Light Rail

The light rail service that serves a couple of the neighborhoods north of Seattle - nowhere even close to walking distance of where I live, but within easy driving distance - officially opened this weekend.  I didn't attend the opening festival, which was weirdly on a Friday rather than a Saturday.  And although I've been critical of the disruption caused by the construction of this line, I'm glad it's open.  I'm not exactly going to be a frequent user of the service, but I think I might occasionally use it to go into downtown.  But that crucially depends on the availability of parking.  I've no idea how big the lots are, or how expensive they are.  Indeed, I've got no idea if the travel card that I get through work works on this light rail service.  I think I will have to test this all out one weekend soon.      

Alone

I was watching the season finale of Alone last night (my favo(u)rite survival competition series), and I was struck by how few survival skills I possess.  Let's be honest, I have absolutely zero survival skills.  I've never fished, hunted or foraged for anything in my life.  I wouldn't be able to build a shelter, I wouldn't know how to prepare and cook a fish, bird or animal (not that I would ever be able to catch one) and I doubt I'd even be able to start a fire.  I think the mental part of the game, the actual alone bit of the show "Alone" which seems to cause a lot of contestants the most trouble, is the only part that I would be good at.  After all, I've had plenty of practice being alone for most of my adult life  - and I would really, REALLY, welcome spending time somewhere in the middle of nowhere.  In my current mood, the prospect of spending a day and night not being disturbed by the sound of another human being would be a blessing.  In fact, it's made me want to find some isolated wooden cabin on Airbnb that I could spend a weekend at.      

DVR

This summer has been an absolute disaster when it comes to my attempt to clear my DVR.  Instead it's over 50% full and I've somehow accumulated over 55 recordings of various TV shows, films and documentaries that I need to get through.  The recordings date from about April this year up to last weekend.  However, I haven't given up getting through them all quite quickly.  With the decline of non-streaming TV, there are very few new shows getting added to my DVR - certainly nothing from network TV, with it's endless and mindless quiz shows.  So with nothing else to watch in the evenings, aided by a concerted effort to cut down on the amount of football I watch this season, it shouldn't take me long to get through the recordings.  However, my track record is hardly inspiring - my attempts to watch all the Sopranos episodes or all the Bond films have sadly stalled.      

iPhone

It's time I got a new iPhone.  I've currently got an iPhone 11, which is nearly 5 years old now.  The new iPhones have better cameras, better performance and, perhaps most significantly, use 5G - something which the iPhone 11 does not.  The problem is - it's so expensive.  An unlocked iPhone 15 is going to cost me at least $830.  Plus tax.  Plus all the accessories you need to get (like a case).  It all adds up, and it's ridiculous.  Do I take the chance on paying less for a refurbished phone?  I probably won't risk it.  I believe that because I, theoretically, use my phone for work then my company will pay me something like $200 towards a phone.  But naturally this little benefit was impossible to find on the company internal website - I guess they don't want to freely advertise it.  I need to do more digging.            

End of Summer

Are we already at the point where there won't be any sunsets after 8 pm for the rest of the year?  It feels like this summer has passed really quickly.  I've hardly done any evening walks, which feels like a wasted opportunity.  The last week or so has felt more like "fall" weather - in fact a number of cold temperature records for August have been broken all along the west coast recently.  However, it's looking like the upcoming Labor Day weekend (which is our bank holiday weekend) is going to be a sunny one.        

Is it the weekend yet?

I hate Mondays (no bank holiday for us).

Spiders

I don't know whether it's due to the very wet weather we've had recently, whether it's just that time of year, or whether it's just coincidence - but I've been encountering a lot of spiders in my home over the last few days.  And these are not just small ones, but big enough to give you the creeps.  Enough to leave a big mess when you squash them (ideally I will just use my Dyson on them, but sometimes that just isn't convenient).   

Palace 0-2 West Ham

Well, it's only taken 2 games but my preseason optimism for Palace has already disappeared.  2 games, 2 defeats.  Yikes.  And I don't like seeing some more players being sold this week - especially a key defender.  All this transfer money had better be used to strengthen the squad.  I don't like the apparent lack of ambition being shown by the club, especially after such a successful end to last season.          

