Giving Together

For the first time that I can remember, my company has an initiative whereby every employee is rewarded $50 to give to whatever organization or charity they wish.  Although it would be nice if it was just a $50 reward bonus for ourselves, I don’t object to using the money to support an organization of our choice.   The reward expired today, so which organization did I support?  A tough choice – there are literally thousands of them to choose from.  From local to national to international causes.  My thinking went like this – I wanted to support something environmental.  I remember a very long time ago that I did some volunteer work at an RSPB site, and I like to see lots of birdlife – whether it be hummingbirds in my back yard, or an excursion to go see some bald eagles feeding at a local river. What is the closest American equivalent to the RSPB?  I ended up donating my $50 to The Audubon Society – specifically The Seattle Audubon Society – an organization that protects birds and the places they need.  A worthy cause that I’m glad to support, even in only this very small way.  However, I have since found out that John James Audubon – the society was named in his honor – has a tarnished legacy with accusations of plagiarism and scientific fraud, a history of racism and slavery, and who was also a body snatcher.  Yikes.  Perhaps it might be time to rename the society.

Indecision

I think I want to buy a new TV.  This period before the Superbowl is considered one of the best times to get a good deal.  But, as is typical for me, I am racked with indecision about what brand and model to go for.  Or even if I need a new TV.  Having spent a lot of time yesterday playing about with trying to maximize my audio and picture settings - and re-discovering how flawed my setup is - I think I want to splash the cash on something better.  I could get an updated version of my current TV - which apparently has fixed some of the issues I've noticed - but I think I'd rather go for a more reputable brand.  Even if it's double the price.  It goes against all my instincts, but I've been burned too many times when I go too cheap.         

Frozen Planet

I've been watching Frozen Planet II on BBC America.  As with all these BBC nature documentaries, they look absolutely amazing, and feature stunning footage.  I don't know how old Sir David Attenborough is now (he must be close to 100 right?), but these nature shows are not the same without his narration.  I remember that when Planet Earth first aired in America, they replaced him with Sigourney Weaver - there was some serious backlash.  I wouldn't call myself an environmentalist, but I do care about what mankind is doing to the Earth and that some of the animals featured in these shows are becoming extinct or close to extinct.  However, I had a somewhat controversial revelation whilst watching Frozen Planet II.  I would be okay if polar bears became extinct.  Not only because they are one of the few natural predators of man, but because they are least equipped to deal with climate change.  Nature is about survival of the fittest, which means adapting to the changing environment around you - if polar bears cannot do that, then maybe they deserve to survive only in zoos.           

State of Rugby

It's one of those rare weekends with no football I can watch.  The FA Cup ties are on ESPN+ here, which I don't subscribe to - and I don't consider the FA Cup important enough to pay for.  So, for the first time in ages, I watched some rugby union this weekend.  With the Six Nations coming up, I'd thought I'd share something about how I feel about rugby right now - particularly club rugby.  Quite simply, it's a mess.  With Wasps and Worcester bankrupt and no longer playing any matches, this season is a write off.  Makes you wonder about the future financial viability of a lot of the other clubs going forward.  I watched a game this weekend - Saracens vs Bristol - and the quality was awful.  Is this how things are now?  No wonder I haven't been watching many games this year.  But then I wondered if this is because all the best players are on international duty.  It is ridiculous - RIDICULOUS - that the top club sides are still playing games when their best players are not available.  It's a disservice to the game, the league and the fans.  Can you imagine if Premier League clubs were put in the same position - there would be uproar.  Not impressed with how things are being run right now.  Which is a shame, because I love me some rugger.               

Axe Throwing

I partook in a new activity for me yesterday evening - axe throwing.  And it was good fun!  Essentially you're in a lane with a big wooden target at the end, and you throw a variety of axes at the target to get as high a score as possible.  There were axes that you throw with both hands, axes that you throw with one hand, and even a ninja star.  And I did alright - not the total disaster I feared, but not the calling I hoped to find!  All 4 of us who competed were quite well matched, which was good.  It's all to do with how hard you throw, how many rotations you get, and how far behind the line you stand to ensure that the axe actually lands in the wood.  For me, I found I was best with the one-handed axes.  The two-handed axes are probably the most satisfying to throw, but the toughest to most consistently get to stick in the wood.  I'm glad I organized this outing - it was something I wanted to do, and so I made the effort to organize it.  Normally it would frustrate me that none of my friends would probably make that effort.  But this worked out, and now I want to do more of this kind of thing this year - and I don't mind being the organizer.  I think our next outing will be ten-pin bowling, but a priority for me is to do an escape room - something that I have somehow never done before.    

The Work Blues

I wasn't expecting a promotion this year, but I did think it was a possibility - particularly as they've introduced a technical career path in my job role, which is perfect for me as I don't want to go down the people management route.  So I was extremely disappointed to discover at a recent 1-1 that my manager hadn't even put my name forward for promotion.  And at the same 1-1, she then had the gall to mention that I was overpaid for my job title.  Well great, so I won't even get much of an annual pay rise this year either.  It's all very dispiriting - it's not like I had a bad performance review.  In fact I've never had a bad performance review.  But that doesn't seem to count for anything.  And perhaps I'm overpaid because I'm at the wrong job level.  But do I really want a promotion?  I don't really want an increase in responsibility.  And I probably haven't done nearly enough in my job over the last few years to justify a promotion.  But then I think I'm a lot more worthy than the people who do get promoted.  I can't win.  Bottom line, I am really demotivated by my job right now.  Just going through the motions, doing the minimal amount of work I can to get by - and not being in the least bit proactive.  I don't care any more - and that is not healthy.  It doesn't help that I am getting increasingly distracted and irritated by my coworkers when I go into the office.  The usual culprits - people not muting their computers, talking too loudly on a call, taking meetings in their cube that I can overhear.  It's all very triggering.  I need something to change - whether it's my attitude, or something bigger.            

TV Theme Tunes #14

Time for a theme from a classic American show.  This one from the late 70's/early 80's.  Perhaps yesterday's blog entry made me think of this one.  But at some point when I was young I must have caught this show, because seeing these guys on their bikes when I first moved to California made me weirdly happy.  Less so now, because the only time I ever see them is either having just pulled someone over for speeding, or on the side of a freeway pointing their speed gun at the traffic.

Chip

Grrr, got a chip in my windshield that I need to get fixed.  What a pain in the ass.  It happened on the drive home this afternoon, and as soon as I heard the little rock or whatever hit my car I feared the worse.  It is just a small little chip, but it is right in my line of sight - so hoping that it is just a windshield repair rather than a windshield replacement that I need.  A repair should be covered by my insurance, and can be done quite quickly.  A replacement is a whole lot more trouble.  Probably the kind of thing I should get fixed sooner rather than later - in case it gets worse.     

White Card

I read somewhere that the first ever white card was shown by a referee at a football match over the weekend.  What the heck is a white card?  Well, apparently, it is designed to recognize and praise clubs for fair play.  In other words, it is a complete waste of time.  But you just know that this kind of ridiculous and woke innovation is going to make it into every game.  Oh joy.    

Museums

I was looking at a list of the 30 best museums in Washington, and it dawned on me how few of them I've actually been to.  But then when you look at them in a bit more detail, it shouldn't come as a surprise.  Take the top 10:

- Chihuly Glass and Garden

- The Museum of Flight

- LeMay - America's Car Museum

- Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum

- USS Turner Joy Museum Ship

- Museum of Glass

- Hibulb Cultural Center

- Puget Sound Navy Museum

- Pacific Bonsai Museum

- Imagine Children's Museum

Wow, that isn't great is it.  2 museums of glass - really?  Most of these I haven't even heard of.  The Museum of Flight is one I have heard of and do want to go to, after all Boeing was founded here.  But everything else - meh.  It's a good job that I hope to visit Chicago for a long weekend later this year - a city that does actually have some world-class museums.    

