Review And Remind Self-Esteem And Life Guarantees

Today's blog is an update on a past blog.

Update On A Past Blog

I want to take another look at two past blogs. The first blog is Be Strong, Be Useful, Strong Self-Esteem All Relationships written on Jul 27, 2020. I want the following attributes for my future spouse: strong self-esteem, be useful, good strength, and high motivation. The second blog elaborates strength and motivation in My Two Question Marriage Is He Or She My Spouse Till Death Do Us Part written on Dec 1, 2019. The strength is the question, "Do you trust your spouse to take of you if you're the weaker person?" The motivation is the question, "Is the couple motivated to work hard on their marriage?"

A third past blog is My Six Guarantees written on Dec 11, 2021. Benjamin Franklin is credited with two of the six guarantees death and taxes. My four of the six guarantees are everyone is weird, everyone changes, everyone has problems, and there are 24 hours in a day and seven days a week.

Instant Bullets Blog Jul 15, 2024

*Repair Board Game Boxes. Link from Board Game Geek This handy guide to repairing split boxes is over 20 years old. Let the weight of experience wash over you. Personally, I didn't try it. It looks like the guide works.

*Small Knowledge Bullets.

*Lifetime warranties such as Columbia jackets, Jansport backpacks, and Osprey backpacks use the returns to identify weak points in their products.
*The Swiss army knife parcel hook is used to carry items as a handle.
*Microsoft Word or Outlook. The user accidentally pressed CAPS lock. Select the text in upper case letters. Press Shift+F3 to convert from upper case to lower case or to title case.
*An oven door can come off for cleaning. Remove the hinges pops the oven door off, clean the door and oven, and pop the oven door back on.

*Money Talks.

*You're not paying the mechanic to bang on your car; you're paying the mechanic to know where to bang on your car.
*You're not paying us to Google; you're paying us to know what to Google.
*$1 to use the hammer, $999 to know where to use the hammer.
*Lawyers drafting papers have a template which takes a few minutes to complete. Lawyers charge expensive fees; however, lawyers spend years learning how to complete the papers quickly and accurately.

*Do Give Up. Sometimes giving up is the best move.

*College Football Illinois Fighting Illini at Penn State Nittany Lions nine overtimes on Oct 23, 2021. Illinois vs #7 Penn State INSANE Ending | 2021 College Football. Illinois UPSETS #7 Penn State in 9 Overtimes.

*Student Did Math. Question asked Tell how you know. Student answered I just know.

*Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. "Curiosity killed the cat" is a proverb used to warn of the dangers of unnecessary investigation or experimentation. It also implies that being curious can sometimes lead to danger or misfortune. The original form of the proverb, now rarely used, was "Care killed the cat." In this instance, "care" was defined as "worry" or "sorrow for others."

There were multiple variations dating back to the origins. The earliest known printed modern version was Dec 23, 1912 from The Titusville Hearld Newspaper: . . . "Curiosity killed the cat, But satisfaction brought it back." . . . .

Wikipedia source: Curiosity killed the cat.

*Interview Get To The Point. Interviewer: Give me an example of a time where . . . . Me: Look, do you need staff or not.

*Locks And Safes. Items in a safe valued more than $300? The safe isn't secured because a professional opens the safe using a crowbar in three seconds. Or a professional uses an angle grinder. Another viewpoint the safe is a decoy. Organize important documents in an old shoe box. A good safe with a good lock delays intrusion. The number one purpose of a safe is fire protection.

Locks only keep honest people out. Locks keep honest people honest. Insurance is for the real criminals.

*axiom: a statement or proposition which is regarded as being established, accepted, or self-evidently true.

*axiomatic: self-evident or unquestionable; obviously true; accepted. Pronounced ax-e-o-matic.

*Issac Newton's Three Laws Of Motion. First: An object at rest stays at rest; an object in motion stays in motion. Second: Force = Mass * Acceleration. The more you push the faster you'll go. Third: For every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. A rocket can lift off by expelling gas downward.

*Mark Cuban on the Lex Fridman podcast episode 422 Mark Cuban: Shark Tank, DEI & Wokeism Debate, Elon Musk, Politics & Drugs | Lex Fridman Podcast #422:

*I personally think that everything good that's ever happened to me is because of luck. I think that's just a good way of being. It's like you're grateful.
*On Jeff Bezos: It seems like he did a lot of really interesting, powerful decisions for many years of Amazon to make it successful. But he was really able to raise money, right? A lot of money.
*If you are happy when your were broke, you're going to be really, really, really happy when you're rich. . . . If you were miserable, you know in your job before, there's a good chance you're still going to be miserable if that's just.

*Welcome to adulthood. Now, more than ever, freedom equals responsibility. What will be your contribution to the world? Agree or disagree?

