AFL

We are nearing the end of the regular season of Australian Rules Football.  And I am so disappointed with the US coverage.  They are showing maybe 3 or 4 live games every week.  Which is great.  But the choice of games is so bad.  I am missing out on so many games between contending teams, because they are not being shown in the US.  Instead they are airing games featuring teams who are not in post-season contention, and so who are not playing for anything.  It is nonsensical.  Perhaps it is intentional, perhaps it is not, but I don't recall this being an issue earlier in the season.  But they really should be airing the marquee matchups.  Mind you, I'm going to miss the final 3 weeks of the season whilst I'm back in the UK.  I think I'll try to still record any of the better games, and watch them when I get back.  Unlike English football, it shouldn't be a problem avoiding the AFL scores.     

Busy

With only a few work days left until my vacation, it is a bad time to get busy.  And a load of stuff has come up recently at work that needs to be dealt with before I go.  Which means that the next few days are going to get incredibly busy - both with work, and with everything I need to do before I fly out.  The last thing I want to do is work during my holiday, something that most Americans wouldn't think twice about, so I'm going to force the issue by not taking my work laptop back with me.  That might not go down well with some colleagues, but I don't care.

Count Binface

Yes, the 2026 Clacton by-election has even made the news over here.  No surprise really when the only serious contender to Nigel Farage is a guy with a trash can on his head.  It is ridiculous, but quite amusing - and extremely confusing to an American audience who don't get these joke candidates in their elections.  Of course Farage will win the by-election, but I think he is already a big loser in the court of public opinion.  Even more so than he already was.  I note that Nigel Farage has stopped accepting Cameo requests - I wonder if the video clip I got from him (I hasten to add this was something a friend paid for and got for me as a joke, since it is definitely not something I would do for myself) is still available?  

Commonwealth Games

It has only come to my attention recently that the Commonwealth Games is going on.  An event that has exactly zero coverage over here.  And frankly, I don't why it's still a thing.  It just seems like an expensive waste of time.  So expensive, that the original 2026 hosts (Victoria. Australia) withdrew due to financial concerns.  And isn't this a really watered-down version of the Games with just a handful of sports?  This sure is no Olympics.  It is just an outdated relic from the British Empire.  Something we maybe shouldn't honor any more.  

Travel Bug

Because I've been trying to make some plans for when I come back to the UK, I've been thinking about travel a lot recently.  I think I lost the travel bug a long time ago.  And that's a real shame.  Lots of reasons for that: age, a lack of travelling companion, a lack of vacation days.  There are still so many places in the world I would like to see.  I've always said to myself that I would love to take a sabbatical from work and do some traveling when I turn 50.  I'm almost there.  But will I actually follow through with that?  I doubt it.  It's one thing to get laid off, but it's another to quit.  And I'm not sure it's in my best interests to quit my job right now given the state of the job market.  Perhaps I need to make better use of the vacation days I currently have.  Most of them tend to get used up from trips back to the UK.  But I think I need to be a bit more selfish and take a holiday for myself.  To somewhere I want to go to, somewhere I've never been to before.  It may be somewhere within the US, it may be somewhere abroad.  I doubt it will be anywhere particularly exotic, because it's somewhere I have to be comfortable going to and doing stuff by myself.  That is surprisingly restrictive.  Maybe it's time to start completing my goal of going to every single National Park in the US.  Particularly before Trump shuts them all down so that they can be ruined by mining/drilling/data centers.    

Gun Violence

And so Seattle makes the headlines, with a major shooting event near the Space Needle this evening with multiple deaths reported (it actually flashed up as a news alert on my phone, which is when you know it is a big deal).  And, naturally, the US government will do absolutely nothing to address yet another incident of gun violence.  Just useless thoughts and prayers.  And it won't be long before this particular incident is forgotten about, and the same thing will happen somewhere else.  It's a never ending cycle.  And a tragic state of affairs.  What is wrong with this country?  So much.  

