Weight Check-in

It's the end of the month, which as promised means I need to weigh myself and see how I'm doing with regards any sort of weight loss this year.  Something I'm not particularly happy about.  Mainly because I know that I haven't lost any actual weight.  And sure enough, as I weigh myself just now I haven't lost anything.  In fact I've actually gained a pound, but I consider that purely negligible - especially as I've just eaten a 2 person meal.  I could give all kind of excuses - from the discouraging lack of weight loss at the start of the month when I was making more of an effort, to the weather preventing me going out as much as I'd like, to being quite busy at work this month, to just general pandemic fatigue and lethargy.  But excuses are for losers, I clearly need to do a better job.     

Meal Delivery Service

Due to my very limited culinary skills, I feel that my diet during these times is nowhere near as varied as it should be.  So I've been giving some thought to subscribing to a meal delivery service.  These are quite varied - some can be as simple as heating up a meal, others actually require quite detailed preparation.  Because I had some money off coupons, I bought a couple of discounted meal kits at the supermarket to try out.  Although they do require only some simple preparation, I still found I was lacking some basic kitchen equipment (I don't own any mixing bowls! - but I was able to improvise).  Although these tasted fine, there was a fundamental flaw with them - and it is a flaw shared by most of the meal delivery services.  And that is that they are meals for 2.  And these aren't the kind of meals you can easily refrigerate and re-heat later.  However, there are some services that do offer meals for one person - which is obviously so much better for portion control.  Some of these services are not cheap, but some are not overly expensive either - and if I get say 4 meals a week delivered, then that still gives me plenty of flexibility for doing my own thing.  So I am giving this some serious consideration.  But then again, I'm also thinking about subscribing to a monthly "British candy" box.  So what I give with one hand I take away with the other!         

Succulent

What the hell is going on with my succulent?

First it flopped over and I had to put a rock in the pot to prop it up.  And now it has gone bananas and produced all these weird offshoots.  I guess at least it's still alive, which is more than I can say about some of my other succulents.  Although I probably am guilty of over-watering my plants, I think the real issue is the lack of exposure to sun - thanks to the Pacific NW weather and an abundance of tree cover where I live.  And so the succulent stretches out too much seeking sunlight, and causes loads of issues.  At least that's my theory.  I'm clearly no expert.

When It Started

The e-mails in our work inbox get automatically deleted after 12 months, so I was going through some of them from February and March last year - just in case there were any I needed to keep.  And it was fascinating going through the company announcements about COVID-19 - and see how quickly they developed from "monitoring the situation closely" to a full on serious outbreak.  From the early stages of restricting non-essential business travel and asking employees who had just traveled to impacted areas to self-quarantine, through to shutting down the Seattle office and then our main headquarters in California.  I think we only shut down a few weeks earlier than anyone else in the US because the first detected cases in the US were in the Seattle area.  And all of this over such a short period of time - the first e-mail on the topic was in late February, then a working from home protocol was issued just to the Seattle site in early March (initally just for the next several days - he says almost a year later!!!).  I found an update from early March stating that "we do not believe that there is a risk working at the site" but with an elevated cleaning protocol.  Followed a few days later by one encouraging employees with higher health risks to consider working from home.  I must have missed this, but our first employee diagnosed with the virus was based in Sweden.  Then by mid-March a local announcement was shared that Seattle schools would be closed for 2 weeks (!), before a global update encouraging all employees to work from home (again, only planned for the next few weeks!), and then finally an update about a "shelter in place" order.  Hello shutdown.  Really all of this happened over about a 3 week span - quite stunning how quickly the entire world turned upside down.      

Forecasting Fail

I know you've had some snow in the UK recently.  We were supposed to get some here.  Did we get any?  Did we heck.  First we were supposed to get some on Sunday.  That never happened.  Then we were supposed to get some last night.  That never happened.  I know we are prone to a lot of microclimates here, but I think almost everywhere west of the Cascades below a sensible elevation didn't get a single flake.  A sad indictment on the quality of local weather forecasting.  The Met Office is so far ahead of anything we have here, on either a local or national level.  And what is worst is the ridiculous and unnecessarily comprehensive coverage of the supposed upcoming snowpocalypse on the local news.  What an absolute bust.       