*An anecdote is a brief story, usually told because it is relevant to the subject at hand. An antidote is the cure for a poison, but can also be used figuratively for anything that solves a problem.

An anecdote a short account of a particular incident or event, especially of an interesting or amusing nature. A short, obscure historical or biographical account.

*There is a hall of fame for mascots. Visit Mascot Hall Of Fame. Located in 1851 Front Street, Whiting, IN 46394. Open to the public. Purchase tickets are required.

*Former New York Mets relief pitcher Jorge Lopez said, "I'm the worst teammate on the worst team. Honestly." Lopez was quoted on May 29, 2024. The Mets released Lopez on May 30, 2024.

*Congressman Glenn Ivey (D-MD) talked about Donald Trump's guilty verdict in falsifying business records to hush Stormy Daniels. If Trump wins the 2024 election, then he can be president. On the other hand, common people with convictions can't vote and can't find jobs Congressman Glenn Ivey on the Trump hush money verdict and the "2-tiered justice system." An example life is unfair.

*Spelling Is Important. The misspelled word is "miximum." Is the correct word minimum? Is the correct word maximum?

*"Now, if you know some other way that I can be honest with you, you got to tell me." --Fast Eddie Felson, The Color Of Money

"Nice guys finish last." --Carmen, The Color Of Money

*hypochondriac: A person who is often or always worried about his or her own health. An excessive preoccupation with or anxiety about one's health.

*If you don't work on relationships, then they become chores. Agree or disagree?

*Don't be a stranger.

*Use Freebees Wisely. A student was allowed to be tardy or late to class two times per semester in my high school. The third tardy the final grade was lowered by one-third. In other words, a student was given two free opportunities to be late without penalty. I used one of the free opportunities to be late for my seventh period class on the day yearbooks were handed out. Yearbooks were handed out after sixth period.

I arrived late to seventh period. Jealous classmates looked at me when I arrived with the yearbook. Moreover, I avoided the long lines after school when the rest of the student body got their yearbooks.

I Learned Nothing From Preschool To Third Grade

I dreamed of Kmart last night. Kmart is a big box department store. There were 2,323 Kmart stores in the United States in 1994. There are twelve stores in the United States as of Apr 24, 2024. I remember the front of the store was all glass with glass entrances, exits, and emergency exits doors. There were no automatic doors. I remember the clothes, shoes, deli, restaurant, hardware, garden, and toys sections. I think there was a fabric and crafts section next to the restaurant. I looked at the Hershey's candy bars and Lifesavers candy at the checkout with my mom and brother.

The Kmart dream inspired today's blog. Who was I as a child? Who was I between ages 5-9? I read sentences. I added numbers. I subtracted numbers. I wrote simple sentences. I spelled simple words such as dog, cat, hat, Monday, playhouse, Sesame Street, The Wall Street Journal, and block. On the other hand, I was an enthusiastic, nice, friendly, and dumb kid. There was no guidance. There was nobody to call out my mistakes. There was no encouragement. There was too much fun such as watching too much television; however, Sesame Street taught me more than my parents. There was too little brain simulation such as too little reading books. I didn't know the latest and greatest outside the house in terms of current events, culture, entertainment, and leisure. There was no discover new hobbies. There was no learn new knowledge. My parents were afraid of new adventures.

There were little friends. I didn't have any friends in preschool. My first friend was a girl in kindergarten. My first crush was in first grade. She sat on my immediate left. I sat at the far right along the second to the last row and in front of the teacher's desk. We never talked. Her first name was Meghan. First grade was the best year for friends. I changed schools in second grade. The friends I met in second grade and third grade were one school year and done.

All of the above were not my fault. All is forgiven. I'm catching up what I missed from preschool to third grade. I learn how to talk to people. I learn how to make paper airplanes. I learn how to fold a piece of paper to a triangle as if I'm passing notes between myself and a girl. I learn Morse Code. I watch movies I missed in my childhood. I read books I should have read when I was a child. It's never too late to catch up from the past.

Side note: My first grade teacher never rearranged the desks. I sat in the same desk and in the same position throughout the school year. My second grade and third grade teacher rearranged desks and positions multiple times throughout the school years. My teacher was the same in second grade and third grade.

Update On A Past Blog

I selected past blogs when I was a child. I wrote two blogs on my parents in a negative way. The first blog Top Ten Lessons My Parents Failed To Teach Me written on May 2, 2013 is lessons I self-taught. The second blog Top Ten Don't Be My Parents written on Mar 17, 2020 is their habits and lifestyles I discourage people to adapt. Nobody is perfect. On the other hand, my parents taught me lessons I follow today My Parents Raised My Correctly written on Feb 15, 2015.

Seven of the ten Top Ten Kid Moments written on Oct 26, 2015 happened between preschool and third grade. There were some good memories; although, I second guess today being a quiet child in number 2 Girls I Liked And Liked Me.