New TV

I still want to get a new TV.  But I was shocked to discover today that the model I had my eye on is already unavailable.  It was a 2025 model, and has already been supplanted by 2026 models in a couple of the stores I was considering purchasing from.  They don't muck around do they - what a swizz.  So I need to reconsider my needs, and I guess which new model I want to consider getting.  And naturally, these 2026 models are a whole lot more expensive.  Though their specs are only marginally better, hardly justifying the increased cost.  However, I'm sure the price will come down over time.  Or, as I've observed with the TV I was originally thinking about getting, there will be the occasional flash sale.  So it's all about timing.        

Shower

It's typical that in the hottest week of the year, my shower decided to break today.  Well I say break, it just appears that my shower hose has sprung a leak.  So I've ordered a new hose.  This isn't the first time I've had to make this repair, and not something I need to bother my landlord with.  But without a shower today, I felt even more sweaty and horrible than I normally do. 

Sunset

I could have sworn the sunset was still after 9 pm.  But nope, it was officially 8.55 pm today.  And quickly getting earlier and earlier in the evening every day.  I only noticed it because my phone switched to dark mode much earlier in the evening than I was expecting.  A quick Google search tells me that the latest sunset in Seattle this year was at 9.11 pm about a month ago.  A month ago already... before you know it, summer will be over.   

Algorithm

I don't know how the YouTube algorithm works.  But my feed is currently full of clips from international hide and seek game shows featuring "professional" hiders.  And I approve.  They seem to be quite entertaining.  There seems to be a Japanese show where people hide in a school and the students try to find them.  And there also seems to be a Russian (?) show where people hide in an old house and a hunter has to find them.  I'm kind of surprised there isn't a US or UK version of these game shows - it seems like a missed opportunity.  Especially since it's like a real-life version of Meccha Chameleon, a viral hide and seek video game that is also prevalent in my YouTube feed.   

Heat Advisory

We are currently under an official heat advisory until tomorrow evening.  What does this mean?  It's bloody hot.  Too hot to go outside during the day, and too hot to get a comfortable night's sleep.  I've got both my portable AC units running in my bedroom.  It may get quite noisy, but it does make it a bit more comfortable.  Though I'm still sleeping on top of my duvet rather than underneath it.  There is not a single drop of rain in the forecast until I come back to the UK.  Perfect wildfire weather, and we've already started to be affected by wildfire smoke causing hazy skies.  The smoke is coming from wildfires in Canada and in the east of the state.  It's probably one of the reasons why Trump has increased tariffs on some Canadian goods.  Though at this point, everyone knows these tariffs are just stupid and arbitrary - and it's the consumer who suffers. 

Jimothy

Seattle has a famous (well, internet famous) raccoon now:

This weird-shaped raccoon (due to a spine abnormality) has been seen in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle and has been named Jimothy.  Yep, now that the World Cup has finished this is the kind of content you can expect in my posts now.

Superbowl 60.5 As It Happened

World Cup final?  More like Superbowl 60.5.  I almost missed the game because the starting times for these World Cup matches have been all over the place, and I assumed it started at the same time as the England game yesterday.  Nope, that would be too easy.  And it meant I missed the American national anthem before the game.  Because obviously that has to be sung, even though the US is not in the final.  Because this is the Superbowl.  The winners are even getting Superbowl rings.  I wonder if they showed a shot of Trump saluting during the anthem - which is always insulting, because he is a draft dodger.  I'm looking forward to seeing if he is going to ruin the medal ceremony and celebration, just like in the Club World Cup.  

Obviously I'm supporting Spain.  I hate Argentinian players and Argentinian fans.  I respect their passion for their country and the game, but far too often they cross the line into something ugly.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, Argentina are the masters of the dark arts.  You just need to see the way they niggled the England players and intimated the referee in the semi-final.  And they committed the cardinal sin of mixing politics (the Falkland Islands) with the beautiful game.         

It's halftime.  Got to say I'm not really watching the game much, it's not particularly exciting.  Seems like it's mostly Spain controlling possession, but no real clear cut chances.  Not unlike the England-Argentina game.  So I guess this suits Argentina for some last minute heroics.  I've already been distracted by YouTube, so I paused the game and now I'm about 30 minutes behind the real game time.  I'm turning off my phone because it will flash up the final score before I'm ready.  At least I can fast forward all the half-time nonsense.  Including the Superbowl-like half time show and Alexi Lalas' useless analysis.  He is up there with hydration breaks as one of the worst things about this World Cup.

