Just ordered another Lego set:
Another one where it's as much that I want the set as it is that I feel obligated to purchase the set since I already own different sets within the same theme. So another box to add to the pile! At this rate, I might need to consider renting a storage unit...!
I got outbid on another eBay auction this evening. It's starting to get quite frustrating. And the amount that I got outbid by tonight was insane. It was a Denise Richards autograph card (Dr Christmas Jones in The World is Not Enough!) - out of 10 and in red ink, so very limited and quite desirable. I had decided in advance that the maximum I would pay for this card would be $175. And how much did it eventually go for? $1172. I wasn't even close. That is just a ridiculous amount of money. Way more than I've ever paid before for any card. I just don't stand a chance.
I forgot to post something yesterday. Whoops. No excuses, I wasn't really distracted by anything (apart from losing several eBay auctions). But nothing really exciting going on in my life right now, so not always easy to come up with content. Let's see if I can find something to write about later this evening.
I own a Roku TV - so when I turn the TV on, the Roku home screen appears. Included on this screen are some recommended shows under the banner "Top Picks For You". I have no idea how the algorithm works to come up with this selection. I don't think it can be an intelligent or informed selection unless all the various big streaming companies share their information - because the only thing I access from the home screen are the streaming apps I use (such as HBO Max or Amazon Prime), or the HDMI connection to my cable box. However, I was very disturbed this week by a show that appeared under these top picks. And I don't know how it got there. It was Mrs Brown's Boys. One of the worst TV shows to ever be made. And a show that, as far as I'm aware, has a non-existent American audience and mercifully no American adaptation. Why was this show recommended to me? Why would it be recommended to anyone? Does whatever AI they are using and whatever viewing history they have on me suggest that I might like this awful show? That is truly worrying.
The last few days have been the hottest of the year so far. And it's a nightmare. My bedroom tends to get very warm, and so getting good sleep is proving problematic. And I certainly wasn't prepared for this sudden heatwave - it was only last week that I was still using the central heating overnight. And I hadn't even swapped out the portable heater in my bedroom with the portable fan until yesterday (the portable AC unit won't come out until the peak of summer). Tomorrow is apparently going to be worse - getting as high as 82F (28C), before mercifully dropping back to 61F (16C) on Thursday. So yes, tomorrow is definitely the first shorts day of the year.
I was just having a look through some of the photos on my phone, and I thought I'd share a few of my flora-related ones. Both of the wild and not so wild nature. Very random and not particularly good, but whatever.
The Sunday before Memorial Day is supposedly the biggest day of the year for motor-racing. It starts with the Monaco Grand Prix - which even by Formula 1 standards is a boring procession. And then we have the Indy 500 - "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing". Spoiler alert, it isn't. And finally we have the Coca Cola 600 - the longest race in the NASCAR calendar. And it is long, way too long (today's race lasted about 5 hours!). It was also the first ever NASCAR race to be shown exclusively on Amazon Prime - another reason not to bother watching. So, in conclusion, I didn't watch much motor-racing today.
Why is it absolutely no surprise that an anti-trans anti-queer rally led by well-funded far-right Christian activists held in Seattle today (and not even in downtown Seattle, but in the most LGBTQ+ friendly neighbo(u)rhood in Seattle) today ended with counter-protests, altercations and arrests. Deliberately provocative with a sadly predictable result. And how Seattle police were not on top of this is beyond me. And presumably someone had to actually allow this rally to go ahead. I imagine the right-wing media will have a lot to say about this. Did this kind of rally actually take place in the past? I've no idea - but if so, no one paid any attention to it. But in this new dangerously crazy US where fundamentalism and far-right ideology is considered perfectly legitimate and perfectly normal, then this kind of event seems almost inevitable. I don't care much for this toxic version of the US we currently live in, and I don't see it getting better any time soon.