It took me decades being an adult I Wasn't A Dumb Child After All on Apr 17, 2019. I realized my poor short-term memory was the primary reason for my frustrations, sadness, and hiding my weaknesses. I also wrote a blog with the same title I Wasn't A Dumb Child After All on Aug 3, 2013. My parents are partially blamed for my false sense I was dumb when I was a child. All is forgiven.

Thanks No Thanks Processed Foods

Some people have extra free time. Extra free time. Extra free time is rare for many people in today's Information Age. The extra free time is used to watch TV, to work, to raise the family, to read books, to check email, to play video games, to screentime on the smart phone, or do something brainless. These people eat more processed foods. These people may be eating too much processed foods including restaurants, frozen foods, and prepackaged meals. There is more time doing something else. There is less time cooking in the kitchen.

The extra free time cooking less is great in the short-run. The extra free time cooking less is terrible in the long-run. Is eating more fast food worth it to watch more TV series? Is eating more restaurant take-out worth it to finish the reports? Is eating more frozen pizza worth it to sit around doing nothing? Is skipping a meal worth more shopping?

Cooking is a life skill. Cooking is a stress relief. Cook the correct way.

The Laws Do Work

I dreamed last night I attended a neighborhood car race. I watched at a designed attendees section inside the race track. All sections composed of people and their vehicles. I came as one person with no vehicle.

The car race was part of the Professional Racing Neighborhood Driver League or PRNDL. All cars included modern cars today and classic cars as far back as the 1970s. All cars could be thought of Hot Wheels racing cars brought to life. All cars raced inside the streets of a neighborhood consisting of homes, apartments, stores, and parks. All barriers, safety equipment, and streets repairs were involved.

The final lap of the PRNDL race I suggested to a family of three to move their inoperative car to the center of the road. My dream didn't make sense. Follow my lead. The father of the family moved the car to the center of the road. The road was blocked. The race stopped. All cars stopped. The racers were angry. All cars which avoided the roadblock beforehand crossed the finishing line.

A PRNDL official told me to follow him. I was escorted to a table where the Operations Director issued a fine for which my dad signed off. My uncle was present, too. The fine was $400 million. I woke up.

I didn't like the ending. I went back to sleep half conscious. I changed the ending. I dreamed I carried a concealed Glock 19 gun on my rear waist. I reached around my rear waist with my right hand. I grabbed the gun. I shot the director in the head. Then I shot myself in the head. There were two police officers behind me. I was too quick for them to react.

The dreamed continued. The murder and my suicide made headline news for days. Many sports commentaries said the $400 million was an inappropriate fine. The PRNDL Board Of Directors eliminated the bylaw fine imposed for anyone interfering with the face. Many law commentaries said my parents could sue PRNDL in civil court for wrongful death. They predicted a settlement out of court.

Not Perfect. Still Good Enough.

The dream may convince many sports fans why people who interrupt live professional sports games are charged trespassing misdemeanors instead of felonies if law enforcement arrests the perpetrators. The punishment matches the committed crime. $10,000 fine is too high. Six months jail time is too cruel. $400 million fine is beyond outrageous.

Moreover, in an NFL game for example, the referee stops the game clock and play clock for security to remove the trespasser(s). Game continues afterwards. The PRNDL could stop the race temporarily by removing me and the car blocking the race track. The race continued afterwards.

The laws work. The laws protect people. The justice system is not perfect. The laws being enforced is good enough. The justice system convicting guilty felons and release innocent suspects is good enough.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog June 2024

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. Jun continued to be another fast month. The last week slowed down. Wear masks to minimize the chances of getting infected. Case numbers increased due to an early summer surge.

Tue Jun 4. First day of the first heat wave of the year.

Wed Jun 5. The Food And Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel unanimously recommended the COVID-19 fall vaccine updated for the JN.1 variant. JN.1 emerged in the US in Aug 2023. JN.1 dominated in Jan 2024. The FLiRT variants KP.1.1 and KP.2 are variants of the JN.1.

Wed Jun 5. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) reported the weekly test positivity rate increased from 3.4% to 4.2% as of May 25, 2024. The positivity rate was 3.0% in Winter 2022 when the omicron variant spread rapidly.

Fri Jun 7. A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine reported taking Paxlovid for 15 days didn't improve long COVID symptoms. The Paxlovid drug stops the virus from multiplying and reduces the virus amount.

Researchers still don't know what causes long COVID. A hypothesis is COVID-19 material say in the body. Long COVID symptoms include fatigue, brain fog, body aches, breathing difficulties, and gastrointestinal problems.

Sat Jun 8. The CDC said the KP.3 variant represented 25% of the cases. KP.3 was the dominant variant nationwide.