This game needs a goal.  Or a red card.  Or something.  I mean we're 80+ minutes in and Argentina hasn't registered a shot on goal yet.  I think I've got more of a chance of getting a golden boot than Messi.  I hope this doesn't go to extra time.  I've got chores to be getting on with.  I'm sick of all this drone footage and ref cam - adds absolutely nothing to the coverage.  Other than a distracting drone shadow across the pitch.  It's kind of sad that the American audience has to be reminded that there is no golden goal.  And they keep on displaying this match momentum plot during every game, that has to be one of the most useless football stats I've ever seen.    

And so we go to extra time.   And Argentina down to 10 men.  Did you see the way all their players were surrounding the referee after the second yellow card.  That's the kind of thing I hate them for, and I thought it was the kind of crap that FIFA were trying to cut out of the game.  You somehow still feel that if they can hold on for penalties then they will win.  Do you reckon Trump is going to hang around for another 30+ minutes?  They haven't shown many shots of him during the game.  I have no doubt he has been "resting his eyes" during the game.

Into extra time.  It looked like Spain had a perfectly legit goal disallowed.  Just going to show more Argentine bias throughout these knockout stages.  This definitely feels like it's going to penalties.  Despite all of Spain's possession. Spain might have a worst record in penalties than even England.  They have to really push for a goal.  And it is perhaps their achilles heal that they don't have a decent reliable striker.

GOAL!  Thank god.  Finally Spain have broken the deadlock.  20 shots on goal versus 0, they deserved it.  Now Spain, don't do an England.  Don't sit back, don't become defensive.  They've controlled the ball, and that's what they need to keep on doing.  Now is the time for some tiki-taka football.  Is there one bit of Messi magic left?

Nope.  Congratulations Spain.  You were the most consistent team in the World Cup, certainly defensively, and probably deserved it.  Though I think we could have given you a good fight.  And look at the bad sportsmanship from the Argentinians after the final whistle.  Why am I not surprised.  Bad losers.  

It's going to be tough to come up with other things to blog about after this World Cup...

England ?-? France

It's the third place game.  Who cares.  It doesn't matter what the score was or how good a game it was - it has no consequences, and is even more meaningless than a friendly.  Which is why I didn't bother watching it.  The only reason we have the game is because it's another FIFA money grab.    

IMAX

I haven't been to the cinema for ages, but I am thinking I want to go see The Odyssey on the big screen.  And I mean the really big screen - I'm no expert on the various different film stocks, but I really want to see this film in 70mm IMAX for the ultimate viewing experience (it was filmed entirely in IMAX, and this is apparently the best way to see the film).  One problem with that, there is no such screen showing that format in the Seattle area.  There used to be a big IMAX screen at Seattle Center (where the Space Needle is, and where I've seen films before), but it got sold and is now closed indefinitely.  Which sucks.  There is a downtown cinema showing the film in 70mm, but not on a screen with the proper IMAX aspect ratio.  But then it dawned on me that it's not that long until I'm back in the UK.  So I could wait until I'm back, and go watch it at the BFI in London (just one of the few locations in the UK able to handle 70mm IMAX).  But I've just been on the BFI website, and on the dates I'm back all the showings are either sold out or the only available seats are way at the front or way to the side.  Can I be bothered?  I don't know whether it's worth it.

Deja Vu

I was watching the film From the World of John Wick: Ballerina this evening, and I had the distinct feeling that I had seen it before.  Definitely the second half of the film.  Very weird.  And it's not like it's a particularly good or memorable film - like most John Wick films, just a lot of fighting and shooting (2 stars).  I wonder if I had seen it before.  Maybe on a flight, maybe just while channel-hopping.  I don't know.  And it's not helped that I kept on falling asleep during the last 15 minutes.  Not a good sign that I couldn't stay awake during the final climactic scenes.

