like to make the most of the opportunity to get out of the office and stretch my legs.  Here are a couple of photos of the Space Needle and Lake Union, near to where I work, from a late afternoon stroll a couple of days ago.

Benefits Fair

Today we had a Benefits Fair at work.  This is an annual event coinciding with Benefits Open Enrollment, which is a 2 week period where you have to make all your benefit selections for the year ahead – things like choosing your medical, dental and vision coverage; choosing whether you want to pay for various supplemental insurances; and suchlike.  It’s all very complicated, especially when having to consider things like HSAs (Health Savings Accounts) and FSAs (Flexible Spending Accounts) – don’t even ask what they are if you don’t know, just another symptom of the lack of universal healthcare and so having to set aside money to cover the potential cost of healthcare here.  I don’t remember ever having to go through this charade when working back in the UK, and despite the length of time I’ve been in the States now I still don’t really fully understand everything nor enjoy the selection process (and if I had a family to consider as well, it would be positively nightmarish).  I’m sure I’m probably not making the best selections – but I won’t worry about it too much until the time comes when I need to properly utilize the benefits.  The fair is basically where a lot of the vendors set up tables and are available to discuss or answer any questions on the services they provide – or, in my case, an opportunity to pick up a load of freebies, some of which make for some excellent gifts (I’ll be bringing some back to the UK this Christmas!).  The only thing I was gutted about was that apparently there was a raffle I could have entered with some pretty decent prizes – but I didn’t even notice it, so I missed out.  Boo.    

Work Rant

After a year of being criminally mismanaged and misused at work, I’ve reached my limit and have to do something about it.  So I think I’m going to ask my manager’s manager for a new manager next year.  I don’t want to do this, but I think I have to if I’m going to get any sense of satisfaction or fulfillment from my job.  Right now, I have got practically nothing to work on.  Not for the first time this year I am being significantly underused, yet there must be loads of work out there since we appear to have hired several new statistical programmers over the last couple of weeks.  Of course, I am not informed about any of this– I’m kept in the dark about an awful lot of things.  And all of this is making me feel anxious about my job and my future – I think needlessly, because if anything my company has difficulty holding on to good people (which I think I am) rather than letting people go – and with us having so many contractors, they will be the first to go if it ever comes to that.  But currently I don’t feel valued and I don’t feel I’m necessary or important – so I don’t think any kind of significant impact would be felt if I was to leave right now, and that is worrying.  It’s ironic that my company has just introduced a new core value – inclusion.  I don’t feel included in anything that is going on – particularly as a token Caucasian in a department full of Chinese and Indians.  An interesting rumor I’ve heard is that my manager and my manager’s manager don’t get on (and I do get on with my manager’s manager, since we share the history of having both left and come back to this company), so perhaps there is something that can be done to improve my situation.  It’s all about timing now – with end of year performance reviews coming up, along with the all-important bonus and pay increase (of which I am going to push for something decent, because I got screwed over last year), I will probably have to wait until the new year because the last thing I want to do is piss off the person making decisions in the upcoming months on my financial compensation.   

The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead is currently the most-watched show on US television.  And so it returned to TV last night with a new series and a new episode.  The problem is that being the most-watched show does not guarantee quality, and Walking Dead frequency skirts the line of being absolutely dreadful.  And so it was again with last night’s episode, which was frankly just torture porn.  And so, I think I am going to stop watching it.  I tried this before, maybe around this time last year, but somehow it nagged away at me and I caught up.  Not this time – I’m done.  It’s a dumb, poorly scripted, poorly acted apocalyptic soap opera with terrible character development and terrible pacing – albeit with a few amusingly graphic and gory zombie kills.  But with so many other competing and better programs (for example, it’s on at the same time as Westworld – and I made the mistake of watching The Walking Dead over Westworld last night, something I’ll never do again), I need to trim the fat.  So goodbye The Walking Dead – I might read the occasional online recap, but I won’t be watching you anymore.  Next up on my hit list – The Big Bang Theory.  A program that has been on for ages, is well past it’s best, and is no longer particularly funny – yet which continues to also have ridiculously huge viewing numbers and which I inexplicably continue to watch. 

Evans Creek Preserve

Another mostly dry weekend day, another hike.  This time I went to Evans Creek Preserve - about 30 minutes drive away.  This was a good one - quiet, good trail, well sign-posted, a few different ecosystems, a few viewpoints, only about 3 miles but sufficiently hilly to work up a good sweat.  I shall be coming back.