The Singularity

Another sign that we are getting closer to the singularity - the day when artificial intelligence takes over the world.  I've been watching some of the Australian Open, and I find it very disconcerting that top level tennis matches are being played without any line judges.  Instead, you get these weird discombobulated computer-generated voices saying "fault" or "out".  A bit like the introduction of VAR in football, you feel it takes away from some of the humanity of the sport.  I much preferred it when players were arguing calls and getting in a tizzy with the umpire or line judge.  Now that the subjectivity has gone (assuming the computer is making the right calls!), tennis is slightly less fun to watch.  That is unless Nick Kyrgios is playing, who can and will take issue with anything.       

The Traitors (US)

I know there are some fans of The Traitors who read this.  I’ve now watched a few episodes of the US version, which I gather is available on the BBC iPlayer, and it’s an interesting companion piece to the BBC version.  Some observations:

• The setting is exactly the same, using that (not particularly old?) Scottish castle
• The game, including all the missions so far, is exactly the same
• The host is different, and in my opinion far superior.  Alan Cumming is a great blend of aloofness and campness – and had a few laugh-out loud lines.  He has this bizarre Scottish-American accent, and if he turned up the bitchiness by a few notches then he would be the perfect host for this trashy reality competition show.
• The contestants are wildly different.  The BBC version had a bunch of nobodies.  Half of the US contestants are “reality show stars” – which isn’t to say I recognized any of them, because I didn’t.  But there are several loud personalities who do tend to dominate the show.
• The gameplay is wildly different.  There was very little conflict in the BBC version, where people were just happy to be there and make friends as much as trying to win.  The US version is the opposite – very competitive, and in some ways much nastier and cut-throat.  The contestants are equally clueless, but I feel like most of them are at least trying to play the game more than the BBC version.  This is perhaps because a lot of the “reality show stars” come from shows like Survivor and Big Brother, which have a very similar skillset of trying to survive among a group of people.  However, some are clearly there just because they want to make drama, and don’t really care about the prize money.
• I seem to remember that the BBC version had these weird covers of well known songs.  I don’t hear that in the US version.
• Clearly whether both shows are successful or not is almost entirely dependent on the quality of the editing.  And, as is typical for reality shows, both versions are overproduced.
• The totally OTT cliffhanger episode endings are also the same – despite the US version appearing on a streaming service rather than a TV channel.

Bottom line, I think the people who like The Traitors should check the US version out.  But whether you will like it or not, I don’t know.  But I suspect the US version will probably be closer to how the 2nd season of the BBC version will go – less naivety, more competitiveness.

Another James Bond Jigsaw

Another week, another James Bond jigsaw puzzle completed.  How sad am I.  

This was actually very satisfying to complete - a lot better than the previous one.  And it's a good choice of movie posters - not all English language.  It is quite tempting to buy a puzzle frame so that I can display this.  But I've got a load of nice posters that I should really prioritize spending the time and money to frame and display.  It's kind of unfortunate that I haven't done that already - instead the walls of my home remain quite sparsely populated. 

TV Theme Tunes #13

Another classic theme tune from the 80's, which somehow sounds familiar but from a show that I don't remember ever watching.  I always thought it was an American show, but those sure look like British license plates on the cars in the title sequence.

 

A TV Recommendation

We already have our first great TV show of 2023, and it is The Last of Us on HBO.  It premiered over the weekend, and I thought it was outstanding.  Obviously it would be premature to judge the show entirely on one episode, but so far so good.  It's one of my favorite genres - apocalyptic thriller.  It's not original - it most reminds me of Children of Men (a flattering comparison, since this is an excellent film).  But it is so well done, far superior to even early The Walking Dead - it's most obvious TV comparison - when it comes to atmosphere, look, storyline, pacing, budget and especially acting.  When one of the co-creators was also behind the superb Chernobyl mini-series, then I am confident we are in good hands.  I was wondering how I knew it was a video game adaptation, but then I just checked some of my old games and I actually own The Last of Us for the PS3.  Fortunately I don't think I played it very much - if at all - so I don't know any spoilers for the rest of the show.  Sadly, not the only example of a video game I've purchased but rarely or never played - but at least this one might work out for the best.

