Happy New Year!

 A special somebody wants to wish you a happy New Year!

Kensington

As is obligatory for every visit back, I must do a London walk.  So yesterday - one of the few days on this trip back when it wasn't tipping down all day - I took a walk around the West London suburb of Kensington.  And this was one of my favorite kinds of walks - not necessarily photogenic, but once you get off the beaten path then you discover these attractive neighborhoods.  Historic squares, streets and houses in a variety of different architectural styles, lots of plaques memorializing random people or historical events that I've never heard of.  Obviously the passage of time cannot be avoided - historical sites get modernized, converted to flats or whatever, or simply destroyed and built upon.  But fortunately enough remains to make the walk worthwhile - this mix of old and new, in much the same way that we have this mix of people and cultures, is what makes London such a great place to visit.  The photos below probably come across as fairly ordinary without context, so sorry about that.

Christmas Day ratings

The top 10 most watched shows on Christmas Day makes for some tragic reading:

The King's Christmas Broadcast - don't care

Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special - you're having a laugh, nope

Doctor Who - stopped watching years ago

Ghosts Christmas Special - last one ever?  maybe the only one on this list worth watching

Call the Midwife - lame, never seen

Michael McIntyre's Christmas Wheel - not a chance in hell, I hate Michael McIntyre

EastEnders - 30+ years ago yes, now no

Toy Story 4 - I mean it's not bad, but it ain't a Christmas film and I've already seen it

The 1% Club - the only non-BBC one in the top 10, and it's just a bog standard quiz show

Tabby McTat - no clue, is this a kid's thing?

At least the godawful Mrs Brown's Boys didn't crack the top 10.  Though the fact that it still aired a Christmas special is criminal.  

Peter Pan Goes Wrong

Went to the theatre today:

And it was good family-friendly silly fun.  It's really a pantomime with a bit more physical comedy.  Kids will love it.  And if you haven't seen this on TV, adults will love it as well.  Unfortunately, I have seen the TV version of this.  And relatively recently (probably about a year ago), even though it came out back in 2016.  And also, unfortunately, the version from the theatre does not deviate from the TV version much at all.  So it felt like watching a repeat, where the familiarity made everything not quite so funny the second time around.  Still funny, but not really funny - and I didn't feel I was enjoying it as much as some of the other, and certainly younger, audience members.  But I like the kind of shows that Mischief make, so will happily watch more.        

TV Theme Tunes #61

One of the greatest theme tunes of all time.

 And the full version (which reached #1 in the charts!):

Boxing Day

... where playing memorable, enjoyable and competitive games of cards with relatives is something we always used to do, but sadly appears now to be a thing of the past.  It's the time of year where I think of and miss my grandpa the most, who was always the life and soul of these games.  I feel most sad for my mom, who I think really wants to relive this but cannot as there just isn't the same desire to do so in the modern iteration of our family now.  Which is a real shame. 

Merry Christmas

I'm stuffed.  Nothing beats a home-cooked traditional Christmas dinner.  Perhaps one day I'll be able to cook my own.  I need to start by seeing if I can cook myself a Sunday roast.  Improving my culinary skills is definitely something I'm going to add to my new year's resolution list.  Merry Christmas!    

Sainsbury's

Note to self - don't ever go to a supermarket on Christmas Eve.  The Godalming Sainsbury's was absolutely heaving at 10 am.  Even though the store supposedly only opened at 10 am.  I suspect that was a lie - and that the store in fact let people in before then.  I've never seen it so busy.  So busy in fact that the self-scanning system went down, causing even more queues at the checkout.  It's shocking to me that so many people left doing their Christmas food shopping, and indeed probably also their Christmas gift shopping, until this late.  At least I had an excuse since I only flew in yesterday.      

An Unexpected Upgrade

I'm back in the UK, and feeling a lot more rested after my 10 hour flight than I thought I would be.  And that's because, unexpectedly and for the first time in a very long time, I got an upgrade.  And flying in business class does make a world of difference.  You can chill out at the airport lounge rather than mingle with the riffraff.  You can help yourself to free food and drink in the lounge.  You get a LOT more space and a lot more privacy on the flight.  You get better quality food and drink, and better quality service on the flight.  Your seat reclines fully horizontally for a better chance of sleep.  And your checked baggage is given priority by being first on the carousel.  It's not all perfect.  The bathrooms in business class are just as bad as those in economy.  You still have to deal with screaming babies during the flight.  And, at least in Seattle, the lounge was so small and crowded that I actually ended up finding a quiet area in the main terminal in order to read my book.  I still don't think I'd shell out to pay for business class, but I certainly won't turn down an upgrade if they give me one.  And with the number of flights I've taken between Seattle and London, I should probably be able to use some of my accumulated points to get an upgrade.  

Long Day

It's going to be a long rest of the day.  The Seattle traffic to the airport looks horrendous.  The local news has already warned us that the airport is going to be crazy busy.  I see that my flight has already been delayed, which doesn't bode well (though the delay is more on the departure time than the arrival time, at least for the moment).  And I suspect the flight will be full of families with their noisy kids, or worse their noisy babies, going to the UK for Christmas.  For some reason, I'm particularly not looking forward to this flight.  I didn't sleep well last night, and I doubt I'll get some decent sleep during the flight.  I hope this isn't some kind of "Final Destination" type premonition.  And the package I'm expecting today hasn't arrived yet (tracking says it is going to arrive by 8 pm, which isn't much help).  

Christmas Cards

I think it's fair to say that Christmas cards are increasingly becoming a thing of the past.  At least in my experience, though I suspect I'm not the best person to judge.  I post less cards each year, and receive less in return.  And I've hardly ever exchanged cards with anyone in the US.  But this year has been something else.  I'm flying back to the UK tomorrow, and I haven't received a single card yet.  And I'm not going to lie, that makes me quite sad.  But I suspect I'll have a load of cards blocking up my mailbox when I return.  After all, it seems like the delivery services this year have been particularly bad.  I've ordered stuff that I was hoping to bring back with me to the UK, or that I don't want left outside my front door (or wherever they decide to leave it) for all the time that I'm away, that haven't been delivered yet - including a birthday/Christmas gift for my niece.  It's due to be delivered tomorrow and I need to leave around 2 pm to get to the airport and catch my flight - so my chances of getting it in time are on a knife edge.  

Free Lunch

It's over.  No more free lunches at work.  Today was the last one.  So yet another reason to not want to come into the office.  Even as they insist that we do.  And I hate that.  Mind you, the quality of the free lunch has deteriorated over time into the school canteen kind of lunch it was today - it's been clear that the budget had been slashed, and now it's gone altogether.  It's reflective of the general neglect of employee appreciation that my company has been guilty of over the last few years.  No swag, no end-of-year gifts, even as our company still makes loads of money.  We really should have something more substantial than just a video from our CEO thanking us for all our hard work.  Which was just insulting.  No wonder I've once again started to question my future here (though quiet quitting, as I'm doing, may be as far as I go).        

TV Theme Tunes #60

Another one of those shows that I hadn't thought about for ages until recently.  I remember this being on when I was growing up, but I don't remember anything about it.  But I happened to come across one of those "Where are the stars of xxx show now" articles recently on this one and it jogged my memory.  As an additional bonus, the theme was performed by none other than Dexy's Midnight Runners.

And the full version:

Fireworks

It's been a while - mainly because the Seattle Seahawks had lost 4 in a row - but heard some fireworks being set off tonight, despite the very wet weather, after the Seahawks won their Monday night game.  It was a big one - they had to win to keep alive their chances of making the playoffs, with a backup quarterback, and against the reigning NFC champions in the Philadelphia Eagles.  A good victory, but I suspect they still won't make the playoffs.  I think the last time I heard fireworks wasn't even from the Seahawks winning but when the Washington Huskies beat the Oregon Ducks to win their college football championship and finish the season undefeated and as the #2 seed in the country (which is a big deal, and they have a big game coming up on New Year's Day against Texas in the Sugar Bowl).  

Countdown

A week until Christmas - is that all?!  4 days of work.  2 days in the office.  5 days until I fly back.  I'm used to giving myself a bit more time back in the UK before Christmas, but not this time.  I think that's why things are feeling a bit more hectic this year.  And I don't even have kids to deal with.

Paywall

There is nothing more annoying than when you click on a story, you get a message saying you have reached your monthly article limit.  It seems to happen all the time on websites that I frequent quite a lot - for example like the Seattle Times for local news, and Vulture for pop culture.  Yes, I guess I could pay the money to access unlimited articles on either of these sites.  But I don't believe I should ever have to do that.  Perhaps it's this attitude that is killing journalism.  Or at least good journalism.  I'm sure there's probably ways to get round the paywall - and indeed, I opened an incognito window and was able to view the article I couldn't before.  I'll have to see if that works again in the future.     

Trail Cam Nov-Dec

Here are some of the better shots captured by my trail cam over the last month or so.  The usual suspects - a lot of squirrel and rabbit action, plus some bonus sightings.  Sadly some water got on the lens and ruined a lot of the shots. 

Over-reliance

Had a major panic attack today when I thought I'd lost my phone.  It's kind of tragic how much it freaked me out, and clearly a sign that I'm way too over-reliant on it.  In the end, discovered that it had slipped down one of the gaps between the seat cushions on my sofa.  Which should really have been one of the first places I looked.  Been thinking of ways I could've located it quicker.  I guess I could have called it, but I had it silenced - but I might have been able to at least detect the phone vibrating.  Lesson learnt - don't just throw down your phone willy-nilly on the sofa.   

Delivery Drivers

I think I'm at the point where anything I order has to be delivered to my office rather than to my home.  I am so frustrated with delivery drivers.  Whether it is their incapacity to stay on my driveway and leaving ugly tire marks on my grass (on one memorable occasion getting stuck in the grass when they tried to do a u-turn).  Whether it is leaving a package by my conservatory door (where this isn't cover) instead of undercover by my front door, meaning the package got soaked.  Whether it is leaving a package outside my neighbor's door instead of mine, and me looking like a package thief as I retrieve it.  Or - a new one that occurred today - where they couldn't even be bothered to go up my driveway and left the package at the bottom of it.  Which is open to the elements, isn't within eyesight of the house, and it's an absolute miracle that no one stole it as I'm sure anyone driving past could see it.  And this isn't just Amazon drivers, but FedEx and UPS are also guilty of these crimes.  Yep, I get that they might be busy and under a lot of pressure to get deliveries done during this festive period.  But there is no excuse for this sloppiness and lack of professionalism.           

TV Theme Tunes #59

Another Ronnie Hazlehurst classic.  From a sitcom that I'd like to rewatch as I think it's themes would really resonate now.

Banh Mi

It's a Christmas miracle!  I've found somewhere that does cheap sandwiches near my office.  Well, more specifically, cheap banh mis.  When the French colonized Vietnam, perhaps the only good thing they did was to introduce baguettes to the Vietnamese.  There's a bubble tea store that opened a few years ago just down the road from my office, but since it just sold tea it didn't hold any interest to me.  But I think it came under new ownership recently, and they've added some food options - specifically banh mis.  Had my first one today, and it was delicious - fresh, tasty and satisfying.  And, surprisingly for the area, relatively cheap.  Although the options are limited (a choice between beef, chicken and pork banh mi) - it might still become a regular spot to grab a lunch if I'm going to be in the office 3 times a week, especially if work stops offering any free meals (something they're threatening to do).      

TV Recommendations

Despite the writers' strike really decimating the TV schedule, there are a couple of great shows currently airing.  We have the 5th season of Fargo, which seems to be a return to form after a meh 4th season.  And then we have the new show The Curse - which is the very peak of cringe, in a very black comedy way.  I keep on saying I should cut the cord, and with another increase in my TV/internet bill coming next month then this might be the final push I need to do so.  Or not, I need to do the math(s) to see whether I would actually save money or not.  If I change my viewing patterns, I certainly could - though there would have to be sacrifices (e.g. live sports).         

Palace 1-2 Liverpool

Despite my increasing indifference to the Premier League,  I am officially worried about Palace now.  1 win in 9.  4 home defeats in a row.  Roy Hodgson inexplicably having a go at the fans.  A tough set of fixtures coming up, starting with Man City next week.  Recent losses to teams we should be beating, like Bournemouth, Luton and Everton.  A lot of injuries.  Today's Liverpool game was particularly frustrating because it was a game we should have won - before a stupid red card ruined things.  I'm circling the game against Brighton on the 21st as the key indicator of where Palace stand - a comfortable mid-table team, or a team that could get sucked into a relegation fight.       

