Mid-week football

I hate it when they have a full set of Premiership games on during mid-week.  I had no idea there were any until I happened to check out the BBC website.  And this was hardly a throwaway set of fixtures, because it included a big match up of top 4 teams in Liverpool vs. Chelsea.  And then I saw that Palace picked up their first league win under Big Sam, and I missed it.  They still remain in the bottom 3, but hopefully a good run (starting with a win against fellow bottom-dwellers Sunderland at the weekend) will help drag a few other teams into the fray (including champions Leicester!).  I feel like Chelsea are running away with the title (or, more accurately, no other teams seem able to sustain a decent challenge), but the relegation battle could come down to the wire.  Tense.

Immigration

Well we knew it was coming, but it seems like Trump’s (or, to be more accurate, Steve Bannon’s) immigration policies might be the final straw that breaks the camel’s back.  And in only his 2^nd week of presidency!  How to create a constitutional crisis and stir a massive populist hornet’s nest?  By banning Muslims from entering the US.  Quite rightly, there is a massive global backlash to this.  There were big protests in Seattle last night, similar to other cities across the country and the world (and this on top of Seattle having one of the largest women’s marches in the country on the day after Trump’s Inauguration).  And I’m thankful I’m not flying anywhere, because apparently the protests at airports have caused lots of delays and problems.  I’m glad the British people are also protesting  and petitioning to rescind Trump’s State Visit – Theresa May’s lukewarm response should correctly be criticized.  I support the protests – discriminating against individuals because of their faith goes against American (and worldwide) values of democracy and decency.  As a foreign immigrant in the US myself, I know how tough it is to become a legal and lawful resident of the US – the vetting process is thorough, so to unilaterally ban people from the country who have gone through the long process of obtaining a visa or Green Card but happen to have a different faith is ridiculous, pointless and disgraceful.  Simply put, it is right-wing discrimination.  I think Washington is the first state to sue the president over the issue.  I expect a LOT of Trump’s executive orders will be challenged in court.  Trump’s presidency is going to be no walk in the park, that’s for sure.  Bring it on I say.           

Australian Open

With the Williams' sisters in one final, and Roger vs Nadal in the other - it feels like it should be 2007 rather than 2017.  I had the impression watching Roger vs Nadal that this might be the last time we'll ever see them in a Grand Slam final together again.  And, inevitably, it was a classic.  I tried to stay up to watch - but I had to give up about 1.30 am when it was one set all.  But I managed to catch the "as live" replay this morning.  I couldn't really care less about the women's final - when Venus plays Serena it tends to be a nervous and low quality affair.  There was a time when it felt like they were just alternating championships because they could, but as time has gone on it is clear that Serena has become the the best female tennis player in the world, probably ever.  With his 18th title now, it could be argued that Roger is the best male tennis player ever.  For sure he is an absolute class act in the way he behaves and conducts himself.  I'm glad he beat Nadal - who is undoubtedly also a superb player, but I don't like his little tics and I don't like his freakishly muscular left arm which looks so abnormal compared to his right arm.  So congrats to Mr Federer.  

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!  Of course, I mean Happy Chinese New Year.  Or for all the many non-Chinese people who celebrate it, Happy Lunar New Year!  I celebrated it by going out for lunch yesterday with some of my Chinese work colleagues.  Of the about 20 that went, I was 1 of the 2 non-Chinese.  So naturally, I had absolutely no say about what was ordered or indeed what most of the conversation (conducted in Chinese) was about.  We went to a place called the Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot.  Got to be honest, and say it's not the kind of place I'd go back to.  I think I've been to a hot pot kind of place before, but not for a long time.  And much the same as Korean BBQ, I do not particularly care for going to a restaurant where I have to cook my own food.  Part of the restaurant experience is about having the food cooked for you, at least in my opinion, so I do not like having to pay a premium to do it yourself.  Naturally, most of the cuts of meat and vegetables were totally unfamiliar to me - so that's always an adventure!  I also made the mistake of taking advantage of free doughnuts at work for breakfast - somewhat ruining my appetite for lunch!