Song of the Week #42

This week I'm plumping for a fairly contemporary band.  I've been wanting to pick them for a while now, but I've gone back and forth on which track to choose.  So I've gone for this one - not quite as weird as some of their other stuff, and not quite as crazy a video as some of their other stuff.

The EPL

Big news on the watching Premier League in the US front.  The channel that shows most of the games here (NBCSN - NBC Sports Network) is apparently shutting down at the end of the year.  The Premier League rights are still with NBC for at least another season - so this means that games will either get moved to another one of the NBC channels, or more likely the entire coverage will get shipped onto their streaming service.  Much to the chagrin of every soccer fan in the US, including me.  It's very interesting timing - I think the next contract for EPL rights is going to be open for bidding soon, and I'm sure there are going to be a lot of interested buyers.  I wouldn't be sorry if it leaves NBC - their coverage of the Premier League has been really good up until this year, thanks to the shift to showing more games on their streaming service.  If the streaming service was actually any good and offered any sort of functionality, I wouldn't mind.  But it doesn't, especially not catering to the West Coast audience where a lot of games are on too early to watch live and not available for replay until much too late in the day.  So it will be interesting to see how this plays out.  It's not just football, NBCSN also shows rugby (though not a lot recently) and the Tour de France.  It appears that my sports viewing habits are going to be forced to change...             

Getting Old

Another telling sign that I am getting old, the halftime Superbowl performer this year is someone I don't have a clue about.  The performer is The Weeknd - I actually had to google how to spell that.  Although I recognize the name, I have no idea what he (at least I think it's a he, rather than a they - I don't think it's a group even though it sounds like one) looks like, or sounds like.  I'm sure I might've heard some of their music on a TV or movie soundtrack or something, but I wouldn't know.  Actually, looking through a list of the most recent Superbowl performers - there are an awful lot of people and groups that I don't care much for but at least have some name recognition - Jennifer Lopez/Shakira, Maroon 5, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars.  Jeez, they would make a terrible playlist.   

People Suck

It was one of those cold but clear winter days today.  A great day for going out for a hike - so that is exactly what I did.  But sadly it turned into one of the most unsatisfying hikes I've been on for quite some time.  I made a number of mistakes - the main one being that I arrived around lunchtime at the trailhead.  And I could tell just by the number of cars there that it was going to be way too busy.  And so it proved.  I wanted to get there earlier, so that is my bad.  But then if I'd got there too early, the fog might not have lifted yet.  Regardless, I wanted to do the hike so I set off - it's more of a walk than a hike and one I've done many times before, a flat about 4.5 mile there and back trail along a bay.  Although most people wore masks, I did not.  This was probably not wise - I think I got a lot of evil eyes.  But I had a bad experience of constantly taking my mask on and off on a previous hike this week that kept on fogging up my glasses in a big way, so I didn't want the hassle of that.  I also did the courtesy of turning my head away whenever I passed anyone - a good way to avoid any awkward eye contact.  Besides, I didn't think it was necessary - the path is wide enough that you can just about rely on social distancing.  But this assumes that people have the courtesy and decency to actually walk on the opposite side of the path than you - invariably, a lot of them didn't.  It's just inexcusable for people to not even walk in single file, or block the entire path at times.  A lot of these people were out taking their dogs for a walk - which I don't mind, as long as the dogs are kept on a leash.  And sure enough, I encountered plenty of one of my pet hates (a literal pet hate in this case) of unleashed dogs.  I actually told one couple to leash their dog as it bounded towards me soaking wet - which they promptly ignored me as they walked past without saying or doing anything.  So was just glad to get these steps in, and move on - and not go to this trail or encounter these type of people again anytime soon.     

Work

A few bullet points on some work developments:

- Our return to work date has been pushed back to July now.

- End of year assessments - my self-rating of "Exceeded" was shifted down to "Achieved".  This was to be expected.

- Apparently one of our department goals for this year is to "improve diversity".  What the hell that means for a department dominated by Chinese, I don't know.

No Time To Die ...