Mental Health

A serious post today, because I want to talk about mental health.  As I think everyone who reads this blog knows, my dad is not well.  And so when I was back in the UK, I got a taste of what it is like to live with someone who has a mental health disorder.  And, bottom line, it's tough.  It's the patterns of unhealthy behavior that really got to me.  Some things I was prepared for - the not going out, the going to bed early, etc - but it was the smaller things - like not cleaning up after yourself - that were really frustrating.  Are these behaviors fixable?  I honestly don't know - the only thing that seems to work is when a choice is taken away (like locking the bedroom door to prevent going to bed too early).  I don't what the line between mental illness and non-mental illness is.  I don't even know if there is a line.  I wouldn't expect someone who never did anything around the house before the illness to do anything around the house after the illness.  But for other selfish behaviors, is mental illness to blame or is mental illness being used as an excuse?  And when this person can't or won't explain their rationale or reasoning, then it's all the more frustrating.  You see these occasional flashes of engagement - a game of cards, an attempt to strike up a conversation - but they are never sustained, and that's all the more discouraging.  I can't imagine my dad's quality of life is good, but it is my mum's that I feel more concern about.  I don't imagine she wanted to have to spend her retirement looking after this man-child.  It has to be so stressful and unrewarding,  But I respect her all the more for everything she does for him - and even if he doesn't show his appreciation or understand how lucky he is, I think everyone else in the family knows.  I don't say or show my love for my mum nearly enough, but it's there - and I will support her in whatever way I can, including supporting any decisions she needs to make when it comes to my dad.  Things may not be perfect, but at least they are better than they were - I hardly saw my dad at all as he was hospitalized when I was back last Easter.  But I do worry that this mental illness is genetic and that this is a preview of my future.  After all, my dad just has exaggerated versions of characteristics that I already possess - anxiety and a lack of motivation.  I've always thought I was guilty of just being lazy - but perhaps I have an underlying mental illness of my own.  But the bigger concern for me - something that deeply and profoundly scares me if this is my future - is the prospect of not being able to look after myself.  If you take away my ability to live independently - then I don't know what I have left.  Especially if I don't have anyone to look after me.            

MLK Day

I get it, America should honor Martin Luther King Jr for everything he did for civil rights.  But to have a bank holiday barely 2 weeks into the new year seems somehow fundamentally wrong and wasteful.  Yes, his birthday might have been 15 January.  But since he was assassinated on 4 April, why don't we move MLK Day to April?  That would seem a much more reasonable time of the year to have a federal holiday, especially since America doesn't have one for Easter.  In addition, I read somewhere that the 3rd Monday in January - which is MLK Day - is also called Blue Monday and is supposedly the most depressing day of the year.  Yep, that sounds about right. 

Seattle Sports

No fireworks today as the Seattle Seahawks got blown out by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2nd half of their wildcard game today.  But I don't want to talk about the Seahawks, I want to talk about the Kraken - Seattle's NHL team.  After a very disappointing debut season last year, at the halfway point of this season they are doing much better and are currently in a playoff spot.  And they made history today.  They are the first NHL team EVER to sweep a road trip consisting of at least 7 games.  They played 7 teams in 7 different cities in 13 days, and won all 7.  Nice.  And how have they done this?  By scoring loads of goals.  Now more than ever I want to see them play live - something I haven't done yet, but wish I had.  I've already registered my interest in watching the 2024 Winter Classic - which is an annual game played outdoors in either an American football or baseball stadium.  Next year it will be held in Seattle on New Year's Day.  I suspect my chances of getting a ticket are very low - the only way to currently watch the Kraken is by purchasing a resale ticket at an exorbitant mark up.  But I can hope.          