Saint Edward State Park

Today, went for a hike round Saint Edward State Park - only 20 minutes drive from where I live, but which I'd never been to before.  An interesting place - its's a former Catholic seminary on the shores of Lake Washington.  The walk was short but steep, perfectly pleasant and much needed - it feels like a long time since I've been out for a hike on a weekend.

The Rollercoaster

Down: neighbor issues, including a confrontation with downstairs neighbor about noise

Up: ping pong excellence

Down: frustration with manager and work

Up: by chance on lunchtime walk coming across a promotion giving away free pumpkin yogurt, and getting a box for “the office” (i.e. my fridge!)

Down: some terrible commutes recently (1 hr 45 min to get into work yesterday)

Up: it’s the weekend!

Decency

In an election tainted by negativity, lies and insults – a temporary antidote with a charming letter Bush Sr. left for Bill Clinton:

Can you imagine that happening nowadays if the power was turned over from Democrat to Republican or vice versa?  I can’t.  Such is the terrible polarization of today’s American politics (though hopefully Trump’s behavior and insanity will draw the Republicans just a little bit away from the extreme right.  Please.) 

I have to apologize for the sheer amount of political blog entries I’ve been posting recently, but my feelings about the shame being brought onto American and world politics (initially by Republicans generally, and now almost exclusively by Trump) is very strong and I have to vent.  It’s been noted that my blogs haven’t had much positivity in them recently – I hope that will change, particularly when Trump hopefully disappears from the political landscape after the election which should improve my mood no end! 

Presidential Debate #3

I didn't watch the third debate - I can't stomach Trump and his inability to answer a question with substance rather than turning it into yet another nasty, and unwarranted, attack on Clinton.  So instead I stayed late at work and drove home during the debate.  I, by accident, listened to Best of Bowie followed by Ultimate Prince.  Great music, but made me kinda sad.

Match Game

Did you know: Blankety Blank is called Match Game in the US, and is currently presented by Alec Baldwin.  The double entendres are a lot more obvious, and a lot less funny, than the version I remember with Les Dawson.  Much like Crystal Maze, I also read that they are trying to bring this back to British TV.  Nowadays, I bet I wouldn’t even know who any of the panelists would be if they did (kind of weird to think that I probably recognize more American than British panelists).

Not Making America Great Again

It’s clear that Trump has conceded that he is going to lose the vote – why else for the frankly dangerous talk about a rigged election?  Such is the bile and hatred towards Hillary that Trump has instigated that it’s going to be a far from smooth transition to her presumed presidency, and I predict a lot of ugliness and several assassination attempts being made by the crazies who think she will take away their right to bear arms, that she didn’t really win the vote or whatever other outlandish theory that Trump tweets about.  He is an absolute disgrace – to the Republicans, to the political process and to America.  I hope he loses in a landslide, but he probably won’t – unbelievably he is still polling around 40%, so who knows what else he can get away with saying or doing….  I’ve been watching a few shows and reading a few articles about Trump supporters and what they believe in, and they are cringe-worthy and make me so, so angry – their statements and opinions are uneducated, uninformed, idiotic and extremely offensive.  Stuff like Obama is a foreign-born Muslim, climate change is a hoax, etc.  This is all due to the nonsense that Trump spews out, and millions of people actually believe in this drivel.  It’s very disheartening, and shows just how ignorant some people are and how divided America has become.  If it’s not a landslide victory by Hillary, don’t expect future elections to be any better.

Voters' Pamphlet

I won't bother mentioning the enormously anticlimactic "windstorm" last night - consisting of approx 10-15 minutes of it getting a bit blowy, and not even the slightest suggestion of a power cut.  Thanks competent weather forecasters, again.  The emergency local news coverage of the nonevent was hilarious.

Instead, here's a page out of the voters' pamphlet I received in the post yesterday - a 200 page monstrosity covering the various measures and candidates in the upcoming election that I can't vote in.  The "very definition of the American success story" is still polling at 40%, no matter what ridiculous and outrageous thing he says or does next.  I even saw a Trump/Pence sign in a street next to mine.  Unbelievable.

 

Power cuts

I'm writing this blog post early, with a high likelihood that I will lose power later this evening.  We have a second and stronger storm coming in this evening - they were talking about gusts up to 75 mph in Seattle, but the most recent forecast says it will only get up to about 55 mph in the urban areas.  Still more that enough to cause damage and disruption.  We had a lesser storm yesterday with some high winds, and that resulted in a power cut at home whilst I was at work where there were no problems - and on the drive home you could see where some trees had come down in my neighborhood.  I think this might be a sign that after a few years of benign weather in the Seattle area, we are due to experience something more extreme.  There's already been talk about this being a cold winter - it could get nasty.