SAD

This blog has been accused of not being positive enough.  A fair criticism, but difficult to rectify because I’m not a particularly positive person.  It’s been particularly tough this month – my mood tends to  be quite cyclical, and I’ve definitely been on a bit of a downer since coming back from the UK.  Why?  Well, for sure the world has not been helping – things like Brexit and President Trump do not help elevate one’s state of mind.  On a personal level, let’s just say I’m increasingly unhappy with my work and living situations.  Although the possibility that I might be in the midst of a mid-life crisis has crossed my mind (if that was the case, I’ve probably been in a mid-life crisis for about the last 10 years!), I suspect I’m probably suffering from SAD (seasonal affective disorder) – something not uncommon in this part of the world.  I’ve also definitely not been feeling 100% for a while now.  Unbelievably, I’ve still got a lingering cough that I picked up in the UK and haven’t been able to shake for over a month now.  When you’ve already got underlying depressive tendencies, this all combines for an unhealthy concoction of defeatism and lack of motivation to do anything about it.  So, I can only apologize for the tone and content of this and any previous blog entries – I’d rather be honest in what I share, and to a significant degree it will be reflective of my mood.  And my mood will eventually take a turn for the better.  I’m sure your lives are not all rainbows and unicorns all the time either, so I will do my best to try not to bring you down to my level with what I write about here!        

VisitBritain

I’ve recently been catching an advert on TV for Expedia which is encouraging people to visit Britain.  The advert itself is fairly forgettable, other than the fact that it doesn’t just focus on London but makes a competition about which area has the best the UK has to offer:  London, The Highlands, Manchester, Cornwall, or Wales.  An odd choice of destinations – for example, I don’t know why Manchester is a particularly big must-see hotspot for American tourists.  Whatever…  Advertising people – just stick to the classic tourist sights.  Nobody wants to see a load of American tourists in Cornwall.  Mind you, with the exchange rate the way it’s going at the moment (down to about 1.25 dollars to 1 pound currently) you can expect an uptick in the number of American tourists. 

Bookworm

For some inexplicable reason, I’ve decided that I need to acquire some new novels to read – so I’ve just added 17 books to my Amazon cart totaling about $100.  These are all based on authors that I have read before and liked – so we’re talking people like John Irving, Norman Mailer, Ian McEwan, Philip Roth, John le Carre, William Boyd.  They even include some books that I’m absolutely positive I’ve previously owned and read but have disposed of a long time ago – probably on one of my moves to or from the US back in the day when I got rid of a load of my belongings (to think, there was a time where I wasn’t so attached to my material possessions – might be a lot tougher for me to let go of stuff now!).  Actually, thinking about it, there are a couple of reasons why I’ve decided I need to increase my library.  The first is that other than some Game of Thrones books which I won’t read until the TV series has finished, I don’t have any new books to read.  And since my Empire magazine subscription has now elapsed, my source of reading material has decreased.  Secondly, I think my passion for novels has been reignited by just finishing a great book – Freedom by Jonathan Franzen.  A good book is perhaps even better than a good film – now I’m debating whether to get some kind of e-reader….

RIP Earth

Trump’s actions so far with regards the environment and climate change are disturbing, much as feared.  He has signed some sort of executive action to continue construction of some massive oil pipelines – which Obama had halted – regardless of their environmental impact (not to say their intrusion on some Indian land).  And he has also signed some sort of order to slash environmental regulations when building these or any future pipelines.  It is no coincidence that him and his cronies have (or had) shares in the energy companies involved in this construction.  Don’t forget, Trump has previously claimed that climate change is a hoax initiated by the Chinese.  I think when he pulls the US out of the Paris Climate Accord – something more or less inevitable with the kind of people he has surrounded himself with - expect a major upturn in protest and resistance.  He may try to suppress the media in his ongoing war with them – classic dictator behavior – but this is not Russia/Turkey where you can get away with that, and these backward steps on environmental progress will have lasting ramifications on his presidency and legacy.

