Song of the Week #25

To the best of my knowledge, I own albums belonging to 2 Belgian bands.  This is one of them.

Debate

No, I didn't watch the debate.  I don't care and I'm not going to submit myself to hearing a single line of bullshit that Trump spouts.  I think the debates in general are just a complete waste of time as I can't believe there are still any undecided voters left.  You're either a rational, decent person or someone who votes for Trump.  I'm updating my prediction - I still think Trump is going to win re-election, but I think Biden is going to win the popular vote.

More Smoke

Well, this is annoying.  The weather forecast for this week is terrific, sunny and clear skies.  But apparently that doesn't account for the smoke forecast.  And just been reading this evening that smoke is likely going to come into our region again beginning tomorrow.  So my plan of taking a couple of days off work and going to Mount Rainier and/or Hurricane Ridge in the Olympics is kind of up in the air.  Again.  Not happy.  I'm still taking a day off work tomorrow - unless the air quality rapidly deteriorates overnight, I think I will still try to go somewhere.

Fireworks

The Seattle Seahawks have started the season 3-0, and despite not having watched any of their games I know exactly when they won because fireworks go off.  Doesn't matter what time of day it is - like today, they played an afternoon game and it was still light when the game ended and the fireworks were set off - and it's not some isolated idiot, it's lot of people setting off different types of fireworks.  The Seahawks fandom is strong round here - a stark contrast to my time in San Diego when the Chargers results were treated with indifference (though that still doesn't justify moving that franchise to Los Angeles).  When I was outside this afternoon, I could hear multiple households cheering and jeering to the ebb and flow of the game.  And it may be a toss up as to whether there are more households with a US flag or more households with a Seahawks flag.  Obviously the prevalence of Seahawks fans makes them absolutely obnoxious (though not as bad as anyone from New England/Boston), and utterly impossible to get tickets for any of their games (not that you could go watch them right now anyway).  But it makes me jealous of not being a part of a hardcore fanbase - I can't really say that about my support for Palace, especially being all the way out here.  So I think I need to take my support of the Seattle Kraken to the next level when they start their debut season next year.  If they're any good!  Yes, I guess I'm just a lowlife glory fan.            

Green Fingers

I've just bought myself some indoor plants - a spider plant, a syngonium and a chinese evergreen.  All of them, apparently, are easy to maintain and don't require a lot of light - which is good because at least 2 of them are going in my living room which tends to be quite dark.  Let's see how long it takes me to kill them!  I already don't fancy the chances of the spider plant - I don't think I got it in good condition.   I do not have a good record when it comes to plants - I'm the kind of person who is able to kill a cactus.  Though most of the succulents I ordered about 4 months ago are still hanging on, so maybe I've turned a corner.     

Cold

For the first time in what feels like ages but is really only a couple of months, I had to wear a top over my t-shirt today.  The heavy rain we've had for the last few days has been accompanied by a noticeable drop in temperatures.  The good news is that we are back to some sunny and warm weather next week (and I'll probably be taking a few days off work, as it might be the last decent opportunity to drive up to some mountainous areas - though I'm expecting my car service due light to come on any day soon).   

History

I've been thinking a lot about history, mainly because we're clearly living through one of the most important and memorable moments in our lifetime - at least up until now.  Historians will analyze this period of time for decades in the future - how did it happen, what kind of impact did it have, how has it changed the world.  And it got me thinking about what are the most significant historical events to happen in the 21st century so far.   And I think these are my top 5.

5. Brexit

4. Smartphones

3. Pandemic

2. Trump

1. 9/11

I'm solid with 1 to 3, I'm okay with 4 (mainly because I think the development of the smartphone has been the catalyst for a number of other important things e.g. reliance on the internet and WiFi, social media, how we consume music/TV/etc, the new sharing economy - the only question I have is whether the smartphone is the cause or the effect?  If it's the effect, then maybe I should replace "Smartphones" with "Rise of the Internet") and I went back and forth a lot with 5 (mainly because I don't think we really know yet what the true impact of Brexit will be - but I think it's by far the most important British political moment in the 21st century).  What else did I consider?  Barack Obama, Arab Spring, Climate Change, absolutely no sporting events.  It feels like I've forgotten a number of other significant moments...