Mega Millions

It was the 2nd largest jackpot in history in the Mega Millions drawing today - only a cool $1.35 billion.  Though the actual take home is probably substantially less after taxes, especially if you take the cash prize rather than the annuity (which you almost definitely would).  I remembered to buy some tickets today.  But as you can probably guess by the fact that I'm writing this, I didn't win.  In fact I've been buying tickets for the last few drawings, but have I won even the most basic prize ($2 - which is the cost of the ticket back - if you match just the gold mega ball, which is a 1 in 25 chance)?  Have I heck.  What a swizz.  But it seems like these huge jackpots have been occurring a lot more regularly recently.  It doesn't surprise me because more people buy lottery tickets when times are tough - after all the lottery predominantly preys upon the poor by selling them hope.  As I write this, we don't know if anyone has won this prize.  But if no one has, then the jackpot simply rolls over and gets even more stupid for the next drawing.  And muggins here will continue to waste my money on buying tickets for a jackpot I'm never going to win.       

Atmospheric Rivers

It's our turn to get hit by one of the atmospheric rivers currently pounding the west coast.  And the heavy rainfall has led to various severe weather alerts - an increased threat of landslides, a coastal flood advisory, etc.  But it's only going to last for a couple of days - so we've got off extremely lightly compared to say California.  The amount of rain they've been getting, and are continuing to get, is incredible.  Yet, somehow, you just know that later in the year most of California is going to be under drought conditions once again.  It's tough to feel much sympathy for the very rich people living on the Californian coast who are affected so much by all of this.  But you know it's bad when even San Diego is getting drenched.  Though I bet there have been some amazing waves for surfing.      

Passing Time

Yep, this is how I passed some of my spare time recently:

This wasn't the easiest one.  Too many pieces of the same color, combined with some poorly cut pieces, led to a lot of head-scratching - especially around the edges.  I'm still not even sure if this finished product is correct - the edges don't seem as straight as they should be.   

TV Theme Tunes #12

I remember this show from my childhood - and it always seemed like a bit of an oddity among all the other kids TV.  Even during the 80's, it was some 20 years old.  And the whole bear thing was very strange - it isn't normal for a kid to befriend a huge black bear.  However, my desire to travel on an airboat in the Everglades probably started here. 

I Hate Mondays

I've got nothing - apart from a headache and feeling dead tired.  And it's only 9 pm.  I've just tried to watch the same program about 3 times in a row, and I keep on dozing off each time.  Perhaps trying to watch a less than cheery Ken Burns documentary (this one about The US and the Holocaust) is not a good idea when you're this tired.  My body clock is STILL messed up, and it's been so long now since I came back from the UK that it's just weird.  It's that feeling that I should have taken a holiday after my holiday, rather than return straight back to work.  Next time I will know better.

Fireworks

It was the last day of the NFL regular season today, and it was an exciting one.  The Seattle Seahawks had a chance of making the playoffs, but they needed a miracle.  First they needed to win their afternoon game against the reigning Superbowl champions the Los Angeles Rams.  And then they needed the Detroit Lions to beat the Green Bay Packers in the Sunday night game.  I'm not going to lie, I was cheering on the Seahawks and the Lions today.  Mainly because I absolutely hate the Green Bay Packers and their anti-vax quarterback Aaron Rodgers, so I didn't want them making the playoffs.  Firstly the Seahawks-Rams game, which was tense and tight.  So much so that it went to overtime, but the Seahawks somehow prevailed.  But this was the easy task - the Rams are nothing like the team that won the Superbowl last year, and they didn't even make the playoffs this year.  So then it came down to the Lions-Packers game.  With Seattle's win, Detroit were eliminated from the playoffs.  So they were playing for nothing but pride.  And their record at Green Bay was abysmal.  But miraculously, in another tense and tight game, Detroit managed to pull out the shock victory and send the Seahawks into the playoffs.  Cue the fireworks - despite the heavy rain outside.  So the Seahawks move on, and have the daunting task of facing division rivals and #2 seed the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday (having lost both meetings this year) - on what is the best weekend for American football in the year.  But even making the playoffs is a massive achievement for the Seahawks - so I think they can play with nothing to lose.           