Big Train

Rediscovered this hilarious sketch from the sadly underrated show Big Train.  Just as funny as I found it when it originally aired over 25 year ago (!).

There is a YouTube video of all the highlights from the 43rd World Stare Out Championships here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkI85Kt10e4.  The comments are also worth checking out.

Amazon Prime

I've been paying for Amazon Prime for quite some time - mostly for the shipping benefits and for streaming Prime Video (currently enjoying The Boys).  But there are other benefits that I really should make better use of.  For example, I should try out Amazon Music to see if it is any good for listening to music and podcasts.  If I were more into video games, then I would probably check out Prime Gaming.  I don't own a Kindle, so I haven't checked out Prime Reading.  And I should definitely use Amazon Photos, which offers unlimited photo storage. This post is not supposed to be an advert for Amazon - there are many, many justifiable reasons to hate Amazon - more just a reflection on the fact that I am paying all this money on Prime membership and annoyingly not making the most of all the free services that the membership offers.      

Triumph

I saw this cap for sale:

Not really of interest, but there was something I noticed that I simply can't get over.  And that is that Triumph is just a little too close to Trump.  So it looks like James Bond is endorsing Trump for president.  Oh dear.

Predictable

In entirely predictable fashion, I heard today that my cube neighbor has been offered another cube but doesn't want to move.  Not happy about this, but not surprised either.  The cube being offered isn't a downgrade either, so no excuse.  She left me a few cookies on my desk to apologize for the noise she has been making, but that hardly makes up for her presence.  I've already been forced to adjust my schedule in the hope of avoiding her - for example, I came into the office today instead of yesterday.  The next time she is in the office when I am, I'm going to see if I can guilt trip her to move.  If that doesn't work, then I'll have to consider my options.  Certainly, I can and will schedule which days I come into work to best avoid her (in the hope that she keeps to a regular schedule, which I'm not sure she does).  Otherwise, I might have to consider moving cubes myself.  And that will definitely be a downgrade, which is why I'm reluctant to do so.  But perhaps that is the sacrifice I need to make in order to get the peace and quiet I seek.      

Feeling Old

Today felt like more of a day of commiseration rather than a day of celebration.  I don't care for getting older.  Or, perhaps more pertinently, I don't care for feeling older.  Which is why I don't really celebrate my birthday.  I didn't even treat myself to a birthday present this year (though I do have my eye on the Jaws Lego set!).    

Storms

We had some stormy weather over the weekend.  A front came in yesterday evening, accompanied by heavy rain and a load of thunder and lightning.  Made for a very dramatic night.  It had cleared up this morning, so I assume we were back to normal summer weather.  So I took the opportunity to wash my car this afternoon.  So I was somewhat surprised - more so as there was absolutely no indication that this was going to happen on the weather app - that another stormy front rolled in.  It was brief, but accompanied by heavy rain and some really strong winds.  Like strong enough that I could actually hear tree limbs snapping nearby.  The problem was that I'd taken my car out of my carport and onto my driveway in order to wash it.  By the time this front was finished, my car was covered with tree debris - so I guess my car is going to need another clean.... 

Junk Mail

Apparently I'm so old now that today I received unsolicited mail for a walk-in tub.  Yes, the kind of bathroom fixture that only the really elderly need.  I'm not quite in need of a bath featuring a seat yet.  I'm also, apparently, French - as the letter was addressed to Christophe.  I dread to think what other kinds of junk mail I can look forward to next...   

Premier League Predictions

It didn't seem like we had that long of a break - I guess we've only had the Euros and Olympics to pass the time - but here we are at the start of a new season.  The usual predictions - Man City will win the title and the teams that came up will go down.  And quietly optimistic about Palace this season.  We've only sold one of our star players.  So far.  So hopefully Glasner can continue his impressive start and we can carry over some of our form from the end of last season - though I fear that may be asking too much.  But we should be comfortably mid-table - and hopefully pushing for an even higher finish than our 10th last year, which would be impressive.      

