Clogging

There is an advert currently airing that shows a couple saying how much they like their new apartment, apart from the fact they have a clogging problem.  Cut to family upstairs wearing clogs and doing Irish dancing on their wooden floor while completing everyday tasks.  Hilarious right.  No, not really.  But unfortunately, this brought back some bad memories of somewhere I used to live in Seattle.  No, I didn't have particularly noisy neighbors above me (that was Austin).  But, and this is true, there was an Irish dancing studio on the ground floor of the apartment complex - directly below, but several floors apart, from where my apartment was.  And yes, I could certainly hear it when they were dancing.  I don't know - yes I think I am overly sensitive to noisy neighbors, but I also seem to have had some remarkably bad luck or made some remarkably poor choices in choosing where to live.  So although where I live now is not quite perfect, I am extremely grateful to be renting here compared to some of the real stinkers I've had in the past.

Song of the Week #3

Next "random" song, a live track from what IMHO might be the best band of the last 25 years.  They are releasing a live track every Friday during social isolation, and these YouTube videos are criminally unseen.

Outdoor Recreation

It's been announced that Washington State parks and State public lands will be reopened next week.  Thank god - it can't come soon enough.  I am getting increasingly bored with the limited hiking options in my neighborhood - there is only so far I can go in each direction, and I've pretty much exhausted each way.  Invariably the state parks are going to get absolutely packed as soon as they open, so I wouldn't be surprised if they get quickly closed again (and we are supposed to "recreate locally", but I have no idea how far away that really means).  But I might try to go early, and screw work I might even try to go during the week.  Anywhere different would be good at the moment.

Skype and Zoom

I've so far avoided having to use video in any of my work meetings.  But this is going to change this week - apparently some directive from management has come down that says managers have to encourage their reports to use video in online team meetings in order to feel more connected, or some such malarkey.  I taped over the webcam on my work laptop some time ago, so it seems I'm going to have to take that off now.  However, I'm not having any of my colleagues judge me based on what they can see in the background of my video (it's bad enough that I now feel obligated to shave the morning of the meeting!).  So I've just downloaded a virtual background to use in the video.  It was a difficult choice, but I've plumped for the bridge of the Enterprise.  I suspect most of my mainly Chinese colleagues will not recognize it.  None of them have said anything about the image I now use in Skype, which is what we use to exchange messages at work - a shot of Kevin McCallister.  Yes, I'm "home alone" etc etc.  So far, only one person has commented on this.  And he is Caucasian.  Disappointing.       

Color/Colour

This might be the most colorful time of the year outside, with lots of plants flowering right now.  So I went round my yard the other day, and took photos of anything that had some color.  Yes, yet another example of what going stir crazy stuck at home has come to.  And yes, I know that most of these are probably weeds - but hey, even weeds can have some color.

Windy

With absolutely no warning, at least in the weather app I use, it was really windy today.  Like 40 mph gusts, knocking bits of tree off windy.  Strong enough to bring down whole branches windy.  But did we get any sort of weather advisory or warning?  Did we heck.  And how do I know it was strong enough to bring down branches?  Because about 2.15 this afternoon I heard the loud break of something large coming off a tree nearby, quickly followed by a loud pop as a transformer went - and sure enough, my power promptly went out.  Yep, a large branch or something brought down the power lines somewhere on the road at the bottom of my driveway.  This was the catalyst for a number of other things to go wrong.  Firstly as I was looking at the power lines, I made conversation with a neighbor I'd never seen before who had also lost power.  And tried to shake his hand, totally forgetting about the whole social distancing thing.  Serious faux pas.  But at least I was kind of forced to go out for a walk this afternoon.  But then I made the mistake of incorporating trying to find a geocache in the walk I chose to do.  Something I haven't done for a very long time.  And it showed.  Spent half an hour unsuccessfully trying to find this bleeding geocache - that in my geocaching app was supposedly an "easy" one.  I'm clearly out of practice, and it was so demoralizing that I'm not sure if I'll try again any time soon.  Especially not this one, which just to rub it in was on a very muddy trail.  But at least when I got back around 6 pm, I saw all the utility trucks and repair people doing their thing and power was restored not long after (fortunately, because some of their trucks were parked in my driveway, blocking me in just when I was considering going out to get some takeaway food).  So that was my "exciting" afternoon.           

Dangerous Ignoramus

I just read an article that posited whether Trump is a stable genius or a dangerous ignoramus.  I think you know my opinion.  But I thought I'd share the article, because it strongly resonated with what I think.

“And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out, in a minute. Is there a way we can do something like that? By injection, inside, or almost a cleaning, because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it would be interesting to check that. You’re going to have to use medical doctors, right? But it sounds interesting to me.”

That was President Trump’s contribution on Thursday to the portfolio of misinformation, quackery and jaw-dropping ignorance he has shared with the American people during the coronavirus pandemic.

But there was more. “I would like you to speak to the medical doctors to see if there’s any way you can apply light and heat to cure. You know? If you could,” Trump said to Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator. “And maybe you can, maybe you can’t . . . I’m not a doctor.” Birx, blinking so nervously one would have thought she was transmitting Morse code (“Get me out of here!”), looked like she wanted to disappear into the folds of her silk scarf. She managed to say with a straight face that, no, that would not be a treatment. Medical doctors were compelled to warn people not to ingest poisonous chemicals; the makers of Lysol felt obliged to say “under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route).” 

We can laugh (uproariously) about Trump’s ignorance and inanity, but like his hawking of hydroxychloroquine — which induced hoarding of medication needed by patients with other diseases (and perhaps others to harm themselves) — this is one more instance in which concern for public safety should spur news networks to discontinue live coverage of the daily briefings. Like a con man peddling patent medicine, Trump dispenses false hope and crackpot remedies, thereby promoting disdain for scientific inquiry and valid research. Once more, one is compelled not only to shudder that such an intellectually unfit man could be president but that legions of right-wing hucksters and sycophants could regularly contort themselves not merely to defend his blabbering but also to lionize him.

It is little wonder that only 23 percent of Americans, according to the latest Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, have a high level of trust in what Trump says. (Some of us find it disturbing the number is that high, although the poll was taken before his latest quackery.) Sixty percent of the country thinks Trump does not listen enough to medical experts. (A poll of his medical experts surely would show unanimity on that point.)

In case you wondered whether Trump’s soft spot for crank potions and cures matters, Rick Bright, the director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority who was removed from his post this week, is filing a whistleblower claim. The Post reports on Bright’s lawyers’ statement: “In our filing, we will make clear that Dr. Bright was sidelined for one reason only — because he resisted efforts to provide unfettered access to potentially dangerous drugs, including chloroquine, a drug promoted by the administration as a panacea, but which is untested and possibly deadly when used improperly.”

In other words, a respected scientist performing valuable duties in the interest of public safety was removed because he refused to go along with Trump’s unapproved and potentially dangerous prescription. That not only deprives the American people of a skilled scientist at a time they need the best minds working on the coronavirus; it also inhibits truth-telling and promotes dangerous sycophancy. Less remarked upon but also preposterous, Trump falsely insisted we are close to a vaccine — only to contradict himself seconds later — and then publicly disagree (absent any basis in fact) with Anthony S. Fauci’s assessment that we are not as far ahead on testing as we should be.

Instead of amplifying Trump’s disinformation and misinforming the public about a life-threatening pandemic, the media should report only after the briefings on any actual news and on the list of untruths Trump uttered. Frankly, by not showing these fiascoes live, the media would be doing the science-addled president a favor. They surely would be performing a public safety function.

Sports Withdrawal + Song of the Week #2

I'm suffering some severe sports withdrawal.  I can't wait until it comes back, no matter in what form - for sure, it won't be with large attendances any time soon.  Some of the poor substitutes for sport currently airing do not cut the mustard - wrestling is just bad pantomime, virtual sports do not count, and the fact that they had to air the NFL Draft on prime-time tonight is just desperate.  However, I do have one recommendation - and that is the ESPN documentary The Last Dance which aired it's first few episodes last weekend (2 of 10 1-hour installments) -  I think it's on Netflix in the UK.  It may be about Michael Jordan and the 97-98 Chicago Bulls - but you don't need to know or even like basketball to appreciate this documentary, this is more about the individuals involved than the actual sport.  It is high quality - wide-ranging, insightful and candid.  Highly recommended.  Reminds me a lot of the OJ: Made in America documentary that aired a few years ago, which was great (and won an Oscar).  Catch that as well if you can.

Which leads me to my second "random" song of the week.  This one is a staple at American sports stadiums - and gets a lot of play during this documentary series because it is well known as the song they play when they introduce the Chicago Bulls players.

     

Local Wildlife

It rained all day today, so I missed seeing these guys:

Tired

A bad start to the week.  Woke up on Monday so, so tired - not physical exhaustion, entirely mental exhaustion.  Didn't feel like doing anything - didn't want to get out of bed, didn't want to work, didn't want to cook, didn't want to go outside, didn't want to play video games or even watch a film.  By far the worst day I've had since the stay-at-home order came into effect.  Decided to take a "mental health day".  Could do with a "mental health week" off work really, but I'll take what I can get and save my sick days in case I actually need to use them them later in the year.  And I feel better today - better enough to actually get some work done anyway.  I don't know if there was anything specific that set me off, does there need to be?  It's difficult to spin it any other way, but everything is depressingly sh*t at the moment. 

Moral Dilemma

So, I went for a walk yesterday evening and it took me past the cemetery/memorial park that I shared some photos of in a previous blog post.  But this time, I came across a gathering of people who looked like they had organized a get-together - they certainly came prepared: food, drink, deck chairs, other picnic stuff, toys for the kids, even a drone buzzing overhead.  To be frank, I was shocked.  If the brazen disregard for stay-at-home orders and social isolation wasn't enough, it was the disrespect they were showing to hold this kind of party in a place where the dearly departed were buried or honored.  And I suspect quite a few of the people there were drunk.  I was furious.  And then the dilemma, do I call up the police and let them know about this illegal gathering?  Snitches get stitches etc.  And if it wasn't for the fact that I saw them packing up their stuff, then I probably would have.  I probably should have anyway - I was angry.  But then, I'm guessing that they were probably there most of the afternoon.  So why hadn't anyone else reported them?  Dozen of other hikers, cyclists and motorists must have seen them.  And they were making so much noise that I could hear them blocks away, so there is no way that any of the neighbors around the park didn't hear them - so why had no one else apparently called the police?  Shocking - makes me nearly as mad at them as the people who were actually partying.  People suck. 

Song of the Week #1

The first of a series in which I highlight a random song I have been listening to the most on YouTube over the last week.

TV Guilty Pleasure

With time on my hands, I have been able to indulge a TV guilty pleasure - but really, I don't feel guilty about it all.  And that is late 80's/early 90's British police dramas.  Think Inspector Morse and, particularly, Prime Suspect - which was years ahead of it's time.  In some respects they have aged really badly, especially when it comes to policing - think a lack of internet, a lack of computer systems and a lack of smart phones.  But quality never ages, and so I can enjoy these shows now nearly as much as I did before (and that's the other thing, I think I've seen a lot of these episodes before - but I'm still more than happy to watch them again).  A welcome respite from contemporary shows, and current affairs.   

Personal Hygiene

There were several topics I considered for this blog post, not the least of which is Trump who provokes emotions in me than span the range from despair to incandescent rage (invariably accompanied by a Category A swear word).  However, I don't even know where to start with that - so I'm going to talk about personal hygiene instead.  Because it is interesting how being holed up in your house for what already feels like years changes your habits.  With my living situation, I could easily stop showering and stop getting dressed - but I have been good in this regard and am still doing both these things daily.  However, other personal hygiene habits have not fared so well.  I'm definitely shaving a lot less.  And I don't think I'm the only one, because I've heard lots of stories about guys growing beards (which I would probably do if I was capable of growing better facial hair!).  But I think the single biggest change I have made - I have gone from someone who used deodorant every day to someone who hardly uses it all.  Yes, I now live my life with my natural body aroma - which after a long walk in warm weather is not always the best.  But since I'm not physically interacting with anyone I care about right now, there is absolutely no point whatsoever in me using any deodorant.  Let's hope that habit doesn't stick around when "normalcy" returns (whatever and whenever that is - a topic for another time).     

Cemetery

Yes, it has come to this.  Some photos of a cemetery that I occasional frequent on walks around my neighborhood.  Nondescript, not old, not renowned and not particularly photogenic - sadly, my photo opportunities have been, and will continue to be, somewhat limited for the foreseeable future, so this might be the best you get.  Though I will try to photograph other "highlights" round the neighborhood when I can.

Tax Day

April 15th is tax day.  Most years.  Not this year, I think they've extended it by 90 days.  Nonetheless, I completed and submitted my tax return a few weekends ago.  And it was as horrible as I feared.  I ended up owing the IRS about $5000.  More than double last year.  At least based on the current stock market and the hit to my savings, I shouldn't owe so much next year!  I don't know, I always use online software to complete my return and wonder whether actually using a professional would make a difference.  I doubt it - it's not like I have loads of obscure income streams.  There's probably a million different ways I can reduce taxes, some obvious and probably a lot more less obvious.  And I'm very skeptical about the software and whether it really is giving me the best result or just the easiest result with the standard deduction.  Why the US doesn't just tax at source like in the UK, eliminating the need to file a return for a lot of people, is beyond me?  I know why - a lot of people are making good money out of this scam.     

Expenses

I found out recently that work is offering up to $1000 for "work-from-home" expenses.  So I ordered a desk chair that got delivered yesterday.  And spent the morning making an absolute pig's ear of putting it together - trying to screw on the chair arms on the wrong sides.  But I finally succeeded, so hopefully I'll get a bit less backache now.  What other expenses can I get reimbursed for?  I should be able to claim for the extra monitor I already got, and today decided to order a load of printer ink even though I don't think I'm going to need it for work.  Apparently we can also claim for increased utility bills - I'm not quite sure how that's going to work, but I'll see if I can find some way to squeeze more money out of them!

Easter Monday

Easter - that funny time of year when you'd think there'd be an official federal holiday here, but there isn't.  It's not like Easter isn't celebrated here - indeed, many churches defied stay-at-home orders to hold in-person Easter services.  Which doesn't seem particularly sensible - good luck in praying for God to protect you.  I guess the first amendment forbids a national religious holiday.  But hey, that doesn't stop Christmas being a national holiday.  This might also be the first Easter when I haven't had any Easter-specific food - no Easter eggs, no cadbury creme eggs, no hot cross buns, not even any peeps (a truly ghastly American marshmallow candy).  Admittedly, America is generally not big on these things - but I still forgot to at least get my favorite, some cadbury caramel eggs, the last time I was at the supermarket.  Sadly I doubt there'll be any left for sale the next time I go shopping.         

The Kingmaker

Another brief film review.  This time a documentary from last year, called The Kingmaker.  It's ostensibly about Imelda Marcos - but really a wider look at the politics of the Philippines via the Marcos family.  Really interesting stuff about a subject I didn't know anything about - the political dynasty of the Marcos family.  Vast abuses of power, corruption, ill-gotten wealth, outlandish purchases - yet inexplicably Imelda Marcos remains adored as the First Lady of the Philippines.  Fascinating.  Infuriating.  Recommended.  3.75 stars.   

Anxiety

I'm definitely not the only one, but I'm sad to say that I think I'm suffering from some anxiety right now.  Hardly a surprise, given world events.  How can I tell?  2 obvious symptoms for me - I'm not sleeping well, and I'm not doing any reading.  Those are both tell tale signs that I'm not relaxed right now.  My nights tend to be a struggle to get to sleep, wake up in the middle of the night, struggle to go back to sleep, then struggle to get out of bed in the morning.  Not good.  And once again, my pile of unread TIME magazines are building up again.  I think it's partly because I'm not particularly keen on reading about more pandemic stuff.  It's too depressing.  It's the same reason I'm avoiding quite a lot of news on the telly at the moment as well.  I'll scan the online headlines every day, but that's about it.  I could really do with engrossing myself in some good novels again - that has to be a better thing to do before going to sleep than playing games on my iPhone.  New rule - no iPhone in bed.

Garden Update

No sign of moles for a while now.  I wonder if I've finally vanquished them?  I fear not.  And it may not have been me.  The neighborhood cat has traditionally been a bit skittish, but I notice that it has been a lot bolder recently.  To the extent that I caught it today on my back door step peering inside my home.  It may have frightened off or caught some moles.  And let's also speculate that covid-19 might have killed the moles.  But I suspect the cat for another reason.  And that is the behavior of the current rabbit in my neighborhood.  In the past, any rabbits I've discovered in my yard have not been shy - happy to feed on the grass openly in daylight and despite my presence.  But the current one has bolted for the bushes every time I see it.  And I think that's because the cat has made it's presence known.  So now I have a new challenger to my territory.   

Americans Love Their Flags

Are they patriotic or are they nationalistic?  Probably a bit of both.  But I thought this one was appropriate for these times.

The Hood

Most days I've been going out for a walk round my neighborhood.  And I'm certainly not the only one.  It's mainly suburban and residential, so there isn't really much to see.  Mainly detached houses, it is really quite quintessentially Americana complete with many houses with white picket fencing and/or really well maintained gardens and yards.  And lots of peek-a-boo views of mountains - including Mount Rainier, which I didn't think you could see from nearby.  I certainly see more than my fair share of really nice and really big houses that I'm jealous of.  And also a lot of houses that I'm glad I'm not their neighbor - typically by the presence of small kids, loads of junk in the yard (a classic sign of a hoarder), loud music blaring out, or even their house covered with Trump 2020 posters and flags (only the one house I've seen like this fortunately!).  Also see a load of pets - typically cats and aggressive dogs, but also chickens and a house with some goats.  But a highlight of one of my recent walks - I went down a street which I thought I'd been down before but I clearly hadn't because I would have remembered it.  It is the street where families live who own horses, ponies or donkeys - which was kind of cool.  So that is one that I need to visit again.  Though I didn't go out today, a combination of work keeping me busy and my not feeling particularly well (hope that's not the first sign of something more serious).   

Drive Thru

I did something yesterday that I don't think I've ever done before.  I got a McDonald's meal via drive thru.  I think I've had a McDonald's breakfast at an airport within the last 5-10 years, but I haven't had a proper meal from there for ever so long.  But I had an unexpected craving to get something from there.  Maybe not so unexpected, because I have been listening to the Doughboys podcast regularly which for the last month has been doing a Tournament of Chompions featuring the McDonald's menu.  And since a lot of the fast food places round here have drive thrus, a preference at the moment, what the hell I went for it.  And although the burger itself was nothing special, I forgot how good the fries are from there.  That was satisfying.       

Flashing the Cash

I was cleaning the inside of my car, and getting frustrated at how ineffective my car vacuum cleaner was.  So what did I do?  Yes, I ordered a cordless Dyson. Oh la la - what extravagance. 

Dark Phoenix

Time for another film review. For some reason I had recorded X-Men: Dark Phoenix on my DVR a little while ago, so I decided to finally get around to watching it last night.  This despite it being an X-Men movie - a franchise that I don't care much for, consisting of a series of films that run the gamut from mediocre to middling, yet which I seem to have watched most of if not all of (which is more than I can say about than the Star Wars franchise).  And my expectations were not exactly sky high - this film had a really poor Rotten Tomato rating.  So what did I think?  Yep, this film is definitely in the same spectrum as most of the other X-Men movies - nowhere near as good as Logan, which is probably the best of a bad bunch, but not as bad as the worse (X-Men: Apocalypse?).  Which is probably better than I expected.  It was very blah, very forgettable, not very long (probably for the best) and about as basic as it comes - the kind of film you watch with half your brain cells switched off.  Maybe that makes it perfect for a Saturday night film.  But not for me, and much like every other X-Men movie I'll never watch it again.  2 stars.     

Walking Etiquette

I'm doing a lot of walking round my neighborhood in these end of days.  So are a lot of other people.  And sometimes maintaining the 6 foot recommended social distancing is not possible.  There are a lot of roads without sidewalks (pavements) in my neighborhood, so my preference is to walk on the left hand side so that I face oncoming traffic.  However, it seems that most other walkers tend to prefer to walk on the right hand side with the flow of the traffic.  I'm not sure which is correct (mine seems more sensible).  However, I have accidentally discovered a quick way to get other people to cross over to the other side of the road and out of my way.  Cough.  That gets people to avoid me in a hurry! 

Supermarket Status

An early morning entry, because I've just come back from the supermarket (I was there at 7.45 am!) and I have a few comments.  Firstly, I need to start wearing gloves when I go.  I noticed a lot of people were doing that, and it seemed like a sensible precaution.  However, I also noticed that a lot more people are wearing face masks and I'm not prepared to do that until I have to.  I know the US administration have been considering whether to make people wear face masks whenever they go outdoors - but I don't know whether it is necessary.  The science is extremely questionable about whether they make a difference, and just from a morale point of view it just makes things seems so very real and so very apocalyptic.  Like we're living in a nuclear fallout or something.  Scary.  But I did check yesterday, and I do actually own a face mask so I have one if I need it.  Also, I've been going to different supermarkets in the vicinity and this one was by far the best.  Was able to get everything I wanted without problems, and was even able to get things I didn't need - like toilet paper.  Yes, in classic panic buying style I bought some toilet paper even though I didn't need it.  But it was the brand I normally get, and there was a limit to how much you could get so I thought what the hell.  Even as early as it was, the place was quite busy - so you wonder how long all the shelves will remain stocked for - so I think I will continue to go shopping early.  Strange times indeed.       

Binging Status

Finished the first season of Evil, a network series in the vein of X-Files, but more religion vs. science, and more middling in quality.  Now working my way through The Outsider, an HBO series definitely more on the quality side (the most recognizable actor got killed off at the start of the 2nd episode - a good sign) - so far it's predominantly procedural, but since it's a Stephen King adaptation you know it's going to get supernatural quickly.  Then it will be time to attack the ongoing series currently being recorded on my DVR: Westworld, The Plot Against America, Better Call Saul, Dispatches From Elsewhere, Briarpatch.  That is still a lot of hours of shows to get through.  Sooner or later, we are going to hit a vacuum of no original programming - and if there is still no sports on by then, this is when things are going to get tough and I'm going to have to work through my DVR/Blu Ray collection.  Good job that is quite extensive.   

Census Day

Today was Census Day in the US - which is the day when everyone in every household should be counted.  I think I filled mine in online a few weeks ago - which took all of 5 minutes.  I know there was lots of controversy about whether they were going to include a question about the citizenship status of everyone, but I guess they decided to exclude it.  I'm sure there was "no" chance that the private information wouldn't have somehow got to ICE.  I don't think the census is a high priority for many people right now, so I don't imagine the completion rate is very high.  The literature that came in the mail about it made clear that everyone is federally mandated to provide the information, but I don't know if and how they are going to enforce that - especially in light of the current environment.  It's not like you can send someone round to collect the information door-to-door.