Late Night Work

It's just gone 8.30 pm, on a Friday night, and I've just finished work and logged off.  Very depressing.  But with so much on my plate at the moment, I had to finish this task before Monday.  And rather than work over the weekend, I decided to work on it this evening.  At least it's done now, so I don't need to think about work over the next few days.  Though I probably will.  And it's frustrating for so many reasons.  Certain people getting on my nerves for various reasons, the needless amount of pressure being put on us, and the lack of recognition I'll probably get for working my guts out over the last month or so.  I think I have one last really bad week ahead of me, then hopefully things will ease off a bit (though I fear it won't).  I wouldn't feel so bad if the work was rewarding, but it really isn't.  Sometimes I really regret my career choices.   

Redrum

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

I didn't actually know this was a 17th century proverb, I only knew it from The Shining.  And it seems particularly relevant to me right now.  To quote the meaning of the proverb from Google AI - constantly working without relaxation makes a person bored, boring and unhappy, leading to burnout and lack of fulfillment.  Yep.

Bubble Burst

Amazon have announced 16,000 job cuts, just a few months after 14,000 people were laid off.  And with Amazon's corporate headquarters being located in Seattle, we can expect the impact to be felt especially hard here.  And it's going to be interesting to see what kind of impact it will have on the local economy.  My landlord has been predicting for years that the housing bubble that has built up here will burst  - and this might finally be the reason it happens.  Because it's not just Amazon who have laid off a load of people, but all the other tech companies have.  And all of them are headquartered or have a significant office presence here.  And, as Amazon admitted, the main reason cited for the layoffs is AI.  Yet another reason why I massively distrust it.  The impact on white collar job loss is already showing, and is just going to get worse.  

Exercise (Not)

I have one of those under the desk bike pedal exercisers that has stayed boxed for far too long, so I finally put it together over the weekend.  Since I've been working so much recently, I've been spending a lot of time in front of my computer, so the idea of cycling away while working sounds like a good one.  However, I discovered a bit of a problem.  It doesn't actually fit under my desk.  Which is kind of annoying, to say the least.  I should really get a new desk so that there's actually enough leg room for this thing.  And I should get a new desk anyway, because my second monitor is propped up by a load of packets of printer paper that I "appropriated" from the office on my last day there.  So I think a trip to IKEA is warranted in the near future.       

Shares

My company's stock price reached a new high today.  Over the last year, it has gone up about 50%.  This is great for me as I have quite a lot of shares through my company's employee stock purchase plan.  So then the question becomes should I continue to hold onto my shares, or should I sell some or all of them and take the profit (minus the not inconsiderable taxes)?  And when?  This is, quite literally, the million dollar question.  And I don't have an answer.  All I know is that this account is very important to me as it's what I'm going to live off during my sabbatical when I finally get laid off or choose to quit.  Which feels like it could happen this year (even though I said the same thing last year).    

Deja Vu

For the second weekend in a row - Seattle Seahawks won, Crystal Palace lost.  I'd be okay if that happened again in 2 weeks time.  There were more fireworks going off this evening than there were on New Year's Eve. 

A Dry Spell

It doesn't seem that long ago that I was moaning about how wet it had been here.  We are experiencing a significant winter dry spell, currently standing at 11 consecutive dry days.  This is one of the longest dry stretches in January on record.  And although we are not affected by the winter storm blanketing a large amount of the US with snow and ice, it has gotten considerably colder recently.  Indeed, there is a cold weather advisory tonight, with temperatures as low as 20 to 25 degrees expected (that's about -7 to -4 Celsius).  My electricity bill from all the electric heating is going to be horrendous this month.    

Dual Citizenship

I guess we could have seen this coming - but a Senate bill has been introduced to eliminate dual citizenship.  In other words, if I ever decide to become a US citizen then I would have to give up my UK passport.  Something I'm not too keen on doing.  I don't know what the chances are of this bill ever passing - probably quite low considering a lot of Trump's family have dual citizenship - but yet another example of the extreme nationalism ruining this country right now.  And if Trump wants to pick a fight with Europe and NATO - whether it's Greenland, Ukraine, or slagging off our troops - then I know which side I'm on.  Let's just say I think the Board of Peace is a Board of Piss.  