I found out today that Pret A Manger - the British sandwich shop with a French name - has a presence in the US. I had absolutely no idea. Indeed, it has over 60 locations in the US - though two thirds of those appear to be in New York. None to be found in Washington State, though apparently Pret are "exploring growth opportunities" here. I'm not sure how much I would frequent a Pret if there happened to be one nearby. It's sandwiches are fine for what they are, but their biggest selling point is their convenience (such as at train stations) - I wouldn't exactly go out of my way to go there. Now if it was Greggs expanding into the US, then that is a different proposition - I would make the effort to get one of their sausage rolls. But, sadly, there are no Greggs in the US and there don't appear to be any plans to expand here any time soon. That feels like a missed opportunity. Though sausage rolls are not a thing here - so maybe there isn't the market.
I've been thinking about using a meal delivery service again. The kind of service that delivers to you a specified number of prepared meals per week. I want to eat healthier, I want to eat less, and I want to better control what I eat. A meal delivery service would seem perfect for this. The main catch - it's not cheap. But is it any more expensive than the increasingly rising cost of groceries? Possibly not. I have used a service like this before - during peak pandemic time. And I didn't mind it at all at the time. That particular meal company service went out of business - but I've been getting offers through the mail from a similar company. So I might just go for it. I don't have to do it for too long if it doesn't work out.
The 2025 Club World Cup is being held this summer in the US. And it's being promoted quite heavily. Particularly as there are games being held in Seattle, and indeed the Seattle Sounders are competing in the tournament. Nonetheless, I don't care one bit for it. I think the only people that do care are FIFA, American supporters and the various non-European clubs. I can only imagine that the European clubs - and particularly the English clubs - will treat these tournament games as nothing more than glorified friendlies. Like these clubs need their players to play yet more competitive games. Which is why I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in going to watch any of the matches. I'd rather save my money for the World Cup matches next year. I did check the schedule, and some of the teams playing in Seattle include Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain. So we don't even get to see Man City (FA cup runners-up) or Chelsea in Seattle. And I don't imagine the quality of games is going to be very good. Though it can't be any worse than the game I watched today - Spurs vs Man Utd - a turgid match between two terrible teams neither of whom deserve to be in the Champions League ahead of say Forest or Villa or whoever finishes outside of the top 5 on Sunday.
I noticed a deer crossing my patio this afternoon, which was kind of surreal. So I went to check my trail cam to see if it had captured it, and found it knocked over. How long has it been like that? Checked the footage, and these were the only decent photos I found:
Clearly one of these is the culprit.
After a brief break, the hummingbirds are back feeding from my feeders. And they are back in numbers - definitely a couple (I've seen them both feed from the same feeder at the same time, which is unusual), plus maybe at least a couple of others. The problem is that I've noticed my feeders are depleting much quicker than they should do. There is no way it is just the hummingbirds - they could not empty a feeder in a week. In the past, my trail cam has captured raccoons trying to get to the nectar. But nope, I realized today who it is. And it is an animal I've had problems with before. Bees. I saw them today on the feeders. They are a problem - not only do they consume loads of nectar, but they also frighten off the hummingbirds. So what to do about it? Well, I've just ordered a couple of new bird feeders that supposedly have bee guards. These guards kind of protect the feeding holes so that only hummingbirds can access the nectar. I'm not convinced they will work, but I'll give it a go.
...
One last thought on the FA Cup. Feel a bit sad that my Dad didn't get to experience the win. He wouldn't have enjoyed the game - too nerve-wracking - but would have loved the result. I'm not a lifelong supporter, but for fans like him that have been through the wringer with Palace - the ups and downs, relegation, financial crises, previous heartbreak, etc - they are the ones that really deserve to appreciate and enjoy the cup win more than a Johnny-come-lately like myself. So wherever you are now Dad, hope you were able to celebrate the win.
If I was a true Palace fan, I would have flown back to London and actually been at Wembley to watch the final live. I am jealous of my cousins being there - I bet the atmosphere among the Palace fans is great. As it is, I got up nice and early to stream the game live - and this is my "live" commentary.
Streaming didn't start well - initially, I somehow managed to find the Spanish-language stream of the game. That would have been mildly amusing for a minute and then immensely irritating for 89 minutes.
Looks like a nice sunny day in London - nothing like the miserable wet weather we have here currently.
The game has started how I imagined it would - with an awful lot of Man City possession, and Palace playing on the break. Clearly Man City are the big favo(u)rites, but can we make the most of the few opportunities we will get and can we survive City's pressure.