Motorized Pants

Generally, I don't care for new technology - I am something of a Luddite, and think most new technology does more harm than good to society.  AI particularly scares me.  However, there are some new technologies that I can get behind.  I read an article today about some motorized pants that will help with hiking.  These are contraptions that you attach to your trousers that provide more leg power.  I approve.  There are a ton of hikes in the Pacific Northwest that I would love to do but won't even consider because they involve too much elevation change - my Achilles heel.  If these motorized pants work as effectively as they claim, then that opens up all kinds of new hiking possibilities.  It won't be long until we are all wearing exoskeletons of some kind and have turned into cyborgs.  If AI hasn't killed all of us before then.   

Perseid Meteor Shower

The Perseid meteor shower peaked a few days ago, but we've had a few cloudy nights recently.  But it looks clear tonight, so I think I'm going to head outside soon (I'm writing this about 10.30 pm) and hopefully I can see some shooting stars.  Knowing my luck, all that will probably happen is that I'll get loads more insect bites...!

Dealing with Stress

I'm having a rather tough time of things at the moment.  I'm quite stressed with work, and the stress is manifesting itself in various ways.  I'm not eating or exercising as well as I should.  And I'm also very irritable at the moment - and I'm letting things bother me that really shouldn't bother me as much as they do.  Particularly, which is also normal for me when I'm stressed, is noise.  I'm bothered at home by the occasional noise from the neighbors who work on their loud off-road vehicles.  Or I'm bothered at work by the occasional noise from my cubicle neighbor.  I really need to chill out.  And I really need to spend less time at home and more time in the outdoors.  With my birthday coming up, I think I'm also on some level stressed out about getting older.  I know there has been a lot of negativity in my blog posts recently so I'll do my best to keep them more positive - but it might be a struggle!   

Mini Golf

Inexplicably, I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos of people playing mini golf.  And it's made me really want to play a round - it's been a while.  But I don't think I've ever played mini golf in the Seattle area.  And I'm not even sure where there are any courses.  I know there is a chain called the Flatstick Pub that has an indoor course, and a quick Google search reveals there are several other places nearby.  But none I've ever been to.  It might be time to change that soon. 

Failure

I tried installing one of those Lego light kits on one of my models today.  It was an abject failure.  The light kit was too small and too fiddly for my clumsy mitts.  And it was seemingly impossible to thread the wires through some of the gaps indicated in the instructions.  And even when you did, it looked weird and loosened some of the bricks.  So in the end I gave up.  What a waste of time and money.  I don't know whether I'll try one of these kits again.  All I know is that I need to rebuild the model because of the damage I did pulling apart the bricks trying to force in these stupid wires and lights and stuff.     

Breaking

I caught some highlights of "breaking" today - perhaps the most ridiculous and stupid "sport" I've ever seen.  I hope it's one and done in the Olympics.  Made me think of this:

Cubicle Hell

I'm in an absolutely foul mood today.  For the second time this week, I went into the office and promptly headed home after only a few hours.  It's not that I wanted to, I actually have quite a lot of work to do and was hoping to stay late in the office to get stuff done.  No, it's the person in the cubicle next to me who is really getting on my nerves.  It's not like they're doing anything wrong, but everything they do - whether it's typing away loudly on their keyboard, speaking Chinese on a call or asking to lower the window blinds on my side - were incredibly annoying.  I couldn't handle it - I had to first walk away from my desk, and finally just go home early.  It's especially grating on Friday, where literally nobody else is in the office apart from her right next to me.  I purposely come in on Fridays to get that peace and quiet - but now I don't have it, and I was so pissed.  I have made a few people aware of my frustrations, with the hope that maybe she can move (or be moved) to a different desk.  I'm not optimistic, but something has got to change.  Even if that means changing my schedule of when I go into the office, just to avoid her.  It's really sad that it's come to this.  Maybe I'm a bit oversensitive and a bit of an ass about the situation - but if you're going to make me come into the office, then you better make damn sure that the work environment is conducive to getting work done.  

