Flat Battery

A surprisingly dry New Year's Eve.  Since it's dry, it's also cold.  And that might be the cause of a problem I encountered today.  My car has a flat battery.  And it kind of ruined my day.  Not that I had big plans to see in the new year today.  But I did at least hope to pop to the shops this morning  And despite getting two jump starts today - one from my landlord's stepson, after which I stupidly turned off the engine and couldn't restart it, later I got another jump start from my landlord.  But then he noticed that one of my battery connections was loose, and so dealt with that - which did seem to help, since I was able to restart my engine when I tried after that.  I've ordered a battery charger from Amazon, which isn't due to arrive until this evening.  I guess I could've taken my car out for a long drive today to help charge up the battery, but I'll just try using the battery charger tomorrow instead.  But now I'm nervous to go out at all in case something is wrong with my battery and I end up stuck somewhere.  But ultimately I blame working from home, which has meant that I have mostly only taken out my car for very short journeys recently - which is not good for car battery health.

Hope you have a better start to the new year than me!  

Documentaries

I've been watching quite a few feature-length documentaries recently, and they've all made me either very angry or very sad.  Perhaps that's the point.  They include one on the industry that has grown up around school shootings and active shooters.  The fact that this is even a thing is tragic.  Another one was on the cover up of migrant murders committed by Border Control.  This was perhaps the most pertinent one to watch when you think about the many likely human rights atrocities currently being carried out by ICE.  And then I most recently watched a documentary on John and Yoko.  I cannot say whether Yoko caused the Beatles to split up or John to be assassinated, but what I can say is that the talent in that partnership was entirely one-sided - Yoko sucks as an artist, and as an unwelcome presence in everything John was doing, in every conceivable way.  

Tree

I want to get a new artificial Christmas tree.  My current one is "flocked" (which I think is an Americanism for frosted or snowy) - meaning that your clothes and carpet get absolutely covered with bits whenever you put together or take down the tree.  Never again.  I also want to get a slimmer tree so that I can fit it in a different space in my living room.  So I went to some big box stores today to see if I could find any artificial trees for sale.  Did I see any?  Did I heck.  Places like Walmart had already replaced their Christmas stuff with Valentine's Day stuff, and I didn't see anything in the hardware stores.  Did I leave it too late?  It's only a few days after Christmas - but I already feel like I missed out.  I wonder if I should've looked on Boxing Day for Christmas stuff on sale.  The obvious alternative is to get one online - but I really wanted to see what they looked like in person.  So I guess I'll probably wait until next year now, and miss out on the cheapest prices.      

Bobcats

Whilst watching football (soccer) yesterday, I glanced out of my back door because a flash of white had caught my attention.  And I was surprised to see not one but two bobcats.  Which was kind of cool.  And unexpected, because I thought they were solitary creatures.  They quickly disappeared into the undergrowth, so absolutely no chance of snapping a quick photo.  And I haven't checked my trail cam yet, but I'm not sure it would have captured them.  I've only ever seen one of them before in person or on the trail cam, so great to know that there are two.  If they're a couple, it would be really cool to capture some photos of cubs.  I looked it up, and apparently it is bobcat mating season...

Streak Snapped

Catch.  Nope.  Watch.  Nope.  Patch.  Nope.  Match.  Nope.  89 game Wordle streak snapped.  Yep.

😠

Alarm

In a classic sitcom-like scenario, I've been bothered by a beeping smoke alarm recently.  It doesn't happen all the time, and it hasn't been easy to pinpoint the source of the noise.  Because I've been binge-watching a lot of The Pitt recently (looking forward to the 2nd season coming next month), for a long time I thought the beeping sound was actually coming from medical equipment in the show.  But nope, I do have a smoke alarm low on battery (though I could've sworn I changed the batteries on all my alarms recently - how quickly do they get used up?!).  And, predictably, I finally identified it as the least accessible smoke alarm making the noise.  The alarm is actually located on the roof ceiling, and I have to access it via a ladder and a loft space that I don't use because it's so difficult to access.  What an absolute pain in the ass.  I changed the battery, but since this was an alarm that I could unscrew from its base on the ceiling - I've left the alarm somewhere a lot more accessible for the next time.    

Merry Christmas!

A - belated by the time you read this - Merry Christmas to all!  It was a painful one for me.  Sometime on Christmas Eve, I somehow managed to strain a chest muscle.  What did this mean?  It was painful to sit down - whether it be a sofa, a dining chair, or a toilet.  And it was especially painful to lie down.  So I hardly got any sleep last night.  The slightest movement in bed resulted in a wave of pain engulfing me.  I'm feeling a bit better today - but things were definitely a bit off.  Whether that was dozing off in front of the TV (not that there was anything good, or new, on American TV), or not having my Christmas meal until the evening.  But it was probably because I missed spending Christmas back in the UK.      

A British Christmas Tradition?

I watched a YouTube video of British Christmas traditions that are not familiar with Americans.  They were mostly ones I was expecting - think Christmas crackers, the Queen's Christmas speech (I say Queen's, because that's the only one I've ever watched) and Boxing Day - but there was one that was totally alien to me.  One I'd never heard of before and certainly not one I've ever participated in.  Apparently, instead of posting their letters to "Father Christmas" (note, a nomenclature that Americans do NOT use) British children supposedly burn their letters in the fire so that the ashes can make their way to Santa.  What?  Really?  That is bizarre.  Is this a Northern thing?  Or just an old tradition?  Perhaps this was just because I grew up in a house without a real fireplace.  But still, I would have expected to have some familiarity with this tradition or have encountered it in some way before.  Nope.  Weird.        

Delivery Fails

In a totally avoidable situation, I've been getting a neighbo(u)r's packages delivered to me.  Which makes me nervous that they could get packages meant for me.  I managed to intercept the delivery driver last night, but previously I had to carry the package over to the neighbor myself the next day.  The problem is that our house numbers are so similar, 2109 vs 2209.  And that there are a lot of inexperienced and useless delivery drivers at this time of year - and delivering in the dark, where house numbers are not so easy to see.  But the most frustrating thing is that our house numbers didn't need to be so similar - the other one is a new house (or, more specifically, a garage/workspace that has been converted into a mini-home), so presumably they could have given it a number that didn't end in 09.  Stupid.

