Sunday Night TV

I know that in this era of streaming TV that watching scheduled programming is very passe.  But an interesting observation is that at 9 pm on Sunday nights, there are currently 5 programs airing simultaneously that I watch.  There was a 6th, but I quickly dropped that.  The quality of these programs is variable to say the least, but not enough to stop my DVR getting a good work out.  This is the only time of the week that anything likes this happens.  Indeed, there are only a handful of scheduled programs that I bother watching during the week.  But Sundays are the exception, even beyond the 9 pm to 10 pm slot.  In that slot the 5 programs that I currently watch are The White Lotus (quality drama), Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light (which will probably remain unwatched on my DVR for a while because the original Wolf Hall is no longer free on streaming and I didn't get to finish watching all those episodes), Dark Winds (quality thriller), Watson (mediocre Americanized/modernized medical drama featuring Sherlock Holmes characters), and Suits LA (even more mediocre spin-off from the already fairly mediocre show Suits).  And the show that I stopped watching after 1 episode was David Blaine Do Not Attempt - after the realization that I really don't like David Blaine.        

More Backyard Wildlife Action

I knew there had been a bit of wildlife action in my backyard because I'd seen the bunny from my sofa, and I also saw the deer walk right across my back patio.  I'm glad my trail cam confirmed it - a couple of good photos here.

Fulham 0-3 Palace

We're going to Wembley!  But it's only a semifinal.  That somehow seems wrong.  In my humble opinion, Wembley should only be for the final and the semis should be played somewhere else.  But I'm not going to let that detract from Palace's achievement.  Just a continuation of a fantastic 2025.  Sadly I didn't catch the game - it was on too early for me, and it was streaming on ESPN+ which I don't have.  However I'm going to do my damnedest to watch the semi-final, and hopefully also the final.  I think we have as good a chance, if not better, than any of the remaining teams - all of them are beatable, and we are the form team.   

Layoffs

A tough week at work with my company laying off more people - including people I know.  I think it's only a matter of time until I get laid off.  I'm busy in the near future, but nothing in my schedule for later in the year.  It's never a good sign when middle management are scheduling last minute meetings to try to keep up the morale of those of us remaining - and woefully failing.  And this was all avoidable - an upper management decision to outsource most of our work, which in the long term won't save money and will only cause major headaches in terms of poor quality of work and not meeting our company's aggressive timelines.  And it's not like our company needed to streamline - we're still very profitable and the share price is really high right now (and since I have loads of company shares, one reason it's not a total catastrophe if I get laid off and don't find a new job immediately).  These are dark times, and I think my current mood reflects that.

Weimar Republic

Is living in the US right now like living in the Weimar Republic right before the rise of the Nazi party?  Or even right after the Nazi party initially won power?  It's a scary thought, but the parallels are there.  Political polarization, economic anxieties, rise of populist movements, authoritarian tendencies.  Obviously there are also arguments against - strong democratic institutions and values, a complex and diverse society, a strong civil society - but these are the very foundations under attack by the current administration.  What I find most disturbing is the apparent apathy/reluctant acceptance by most Americans about what is happening to their own country right now.  Which is why Trump and his administration are getting away with so much.  It's a horror show, and I think the future is bleak.  The question is, do I stay and fight it in whatever small way I can (such as voting for somebody else) or flee the country?  I have been giving more thought to coming back to the UK.  But conversely I've also been giving more thought to becoming a US citizen.  Confusing times.     

Severe Thunderstorm Watch

This is quite rare, but a severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for our region tonight.  What does that mean? How about wind gusts of 60 mph+, hail that is 2 inches or wider, and even the possibility of tornadoes.  Yikes.  If it materializes - and it's not clear at all if it will, certainly nothing serious yet as I write this - then that could be really destructive and cause some serious property damage.  We've had some unseasonably balmy temperatures for the last few days, so I guess this is the consequence.  And just as I finished writing this post, I just heard my first clap of thunder.  Or perhaps it was just a loud car going past.  I'm getting paranoid.  But maybe not, as I just stepped outside and the local bird life is being unnaturally noisy.  They must know something is up.  

Missing Package

Oh no, I'm in that unenviable position of a package being reported as delivered today, but absolutely no sign of it.  I think I need to give it a few more days, but I am anxious.  Perhaps it was prematurely entered as delivered, perhaps it got delivered to the wrong address, perhaps it got stolen.  I'm hoping it's the first scenario and it shows up tomorrow or the day after, but if not then I fear it's lost and I'm going to have to deal with that.  Not a particularly expensive item I'm waiting on, but limited edition so difficult to replace.