Release the Kraken

A good ice hockey day today.  There are few things as good in sports as a Game 7 in a best of 7 series, and there were two of those today.  Better than a Game 7 is a Game 7 that goes to overtime.  Where the first goal scored will send one team through and knock the other team out.  And there was one of those today.  And better than this is when a Game 7 goes to overtime and a team from Boston loses.  Any day when a team from Boston loses is a good day.  And that happened today - and this wasn't just any Boston team, this was a Boston team that had the best regular season record in history.  And, finally, better than this is when an expansion team in just their 2nd year beats the defending champion in a Game 7.  Yep, the Seattle Kraken did it.  Krazy.      

Bank Holidays

I get it, the US will never give us a day off for the coronation of King Charles.  But I note that you have yet another bank holiday this Monday - "Early May Bank Holiday".  What the hell... we haven't had a bank holiday since President's Day (20th Feb) and won't have one until Memorial Day (29th May).  Come on US, you're better than this - give us some damn time off.  But no you won't, because you treat your workers like crap.  No wonder so many of us are quiet quitting (something I've done well before this definition even existed). 

Heatwave

We're in the midst of a mini heatwave here.  It got up to the balmy temperature of (quickly converts fahrenheit into celsius) 25 degrees this afternoon.  Definitely t-shirt weather, almost shorts weather.  And given how cold it has been recently, it feels a lot warmer.  But have I been able to make the most of it?  Have I heck.  I've been stuck inside most of the day with too much work to do - and decreasing patience with my job.  What is interesting is that it is so much cooler inside my house than outside - a good 15 degrees cooler.  As soon as I step outside into the sun, the change in temperature is startling.  It just goes to show how little sun my house can get - particularly downstairs and in my main (north-facing) bedroom.  Not necessarily a bad thing on those hot summer days (a godsend when you don't have air conditioning), but I often find myself overdressed when I go out because I misjudge how warm it is once you get outside.          

Mustache Comb

I've never thought of owning a mustache comb before.  I've never had the desire or ability to grow the necessary facial hair to warrant it.  However, I will make an exception for this:

But only because this particular comb belonged to a certain Mr Freddie Mercury!  With an auction estimate of 400 to 600 pounds, that is certainly within my budget.  However, with the amount of press this auction - and this item - is getting I suspect it will actually go for a lot more.

Cold Turkey

You know that scene in Trainspotting where Renton's parents lock him in his bedroom and he has those terrifying hallucinations as he goes through heroin withdrawal - including that baby who does a full 180 degree head spin.  Well, that is kind of what I'm going through.  But not heroin.  No, my addiction is soda and I have now gone 2 full days without a soda.  Last night, I had the sweats, chills, nausea, pain and craving exactly like drug withdrawal.  It was a very sleepless night.  I don't know whether it is entirely due to going told turkey over soda, after all I think my blood pressure has been high recently.  But I've been drinking too much soda recently, so I need to do this.  I'm not going to stop drinking it entirely, after all I've got a load of cans in my fridge, but I definitely need to drink more in moderation.    

TV Theme Tunes #27

A bit of an obscure one this week - a theme that I don't recognize but from a very important show that I remember watching on Channel 4 on Saturday (?) mornings along with Football Italia.  An important show, because it introduced me to many new sports - in particular, the glorious spectacle of what should be an Olympic sport, kabaddi. 

Land Rover Classic Defender 90

I finished my second Land Rover today: