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.