Planet Earth III

I'm currently watching Planet Earth III.  I normally love these David Attenborough-narrated nature documentaries.  But for some reason, this one is not holding my attention in the same way that previous series did.  And I've been trying to work out the reasons.  Because the cinematography is as spectacular as it's ever been.  As good as it looks, maybe it's because the accompanying audio is so bad.  Clearly fake, and often takes away from what you're seeing on screen.  And it doesn't feel like I'm watching much new footage.  Perhaps I am, but it doesn't feel like it because I've seen so much similar stuff in the recent past.  But what I specifically don't like in Planet Earth III is the amount of time spent on humanity.  I watch these shows for the amazing footage of animals and nature.  I don't watch them to see humans destroying our planet.  Yes, this is important - but it's mighty depressing, and it's not what I'm here for.     

The Lion and The Eagle

The Royal Mint recently produced a coin to commemorate the bond between Britain and America:

You'd think this would be right up my alley.  A nice little memento to represent my own union (or, maybe more accurately, my own dichotomy!) between the two nations.  But there is one little issue making me reluctant to purchase it.  And that is... the design is pretty horrible.  I mean come on, is that the best image of a lion and a eagle that they could come up with?  It just looks basic and stupid.  So, nope... that's a hard pass.    

Welfare Check

We've had some serious rain recently.  So much so, that yesterday evening I got a welfare check from work.  Snohomish County - where I live - reported flooding in multiple locations, roads closed and water rescues.  However, I think this was mainly in the east of the county in the foothills of the mountains - which is a long way from where I live.  Nonetheless, I got a text message, an e-mail and a phone call from work to check in - basically I needed to reply to let them know whether I was affected by the flooding or not.  Which I wasn't, but good to know that they cared.  I don't remember ever getting one of these notifications before due to rain.  I think I've had one before when we had some particularly snowy and icy weather, but that's been it.  We're expecting another round of heavy rainfall on Saturday.  Yikes.  At least with this atmospheric river originating from the subtropics, it has felt much warmer.

TV Theme Tunes #58

"Ooh Betty!"  Fun fact, this is never actually said in the show.  Still, this is one of my all time favo(u)rites as a kid.  Maybe as an adult as well, though I haven't seen it for years.  Classic theme - though this particular version seems to have an entire non-whistling section that I don't recognize.  Another fun fact - the opening melody of the theme spells out the name of the show in Morse code.  Ronnie Hazlehurst was a genius.

Chromebook

It looks like I have to get a new Chromebook next year.  A message has popped up on it saying that I will no longer get automatic software or security updates from June 2024.  Apparently Chromebooks only receive 10 years of updates - but it feels like I haven't had this Chromebook for 10 years.  Whatever.  It's not a big deal - part of the reason for getting a Chromebook is that it is so much cheaper than a Windows laptop.  And I was thinking about getting a new one anyway.  But still, I don't particularly like having a set expiration date forced on me.  And a quick search on my Amazon order history does indeed reveal that I got this Chromebook in 2019.  So it seems even more outrageous that I will stop getting automatic updates after less than 5 years.  Big tech sucks.    

Sporcle

I've been doing a lot of music-related quizzes on Sporcle recently.  I've discovered a couple of things.  Despite owning and having watched loads of films, I am utterly useless at identifying movies from their theme.  I am even worse at knowing song titles.  And all the music from the 2010's onwards is absolute trash (but I didn't need an online quiz to know that last one). 

Fishing

This is what I encountered earlier this week on a frigid lunchtime walk around Lake Union:

Wind

After a week of high pressure and some cold, dry weather - we are about to be slammed by some intense fronts.  We are under a wind advisory tonight with gusts up to 50 mph expected.  Not so much worried about losing power - if that happens, it will hopefully be when I'm asleep - as I am about some of my outdoor Christmas lights coming down.  And with excessive rainfall, we are also under a flood watch.  That doesn't normally impact me directly, apart from some local street flooding.  But wet and windy weather is not exactly good motivation for getting out for some exercise.