Cowabunga

Went on a lunchtime walk around Lake Union yesterday.  On a sunny day, you can sometimes see into the water quite well - and so I was on the lookout for fish.  Imagine my surprise when I saw this instead:

This is, according to the internet, probably a painted turtle.  And, apparently, they are quite common in the waters here.  I have seen some before basking on a log in Green Lake, just north of Lake Union, but this is the first time seeing them here - on a walk that I've probably done hundreds of times.  Kind of cool.

Dune: Part Two

I rewatched Dune (or Dune: Part One) yesterday in anticipation of watching Dune: Part Two today.  And as much as I liked Part One, I maybe liked Part Two even better.  And I'm sure that I'm going to rewatch Part Two before I watch Dune: Part Three in a few years time, since it seems inevitable that we need a third film.  And although the whole worm-riding thing is kind of ridiculous, the cinematography in Part Two is amazing.  This is movie-making at it's finest - every aspect of this film screams of quality.  The desert planet of Arrakis, where most of the film takes place, is stunningly realistic.  And what was already a stacked cast added even more big names to the mix (I had no idea Christopher Walken was in this film!).  This is up there as one of the best science fiction films ever - and Denis Villeneuve should be more widely recognized as one of the best directors out there.  4 out of 5.     

US Olympics TV Coverage

The perfect example of why the Olympics coverage on US TV absolutely blows.  In the hope of watching some athletics today, this is what I tuned into:

Yep, that is some multiple gold-medal winning US swimmer making a cringeworthy appearance on Sesame Street.  And this was on during the live show.  It's the kind of thing that I would expect during the absolutely awful and bloated primetime highlights show every evening - where only the US athletes, and only the US medal-winning athletes at that, get featured.  And in a LOT of detail.  Good luck seeing highlights of any non-US winners.

YouTube Ads

It seems like every other advert on YouTube is one for Kamala Harris.  It's beyond annoying, almost enough to make me want her to lose the election.  Almost. 

More Olympics Thoughts

I see that the golf and tennis Olympic medals were decided this weekend.  I can't say I care for including sports in the Olympics where the athletes competing and winning the medals already earn millions of dollars/pounds in money.  I know that we are a long way from only having amateurs compete in the Olympics, but this takes the biscuit.  These sports and competitors don't need their profiles raised, and unduly take attention away from the sports and athletes that better deserve it.  So I don't care for golf, tennis, basketball and football as Olympic sports - at least in their current form.  For example in much the same way that Rugby sevens is an Olympic sport, why don't we have five-a-side football instead?  

Insects

I hate insects.  At some point in the last few days, I have got absolutely ravaged by insect bites.  I've got them on my feet, my legs, and even my chest.  It only takes one insect to do all this damage, so I suspect one was in my bedroom when I slept on top of my duvet the other night.  And obviously my diabetic blood is like crack to insects with it's high sugar level.  To make it worse, I can't stop scratching the bites - making them even more inflamed.  I hate hot weather.     

Seafair

It's Seafair this weekend in Seattle, which meant spending most of my afternoon on the roof deck of my office watching Blue Angels and other jets flying around.  Though the best views are over Lake Washington, we still get to see some of the action for free from our office.  Though there didn't seem to be as much action as in year's past.  Perhaps they've adjusted their flight paths, or perhaps someone has finally realized that Seafair is an inordinate waste of time and money (I've never tried to brave the traffic and lack of parking to go to one of the lakeside viewing spots, or spent an inordinate amount of money for a reserved seat or boat cruise to view the show).  Indeed, a quick Google search indicates that they've moved the show further SE on the lake, which is a real shame.  I wasn't alert enough to get any good photos.

More Trail Cam

A few more photos from my trail camera from last week.  Excuse the strange angle - I noticed yesterday that one of my camera "legs" has somehow snapped off, continuing a theme of things of mine breaking for no discernible reason, so I've got to improvise a fix.