New Car Part 1

Yes, I have a new car.  Details and photos to follow - it's a 2018 Honda Fit EX.   Am I happy about getting a new car?  Yes.  Am I intimidated by the amount of technology you get in cars now?  Yes.  Am I disappointed that my car doesn't have a CD player, but I shouldn't be since I can just download all my music onto my iPod or iPhone?  Yes.  Do I hate going to a car dealership and dealing with slimy car sales people?  Yes.  Do I think I probably overpaid?  Yes.  Do I think the car buying experience should be more simpler, more straight forward and more transparent?  Yes.  Hopefully I won't have to do this again anytime soon.

Rice Cooker

I bought an automatic rice cooker several months ago, yet still haven't used it once even though I've had plenty of opportunities.  Clearly I'm a creature of habit.  And afraid of change.  Jeez, I'm even starting to sound old.

Monopoly

Another day, another tidbit from the internet.  This concerns Monopoly – a game I’ve apparently been playing incorrectly for 30+ years.  Probably much like the rest of the world.  This is in the official rules:

- According to Monopoly's official rules, when you land on a property space and you choose not to buy it, the property must be auctioned off by the banker, and the other players can bid on it.

I don’t think I’ve ever played it like that.  That makes the game decidedly quicker, and potentially more strategic – and hence more appealing.  Though nothing beats Stratego – the best board game ever.   

Logical

An interesting logical puzzle that wasted way too much of my time at work today:

Imagine that these six words have been written on a chalkboard: cat, dog, has, max, dim, tag. Three students—Albert, Bernard, and Cheryl—receive a piece of paper with a different letter written on it. Each letter is included in the secret word, which is one of the words on the board. The students need to determine, using logic, what the secret word is.

Their teacher asks Albert if he knows the secret word. After looking at his letter, Albert says yes. Bernard takes a moment to think, and then says yes, he also knows the secret word. Cheryl is the last to say yes. Which one is the secret word?

DON’T READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU WANT TO TRY TO WORK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF.















My logic goes as follows (with NO help from the internet – HONEST!):

Albert must have a letter that is unique across the 6 words.  Therefore the magic word CANNOT be tag – which has no unique letters.

The magic word also CANNOT be max.  If it was, then Albert must have had an x, in which case Bernard must have had an m or an a.  But if Bernard had an m, then he wouldn’t know if the magic word was max or dim.  And if Bernard had an a, then he wouldn’t know if the magic word was cat, has or max.  Therefore max cannot be the magic word.

The magic word also CANNOT be dim.  If it was, then Albert must have had an i, in which case Bernard must have had a d or an m.  But if Bernard had a d, then he wouldn’t know whether the magic word was dog or dim.  And if Bernard had an m, then he wouldn’t know if the magic word was max or dim.  Therefore dim cannot be the magic word.

This leaves the potential magic word as either cat, dog or has.

If the magic word was cat, then Albert must have had a c and Bernard must have had a t, in which case Cheryl must have had an a.  If the magic word was has, then Albert must have had an h or s and Bernard must have had an h or s, in which case Cheryl must have had an a.  But if Cheryl had an a, then Cheryl would not know whether the magic word was cat or has.  Therefore, by elimination, the magic word has to be dog.

Car Decisions

My totaled Ford Fiesta was towed today, so I am now officially - but hopefully only temporarily - without a car.  Though I am driving a rental - a Nissan Sentra, which in theory is a compact but which seems more like a mid-size car to me.  Which is why, when it comes to a new car, I think I will go for a sub-compact much like the Fiesta.  But not another Fiesta - because the transmission sucked.  I am remarkably unsure about what budget to give myself for a new car, and which year, make and model to go for - do I even consider a pre-used car, or specifically a certified pre-used car, in the hope of saving a bit of money?  Or do I even consider upgrading to a compact - I have been looking at the Honda Civic, which has remarkably good reviews.  This may be a performance upgrade from a Honda Fit, which is what I have also been looking at and which I think is still my first choice, but I think I prefer the size of a Fit - for example for squeezing into the tight parking spots in the work garage.  But I don't have much time to make a decision - insurance will only pay for 10 days of car rental - so I really need to decide, find, haggle and buy a car this week.  Fun. 