I'm nervous about how Palace have started. Not holding onto the ball for long, conceding a lot of corners and a lot of chances. I feel it's only a matter of time before Man City score. This could be a tense watch.
A GOAL. TO PALACE. My god, that was totally against the run of play. Classic sucker punch. First attack, first goal. That's how clinical we need to be to win this game.
And we just had another really good chance. Man City may have 90% of the possession, but their defense looks porous. We can score against them.
And Palace have just got away with our goalie handling the ball outside the box. That could have been disastrous. We also need some luck to get a result.
Lots of mentions of Chris Richards in the commentary - as the token American on the pitch, not a surprise.
Oh no, a penalty to City. And SAVED. What a great omen - can we really pull this off?
Another big save from Henderson. We're going to need that.
HALF TIME. And we are leading. 45 minutes to glory. 45 nerve-wracking minutes to go.
The pundits are going crazy at half time. Henderson should have been sent off. It shouldn't have been a penalty. Nothing like some cup controversy!
A minute into the second half, and another big chance for City. Ominous.
Wave after wave of City attacks. They look especially dangerous down their right, our left. There is no way we can hold on. It would be a miracle.
GOAL. DISALLOWED. Disallowed goal for Palace. Not really a close or controversial decision. But that could have been the game. The long throw-ins are a problem for City.
They haven't talked about it on commentary, but Guehi's substitution could be crucial. Losing a key defender with over half an hour left and just a one goal cushion is not good.
20 minutes to go plus injury time. I'm not enjoying this. The emotional release from what I thought was the second goal has left me deflated. And we are defending deeper and deeper and deeper. Inviting the pressure, inviting the chances. There is going to be a lot of last-minute defending, a lot of last-minute interventions, all with no mistakes. A tough ask. We need that second goal.
10 minutes to go., Another big chance to City goes begging. There is going to be a massive amount of injury time. Tense stuff.
10 minutes of injury time. Crap.
De Bruyne chance. It would be fitting if he would score, in his last season for City. But not to be. Yet.
3 minutes to go. I'm counting them down now. Can we avoid what would be ultimate heartbreak.
1 minute to go. I think we're going to do it.
FINAL WHISTLE. VICTORY. HISTORY.
Unbelievable. The first FA Cup and our first major cup in our over 100 year history. Stunning. And we're in Europe next season!!!!
YYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Had a reunion lunch with some work colleagues today. People who I mostly haven't seen since the office closed. And most of whom I haven't spoken to since the office closed because we don't work on the same things. I was asked to provide some suggestions for where to eat. And I did some research and came up with a fairly decent list of restaurants that could cater a group lunch, covering the likes of Italian, Mexican, Indian, American. And where did we end up going? A Chinese dumpling restaurant. Great. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised when of the approximate 18 people there, 16 were Chinese. And only really a handful of these I know well enough to converse with. I don't particularly enjoy these get-togethers because more often than not people end up speaking Chinese to each other and I feel left out. And the food is ... not great. I don't mind dumplings - and these were supposedly the best soup dumplings in the area - but they just didn't do it for me. And, again when I go to a Chinese place with a bunch of Chinese people, there are just too many foods, preparations and tastes that are "weird" to my western palate. For my Chinese food fix, I'm happy to stick to Panda Express here or a good Chinese takeaway back in the UK.
A strange day today. I could have sworn it was Friday. So very disappointed when I finally realized it wasn't and that I actually have another day of work tomorrow. I think I was also distracted by how cold it was inside my house today. So cold that I had to turn my heating back on. I thought I wouldn't have to do that until well after summer.
Oh no, another Lego set is getting released soon that I simply have to get because I've got other sets from the same theme:
The TV show The Last of Us has been set in Seattle for the last few episodes. But like many other film and TV series which are supposed to depict Seattle or Washington State, it is clearly not filmed there. Nope, just like the others it is obviously filmed in Vancouver or British Columbia. And it shows, at least to people like me who are familiar with Seattle. I don't recognize any of the Seattle depicted in The Last of Us. Admittedly I think a lot of what is on screen is CGI, and we're probably not supposed to totally recognize this post-apocalyptic depiction of what is left of the city. But although they have thrown in some Seattle landmarks and neighbo(u)rhoods, it just doesn't feel right. And this is quite surprising and disappointing, because apparently the Seattle depicted in the video game on which the TV show is based is supposed to be really good. Apparently the accuracy and attention to detail in the game version of Seattle is very realistic compared to the real Seattle. It's a shame that this doesn't seem to have been duplicated in the TV show. A TV show which I'm worried about, because the quality of the show has definitely taken a step back since the shocking events of a few episodes back.