... more like No Time to Release.  Ha ha ha - I'm so funny.  Yep, the latest Bond film's release date has been pushed back yet again.  To October.  Jeez, it was supposed to come out Easter last year.  I think it's been postponed about 3 times now.  And let's be honest, I'm not sure when I'll ever be comfortable going to a cinema again.  So why don't we just cut to the chase and release it straight to streaming.  I have this horrible feeling that it's not going to be a great Bond film, so why delay the inevitable.

Inauguration

Isn't it good to say these words: ex-president Trump.  EX-PRESIDENT.  I wasn't sure if or when this day would come, but I'm so glad it has.  I'm still processing the events at the Capitol - and my anger at so many things before, during and after it have not subsided.  I haven't watched any of the inauguration stuff going on today, it doesn't interest me in the least bit.  But actions speak louder than words, and I'm pleased to see President Biden has already issued a load of executive orders to undo some of the actions from the last 4 years.  He's still got an awful long way to go to point the US in the right direction, and I don't think he is going to magically unite the country overnight, but I am encouraged so far and I am optimistic that things will get better.  I feel less optimistic when I see how deluded and brainwashed Trump supporters have been by what they hear from the right-wing media.  It really is shocking.  And then you kind of worry what they might do.  The extremist groups like Proud Boys and Boogaloo Boys should be treated as terrorist groups - the US don't mind using drones to assassinate terrorist leaders in foreign countries, so why not do the same at home?  But no, let's focus on the positive feelings from today that come from this peaceful transition of power.  Well, it wasn't so much of a transition since Trump refused to show up and instead left in disgrace.  I still fear he will continue to make some headlines, but hopefully nowhere near as many as he did as president.  Let's hope for a quiet, uneventful and prosperous next 4 years! (and if that happens, then pigs will fly)        

Song of the Week #41

 Another gem from the 60's (from a British band with a very American name).

MLK Day

I've said this before, and I'll say it again, but why couldn't Martin Luther King Jr have been born in a summer month rather than the middle of January.  It is such a waste of a bank holiday - just a few weeks after our Christmas shutdown, and in the middle of January when the weather is more often than not crappy.  Surprisingly today was dry, so I was able to go out for a walk - but really it was the kind of walk that I would have done on a work day anyway.  Actually, this week looks pretty good weather-wise - at least compared to how it's been since Christmas - so I should be able to get out quite a bit.  But then we still have cold and snow in the forecast next week, so I best make the most of it while I can.    

Football

No, I'm not going to talk about American Football - even as I have a battle of 40-something year old quarterbacks on in the background right now.  No, I want to talk about "football".  How the dickens are Man Utd top?  They suck.  And take away Bruno Fernandes and they are thoroughly mediocre.  I caught some of the Liverpool-Man Utd game this morning, and it was a total snoozefest.  Really annoyed with NBC for not showing the game on one of their TV channels, instead deciding to show it exclusively on their streaming service - I assume in a pathetic attempt to try to improve their viewing numbers there - and it meant I couldn't record it to watch later.  Just for that, I'm glad the game was a total flop.  The Man City-Palace game was also only being shown on the streaming service - but didn't care about that, since it was kind of predictable that Palace were going to get thumped.  But in terms of who is going to win the league, it is pleasantly open and unpredictable.  I just cannot see Man Utd staying the course.  With Liverpool looking out of sorts as well, are Man City the favorites now?  Certainly based on current form they are, but they are also streaky and so I don't entirely trust them either.  Could Leicester do it again?  I'm going to say no, but it's not beyond the realms of possibility.  Who else is up there?  Tottenham, Chelsea, Everton.  No.  No.  No.  If I was a betting man, I think I would go for Man City.  But a lot could change between now and the end of the season.  As for the teams going down - I don't think it is quite so competitive.  I would say the teams currently in the bottom 3 are probably going to stay there - Sheffield Utd, West Brom and Fulham.  Yeah, they all stink.  Newcastle are also in that mix as well.  So I guess that means that I think Palace will stay up?  Yes, I think I do.  Although they are not a good team, they are still better than most of the teams below them.  But without Zaha, as proven in today's game, then I will start to worry.             

Cats

It's been on my DVR for ages, and after multiple aborted attempts I finally completed watching Cats yesterday evening (and even yesterday it was my second attempt as the first time I fell asleep after only 10 minutes).  Let me just add some context by saying that I have not seen the stage version of Cats, which by all accounts was a long-running and successful production.  And apparently this film is quite a faithful adaptation of the stage version.  But what works on stage does not work on the big (or small) screen.  This film is awful.  Like REALLY awful.  Easily one of the worst films I've ever seen.  Everything from the plot, the special effects, the choreography, the music (apart from one notable exception which I'll mention below), the performances, the production values, it was all bad.  Glaringly bad.  It starts with the actual cats and the decision to make them look like these CGI-heavy emotionless sexless human-cat hybrid monstrosities.  They alone will give me nightmares for years to come.  I'm not going to linger on the nonsensical plot - something about a showcase for choosing one cat to go to heaven or something, I'm still not entirely sure (and what the f does "Jellicle" actually mean?).  But basically it's an excuse to introduce (and then promptly discard) one cat after another to the audience.  And the caliber of actors portraying these cats is high, all of whom should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves for appearing in this debacle (we're talking classical actors like Dame Judi Dench and Sir Ian McKellan, acclaimed actors like Idris Elba and Ray Winstone, successful musicians like Taylor Swift and Jennifer Hudson, comedic actors like James Corden and Rebel Wilson [though I don't like either of them, so perhaps they are perfect for this trash], and a bunch of other nobodies who should probably just stick to panto).  And it just all felt so strange on the screen - the choreography was off-putting, the sets were basic and built (or CGI'ed) to some weird scale, a lot of the lyrics and dialogue were noticeably repetitive and simplistic (and most of it was sung, which sometimes made it very difficult to understand what they were saying so I actually watched the film with subtitles).  So, all in all, an absolute disaster that should never have seen the light of day.  I'm giving it 1 star out of 5 - and that 1 star is exclusively due to the song Memory, which is unarguably a great song and the performance of which really stands out as the sole highlight of the film.  Not good.

Towels

I've got these really thick and luscious bathroom towels.  I've had them for a while now, but considering I paid quite a bit of money for them (I think I did anyway - it was years ago that I got them) then I finally decided that it seemed like a waste not to have them in my rotation.  So the last couple of weeks I've started using them for the first time, and I've discovered that maybe they're not as good as all that.  For starters, they are not particularly absorbent - so it's an ordeal to get myself properly dry after a shower.  And then we have the fluff.  Every single surface in my bathroom is now coated in some red fluff from the towels.  I washed the towels before first use, but seemingly that made little difference.  And let me tell you how disconcerting it is to find bits of red fluff in every nook and cranny on your body long after drying - even in your hair.  Hopefully the towels will get better after a few more washes - otherwise it might be time to spend yet more money with Ian Amazon.       

Gift Bundle

A gift bundle from work got delivered today.  We ordered this before Christmas, so I guess this was our holiday gift - though it might just have been because our department got renamed.  Either way, it was quite a pitiful selection of gift bundles we had to choose from.  I don't remember exactly what they were, but I guess I chose a comfort one because my gifts included a blanket, a humidifier and a neck massager.  Let me further clarify that: a blanket that I will never use (because I am not a blanket kind of person, and this is made of that weird microfiber material that I don't really like), a humidifier that doesn't work so I've already thrown it away (and that I don't need anyway, because I've got my own and better humidifier) and a neck massager that is like one of those stupid electric pulse things that are supposed to stimulate muscles, but actually do nothing.  So, really quite disappointing.  I'd rather have got a fleece or something that I would actually use.  Yes, I know I sound like an ungrateful whiner - but I think they could have and should have done so much better.  

Jigsaw #2

I finally slayed this monster yesterday:

Easily one of the most difficult jigsaws I've ever done - I'm sick to death of yellow.  And certainly one that I've spent the most time constantly scanning the finished picture - as I try to match up the facial features on the piece in my hand against one of the many many similar faces.  And as for the pieces that don't have any obvious facial features on them, what an absolute nightmare.  So I feel a great deal of satisfaction in finally completing this.  These are the kind of small victories that are not so small in these times.