Potato, Couch

Time for a TV update, what am I watching at the moment?  Let me look at what I have scheduled on my DVR for the next week:

The Young Pope - weird, cinematic, mesmerizing, best thing on TV at the moment
New Girl - mildly amusing, mildly generic half-hour comedy
Outsiders - a soap opera-ish drama about a clan of mountain folk
Taboo - Tom Hardy starring drama
Hunted - US copy of British reality show tracking down "fugitives"
Suits - very soap opera-ish law firm drama starring Prince Harry's girlfriend
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - very funny (and crude) half hour comedy
Man Seeking Woman - another good half hour comedy
Baskets - half hour very black comedy
Colony - sci-fi drama, but no Battlestar Galactica
Shark Tank - US's version of Dragon's Den
Gold Rush - reality show (somewhat staged) of gold miners
Victoria - token costume drama
Homeland - still going strong (Season 6!), this time based in New York
Elementary - somewhat formulaic US interpretation of Sherlock Holmes

This is disappointingly lacking in what I would call must-see TV, so let me add some other shows (non-Netflix since I don't currently subscribe) on my radar starting soon: 24 Legacy (no Jack Bauer though...), Legion (probably the one I'm most looking forward to), The Missing, Planet Earth 2, Big Little Lies.  But really, I'm just biding my time until Game of Thrones returns later in the year.

Sleeping Satellite

Whilst on one of my increasingly regular meanderings through various music videos on YouTube, I came across this 90's classic:

I remember this song, and it's a pretty good one, but much like many other people in the comments section I was stunned to find out that the singer is black.  I was not expecting that - does that make me racist to judge somebody by the sound of their voice?  Probably.

Lego Death Star

After 4000+ pieces, countless hours, and an unexpected amount of frustration at things not fitting together like they should do, I finally completed this monstrosity:

And as you can see, it is an enormous and ugly monstrosity.  If I only had one set, I would never have put it together and instead kept it as an investment - but since I had 2 sets, here we go.  I'm not going to lie, I don't like it.  Esthetically, it just doesn't look good - and it just doesn't have enough features or "playability" to really appeal to anybody.  But it is Star Wars - which means it must have some value to someone.

Sick

I had to take an honest sick day today - woke up feeling absolutely dreadful.  Clearly my distaste and apprehension over the Trump presidency has made me physically sick.  And this is just Day 1 of Trumpocalypse.  No surprises he was sworn in with all kinds of conflicts of interest unresolved.  And then he goes and quotes Bane in his speech.  Nothing like giving people hope and optimism on your first day.  It's like watching a train wreck unfold in front of you, and absolutely nothing you can do it about it other than cover your eyes and hope for the best.

Marches, Protests, Rallies

Today: “Take the Streets” gathering

Tomorrow: Student walkout, Immigrants’ Rights march, “Seattle Resist Trump Coalition” rally

Saturday: Women’s March on Seattle

These events are expected to be peaceful, but I wouldn’t be surprised if things turn a bit non-peaceful.  And these are just the ones that we were e-mailed about at work (mainly because they have the potential to impact traffic – as if the traffic couldn’t get any worse) – expect many, many more gatherings.  This is just Seattle, I imagine every other large city has probably got something similar going on.  This is what happens when you have the most divisive and hated president-elect in history about to take power – I shall not be watching the Inauguration tomorrow (though I might follow it online in anticipation that something amusing or crazy happens).

Ping Pong Shming Shmong

I'm playing table tennis almost every work day.  It should be a great release from the demands of work and life, but if anything it is causing me more rather than less stress.  My form in 2017 has been absolutely abysmal - too many errors, my power forehand failing me, consistently losing games and matches to what should be my well-matched colleagues.  I can partly blame my equipment - my paddle is showing wear and tear from my power game.  So might be time to invest in a new and improved one.  But if I continue to lose with a new paddle, then my ping pong malaise might plum new depths.  Here's hoping I can turn my form around soon.  A rare upcoming busy period at work is not going to stop me playing - and I hope to be able to channel my work frustrations into a more intense and focused game!

