20 Aggravating Tendencies of Gen X That Other Generations Don't Get

Saw this list of "20 Aggravating Tendencies of Gen X That Other Generations Don't Get"- which went into more detail but here are the headlines - completely agree with almost all of them:

- Preference for Physical Media

- Skepticism Towards "Influencer" Culture

- Reluctance to Mentor

- Over-Reliance on Irony

- The "Middle Child" Syndrome

- Obsession with 80s and 90s Pop Culture

- Skepticism of Technology

- Constant Comparison with Millennials

- Their Love for Cynicism

- Nostalgia Overload

- Reluctance to Embrace Change

- The Grunge Attitude

- Claiming to Be the Last "Free" Kids

- Dislike for Labels

- Their "Real Music" Argument

- Resistance to Social Media

- The "We Did It First" Mentality

- Overemphasis on Independence

- Disdain for Traditional Institutions

- Belief That They're the "Bridge" Generation 

Baked Beans

Note to self - don't go out for an afternoon walk after you've had beans on toast for lunch.  Particularly when it was quite a large can of baked beans that was possibly past it's best before date.  Made for a very uncomfortable, and very gassy, walk.  Though, apparently, "fart walks" are a real thing.   

Individual Development Plan

At work we are now required to complete an individual development plan as part of our goal-setting for the year.  In other words, yet another unnecessary change forced upon us and a complete waste of time.  One of the questions we have to answer is - what key development areas (top 1-2) can you identify that could hinder you from achieving your career goals?  I came up with a few possible answers - I'll let you guess which ones I actually used:

- Lack of ambition

- Cynicism

- Not being Chinese, or being able to speak Chinese

- Unwillingness to go outside my comfort zone

- Lack of enthusiasm

- Wariness over recent developments that will impact my job (e.g. outsourcing, A.I.)

- Working with incompetent or over-earnest colleagues

- A refusal to follow along with the herd mentality (particularly the Chinese herd mentality)

- Reluctance to take on direct reports

- Reaching a career ceiling since I don't have any direct reports

- Not taking development goal-setting seriously

Impulsive Purchase

It's probably (definitely) another unnecessary and frivolous purchase, but I've pre-ordered the "What's In The Box?" special edition release of Se7en.

However, a quick internet search reveals the same edition is MUCH cheaper on Amazon.co.uk compared to where I pre-ordered it on Amazon.com.  That's extremely annoying.  Mind you, the estimated release date on Amazon.co.uk appears to be December 2025, which is a ridiculously long way out.  The US release is due in just over a month's time.  Thought the fact that this is not the final artwork is a bit disconcerting.

TV Theme Tunes #84

A cartoon that I assume I must have watched on kid's telly when I was young, because although I don't remember anything about the actual cartoon the theme tune is strangely familiar.  

Limits

I buy plenty of James Bond-themed crap.  But I think this egg might be a bit too much even for my predilections:

Not even the lower priced locket can tempt me:

Lotteries

The Powerball jackpot has gone up to $865 million - next drawing is on Wednesday.  The Mega Millions jackpot has gone up to $1.1 billion - next drawing is tomorrow.  I've already bought a couple of tickets for tomorrow's drawing.  What ridiculous numbers.  Not just the huge jackpots, but the minuscule odds of actually winning. 

Law Enforcement

There are many, many things wrong with law enforcement in the US.  Off the top of my head, here are 3:

1. Under-funding

2. Gun laws

3. The militarization of the police force.  Which is the main reason for doing this post, so that I can include this photo I recently snapped.  Just a random police "tank" on the road.

 

I expect law and order to be a big topic in the lead up to the election.

Nothing

A strange day of doing nothing today.  I had woken up early in anticipation of hearing construction noise, and was all prepared to call the non-emergency line to make a noise complaint.  But, surprisingly, no noise materialized today.  Perhaps this was due to the wet and miserable weather.  That was my excuse for not going out today anyway.  And then I somehow frittered away the rest of the day.  Didn't even make a start on my tax return - something I have to complete before the mid-April deadline.  And something I hate doing - probably why I'm putting it off until the last possible moment.   

