I'm going slightly mad ... oh dear

Today did not start well.  I had to get in early for an online training course this morning, and the traffic was absolutely horrendous.  Then when I tried to login to the training, it didn’t recognize my e-mail address.  So after multiple failed attempts I called up the helpline, and they told me that the training I had signed up for was actually being held tomorrow.  And I check my calendar, and yes there it is tomorrow.  Embarrassed?  Totally.  Early indicators of Alzheimer’s?  Apparently so.  Excuse me whilst I crawl into a hole and die.

More GoT S8E3 (LOTS OF SPOILERS)

I’ve been reading quite a lot of reactions to yesterday’s Game of Thrones episode, and I’m glad I wasn’t alone in my slightly negative reaction.  Upon further reflection, some thoughts (and MASSIVE SPOILERS alert):

-        First thought, I need a 4K TV so that I can actually see what the hell was happening.  The episode was so visually dark that I had to actually turn off all my kitchen and living room lights to watch the episode, and even then couldn’t make out everything.

-        Jeez, the Dothraki got wiped out in like the first 5 minutes.  And the Unsullied didn’t fair much better.  Thanks for coming to Westeros – goodbye!  The Dothraki deaths was actually very well done in the way their flaming swords just gradually petered out in the distance.

-        The dragon flying and fight was the most confusing – had no idea what was going on there for most of the time.  Dragonfire didn’t seem to destroy the Night King, but it sure seemed to take out loads of the zombies – so the dragons could have saved thousands of lives if they were actually used correctly

-        Melisandre’s late appearance, crucial role, and abrupt end, just seemed very bizarre and very convenient

-        I got most of the character death predictions correct, but some are inexplicably still alive – Brianne, Tormund (?), Greyworm (???), Ghost (??????)

-        What in god’s name was Bran doing during the battle?  He is batsh*t weird (and hence one of the most interesting characters)

-        Cleganebowl is still on!

-        For someone who could resurrect anyone who had died, the Night King’s death was surprisingly quick and easy.  Disappointing – we never really got a handle on his motivations and story

-        Lyanna Mormont had a classic if cheesy death – taking out the zombie giant as she was crushed to death.

-        But bit disappointing there was only one zombie giant, and nothing else really extraordinary like a giant spider or something.  The zombie hoards were more like those you saw in the film World War Z.

-        Also, how in the hell did all the useless people in the crypt survive when the Night King brought all the dead back to life?  Come on now.

-        Only 3 episodes left – and with the undead threat abruptly gone, that is a decent amount of time to wrap up the loose ends (Cersei vs Jamie/Tyrion, The Hound vs The Mountain, Sansa vs Dani, Euron vs Yara)

-        Some tweets I enjoyed:

GoT S8E3

I'm writing this having just finished watching the Battle of Winterfell, and not having read any online recaps or reviews yet.  I'm trying to decide what to make of this episode - dark, chaotic, confusing, and epic.  It was by no means perfect - I had lots of issues with many aspects of the battle and of the episode itself - so I think I need to dwell on it a bit before committing to my final impression - but my gut feeling is one of mild disappointment (but I'm still going to buy the complete Game of Thrones box set when it comes out after the last episode).   

Crane Collapse

I don't know whether this news reached the UK, but a construction crane collapsed in Seattle killing 4 people today.  The frightening thing is that it happened close to where I work - and I probably pass under the vicinity of where the crane fell 2 to 3 times a week on lunchtime walks.  With the amount of construction going on in Seattle - particularly in the neighborhoods close to where I work - it was sadly inevitable that a tragic accident would happen sooner or later.  Seattle has had the most cranes in its skyline of any American city for about the last 3 or 4 years.  And today, we definitely had some strong gusts of wind that might have caused the incident.  I already have lots of issues with all the construction, from the increased traffic and road closures to the big construction vehicles damaging the roads and creating massive potholes.  The Monday morning traffic will be even more hellish than normal if the roads stay closed where the crane fell. 

Whatever

It's late Friday night and I'm too tired to come up with a blog entry now.  Another long week at work - I need a holiday.

Bond 25

I'm okay with Rami Malek as the villain, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge as a co-writer.  It was a decidedly underwhelming press conference, we don't even have a title for the film yet (if it isn't Shatterhand).  A lot of delays to this film, I hope the wait is worth it for Daniel Craig's denouement.  Then the speculation can really begin on who the next Bond will be - this is not necessarily my choice, but my money is on John Boyega.  I think they will go for a change in color rather than a change in gender, and Idris Elba is too old.  We shall see - I think it would be interesting if they could incorporate the transition of a new Bond into this next film, we haven't had any continuity between Bonds before.

Trailers

It's been a while since I've been to the cinema, but I've been checking out some trailers recently that make me want to go watch these films on the big screen: Avengers: End Game, John Wick 3 and Hobbs & Shaw.  They may be dumb action films, but they look fun, I bet they look great on a big screen, and I bet enjoyable to watch with other people.  Sadly now that I have a manager in my office, I can't so easily just sneak off to the cinema on a weekday lunchtime or afternoon.  Challenge accepted, I shall try.

Diversity of Thought

Attended a “Diversity of Thought” training course today.  Biggest waste of 4 hours I’ve ever experienced.  I hate these HR courses at the best of times – and this was as bad as feared.  Think group/team exercises, group/team discussions, role play, a cacophony of meaningless HR expressions (“Building Psychological Safety”, “Mitigating Unconscious Bias”, etc.).  I only took the training because we were told it was mandatory by the head of my department – otherwise wouldn’t have touched it with a ten foot pole.  And my attention quickly drifted, must have checked the clock so many times counting down the minutes until I could get out of there.  I think Americans lap up this kind of horsesh*t, but I don’t.  My training handout has already gone in the bin, I don’t think I have learned anything or will ever apply anything that came out of this course, and I’ll have totally forgotten about it in a week’s time.  A great use of my time then.  Mandatory indeed… whatever.

GoT S8E2

Well I’m not going to sugarcoat it, this wasn’t my favorite episode.  I appreciate the idea – the calm before the storm that will be The Battle of Winterfell.  But there just wasn’t enough going on to advance the plot, and not enough new interactions and new character developments to really hold my interest (though the reunion of Sansa and Theon really got to me) – the getting characters drunk around the fireplace thing felt very forced, and having certain characters hook up also felt very forced.  This entire episode could easily have been folded into the last one, and we wouldn’t have lost anything.  I think this episode really boils down to who is going to die in the big battle in the next episode i.e. who had a scene in this episode that will guarantee their death in the next episode.  My favorites: Brienne (because she got knighted), Grey Worm (because he wants to live happily ever after with Missandei after the war), Theon (to complete his redemption), either Jorah or Lyanna Mormont (probably Lyanna, because you just know the producers would love to kill off an internet favorite), The Night King (I know Game of Thrones is known for its surprises, but there is no way he wins The Battle of Winterfell), Bran Stark (because his storyline ends when The Night King ends), the ice dragon and one of the non-ice dragons (apparently it’s a big budget battle, which means a big budget dragon fight), Davos/Tormund/Gendry/Podrick/Dolorous Edd/Beric/any remaining direwolves (all of whom are disposable before the final few episodes).  I think Jon and Dany are too important to die, Tyrion and Jamie have to survive to face their sister, The Hound survives because I still hold out hope for the Cleganebowl, Sansa will survive to eventually rule the North, Varys always survives, Sam will survive to tell the story (which I guess means I fear for Gilly – especially with the numerous references to the Crypt being the “safest” place to see out the battle, which means it definitely isn’t safe), and I still think Arya has some sort of role to play in the finale.  I’m looking forward to a LOT of action next week – and I’ll probably have to turn off all my lights to be able to see all the detail because the preview makes it look as dark as hell.

Hiking

Although I haven't necessarily been posting about it, I have been doing some hiking most weekends.  The problem is that all the hikes, or walks, I've been doing recently have been local or ones that I've done before.  This needs to change - I want to do new hikes, even if that means going further afield.  So my promise to myself is that I will do a new hike at least once every 2 weeks.  We shall see whether I achieve that - you can judge for yourself, since I'm sure I'll post photos from any new hikes I do.

420

Since it's 4/20 today, let me touch upon 420.  I haven't smoked any marijuana since my student days, and I've taken edibles maybe once or twice since.  So I'm a long way from being a regular user.  And that is even despite weed being legalized in the state of Washington for a while now - I think the first recreational cannabis shop was maybe opened about 5 years ago, and there are plenty of these shops nearby now.  But as my blood pressure has got higher, I've been thinking more and more that maybe I should take more weed to help me relax.  I probably wouldn't smoke it - I'm no fan of the smell - but I would consider getting a vape pen or something.  I don't know, I've never even been in a recreational cannabis shop before so it would definitely be a step into the unknown.   

The joys of American healthcare

Even though I've got medical insurance through my job, I still seem to end up owing loads after a doctor's visit.  The American healthcare system absolutely sucks.  It's crazy, it's confusing, and it's a mystery to me - I've got no idea how they calculate the final number I owe in the end.  It should be simple - you pay a fixed amount at the clinic for each visit, then pay up to an annual deductible for services rendered.  As soon as that deductible is reached, the insurance pays for the rest.  But it seems more complicated than that - I can't work out how I owe the amount I do, it seems like I'm paying for my clinic visit twice.  I might have to call up my insurance company and have them explain it to me, no matter how stupid and naive I might seem.  And I've got to go to the doctor's again next week.  God knows how much this visit is going to cost me.  Just so stupid.  The NHS may have it's faults, but at least it's free.     

"Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I'm f*cked."

Whatever.

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, the US remains polarized.  Trump may not have colluded with the Russians (at least intentionally), but quite a substantial case was made for obstruction of justice.  It’s also entirely predictable that the Mueller report does nothing to change people’s mind about what they think of Trump – his supporters say he has been cleared of all crimes, everyone else thinks there is ample evidence of suspicious behavior.  It seems particularly alarming that Trump may only have been partially redeemed because his staffers refused to carry out all his orders.  And that he believes the Justice Department and FBI should answer to his orders, regardless of “independence”.  And as the report makes abundantly clear – Russia wanted to help Trump win the presidency, and Trump’s campaign was willing to take that help.  It seems indisputable that he won the presidency thanks in part to Russian influence, with or without collusion.  Perhaps the person to come out of this worse is William Barr, the supposedly independent attorney general, whose attempts to spin the report and its conclusions are disgraceful.  I still want to see a full uncensored report released – but I doubt that will ever see the light of day, probably confined to that same vacuum as Trump’s tax returns and a proper FBI investigation into Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Work Update

The good

• Got a Value at Work award recently, including a cool $1000 bonus (most of which disappeared thanks to taxes...)
• Think I'm doing a pretty good job at the moment, even if I do say so myself
• Signed up for another step challenge at work, hopefully the motivation I need to be more active

The bad

• I have busted a gut for the last few weeks - high pressure and quite stressful
• Increasingly frustrated with incompetent people who can't communicate properly (because English isn't their first language)
• All the hard and massive amounts of work I have to do in a continuously compressed period of time is totally avoidable if other people bothered to actually do their job before the last moment.  I shouldn't be surprised, it's like this all the time at this company.  No wonder so many people quit, including me before.

The Unholy Trinity

My music tastes are all over the place at the moment.  Currently, I'm listening to a lot of the unholy trinity of heavy metal: Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple.  Only their early stuff.  Classic iconic bands and songs.  In particular, I'm a bit disappointed that it's taken me so long to appreciate Deep Purple - a band formed in my hometown no less.

Fire

This makes me profoundly sad:

I’m not sure why this has had more of an affect on me than say the huge, devastating wildfires that swept through Northern California towns last year.  Perhaps because I’ve been there, perhaps because it’s such an iconic building (I think I’ve even got a keepsake model of the building).  I hope it was an accident rather than an act of arson, but still to see it damaged like it is after all the history it has survived through is really tragic.

GoT S8E1

I'm writing this about an hour before the first episode of the last season of Game of Thrones airs.  So it's already been on on the East Coast, and I am avoiding internet spoilers like the plague.  This feels important - the last great TV event of our generation, and perhaps ever given the trends in how TV is consumed now.  It is the only TV show left that if at all possible I have to watch live when it premieres - and the only show which I will discuss extensively with colleagues at work the morning after.  If this is the end of peak TV as we know it (think GoT, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Lost, Sopranos, Deadwood, etc.) then it's going to be tough to meet my lofty expectations for this last season.  But I can't wait - it's been a long 2 years or whatever it's been since the last new episode.

Now I'm writing this having just watched the first episode.  And it was a cracker.  You don't need a big action set piece to have a great episode.  This was all about re-introducing all the major players, and having lots of them reconnect for the first time in seasons.  It's about putting the pieces in place for when the action starts, and I'm fine with that for the first episode of the season.  Solid stuff.  And still the best thing on telly at the moment.   

A good weekend for sports

Some of the sports on my radar this weekend: football, rugby, basketball playoffs, ice hockey playoffs, baseball, motor racing, boxing, MMA, golf, even found a channel that is showing australian-rules football which I happen to enjoy...  I need to follow less sports.

Why Has America Become So Fascinated by Brexit?

An interesting article I came across today:


The United Kingdom’s disastrous, routinely delayed political event has existed as an emblem of broken politics for nearly two years. And it doesn’t seem to be ending any time soon.

On Thursday, European Union leaders agreed to postpone the United Kingdom’s deadline for exiting the E.U. to October 31—seven months later than the original Brexit deadline, which the U.K. parliament worked toward for nearly three years. It’s been a hot, populist spectacle. The spectacle may never end.

Brexit looms large for a provincial referendum on European identity. President Donald Trump may be the year’s single-largest political figure, but Brexit now amounts to the year’s single-largest political concern. In recent years, right-wing populism has become distressingly nascent in many democratic countries. The semi-frequent U.S. government shutdowns generally embarrass the presidency, but they’re so routine as to have become regular U.S. governance in the past couple of decades. The U.S. can’t exactly claim superior governance in this century: Let he who is without sin cast the first vote to resolve the latest unprovoked sovereignty crisis which is largely defined by jargon but somehow amounts to armageddon. The “backstop”—a crucial provision to maintain normal relations at the Irish border once the U.K. exits the E.U.—may as well be the boogeyman. The backstop has wrecked Brexit and may well wreck the U.K., while also wrecking popular comprehension of Brexit; the term haunts every negotiation, every vote, every news broadcast about Britain’s postmodern crisis.

The backstop is Britain’s peculiar problem. Brexit is Europe’s crisis. But it has all weighed on the American imagination. The U.S. news media covers Brexit almost as anxiously as it covered the Mueller investigation. Donald Trump defies the United Nations and has repeatedly threatened to withdraw from NATO. But neither rebellion provokes nearly as much anxiety, among Americans, at least, as Britain’s defiance of the European Union—an organization that, until now, aroused minimal passion or interest beyond Europeans. There’s an alternative discourse in which, I imagine, Brexit is a dominant concern in the financial press, popularized briefly among longform fetishists at The New Yorker but otherwise relegated to obscurity for U.S. audiences until the week of Britain’s departure. Why bother following such a jargony and ambiguous disaster minute to minute from five to eight time zones away? The causes are vague; so, too, is the argument for leaving; so, too, are the reasons other hemispheres should regard Brexit as a once-in-a-generation shock rippling across the wider world. If the U.S. is searching for signs of Trumpism abroad, then there’s a neo-Nazi surge in Poland (of all places). There’s Bolsonaro in Brazil. There’s Benjamin Netanyahu’s contentious re-election as Israel’s prime minister earlier this week. There are several contemporaneous right-wing surges and left-wing countermovements across the world. In fact, Brexit is the most arcane development of all.

It’s not the fact of the U.K. abandoning the European Union so much as the British electorate’s means and reasons for doing so that is alarming to the population at large. British right-wing voters marketed the “leave” campaign as a broadly populist cause, responsive to white fears about immigration from Turkey and beyond; so many rebellious Brits—a majority in the June 2016 referendum—voted to reassert British sovereignty, British self-determination, and white British identity. The conservatives are weak and discombobulated; the Labour Party, led by the tokenized Jeremy Corbyn, is somehow weaker. Together, the parties have created an unruly discourse about commercial regulations. Last week, the second Brexit deadline began with Theresa May and Corbyn scheming together unproductively; this week ends with May’s own party, which engineered this historic vote, clamoring for their leader’s resignation now that the E.U. leaders have once again postponed the deadline. There will be many similar weeks to come. No, there won’t be a phase when Brexit matures into wise, confident coherence. The conservatives can’t say what they want, exactly; in any case, they cannot be honest about their dismal reasons for wanting whatever Brexit does, in fact, become.

Brexit is only fully realized—and may only ever be successfully realized—as a massive front in the culture war, which Americans understand better than they’ll ever understand the backstop. The E.U. has extended Britain’s deadline to Halloween, but the national angst will persist indefinitely. And even in its pronounced isolation, the U.K. won’t be alone.

Blockage unblocked

I know what I'm ordering next from Amazon:

Since I was still suffering from a loss of hearing, I went to a clinic this morning and they flushed out my ear.  Oh my goodness, so much wax was coming out you could've built a candle with it.  Just goes to show how bloody useless ear drops are - I'm going to get an ear cleaning kit that actually does a decent job.  I can't stress enough just how much of a relief it is to actually hear out of both ears.

GoT Memes

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of these out there.  NOT LONG NOW.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

Typical – in the busiest week of the year so far for me at work, I have come down with an ailment.  I have lost hearing in one of my ears.  It started over the weekend, I think when I dunked my head in the water during a bath.  And despite everything I’ve done so far, in particular using ear drops, it hasn’t got any better yet.  If anything, I’ve probably irritated it and made it worse.  I don’t know the cause – whether it’s just some wax buildup or something more serious.  But my goodness me, what a nightmare it is – making me feel uncomfortable and discombobulated, like I’m living underwater.  It is also affecting my ability to be aware of my surroundings – I nearly got hit by a car crossing a road today because I didn’t hear the car coming.  For my family members who suffer from bad hearing, I don’t know how you endure it because I can’t stand it – suck up your pride and get a hearing aid.  I’ve already decided I’m going to have to see a doctor in a day or two if it still hasn’t got any better, regardless of deadlines and how busy I am at work. 

Bond Girls

The first thing I do now when I read about a James Bond actor who has passed away is to see whether I have their autograph.  I know, it's in poor taste - but I can't help myself.  Just within the last few weeks:

Wrestlemania

I'm a grown-ass man who gave serious consideration to ordering Wrestlemania today - the biggest wrestling event of the year.  What is wrong with me?  Well I didn't order it in the end, so I can't be a totally lost cause.  However, that hasn't stopped me reading the results and match recaps on the internet.  I really should stop following wrestling.  I'm way too old and too intelligent for this trash.  And it has experienced a lot of criticism recently - from hosting events in Saudi Arabia to how it treats its wrestlers (basically as "independent contractors" rather than employees, so they don't need to pay for healthcare etc.).  But, inexplicably, wrestling remains as popular as ever here - and perhaps will only increase in popularity, because later this year they are going to start broadcasting wrestling on Fox, for the first time with a bigger audience of a network channel.  And, lest we forget, Donald Trump is an inductee in the Wrestling Hall of Fame.  That about sums up just how much of a joke it is.     

Newcastle 0-1 Palace

Well, 2 down 1 to go.  And I feel a lot better about Palace's survival chances now.  It may not have been pretty, but a win is a win - especially somewhere where we haven't won in 20+ years.  As Robbie Mustoe (!) said in the US TV coverage, we have a guy who is good at winning penalties and a guy who is good at taking penalties.  Apparently, that's all we need.  I would probably take this win over playing in the FA Cup semi-final - despite the odds of us staying up, I always think about what happened to Wigan...

Madchester

My mood this week:

And since it's the 25 year (!) anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death today - obviously a big deal in this part of the world - a classic also appropriate to my mood:

Orange-Vanilla

I’ve been trying some of the new Orange Vanilla Coca-Cola drinks this week – their first new flavor in a very long time.  Got to be honest, not a big fan.  Tastes a bit like the kind of drink you get when you go to a fast food restaurant with one of those “freestyle” soda fountains and like a giant kid you mix up all kinds of flavors together and immediately regret it.  Unsatisfying and unmemorable.

Photos added to Sunday's entry.

The Apple Con

I think it might be time to get a new phone.  I’ve got an iPhone 6s, and I’m happy with it and it has served me well for many years.  But for the last week or so, I’ve started having some serious problems with my phone battery.  I’m noticing that my battery is draining really quickly, or at least it says it does.  But I think it is lying to me.  For example it might say my phone is at 1% battery, but then when I restart the phone it says 65%.  Weird.  So I might shell out on an iPhone XR.  And it ain’t cheap.  But needs must – and since my phone is also now my primary source for taking photos, I welcome the upgrade.  Let’s see – I’m going to charge my phone to 100% tonight and leave it unplugged overnight.  If the battery drain is really bad by the morning, I will commit to a new phone.  Then you have to add on all the accessories – a new case, new wireless headphones (no headphone jack – what?), etc etc.  Tim Apple (as President Trump ignorantly called the CEO) certainly knows how to take all your money. 

Fickle Mother Nature

When you’re thinking about going to Oregon for the weekend, and then check the 10 day weather forecast.  This is disappointing.

Haircut

It's been what felt like a very long time (6 months?), but I got my hair cut over the weekend.  I had let it grow out, and it had started to become increasingly curly and uncontrollable.  But for this haircut, I went for something different to what I have normally got for the last 10+ years.  Instead of having it shaved all over (2 on back and sides, 4 on top) – I went for a much more straightforward haircut (4 on back and sides, and just a little off the top).  Why?  Well, it wasn’t exactly a radical change but I think it was predominantly my paranoia over increasingly thinning hair.  I’ve even bought some expensive shampoo to promote hair growth.  I’m not sure what to make of my new haircut.  Looks kind of odd to me – a bit too boring and straight-edged for my tastes.  But at least I’ve kept my hair relatively dense at the front where I’m most conscious that it might be thinning (possibly where my hair used to be grey and has now fallen out!).  I don’t know – I don’t think I like it.  I maybe need to go for something different next time – a crew cut or an “ivy league” (I’ve been looking at haircut websites!).  I don’t think I’ve got the guts to go for something radically different as much as I’d like to.