Tue Jun 11. The City Of Los Angeles ended the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all city workers. They included the police department and fire department. Fired workers or workers who voluntarily resigned can reapply for their positions with no guarantees of reemployment. Hundreds of former workers filed a lawsuit for refusing to be vaccinated. The lawsuit included damages and back pay or loss wages.

Wed Jun 12. The Santa Clara County Public Health Dept. said wastewater monitoring shows high concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 in San Jose. The CA Dept. Of Public Health said the Bay Area region has the most viral wastewater in CA. Many wastewater test sites in CA reported an increase in the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Thur Jun 13. Regular check-up dentist appointment. Completed errands at the post office and a library afterwards.

The FDA advised drugmakers to update vaccines to target the KP.2 strain for the upcoming winter. The FDA initially advised the JN.1 strain on Jun 5, 2024.

Sun Jun 16. Watched WNBA Chicago Sky at Indiana Fever from the 5:00 mark in the third quarter to the end of the game.

Went outdoors to Mitsuawa market, Kinokuniya bookstore, and Clover bakery.

Mon Jan 17. The Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach filed a lawsuit against Pfizer for misleading claims about their COVID-19 vaccine. The filing challenged the vaccine description text saying "life-saving vaccines" and "cures." Also, Pfizer concealed safety data for pregnant women. Pfizer responded it stands by its vaccines and disagrees with the lawsuit claims. Monetary damages amount unspecified. Pfizer violated the state's consumer protection laws. Vaccine recipients didn't pay for their doses.

Thur Jun 27. Grocery shopped at Costco. Shopped for used books at the Saratoga Library and Los Gatos Library.

Fri Jun 28. Morning errands at O'Reilly's, Sports Basement, and Books, Inc. Quick washed my car at a coin-op car wash.

US COVID-19 cases have been increasing for weeks. The CDC reported 38 states infections increasing mostly in the West and the South because of hot temperatures. The virus replicates well and stays active in warm and moist conditions. Wastewater surveillance suggested low viral activity; however, hospitalizations and deaths were increasing. The KP.2 and KP.3 represented at least 50% of US cases.

Sat Jun 29. Ate take out at Amakara restaurant in Dublin, CA.

Sun Jun 30. Ate at Cheung Hing restaurant in Belmont, CA.

Throwback Blog: Curses Are Meant To Be Broken

Blogger's Note: Throwback blogs are blogs from my past. I start posting past blogs reflecting what I wrote. It's like my "A Second Look" blogs for which I give myself feedback.

Today's throwback blog is titled Curses Are Meant To Be Broken written on Nov 5, 2010. I used Major League Baseball teams as examples curses were broken. The San Francisco Giants won two more World Series in 2012 and 2014. The Chiago Cubs won the 2016 World Series. The Cleveland Guardians, formerly the Cleveland Indians, continue waiting.

Here are recent first time franchise championships. I don't know their local franchise histories. I believe local fans say there were curses. The Texas Rangers won the 2023 World Series. The Denver Nuggets won the 2023 NBA Finals. The Florida Panthers won the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals.

The title is self-explanatory. Curses are meant to be broken. However, it's unfortunate some people can't or don't break their curses for reasons beyond their control. Blame life.

The last time the Chicago Cubs won the World Series was in 1908, a span of 102 years which is the longest time a team hasn’t won. The second longest is the Cleveland Indians at 62 years. The third longest was the San Francisco Giants at 56 years. The key word is was.

The Giants won the 2010 World Series defeating the Texas Rangers four games to one. The win is the first time in San Francisco franchise history. The torture is over, and that includes torture Giants fans experienced during the last six weeks of the season. Edgar Renteria’s three run go-ahead home run in the bottom of the 7th inning is the Giants most memorable homerun in San Francisco Giants history. The championship is for the Willie Mays, Will Clark, and Barry Bonds eras. The win erases all the Giants curses. Here are some of curses I lived through:

*1987 NLCS. Candy Maldonado’s misplayed fly ball in Game 6 and Jose Oquendo hitting a homerun in Game 7 off Atlee Hammaker against the St. Louis Cardinals. Oquendo hit one homerun in the regular season.

*1989 World Series. Loma Prieta earthquake and the Oakland A’s swept.

*2002 World Series. Anaheim Angels’ Scott Spiezo’s three run go-ahead homerun against Felix Rodriguez in Game 6.

*2003 NLDS. J.T. Snow thrown out at the plate on the last play of the series against the Florida Marlins in Game 5.

Curses are meant to be broken. If you’re in a bad streak of sales, dates, homework and tests scores, interviews for a job, burning cooked dinners, or buying bad goods, don’t worry about it. Don’t give up! Curses are meant to be broken.

Side note: The Boston Red Sox’s broke their curse in 2004.