Deserving Winner

Launching an illicit and unnecessary attack against Iran seems like the perfect opportunity to once again congratulate FIFA on awarding Trump its inaugural FIFA Peace Prize.  That's not embarrassing.  At all.  And if Trump really thinks he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize after this, then his grasp on reality is even worse than we could ever imagine.  I don't think anyone in America wants this, not even MAGA, so the decision to go ahead with "Operation Epic Fury" seems nonsensical and unpopular.  Iran is scheduled to play one of its World Cup matches in Seattle.  I bet I won't need to pay $600 to get a ticket for that game.  If it even takes place.  The cynical part of me thinks this might even be a distraction from the administration's main aim to "nationalize" voting and steal the mid-term elections, plus every other election going forward.  Of all the despicable things this administration has already done, the threat to American democracy is very real, very alarming and perhaps worst of all.    

Veridis Quo

A small tribute to my favo(u)rite show currently on, whose season finale airs this weekend and which has been renewed for a fifth and final season.  The rare show that makes me feel stupid (I sometimes have to put on subtitles to make sure I get everything).  I'm not going to explicitly name the show, if you know you know.  A major hint - it airs on Monday nights on BBC One (though I think it's more of a Channel 4 type show).

Another World Cup tickets update

I had a chance to buy a ticket for a World Cup game today.  I had first got an e-mail on Tuesday from FIFA with an "exclusive ticket window" in which I could buy tickets for a game being held in Seattle.  But the e-mail didn't actually specify when the window was - so that was absolutely bloody useless.  But then I got an updated e-mail yesterday specifying that my "exclusive Seattle ticket window" was 10 am this morning.  So despite being in a teleconference at work, I logged into my FIFA account (an account that I feel like I should now delete) and there were some tickets available.  Well I say "some", more like very few and only in the most expensive category of ticket.  I'm not going to pay $600 to watch a crappy game between two countries I don't care about, so I didn't buy anything.  I've really soured on the World Cup - I think it's too bloated, it's going to be used as a political pawn by Trump (just like he is trying with the US men's ice hockey team), and it's going to suck.  It disappoints me to say this, especially as I don't know if or when I'll have another opportunity, but I'm no longer bothered about watching a World Cup game.  

Algorithm

I don't know how the YouTube algorithm works, but I've gone from my feed being dominated last week by clips from a guy tuning pianos, to this week being dominated by clips of turtles having barnacles cleared from their shells.  AI is cray cray. 

State of the Union

It was Trump's State of the Union address this evening.  I didn't watch it and I couldn't give two hoots what he says.  Much like everything else that comes out of his mouth, it's a load of bull****.  And it's kind of tragic that all the networks have to air the address, and so give him a platform for all his lies.  All I do know is that he prattled on way too long, and so a couple of TV recordings I had scheduled for later tonight are messed up.  Yet another reason to impeach him.  I'm not even going to bother reading any of the analyses of his speech - such is the speed of the news cycle under Trump, this will quickly be forgotten about and we will have moved on to other things (like bombing Iran).  

Hertford

There are a few of these to be found on YouTube, but here is a short video of some of the "attractions" in Hertford - the town where I grew up in.

I find this interesting because (a) nothing seems familiar to me, and (b) I'm reminded why I grew up thinking Hertford was kind of boring.  And after all these years, it may have a few nice places to eat and drink but I stand by my teenage opinion.  Nevertheless, a part of me would quite like to take a day trip back there - just out of curiosity to see how much has changed.  A quick look at the street view on Google maps suggests that even the area around my childhood home has changed a lot.  It's been around 25 years since I was last there, so I guess this shouldn't come as a surprise.

Palace 1-0 Wolves

That feels like an incredibly important win for Palace.  It doesn't matter how ugly it was (against the bottom side, who missed a penalty, and only scoring in the last minute), a win is a win.  Especially a first home league win since the start of November.  Even if it is only a momentary respite from what has turned out to be a really downward spiraling season.  The prospect of relegation was unthinkable when we were in the top 4 - which doesn't seem that long ago - but here we are.  But a lot has happened since then - not least selling our best player and captain (without replacing him), our main striker being injured and wanting to leave, our manager already saying he's going to leave at the end of the season (if not forced out before, which is wild to think about considering how well regarded he was), a pitiful run of form (including an extremely embarrassing FA Cup exit), and having a new awful co-owner of the club.  What an epic collapse in such a short amount of time - I guess this is what it really feels like to be a Palace fan.         