PS Christmas present idea - I would like to get the GCHQ puzzle book coming out next week.  I need to better exercise my brain, and if these puzzles are anything like what I've seen online then they should be suitably (too?) challenging.

Death Star

I’m in a moral dilemma.  I recently ordered the Lego Death Star.  Not cheap, a bit impulsive, a bit of a see if it will be worth anything in 10 years’ time type purchase.

I had some trouble ordering it from the Lego website – it kept on hanging up without confirming a purchase.  So my order got duplicated.  I phoned Lego and left an e-mail asking if they could cancel one of my orders – and, to their credit, they got back to me saying they would and that my credit card wouldn’t get charged twice.  So all was good and the set arrived at the end of last week.  But then this week, another set got delivered to me – apparently from my cancelled order.  So now I’ve got 2 Lego Death Stars but I was only charged for one.  My moral dilemma – do I let them know this?  I think I’m going to hold on to it for the time being – if they get in touch with me then I will return.  But if not, then am I doing a bad thing by not saying anything or am I just a lucky recipient of their mistake? 

Weather Apocalypse

We have 2 big windstorms hitting our region in the next few days – the first tonight, and the second on Saturday night.  The forecasts predict a lot of disruption – particularly power cuts, with the wind expected to topple branches and trees which will bring down power lines.  I went to the supermarket last night and it was unusually busy, probably because people were stocking up and preparing for the worst.  I suspect that this may be a bit of an overreaction, I’m sure some areas will be heavily impacted by high winds – particularly those on the coast – but the main urban areas tend to be less affected, at least by the more extreme weather.  We shall see.  Check out the forecast for the next week:

Yep, that is a serious lack of sun.  This is a frustrating drawback of living in the Northwest – it can get very grey and depressing at this time of year.  This looks like a weekend of not getting out much – a chance to free up some space on my DVR (currently about 70% full – I have a lot of programs to catch up on!), and it might finally be time to bring out the exercise bike for some use (it’s still boxed!). 

Bear>Bull

My company’s stock has declined by nearly 40% over the last year – a disconcerting trend.  And since I have such a lot of stock tied up with my company (thanks to our company’s employee stock plan), this is having a devastating (though not catastrophic) effect on my personal wealth.  Not good.  I’m scared to look at my E-Trade account to see what my stock is worth now compared to what it used to be.  My company can turn things around – we are sitting on a truckload of cash, and really only need to make a sensible acquisition or merger to make things right – it’s what all the market analysts want and expect, and until we do so it will make investors nervous and impatient.  In the meantime, much like most people in the office, I will continue to monitor the stock market and hope for the best.  I guess I should just be grateful that I’m in a job where you even get this kind of benefit!  And if the share price continues to drop, that does make us a potential target for a big pharma to buy us out – not necessarily a bad thing.

Westworld

A TV recommendation – the “sci-fi thriller” (per Wikipedia) Westworld.  I think I might have mentioned this in a previous blog as a show I was looking forward to, and 2 episodes in I think I was justified – it is the best new show this fall (and one of the best looking shows I’ve ever seen – HBO have spent a lot of money on this, and it shows).  It has a Lost feel to it that I like (mystery, morality, ambiguity), with an intriguing setup and premise that I’m looking forward to seeing how will play out.  Whether they will be able to sustain the quality for the rest of the season, let alone multiple more seasons, remains to be seen – but so far so good, and for the moment it is a more than adequate substitute whilst we endure the long wait for Game of Thrones to return.  Here’s to hoping for more original, addictive, intelligent dramas like this – especially now that we no longer have The Wire, Deadwood, Mad Men, Lost, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, etc.   