Winding Down for Christmas

I'm clearly winding down for the Christmas break from work.  I've been unable to do any constructive work  both Friday and today.  I'm just not in the right frame of mind.  And it's a problem because I have so much to do.  January looks like it's going to be an absolute nightmare.  I've got competing deadlines on two different projects I'm working on (both of which are "high priority", not helpful) - which means I've got to multitask, not something I like to do at the best of times.  And despite my protestations, I've been unable to delegate a lot of the work I need to do.  So it looks like I've simply got to buckle down and get through it as best as I can.  Which is not easy when I'm so utterly deflated and unmotivated by my job.  I think I'm supposed to be back at work on Friday 2 January - but it seems stupid to go back to work on a Friday after a week break, so I suspect I'm going to take a "sick day" then.  I need all the time off I can get now, because I envisage long hours and a lot of stress over the rest of the month.  Not how I want to start the new year...     

Home Alone 2

 Home Alone 2 - the Epstein files version.

Or is this it?

The unedited version:

A Lego Fail

I have a Christmas Lego set that involves building 24 different mini models each day.  But the set only consists of a limited number of Lego pieces, so every day you have to take apart the previous day's model before building the next one because it might use some of the same pieces.  I've had this set for quite a few years (maybe 10 years?), and with all the building and breaking up of models these Lego pieces have undergone more than normal wear and tear.  So it comes as no surprise that they've started breaking.  And tragedy struck today, when I discovered 2 of the same piece cracked:

Now I've got a container of spare pieces that I've accumulated over the years, but I don't have 2 "eyes".  I've submitted a request with Lego for some replacement pieces, but I have no idea if or when they will hono(u)r that (it's a free service).  I'm sure there are other places where I can overpay for some replacement parts, but hopefully I don't need to use this part in the remaining 4 models this year.

LA Rams 37-38 (Final/OT) Seattle Seahawks

Well, I missed watching "the greatest Thursday night game in NFL history" last night.  (Don't get me started on how I feel about Thursday night games...).  Seattle eventually prevailed in overtime in a crazy game.  Coming back from 16 down in the 4th quarter (having previously gone 0-155 trailing by that much that late in the game!), and featuring multiple successful 2-point conversions - including the one they gambled on to win the game in overtime.  It's the first time this season I heard fireworks outside after they had won a game.  And it was more than one household setting them off last night.  It means that Seattle are now 12-3 with 2 games left, and have taken over the desirable #1 seed in the NFC from the LA Rams (this was a heavyweight match up).  I remain unconvinced they are the best team in the league and will win the Superbowl - the stats certainly suggest they shouldn't have won last night, and their quarterback has an alarming tendency to turnover the ball - but they are doing a hell of a lot better than I thought they would.  They've still got an away game against another playoff chasing team in the San Francisco 49ers to come, so their final seeding is far from certain - though, at a minimum, they have at least guaranteed themselves a playoff spot with victory last night.     

Bah Humbug

Apparently Trump gave a prime-time address to the nation yesterday.  I didn't even know.  Not that I would have watched it even if I had known.  Because you know all he would do is spout the same old BS he always does.  It's a classic case of the boy who cried wolf - he lies so much that nothing he says is believable.  And by all accounts, it was a total waste of time - I saw it described as "perhaps the most pointless primetime presidential address ever delivered in American history".  Yep, that seems apt. 

Cricket

It's a good job I'm not a cricket fan, because following how England are doing in The Ashes doesn't look like it's fun.  And it seems like the technology they are using in cricket is even worse than VAR.  I don't know what is going on with cricket over here.  I read somewhere that US Cricket has filed for bankruptcy, which doesn't sound promising.  And Major League Cricket seems like it was a bust - I haven't heard anything about it since it was announced a few years ago.  Without looking it up, I couldn't tell you whether it is even still a thing.  I thought they were going to host games in Seattle, but I've heard diddly squat about that since.  It certainly didn't help that it was (is?) broadcast on an extremely niche subscription channel.  Nope, it seems America is never going to embrace cricket - even though I can see that certain forms of the game should appeal to an American audience (and perhaps just as importantly, with natural breaks in the game, the American advertisers).  

Winter Olympics

It's not that long until the Winter Olympics, and I've started seeing adverts for it on NBC and it's affiliates.  The weird thing is that the ads feature an attractive British woman talking up some of the American athletes.  That doesn't seem particularly patriotic.  I had no idea who this woman was - I assumed some model, but I had to look it up.  Apparently it is Dua Lipa.  Someone whose name I recognize but who I don't know anything else about.  Certainly not what she looked like.  I thought she was a singer - but I couldn't tell you any of her songs or whether I've heard them.  I really do sound like an old man.  But yes, I'm not entirely sure why they couldn't find an American to be the face of Team USA.  

Backyard wildlife update

Some recent photos from my trail camera below.  A surprising amount of raccoon action.  I've been outside a few times recently and sensed/heard animals out there but I couldn't see them - I'm now suspecting they might be raccoons.  I need to be a bit more wary, because they can attack humans. 

The End Continues

I finally got round to watching Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues yesterday evening.  And, much as feared, it is a shadow of its predecessor.  It had a few laugh out loud moments, but sadly only a few.  I don't quite know why it didn't work - maybe it is as simple as the fact that 40 years ago the mockumentary style was groundbreaking and original, but now it isn't.  Maybe the humo(u)r doesn't work so well now the characters are older, and the music industry has changed.  Maybe it's trying too hard to put a new spin on the same jokes as the original.  Maybe it's just not a particularly well made film.  I certainly didn't care for the overabundance of celebrity cameos.  I'm giving it 2 out of 5, and that's mainly from nostalgia for the original.     