Darts

In an unexpected and welcome development, it seems that there may be at least one Christmas tradition I might not miss out on this year.  I saw a trailer on BBC America for World Darts!  As long as it's the PDC World Championship, and not the far inferior BDO World Championships, then I am happy.  I know that Sky show the PDC, and BBC show the BDO (do they still show it - does the BBC even broadcast any sports any more?  I don't know and I don't care) - but I wouldn't read anything into the fact that BBC America is broadcasting it here - the fact that they advertised it starting in December implies that is the PDC.  Which is great.  Only thing is that if they show it live, then all the matches will be during mornings.  When I'm at work.  And there is a good chance I will be out of town between Christmas and New Year, with no guarantees of staying somewhere with access to BBC America.  So who knows how much I will actually end up watching, but good to know it is being broadcast here.  That is more than can be said about the Ashes currently going on.

Movember

I gave a lot of consideration to not shaving my upper lip this month for Movember.  But I just couldn't bring myself to doing it.  I have spotty facial hair growth at best, and there is no way I would be capable of sculpting a decent looking mustache - and certainly not in combination with a goatee or suchlike.  And although it would be for a good cause, it's a bit too hipster-ish for my tastes.  And I hate hipsters. 

Thanksgiving

Happy Turkey Day!  I didn't actually have any turkey, but did have a chicken curry - so at least I was in the ball field.  Since I am housebound and there was nothing on TV today apart from some decidedly mediocre American Football games, somehow kept myself busy doing stuff around the house - including going through some boxes that I hadn't even unpacked since moving here.  Realized that I have way too many Lego sets for a grown man - which is kind of sad.

T-Bone

So, this is what happens when a Tacoma truck blows through a red light and t-bones a Ford Fiesta:

I was lucky - just think how serious the injuries could have been had it hit my door rather than the passenger door behind me. 

It was a horrible commute - dark, wet and slow with lots of traffic because of Thanksgiving.  So I'd finally got off the freeway and was on my way home.  On the way is a 4-way intersection that I go through most days at least once - about 3 miles from home.  The traffic light is red so I'm stopped first in line, and then it turns green so I go.  Suddenly I see these headlights approaching me very quickly to the left (the driver's side!) - and the thought "Is this it?" flashes through my mind.  I don't remember much about any noises - whether of brakes or the actual collision - I just remember turning my head slightly to face the headlights before being struck and spinning round.  This is where time gets a bit hazy - I must've remained in the car for about 5-10 minutes, definitely shaken up and in shock - with my car horn beeping and my airbags deployed.  Gradually get my senses back - realize that I'm not seriously injured thankfully - and open the door to get out of my car before a woman tells me to stay seated whilst police and the paramedics are on their way.  I can hear another woman calling 911, and the woman who told me to stay seated is telling me she is a medic and to stay where I am, and that she saw everything and that I wasn't in any way at fault.  So it feels like ages that I'm just sitting there in the car before the police and paramedics turn up - they take all the statements and details from myself, the Tacoma driver and the many witnesses.  Finally they clear up the mess, I'm able to drive the car into the parking lot of a nearby corner store (where I parked next to the car that hit me - that didn't seem to have any noticeable damage - I just asked if he was the one who hit me, and he apologized and asked if I was OK, and there's where I saw that he had a young daughter in his car as well - I imagine it must have been quite traumatic for her as well), and once I get the exchange of information details from the policeman, I'm left to my own devices.  First call the insurance company and give them all the information I need to start the claim, and then call AAA for a tow truck to take me and my car home.  And after a long 2+ hour wait for the tow truck, finally get home late in the evening.

I'm a little sore today - I've got some bruises on my arm, a nice welt on my neck where the seat belt cut into me and some general soreness on my left side, but nothing that I think warrants medical attention.  Fortuitously.  What I've also regained is some faith in humanity - from the many kind people who helped me right after the accident, to the professional demeanor of the emergency services, to the nice insurance woman talking through the process, to the Pakistani guy working at the corner store who let me stay inside whilst waiting for the tow truck.  That was all quite touching - especially in light of having just gone through what could be considered a near-death experience.