I encounter a lot of these on my walks:
I think they are quite territorial because they often make a very distinct and very loud chirping sound - and this particular fella wasn't shy at all when I passed by. I always thought they were chipmunks, but I believe I am wrong. I think they are actually a type of squirrel - specifically, a Douglas squirrel. But from seeing images of chipmunks, I have definitely also encountered these on my walks as well (now I need to photograph one to prove it...).
Been wondering whether I should buy some gold. Have you seen gold prices? Over the last year, it looks like it would have been a really good investment. No guarantees if I was to buy some gold now that there would be a similar increase over the next year - in fact, that is probably very unlikely. But with all the Trump-induced economic instability and turbulence, gold does seem like a safe bet. And apparently one of the best places to buy gold is Costco, whose markup is relatively low. Sadly the precious metal that I own a lot of - silver, mainly in the form of James Bond-related coins - hasn't seen similar gains. Typical. I'd still much rather invest in something tangible like these than take my chances on cryptocurrency.
It's rumo(u)red that Alaska Airlines might be adding direct flights from Seattle to London next year. It would be good to have another choice of carrier, and hopefully the extra competition would bring down flight prices. Though I'm not sure it will happen. Alaska are part of the Oneworld alliance which includes British Airways, so I suspect if they add a European destination then it might not be London. Alaska's hub is in Seattle, so they are an airline I have used quite a lot to travel within the US. In fact, I think I still have some airline credit with them (that I've somehow managed to roll over several times since COVID cancelled my original flights). Which reminds me that I should make use of this and book a trip somewhere (top choices: Chicago, San Diego or Albuquerque).
Happy VE Day! A day that was remarked upon by Trump as follows:
“Many of our allies and friends are celebrating May 8th as Victory Day, but we did more than any other Country, by far, in producing a victorious result on World War II. I am hereby renaming May 8th as Victory Day for World War II and November 11th as Victory Day for World War I,” he said last week on social media. “We won both Wars, nobody was close to us in terms of strength, bravery, or military brilliance, but we never celebrate anything — That’s because we don’t have leaders anymore, that know how to do so! We are going to start celebrating our victories again!”
Yep, that's the kind of attitude and spirit that VE Day celebrates and commemorates... I'm honestly surprised he didn't declare May 9th as Victory Day for World War II, so that he can celebrate it on the same day as Russia does. I certainly think he wants to have the same kind of military parade that Putin has.
I'm currently suffering from more animal issues. I think. Whilst sitting on my sofa watching TV over the last few days, I am getting occasionally assailed by an unpleasant smell of what I think might be some kind of animals living under my house. It might be mice, it might be worse. For example, today I found a dead rat just outside my house. Do I have a rat problem? That's not good. Both myself and my landlord have put down some mouse traps under the house, so let's see if they catch anything. I don't know what else the smell might be. As best as I can tell, it isn't anything inside my home - I've checked and cleaned everywhere. Though the fact that I caught a mouse recently suggests otherwise (though I haven't caught anything else since). I guess it's possible it might be the smell of mo(u)ld/mildew, or the smell of some other environmental factor. It might just be psychological - I'm a little bit oversensitive to smells as well as noise, so perhaps I'm imagining it. Or perhaps not. After all, it wouldn't be the first time I've encountered an unpleasant smell in the house. Hopefully it will just be one of those things that go away in time. But if it gets worse, then we have a real problem and my landlord will hear about it.