England 1-2 Argentina

Well, that was disappointing.  I'm sure the British media will do the job of laying into Tuchel for making England way too defensive after we scored.  I didn't think we deserved to lose before that.  But neither did we deserve to win.  It was a fairly well matched game (low on scoring chances, high on niggle) until it turned into an attack versus defense training exercise.  And what was so frustrating that even with all the defenders, we seemingly still couldn't stop them crossing the ball.  It somehow felt inevitable.  Perhaps it is better that we lost this way, rather than lose in extra time or worse by penalties.  I think Argentina hates us more than we hate them.  So I hope Spain crushes them on Sunday.  And perhaps we need to remind them who still owns (and will continue to own) the Falkland Islands.  I won't bother watching the England-France game - the third place game is such a waste of time.     

TV Recommendation

A rare TV recommendation for this time of year, when there is generally not a lot on (I'm not watching House of the Dragon - which is probably the biggest show on right now).  The 7th season of Dark Side of the Ring is currently airing.  One of the best documentary series out there.  You don't have to be a fan of wrestling to enjoy this - this is more about some very flawed characters being involved in some very insane stories.  It reminds me why I enjoyed professional wrestling when I was younger, and just how watered down and lame wrestling is nowadays.    

Fasting

Because I had a doctor's appointment late this afternoon that would involve a lipid panel blood draw, I didn't eat anything other than a banana for breakfast.  So imagine my disappointment when my appointment, which was scheduled for 4.20 pm, dragged on until after 5 pm.  The reason for the disappointment: the lab where you get your blood taken closed at 5 pm.  So I fasted and suffered hunger pangs for nothing.  And I've got to go in again tomorrow to get my blood taken.  What a pain in the ass.  Note to self - stick to early morning doctors' appointments in the future.    

Hummingbirds

Kind of sad today.  I had to deal with another hummingbird death.  This was one that regularly used the feeder outside my kitchen window.  I knew something was wrong because yesterday I had seen it perched on the feeder looking a bit worse for wear - it's feathers were messed up and it was breathing heavily.  I went outside to have a closer look, and it didn't fly away - which is unusual.  My first thought was this was a good opportunity to take a photo of a hummingbird, so I went inside to fetch my phone and returned outside.  But this time the bird flew into the nearby tree, so I assumed it was just a bit tired and everything was okay again.  But later in the day as I was topping up the water in my feeders, I noticed the same hummingbird on the ground underneath the feeder.  It did not look in a good state.  It was alive, but barely.  Didn't know what to do.  Should I try to help it, or should I put it out of its suffering.  I picked it up with the plan of taking it to the feeder.  And that's when I noticed it had a leech or a slug attached underneath it.  Not good.  I removed it, but there was blood.  Yikes.  The bird was still alive, but not for long. I wonder if I could have done better - I don't think I could have done anything to save it, but I wonder if I could have eased it's suffering earlier.  The moral of the story - don't ask me to make any end of life decisions.  But on the bright side, just this evening I saw a different hummingbird using that same feeder outside my kitchen window.  Hummingbirds are extremely territorial, so it didn't take long for another one to claim this feeder. 

England 2-1 Norway (aet)

I should feel elated when England win a World Cup quarter-final.  But nope, that is not the emotion I feel.  Instead, it is a sense of exhaustion and relief.  Much like the match against Mexico, they don't make it easy do they.  Another tense and nervy win.  And this one included quite a lot of luck.  We were largely outplayed, they hit the crossbar, our goal should never have counted since the ball hit an overhead wire in the lead up, and there were a number of dodgy officiating decisions that went our way.  But we somehow did it - helped by the fact that we have one or two superstars that can make the difference, such as Bellingham.  I think the conditions didn't exactly help make this a free-flowing match - why you have to hold a quarter-final in a hot, humid, outdoor stadium rather than one of the many air-conditioned indoor stadiums I don't know.  I suspect there is politics and corruption at play again.  It feels like of all the World Cup quarter-finalists, we are the ones that have had to travel the most and play in the worst conditions.  

Trail Cam June-July

A few of the more interesting photos captured by my trail cam over the last 3 weeks or so.  No bears, but lots of birdlife, something small that may be an opossum (something I have seen before in my yard, but never photographed), a coyote that appears to have caught something big (maybe a chicken - since I know some neighbors have them in their yards) and a pair of raccoons that were apparently going up my driveway this morning. 