First Light

Not sure that I've posted this trailer before:

Obviously I've already pre-ordered the game.  But, dare I say, I'm not sure it's actually going to be any good.  Just over 3 months until I find out.

World Cup Tickets, Another Update

The third phase of ticket sales for the World Cup started a few days ago, and despite the justifiable backlash over ticket prices I have applied for tickets for both of the knockout games being held in Seattle.  In each case, I applied for the cheapest tickets I could - which for the round of 32 match was $200, and for the round of 16 match was $270.  Yes, that's the price for the cheapest tickets.  Sigh.  And when you find out that there were 5 million ticket requests in the first 24 hours that this phase was open, and that applications are open for another month before they make the random draw to see who has secured tickets, I think my chances of actually getting seats are slim to none.  No big deal - even if I win, there is a reasonable chance that the US could end up playing in one of these knockout games if they win their group - in which case I could probably resell the ticket for a considerable profit.  The group games being held in Seattle are Belgium vs Egypt (probably the most attractive group game in Seattle, but not attractive enough to buy a ticket for - at least not yet, since the price may come down closer to the game), USA vs Australia (not of interest to me, so I'm going to leave to the US fans), Italy (probably) vs Qatar (if this ends up being Wales or Northern Ireland instead of Italy, I might try to get tickets for this game), and Egypt vs Iran (a game which has already courted controversy because it is being held during Pride weekend in Seattle, and so has been designated a "Pride match" - despite homosexuality being illegal in both Egypt and Iran).  I didn't even consider applying for tickets for any England games - none of the group games are being held on the West Coast, and when you factor in inflated travel and accommodation costs on top of the inflated ticket prices then it's just not worth it.  The World Cup hasn't even started yet, and I'm already growing weary of it.       

Snoqualmie Falls

With the amount of rain we've been getting, the Snoqualmie falls are looking insane right now:

I was thinking about going over there to check the falls out for myself, but apparently it's not recommended to visit there right now with the rising water levels, road closures and major threat of landslides.  Which is a shame.  It's not a good sign when a statewide emergency has been declared and about 100,000 people have been told to evacuate their homes due to the risk of flooding.  Thankfully I don't live near any river or on a floodplain.   

Impossible

I was wondering if we could have a day's news cycle that didn't feature Trump.  Just one day.  I'm not asking for much.  It's just so incessant.  And profoundly depressing.  And utterly intentional.  

Rain

When I open up my weather app, I see that I'm currently under 9 severe weather alerts.  Yikes.  But it is a bit misleading because 5 of them are river flood warnings that don't really impact me directly.  There is also one about the increased threat of landslides, a wind advisory, a general flood watch and a small craft advisory.  Not a nice time of year weather-wise.  At least it isn't cold!  Lots of heavy rainfall and serious flooding in Western Washington - the rainfall totals in the mountains are huge (we are talking about places getting 15 inches of rain over just a few days).  We currently have a long atmospheric river pointing directly at us, which originates near the Philippines.  Crazy.       

Tinsel Icicles

I learnt something new today.  The name of the silvery strands that you used to hang on Christmas tree branches.  They are called lametta.  Apparently.  I don't think I knew that.  Or at least I don't remember knowing it.  They are also known as tinsel icicles here.  I was feeling nostalgic, and I remember that they used to adorn the family Christmas tree growing up - but I haven't seen them for ages now.  But apparently some people still use them because you can readily get them on Amazon.  It's funny how the mind works.  The images on the internet of Christmas trees covered with "lametta" don't look great, but I remember really liking how they looked on the family tree.  Christmas was always the best time of year, so perhaps I just associate them with these good memories.  Even now, I still wish I could wake up to a big sack of gifts on Christmas morning.               

Fulham 1-2 Palace

Dare I dream?  It's December, and we're in a Champions League spot.  Nope, I'm too cynical.  Do I think we will finish in the top 4?  No.  Do I think we will hold on to our best players?  No.  Do I think we will hold onto our manager?  No.  Do I think we will strengthen our squad to withstand the demands of league, cup and European football?  No.  I fear we are just a few transfers or injuries away from calamity.  And it's so tight in the league that just a few consecutive defeats can send you plummeting down the table.  But don't let my cynicism detract from how impressive Palace currently are - a decent team, a great manager, the best away record in the league, their best start to a Premier League season, a first major trophy, and playing European football for the first time.  I'm extremely grateful I got to see them play live in person in what might end up being one of their best seasons ever.  Cue them getting hammered by Man City next weekend...       

The Pitt

A TV recommendation: I've started watching The Pitt, and I really like it so far.  Most people compare it to ER - especially since there is some overlap of people in front of and behind the camera - but I cannot comment on that because I've never watched ER.  However, what the show most reminds me of is 24 - what with it covering a work shift in an emergency room in real time.  It feels like a while since I've seen a decent medical drama - which used to be a staple of television viewing.  This one seems particularly raw (it has been praised by the medical community for its realism), to the extent that you are even more appreciative of the real medical people who work in places like this.  I know I could never work in that kind of environment - the stress and emotional toll is beyond brutal.

World Cup Draw

Relief.  England are unlikely to be playing any games in Seattle.  So I don't need to shell out a fortune on  tickets.  In fact, none of the prospective games in Seattle hold any particular appeal to me - so I don't feel so bad about not watching any games now.  Even though the draw was made today, we still don't know exactly who is playing and when.  What a joke.  I think US vs Australia is one of the games being held in Seattle - perhaps of interest to US fans, but not to me.  If Wales or Northern Ireland somehow can beat Italy in the playoffs, there is a chance they might end up playing in Seattle.  But with the expanded format, it comes as no surprise that there will be a bunch of underwhelming games featuring lowly ranked countries.  Depending on who ends up playing in Seattle, if I can score dirt cheap tickets for a game (think $5 to watch Iran vs New Zealand) then I might go just for the sake of going.  What else to say...  England getting drawn into the group of death seemed inevitable.  Of course the draw was entirely rigged by FIFA.  And fortunately I was meeting a friend for brunch down by the airport, so I didn't catch the draw as it happened.  Not that I would have watched it live anyway.  Seemed like one overlong, cringe-worthy, embarrassing spectacle - with crappy presenters and musical performances, and the farcical award of the "FIFA Peace Prize" to Trump - whatever the f*ck he did to earn that.  I hate FIFA.        