Song of the Week #40

Are we only up to the 40th week of doing these?  It's feels like so much longer.  I'm already losing track of what songs I've posted previously.  Here's an interesting one from the early 2000's (and if you want to be truly disturbed, I suggest checking out the official music video to this song on YouTube).

Nothing

I've got nothing to write about today.  Or, at least, nothing I feel like writing about today.  My brain has turned to mush.  I've been quite busy at work since the holiday break, and that has slightly preoccupied me.  But that's no excuse.  Yet another symptom of a lack of human interaction and stress (to go with losing hair and a lack of sleep - though I will say that I feel I have been sleeping a bit better recently).  I really need to get a pet.  Like REALLY need to.     

Laptop Playing Up

This has now happened a few times, and is so aggravating, but my laptop occasionally freezes up.  For absolutely no reason.  And when it happens during a Skype call, well that isn't good.  The last time it happened I had to actually restart my laptop, other times it has unfreezed itself.  I have absolutely no idea what is causing this.  I have absolutely no idea what I can do about it (other than getting a new laptop).  And I have no idea if it's a sign of a bigger issue.  Certainly if it starts to happen more frequently (or at least more noticeably) then it will need to be replaced.  I suspect it's some kind of code built into the computer that only activates itself after a couple of years (past warranty).  Or some kind of Russian malware.       

No fireworks this evening

Yep, it was quiet outside this evening as the Seahawks lost their wild card game.  I have mixed feelings about this.  In some ways it's nice to see the local team do well, but on the other hand the number of obnoxious Seahawks fans and pandering local coverage about the team means that I find it hilarious that they lost.  Especially as they were the favorites.  I didn't watch much of the game - but by all accounts it seemed like they deserved to lose.  So that's the end of another underachieving season - seems like a long time ago since they won it all.  I don't really have any thoughts, or really care, about who is going to win the Superbowl this season.  However, I did find it interesting that although there were no fans at the Seattle game (which was in Seattle) there were fans at the Buffalo Bills game.  Makes you wonder how long it's going to be until you start to see fully attended sporting events again.  Without fans, sports have definitely been lacking something.

Bars and Restaurants

I was reading a local article that said about 100 Seattle bars and restaurants have closed so far due to the pandemic.  I'm sure there's a lot more across the entire Greater Seattle area, and I'm sure there's a lot more closures to come.  But this doesn't seem like a lot.  I was looking through the list of these places, and I really only recognized a handful of them and I don't think I actually ate anything from any of them.  Most of these places were small and obscure places - in neighborhoods that I've never been to and would probably never go to.  I've got to imagine that a lot of these places wouldn't have lasted long anyway, with or without a pandemic.  The few that I recognized were in the South Lake Union area, within a long lunch walking distance of my office - and no surprises that they closed because most of their business was from Amazon employees, who all work from home now.  I'm sure a lot of the places still open are struggling - though I hope those in residential neighborhoods can survive via takeout only.  I'm sure Seattle downtown is worst affected - I haven't been down there for over a year now, and I'm sure that area is getting a lot less foot traffic (my friend likened in to a ghost town populated only by the homeless wandering the streets like zombies, but I don't think it's as bad as that - it looked like it was fairly busy over the Christmas period).  But if I see any closures in Eastlake, even further limiting my lunch options if or when we return to the office, then that will be devastating.  I've already lost one go to sandwich place due to refurbishment, and losing another might ultimately influence my decision to permanently WFH.        

Doctor doctor

A bit of a weird experience at the doctors today.  I went for my annual checkup, and since my last doctor doesn't practice anymore it was at the same clinic but with someone new.  And immediately, alarm bells went off.  It's the first time I've ever been asked to strip and put on a gown.  If I was getting a prostate exam, I'd understand.  But this was totally unnecessary - I wore light clothing so it would be easy to listen to my heart.  And why the hell did I have to take my trousers off?  It's a good job I left my underwear on!  Didn't really like the doctor - seemed like she hadn't got much experience, and I think I'd rather have a male doctor to deal with male issues as I get older.  Is that unreasonable?  Either way, I think I might change clinics and doctors - I'm not tied to this place.  Healthcare costs so much here, I might as well get my money's worth and try to find someone who I'm comfortable with...    