The Bayeux Tapestry

I note that the British Museum is soon going to have the Bayeux Tapestry available to view in an exhibition.  That is something I would like to see.  Unfortunately I don't think I will.  It appears that all tickets are already sold out this year.  Which is kind of annoying, to say the least (not that I would be around much to see it!).  Maybe I can still get tickets for next year, but realistically the only time I could go is very early January.  I fear I will miss out.  And although I'm considering it, I'm not even sure whether it is worth becoming a member of the museum just to increase my odds of getting a ticket.  Oh well, there are thousands of other important historical artifacts that I should probably try to see instead.      

Rest Day

What's this... no football today?  It feels like the first time in an absolute age.  Without the distraction, I did find I had a much more productive day of work.  What is interesting is that with the World Cup going on, I have totally neglected to follow any other sports.  For example, I have absolutely no idea what is going on in Wimbledon.  When I checked this evening, I was shocked to see some British guy I've never heard of in the semi-finals.  What have I missed? 

Fiber Internet

Some good news today.  I found out that I can now get fiber internet installed at my place.  This wasn't the case last week.  I phoned up to check availability, and they said they'd look into it.  I guess they did, and now it seems like it's a possibility.  Though they never got back to me to let me know, which seems like an oversight.  Nonetheless, I will definitely get it installed - probably right after my trip back to the UK.  It will be so good to finally drop my cable company - who I've had so many problems with over the years, and who I pay way too much to, and who I hate.       

USA vs Belgium As It Happened

Pre-game: I have decided I want Belgium to win.  It's an absolute disgrace that Trump got involved to get that US player's red card rescinded.  Stinks of corruption at the highest level.  I don't care whether he deserved the red card or not in the first place, that's not the point.  This is yet another example of one of my biggest fears about this World Cup - that politics will get involved.  Just like the Somalian referee getting denied entry into the US.  This is about the integrity of the game.  In much the same way that there should be a third political party in the US but there never will be, there should be a legitimate challenger to FIFA in hosting the World Cup.

Quarter-time: Damn hydration breaks (though, in fairness, they have probably helped England).  Some random thoughts.  Lumen Field (Seattle Stadium) normally has artificial turf, and the grass on this pitch looks artificial.  But I haven't read about any player complaints about the surface, so I assume it is OK.  Belgium deserving the lead - they have looked the better team.  The US have looked nervous.  And I don't think they are anywhere near as good as all the US pundits and coverage would suggest.  It comes across as arrogance, and Belgium had already been overlooked before the game started - even though I think this game is a toss-up.  

Half-time: apparently the US are the only team I've seen at the World Cup that are actually a free-kick threat.  But didn't take long for Belgium to respond.  The US defense looks very shaky.  The presence of Chris Richards reminds me that there are so many Crystal Palace players, both former and present, at this World Cup,  This fact has even come up in US commentary at times.  Nice.  It seems like a weird atmosphere in the crowd.  Almost a disbelief that they're losing.  It's where having a passionate, knowledgeable and natural fan base is lacking.  These are mostly fair weather fans, especially knowing how much many of these people paid for their tickets.  Ludicrously expensive.  Fox persists in using Alexi Lalas in their studio analysis of the game at half-time - even though everyone hates him.  But then what do you expect from Fox who are also trying to shove James Cordon's post-show down our throats, even though everyone hates him as well.    

Three-quarter time: soft, soft goal to concede.  Don't see the US coming back now.  To be honest, grown a little bored of the game, and got distracted by my iPhone.  My friend was downtown today, and said that the bars were the most crowded he has ever seen.  And he has lived in Seattle all his life.  I think I'm at an age where uncomfortably watching a game in a packed pub doesn't appeal to me in the same way it used to.  I'd much rather watch the game in front of the telly with a small group of friends.  I think what this game needs is a bit more edge.  The problem is that neither of these teams excel at the dark arts.  As much as I hate them, they are part of the game - and a big part of why Argentina are so good.  It also made the France-Paraguay game a lot more interesting than it should have been!

