Wrestlemania

I'm a grown-ass man who gave serious consideration to ordering Wrestlemania today - the biggest wrestling event of the year.  What is wrong with me?  Well I didn't order it in the end, so I can't be a totally lost cause.  However, that hasn't stopped me reading the results and match recaps on the internet.  I really should stop following wrestling.  I'm way too old and too intelligent for this trash.  And it has experienced a lot of criticism recently - from hosting events in Saudi Arabia to how it treats its wrestlers (basically as "independent contractors" rather than employees, so they don't need to pay for healthcare etc.).  But, inexplicably, wrestling remains as popular as ever here - and perhaps will only increase in popularity, because later this year they are going to start broadcasting wrestling on Fox, for the first time with a bigger audience of a network channel.  And, lest we forget, Donald Trump is an inductee in the Wrestling Hall of Fame.  That about sums up just how much of a joke it is.     

Newcastle 0-1 Palace

Well, 2 down 1 to go.  And I feel a lot better about Palace's survival chances now.  It may not have been pretty, but a win is a win - especially somewhere where we haven't won in 20+ years.  As Robbie Mustoe (!) said in the US TV coverage, we have a guy who is good at winning penalties and a guy who is good at taking penalties.  Apparently, that's all we need.  I would probably take this win over playing in the FA Cup semi-final - despite the odds of us staying up, I always think about what happened to Wigan...

Madchester

My mood this week:

And since it's the 25 year (!) anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death today - obviously a big deal in this part of the world - a classic also appropriate to my mood:

Orange-Vanilla

I’ve been trying some of the new Orange Vanilla Coca-Cola drinks this week – their first new flavor in a very long time.  Got to be honest, not a big fan.  Tastes a bit like the kind of drink you get when you go to a fast food restaurant with one of those “freestyle” soda fountains and like a giant kid you mix up all kinds of flavors together and immediately regret it.  Unsatisfying and unmemorable.

Photos added to Sunday's entry.

The Apple Con

I think it might be time to get a new phone.  I’ve got an iPhone 6s, and I’m happy with it and it has served me well for many years.  But for the last week or so, I’ve started having some serious problems with my phone battery.  I’m noticing that my battery is draining really quickly, or at least it says it does.  But I think it is lying to me.  For example it might say my phone is at 1% battery, but then when I restart the phone it says 65%.  Weird.  So I might shell out on an iPhone XR.  And it ain’t cheap.  But needs must – and since my phone is also now my primary source for taking photos, I welcome the upgrade.  Let’s see – I’m going to charge my phone to 100% tonight and leave it unplugged overnight.  If the battery drain is really bad by the morning, I will commit to a new phone.  Then you have to add on all the accessories – a new case, new wireless headphones (no headphone jack – what?), etc etc.  Tim Apple (as President Trump ignorantly called the CEO) certainly knows how to take all your money. 

Fickle Mother Nature

When you’re thinking about going to Oregon for the weekend, and then check the 10 day weather forecast.  This is disappointing.

Haircut

It's been what felt like a very long time (6 months?), but I got my hair cut over the weekend.  I had let it grow out, and it had started to become increasingly curly and uncontrollable.  But for this haircut, I went for something different to what I have normally got for the last 10+ years.  Instead of having it shaved all over (2 on back and sides, 4 on top) – I went for a much more straightforward haircut (4 on back and sides, and just a little off the top).  Why?  Well, it wasn’t exactly a radical change but I think it was predominantly my paranoia over increasingly thinning hair.  I’ve even bought some expensive shampoo to promote hair growth.  I’m not sure what to make of my new haircut.  Looks kind of odd to me – a bit too boring and straight-edged for my tastes.  But at least I’ve kept my hair relatively dense at the front where I’m most conscious that it might be thinning (possibly where my hair used to be grey and has now fallen out!).  I don’t know – I don’t think I like it.  I maybe need to go for something different next time – a crew cut or an “ivy league” (I’ve been looking at haircut websites!).  I don’t think I’ve got the guts to go for something radically different as much as I’d like to.