Presidential Debate #2

I didn’t watch Presidential Debate #2.  With all the “locker room talk” by Trump leaked this week, it was inevitable that this debate would just devolve into mud-slinging (and, by all accounts, it was as ugly as I imagined).  I’m not interested in that – I want to hear intelligent, substantive details on how the two candidates will differ in how they address various issues facing America and the world.  I think Hillary can do that, but I haven’t heard anything like that from Trump – he just sticks to the soundbites: “Build a wall”, “Bomb them to hell”, “Lock her up”.  I don’t think he has a clue.  It is just preposterous that this is even a close race – and after some of the things he’s been caught saying in the last week, it’s stunning that he is still running.  Can any woman seriously vote for this creep after some of the things he said?  I get it, a vote against Hillary is a vote against government and the establishment – a sentiment I can understand (though I would also argue that it is the Republican party who are the obstructionists in American politics).  But voting for Trump would be a catastrophic mistake.  I was watching a NASCAR race on TV yesterday, which was peppered with Trump TV ads – the first time I’d seen any pro-Trump ads (Washington state is NEVER going to vote Republican, so there is no point advertising here) and the predominantly redneck, southern NASCAR audience is exactly Trump’s target demographic.  And the ads were about as insulting and appealing to a certain American’s base fears as you might imagine – Hillary might take away your right to bear guns, Hillary thinks you are in the “basket of deplorables”, etc.  Mind you, some of Hillary’s ads are hardly any less offensive – this race has by far the most negative campaigning I’ve ever seen before, and that is really sad.  What is surprising to me is that with the candidates we have, and with the divided politics we have, that a major third party hasn’t risen like a phoenix from the ashes.  If there was a time for this, it would be now – but it hasn’t happened.  Yet.  We can hope.  American politics is broken and it needs fixing.    

San Diego Chargers

More like San Diego Dischargers.  They've started the season 1-4, and the 4 losses were for a combined 14 points and in each of these they were leading at some point in the last quarter.  It seems they find new ways to lose games - the most recent today with a botched snap in the last few minutes.  The Chargers are my team - I used to be a season ticket holder when I lived in San Diego - but last few years have been quite miserable and its been a long time since they were competitive and made the playoffs.  Arguably they've been very unlucky with injuries, but they've recently been a poorly coached and poorly managed team - playing under the shadow of the team potentially moving away from San Diego.  I don't know what the deal is with that - last year was supposed to be their last year in San Diego but it wasn't, and now this year might be their last year in San Diego - but I don't know where they would move to (LA has a team now, which would have been the obvious choice).  They are one of the few teams in the league that don't get full attendance at home games - which is a shame and which is why I worry about their future.  I hope they stay, but I suspect they won't.  And if they don't, then who am I going to support? (it won't be the Seattle Seahawks, since I find the local support and supporters so obnoxious).

Note to self

I’m guilty of this all the time, but I can’t help myself – but I look at job sites even though I’m not looking for a new job, or I look at rental websites when I’m not looking for a new rental (yet).  Invariably, I find something I like and wonder what could be.  Then the realization that I’m stuck in whatever situation I’m currently in dawns on me, and I get sad and frustrated.  For all my negativity, cynicism and pessimism, I do think I’m a dreamer and that I can be optimistic.  But then reality hits and always disappoints.  I need to adjust my expectations.

Cyclists

There are good drivers and bad drivers.  There are also good cyclists and bad cyclists.  I would say the proportion of bad cyclists is MUCH higher than the proportion of bad drivers.  And I’m sick of them.  Cyclists shouldn’t cycle on the sidewalk (pavement), because that is for pedestrians – which is why I will never step off from the concrete of a sidewalk (pavement) to some patch of muddy ground to let a cyclist pass.  They can wait for me – pedestrians have the right of way!  Or they can go onto the road, which is where they are supposed to be.  And the cyclists who swap freely between the sidewalk (pavement) and road as it suits them are perhaps the worst.  However, if you are cycling on the road then you have to obey the laws of the road.  That means stopping at stop signs, stopping at red lights and stopping at zebra crossings.  The number of times I’ve seen a cyclist power through a red light is shocking – sometimes via the pedestrian crossing, sometimes regardless of traffic – to the extent that a few times I’ve leaned on my horn or wound my window down and dished a few profanities.  I’m not sure if it is a law in Seattle that you have to wear a bike helmet, but if it isn’t then it should be.  I consider this equivalent to wearing a seat belt – so if you’re caught not wearing one then you should be fined the same as if you were caught not wearing a seat belt in a car.  And if there is a designated cycle lane, then use it – it’s there for you!  Don’t decide to cycle down a parallel road without a cycle lane resulting in backed up car traffic unable to pass you and a lot of pissed off drivers.  That’s why I have sympathy for the mysterious person in Seattle who has been leaving tacks on cycle paths causing loads of punctures and who the police are now looking for.  I can understand why someone would want to do that – cyclists infuriate me as well.      