Ford Siesta

I got my 45,000 mile service done on my car this morning.  No issues found.  You’d think I’d be happy, but I’m not.  This is disturbing – because at my last (40,000 mile) service, my “vehicle health report” marked my brakes and tires as “May require future attention”.  Yet, miraculously, at this service they’ve both improved to “Checked and OK at this time”.  Unless the car fairies have magically worked on my car between services, this is highly suspicious.  I’m fairly certain someone has done a half-assed job on my service this time.  I go to the dealer to get my service done because through the vehicle maintenance plan I got when I bought the car, all my services are free for the first 5 years.  Knowing that this time is up later this year, I wouldn’t be surprised if a load of issues with my car suddenly crop up when I actually have to pay for them.  I think I’m probably going to take my car to an independent mechanics for my 50,000 mile service before the summer.  It might hit my wallet, but at least I’ll have better peace of mind with the condition of my car before summer road trips.  And then my plan is to get a new car towards the end of the year – hopefully get a good deal on a 2017 model (current car of choice – a Honda Fit – though may consider upgrading from a subcompact to a compact this time), when the 2018 models start to become available. 

DVD

I get more than my fair share of junk flyers and brochures - but I've never had a DVD left on my door before, until now.  Apparently it is the most widely distributed film in history, translated into more than 1000 languages and seen by billions worldwide.  At least according to the DVD sleeve.  It is "The Life of Jesus Christ: A special edition of the film JESUS".  I haven't seen it - and although it might be the most accurate film ever produced on the life of Jesus Christ, again according to the DVD sleeve, I've not really any desire to see it.  The fact that I've got an increasing number of other films and TV programs to catch up on doesn't help.  Nor does the fact that I question the boast of "accuracy" on anything regarding the life of Jesus Christ.  But this is neither the time or place for a debate on theology.  

Padilla Bay

Some more cold, dry, clear weather over the weekend - so yesterday drove about an hour north to an area called Padilla Bay.  It's a place I'm familiar with and have been to plenty of times before - I like the trails, I like the views and I like the wildlife.  Yesterday was no exception, with plenty of bird life on display, including some bald eagles which are always great to see.  I essentially did 2 hikes - a 4.5 mile walk shoreline walk, and a 2.5 mile island walk - with the freezing temperatures, suitably invigorating!

Cursed

I supported Liverpool as a kid.  Heysel and Hillsborough happened.  Then I supported Oldham for many years.  They quickly disappeared from the Premier League, never to come back.  And now Palace - another horrible result today.  I clearly curse whichever team I support.  Therefore, I officially announce that I temporarily rescind my support of Crystal Palace FC - in the unlikely hope that I lift the curse and Palace can turn their abysmal form around and somehow stay up this year.  And if I truly am cursed, then I also categorically state that I wish all the best to Arsenal and Man Utd for this season and all future seasons.

M83 - Outro

I'm the king of my own land
Facing tempests of dust, I'll fight until the end
Creatures of my dreams raise up and dance with me
Now and forever I am king

Only in America

I get my fair share of junk e-mail, and it is not confined to just my personal e-mail but has also now breached my work e-mail.  I got an interesting one recently this week, with the subject header “What would you do if faced with an Active Shooter Situation?”.  Well, frankly I’d probably take cover – but it is not something I have really given a lot of thought to.  No worries, this gave me a chance to enroll in a free webinar entitled “Situational Awareness in an Active Shooter Situation”.  Sadly I just checked the dates and it was this afternoon, so I missed it.  But I found the jovial first line of the e-mail (complete with typo):

Happy New YearChris!      

somewhat at odds with the content of the rest of the e-mail:

Last week we faced an all too familiar tragedy of an Active Shooter event in Ft. Lauderdale. We are committed in 2017 to prepare our communities and business partners like yours for safety.

Active Shooter incidents have grown at an alarming rate since 2000. Yet the FBI reported most companies are not prepared to respond to an Active Shooter or workplace violence crisis. Over 76% of Active Shooter Incidents take place at a business or commerce and 43% of these incidents cease before law enforcement arrive. You and your team need to be prepared to mitigate and respond if this scenario ever occurs at your work, school, or a public place.

Acknowledging and communicating unusual behavior or activity in your workplace can potentially prevent an Active Shooter Incident or, at the very least, increase your response time and possibly save lives. Join Security and Active Shooter Response expert Jonathan Sowell as we focus on techniques to improve your Situational Awareness and the importance of quick response in the event of an active shooter situation. Your safety is our top concern, prepare yourself, and protect your employees. Engage in real time exercises to prepare you with the essential skills needed to mitigate, respond to and survive an Active Shooter Incident.