I was told that it can sometimes take ages to deal with these type of insurance claims - but this has gone surprisingly quickly today.  Presumably they have spoken to the guy, who admitted fault and accepted the liability.  I think having the same insurance company probably helped.  So I've already had someone inspect the damage on my vehicle - and assessed that the cost of repairs is more than the cost of the car, so it's a total loss.  Which means goodbye Ford Fiesta, and hello new car.  Unfortunate that I've recently splashed out on new tires and brakes for it, but hey it is what it is.  I'm stuck at home now until I pick up a rental car on Friday, then I guess I've got to look for a new car.  I wonder if I can get something for good value in a Black Friday type deal?

 

Accident

A brief entry, since it is late and I just got home, but I was in a car accident this evening.  I'll tell you more about it tomorrow, but the important thing is that I think I'm OK - if a bit shaken up - but my car less so.

Christmas Adverts

It's not even Thanksgiving yet, and I'm already sick to death of Christmas adverts on television.  They seem to start even earlier each year, and are just even more awful each year - cloying, overly sentimental and a horribly unrealistic depiction of the perfect American family enjoying Christmas, yet somehow contriving to advertise a car or some other crappy product or store.  I have no idea why the John Lewis Christmas advert has become a big deal in the UK - I don't think I've ever seen one in however many years they've been doing it - but the American ads are simply obnoxious and cynical.

Unhandyman

I tried to put together some Ikea furniture today.  Much to my chagrin and frustration, I had to give up.  It's not that I can't follow instructions - I did everything I was supposed to, but something was amiss because things weren't lining up and not everything was fitting together.  Ridiculous.  It was driving me crazy, so I just unscrewed and dismantled everything, and I'll try again this week.  I've never had trouble like this before - just within the last 6 months I've put together a chest of drawers that was way more complicated.  But it's clear that I have absolutely zero DIY skills - and renting probably doesn't help because I can just call up my landlord if something goes wrong and needs fixing, rather than trying to deal with it myself.  This just goes to show that I will make a terrible home-owner - and if/when I ever decide to buy a house, it will have to be modern and low maintenance - no fixer-upper for me.

Grudge Match

It seems that playing table tennis with a grudge and a chip on my shoulder really suits me.  Since losing the final of the tournament, I have played my victor 3 times.  And beaten him 3 times.  And quite comprehensively as well - to the extent that when we played yesterday and I beat him 6-1, he threw his paddle in frustration and broke it.  I can't begin to tell you how satisfying that was!  But it seems that defeat has galvanized my focus when I play him now, and I'm probably playing the best I've ever played - it's a great feeling when you're playing "in the zone" and nothing can get past you and you're pulling out all these great shots.  Shame it came a week too late...

Contrails

Americans love their military – hence all the furor about kneeling during the anthem at sports games.  However, look what appeared over the skies in part of our state yesterday:

Yes, nothing like the US military putting all their resources and expenses to good use.  By drawing sky penises.  Classy.

Dick's

I’m a big fan of the Doughboys podcast – ostensibly a podcast about chain and fast food restaurants, but really a funny podcast about a dysfunctional and increasingly brittle and deteriorating friendship between 2 comedians.  But the episode that dropped today was a must-listen to me because it was a live show from Seattle and they featured the eponymous Dick’s Drive-In – a local burger place that I frequent way too often!  And they were surprisingly flattering about their simple and old-fashioned menu – giving it 4.5 forks out of 5 (and membership of the Golden Plate Club!).  Personally, I don’t think it is as good as In N Out – which is somewhere I have to go to whenever I’m in California.  But yes, I also like Dick’s cheap and satisfying burgers.   