A New Cube

Finally moved desk today - I now have a corner cube on the top floor, one floor up from where I was.  Which is only the 3rd floor (2nd floor in UK terms), so not really that high up.  But the view is slightly better.  The actual move was exhausting - I thought Facilities were supposed to help with the move, but did they heck.  I ended up getting a cart and boxes and doing it myself, including swapping chairs in order to keep my old chair.  But because I've accumulated so much junk over the years, it took quite a few trips to move everything.  I've already discovered a few issues with the new space - one of the lights doesn't work (Facilities had better fix that), and I've got less storage space than I did before.  But all in all, I think it is an improvement from where I was before.  Here are my views now - facing south, and facing west.  Not exactly spectacular, but I get a lot more light now (not sure that is going to be a good thing on really sunny days).  Unfortunately an actual view of the Space Needle is hampered by a nearby building in the way.

Deadlines

Is it the weekend yet?  It's been another hectic and stressful week of work.  Multiple, overlapping deadlines and way too much work.  I'm fed up dealing with people who are either aggressively overenthusiastic and constantly bugging you (I HATE the introduction of instant messaging to the workplace), or people who are clearly under qualified and incompetent at their job (and, naturally, these are the people that get promoted over me).  Why can't I just quiet quit in peace...?  Unfortunately all this stress is affecting my health, as I have once again not been sleeping well recently.  And I haven't even had time to get out as much as I hoped - for example, cherry blossoms are currently at peak bloom and one of the best places to go is the University of Washington campus.  That is a long but doable lunchtime walk from the office, but I just haven't had the opportunity to make my way there this week.  I don't think the next few weeks are going to be any better either, so it might be time to take a strategic "mental health day" off soon.   

TV Theme Tunes #83

As I got older, I think I preferred this to Countdown.

Only Murders in the Building

Another TV recommendation - and almost the opposite to the brilliant Shogun.  Just finished binge-watching the first season of Only Murders in the Building.  And I enjoyed it.  Very watchable - charming, witty, light.  It's the kind of show I'd recommend to my mum - but I just looked it up and sadly it appears to be on Disney+ in the UK, so that won't be happening.     

Guests

For the last few days, been seeing the same 3 deer hanging around outside my house.  Initially they were scared of me, but now they've seen me a few times and I don't think they see me as a threat.  I can get close enough to almost pet them if I wanted.  Not that I would, because I dread to think how parasite-ridden they are.  It doesn't help that they look a bit scruffy, but I think that's because they're shedding their winter coat.

St Paddy's Day

 What did I do to celebrate St Patrick's Day today?

Nothing.  Well I guess that's not entirely true, I did watch most of a replay of Ireland vs Scotland in the rugby.  But over here, today is just an excuse for all these fake Irish-Americans to get plastered.  I think there is a parade in downtown Seattle, but I've never attended it.  I think on some level, I'm still suspicious of the amount of support (and financial backing) that Irish-Americans gave to the IRA during The Troubles. 

The Fifth One

A big recent acquisition - appropriate that it's an Irishman on the eve of St Patrick's Day.  And, as as bonus, won it in an eBay auction at a much lower price than I was prepared to pay - so an excellent investment as well.  Although somewhat soured by the fact that the actor was recently fined for going off trail at Yellowstone.  Tourist behavior like that is one of my pet peeves.

Pi Day

I forgot to mention that yesterday was Pi Day.  Yes, it's a real thing.  But only because stupid Americans don't know how to write dates correctly.  3/14.  Why would you put month before day.  It's nonsensical.