Geography

How long have I lived in America now?  In total, about 20 years maybe?  But show me a map of USA with state borders, and ask me to identify all the states - I think I'd struggle.  In particular, the Midwest is a confusing mess to me - for example, which state is Iowa, which one is Nebraska and which one is Missouri?  I should know this.  Americans are notoriously bad at geography, but I didn't think this would rub off on me.  Unfortunately, I think it has.  More proof that living in the US has made me dumber.

Airline Credit

I'm very annoyed with myself.  I had about $370 in an Alaska Airlines credit certificate.  But it's gone.  Extremely frustrating.  I thought I had more time to book a flight using the credit, but instead it expired just before Thanksgiving.  And I don't think there is any way to recover the credit.  In some ways it serves me right for not making use of it before now (I think the credit originated during peak COVID time).  It's not like I had a specific destination in mind - but still, it feels like a big waste.  However, I do need to give some thought to some places I might go to next year.  And I do want to travel a bit more than I have done in recent years.  But I am somewhat limited if I'm also planning 2 trips back to the UK.  But at least now that I've passed my 10 year anniversary since I rejoined this company, I do have an extra week of vacation to spend.   

Chocolate Orange

As I was randomly browsing the Christmas aisle of my local supermarket yesterday evening, I was pleasantly surprised to come across some Terry's chocolate orange.  But then I remembered - indeed I think I blogged about this some time ago - that Terry's chocolate is in fact made in France and is owned by a French company.  So I am conflicted.  I still think Terry's is a quintessentially British chocolate brand.  But I have to face facts - it no longer is.  I also notice that they have definitely reduced the size of the chocolate orange.  Which is a shame but, sadly, simply an industry trend and not a real surprise.  I have to confess, I think the taste of Terry's chocolate orange - or at least the "original" Terry's chocolate orange - is not the best.  So I'm pleased to say that I think I am over this particular chocolate brand, and will probably never have it again.   

December

It's already December, but it doesn't feel like it's the festive season yet.  Even despite bringing back a Cadbury's advent calendar from the UK.  The end of this year feels like it's going to be a bit weird - especially as it's the first Christmas for a while that I'm not going back to the UK for.  Maybe it's the weather - apart from one frosty morning over the weekend, it's been relatively mild.  It's been wet, but it hasn't been cold.  Even though we are under La Nina conditions, which is supposed to give us colder than normal weather.  I don't see any cold weather in the 10 day forecast either - just a whole lot of rain.  Work is also a bit strange - things are normally quite busy with various deadlines before the end of the year, but I don't seem to have that this year.  There's every chance that might change, but for the moment I've got absolutely nothing urgent to work on so I've been taking things pretty easy.  Which all seems a bit ominous given my fears over job security.  Maybe I just need to listen to some Christmas music and watch some Christmas films to get into the seasonal mood.  Unfortunately I've got a million other things I want to watch before then.         

World Cup Ticket Prices

I had a quick look at the current marketplace cost of tickets for the Round of 32 game and the Round of 16 games at "Seattle Stadium", and they are even more expensive than when I last checked.  It is ridiculous.  So I have resigned myself to the fact that I will not watch a World Cup game in person here.  The exception - and I think the only exception - is if England is drawn into Group G.  In which case, they may well end up playing several games in Seattle - and I might consider splashing the cash for one of those games.  I think the draw is on Friday, so that is definitely something I will be keeping an eye on.  But I expect the cost of tickets - at least for any half-decent game - will only go up.  The next phase of ticket sales is going to occur about a week after the draw - but I haven't had any luck in the previous lotteries, and I don't expect this time to be any different.  Screw FIFA.    

Full Inbox

You know it's Black Friday, or indeed Black Friday weekend, because I think my e-mail inbox has never been busier.  I'm getting constant e-mails from different companies telling me about their various Black Friday deals.  I've been fairly good at unsubscribing to lots of mailing lists, but apparently not good enough judging by the number of e-mails I'm still getting.  And, annoyingly, it includes multiple e-mails from the same sender.  I get it, you have lots of things for sale and you want everyone to know - but you don't need to send me 10 e-mails over just the last 2 days.  Unsubscribe.      

Lego Sets (Boxed, Large)

The only item I bought in the Black Friday sales - which was not on sale, and I didn't actually get on Black Friday but on Thursday evening - was the Lego Star Trek USS Enterprise set.  It is currently sold out, so glad I got it at the first opportunity I could.  It is yet another Lego set that will probably remain boxed indefinitely, and I took the opportunity today to do a quick inventory of all the Lego sets I still have in their boxes.  I know some of you might be curious as to what I have, so here goes:

Titanic, The Endurance, Jaws, Back to the Future Time Machine, James Bond Aston Martin, Indiana Jones Temple of the Golden Idol, Jurassic Park T Rex Rampage, Ghostbusters Fire Station, Home Alone, Harry Potter: Hogwarts, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Express, Harry Potter: Gringotts, Harry Potter: Diagon Alley, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Icons, Harry Potter: The Burrow, Harry Potter: Hogsmeade, Lord of the Rings: Rivendell, Lord of the Rings: Barad-Dur, Lord of the Rings: The Shire, The Simpsons: House, The Simpsons: Kwik-E-Mart, The Simpsons: Krusty Burger, Star Wars: R2-D2, Star Wars: Death Star, Star Wars: Millennium Falcon, Disney: Train Station, Disney: Castle

