TT Update

My table tennis form has been absolutely abysmal recently – having previously been unofficially seeded #2 in the office, I fear I have currently slipped to #3.  And although the guy who has started beating me is Chinese – so table tennis is in his blood – he is not even playing with his dominant hand due to a shoulder injury.  That makes it even more embarrassing that I am losing to him – I can only imagine how bad I would be playing left-handed.  I think all the days I’ve been snowed in and not getting out have really affected my endurance, I need to start hiking again – and that starts this weekend when it looks like it’s going to be sunny, albeit still cold.

Pizza Toppings

A big yes to pineapple, a big no to olives, and a big "I can't believe it works but it really does" to .... marmalade.

The Circus

Some political thoughts:

- The second summit between the US and North Korea seems like another blatant public relations stunt that won’t change a thing in the region and certainly won’t change North Korea’s path (which is most definitely not one of denuclearization).  It’s just a meaningless and pointless exercise that Trump will falsely use to advertise his great diplomatic skills and try to get a Nobel Peace Prize (because Obama has one).

- The news that Trump is putting together a national security advisory panel aimed at COUNTERING the science behind climate change and global warming is utterly abhorrent.  It beggars belief, and climate change is a hell of a lot more of a national emergency than building this stupid wall.

- Talking about the wall, it’s going to be interesting to see exactly how many Senate Republicans actually vote down Trump’s declaration of a national emergency.  It’s a fascinating litmus test for the level of executive power that the President should be allowed.  And in some ways, I hope that is does get through the government and the many, many challenges it faces in court.  Because then a more rational president in the future can declare things like climate change, gun control, universal healthcare, etc. as national emergencies.  And whoever is the next president after Trump, can you imagine how cathartic and how symbolic it would be to knock down Trump’s wall.  Note also that there is absolutely no military need to send troops to the southern border of America. 

- There seem to an awful lot of celebrities and business people with an awful lot of money who rigorously speak up for and support the Democratic party and its causes.  I have an idea then.  Why don’t you use all this money to buyout Fox News and shut it down, or buyout Twitter and block Trump’s increasingly deranged twitter account?  But no, you’d rather sit on your golden thrones in your golden palaces, and talk the talk without walking the walk.  Hypocrites.

- I don’t have a problem with giving Robert Mueller however long he needs to complete his special investigation, but my god when it has finished it had better be released to the public.  There is so much about the people at the highest echelons of American government that is intentionally kept from the general public which shouldn’t be – I want to see Trump’s tax returns, I want to see a full FBI investigation on Brett Kavanaugh, I want to know exactly what Trump talked about privately with Putin.

- By the way, I am not in the least bit surprised that most of Trump’s day is spent as “Executive Time” – his euphemism for watching Fox News, tweeting and speaking to his sycophants.  This is without a doubt the least hard-working president America has ever had – just look at the amount of golf he has played.  That on top of his general ignorance and his total disregard and disrespect for everything his position entails confirms to me that he is one of the worst presidents ever.  The Fact Checker’s ongoing database has Trump having made nearly 9,000 false or misleading claims since assuming office.  The people who voted for him should be ashamed.

- My current political hate list (US only): Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, Bernie Saunders, Brett Kavanaugh, Mike Pence, Kellyanne Conway, Jared Kushner, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, John R Bolton, Rudy Giuliani, Greg Abbott, Kirstjen Nielsen.  And that doesn’t even include the many incompetent and/or reprehensible characters who have already quit, or been forced to quit, Trump’s government – the likes of Scott Pruitt and Steve Bannon.

James Bond Non-Collectibles

I like a James Bond collectible as much as the next person, but the one thing I refuse to get are those ugly-ass “Funko Pop” figurines.  There are lots of them around, including a James Bond line, but I will not sully my collection with these monstrosities.

Dynasties

I've been watching Planet Earth: Dynasties, including some of the making-of coverage.  And I was shocked to see the documentary crew interfere to rescue some penguins.  That is like breaking the Prime Directive in Star Trek - an absolute no-no.  If some penguins fell down a chasm and were destined to die there because they couldn't get out and return to their colony, then so be it - it is undoubtedly sad, but doesn't justify any attempts to rescue them.  Evolution is not just survival of the fittest, but also survival of the luckiest.  I think it was the wrong decision to interfere, and I lost a lot of respect for the crew for that - despite the amazing shots they've come up with over the years.  And I emphasize the word "shots", because although the cinematography of these nature series can be amazing, the sound effects sometimes leave a lot to be desired.  I also agree with those that say these shows don't do enough to highlight environmental issues and create a very false impression of the scale of the beauty of our planet - and it's rapidly decreasing amount of wilderness and amount of wildlife, including most of the species featured in these shows.  However having said that, if I was to get a 4K TV - something I have been considering recently - Planet Earth II would probably be one of the first 4K discs I buy. 

Favorites

After considerable consternation and deliberation, I have decided this is my favorite Bond theme song:

Ironically, from one of the worst Bond films.

2019 T-Shirt

My new t-shirt got delivered today – just in time for some more snow forecast over the weekend/early next week, though hopefully nothing as bad as it has been.

Donating Blood

At work, they are offering this program where you can earn $50 each time you donate blood to be used by researchers at work.  Nice, I think to myself, a quick and easy way to make some extra money.  Then I read the eligibility criteria -  and the very last exclusion criterion: You may NOT participate in the program if you have…. A citizenship from the EU.  Well that sucks.  But then, it seems more than likely that I won’t be a EU citizen after 29 March.  So does this mean I can make some money donating blood after that?  I doubt it.  Thanks Brexit for the extra confusion.

The Good Manager

Despite my promotion, the warning signs are already there for just how good my manager is going to be.  We are officially at amber alert.  Although she is likable enough – and I do get on with her – when it comes to doing her actual job of being my manager, I have some very strong doubts.  I think it started when someone else got promoted at the same time and to the same level as me by her.  This person, conveniently, happens to be her best friend – and despite having nothing like the experience and competency that I have, was still somehow deserving of a promotion.  I also don’t have any idea of what exactly I’m going to be working on later this year and beyond – almost like she has already given the best, and highest profile, projects to other people, like the aforementioned best friend, and I’ll be left with just the scraps.  And then we come to today – when we had a “New Hire Welcome & Promotion Lunch”.  Basically, this an all-site meeting where everyone who got promoted has to come to the front of the room with their manager, who then gives a little speech about them before receiving a round of applause.  It’s a tedious and embarrassing tradition.  First of all, my manager wasn’t even in the office today.  And then when it came to my turn, the prepared speech by my manager was reluctantly read out by one of my previous managers and was absolutely awful with clearly little to no time spent on it - and certainly my manager hadn't even bothered to look at my CV.  No mention of my education, my background, the number of years I’ve been working at the company, the fact that I’m a re-hire, the number of different projects and therapeutic areas I’ve worked on in my time here, etc.  It was basically a few short and inaccurate lines about what I’ve been working on over the last year – and then mention of a few “interesting” facts that I had previously supplied to my manager (think ping pong expertise, born and raised in Hertfordshire, support Crystal Palace, etc.).  I know I’m kind of a boring guy, but this made me sound even worse.  Perhaps the only good thing to come out of this was that I was talking to one of the new hires after the meeting, and he said that he was best friends with the Crystal Palace team doctor.  Small world! 

Politics Schmolitics

I haven't talked politics on this blog for a while, but I just watched some clips of a Trump rally from last week - and just like every other clip I've seen from a Trump rally, it makes me really f*cking angry.  The guy is just beyond aggravating - and every time I see or hear him speak I oscillate between cringing and sheer rage.  And the ignorant hicks that support him at his rallies are even worse - these are the kind of people who would willingly retrieve their white hood from their closet and wear it all the time if they could.  And, just to be clear, the wall is NOT a national emergency - gun control, climate change, and Russian influence ARE national emergencies and a hell of a lot more important than some stupid f*cking wall.  I'm very concerned about how wide the Democratic field to challenge Trump in 2020 is (please, for the love god, don't support Bernie Sanders - if he wins the Democratic nomination, Trump will be in charge for another 4 years), but I think I'll save that for another blog post.

The Fugitive

It was President's Day today, making it the 7th week day in a row that I haven't gone into the office!  So how did I spend part of the day today?  I watched The Fugitive - perhaps for the first time in about 20 years.  I cannot believe this film came out as long ago as 1993 - I hadn't even gone to university by then.  I remember owning this on VHS - and I think it was an important film in my formative teenage years.  And watching it today, I forgot just how good a film it is.  And it really is very good - I wonder why I didn't remember that, perhaps because it's been copied and parodied so many times since it came out.  But if you haven't watched it for a while, I would highly recommend it. 

Boxing and MMA

I wouldn't call myself a big fan - I certainly wouldn't shell out on a pay-per-view event or anything - but I will put on boxing or MMA if it happens to be on telly and there's nothing better on or I'm doing something else and I want something on in the background.  You occasionally get some good fights - and on a rare occasion a great fight - but most of them are mediocre and unmemorable at best.  And most of them feature a pair of nobodies who I don't care anything for.  Boxing has been on the decline for a number of years, but I would also say that the upstart MMA has lost some of it's luster in recent times.  But what I've noticed recently is that the lineups for both have tended to include a women's fight.  I've seen this fairly often in MMA, but now I've also seen it a few times in boxing.  And this is going to sound horribly sexist, but they are awful and I invariably end up fast forwarding these fights.  I don't think I've ever seen a good fight, let alone an entertaining one, between two women and I just don't think they should keep up the pretense of airing them just for equality's sake.  If the best women cannot put on a high quality fight, then let's just not bother - keep it amateur and for the Olympics, and not professional.  For whatever reason they lack the aggression and intensity that men's fights do, and very rarely end early in a knockout or finish.  As you can tell, this weekend was a slow one for sports when I end up watching and commenting on boxing and mixed martial arts!   

Spare Change

I've got a tankard on my kitchen counter where I put any spare change I happen to have on me when I get home each day.  It's full, so I decided to sort it out so that I can pay it into my bank account next week.  In the UK, you have plastic money bags to do this.  In the US, you have to put the coins in paper rolls.  So that's how I spent my evening - sorting out all my quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies - exciting stuff right!  I dread to think how much bacteria I got exposed to from all the coins I was handling; for sure, I had to be extra aware not to rub my eyes.  And how much did I end up with?  I have nearly $90 to put into my bank account next week.  I'm sure the bank cashier will be bemused when I show up with a heavy plastic bag full of rolls of coins to deposit in my account.

Hallelujah

A good day - finally cleared my driveway, and finally able to take my car out.  Naturally, first place I went was the supermarket to stock up on my dwindling supplies!  I cannot tell you how happy I was when I finally scooped the last bit of snow and ice away - very cathartic.  And I think my body felt the most gratitude - it's not even my back that hurts the most, it's my arms that are really sore.  And then later in the day, got details on my pay increase and bonus.  With a promotion come good things - a 10% pay rise, and a 5 figure bonus.  Sadly taxes will probably mean a minimal increase in take home pay, and take away a big chunk of the bonus - but hey, can't complain too much (apart from the fact that this shows that I've probably been underpaid for some time!).  Now to decide how to spend this money - definitely getting a new sofa has to be up there, something I've been saying I need for ages.     

Tired

I REALLY hate clearing snow - I'm tired, my back aches, and my driveway still isn't totally clear.  So this is now 7 days where I haven't taken my car out.  I made a mistake in letting my landlord drive down my driveway to remove the downed tree blocking the end of it.  It compressed all the snow on the driveway, which then froze, making it absolutely back-breaking work for me now to clear it.  He also managed to get his car stuck, so had to pull it out using his other car.  This has left an absolute mess at the bottom of my driveway, which is the last section I need to clear.  Not looking forward to that tomorrow, but at least I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Addendum

There is one thing I hate more than snow, and that is clearing up snow.

6 days since I last used my car, and counting.  Looking like Saturday might be best chance to finally get out - hopefully I will have cleared my driveway by then, and weather is looking good, and I'll be glad to replenish my food supplies by then.  Daytime temperatures have finally got above freezing, barely, so the approx 2 feet of snow is finally starting to melt.  The roads have turned into a slushy and icy mess - and it's going to be bad tomorrow morning because the temperatures are dropping well below freezing again tonight.  Local schools have been closed all week because of the conditions.  I have been able to walk to the local corner shop to get a few things - but glad I stocked up with supplies a week ago.  I did lose power a few night's ago, but I don't think it lasted long and didn't really affect me because it was in the early hours - and feel very fortunate about that, because other people not far away have lost power for a much longer time.  A tree did come down and block my driveway, which my landlord was able to clear with his chainsaw, but that could so easily have brought my power lines down with it.  It's not just whole trees, but the weight of the snow has brought down a lot of tree limbs as well - yesterday as I was outside you could frequently hear the cracking and breaking of them.  It was interesting today in that I saw and spoke to a lot of my neighbors on my way to the corner shop and back - people who I'd never seen or met before.  I guess the shared adversity of the conditions brings people together! 

Short but Sweet

I hate snow.

Reruns

So how did I spend my time working from home - apart from actually doing some work?  Well, I watched reruns of Star Trek - The Next Generation.  Even the crappiest holodeck episodes.  I don't think I've seen all 178 episodes, but I think I've seem most of them.  It could easily be my specialist subject in an episode of Mastermind, I've seen so many of them over the course of 30 years.  At least I've still got power to be able to watch telly, for the time being.  With the volume of snow falling tonight, lots of branches are coming down and bringing power lines down with them.  And I'm right in the convergence zone for it snowing all night.  So let's see if I last the night.  I feared the worst just earlier this evening when the lights flickered and I momentarily lost power, coincidentally at the exact moment they were talking about power outages on the local news - but fortunately it quickly came back on.  The last thing I need is to lose power, and so also lose heating and refrigeration.  That really would be the perfect (winter) storm.

Yet another winter weather blog entry

Some observations:

1. Bamboo and snow do not mix very well

2. A snowy landscape and sunshine do mix very well, and very enchantingly

3. Shoveling snow is a great workout, but isn't doing my back any favors.

Forecast

Oh my god, there is no end to this winter hell.

We have another official weather alert -  a winter storm watch from Sunday evening through late Tuesday night.  Two storm systems coming through, with a lot more snow forecast particularly for Tuesday.  No wonder our governor has declared a state of emergency. 

Winter Storm Maya

Having just finished clearing my driveway for the first time in a week, it started snowing here about 1 pm.  So my driveway is going to be quickly covered in snow again shortly - so I hope my effort wasn't a total waste of time!  I can't be bothered to go out every couple of hours to try and keep it clean - so let's see how much builds up over the weekend.  We're expecting up to 8 inches of snow today and tomorrow, and probably more in the week ahead - and with really low temperatures overnight every night it's really going to freeze up.  It's not getting above freezing at all over the weekend, so I'm probably not going anywhere for the next 3 or 4 days at least.  Oh joy!  Kind of interesting seeing all the animal trails in the snow as I was shoveling - I could make out tracks for rabbits, deer and I think my neighbor's cat.  Other tracks I didn't have a clue what was making them - one looked like a snake?!  Also some cheeky sod in the last day or two drove some way up my driveway before turning around, leaving tire tracks all over my front garden (if it wasn't covered in snow, and if I actually did any gardening!) - I bet they won't be the only tire tracks I see at the bottom of my driveway in the next week or so.

Water Bottles

I don't want to appear ungrateful when we get a free gift at work, but does it really have to be another fricking water bottle?  I'm looking in my cupboard and I've got 6 of them now, all freebies.  And I think I've got another 2 at work.  Don't get me wrong, some of them are very high quality bottles.  But of the 8, I think I've maybe only ever used 1.  So if you'd like a water bottle for a Christmas present, just give me a shout... 

Icescape

This is the condition of the road at the end of my driveway:

The photo probably doesn't do justice to how steep it is, not to say you cannot see the steepness of my still snow-covered driveway, but it is absolutely undriveable.  I am absolutely appalled at the local district for not doing anything about it - despite my road, according to their own website, being a primary anti-icing treatment route.  There ain't any anti-ice on that road.  So, to get out in my car today - I had to use my neighbor/landlord's driveway.  Unfortunately, there is a big hump I need to get over to reach it, and on its own my car couldn't make it, it didn't have the traction on the ice/snow - I had to get a push from my neighbor/landlord's sons!  And once I negotiated their icy driveway - which at least is flat - and then the icy neighborhood streets, once I get to the main roads then the driving conditions get so much better.  It just seems that our neighborhood has been totally neglected when it comes to snow and ice response.  Disappointing.  But at least I was able to get some ice melter today - plus a few food supplies.  Tomorrow I'm planning to go into work briefly, but it might be my last chance to get out for a while - since we're going to be hit Friday/Saturday by what is forecast to be even more snow than before.  This is not usual for our area, and not welcome at all.         

Winter Has Come

It didn't get above freezing all day - so all the snow and ice is hanging around.  So yet another day of not getting out much - I'm certainly not driving anywhere.  I did take a stroll to the local corner shop - but even that was tough going with all the ice on the pavements.  It looks like we're going to have this cold weather for the next 2 weeks - so things could turn into an absolute nightmare with temperatures around freezing during the day and plunging well below freezing overnight for a prolonged time.  I don't think I'm going to be heading into work anytime soon, but I need to do some food shopping at some point...  Really unimpressed that none of my local roads appear to have been treated with anything, even though the cold conditions and ice/snow was forecast in plenty of time.  After some extremely mild weather in January, February has more than made up for it so far. 

Winter Storm Lucian

This is what I woke up to this morning.

It's no polar vortex, but it may be the largest amount of snow I've experienced since moving here - maybe close to 6 inches.  And it hasn't got above freezing all day, so it is hanging around.  I checked my local streets and it doesn't look as though they've been treated, so I may be snowed in for several more days - temperatures are plummeting overnight, so the roads are going to get really icy and treacherous.  Not to say my steep and narrow driveway is going to be a nightmare.  I haven't tried clearing it of snow yet - if the temperature gets above freezing tomorrow afternoon I may try then.  It's a good job I did some food shopping over the weekend, so I am prepared to stick it out for as long as I have to!  I hope that isn't for long, I HATE working from home.     

A Bad Sports Day

Damn it, the Patriots won the Superbowl.  Yet again.  Disappointing - their fans are going to be even more unbearable than they already are for yet another year.  This is a team with a reputation for cheating, and who have a quarterback, coach and owner who actually support Trump.  No wonder everyone hates them.  And nothing to do with the fact that they've won 6 Superbowls now in the last 15 years or whatever it is.  Cannot say I watched any of the game - it was inevitable that the Patriots would win, and I am not going to waste my time watching that.  By all accounts, it was a terrible game anyway (3 points in the first half) so I don't think I missed anything.  Unfortunately, I couldn't go out anywhere because it started snowing here about 1 pm and it hasn't stopped yet.  So instead I watched The (American) Office reruns on telly, plus some of my DVR recordings (Phantom Thread wasn't nearly as boring as I thought it might be).  With the plunging temperatures and more snow in the forecast, doesn't look as though I'll be getting out much tomorrow either (my company has already sent out an inclement weather text to all Seattle staff - that hasn't happened for a while).

A Good Sports Day

An important and much-needed win for Palace, against a team below us and to keep that small gap between us and the relegation zone.  As long as we have more points than games played, we should be alright.  And then watched a terrific and bruising victory for England against Ireland in the Six Nations.  Best game of rugby I've seen for ages.  It hasn't always been easy for me to watch these games in the US, but this year should be good - and the same network has also got the Rugby World Cup later in the year, so that's a bonus.  Fortunately I don't care about cricket, so I can ignore England's pathetic performance in the West Indies.

Tax Season

It’s tax season, and so there are all these adverts currently airing with people celebrating and spending their tax refunds.  Only problem, not everyone gets a refund.  I think there is about a 99.9% chance that I will end up owing money once I do my taxes – no matter what kind of tax cuts that Trump has instigated for the year.  And I’ll probably end up owing quite a lot – we are talking thousands of dollars – such is my income and lack of expenditure.  Which is disappointing.  At least Washington state doesn’t have state income tax, so I only have to pay federal tax rather than federal and state tax.  But if the government shuts down again – something perfectly possible – then who knows what will happen with the deadlines for submitting our tax returns this year, if there is no one working in the IRS (the US equivalent of the Inland Revenue) to handle the returns.  I’ve used the same software in all my time in the US to complete and submit my returns – but I said last year that I would try different software this year, so I’ve also got that to deal with.  The joys and idiosyncrasies of earning money in the US – still, it’s a lot more than I would ever have earned if I’d stayed in the UK!