Pickleball

I always say to myself that when I retire, I will take up golf.  However, I'll be absolutely useless and so I'm not sure how much fun it will be.  Therefore, I have a backup plan.  When I retire, I will take up pickleball.  It is a stupid, stupid game - quite possibly the worst racket sport of them all.  Just the distinctly hollow, and loud, sound of the ball hitting the paddle makes me cringe.  However, it does seem to be very popular and, seemingly, the sport of choice for the elderly.  It is the sport that you normally see "mature" people playing in the far too many adverts for prescription medications on TV.  If I go for a walk round my neighborhood, it normally takes me pass some tennis courts that have been converted to pickleball courts.  And if I see anyone playing there, they're normally elderly.  And, from what I can tell, not very good.  I'm not bad at sports like table tennis, tennis, badminton and squash - which gives me confidence that I think I could become pretty good at pickleball.  Certainly a lot more so than golf - which I don't think I'll ever be good at.  I don't have a clue if pickleball is even a thing in the UK, but it is the official sport of the state of Washington.          

TV Theme Tunes #79 to #82

Some more sports themes:

 

Shogun

A big TV recommendation for the miniseries Shogun.  I wasn't sure whether a drama series set in 17th century Japan would work.  But 2 episodes in, and Shogun is awesome.  Epic in scale, high production values, samurais, political maneuverings and intrigue that reminds me of Game of Thrones at it's best - this is a high quality show.  No wonder the reviews have been so good.  Makes me want to find out more about Japanese history - something I know very little about.  This is the kind of show that you cannot be distracted by your phone whilst you're watching, it requires concentration and reading a lot of subtitles.  And I was heartened to find out that the series is also acclaimed in Japan - giving more authenticity to it's fictional story.  Check it out if you can.             

Self-Checkout

For the first time in a while, I went to Walmart over the weekend.  And I was surprised to find all the self-checkouts closed.  I had heard that this was a thing happening at some of the bigger retailers, but this was the first time encountering it.  Shoplifting must be a real problem if they're having to do this and sacrificing the enormous savings in labor cost from self-checkouts.  Do that many people really "accidentally" not scan all their items?  I confess to having "accidentally" scanned something for less than it was actually worth.  But that is just a very small drop in a very big ocean.  Surely in this day and age we have the technology to eliminate shoplifting.  I've never been to an Amazon Go store, but in those you don't have to check out at all.  If the big retailers can't or don't want to incorporate these kind of technologies, then perhaps they deserve to be the victims of shoplifting.  But then we all suffer when they use this as an excuse to drive up prices.  And apparently shoplifting is an endemic nowadays, because the cost of grocery shopping is outrageous.           

Daylight Savings Time

It feels too early in the year, but our clocks went forward this morning.  I have the same old complaints - why are we still doing this, why aren't we doing it at the same time as other countries, etc etc.  All I know is that with an hour less of sleep and with the timings of sunrise and sunset adjusted, I felt really messed up today and all out of sync.  It wasn't just daylight savings time that confused me today, I also had absolutely no idea it was Mother's Day in the UK until it was far too late - so sorry Mum for not speaking to you or getting you anything today!  Again, why Mother's Day has to be a different day in different countries I just don't know.     

AFL

I'm not going to dwell on Palace once again conceding late and dropping points.  A far too common occurrence this season.  Nope, let's celebrate the fact that this weekend one of my favorite sports - Aussie-Rules Football - started it's new season.  I really need to identify a team to start supporting - there's certainly clubs and specific players that I like and dislike, but not one that really stands out.  There's a few teams that have British-born players, even one that has a US player, but nope that doesn't feel like a good enough reason to support somebody.  I need something better.  Like attending an actual game in person, with the winner earning my fealty.     

Football

I thought I'd honor International Women's Day by writing a blog post about football.  Because there is a rather important game on over the weekend.  And no, I'm not talking about Liverpool vs Manchester City.  I'm talking about Palace vs Luton.  If we look at the Premier League table, that third relegation spot is still up for grabs.  At least Luton seem to be putting up a bit of a fight, even if their results don't always show it (the same cannot be said about Burnley or Sheffield United).  Which is why this weekend's game is so important.  If Palace win, I think I'm fairly confident that we will stay up.  However, if Luton win then we are in for a real relegation scrap between Luton, Palace, Forest, Everton, Brentford and Bournemouth for that final relegation spot.  The game is being shown live on telly here, so I might get up early to watch it.       

