State of the Union

I have absolutely no comments to make about Trump’s State of the Union address.  Since he spouts so much horseshit, what is the point in trying to actually read anything into what he says.  So I didn’t watch it and I don’t care for all the subsequent over-analysis of his words.  Actions speak louder than words – let’s see what he actually does, or at least tries to do.

More Work Nonsense

I’m going back to the well with another moan about work.  Today, after yet another 1-1 with my manager, I would raise my probability of leaving my current job this year from about 50% to 75%.  I’m going to start work on updating/improving my CV (resume) this weekend.  I remember when you had to fill out a CV to fit on one page – now, it’s a case of trying to provide loads of details (particularly with regards job history) over multiple pages.  A neat way I’ve found to do this is to check out job ads and try to put some requirements/experience listed in job ads relevant to me into my actual CV.  So why the increase in urgency?  Well, my manager decided to fudge my performance review by putting in all these development goals and career aspirations for me in (a) her words and (b) at the end of the year, rather than at the start.  Just ridiculous, and I couldn’t believe some of the things she was putting in – stuff like writing technical papers to submit at conferences and suchlike.  I’ve never done this in nearly 20 years in the industry, and I’m not going to start now.  These are MY development goals and career aspirations, and I’d rather she take into account what I want rather than what she wants.  It was just so arrogant and patronizing, and she was just incapable in engaging in a rational conversation about it when I complained.  And, thinking about it, she was maybe adding these things to cover herself for when I complain and/or quit.  It was shocking and depressing, and I now think there is no way I’m going to last the year with her as my manager.  I don’t think I can last a few more months!  She also emphasized that the only means of promotion was to take on direct reports – which I countered by pointing out that someone on my level got promoted this year even though they had NO direct reports, not even any contractors reporting to them like I do.  She had no argument to that, so I suspect it fell on deaf ears.  What this means to me – she is covering her ass and setting me up to fail my goals this year.  I’m not going to give her that satisfaction, either in the hope that I can change groups internally (increasingly unlikely) or that I move on.  My manager’s manager’s manager (I might have erroneously said my manager’s manager in a previous post) is going to be here later this week, but absolutely no indication she wants to talk to me.  Not a good sign.  As much as I’ve got good friends here, as much as I might want to stay and the positive aspects of this job, the negatives are far outweighing everything else at the moment and it feels like it is increasingly not in my best interests to stay.     

The Long Road Home

Over the weekend, I managed to finish the last few episodes of The Long Road Home.  If you liked the film Black Hawk Down, which I did, then you will like this – essentially the same premise of some trapped American soldiers in hostile territory, but very much fleshed out into a miniseries length of 8 episodes.  Obviously being an American series about the American military, it was somewhat pandering to heroism and over-patriotism – but was still very watchable with a couple of outstanding episodes (each episode primarily features on a different character, and the ones involving the interpreter and the guy who is eventually disabled and becomes an anti-war protester were particularly memorable).  But what was interesting was that coming out of this, I don’t have a regret per say but maybe some wistfulness that I never served in the military.  War is brutal and I would never had made a good soldier – I have neither the physical ability, courage or temperament to survive on the front lines.  I would probably be some amalgamation of Gomer Pyle from Full Metal Jacket, Albert Blithe from Band of Brothers and Pike from Dad’s Army.  But I think there is some nobility and duty to serving – and I’ve lived a relatively sheltered existence, and this would maybe have helped make me a more mature and better human being.  This is not a question of whether war is right – which it isn’t – but, at least to me, a case of character-building and being part of a lifelong comradeship/brotherhood that I have never really had. 

Good vs the Very Bad

A grey, wet, miserable outside combined with a distinct lack of decent televised sporting events equals a slow day of not doing much other than emptying my DVR.  This afternoon, it meant switching between Fast and the Furious 8 (The Fate of the Furious) and Blue Planet 2.  One of these was really good with great cinematography and film-making, and the other was a shocking abomination to plot, character development and acting.  However the first one I kept on falling asleep to, and the second one was inexplicably totally engrossing.  I'll let you decide which was which.

Harry Potter

Just finished watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 - completing the 20 odd hours of Harry Potter films that I've watched over the last few weeks.  After the first couple of very kid-friendly films to establish the Harry Potter universe, the films got progressively and noticeably much darker and "less PG".  I think this is not the first time I've seen all the films - but good to watch them in order in relatively quick succession.  My favorite - probably the Prisoner of Azkaban.  My least favorite - maybe controversial, but I'm going to say the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 where I thought the pacing and amount of story covered was very wrong.  My favorite character: probably Gilderoy Lockhart.  A lot of my thoughts from having watched the films and read the books before have not changed - Harry and Hermione should have lived happily ever after, Neville Longbottom was the true hero of the story, I'm still totally confused by the films as to what all the horcruxes were and whether Voldemort was trying to get all the items that make up the Deathly Hallows rather than just the Elder Wand, and that I am definitely a Ravenclaw.  Now I need to reread all the books....   

David Bowie

Just finished watching the documentary David Bowie: The Last Five Years, and it was really good.  I would classify myself as a casual fan of Bowie - know his hits, and a few of his film roles, but certainly no super fan.  Which I kind of regret, because he was undoubtedly a talented, intelligent and interesting artist, and iconic for so many years.  I know very little about his last work that the documentary mostly covered - The Next Day, Lazarus and Blackstar - but it has definitely made me want to check them out.   

Potholes

I was driving back home from work late on Tuesday in less than ideal driving conditions – dark, very wet and lots of water pooled on the roads.  Before even reaching the freeway, I heard a big thud like I’d hit something.  I didn’t think I had, but it freaked me out.  It didn’t seem to affect my car so I continued my drive home before inspecting my car for damage.  I couldn’t see anything – I was passing a van when it happened but it didn’t seem very close, so I wondered whether I’d just hit a pothole or run over something I couldn’t see in the bad conditions.  On the drive into work the following morning I tried to see anything in the road where it happened, but this was early and it was still dark and I couldn’t see anything.  However I was able to leave work early yesterday whilst it was still light.  And this time, I saw what had caused the noise – a big pothole in the road.  I don’t know how I missed it before, but there it was – hardly a sinkhole, but not insubstantial.  Because I’m a great driver, I still didn’t manage to avoid it a second time and went over it again – hopefully doing no (more) damage to my car wheels or suspension!  It looks like it might have been filled up this morning – but I guess I’ll try to avoid the hat-trick today!   Personally, I blame all the construction and the big construction vehicles on the road causing all the damage – the state of the roads round here is a disgrace and has got progressively worse, and I think they are the predominant cause.   

Note - I wrote this at lunchtime.  And guess what, I hit the pothole AGAIN on the way home this evening.  Jeez, I'm a lot worse driver than I thought I was!  So I've just submitted a pothole report to the Seattle Depart of Transportation - their website claims to fix potholes within 3 days of reporting them, but we shall see.  And I need to be a LOT better at avoiding this one again.  The pothole causes a massive jolt to the car, that I am quite worried that it might cause some damage.  I shall have a more thorough check of my car tomorrow morning before I leave for work, just in case.

Shaver

This might be the biggest and most important grooming decision I need to make in a very long time, but it might be time to get a new shaver.  I've been using the same electric shaver for some time - a Philips Norelco model - but I had to get a replacement head for it recently.  But they no longer produce the original designed head I'm used to, and instead I had to get a more recent design.  And I don't like the new one.  At all.  It doesn't seem to shave as close as the old one, and is nowhere near as comfortable.  Because I'm cynical, I suspect this was somewhat intentional of Philips to release a cheaper quality and less effective replacement head to force you into buying a new shaver.  Well that won't work for me, because I might switch my allegiance to a different (and better reviewed) brand - like Braun.  And I'm preparing to splash some cash (well, maybe not a stupid amount!) on a high quality electric shaver that will last.  Much like my inability to drive a manual car again after having driven an automatic for so long, I don't think I could ever switch back from an electric shaver to a manual razor again!         

Hard Work, No Reward

I’ve been working my ass off at work since the new year.  And, if I say so, doing a great job on an important and substantial task with tight timelines.  But will I get any recognition for this?  Maybe from the statistician who I’m working with, but definitely not from my manager.  I doubt she has any idea just how hard I’m working, and how good a job I’m doing.  Nor cares.  Screw her.  After she scheduled a recurring 1-1 with me during lunchtime, I asked her if she could reschedule.  She did, then promptly scheduled a recurring team meeting in the same time slot.  Thanks, very considerate.  I’m at my limit – close to the point of issuing an ultimatum that I have to change group and manager, else quit.  I have no idea how to do this diplomatically, and who to speak to who might actually listen and be able to do something about my situation – and it’s that feeling of uselessness that is so frustrating.  I feel like I’m stuck in a career rut, and there is nobody to help me out of it.  The way things are going, I doubt I’m going to last in this job through the end of the year.     

Amazon Go

So, the first Amazon Go shop is now open to the public in Seattle.  It's not quite within walking distance of where I work, so I don't know when I'll go - but probably a sign of the future.  No cashiers.  No checkouts.  Just scan an app on your phone that recognizes your Amazon account, and then just take whatever you want from the shelves (mostly lunch type foods) - the store cameras do all the tracking and charge your account accordingly.  Talk about a job killer.  And the quite scary power of Big Brother.  I'm not sure I'm a huge fan of this level of convenience - but perhaps in 10 or 20 years this might be the standard for shopping.  If indeed shopping in a physical location is still a thing.

Another Good TIME cover

Yep.

The X-Files

The X-Files is one of those shows that I watched a lot early on, then slowly drifted away from it as it got more convoluted, occasionally dipping in and out of it.  For sure it is an iconic series - cannot believe it's been on for 25 years with over 200 episodes - but always to me more of a cult series than a truly great one, which is why it doesn't get into my list of best TV shows ever (although Dana Scully will always be one of my first TV crushes!).  And, unbelievably, it is still going - currently airing it's 11th season.  I've long lost track of what the hell is going on when it comes to  the long form story arcs - I think maybe Fox and Scully have a kid with special powers or something?  But whatever, I have been recording these new episodes and I tried to watch the first one today.  "Tried" being the operative word.  Three times.  Every time, I managed to doze off within the first 15 minutes.  That does not bode well.  That tends to happen when you try watching a show that has it's charms but is well past it's prime and you're watching it for the sake of watching it, rather than actually be invested it.  As my DVR fills up, it might have to be sacrificed.   

40 Hours of Hell a Week

More work stuff.  There is a good opportunity to assess my status coming up.  I found out today that my manager’s manager is going to be visiting the Seattle office at the very start of February.  Naturally, no one told me and I wouldn’t have known if they didn’t pin up a notice on the door of a spare office to reserve it for when she is here.  She doesn’t visit the Seattle office very often – maybe once a year – but is probably here to congratulate the (undeserving) promotions of some of my colleagues/rivals.  At least she visits, which is more than can be said for my current manager – who there is zero chance will ever visit me!  The last time my manager’s manager visited (October?), I requested a 1-1 so that I could let her know how frustrated and unhappy with my job I was at that time – which I did.  Unsurprisingly, I never heard anything back from her following that meeting and absolutely nothing has changed for me since then – at least for the better.  Some context, we do have some history.  She was my direct manager when I left the company the first time around – under less than happy circumstances (I requested a leave of absence, which was initially granted to me and then rescinded, so I quit – I think she was probably the one who made the decision to rescind, though I can’t be sure).  So although we get on relatively well, I do not trust her – and I am still extremely bitter about what happened when I left, which could so easily have been avoided.  It will be interesting to see if she requests a 1-1 with me when she is here next month – as a follow-up to what we discussed before.  I don’t want to be the one to initiate that meeting, I’d much rather it came from her if she cared at all about my situation – but if she doesn’t, then that is a good indicator of my (lack of) value, importance and standing within the group.  And probably helps make any decisions on my future easier.

Work is bugging me so much that I haven’t even commented on the shambles going on with the US government right now.  I guess that's where my mind is.  At least I have been able to channel a lot of my frustration into some of my best ping pong form for a while!

Songs in my head

I have absolutely no idea why this song keeps on invading my head space - as far as I'm aware it's not in any advert, any film or any TV I've watched recently, and I wouldn't have heard it on the radio or on any of the podcasts I listen to.  It's a total mystery - but I inexplicably find myself humming the tune.  Weird.  Whatever.

More Work Love

Back to complaining about work.  They released the official list of promotions today, and much as expected there were a lot of people who got promoted who either didn’t deserve it or who I think I am at least equal to or better than.  What was interesting is that within my manager’s team – about 10 people including me – not a single person got a promotion.  To me, that is shocking – I provided feedback on at least 2 of these people saying that I thought they did a great job and deserved a promotion.  So clearly, she did not agree and/or did not fight hard enough for them.  I am appalled at this – confirming that she doesn’t value her people highly and/or she doesn’t care about them.  I just don’t think she is a very good manager – and I am extremely worried that I will be saddled with and repressed by her unless I quit.  My only hope is that an opportunity arises if either she quits or someone else quits.  That’s only a glimmer of hope, but I can dream –  let’s see what happens once people get their bonus, right after which you normally see some people leave (also the time when I am going to start seriously looking to see what is out there in the job market).  How low am I prepared to go?  Would I consider being managed by someone in my office who 4 years ago I was at the same level as and who is now 2 levels above me?  And who I hold a grudge against for that reason and who I think I am better than.  Maybe.  That would be eating a big chunk of humble pie.  I loathe office politics – and it seems so much worse in the US than it was in the UK (perhaps exacerbated by the presence of so many Chinese and/or Indians in my field with different cultural norms on career progression, particularly when it comes to “helping their own”).  It’s controversial to say this, but in the context of my workplace I do feel marginalized and undervalued by the color of my skin.  Also, it doesn’t appear to matter if you can’t or don’t walk the walk, as long as you talk the talk – and someone with my meekness, lack of arrogance, lack of ambition, and modesty will always struggle, no matter how good at my job I might be.

Eagles

Let me try to sneak in a positive blog post.  Crystal Palace!  From where they were in the table and how they started the season, to where they are now is quite unexpected and a very pleasant surprise.  I had my doubts about hiring Roy Hodgson but I’m glad to be proven wrong – and just goes to show that maybe he isn’t that bad a manager and what a poisoned chalice it is to manage the England national side!  It’s still extremely tight in the bottom half of the league, but Palace definitely seem to be trending the right way – they should even have been the first team to defeat Man City.  I think it’s clear that Palace always had a slightly better than average side, but a manager at the start of the season who wanted to play a certain way that just didn’t work.  So Hodgson has come in and slowly molded them into a solid, if maybe unspectacular, side.  If that is enough to keep us up, then I can live with that.

Work Love

Going to be considerably busy at work for the next few weeks, so you can expect a drop off in the length and time I spend on these entries.  But that doesn’t stop me complaining about work if the opportunity comes up.  And, surprise surprise, I do have something to complain about.  They haven’t released an official list of promotions yet in our group, but I’ve heard some rumors and they are very disconcerting.  Namely, that people in my Seattle office with less experience than me, and who used to be at or below the same level as me when I left the company the first time around, are getting promoted.  And they have already been promoted in my time away (whereas I rejoined at the same level that I left, which I’m still at) – meaning they will be a whole 2 levels above me.  Which is frankly appalling and very depressing.  I’m starting to feel even more screwed over and pissed off with this place.  If that’s possible!  Sorry, I’ll try to improve the tone of these blogs – but it’s a bit of a struggle at the moment.   

WA and OR Peaks

Whoops, I forgot to post yesterday.  I'll post some more photos, this time from the plane window, tonight.

San Francisco Bay

Managed to sneak in a brief walk alongside San Francisco Bay yesterday after work, before the sun set and before I headed back to Seattle today.

Average

Well, today went about as well as expected.  As in not very.  For the second year in a row, my manager downgraded my self-rating of “Exceeded” to “Achieved” in my job (which is like downgrading a B to a C).  Not a surprise but I didn’t take it very well, arguing that my ability should not be judged by factors outside my control (delayed timelines due to slow recruitment) and lack of opportunities.  Which are the reasons she gave.  Then I tried to find out what I could do to improve my rating – and that’s where some other factors came to light.  Things like not managing any full-time reports (not a requirement for my job level so it shouldn't count against me), not leading some of these workshop meetings she likes to have (I argued that I wouldn’t even have these meetings if I was in her position, but that didn’t go down well), and that she wants me to be more vocal in meetings about things I cannot vocalize (such as sharing lessons from my past work experience, things that I either cannot or don’t want to share).  The whole thing reeks of BS.  I am better than my rating (and job level) and deserve more responsibility and respect (and not being patronized and micromanaged).  I talked about how underused and undervalued I felt, and I don’t think I got any responses to suggest that that will change anytime soon.  So all in all a very, very unsatisfactory meeting.  I just think we are 2 incompatible people with polar opposite approaches to work – and it is not in my best interest for her to remain my manager.  I hope this can be addressed, but I am fearful it won’t (the subsequent meeting with her manager did not appease me) – so it seems I will remain stuck being managed by somebody whose management style I detest.  I desire change, and if that cannot be achieved internally then I will start looking externally.  I think it is time to update my CV.  You can expect a lot more work rants in the upcoming months.

Rolling out the red carpet (not)

And you wonder why I don’t go visit my company HQ all that often.  I had a cubicle “reserved” for my 2 days.  When I got here this morning, there was absolutely nothing in the cube – no phone, no monitor, no laptop docking station, not even a fricking chair.  Just a power strip.  Thanks for the welcome….  And the office is like a ghost town, hardly any conversation or interaction – just the occasional noise that emanates from a stray cubicle or office.  I knew it was bad – I had heard tales of people leaving without any fanfare, without anybody knowing  and without any type of send-off whatsoever, and that doesn’t surprise me.  I kind of forced myself to go round and meet up with a few people that either I have worked with or will work it, which sometimes went well and sometimes was a bit awkward – but at least I tried.  What an absolutely terrible working environment – which is why I would never want to work in this office, and why I should appreciate working in the Seattle office a lot more (despite the many things that get on my nerves there).  Also - in the two stints that I’ve worked at this company, I’ve been to visit here maybe about 4 times and always stayed at the same hotel; but if I have to come here again then I won’t stay at the same hotel again.  It may be convenient – 5 minute drive away from the office – but it sucks: the terrible water pressure, the terrible internet service, the weird smells (I’m sure I smelt some kind of combination of weed and bleach last night), the lack of sound-proofing and hearing everything your neighbor is saying, doing, and watching.  I’m sure this isn’t the first time I’ve had an issue, and this ain’t a cheap hotel (though, admittedly, I am expensing EVERYTHING on this trip), but clearly I am not learning from my mistakes (something that can be said about me on all manner of topics).  With a rental car, I don’t have to be quite so picky about where I stay.  Still, I’d rather avoid coming out here again as much as possible – the last trip was about a year and a half ago, and hopefully the next one will not be any sooner than that.

I hate flying into San Francisco

Well, I'm writing this from my hotel room in the Bay Area.  Seemingly San Francisco was the only destination flying out of Seattle with big delays - and my flight was delayed by over an hour.  At least I didn't take the preceding flight which looked as though it got cancelled entirely.  Always seems to be delays flying into SF - it sucks, you'd think they'd be used to fog and low cloud.  I think it's also the only airport where I've ever been in a plane that had to abort its landing and circle round to try again.  Thank god I had no plans to go into the office this afternoon - but instead I caught the rush hour traffic after picking up my rental car, which was exactly what I wanted to avoid.  But that wasn't enough to stop me going to In -N-Out Burger - I definitely miss their delicious burgers so I always make an effort to go there whenever I go to California; they may have over 300 locations but none in Washington State sadly.

 

Stupid

I'm flying to San Francisco tomorrow morning so tonight I came home, had my tea, packed and was thinking I was all set.  Then it dawned on me that I had made a serious omission - I had totally forgotten my work laptop.  And worse, that I had left it at work.  D'oh!  So after a "quick" 50 minute drive to work and back again in the late evening, this time I think I am set (though hardly in the best of moods!).  Thank god I didn't realize this too late, or it could have been a total disaster.  It's weird, I had powered off my laptop before I left work the first time - but I'm not in the habit of taking my laptop home, so I just left without it and didn't think anything of it.  It's not helping that for the last week it has been one of the busiest I've been at work for a while, so my mind is frazzled and distracted.  But that's no excuse - I'm just stupid for forgetting it (or perhaps showing early signs of dementia - yikes.)

Quote

The current quote I’ve got attached to my profile on work IM: “We all grow up wanting to be Luke Skywalker, but when we grew up we realize we’re just another Storm Trooper.”

 PS If it came down to Oprah vs Trump in 2020, then I would definitely vote for Oprah.

Some Tweets

"Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart."

President Douchebag

"Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works."

President Insecure

"The Fake News Awards, those going to the most corrupt & biased of the Mainstream Media, will be presented to the losers on Wednesday, January 17th."

President Beyond Unbelievable

Bills

A dark day - I had to pay bills for water, refuse, electricity and TV/internet today.  And at least 2 of these were the highest they've ever been.  I found out next week what kind of pay rise and what kind of annual bonus I'm getting.  I don't have particularly high expectations.  But I need whatever I can get, as my bills and expenses continue to add up and continue to bother me.   

Bomb Cylcone

It has been relatively mild here since the snow over Christmas - which is a big relief.  Thank god I don't live on the East Coast - they always seem to experience big and devastating weather events.  And now they've been hit by this "bomb cyclone" (apparently, an inaccurately named meteorological term for what they're experiencing, but one that is easiest for the American media to latch onto) with high winds, flooding, snow and ice.  It looks like an absolute nightmare - and a big reason why I don't think I could ever choose to live in Boston, even though I have previously interviewed there.  I've been thinking a lot about where I'd like to live - and there really is no ideal compromise between location, weather and cost of living.  Something always has to be sacrificed.  At least in the US.  Unsurprisingly, the places with the best climate are the most expensive.  And naturally, some of the biggest hubs for my industry are in locations that suck - Boston, New Jersey, and the Bay Area - none of which I want to move to for numerous reasons.  I don't particularly like the climate in the Pacific NW - too often overcast and depressing, but at least we don't experience too many extreme weather events like this.

President-Elect Trump 2032

I didn’t think Donald Trump would become president.  I was wrong.  But I feel a lot more confident in saying that Ivanka Trump will never become president, no matter how much she might aspire to it.  This is just one of seemingly many juicy tidbits to come out of the book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, which is being released tomorrow (apparently Trump’s lawyer issued a cease-and-desist, so the publishers pushed the release date early – a good sign!), and excerpts of which have already been released.  I’ve been thinking of purchasing the book, but I suspect I won’t need to as anything of interest will quickly find their way to the internet and the news.  Expect some serious revelations in the next few days – perhaps mostly tabloid gossip, but also perhaps some factoids which will hopefully have major and far-reaching consequences on his continuing presidency.

Office and World Domination

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, work has not started well in the new year.  I’ve got a new neighbor in the cube next to me – and she is Chinese.  And I hate it.  I had purposely moved to where I am now in the office to get away from my Chinese colleagues – their food stinks and when they speak Chinese to each other it is loud and obtrusive.  But there is just no getting away from them – they are taking over my workplace in much the same way that they are taking over the world.  The one that has moved next to me is nice enough and relatively quiet, but not quiet enough to not annoy me.  So sadly I’ve got to get used to the disruption all over again.  I think my iPod shall be getting a lot of use this year!  I have jokingly told my friends at work that if I going to stay in my career for years to come, I am going to need to learn the Chinese language.  I no longer think this is a joke.  The influx of Chinese and Indians into my field is a problem that should be right in Trump’s wheelhouse to do something about, but he is more obsessed with Mexicans and Muslims.  And if anything, the big companies only want to bring in more cheap foreign labor – and we all know how Trump likes to suck up to big business.  This is a topic that definitely brings out the inner racist in me – my humble apologies if you are offended, but us working Caucasian males are not having the best of times at the moment (though you could in no shape or form accuse me of any sexually inappropriate behavior at work – in fact, I could argue the opposite since I remember a time when my ass was pinched in the workplace by a female colleague.  Imagine if a male did that to a female in today’s environment?  He would be fired and ostracized in an instant).   

Harry Potter

It's been a long time since I read any of the Harry Potter books or watched any of the Harry Potter movies.  I have definitely read all the books (and frankly could do with re-reading them sometime soon), but I am extremely unsure whether I've watched all the movies.  But then beginning on New Year's Day, and continuing into today, HBO decided to air every single movie one after the other.  So now I've got 8 movies on my DVR that I need to get through.  Obviously, they are incomparable to the books - but I am going to get through them because I like to get immersed in the joy of the Harry Potter universe (even if the films get decidedly darker in the later stages!).  I just finished the first one: Harry Potter and (cue sad Americanization) the Sorcerer's Stone.  Jeez, my immediate thoughts from watching were how weirdly young the kids looked in it, and how many of the older cast are now sadly deceased (a special RIP to Alan Rickman's melodious voice).  I had to look it up, and the film came out in 2001 - which doesn't seem that long ago, but really was.  I mean, 17 years ago I had absolutely no inkling that the US was in my future.

Too Much Football

There has always been loads of football on over the Christmas period, but it has seemed even more extreme this season.  I think this is because it feels like there has been at least one match on almost every day - even this week even though the holiday period is already over.  In fact, a quick check of the fixtures reveals that from Friday 22 Dec through to Thursday 4 Jan, there were/are only 3 days where there wasn't a game on.  And two of those were Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  They televise all the games here, so that has meant a LOT of football on American telly - and I have neither the time nor desire to watch all the games, so a lot of fast-forwarding just to watch highlights.  The English league is clearly slave to the TV market - for better or for worse.  They also televise some of the rugby here, so if you include those days then there was only Christmas Day where there wasn't any British sport on.  Jeez, they even televised the Darts final live here today (though it was only live on the East Coast, we had a 3 hour delay on our "live" darts - I've never seen or heard of the guy who won).  The controversy over the guy allegedly coughing whilst the other guy was throwing their darts even made the "weird news" part of the sports roundups!  This all goes to show that American sports suck - and that they are even turning Americans to follow soccer.  When strangers hear my accent, they always ask which Premier League team I support - the English league is a big deal here, and only getting bigger.