Anarchy in the USA

I don't need to comment on the "shenanigans" that happened in DC today.  I thought the shocking audio of Trump's phone call with Georgia's secretary of state a few days ago was a new low, then that was quickly eclipsed today by riling up his supporters for violent insurrection.  And the images of these, let's call them what they are, domestic terrorists storming the Capitol were absolutely shocking.  If a line wasn't crossed before, then it was definitely crossed today.  When your base support consists of right-wing extremists, then there was no way it wasn't going to kick off the way it did.  It's utterly ridiculous that after all this, there are STILL Republicans objecting to the electoral vote.  The Republican Party is an absolute disgrace - and as we've seen in Georgia, there are consequences to supporting Trump.  Like losing the Senate.  As for Trump, well I don't know if mainstream media can continue to give him, and all his lies, blanket coverage the way they have - that has to change.  I've just been watching a documentary about Russian operations to influence the 2016 election - and Russia's basic objective, to undermine trust in the American electoral system, is uncannily reminiscent of what's happened in the 2020 election and heartily echoed by Trump himself.  Come on, do we really trust this guy with the nuclear codes?  No way.

But on a positive note, let's celebrate the Georgian people for flipping the Senate.

Acronyms

A couple of real life and unfortunately named local services:

The trolley that runs between downtown and South Lake Union is called the "South Lake Union Trolley".

An organization here that provides housing to improve the lives of seniors is called "Sustainable Housing for Ageless Generations" (I literally saw a TV advert for them today).

Song of the Week #39

Since I've got nothing to write about, here's another tune.  I've only got one thing to say - damn hippies.

 

Addiction

In one regard, the new year has not started well for me.  And the reason?  I have started to become addicted to Tetris on my iPhone.  It's almost like I'm recreating those heady days as a kid when I first got my Gameboy.  I mean it's not a particularly bad addiction - I would never spend any real money on it, just way too much time.  But they do these online cash prize tournaments every night that I've done now for 3 nights in a row (they don't cost anything to enter).  I haven't won anything yet - I doubt I ever will - but they are enjoyable.  And I'm generally playing the game a lot - particularly this knockout play where up to 100 people across the world compete together.  I haven't won one of these yet, but lots of top 10 finishes.   There does seem to be a lot of dodgy shenanigans going on with this game - it's highly improbable how much some of the opponents can attack you and add line after line of blocks to your game.  But there is definite satisfaction in knocking out other people.  I wouldn't call myself a great player, just a good one.  Basically there are 2 styles of play - when you're playing Tetris by yourself, ideally you play to clear 4 rows at a time and rack up the points that way.  But when you're playing knockout play, I've found the best method is to clear rows of bricks as quick as you can.  And then when opponents start attacking and adding rows of bricks to your screen, you're in a better position to quickly clear them before they start to build up.  Hardly in depth chess-type strategy I know, but it seems to work.  

Decorations

I think there is something profoundly depressing about taking down Christmas decorations.  Something I did today.  I don't know what it is - maybe it is symbolic of the passage of time, the end of the festive season, the end of a holiday.  Whatever, I'm still not entirely sure when is the exact appropriate time to take them down - is it New Year's Day?  Is it before?  Is it after?  I think this weekend seems reasonable, as it doesn't feel right to still have them up when I'm back to work on Monday.  But I already miss the indoor Christmas lights flashing away.

Wish List

I've spent a lot of the last week going through all my stuff - throwing things away that I don't need but also adding things to my Amazon cart that I think I need or want to replace.  So now I've got 12 things in my cart that with tax will come to over $500.  Do I pull the trigger?  None of the things I really need, but I'm very conscious that I'm a bit of a cheapskate.  So I suspect I'll just go ahead and get everything.  And I haven't even got to the big stuff yet.  In an ideal world, I'd even replace things that I haven't had for that long - a new sofa set, a new mattress, a new telly, a new exercise bike (which reminds me, I need to check whether we get a whole new allowance this year from our company for WFH and "wellbeing" expenses).  It's this time of year when I think it's important I have (and actually use!) some decent indoor exercise equipment.  There's currently a number of weather alerts in my area (heavy rainfall, wind advisory, flood watch, etc.) - so it's not like I'm going out loads at the moment.