Yep, that's 27 sets - 28 with the Enterprise.  Yikes.  No wonder I'm running out of space as to where to store all these boxes!  At some point I will also do an inventory of all the smaller boxed sets I've got - typically ones that came with the bigger sets e.g. I will also get a Lego shuttlepod with the Enterprise - plus all the sets I've actually constructed and got on display.  All in all, way WAY too many.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!  I had ordered a pre-cooked Thanksgiving meal, and picked it up today.  It was supposed to be a 1-person meal.  It was not.  It was huge.  There was more than enough for 2 people.  But that didn't stop me eating most of it, and I am feeling stuffed!  It consisted of some massive cuts of herb-roasted turkey, some massive cuts of honey glazed ham, garlic mashed potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts with bacon and breadcrumbs, and traditional stage stuffing - plus a dinner roll, cranberry source, American gravy and a slice of dessert (sweet cream berry biscuit).  The meat was great, the sides less so.  I had a choice of sides and I wonder whether I should have chosen one of the other options - I think they were candied yams and green bean casserole.  Both of which are very American but very unappealing to me.  I also skipped a slice of pumpkin pie - I just don't like the taste of pumpkin, which is almost sacrilegious to say to most Americans.  I'm probably going to order a pre-cooked Christmas meal as well - so it will be interesting to compare the typical Thanksgiving meal with the typical Christmas meal here, because I don't know if and what the differences are.  

Thanksgiving Eve

It's the biggest holiday of the year in the US tomorrow.  Yet today is still a working day.  I'm sure I've talked about this before, but in years' past we've received an e-mail saying we can log off early in order to enjoy the holiday.  But nope, nothing today.  And nothing like this for quite a while now.  Which is a shame, because it doesn't take much effort, most people are not doing any work this afternoon anyway (I certainly wasn't) and it just goes a little way to showing that management cares about it's employees.  Instead, my distrust of new management remains (I don't know whether this is a Chinese thing, or whether it's something that goes all the way to the top) - as does my opinion that the work culture here has significantly worsened compared to how it used to be.  Nonetheless, a few extra days off work is always welcome.  I don't have plans to do much - I certainly have no intentions to do a load of Black Friday shopping (apart from staying up late tomorrow in order to try to secure a Lego USS Enterprise).  Instead, I'm just going to try to take it easy, not think about work, and do some chores around the house.  Exciting stuff right.            

AI

In a depressing sign of the times, my company has made the adoption of artificial intelligence a strategic priority.  In corporate language, they want to "build an AI-enabled workforce and implement AI across the value chain".  Whatever that means.  In practical terms, the most immediate impact is that they have made completing some online courses in artificial intelligence mandatory for all employees.  What do I think about all this?  Frankly, I think it's a load of horsesh*t.  I don't like AI for 3 reasons - the elimination of many white collar jobs, an increase in artificial intelligence coming at the cost of a decrease in human intelligence, and the very real threat posed by the singularity (when computers take over the world inevitably resulting in human extinction).  I have never used ChatGPT, Siri or Alexa, I don't like it when AI autocorrects my spelling or grammar mistakes, and I don't even like looking at the AI Overview that appears now when I google something.  I'm sure AI is affecting me in all kinds of ways that I don't care to think about - like the ads that appear on the websites I browse or the TV I watch, or the content of media that I consume.  I certainly don't use it in my job - and I don't see any scenario where I would use it.  However I can very easily see a scenario where AI could completely take over what I do in my job.  And that is scary.  And I also don't find it coincidental that I was chatting with an ex-colleague of mine the other day, and he was saying that his company is also adopting a similar strategy when it comes to AI.  I fear this is a coordinated effort across different biotech/pharma companies, agreed upon at some clandestine meeting between the various CEOs.  And it's going to irrevocably change, and shrink, the workforce.  The future is bleak.  If I had children of my own, I think I would actively encourage them to pursue a blue collar profession - something that is beyond the reach of AI.    

Chilling

Sometimes you just have to chill out to a great dance track.  Born Slippy may be their most well known song, but I think this one is better (and, incidentally, it is also on the Trainspotting soundtrack - arguably one of the best movie soundtracks ever):

Baths

A random observation - but I have been taking a lot more baths than usual recently.  Maybe going from 1 a week to 3 or 4 a week.  I find a bath to be a lot more relaxing than a shower - so perhaps I'm doing this because I've been feeling more stressed recently.  And I think a bath also helps to soothe some of the ailments I've been experiencing.  For example, I haven't felt nerve pain in my leg for a while now - though admittedly it's been a while since I tested myself with a really long walk.  I only wish my tub was a bit bigger - so I can really stretch out and relax.  To think that I used to live in apartments that didn't even have a tub - I wouldn't even consider moving somewhere that didn't have one now. 

Decorations

As I was driving home this evening, I saw that several houses in the neighbo(u)rhood already had their extravagant Christmas decorations set up.  My initial thought was that this seemed too early.  But on reflection, maybe it isn't.  Christmas seems to be starting earlier and earlier each year.  Christmas adverts have been airing conspicuously on TV since Halloween.  Same for Christmas items for sale in the supermarkets.  And the first weekend after Thanksgiving, which is only a week away, is typically when most people put up their decorations anyway- so having them up a week earlier is hardly a big stretch.  Indeed, I'm probably going to put up my decorations - at least my outdoor decorations - next weekend.  Which basically just involves me hanging up some lights in such a way that it was clearly not done by a professional. 

Christmas Sweater

I got myself a new ugly Christmas sweater earlier this year to replace my Trump one (make Christmas great again... but I feel embarrassed to wear it just in case it implies that I support Trump in any way), but I should have got one of these:

November

I can't believe how quickly November is passing.  It only seems like last week that I was back in the UK.  Work is not helping - swinging wildly between being very busy and having practically nothing to do.  And this is on top of the short days and horrible weather.  November is one of the worst months of the year.  And no wonder I believe I am suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder.  I am certainly exhibiting most of the symptoms associated with SAD: low energy, poor sleep, lack of motivation.  It's this time of year when I really miss living in the sunny climate of San Diego the most.  I'm probably never going to move back to San Diego to live there (too expensive), but I should make some time to travel back there (or somewhere similarly sunny) at this time of year. 