Hurricane Matthew

The big weather news here is Hurricane Matthew heading towards Florida and the East Coast.  Obviously the US being as self-centered as it is, all the coverage is about the evacuations and potential impact it could have on American soil rather than all the death and destruction it has already left in its path in places like Bahamas, Haiti and Dominican Republic.  Mind you, the potential financial costs of a big Florida hit could be enormous.  Coincidentally, I was recently considering the possibility of whether I would ever move to Florida.  It satisfies my main condition of being somewhere that has lots of palm trees.  And is much more affordable than California.  But I don’t know anybody who lives there, or anybody who wants to live there – Florida hardly has the most flattering reputation.  But I’m sure that as with anywhere else, it has it good parts and bad parts and its pros and cons.  For some reason – maybe the fact that it has both a baseball and American Football team – the Tampa Bay area has always intrigued me.  No idea what it’s like – I’ve never been there – but I’d still choose the occasional hurricane over the horrible winters of the Northeast or the ungodly expense of living in the Bay Area.

Misc

Various observations:

-          Apparently, last weekend it was “Brick Con” in Seattle – a Lego convention.  If I had known, I would have gone.  Frustrated I only found out afterwards.
-          It was the VP debate last night.  I caught about 2 minutes – frankly not in the least bit interested in either guy, and I don’t think I could name either if you asked me (perhaps I should show more interest, as both presidential candidates are hardly young and in peak physical (and mental – at least for one!) condition).  From all accounts, the debate was utterly awful – no surprise there.
-          I got into work early yesterday, and so managed to obtain a prime parking spot by the garage exit.  Then later on that day, I got an e-mail saying that I shouldn’t have parked there because it was one of the limited larger spots and I only have a compact.  I nearly replied to tell them where to stick that request.  I’m not going to park in a compact spot – because those are just too narrow, and on 2 occasions I’ve parked there I’ve had to climb into my car from the passenger side because someone has parked too close to my driver’s side.  Perhaps concentrate on warning those incompetent drivers who don’t or can’t park between the lines.  And don’t encourage people to drive so large cars.
-          Gutted to have only found out recently that both Toffo and Wispa Mint have been discontinued.  RIP.  I need to get hold of some Rowntree Fruit Gums.  Years of research has led me to the conclusion that they are, by far, the best treat for road trips.
-          And I managed to win an eBay auction today by employing sniping of my own.  And my winning bid was much less than my maximum bid, and less than what the same item went for over the weekend - bonus!

Being a Manager

I have 2 contractors reporting to me.  One of them seems competent, if not exactly personable.  The other one I also thought was competent.  The last few weeks where I have been working directly with him has proved otherwise.  I’ve been validating some of his work (and he some of mine), and I am frankly shocked and appalled at the quality and lack of attention to detail (something very important in our job).  I’m not sure whether it is sloppiness, inattention or sheer incompetence, but to get this work validated has taken much more time and stress than I could ever have anticipated.  It’s just one basic mistake after another, and absolutely no effort to check things after I request to make an update.  Ironically, he is about to take some time off so that he rejoin as an independent contractor rather than through an agency (and hence increase his take-home pay, at what is frankly already a ridiculous and exorbitant hourly rate).  If it was my choice, I wouldn’t bring him back.  But other people seem to have had no (or less) problems with him, and we need the resource regardless.  So it seems I’m stuck with him.  I hate having reports, and these aren’t even full-time employees.    

eBay Sniping

Nothing more disappointing, and annoying, than bidding for an item on eBay and having the highest bid until the last second and losing out.  Such was the case this weekend where I was trying to obtain some (more) James Bond trading cards.  Clearly, some unscrupulous fellow collector has some software that puts in a last second bid that doesn’t give enough time for someone to counter.  The same box set is coming up for sale on Wednesday, so it looks like I am going to have to up my maximum bid in order to not lose out this time.  I shall also plan to employ this sniping method if I can, not submitting my bid until the last few seconds.  If I win, that will probably mean me overpaying – but such are the sacrifices I have to make in order to better my collection….

Remakes

Lethal Weapon, MacGyver, The Exorcist - what do they have in common?  They're all a sad reflection of the inability of TV writers and producers to come up with decent original content.  It's bad enough that we have too many totally unnecessary film remakes, now this laziness has spread to TV.  Disappointing.

End of Summer

I think Summer officially ended last week, but for the last few days it has finally felt like it.  Yesterday it was a cold start to the day - enough to make me think about wearing a jacket for the first time in ages.  And today we are back to typically wet Seattle weather - grey skies and drizzly rain.  So to make up for this, here is a photo of the sun setting over Lake Union from Thursday when I was talking a stroll around the neighborhood near my office: