The Shire

Well you just knew I had to get this, even if it's the worse-looking of the 3 Lord of the Rings Lego sets so far.

Tariffs

It's not just my savings and my retirement that is being badly hit by Trump's ill-conceived tariffs, but - arguably worse - it is also my James Bond collection.  For example, there are a number of James Bond trading cards I want to bid on this evening on eBay.  But they are being sold by a Chinese seller.  Does that mean that I will have to pay tariffs on my purchases?  I have absolutely no clue.  And it's that uncertainty that is so infuriating.  I've already lost out on a number of other auctions because they come from a Chinese seller and so I am bidding a lot lower than I normally would.  I haven't had any problems receiving items from China before - indeed a couple of items arrived just a couple of weeks ago and I didn't have to pay anything extra on them.  But will that always be the case?  Particularly if Trump seems particularly keen to ramp up the tariffs on China?  It makes me nervous bidding on any of these, and the possibility of having to pay extra (like a 104% tariff?!?!?!).          

Spiders

It appears to be that time of year when spiders come out of hiding and show up everywhere.  Got freaked out yesterday by the biggest spider I've ever seen in my house yesterday.  Not something you want to see when you get up in the morning and open the bathroom door.  No capturing this spider - not that that is something I do much anyway.  No, this was an immediate squash situation - and boy, it was so big that it left quite the mess that I had to clean up afterwards.  Now I've upset the spider gods I'm probably going to be plagued by lots more spiders, and lots of big ones at that.    

Hot Cross Buns

It's coming up to Easter, which means acquiring some unhealthy food items.  Firstly, I might have to go the British shop to get some egregiously overpriced chocolate Easter Eggs.  Something that Americans surprisingly don't do - you can get Cadbury's Creme Eggs (though sadly produced by Hershey, so the taste of the chocolate is far inferior) but not the British-style hollow chocolate eggs.  And then there is another item that Americans don't do, and that is hot cross buns.  And I have a craving for them this year.  It is sometimes possible to find them here, but only from the more pricey grocery stores.  And I remember from previous years that I had to search around to find some decent ones.  Is it worth the effort?  Probably not, but what the hell.      

Culinary tools

I'm not a prolific cook but that didn't stop me from buying a vegetable cutter/slicer recently.  And it's been a godsend.  I don't know why it took me so long to get one.  I've also bought myself a rice cooker (thought I'd get one before the tariffs kick in), so I look forward to trying that out as well.  It would be nice to expand my culinary capabilities, but I'm not holding out hope.   

Voldemort

The 2nd most expensive trading card that I've ever purchased got delivered this week.  I probably overpaid, but whatever it's done now.  Let's consider it an investment (and in light of the last few days, probably a better investment than any of my shares).  

Liberation Day

It was "Liberation Day" yesterday according to Trump.  The only thing that was liberated today was my retirement savings and all the profits in my stock portfolio.  One of the big reasons why Trump was elected was that it was thought he would be better for the economy.  I think we can all agree that has not proved the case.  His administration's pig-headed haste to introduce tariffs that nobody wants is a disaster for the global economy.  And his election promises to lower grocery prices proved predictably empty.  It's clear we're heading into a recession, and the worst is that it was (and is) totally avoidable.  And even if we avoid a recession, the world is going to become a lot more expensive and unemployment is on the rise.  For all of Biden's faults, at least he left the US with a relatively strong economy.  But it appears that Trump and his administration are doing everything to run it into the ground.  When his policies start to affect my retirement, then I start to worry.    

Turkish proverb: "When a clown moves into a palace he doesn't become a king, the palace instead becomes a circus"

Dilemma

Oh no, what to do.  For the first time, all 6 of Sean Connery's official James Bond films (i.e. not including Never Say Never Again) are going to be released on 4K Ultra HD.  And not just that, but they will be housed in Steelbooks with original art.  And for a bit more money, include a limited edition Steelbook library case.  Which of course you know I would be interested in.  But do I really need this?  I've already got all the films on Blu ray.  Is 4K necessary?  And if the only other original thing about the release is the artwork and casing, then I'm not sure it's worth it.  If they were to also include a bunch of new extras - both on the disc and in addition to the disc - then I would definitely be sold.  But as it is, I'm just not sure.  And for me to say that, then it might have to be a reluctant pass.   

Noises

One of my least favo(u)rite noises is that of a chainsaw.  And unfortunately I had to endure it most of the day today.  My landlord decided to cut down some more branches from the trees alongside my driveway.  Ostensibly I understand why he is doing it - to allow bigger vehicles to more easily be able to go up my driveway by increasing the clearance.  Specifically, his justification is to ensure emergency vehicle access.  Is there something he knows that I don't?!  Either way, I don't like it.  I don't like the loss of tree cover, both for me and for the local bird life.  It reduces my privacy.  Particularly to the neighbo(u)r's house that has been on the market for a while - and which I went online today to discover that it has been sold (for a million dollars!) pending inspection just within the last few weeks.  Now the side of my driveway seems very open - and I don't know if it will ever fill out with other growth.  I'm sure just taking down a few branches doesn't make a big difference to how much noise I receive - but it certainly has a psychological effect.  Out of sight, out of mind.  But now the newly sold house is in sight, in mind.  Let's hope my new neighbo(u)rs aren't too noisy.