The American Revolution

Trump's administration may be trying to kill public broadcasting, but that hasn't stopped PBS from broadcasting another epic Ken Burns documentary.  This one is on the American Revolution, and today is the 4th of 6 consecutive days it is airing.  I'm recording the series, but haven't started watching it yet.  I need to be in the right frame of mind to tackle a Ken Burns documentary - they're normally long (American Revolution is about 12 hours total) so has to be tackled in bite size pieces, it tends to be heavy on imagery (the "Ken Burns effect") so you have to focus on the telly and not be distracted by your phone, and it tends to be heavy on whimsical and meandering narration so you have to be prepared and ready for that.  I think if I tried to watch it now, I would probably fall asleep in front of the telly.  But if you are able to get through one of his historical documentaries, it is normally worth it.  For example, I thought his one on the Vietnam War was outstanding.  And the one probably closest to this one - the American Civil War - is also highly regarded.  I imagine I will try to watch it over Thanksgiving or Christmas - and whenever the American Revolution is discussed, be prepared for lots of Brit-bashing.      

World Cup Tickets Update

Well, it seems like the second window to purchase World Cup tickets has come and gone - and nothing.  I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm probably not going to get tickets.  Unless I pay a fortune.  I went on the official resell site, and here are the cheapest current resell prices for the 2 knockout games being held in Seattle - the only 2 games I would consider getting right now without knowing the teams playing in Seattle:

Round of 32: Category 1: $1320, Category 2: $713, Category 3: $430

Round of 16: Category 1: $1735, Category 2: $896, Category 3: $593

Note that Category 1 are the decent seats, Category 2 are the nosebleed seats, and Category 3 are the nosebleed corner seats.  Ideally you'd want a Category 1 ticket, but good grief these prices are outrageous.  Will the prices come down?  For knockout games, unlikely.  But I suspect most people who are lucky enough to get tickets now are buying as many as they can just to resell them later at a profit.  And this is because the resell site is fundamentally flawed in having no upper limit on how much a ticket can be resold for (intentionally so, because the greedy sods at FIFA charge a 15% fee on resold tickets). Unless I can get a ticket closer to face value, I'm not sure I'm going to bother unless England somehow end up playing a game in Seattle.  I hate FIFA for ruining the World Cup with outrageous prices, way too many games, and for obsequiously sucking up to Trump.  And I suspect most of the games, particularly in the knockout stages, are going to end up like mini-Superbowls - where only the 1% can afford tickets, and the atmosphere is going to be soulless and corporate.  So maybe I won't feel so bad about missing out on the World Cup experience.

PS Why are the fools at Fox Sports airing Belgium vs Liechtenstein and not a more important (and closer) game like those featuring Scotland or Wales?  Ridiculous.  

Britpop

I just watched an interesting 30 minute deep dive on Blur on a YouTube channel.  During peak Britpop, I was always more of a Blur fan over Oasis.  And I think I still am.  Although the song of theirs that I dislike the most, Country House, happened to be their first Number 1 and their best selling single.  But thinking about Britpop in general, a lot of songs from that mid-90's period have not aged particularly well.  If they were even that good to begin with.  And this video I watched featured a lot of these songs.  And there were some that I haven't heard, and haven't thought about, for 30 years.  Here is a classic example:

More Decisions

My Costco membership expires in January, and I've already got a renewal notice via e-mail.  But this begs the question, do I want to renew or not?  At this moment, I simply don't know.  I don't go to Costco enough to really say that I would miss it.  But I buy just about enough to justify paying the membership fee.  Mind you, I joined up at a reduced rate - and I think I'll have to pay the full amount to renew.  But it's not like it's a huge amount that is going to bankrupt me ($65?!).  For sure, I probably don't make the most of my membership - and if I'm going to renew then that is something that I should probably rectify.  I didn't go to Costco when I was back in the UK, but I would quite like to go - mainly out of curiosity to see what they are bulk selling in the UK.  The only UK items I've seen for sale at Costco here are some cheeses.  I am currently enjoying some aged English cheddar.

The Film Vault

I own every film released so far in the Film Vault collection, and it makes the completist in me very happy indeed:

Fun fact - of these 10 "classic" films, there are 2 I've never seen.  Ever.  And these are not the only examples of films that I own on Blu-ray/4K that I've never seen and haven't got round to seeing yet.  This is bad - I need to make time to watch these, even with all the other stuff I need (want) to watch.

Option A or Option B

I've decided that I want to get a Thanksgiving meal - and now is the time I need to preorder it.  I have several options.  There are quite a few restaurants that are open on Thanksgiving - so I could go to one of these (though my experience is that the restaurants are absolutely packed on Thanksgiving, and not really geared for solo eaters).  Or, my preference, is to get a meal to go.  And I think I've narrowed it down to 2 choices: do I get a hot meal for 1 ($67) that I pick up on Thanksgiving Day, or do I get a family meal that supposedly serves 5 ($119) that I pick up before Thanksgiving and reheat at home.  The second choice seems much better value for money, but I think the first choice is probably the better quality meal.  What a dilemma.  I'll make my mind up this weekend.  

Early Morning Meetings

Another early meeting this morning - this one starting at 8 am.  Absolutely ridiculous.  I'm of the strong opinion that we shouldn't kowtow to Indian contractors.  We are their customer, so they should accommodate us rather than the other way around.  When you have a meeting that early, it really puts you out of sync for the rest of the day.  Especially meetings that are generally a complete waste of time, and could easily be replaced by an e-mail.  I am no fan of meetings at the best of times, and I hate the fact that there are a number of meetings that we are mandated to attend - meetings that I rarely contribute to.  It feels like an absolute eternity since I worked on projects where I attended in person meetings, even when the Seattle office was still open.  And I kind of miss those meetings, where you get to know the other team members a bit better and are more inclined to contribute to discussions.  Remote meetings are just so impersonal and it's so easy just to switch off.  Especially at 8 am. 