Only in America right!  How about doing something about gun control rather than dealing with the consequences of a lack of gun control?  The phrasing “an all too familiar tragedy” sort of gives away that this might be a fundamental and recurring problem in the country that needs fixing.  I suspect that will not be high in the list of priorities for President Trump.  It will be interesting to see what Trump does in the event of a mass shooting – I don’t think a tweet is going to suffice in that instance.

Down in the Dumps

A bad day today.  An early start, I got into work at 6.45 am for the first of 4 teleconferences today - I hate meetings.  Tough to get up and leave early when you're not sleeping well - thanks to the still lingering effects of whatever cold/flu I caught in the UK, compounded now by the fact that I somehow managed to strain my back over the weekend.  The painful back has also damaged by ping pong form - which has been absolutely pitiful this week.  One of the meetings today was also my performance review - which went about as well as expected.  That means I got a great review and great feedback, but got my self-evaluated overall performance rating of "Exceeded" bumped down to "Achieved".  Although not really a surprise, still really disappointed because that is going to adversely affect my annual bonus.  The reason given - there is only a set number of Exceeded ratings they're allowed to give out each year.  This is just preposterous.  Doesn't make me feel so bad about being criminally underused last year.  However, today was yet another drag at work - I'm just so unenthusiastic and not engaged in what little I'm working on at the moment.  Something needs to change drastically, and change soon, otherwise I'm going to go crazy.  I think this starts with a new manager.  And then tonight, I found out that my team - the San Diego Chargers - are going to move to Los Angeles so will no longer exist.  Again, no surprises here just massive disappointment.  That was just the icing on a very sour cake.  Roll on 2017 - you're on track to suck nearly as much as 2016.  I haven't even mentioned the man-child Trump yet - I can't and don't even want to think about that.

Bobcat

Apparently, someone spotted a bobcat in my apartment community.  So today all residents got an e-mail with a typically over the top warning about the potential of someone's dog being attacked.  Personally, I don't believe for a second that it was a bobcat - probably just someone's pet cat.  For a start, most of the woods surrounding the community have disappeared over the last year due to houses being built next to the community, so there is no way a bobcat could survive in the vicinity.  Just ridiculous.  There are a lot of other bigger issues in this community that need to be fixed rather than worrying about some unlikely sighting of a small and non-threatening cat.

Pioneer Cabin Tree

I was sad to read that Pioneer Cabin Tree – a giant ancient sequoia tree which was hollowed out for cars to pass through it – has been toppled by recent storms.  It was supposed to be more than 1000 years old, which is a surreal long time if you think about the amount of history that has occurred in its lifetime, which makes it especially unfortunate that some crappy storm managed to kill it.  I've been to a lot of the forests and national parks in North California where these huge trees are.  I don’t recognize the name of the park where the Pioneer Cabin Tree was, but I’m sure I had a photo of my car at that time parked in one of these hollowed out trees – so I was searching through my old photos and managed to find this from 2005:

Some internet searching reveals that this is actually Tunnel Log in Sequoia National Park.  Driving under a toppled dead tree somehow doesn’t seems quite as good as driving through an upright tree that is still alive.  Sadly that might not be possible now.

Dieting

Now that I have finished off all the sweets and crisps I brought back with me from the UK, I can finally start to make some kind of effort on improving my diet.  This is going to take baby steps.  The first things I need to do are cut out snacking and drink less soda.  Work is a major hindrance in this regard because we get free soft drinks and we have a frequently well-stocked snack area.  But I must stay strong.  This is just the first step on what could be a long and uncomfortable journey - sugar is my nicotine, so it is going to be tough to change long bad habits and satiate my sweet tooth.  But I will try.  Slowly.  I can't go cold turkey.