Annual Pay Raise

This year, my annual pay raise was 2%.  Perhaps the lowest I've ever had.  Rest assured that it's not a reflection of my performance - which was "strong".  No, I think this is because I'm already one of the top earners at my particular level.  And yes, I could probably rectify this by getting a promotion - but I really am not seeking one, because I don't want the extra stress and responsibilities that come with that.  I did get a fairly decent bonus to make up for the measly increase in base pay, but still this pay raise is less than the current US inflation rate - which means that it is effectively a pay cut.  Which is disappointing to say the least.  Not surprising, but definitely disappointing.  Even more so when you consider how hard I've been working since the start of the year, and how stressful it's been.  But what can you do.  There just isn't the abundant job market out there for my kind of position any more.  

Hockey

I tried to watch the USA vs Slovakia ice hockey semi-final today.  Perhaps the only occasion I've ever wanted a US team to win, mainly because I really want to see a showdown between Canada and the USA in the final (with every chance of lots of fights, lots of hard hitting and some serious political undertones).  However, the game today was unwatchable because the US and Slovakian jerseys were the same colo(u)rs.  I couldn't tell one team from the other - they both played in red, white and blue.  Including the same color helmets and pants (excuse the Americanism).  Utterly ridiculous.     

Winter Olympics

I've been watching a little bit of the Winter Olympics recently.  Not much, because the American coverage is nauseating.  But enough to know that I hope we beat the cheating Canadians in curling.  But let's be honest, curling is not worthy of being an Olympic sport.  It is ridiculous.  If curling is good enough for the Olympics, then all other kinds of "sport" should be.  My other observation is that this isn't really the Winter Olympics, more like the White Olympics.  Because the vast majority of sports seem to consist entirely of Caucasian athletes, with perhaps a few Asians thrown in for good measure.  Apart from the Jamaican bobsleigh team, are there even any black athletes competing?  Forgive the stereotyping, but you'd think there would be more black athletes in something like speed skating.  Instead speed skating is inexplicably dominated by the Netherlands.  Didn't we used to be quite good at it?  If we're going to win more medals, that's the kind of specialized and niche sport that we should be throwing more money at.  Like skeleton.  Fun fact was finding out my alma mater - the University of Bath - is where they train in skeleton.  I don't remember those facilities being there when I was a student there.

New Bond

I don't think this has been officially confirmed yet, but it appears that Jacob Elordi is going to be the next James Bond.  I'm not sure how I feel about this.  Admittedly I know very little of him as an actor.  But I know he is Australian - which is a serious red flag.  He wouldn't be the first Australian to portray Bond, but George Lazenby is arguably the worst Bond (or at least the worst actor to portray Bond, I actually think On Her Majesty's Secret Service is one of the best Bond films).  As I look up Jacob Elordi's filmography, I haven't seen anything he's been in.  I have recently seen him in some trailers for Wuthering Heights, but that doesn't tell me anything.  And he apparently appears in Euphoria - a show that I started to watch but stopped after a while as I just couldn't get into it.  But I guess he must have a good American accent, as he portrayed a high school American football player in that show and has also portrayed Elvis before.  Let's hope he also has a good British accent.  

Lunar New Year

Happy (Lunar/Chinese) New Year!  I didn't celebrate it.  I would barely acknowledge it if it wasn't for my Chinese colleagues.  Apparently I should have cleaned my house before today, in order to sweep out bad luck.  Perhaps I should have, as I didn't feel very well today.   

President's Day

Happy President's Day!  Another of those weird US bank holidays which are too early in the year to really capitalize on.  However, because I need a break after what has been a very intense period of work, I am also taking off Tuesday and Wednesday.  And with typically spectacular timing, this looks like it is going to coincide with the coldest days and some possible lowland snow for the first time this winter.  Great.  I was thinking about driving over to the Olympic peninsula to do some hiking over there on one of those days off, but that seems very unlikely now with the forecast.  I hope I can at least make it to the coast. 

Why do I still have cable TV?