More Layoffs

Found out yesterday that there had been some more layoffs at my company.  And these layoffs actually included some people with the same job function as me.  Which makes things feel a bit more real.  I'm not sure who exactly has been let go - I don't think anyone who used to work in the Seattle office - but I wouldn't be surprised if there is at least one person I know.  And I also wouldn't be surprised if there are further rounds of layoffs later in the year.  Such is the climate we work in right now.  I've got to be honest - I wouldn't be totally devastated if it included me.  I trust no one from my company reads this!  Work has been hellish since the start of the year - and I've been feeling quite unhappy and the thought of quitting has crossed my mind.  I don't know whether I would ever seriously follow through with that, at least not unless things got much worse.  But I do think having the weight of work off my shoulders would be so good for my mental and physical health.  And at some point that has to start taking priority over anything else.      

Trail Cam Dec-Jan

Lots of great wildlife captured by my trail cam over the last month.  Somewhat makes up for missing the aurora that was apparently viewable here a few nights ago.  But you had to be outside around 2 or 3 am to see it... nope, I wasn't doing that (I didn't see a thing when I checked around 11 pm).

Greenland

Are we sure President Trump is really getting his knickers in a twist this much about wanting to own Greenland?  Because the whole situation seems like it couldn't be better scripted by President Putin.  Add the stupid "Board of Peace", and Trump's foreign policy just seems utterly ridiculous and embarrassing.  I honestly don't know whether it's stupidity, maliciousness or pettiness driving his decision-making.  Either way, it's time for American allies to show some spine, stop brown-nosing Trump and push back a lot harder against his lunacy. 

Dr Martin Luther King Jr Day

Hope you had a good Dr Martin Luther King Jr Day.  Or, as you might call it in the UK, Monday.  This bank holiday feels out of place in the current climate.  The current administration is perhaps the very anti-thesis of what Martin Luther King stood for.  Diversity, equity and inclusion.  All shamefully cracked down upon now.  Frankly, I'm surprised this is still a federal holiday.  I was not surprised to find out that MLK Day was first observed in 1986, but that certain states fought it as a national holiday and it wasn't until 2020 that finally all states observed it.  Just a small reminder that America has never been good at dealing with social issues long before Trump.

Troubleshooting

It's one of my least favo(u)rite things to do, but I had to troubleshoot issues with my cable TV box today.  I noticed I was experiencing some intermittent picture/sound quality issues.  Not enough to stop me watching things, but enough for the occasional and brief tiling to really annoy me.  It's not the first time I've experienced this recently, so then the big question becomes is it an issue with me or an issue with the cable company.  I checked all my cables - confirmed they were tight, replaced HDMI cables to see if that made a difference, even simplified my setup to see if that helped.  It didn't.  So I'm convinced the problem is to do with the signal coming into my cable box.  But dealing with the cable company troubleshooting AI is beyond frustrating - yes I have performed all the checks you suggest, yes I have tried a box reset, yes I have tried a system reset, yes I'll wait while you reset the signal on your end, yes I'm still experiencing issues, yes I would like to schedule a technician to come out.  Half an hour later.  Ah good, the issue appears to have disappeared.  Cancel appointment.  A few hours later.  What, the issue has returned.  Go through all the cable company troubleshooting AI steps again.  Make another appointment.  This time the earliest I could get was tomorrow rather than today.  Half an hour later.  What, the issue seems to have gone again.  Grrrrr.  I need to cut the cord.     

49ers 6-41 Seahawks

It's not just dates that Americans can't display correctly, it's also scores.  Despite Seattle being the home team, they appear on the right-hand side of the score.  Stupid.  Anyway, this was almost an exact copy of the game 2 weeks ago - but this time with a score more reflective of just how one-sided the game was.  Impressive.  It was good to have some sporting enjoyment this weekend, to make up for the sadly predictable crisis at Crystal Palace.   

Potato Bread

In a desperate attempt to try to find some half decent bread in America, I've been trying different varieties.  Most recently, it has been potato bread.  I didn't really know what to expect - it's certainly nothing I've ever had, or even heard of, in the UK.  It looks like a normal loaf of white bread, but apparently is made with potato flour or mashed potatoes.  Weird - sounds like something you'd have during rationing.  But it isn't bad.  Seems comparable to decent white bread, at least I didn't discern any big difference in taste or texture, and it toasts particularly well.  I don't know whether it is any better for you - probably a step up from normal white bread, but still lacking compared to whole grain - and as with most American breads, inexplicably contains lots of added sugar.  Nope, American bread still sucks.