Football, American

My second favorite weekend of American Football - wild card weekend.  This is the first weekend of the playoffs - so we've cut the chaff (sadly, including the San Diego Chargers) and starting to concentrate on the big boys.  Only the divisional round next weekend is better.  Just watched the Seattle Seahawks win relatively comfortably.  I kind of have a lot of conflicted thoughts on Seattle - I like the team, but hate the fans.  Only the New England Patriot fans are worse.  I don't think Seattle is good enough to win the Superbowl this year - I regrettably think that the Patriots must be considered the favorites.  But they are capable on going on a run, and I think their game against a rested Atlanta Falcons team next week might be a close one.

The Rise of the Bear

So to the surprise of absolute nobody, Russia and Putin did interfere with the American election to ensure that Trump won.  How much difference did this interference really make to the results of the election, who knows.  But you’ve got to believe that Russia was at least involved in the Wikileaks stuff that eventually prompted an FBI probe days before the election, plus they probably initiated or helped distribute some of the many false stories that leaked in the media, particularly online, that hampered Clinton’s election bid.  So how will Russia be punished?  They will probably get rewarded rather than punished by President Trump and some of his pro-Russia inner circle.  And that is sad.  He will probably weaken NATO, when in reality NATO should be strengthened since Russia has already stepped well over the line in its Ukraine actions.  Does anybody forget that Russia shot down that passenger airplane?  If there is definitive evidence that Russia directly tried to influence and affect the American presidential election, then that should be a considered an act of war – and retaliation should be forthcoming.  I’m not saying America should nuke Moscow, but it has the means to really damage Russia and specifically damage Putin.  I’m all for that.  Putin’s actions in both Syria and Ukraine are war crimes, and his oppression of his Russian political and personal enemies is a disgrace and should be punished.  Didn’t he also get a Russian dissident poisoned by radiation in London?  In all cases, America (and probably more significantly the EU) have shown a weakness which he has exploited.  I don’t want this to be the start of a second Cold War, but I believe the US has to act and make a statement.   

Visibility

We are currently in the midst of a Dry Air Storm here.  What this means – very cold (not getting above freezing during the day), very dry, stunningly blue skies, and amazing visibility.  It’s a shame I have to be at work this week, otherwise I would be out and about trying to capture some great photos of the Seattle skyline with Mount Rainier in the background.  This is the view from the Space Needle at 2 pm today (google Space Needle cam and you can see current and past panoramic views from there).

The temperatures are plunging overnight – but other than the slight risk of black ice, no snow or anything to make the driving conditions bad.  Unfortunately, this is not lasting through the weekend – with temperatures rising and rain returning.  They have forecast some snow in about a week’s time, but doesn’t look as though the temperatures are cold enough then for it to settle.  Very glad that I bought a portable heater a few years ago, because my bedroom is so poorly insulated that I would freeze otherwise.  At least my gas fire works well for the living room – but I would so much prefer to live somewhere that actually has decent central heating.  I don’t need any more excuses to find somewhere new to live, but this is yet another one.

I wasn't missed at work

I only had about 200 unread e-mails when I got back to work on Tuesday after 3 weeks off.  That seems a lot, but really wasn’t.  And absolutely nothing urgent to address, and nothing really to work on now I’m back.  So it appears that 2017 is going to start like most of 2016, with very little for me to work on.  Talk about underused and mismanaged – and unneeded.  Very frustrating – I think something has to change, because my enthusiasm and engagement with what I’m doing is just not there at the moment, and it’s very demoralizing.  I don’t know if anything will change – it would be good if my company bought out another company so there would be something new to work on, because then I could ask to switch onto that.  Or even just getting a new and better manager might help, but I don’t know if that will happen – the fact that my rather candid feedback on my current manager has not been followed up on yet suggests not.  So for the time being I just bide my time, getting paid for just sitting around and doing very little.  Inevitably this will eventually change, probably to the other extreme where I have too much to do and not enough time to do it in – but in combination with the fact that I do want to move back to Southern California, more than ever now, I can’t see me staying here beyond 2018.  Consider that one of next year’s new year resolutions.