Grrr, I hate my cable box.  I was watching some Winter Olympics coverage this evening - well I say watching, it was more like having it on in the background (naturally, no coverage here off any of the sports where GB actually won some medals).  When all of a sudden the sound cut out and the screen went black.  I rebooted the box, and was greeted by a Select Your Language screen as if this was the first time I had ever used this box.  What?!  And my remote didn't work, so I couldn't even select a language.  Went on the app to try to get some assistance, and the AI help was absolutely useless.  After rebooting several times with no change, checking all my cables were tight again, and generally despairing, I resorted to the internet.  Thank god I hadn't lost my internet connection.  And one of the things I discovered was how to pair the remote with the TV box.  Even though the remote was previously paired and working fine.  So I paired the remote again, and mercifully it seemed to work now.  So was able to select English as my language and go through all the introductory steps you normally would as if this was a new box and you were setting it up for the first time.  And ta-da I'm able to watch TV again.  Indeed, all my previous settings (such as favorite channels, etc) were there.  So I have absolutely no idea what happened.  And how worried should I be that it happens again.  Incredibly frustrating.  If this isn't yet another sign that I need to cut the cord, then I don't know what is.  

Valentine's Day

What was already one of my least favo(u)rite days of the year today was made worse by (a) not bidding on an eBay item that I really wanted.  I was outside cleaning my car upholstery, had totally forgotten about this item, and left my phone inside so didn't hear the phone alarm I had set up for the end of the auction.  (b) whilst doing some washing-up, noticed an ant walking across my kitchen surface.  No idea how it got there, it appeared to be by itself but now I'm paranoid that my kitchen is going to be invaded by a load of ants any time soon.  And (c), for no discernible reason I experienced a power cut early this morning.  The weather was absolutely fine, so I have no idea what caused it, how widespread it was, and no explanation was provided by the utility company.  I hate Valentine's Day.

Bass Line

I can't decide if this 80's hit is a catchy but cheesy tune, or a bona fide classic:

What I do know is that I can't stop listening to it, and that the bass line is insane and superb.  Especially when the funky bass line comes in on the sax solo - that is a genuine chef's kiss moment.  I'm definitely a sucker for a good bass.

Snow Drought

We are on track for a winter with no measurable snow in Seattle.  Rare, but it has happened before - but only once in the time that I've been in Seattle (twice if you count under 1 inch).  I'm not a skier, but apparently this has been one of the worst ski seasons in Seattle history - a combination of warm and dry weather, plus what precipitation there has been falling mostly as rain rather than snow (and in December, flooding damaged the roads leading to the ski areas).  Perhaps we should get used to warmer winters.  I think the more likely outlook is more extreme weather - we might get no snow this winter, but then we might get record amounts of snow next winter.  Naturally, the local headlines are fears about wildfires and water shortages this summer.  Yikes.  And shocking when you think about the record rainfall we had back in December.

An Unexpected Find

I went to Costco the other day (yes, I renewed my membership) and was shocked to discover the following:

Of course I was going to buy this.  "British recipe" baked beans made in England - what an unexpected surprise and pleasure.  And yes, there is a vast difference between British and American baked beans.  American baked beans tend to be a lot sweeter - surprise surprise, the baked bean sauce is full of sugar. 

Sofa

I've made a decision.  I need to get a new sofa.  I can't keep on going with my current busted sofa.  Some cable has snapped so that one of the handles you pull to recline doesn't work.  So my main TV viewing seat is permanently reclined.  It's been like that for a while and I've simply got used to it.  But it's not practical.  And, rather alarmingly, it has started creaking a little bit when I sit in it.  That's not a good sign.  So this summer, I will get a new sofa.  I'm waiting until summer because that is when I can open up my doors onto the patio and yard which is so much easier for removing my old sofa and moving the new one in.  I say sofa, but strictly speaking it's my "loveseat" - consisting of 2 seats, with a little console in between.  I've also got a sofa in the living room.  And indeed a reclining chair.  But that doesn't face the TV, so doesn't get much use.  If I replace just the loveseat, then that will mean 3 different brands of furniture in the living room.  It's a good job I care a lot more about practicality than I do about aesthetics.         

World Cup update

I got an e-mail yesterday that officially confirmed I wasn't successful in getting any World Cup tickets in the most recent draw.  This didn't come as a surprise when there were, apparently, about 500 million requests for tickets.  I've kind of accepted I'm not going to watch any World Cup games in person.  And I'm fine with that.  I hate FIFA, and I've got a feeling that this World Cup is going to suck.  And the way that tickets are being sold is an absolute disgrace - I suspect most of those 500 million ticket requests are not by true "soccer" fans but by scalpers.   The ticket prices are outrageous, and it's not just FIFA hoping to fleece money out of true fans of the game.  