CD Collection

It's songs like this that make me want to re-evaluate and add to my CD collection.  A collection that has been untouched for several years.  And it also makes me really want to get a CD player for my car (I haven't, and I'm not sure I ever will, download all my CDs onto my computer and then my phone).  I have considered starting a vinyl collection - but I just don't think that's for me.  I'm the kind of person that puts on the telly to relax at home rather than put some music on.  But in the car, particularly on road trips, I will listen to a lot of music.  Even more so as I notice that my audio podcast intake is declining, gradually being taken over by video podcasts.  Anyway, enjoy this fantastic song - one that I've only recently discovered among all their other great discography.

Winter Weather

We are currently in a stretch of dry weather.  Which feels great after so many rainy days.  But when you have dry weather in January, you normally expect it to be cold.  It isn't.  In fact, yesterday was close to breaking records for the warmest January day.  So warm, I probably didn't even need to have my heating on.  The minor heatwave didn't last long, it was a bit cooler today.  But still, way above freezing.  We haven't even come close to having any proper cold or snowy days this winter yet.  Just an awful lot of rain.  Only maybe a couple of frosty mornings.  I predicted it would be a nasty winter here this year.  Just going to prove I'm no meteorologist.       

Suspicions

Around Christmas I won some eBay auctions from the same seller, but it didn't look as though anything was getting shipped to me.  The estimated delivery date was 3rd January, so I decided to contact the seller.  When I initially contacted them a week ago, they said the order was on track to ship shortly.  So I waited patiently, but still no change in status.  And then out of the blue I got partially refunded today.  It looks like the partial refund was only for one of the items in my order, so I have no idea what is going on.  Am I going to get the other items?  I just sent another message today to try to find out - but I am not hopeful I am going to see any of the items I won.  And if so, at the very least I expect to be fully refunded.  And it all seems very suss.  I won all the auctions at a decent price, but a lot of the same items are currently on sale on eBay by the same seller at a higher price.  The seller is one of the biggest out there, and I have bought plenty of stuff from them before, so I wouldn't expect to be fleeced like this.  But this interaction is really leaving a sour taste in my mouth.  Perhaps a sign that I need to stop buying so much.         

Pokemon

Lego have announced their first Pokemon sets - and apparently it didn't take long for them to sell out of pre-orders.  This is where I'm thankful that I'm too old for Pokemon, so these have absolutely no appeal to me.  In fact, I don't know the first thing about Pokemon.  Apart from the fact they have some very expensive collectible cards.  I don't have a clue how you actually "play" Pokemon - something to do with energy and trainers and whatever.  I think the nearest I got was considering downloading Pokemon Go on my phone - for a little bit of augmented reality fun.  But I never did.  I suspect most people just collect cards rather than actually playing them.  And I'm glad I missed out on that, because I could easily see myself spending a fortune on acquiring cards.  No, I'll stick to my James Bond trading cards - probably an even bigger waste of money.     

Car expenses

I checked the charge on my car battery yesterday - just a week after having charged it up - and it was quite low again.  I fear I need to get a new car battery - or at least get it properly tested.  But I have a more immediate priority.  I was out driving this morning, and hit a massive pot hole.  I wasn't expecting there to be one on a freeway entry.  I checked my tire later, and sure enough there was a bulge in the tire sidewall - a sure sign of tire damage.  So I need to get a new tire first.  What a pain in the ass.  It wasn't that long ago that my car passed 40,000 miles.  And it always seems that once you reach that mileage, the expenses start to pile up.  I need a new car.  But cars don't seem to be as cheap as they used to be - thanks Trump.        

Macclesfield 2-1 Palace

Well, that is embarrassing.  Thankfully I don't currently subscribe to ESPN+ so I didn't get to see the game.  And at least it should ease up our fixture congestion.

Work Life Balance

I think something I'm struggling with at the moment - and something that I've struggled with all of last year - is having a good work-life balance.  And that's been a major problem for me since I've started working from home full-time.  I don't get into good habits.  I'm not really working regular hours.  And, if I'm going to be totally honest, I think the actual quality of my work is starting to suffer.  At least I've noticed it in myself, even if others don't see it.  I really miss the structure and discipline that comes with going into and working in an actual office.  And something that has been really important to me in the past is having that separation between office and home.  And now I don't have that, it has sort of messed me up.  I would have hoped I would have adjusted by now, but apparently not.  And it's definitely worse when I've got a lot on my plate.  I really need a break - maybe not this weekend (I plan to do some work on Sunday) but next weekend may be key (it's also a long weekend with Martin Luther King Jr Day - if that's even still a public holiday under Trump...).     