Tech Layoffs

The new year has started with a lot of layoffs in corporate America, and of particular interest is the number of tech layoffs.  In particular, Amazon have said they are going to layoff some 18,000 workers.  With Amazon headquartered in Seattle and having the majority of employees here, this is sure to have a significant impact in our region.  Which is not necessarily a bad thing.  The rise in housing prices and rise in cost of living has been mostly driven by the influx of overpaid tech workers - so I'm hoping we will see some sort of rebound to more sensible levels.  If there is a housing bubble, I would love to see it burst - then perhaps I can actually afford to buy a house I want here.  But I'm not holding my breath.  And of course I can't totally rule out the chances of layoffs at my own company, particularly as we head inexorably towards a big recession this year - though I think it unlikely I will be impacted, but you never know.     

COVID Test Kits

The US government is giving out free at-home COVID tests again this winter - so I ordered some and they arrived today.  So I was a bit surprised to note that they were long past their expiration date.  Well jeez, thanks for that.  But then a quick internet search reveals that the FDA has, conveniently, extended the expiration date for some of these tests.  Including mine.  So now they expire next month.  That's fortuitous.  Especially in light of the fact that I got my first ever COVID exposure notification on my phone last week.  I had forgotten I had even activated this - but it tells me I might have been exposed to COVID on Dec 30-31.  I suspect someone at the airport - or even on my flight - tested positive.  I tested myself before I went back to the office last week, but was negative.  And I haven't experienced any new symptoms.  But I'll test myself again before I go into the office next week.       

A Small World

When my cable box is in standby mode, it displays a screen saver.  This basically consists of a number of different images from across the world, interspersed with ads for the cable service.  So imagine my surprise when I encountered the following image:

Of all the places in all the world, the last thing I expected to see was a view from my hometown!  However, my delight was somewhat mitigated by the fact that I have no idea what river this is and I have no idea where this shot was taken from (since that looks like the viaduct in the background, I would guess it's the River Lea in the Meads).  Oh well, it's still nice to randomly encounter Hertford like this - a town I may have lived in for 18 years, but which I'll probably never visit again now that my family has moved away.   

TV Theme Tunes #11

I wasn't sure what theme to pick this week.  But then I watched a documentary about Princess Di a few days ago and this particular theme came up and so it's fresh in my memory.  Some takeaways from the documentary (called The Princess), which consisted solely of archive footage and interviews: you forget how young Princess Di was when she died (and, for that matter, how young she was when she first married Charles), you forget how beautiful she was, you forget how awful the media was (and is), you forget what an appalling bunch of parasites the tabloid press were (and are), and you forget how much the public disliked Charles (it was probably a good job that the Queen was able to hang around for another 25 years, so Charles' failings are largely forgotten now).  If you remember one of Princess Di's more famous sit-down interviews, then you'll probably guess which recognizable theme this is going to be.  

   

Magic Darts

There is one Christmas tradition that I missed - mainly because my parents no longer subscribe to Sky Sports - and that is watching the darts.  And then I came across this - the best leg of darts ever, which occurred in the final earlier today (I have no idea if it aired over here - but I was back at work and in the office today regardless).  As Sid Waddell might have said - there's only one word for that: magic darts.

Something Different

Since coming back to the US, something has felt different at home.  I've been trying to work out what it is.  There's obviously the re-adjustment from vastly different family households back to my simple home life here.  But no, that is not it.  There is the start of the new year and all that accompanies that.  But no, that is not it either (although I do feel a bit like I'm drifting through life at the moment - and should probably set myself some meaningful life goals for the year).  As I look out of the window, something looks different.  The view has not fundamentally changed, but the light seems different.  I'm not fully sold on this, but I think some more trees might have come down (or been removed) in my absence.  There is a gap in the treeline to my south that I'm not entirely sure was there before.  And I also suspect that another tree might have fallen and brought down my cable - but again I'm not sure.  It does seem as though my landlord may have done some tree trimming while I was away - so perhaps that is it.  Whatever it is - as soon as I get back into my regular routines (starting with back to work tomorrow), my focus will be elsewhere and I'm sure I won't notice anything different.     

Animal Activity

Happy New Year!  Here is some activity picked up by my trail cam while I was back in the UK.