Aurora Bust

The aurora forecast has been good for the last couple of days.  But have I seen any lights in the night sky?  Have I heck.  With rain and overcast conditions, there was no chance of seeing anything tonight.  But last night, the clouds were a bit more scattered so I should have been able to see something.  But when I was outside, this was all I saw.

Absolutely nothing.  Based on some photos of the aurora I found online, I think I just messed up with the timing.  I popped outside a few times between about 9 pm and 11 pm and didn't see anything.  But it looks like if I had tried looking earlier in the evening, I might have had better luck.  That's disappointing.  And frustrating.  But I'm sure there'll be other opportunities to catch the lights.   

Wellbeing Reimbursement

I bought a new pair of hiking boots over the weekend - my previous ones were running out of tread, and indeed I left that pair back in the UK.  But then I remembered that we have an annual $1000 wellbeing allowance at work, which I haven't used much of.  And since hiking boots can be considered "exercise equipment", I have requested reimbursement of the cost of these new hiking boots.  Nice.  Indeed, since I had over $500 available to spend I just ordered myself some more hiking shoes, which I will also get reimbursed for.  So that's two free pairs of shoes.  Hopefully,  Sweet.  And that still leaves me some leftover money that I can spend on something stupid that I will never use - like dumbbells or something.

Humble Pie

I have to eat some humble pie, because I said the Seattle Seahawks would not have a good year.  In fact, they are having a great year so far - currently with a 7-2 record - and are considered to be Superbowl contenders.  They've just had 2 consecutive blowout wins, but face a huge game next weekend in LA against the LA Rams - divisional rivals also with a 7-2 record.  Noticeably, unlike years past, I have not been hearing fireworks outside after the Seahawks win a game.  I wouldn't be surprised if I heard them next Sunday if they win that game.    

Trail cam October 2025

When I saw a deer on my back patio a couple of days ago, and then yesterday discovered a load of animal scat in my yard, I realized I hadn't checked my trail cam since before I left for the UK.  And sure enough, lots of activity - including a lot of raccoon action and a terrific shot of a coyote.

Photograph

I think this photo perfectly encapsulates Trump's second term:

Travel

Mercifully I don't have any plans to travel within the US anytime soon.  With the government shutdown causing thousands of flight cancellations, it seems like domestic travel here is already turning into a nightmare.  And with Thanksgiving coming up and even more people travelling, it's only going to get worse.  SeaTac is one of the targeted airports where they are ramping up to 10% of flights being cancelled.  Yikes.  Unsurprisingly, rental car companies are reporting a sharp increase in reservations.  So it's not just air travel that is going to be horrible, but also road travel.  I don't have any plans for Thanksgiving - normally the weather is so bad at this time of year that it's not worth trying to plan anything - but maybe this is for the best.  I don't even know whether I'll bother getting a Thanksgiving meal for myself like I've done in years past.  After the week I've had, I will just welcome the break from work (even when I've just had a long break!).      

The Wait

I was saddened, if not surprised, to read that GTA VI - perhaps the most anticipated video game of all time - has been delayed again.  It was supposed to have been released this year, which was then pushed back to May next year, and now it's been pushed back to November next year.  And it wouldn't shock me if it ended up being released in 2027.  Nowadays I don't play video games anywhere near as much as I used to, but I am really looking forward to this one.  And I will happily wait a bit longer if it means a better game.  You can't go wrong with the GTA franchise - I've played and enjoyed many of its games over the years.  I guess I should revisit GTA V - a game I own, but have barely scratched the surface of.  But at least I have 007 First Light to look forward to - which is due to be released in March next year.  I've already pre-ordered this game, so that should comfortably tide me over until GTA VI is finally released.    

My mood

 

Health

A week back from the UK, and all the ailments affecting me when I left are persisting.  I've got a cough that I cannot shake - no matter how much (high blood pressure friendly) medication I take.  I've still got nerve pain in my leg - which worries me.  And I'm still nowhere near getting my body clock back to normal.  I made another important decision this week at work - I've decided to change my health insurance.  This means that I definitely will need to find a new doctor in the new year.  I thought I would have to find a new doctor this month, but apparently my current insurer and current health provider reached agreement on terms at the last possible moment.  However when I tried to make an appointment with my current doctor, the soonest I could get an appointment was in about 6 months time - which is just ridiculous.  So I'm done with this place and happy to try a new health provider - a provider that I'm glad my company has finally offered health insurance for (previously it was only available in California).   

Work

It was one of those days where I got incredibly mad with work.  Just totally fed up with the mundanity and inanity of what I'm doing.  If I was still working in an office, I would have left early to get out of there.  However being stuck at home, all I could do was walk away from my desk - which just felt wholly unsatisfactory.  But it dawned on me just how often I hate what I'm doing, and how much I would just love to walk away from it all.  I've already made one significant decision regarding work over the last week.  My manager wanted to push to see if she could get me a promotion - but I asked her not to.  As much as I might like (and deserve) the increase in pay, this would not just be a token promotion and I do want or need the change in role and increased responsibilities.  It is important to me to remain doing hands-on work, and I really don't want to deal with all the crap and politics that comes with more management.  I hope this decision doesn't come to bite me in the ass - but I've made clear to my manager, plus in my "self-reflection" on my performance review, exactly what I want to be doing if I'm going to have a future at this company.  I think there is a specific need for what I offer - even with so much work being outsourced - but I also think there might be quite a lot of competition for that kind of role.  So I just don't know what will happen next year...      

Clocks

I'm still not over my jet lag, and now the clocks went back last night (so we're back to an 8 hour time difference with the UK) so my body clock has become even more messed up.  I was already waking up in the early hours, and now it's going to be the very early hours.  And again this evening I fell asleep on my sofa - not just a doze, but a very heavy sleep.  I woke up around 12 - and momentarily wasn't sure whether it was midnight or midday.  Only when I looked outside and saw it was dark did I realize it was midnight - hence writing this post now before I go upstairs.  

Scrambled Brain

I could have sworn I posted something on my blog yesterday.  But apparently I didn't.  And I don't have a draft post saved or anything.  And I have no idea what I would had posted about - the most exciting thing I did yesterday was go to Walmart.  Which isn't that exciting.  I don't think I could stretch out a post just to talk about how Walmart have rearranged all their aisles since the last time I was there, so I couldn't find anything I wanted.  I think I'm just going crazy.  I did fall asleep on the sofa yesterday evening which may explain a lot.  Did I dream about posting on my blog?  Even my dreams are apparently very boring.

Happy Halloween

No trick and treaters tonight mercifully.  Thank god, as the only candy I have to give away is my British candy - and I'm not going to waste that on any kids.  It probably doesn't help that it's a wet and miserable evening.  I was also just thinking that I haven't been to a Halloween party for absolutely ages.  And even if I was, I wouldn't have a costume to wear.  I don't think I could even improvise something with what I have in my closet.  And, for some reason, that makes me really sad and makes me want to buy an emergency fancy dress outfit that I'll probably never use.  Which is even sadder.

Cough

I brought back a cold with more from the UK, and frustratingly I can't seem to shake a cough.  The combination of cold and jet lag is really doing a number on me.  It always takes me a while to readjust after a trip back to the UK, but it will probably take me even longer this time.  I'm not sleeping well and I'm nowhere near returning to sensible patterns of waking up, eating, working and exercising.  I should not have returned to work immediately after my trip, but since I took so long off I didn't have a choice.  And I certainly don't have the patience to deal with any Halloween nonsense tomorrow - I'm not expecting any trick or treaters, but who knows who might show up.   

True Blood

One of the HBO channels is currently airing every single episode of True Blood, and it's been good to catch up on it.  It's one of those shows that kind of gets forgotten about among all the very many quality shows that aired during that period of peak prestige TV.  But I think I've watched every single episode of this show, and thoroughly enjoyed it - particularly the earlier seasons.  Yes it's campy nonsense and won't ever break into my Top 20 best TV shows ever, but it remains very watchable and a good show to have on while I doze off waiting for my washing to get done.   

Home Sweet Home

I made it back to the US in one piece.  All my fears of getting through airport security were totally unfounded - they perhaps asked even less questions than normal.  And I may not have got an upgrade on my flight, but at least I had priority baggage claim which saved an awful lot of time (a bonus as my taxi driver was waiting for me).  The time difference is really messing me up - the clocks haven't gone back here yet, so I think the time difference is 7 hours rather than 8 hours.  Either way, it's only just gone 6 pm and I'm exhausted and about to go to bed.  Jet lag always seems to hit me harder coming back to the US than it does going to the UK.  I'm supposed to be back at work tomorrow, but I seriously hope I don't have a lot to do.

Darcey

It dawned on me today - the day before I fly back to the US - that I haven't taken any photos of one of the most photogenic things I've been seeing almost every day of my trip back.  What a wasted opportunity.

Suit

My suit has now experienced one wedding and one funeral.  I wonder which will be next?  Or perhaps it's a third option - like a job interview.  

After a weekend of celebration and excess (debauchery feels like too strong a word, but I definitely drank more than I have done for a very long time - admittedly over a long period of time) then I'm sadly and slowly returning to normalcy this week.  One day in the UK.  One flight back to the US.  And then back to the humdrum and drudgery of work.  Or more likely the stress and intensity of work (I fear there will be a lot for me to do, and I won't be in any frame of mind to do it - at least for the rest of this week...)

Wedding

If you're reading this - congratulations on a successful wedding day and wishing you a long and happy marriage!

British Rail

A less than ideal train ride from London to Manchester:

1. The planned service, which I had a reserved seat on, was cancelled

2. No problem, I'll take the next service.  Mistake.  It was a stampede towards this train, and then when I boarded a couple of coaches all the seats were reserved.  I could probably have just taken my chances with one of those seats, but it was just so busy and hectic that I didn't want to deal with this particular train.

3.  Instead, went to the ticket office and asked if they could reserve a seat for me on the next service, which they went and did.  Unfortunately, when boarding this train I discovered that my requested "window" seat did not in fact have a window.  Which was rather annoying.

I want to be angry at the operator, but I can't if the storm that came through really did damage some overhead lines (though I can probably claim some sort of refund).  However, I can emphatically say that having to spend any time at London Euston absolutely sucks - it really is one of the worst London terminals.  

Cold Medicine

Why is it so difficult to get hold of effective cold medicine in the UK when you have high blood pressure?  I think I made myself worse by taking some all in one cold and flu medication - the decongestant part of it noticeably increased my blood pressure.  So instead I'm stuck taking just paracetamol.  Which doesn't seem to make that much difference.  I know I'll have a lot more choice of blood pressure-friendly over-the-counter cold medicine when I get back to the US - and it can't come soon enough, as these lingering cold symptoms are starting to get me down.  Not helped by the unwelcome development of new and unexpected ailments such as nerve pain in my leg,  I have really started to feel old this week, and a reminder of how much easier it is for me to catch a virus here compared to the US.

Mayfair

My final London walk of this trip yesterday - this time around the posh neighborhood of Mayfair.  At least I assumed it would be posh - after all, why else would Mayfair be the most expensive property in Monopoly?  And sure enough, Mayfair is indeed incredibly expensive.  Full of high-end properties, upmarket shops and restaurants, and luxury hotels.  This was an interesting walk, but busy and not particularly photogenic.  And somewhat soured by experiencing the worst nerve pain in my left leg that I've ever experienced towards the end of the walk - a condition that I've been increasingly noticing during my stay here.  So, so painful.  Don't know the cause, and a definite cause of worry.  And something else health-related that I need to deal with.  Made me even more self-conscious than I already was walking around this neighborhood in my cheap and poor-fitting clothes.