I'm still here

Work is doing a number on me.  I'm busy, stressed out, and I'm even forgetting to do stupid things like this blog.  And even when I do, like now, I don't have anything to say.  Sorry.  

Narcissism

 I normally get a National Park pass every year.  This is what they've looked like over the last 12 years:

And this is what this year's pass looks like:

Apparently they are threatening to void passes with stickers covering a certain president's face.  

DVR Update

I hoped I might get through a lot of my recordings over Christmas - but my DVR is still 50% full.  And a problem I've encountered is that there are several shows that I really want to like but are proving to be a real struggle to complete.  There's Ken Burns' The American Revolution - which is undeniably good, but incredibly slow and meandering.  It requires a mood and level of concentration that I don't often have.  And then there's Alien: Earth, which I've just started to watch.  Or, more accurately, just started to try to watch.  I'm not sold on it so far - it seems all over the place.  I feel I should stick with it because I like the director (although, tellingly, I never got through the entirety of Legion either), the cast and the franchise.  What else... I've still got to watch Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light.  Which I'm putting off until I get round to re-watching the original Wolf Hall - whenever that will be.  And I haven't started on IT: Welcome to Derry yet - another series that was quite well reviewed.  I'd much rather watch a decent adaptation of The Dark Tower series, if they ever make one - a Stephen King series that I have actually read all the books of.  There's also a whole bunch of films I've recorded on my DVR (even though I could probably just as easily stream them) - but which are clearly not appealing enough for me to watch in a hurry.  For example, 3 hours of The Brutalist is not exactly an attractive proposition.

Cravings

I was craving some British "candy" recently, so I ordered a couple of items from Amazon.  But these were not typical items - these were sweets I've not had for a very long time, and something I've not even thought about having for a very long time.  I got some mint humbugs and some rhubarb & custards.  And both were utterly delicious.  I don't why I haven't had these for so long - possibly because I haven't encountered them even when I've been back in the UK, I haven't sought them out, and might have even forgotten they existed.  But I know now that I have to get some next time I'm back.  And maybe some other old-fashioned sweets - think pear drops, butter mintoes, lemon sherbets, and probably a load more I can't think of right now.   

Sports Ups and Downs

Up: the Seahawks crushed the 49ers on Saturday night, guaranteeing them the #1 seed in the NFC and a bye week.  The final score 13-3 doesn't do justice to just how dominant a performance it was.  The Seahawks have an elite defense, and many teams in years past have won the Superbowl on the back of their defense.  Their offense is more suspect - especially with a sometimes shaky quarterback prone to turnovers - but perhaps the most encouraging thing in the last few games has been the emergence of a decent running game.  I wasn't convinced they were good enough to make it all the way, but now I have more optimism.  I admit to not watching much of the game, but I knew who had won because there were nearly as many fireworks going off after the final whistle as there were on New Year's Eve.

Down: and then we come to Palace.  Another defeat.  That's 7 games in a row now without a win.  Much as feared, it has been a bad festive period.  Squad size, the number of games, injuries have all played a part.  And the fixture list has not exactly been kind - though the hammering by Leeds was quite disappointing.  And things don't get easier with a midweek game against Villa coming up.  When you look at the table, it's still incredibly tight between about 5th and 14th, so I'm not totally done on Palace's chances of a decent finish this year.  But we need better results and soon.  

Venezuela

It's entirely coincidental that Venezuela happens to have the world's largest proven oil reserves.  Nope, the US is only interested in stopping Venezuelan migrants and drugs from entering the US.  Absolutely nothing to do with oil.  Or socialism.  And obviously all military actions performed by the US against Venezuela are entirely warranted by international law and definitely respects Venezuelan sovereignty.  Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize so desperately, and being a war criminal should definitely help.

Not Back To Work

Today was supposed to be my first day back at work after the Christmas holiday.  I had absolutely no intentions of working today.  Going back to work on a Friday after a week off is just stupid.  So I took a "mental health day".  Which I think was accurate enough.  After all, much like the last few days before the Christmas break, I did not feel like doing any work.  Let's hope I can pick up my energy and get in the right frame of mind next week.  I have a lot to do.     

2026

It doesn't feel like the first day of a new year today.  I didn't do anything special to see in the new year.  I haven't made any resolutions. I was going to write a post yesterday looking back at 2025, and a post today looking forward to 2026.  But I've been distracted by my auto troubles, so I haven't been feeling particularly reflective over the last few days.  Perhaps that will come later.