GO HAWKS

Congrats to Seattle Seahawks - Super Bowl LX winners!  I can't say I watched much of the game - I can't stand all the nonsense that accompanies the Super Bowl and makes it even longer than a regular American football game.  And I certainly don't care for the halftime show - as much as I am indifferent to Bad Bunny, there was no chance in hell I was going to watch the MAGA halftime alternative with Kid Rock.  I'd rather watch the Puppy Bowl.  But really happy that Seattle won.  And, by all accounts, dominated the game.  Not quite as happy with all the (illegal) fireworks going off after the victory, but that was to be expected.  It's not quite as satisfying as beating a Brady-Belichick New England Patriots, but any victory over the cheating Patriots is always a welcome one.

Crooked

I'm thinking of changing my phone network.

I'm also thinking I need a new watch, new footwear, a new red hat (preferably saying Trump 2028), a new bible and a lobotomy.  Totally unrelated to this, two words that crossed my mind - emoluments and impeachment. 

Day 1

Day 1, and I already hate the Winter Olympics.  I've just noticed that all the Premier League games are being moved to streaming, because Olympic coverage has taken over all the channels that normally air the games.  And I hate watching the games on streaming - because you either have to watch live (which is too early for me) or wait ages for the game replays to become available later in the day.  And even then, you can't so easily fast forward through most of the games like I normally do.  I really wish they did a Match of the Day type highlights show here, but surprisingly (and stupidly) they don't.  Not that I get much enjoyment out of the Premier League now thanks to Palace's woes.   

Waterfall for Sale

Fancy owning a waterfall?  One has gone up for sale in Oregon:

Currently the waterfall and pool is accessible to the public, but the absolutely first thing I'd do if I won the auction would be to put a stop to that.  It would be nice to have a private 90 foot waterfall all to myself.  No idea what the going price is for a 40 acre forested lot featuring such an iconic waterfall.  But it seems quite tragic that it's going up for sale to the public, and couldn't be offered to some kind of preservation trust or made into protected land.

Winter Olympics

So, the Winter Olympics officially begins on Friday.  On Superbowl weekend.  Someone has messed up.  America will not be watching the Winter Olympics - American football has priority.  At least this weekend.  Especially here in Seattle.  I don't know how much of the Winter Olympics I'll end up watching.  I enjoy a lot of the events, but the American coverage - especially its prime-time coverage in the evenings - is almost unwatchable.  And if I thought the Olympics coverage was jingoistic before, I dread to think how worse it will become now in the current political climate.  Does the UK have a chance of winning any medals?  I have no idea, and if I'm going to be honest I don't really care.  Winter sports is not really our thing.  I'm not sure I'll even bother to catch any of the balls-to-the-wall action of curling.

Some Work Memes

 

Knight of Seven Kingdoms

I don't think I've mentioned this, but I am really enjoying A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms currently airing.  It is SO much better than House of the Dragon.  Going to prove that you don't need massive and expensive set pieces to make a show like this work.  Just like the best moments in Game of Thrones, this thankfully focuses on the characters as much as the storyline: with excellent dialogue, some much needed humo(u)r (something REALLY lacking in House of the Dragon) and some actual heart.  3 episodes in (and 3 relatively short and easily digestible episodes at that) I am really invested in the characters in Knight of Seven Kingdoms now.  I confess to knowing some of the story from the books, so the "twist" at the end of the third episode didn't come as a big surprise, but that hasn't stopped my enjoyment of the show.   

Padilla Bay Trail

A bonus entry, to make up for the missed one yesterday.  Here are a few photos from a shoreline trail I did earlier this month.  Managed to squeeze this one in between some rainy weather, though there was a serious breeze coming off the water.  I had to really tighten up the baseball cap on my head because it was in danger of flying away otherwise.  This is a trail I've done many times before, but not for a while.  Flat and about 4 miles there and back, it's not particularly challenging so makes for a pleasant trek.  And, as I hoped, I got to see a bald eagle - though too far away to get a decent photo (it's the blob in the tree in the photos below!).

Mistake

Whoops, I didn't do a blog post yesterday.  I definitely remember at some point yesterday evening that I was going to write something, but I guess I became distracted and then forgot.  Not that I had, or have, much to say.  This is when trying to maintain a daily blog becomes a massive chore.  I did try to stay up to watch the Australian Open tennis final - with a start time of 30 minutes past midnight for me - but I couldn't do it, and I guess that kind of messed up my evening.  And of course my mind is still frazzled by work.  I wished I lived a more exciting life and had more interesting stuff to write about.  I can only apologize.