Tech Layoffs

The new year has started with a lot of layoffs in corporate America, and of particular interest is the number of tech layoffs.  In particular, Amazon have said they are going to layoff some 18,000 workers.  With Amazon headquartered in Seattle and having the majority of employees here, this is sure to have a significant impact in our region.  Which is not necessarily a bad thing.  The rise in housing prices and rise in cost of living has been mostly driven by the influx of overpaid tech workers - so I'm hoping we will see some sort of rebound to more sensible levels.  If there is a housing bubble, I would love to see it burst - then perhaps I can actually afford to buy a house I want here.  But I'm not holding my breath.  And of course I can't totally rule out the chances of layoffs at my own company, particularly as we head inexorably towards a big recession this year - though I think it unlikely I will be impacted, but you never know.     

COVID Test Kits

The US government is giving out free at-home COVID tests again this winter - so I ordered some and they arrived today.  So I was a bit surprised to note that they were long past their expiration date.  Well jeez, thanks for that.  But then a quick internet search reveals that the FDA has, conveniently, extended the expiration date for some of these tests.  Including mine.  So now they expire next month.  That's fortuitous.  Especially in light of the fact that I got my first ever COVID exposure notification on my phone last week.  I had forgotten I had even activated this - but it tells me I might have been exposed to COVID on Dec 30-31.  I suspect someone at the airport - or even on my flight - tested positive.  I tested myself before I went back to the office last week, but was negative.  And I haven't experienced any new symptoms.  But I'll test myself again before I go into the office next week.       

A Small World

When my cable box is in standby mode, it displays a screen saver.  This basically consists of a number of different images from across the world, interspersed with ads for the cable service.  So imagine my surprise when I encountered the following image:

Of all the places in all the world, the last thing I expected to see was a view from my hometown!  However, my delight was somewhat mitigated by the fact that I have no idea what river this is and I have no idea where this shot was taken from (since that looks like the viaduct in the background, I would guess it's the River Lea in the Meads).  Oh well, it's still nice to randomly encounter Hertford like this - a town I may have lived in for 18 years, but which I'll probably never visit again now that my family has moved away.   

TV Theme Tunes #11

I wasn't sure what theme to pick this week.  But then I watched a documentary about Princess Di a few days ago and this particular theme came up and so it's fresh in my memory.  Some takeaways from the documentary (called The Princess), which consisted solely of archive footage and interviews: you forget how young Princess Di was when she died (and, for that matter, how young she was when she first married Charles), you forget how beautiful she was, you forget how awful the media was (and is), you forget what an appalling bunch of parasites the tabloid press were (and are), and you forget how much the public disliked Charles (it was probably a good job that the Queen was able to hang around for another 25 years, so Charles' failings are largely forgotten now).  If you remember one of Princess Di's more famous sit-down interviews, then you'll probably guess which recognizable theme this is going to be.  

   

Magic Darts

There is one Christmas tradition that I missed - mainly because my parents no longer subscribe to Sky Sports - and that is watching the darts.  And then I came across this - the best leg of darts ever, which occurred in the final earlier today (I have no idea if it aired over here - but I was back at work and in the office today regardless).  As Sid Waddell might have said - there's only one word for that: magic darts.

Something Different

Since coming back to the US, something has felt different at home.  I've been trying to work out what it is.  There's obviously the re-adjustment from vastly different family households back to my simple home life here.  But no, that is not it.  There is the start of the new year and all that accompanies that.  But no, that is not it either (although I do feel a bit like I'm drifting through life at the moment - and should probably set myself some meaningful life goals for the year).  As I look out of the window, something looks different.  The view has not fundamentally changed, but the light seems different.  I'm not fully sold on this, but I think some more trees might have come down (or been removed) in my absence.  There is a gap in the treeline to my south that I'm not entirely sure was there before.  And I also suspect that another tree might have fallen and brought down my cable - but again I'm not sure.  It does seem as though my landlord may have done some tree trimming while I was away - so perhaps that is it.  Whatever it is - as soon as I get back into my regular routines (starting with back to work tomorrow), my focus will be elsewhere and I'm sure I won't notice anything different.     

Animal Activity

Happy New Year!  Here is some activity picked up by my trail cam while I was back in the UK.