Weird neighbor

Although my downstairs neighbor has been the focus of most of my ire, my next door neighbor is not immune.  I don’t see much of him about – he is an older black gentleman who lives alone and who I hardly ever see because he works/is out of his home at strange hours.  Most of what I know is from his car license plates (he has 2 cars!) – which indicate that he is a military veteran, special forces if one of his bumper stickers is anything to go by, and he also has a disabled badge.  One of his cars also has a bike rack – though I’ve never seen bikes on them.  We share a hallway and stairs up to our separate entries – and he has already annoyed me by leaving some junk in the shared hallway for over a month without disposing of it, in addition to repeatedly not latching the front door that leads outdoors behind him, despite my note asking him to do so.  Generally I haven’t been bothered by noise from him, although like last night he does occasionally watch a movie with cranked up bass that I can hear through our shared wall.  But a couple of weird incidences happened recently.  The most recent was that when I got back home on New Year’s Eve, I noticed that the door lock to his apartment had been sealed over with tape saying do not break seal.  I don’t know why – I thought maybe the locks had been changed because he hadn’t paid his rent or something, but he seemed able to break the seal and enter his apartment on New Year’s Day so I have no idea what that was about.  Prior to that, in a period before Christmas, I hadn’t seen one of his cars and hadn’t heard him coming and going from his home for about a month – to the extent that various notes and stuff were piling up outside his door, and there was a bit of a strange smell (although then the hallway got painted and the paint smell overwhelmed all others).  I was a bit concerned about his welfare and did have a look at some of the stuff by his door – there were some notes about overdue bills plus usual stuff about painting and outdoor work updates that I was getting, so I got to a point where I was going to report this to the apartment manager.  But then he did show up again.  It’s all very strange – he seems too old to be still engaged in special forces activity, though I wonder what he might be up to.  Also makes me wonder about the quality of his living situation inside his apartment – I can only judge by his front door, and that doesn’t seem to be in particularly good shape – buckled and presumably very drafty.  I would definitely be cautious to confront him directly should any issue arise, in case he has any war-induced rage issues, so I hope it never comes to that.  Yet another reason I need to move in April.    

New Year's Resolutions

I have just 3 New Year's Resolutions:

1. Find a new home
2. Get a new car
3. See an optician and get new glasses

These should be easily obtainable, so I'll be disappointed if I don't fulfill them.

Not been feeling great since I've been back - I haven't managed to shake the cold symptoms that I brought back with me, and I've really been struggling with readjusting to the time difference (so I've been falling asleep on the sofa in the early evening, and waking up very early).  And it's been so cold since I've got back, and forecast to get colder this week, as low as -9 C one night.  Not good - compounded by the fact that my apartment has terrible heat insulation.  What a great way to start the year!  At least I've finally managed to clear up all the ready oats that I had brought back with me but which leaked over everything in one of my suitcases - that stuff gets everywhere...

New Year's Eve

I had drafted the following blog entry whilst I was at the airport yesterday:

Wow, that was not a particularly pleasant experience flying back.  No upgrade again, which was very disappointing.  Among the many perks I missed out on were use of the exclusive check-in desk and lounge and priority boarding.  Instead I had to queue up for an interminably long time with the other common folk just to drop my bags off.  And then try to find some peace and quiet in the loud and busy terminal area.  And to top it off, the flight was delayed.  I think this might be the first time I haven't been upgraded when flying from London to the States, at least from Heathrow Terminal 5 - I fear those days may be over, so time to start collecting those air miles to go towards an upgrade.  I didn't even get a window seat in premium economy - another disappointment, though grateful for the extra space over plain economy.  I know that one of the American airlines now also flies directly from Seattle to London, so might be time to switch up from BA next time.  And if you will allow me a rare populist opinion - I hate the exaggerated class divides on long haul flights, just emphasizes the increasing separation between the 5% and the ordinary people.

But then that all became moot when my row got called to board the plane, and I got upgraded then.  So I missed out on a lot of the perks, but at least I had a relatively nice flight.  Which was good, because I needed my wits about me to drive myself home from the airport in a rainy-snow mix and slick roads on very little sleep.  They have also introduced electronic security checks at Seattle airport, which I haven't encountered before - and actually made things a lot quicker because now all I need to do is scan my green card to get back into the States rather than queue up for ages.  Fortunately, they work a lot better than the electronic checks getting in the UK which I couldn't get to scan my passport.  Unfortunately, you are still left hanging around for ages waiting for the luggage which presumably also has to go through American security and at a much slower rate.