Three things for Thursday

1. WTF Google Assistant? I have that thing turned off off off, I never use it, if I could delete it, I would but alas, I can't, Google gets to take up a lot of room on my device with a whole bunch of programs that I will never use. But here is what is bizarre. It happened for a while a year or so back, then stopped, then has started up again: when I am walking in my wildland park, so pretty much in the woods, Google Assistant starts harassing me, constantly telling me the time, asking about Notifications, being very intrusive. I have no idea why it does it, and only there. It doesn't seem to be linked to me doing anything, phone is typically in my bag and I'm either listening to music or an audiobook. God, I loathe that program. Also, even though I turned it off, some Google POS program notified me the other day or some apps that I hadn't used in 6 months, and so should delete. LOL. I have a folder called "Google Spoor" with all the Google programs that I will not touch, and I haven't touched any of those programs since I got the phone, in the fall of 2019, and yet it doesn't suggest I remove them (or give me the ability to nuke them). But the GA thing is really starting to piss me the fuck off, aggressively interrupting my walks.

2. Of course. My second favorite band is touring again, and the opening band is one that dh, AC, and Perry also like. They'll be in Seattle... at exactly the freaking time we're in Europe. They're European bands, of course, so this is doubly egregious. Sob.

3. I need to buy guidebooks for the trip. I can't decide between Lonely Planet and Rick Steves. Both have their advantages. And yes, paper copies. As much as I love my Kindle, and I do, it's much easier to flip thought a paper guidebook than a Kindle version. To be honest, I haven't found that out about guidebooks per se, but about hiking books. So much easier to find a hike to go on in a paper copy than on the Kindle. I'd like to say "it's all online" but there is some comfort to have the data with you rather than relying on while might be spotty connections, no wi-fi etc.