Tires and Brakes

My car has been handling really poorly recently - it feels like I'm driving on ice, and it's making me an extremely tentative driver.  I haven't had new tires on my car since I bought it 5 years ago - they seem quite worn, so I took the day off today in order to get new tires fitted and hopefully run some other errands.  All the more important and timely to get this done with the wet weather we're currently having, and cold weather expected for this winter.  It's always a dilemma to know where to get this done and not feel exploited.  So I went to one of the big chains with good Yelp ratings.  After they first tried to sell me some top of the range expensive tires, I finally settled on the cheapest ones.  But a pre-inspection also revealed that I needed new front brakes.  This didn't come as much of a surprise, since again I haven't had new brakes since I got my car and they were definitely getting worse.  So this turned out to be a very expensive day.  I feel like I was ripped off, but I probably wasn't.  It was also a horribly time-consuming day - just fitting the tires would only take an hour or so, but with the brakes it meant I was without my car all day.  At least they offered a shuttle service to and from my home, but I didn't get my car back until late in the evening - scuttling some plans I had to go out tonight.  A bad day indeed.

Number Two

I have a number two problem.  Not medical, but psychological.  I can't do number twos at work.  This is nothing new, I just cannot and never have and don't really know why - number one is no issue, though hardly pleasant because somebody at work has a serious aim problem.  This might be racially insensitive of me, but I suspect one of my Asian colleagues might be more used to a hole in the floor than a urinal (wouldn't that make your aim better?).  Anyway I digress, not being able to do number twos at work can be a problem.  Like today.  There was some free lunch going at work.  But the vultures are prevalent, so you have to act quickly.  Unfortunately the e-mail about the food went out at 10.30, but by the actual time that I went there it was 11.30 and all the best food had gone.  But there was some left, if a bit cold (think rice and veg), so I was able to have a little something.  However, a short time later I could feel my stomach turning.  Something was amiss.  Something was seriously disagreeing with me.  I don't know if I was the only one suffering - but I wasn't going to wait around to find out.  So hopped in my car, went home, and did my business there - and not a moment too soon as I'm not sure how longer I could've held it in.  But at least in the comfort of familiar surroundings.  And then worked from home for the rest of the afternoon.  Yes, a lot of time and effort just to avoid going to number twos at work - but c'est la vie (and a LOT pleasanter commute at that time!).  No regrets.  This is the least of my problems!

Windy

Most of the greater Seattle area is under a high wind warning today, with gusts over 60 mph.  Accompanying the wind is heavy rain, making for a nasty commute – so I don’t know what time I’ll be leaving work today (I’m writing this at work).  Living where I am now surrounded by trees, I get a bit more worried about this kind of weather than I ever used to since there is a much bigger chance of my being impacted now – whether by a power cut (from the online outage map, looks like my neighborhood is OK so far – but tens of thousands of people in the region are not), stuff coming off the trees (hopefully just leaves, but always paranoid about something bigger) and the increased chance of damage to the relatively old house I live in.  With the amount of stuff that has come down already – I should take and post a photo of my deck – I will probably need to do a lot of clearing up after this storm comes through.  I’m not going to bother raking up leaves, though I might have to clear my driveway if that gets much worse.  I still take having to deal with the kind of stuff anytime over living somewhere like my old apartment!

T-Shirt

I can't decide whether to get an Ivan Drago t-shirt

... or a "British" t-shirt.

What an unimportant dilemma.

DVR Films

I can't watch films on US broadcast and cable channels because they are constantly interrupted with adverts, modified to cut out or dub over swear words, and sometimes even cut entire scenes or parts of scenes (don't get me started on why they can't broadcast a swear word, yet all manner of fighting, shooting and violence is deemed acceptable for broadcast).  However, I subscribe to a few premium cable channels (like HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Starz) and these show films uncut and unmodified, as they were meant to be seen.  So I've been recording quite a few films that I will eventually get round to watching - just tonight I'm recording The Lego Batman Movie and Trainspotting 2.  Also taking up space on my DVR: Get Out, Split, John Wick 2, La La Land, The Babadook, Hacksaw Ridge, Carol, Crimson Peak and It Follows.  So in addition to all the TV shows I am watching and recording, I have plenty of films to watch.  All the more reason why I need to get a new sofa, because it seems clear that I'm going to be spending a lot of time on it!

Lake Union

Still suffering a mental hangover from yesterday - I shouldn't let a stupid table tennis game bug me so much, but it is.  So since I wasn't get much done at work, and since it was also the last day without rain in the 10 day forecast, I decided to go for a long lunchtime walk around Lake Union.  I've done most parts of the walk before, but never the entire circuit in one go - even though my office is right by the lake.  But it is about 6 miles, and took me about 2.5 hours, so it was a very long lunch and a decent workout.  You get to see a lot of the houseboats like Tom Hanks lived in in Sleepless in Seattle!

Final

Finals today.  Of the office table tennis tournament (advanced bracket).  I gave myself a 1 in 5 chance of winning, against a not always better but certainly more consistent player than me – and the same guy who beat me in the 1st round of the last tournament we did.  The final score, I lost 3 sets to 2.  From leading 1-0, and then 2-1 up - yep, I still contrived to lose.  In a close one.  Devastating.  I was even up in the last set, and then I proceeded to tighten up and lose a string of points to give the game away.  I don’t think I’ve ever won a trophy before, even as a kid (?), and this was as close as it comes.  I’m gutted, destroyed, broken.  Perhaps it would have been better to have been blown out 3-0, rather than getting as close as this.  It was somehow inevitable – I’m not a winner, never have been, never will be (especially when it comes to sports).  The psychology of the game was probably fascinating, whereas my opponent was steady as a  rock I was fluctuating wildly in my form – sometimes great, sometimes really bad.  What was also interesting is that the crowd (and it was a sizeable crowd of maybe 50) was relatively quiet – I don’t think the standard of play was particularly high (and certainly not as high as we’ve played before), but I’m sure it was an engrossing match and made for a good spectacle.  It might take me a while to get over this, but as I said in my e-mail to the table tennis group afterwards – “It may take me months of therapy to get over losing the final, but it was fun!”.  More fun if I'd won.   

Wooooo!

ESPN do this fantastic sports history documentary series called 30 for 30 – I might have blogged about it before, and I highly recommend watching any of them if you get the chance.  Although they feature predominantly American sports and American athletes, most of which are quite interesting because I’ve never heard of them or their stories, they also occasionally go international – they recently did one about George Best.  The one that aired last night covered a “sport” and a sporting icon that I remember fondly from my teenage years.  I say “sport” because we are really talking about “sports entertainment” – yes, wrestling.  They did a feature on The Nature Boy – the Rolex-wearing, diamond ring-wearing, kiss stealing (WOOOOO!), wheelin’ dealin’, limousine riding, jet flying son of a gun Ric Flair.  A larger than life character, this was a must-see documentary for me – I might not watch wrestling as much as I used to, but I still follow it and Ric Flair is a legend.  It’s an interesting look at how a fictitious character can take over a real person – he claims to have lived the life that he bragged about in all his promos – hard partying, hard drinking (15 drinks a day for 20 years!), supposedly having slept with 10,000 women (!!!).  It’s difficult to know what is truth and what is not, but it made for a fascinating look at his life and how he lived it through his wrestling character to the detriment of his family, his wealth and ultimately his health.  The more you find out about these famous wrestlers from the 80s, the more you appreciate how alarmingly real the film “The Wrestler” was.

Round 2

Round 2 – semi-finals – of the ping pong tournament (advanced bracket) today at work.  My opponent was something of a wild card – someone I had never played before, and never even see play before.  The result: 11-8 11-6 11-4.  A comprehensive win, where I wasn’t really challenged and didn’t need to go out of second gear.  She was advanced enough to use a penholder grip and had a wicked forehand if I left it short on that side.  Unfortunately, that was the only good shot she had and so I was able to play around it – so it proved to be a comfortable, but ultimately unsatisfying, win.  The final is going to be a different proposition against the pre-tournament favorite, and during a happy hour at work with a much bigger crowd.  Yikes.

Why Texas Sucks

The all too common response to a mass shooting in America that drives me absolutely nuts:

“The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”

So very frustrating and totally illogical, but not especially surprising in a place like Texas where guns and concealed carry permits are particularly prevalent – the only place I’ve ever worked at where it was actually necessary to have a sign at the workplace entrance to ask people not to take firearms into the office.

My Mood

Another mass shooting, another cycle - mass shooting, pleas for gun control from democrats and celebrities, silence from republicans, nothing happens, forget about it, until the next mass shooting.