Fire

I am getting increasingly annoyed by the neighbor across the way.  The one that I complain about regularly.  It's the constant outdoor fires that are really bugging me at the moment.  For the last few days he's had a fire going most of the day and evening.  And he's apparently moved the fire pit or whatever he is using to burn whatever it is he is burning to the edge of his property - so it's right in my eye line when I look out of my kitchen window.  I do not want to see a fire every time I look outside.  I don't know what to do about this.  It's not like I can just go round and say something - I don't know these people, they're not exactly just next door, and I'm just far enough away so that their smoke doesn't bother me.  I had printed out a copy of a brochure which goes into the local laws regarding outdoor fires  - I'm fairly sure that they are breaking the law - and thought about posting it in their mailbox today.  But that is either too subtle or too passive aggressive. So I've been thinking about filing a complaint with the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.  I'll start by tracking the days when I see a fire.  Which should be fairly easy - it's basically every single day it's not raining.    

TV Theme Tunes #78

This week, a small acknowledgement to a show that is currently airing it's last season.  An instantly recognizable, and extremely "Jewish" (I'm sure there is a less offensive way to say that, but it's too late and I'm too tired to come up with something better), theme.

Super Tuesday

The results from Super Tuesday - when a number of American states (not Washington - ours is next week) make their nominations for the presidential election - are coming in with utter predictability.  Biden vs Trump - the election between two pensioners that nobody wants.  I think they need to rename today, because there's nothing super about American politics.  It makes me sick to the stomach.  I recently watched a documentary series about the Supreme Court - and it made me so angry seeing how a great institution became so politicized and divisive.  The Republican Party can be mostly blamed for that.  Which should come as no surprise based on their nominee and what they stand for nowadays.  Trump is a cancer to America, and it's shocking that there is a very real possibility he might become president again.  The lead up to the November election is going to be horrific - nasty and vitriolic.  And however the results go, do you think both sides are going to accept the outcome?  Not a chance.  The rest of the year is going to be rough.  The next 4 years could be really rough.         

Religiousness

I think I'm just going to state the facts on this little tidbit, rather than share an opinion.  But apparently Seattle is the least religious metropolitan area in the US.  With around 64% of adults never attending religious services.  That's higher than even places like San Francisco and New York.  As for Washington as whole, it ranked as the fifth least-religious state with 63% of adults never attending religious services.  That's behind the likes of Maine, Vermont, Oregon and New Hampshire.  Make of that what you will.       

Halo

Of all the TV series out there, and all the better TV series out there, for some reason I'm currently binge watching the sci-fi series Halo.  A strange choice, since it is based on a video game that I've never played and don't know anything about.  It's a series that I have absolutely no idea how many people watch, or whether people like.  I'm certainly not aware of any buzz regarding the show.  I just finished Season 1, and I thought it was pretty good.  Maybe not peak sci-fi, but quite watchable.  Only in the last episode of Season 1 did it really look and feel like a video game.  Next up, Season 2.  

Darts

Just a quick observation, one that I'm sure many other people have already made (particularly at the time of the World Darts Championship over the Christmas period), but there is no way in hell that Luke Littler, the new darts prodigy, is 17 years old (16 when he made the final).  He looks way older - like 15+ years older, minimum.  I guess darts is one of those rare "sports" which will cause premature aging if you've played it since you were a toddler.  But it should still be in the Olympics.  I've thought about getting a dartboard for a while now, but have no idea where I'd hang it.  Not that I have ever, or would ever, be any good at darts.  The only form of darts that I had any degree of competency at was the Jocky Wilson game on my ZX Spectrum.  Where, with uncanny realism, you had to aim darts at the dartboard as your hand drunkenly swayed all over the place.  Classic.     

James Bond Jigsaws

I've been relieving my recent stress with work by doing some jigsaws that I've had for a little while.  And not just any old jigsaws, but these are higher quality James Bond jigsaws.  Quite rare (I don't see them for sale any more) and quite well made.  Not difficult to put together, they don't take long with only about 250 pieces, but as you can tell they look good and have some fancy pieces related to the film or the franchise.  These are the kind of jigsaws that I would like to get framed.