The best show on TV currently is not The Last of Us, which in itself is a great show. No, it is a show that airs on the same network (HBO) about half an hour later - The Rehearsal. We are about half way through the second series, and it may be better even than the first season, which I thought was excellent. So very difficult to describe the show - bizarre, ridiculous, unique. But utterly compelling and utterly hilarious. I'll quote the premise: "The Rehearsal features Nathan Fielder, as a fictionalized version of himself, helping ordinary people rehearse upcoming difficult conversations or life events through the use of sets and actors hired to recreate real situations.". But this doesn't do justice to the craziness that ends up on screen. Take last night's episode, which for convoluted reasons results in Nathan Field portraying Captain Sully throughout his life (including as a baby) leading up to the infamous flight that he lands on the Hudson - theorizing that he was listening to Bring Me to Life by Evanescence on his iPod when landing the plane. Bonkers, and so very, VERY funny and utterly surreal. Highly recommend watching it if you can.
When it comes to North American sports, there are few things as good as a Game 7 in a best-of-7 playoff series. One game to win or go home. We had quite a few of those in both basketball and ice hockey over the weekend. I definitely prefer hockey - and we had a classic Game 7 yesterday. With the Winnipeg Jets scoring twice in the last few minutes (including a tying goal with under 3 seconds to go) to send their game against the St Louis Blues to overtime. Overtime in hockey is the best - a bit like the golden goal in the World Cup where first goal wins, but the tension and stakes ratcheted up to unbelievable levels. And in double overtime (nobody scored in the first 20 minutes of overtime) the comeback was completed by the Canadian team that was trailing by 2 goals with less than 2 minutes of regular time to go. Nice. And love it for the Jets fans, who like most of the Canadian teams support their team fanatically in a way that just doesn't happen in the US. With the NBA and NHL playoffs going on concurrently at the moment, I definitely have leaned more into watching hockey over basketball. I can't believe I still haven't seen the Seattle Kraken play a game yet - that has to change next season.
Happy Star Wars Day! May the 4th be with you!
Note: this terrible AI image comes courtesy of the White House, and unintentionally but accurately depicts Donald Trump as a Sith Lord.
Quite a lot of action captured on my trail cam over the last month or so. The usual culprits: deer, rabbit, bobcat (a lot!), squirrel, coyote, plus a guest appearance by a woodpecker! I hope my landlord cuts the grass soon, as it's starting to impede the field of vision (he's currently pre-occupied with creating a small gravel driveway going behind his garage next to my main driveway - mainly for parking his cars, but also as a turning point for vehicles that come up my driveway - so hopefully delivery vehicles will no longer drive across the grass! However, an unfortunate side effect of all all the work he's been doing there is that it appears to have temporarily frightened off all my hummingbirds. Hopefully they'll be back soon.).
My day was ruined by an unexpected power outage this morning. I lost power about 8.30 am, and it didn't come back on until lunchtime. It's a good job that I didn't have any important work or meetings - as obviously I couldn't work from home. This could have been really problematic. My reliance on technology is a real liability - I didn't know what to do with myself without it. In the end, I went out for a walk! We don't currently have any windy weather or anything, apparently the outage was caused by equipment failure. And seemingly it was very localized - even though I lost power, I don't think my landlord next door did! The utility company outage map indicated that I was one of about 100 households affected, so not really that many people in the grand scheme of things. Just glad it got fixed relatively quickly.
It's been a while, but I did a new walk recently. And surprisingly, it was a local walk (a 20 minute drive away) that I did on a mid-week lunchtime last week. The walk encompasses 2 parks alongside the northeast edge of Lake Washington, located in the Juanita neighbo(u)rhood in Kirkland. It's an area I don't know very well, though I think I looked at a place to live somewhere around here when I first moved to Seattle however many years ago that was (glad I didn't, because the commute to work would have been absolutely horrendous). One of the main reasons I haven't done this walk before is that I thought the parking might be a nightmare. But I was wrong, one of the parks has a big (and free) parking lot. However, this is not a walk to do if I'm seeking peace and solitude. Especially on sunny days, these trails will be busy. And we are not talking a particularly challenging trek - only a couple of miles and flat. But for an urban walk, it is quite pretty with the lake views (you can just about see the tip of the Seattle skyline at one point) and a surprising amount of wildlife (lots of birds and, perhaps best of all, lots of basking turtles to be spotted!). I will come back here, and I imagine it might be best done around sunset.