Bills

When it rains it pours.  My electric bill was double what it was last month.  And probably going to get even worse with the amount I'm running the heating now.  My TIME magazine just got automatically renewed at over double the rate that I've seen it advertised for.  My internet/TV bill has increased this month because some of my bundle discounts have expired.  My car insurance rate and car registration costs are outrageous.  What am I, made of money?  And why do all these things seem to happen at the same time?  And I need to buy a load of new clothes since my current stuff is falling apart - just this week I lost a belt, a top and some jeans through wear and tear.  It might be time to cut down on my more material purchases (says the person who just ordered a few new Blu rays from Amazon!).  I also really need to buy a new mattress and a new sofa.  In fact, I would really like to buy a whole new lot of everything.  Oh boy.  For those of you who want more positive blog posts from me, you're going to have to wait!

Round 1

Today was my first game in the work table tennis tournament – Round 1 (quarter-finals) in the advanced bracket.  I’m probably seeded number 2 in the tournament – 3rd best player at work, but our best player is out injured so I've a reasonable chance of making it to the final.  Or so I thought.  The final score in Round 1: 7-11 11-4 11-5.  The only saving grace, I won.  But much, much closer than it should have been against a much inferior opponent, and a terrible, terrible first game – I was tight, I was nervous, and I couldn’t hit anything.  Fortunately got over it in the 2nd and 3rd games to avoid the shock defeat, but a tragic reminder of just how bad my glossophobia is (something I’ve come to recognize that I suffer acutely from).  This wasn’t speech anxiety, but a similar kind of anxiety that manifested itself when playing table tennis in front of a bunch of people.  I’m going to have to cope with my nerves a lot better if I’m going to progress.  Especially since my style of play should be crowd-pleasing – I’m a power player who likes to go all out on my shots.  Sadly, that style is very susceptible to nerves, and I refuse to adjust my style to the dark arts of spin.  You live by the sword, you die by the sword.     

PS It snowed today.  SNOW!  This is much earlier than normal.  It was quite pretty, and fortunately didn’t accumulate in most places.  But still, a bad omen for this winter.  I’ve already bought some ice melt stuff because I’m worried about being able to get my car down the long and steep driveway in icy conditions.

Job Update

So, it might be possible that my job satisfaction has reached a new low now.  And, I fear, this might be having the effect of making me into a bad employee.  I am miserable, unmotivated, unenthusiastic, slow and lazy – and this is starting to eclipse whatever skills and smarts I might possess, especially when I’m given so little opportunities to show my skills and smarts.  And I hate this.  This is not how I want to be.  Without a radical and extremely unlikely career change, I know I am never going to be as passionate about my job as I’d like to be.  But I would hope to get some degree of job fulfillment, and perhaps the thing I crave most is respect.  And that is something I don’t have currently – it’s not that I don’t deserve it, I’ve just had no opportunities to earn it.  It is very dispiriting – especially with a manager who, intentionally or unintentionally, I’m just not very compatible with and who simply doesn’t get me.  I fear my mental faculties are waning, I fear complacency, I fear irrelevance.  It’s, once again, making me seriously question my future.  Especially as I don’t see change coming to my position any time soon – there has been absolutely zero feedback so far since I made some of my concerns known to management about my situation.  And that is incredibly disappointing.  Those meetings went well, and I came away optimistic that something would change for the better.  I should know better when it comes to this place.  This is the same place that agreed upon and then rescinded a leave of absence I requested when I worked there before, so I quit.  Without change coming next year, I don’t see any recourse but quitting again.  It’s déjà vu – I don’t want to leave, but what choice do I have?

Thermostats

As the weather starts to get colder (some possible lowland snow is forecast for the weekend!), I am discovering new issues with my house.  I don't have central heating - but I do have a digital thermostat that controls the main heaters downstairs.  This works like a dream.  However, I also have other heaters that are controlled by analogue thermostats (such as in the kitchen and main bedroom) - and these do NOT work like a dream.  They are supposed to be temperature-controlled, but they don't seem to be affected by changes in temperature - essentially they are either on or off depending on how much I turn the dial.  That is frustrating - particularly for the one in my bedroom.  I can either leave it on and wake up way too hot or leave it off and wake up freezing.  Not good.  I think I need to let my landlord know, in the hope that he can do something about it.