Full-time.  Wa-wa!  Goodbye USA.  You were not good today.  Be interesting to see the reaction.  Someone will take the blame - probably the manager.  And I'm also curious what happens after all the US hype has evaporated.  This could be a big blow to "soccer"'s popularity in the US - the US people don't like losing.  Even though they had absolutely no realistic chance of winning the World Cup.  Seattle will now be known as the location of one of the biggest failures in US soccer history.  I say Trump and FIFA should be blamed.  After all, they gave Belgium more motivation than a team talk could ever do.    

England 3-2 Mexico

My god, England don't make it easy do they.  Can't we just have a nice comfortable win.  This game was so full of incidents and momentum shifts and was so torturous to watch.  Especially that last 20 minute rearguard action.  Did you stay up to watch the game?  I doubt it, especially after the start was delayed for an hour.  But it is worth watching the replay, especially knowing that we hung on.  And I managed to teach one of my American friends who I was texting with during the game a new word - sh*thousery.  I need a lie down now.       

Happy Birthday America

A happy 250th anniversary to America today.  A celebration that I feel should be bigger than it is.  But unfortunately Trump has made the celebration more about him than about the country, and ruined it (at least on a national level) for everyone.  Nonetheless, there have been a lot of local events today and I'm expecting even more fireworks than normal to go off tonight - even though it is still illegal in my neighborhood.  I've been hearing a lot of explosions throughout the day - it seems nonsensical to me to set them off during daylight, but whatever.  All I know is that I hate what all the noise does to the wildlife - in between the explosions, I hardly hear any bird song like I would normally.  It's always a bit weird how I feel about Independence Day.  I don't really celebrate it, and it only seems to emphasize how non-American I feel.  I've been asking myself whether the US feels like home to me.  I'm not sure it does - sure it's my residence, but I think the UK will always be my home.  That's probably not a good thing to say when I'm considering American citizenship one day.       

Confused

For most of today, I was convinced it was Saturday.  Maybe it's because this was at the end of a week without working.  Maybe it's because it was at the end of a week when I watched far too much football.  Maybe because it's the 4th of July holiday.  And a special 250 year anniversary at that (though Trump has kind of ruined this).  Whatever the reason, it's left me somewhat discombobulated.  And all too aware that my week off has passed way too quickly and that I probably haven't made the most of it.

Boring

No world cup post today.  Just composed a post about a customer service interaction I had this week, but it was incredibly boring so I deleted it.  Let's just say that trying to update the phone number associated with your supermarket club card so that you can access your online account is not as easy as it should be.  Exciting stuff right.  

USA 2-0 Bosnia

I don't have any comments on the England game, after another extremely underwhelming performance against an inferior opposition that they somehow managed to scrape a win from.  I'm actually looking forward to their next game playing at altitude against Mexico in front of 90,000 Mexican fans at the Azteca.  That should be a great spectacle, and a great atmosphere.  Instead, a few comments during the US game:

- Hilarious that they continue to play a sped up version of the Star Spangled Banner as the national anthems

- It's not just extra commercial breaks, but I noticed during the US game that they had a sideline reporter.  This is very common in US sports, but weird during "soccer" games and an example of the further attempted Americanization of our game

- I notice that when Alexi Lalas is not in the studio, Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovich are SO much more relaxed and happier.  I thought it might just be an act for publicity, but no I think they genuinely don't like him (which I can thoroughly appreciate - I have to mute the telly or change channels whenever he is on)

- It seems like David Beckham appears in every other advertisement during the World Cup (especially during the hydration breaks) - advertising everything from Home Depot to Bank of America.  It's bewildering since he has so little personality.

- I still don't like the expanded format of this World Cup.  But I fear it is going to stick around, because it has made for some very tense and very enjoyable matches.  While some of the bigger teams like England and Brazil flatter to deceive, a number of the "smaller" countries have really shown up.  And the host countries have done surprisingly well to all still be alive.  But I'd be really surprised if it isn't another France-Argentina final.

- 3 knockout games in 1 day is way too much.  It should be 2 matches a day at most, featuring the games where the winners play each other in the next round.

- Seattle will now host its biggest ever sporting event, and the biggest "soccer" match in US soccer history, on Monday.  And another reason to enhance its reputation as the best World Cup atmosphere in the US.