Highlight and Favorite 2019 Tweets

Here are my 16 highlight Tweets or 23 highlight Tweets in total and 15 favorite Favorites Tweets in 2019. The goals delaying one year are relearning from my mistakes, reinforcing my lessons, reminding myself my moments, refreshing acquired knowledge, rediscovering new wisdom, and sharing changes. Follow me @inin61. Enjoy!

Highlights

Jan 21: A conversation starter. Ask the question, "What keeps you busy?"

Jan 30: Music Box Dancer by Frank Mills. It may be the piano song your heard in the past and never knew the title. #mysongoftheday Video

Mar 25: NCAA reports one person predicted all 16 men's basketball teams in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time. The teams includes #12 seeded Oregon. Also, the person predicted #13 UC Irvine defeated #4 Kansas State in the first round. Article

Apr 1: jewel: a person unique, beautiful, pure, sweet like an angel; a precious possession; a person or thing treasured. #mynewwordoftheday

Apr 8: Another Day In Paradise by Phil Collins #mysongoftheday Video

Jun 1: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass

Jun 17: Dear Abby Sun Jun 16 advice on practicing getting up after falling down without using hands for the elderly. Roll onto your knees and lift yourself up one leg at at a time Article

Jun 17: I use another technique. I roll on my back. Perform one sit-up without going down. I use my legs to stand up. If a person can do one sit-up, he or she can stand up without using hands and arms.

Jul 28: I'm not dumbing down. Never dumb down your life. Don't be an asshole for yourself. Don't let people drag you down. Nobody holds your back.

Jul 28: These people must leave your life. People come and go for good or for bad. Some people leave your life. New people enter your life.

Aug 18: Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre asked backup quarterback Ty Detmer a basic football concept in Favre's second year in the NFL. What's a nickel defense? Football fans laugh at Favre's answer response. Video

Aug 24: GetResponse published an article on the most hated business words. These words were valuable, inspiring, and full of strength once upon a time. Not anymore. Clique can be an understatement. Article

Aug 24: Samples. Most common jargon for "better results": "best practices" and "raise the bar." Most passive aggressive email lines: "as per my last email" and "just a friendly reminder."

Aug 24: Top five out of 30 least favorite business jargon terms: synergy, teamwork, touch base, raising the bar, and think outside the box. My personal worst term on the list is "it is what it is...". Intelligent people never say it is what it is.

Sep 6: Winter Games by David Foster the theme song for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, Canada #mysongoftheday Video

Sep 8: perverse: willfully determined or disposed to go counter to what is expected or desired; contrary; disobedient #mynewwordoftheday

Sep 19: Congratulations to Carpool Karaoke: When Corden Met McCartney Live From Liverpool winning two awards in the 71st Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) and Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control.

Sep 19: The Carpool Karaoke primetime special is the complete The Late Late Show Carpool Karaoke with James Corden and Paul McCartney.

Sep 22: I just finished watching The Shawshank Redemption. My high school and college friend watched the movie when it was released in theaters. It was the most boring movie he watched. He didn't understand the point. I avoided the movie.

Sep 22: I choose to watch the movie decades later. Good movie. Recommended. The movie is slow. I put the pieces together watching the movie without success.

Sep 22: My friend is correct up to the climax of the movie. It's the best full circle movie I have ever watched. Stick around. Don't give up. Have hope. The pieces are together. Good things can happen.

Sep 25: The female middle school student was wise beyond her years. RT @BoyYeetsWorld: one time in middle school i dated a girl for 4 days and when she broke up with me she posted on facebook sometimes your knight in shining armor is really just a loser in tinfoil and to this day that the sickest burn I've ever gotten.

Dec 5: The first procedure buying gas with a credit card is check the pump's credit card reader for a skimmer. Pic 1, Pic 2

Favorite Favorites

Mar 19: @dakanya, co-worker: how did you learn to code. me: mash until it works.

Apr 11: @arstechnica, Another Slack Overflow developer survey, another year of Visual Basic being as unpopular as ever Developers love Python and TypeScript, get paid for Clojure, and aren’t using blockchain.

Apr 23: @NBCSSharks, BARCLAY GOODROW!!! Watch the Sharks winger's game-winning overtime goal to give San Jose an epic Game 7 victory. Pic Video.

May 12: @SportsCenter, KAWHI. GAME 7. FOR THE WIN. Pic Video.

May 12: @espn, Another look at Kawhi's Game 7 winner. Pic Video.

May 18: @SJEarthquakes, CHRIS WONDOLOWSKI. KING. #WondoWatched Pic Video.

Jun 13: @SportsCenter, Klay turning around in the tunnel and coming back out to shoot free throws had Oracle going nuts. Pic Video.

Jun 13: @BayAreaSportsHQ, This moment is an all-timer. Pic Video.

Jul 14: @SportsCenter, GAME. SET. MATCH. Novak Djokovic outlasts Roger Federer in an epic five-set #WimbledonFinal Pic Video.

Jul 14: @espn, Longest final in #Wimbledon history: 4 hours 55 minutes, 422 points, 68 games, 35 aces. Pic.

Aug 12: @SexWithEmily, As much as we like to beat around the bush, dropping hints to your partner is not the best way of communicating -- your chances of being understood are much higher when you are direct about what needs fixing. #sexwithemily #communicationisalubrication

Sep 14: @HistoryInPics, The Beatle's last live concerts—at Candlestick Park in San Francisco in 1966 and then on a London rooftop three years later—have gone down as some of the most significant events in pop music history. Collector Finds Rare Footage of The Beatles's Top of the Pops Performance in His Attic.

Nov 19: @WakeOfWeek, I will always root for this man because of the way he has handled himself in hard times -- from bad coaches to having a different offensive coordinator every year to losing his job to Kaep to... this. #AlexSmith @lizbsmith11. Alex Smith’s wife celebrates ex-49er’s recovery from ghastly leg injury in emotional Instagram post.

Dec 11: @espn, Bill Belichick has his players focused on the 53 players in their locker room, not on social media. Pic.

Dec 16: @NBCSGiants, So many memories. @PavlovicNBCS takes you back through all of the best -- and funniest -- moments from MadBum's legendary Giants career. Pic Tweet Article.

San Jose State University Spartans 2020 Mountain West Champions

Congratulations to my alma mater San Jose State University (SJSU) Spartans football team for winning their first conference championship title defeating the Boise State Broncos 34-20 on Sat Dec 19. It was their first appearance in the Mountain West Conference Championship game. The team takes their undefeated 7-0 record to the Arizona Bowl against the Ball State Cardinals on Thur Dec 31. Ball State is the 2020 Mid-American Conference champions. I summarize their global pandemic shorten season and the highlights below.

*The 6-0 record entering the championship game was their first 6-0 since 1939.

*Quarterback Nick Starkel is a graduate transfer from Arkansas. He passed for 453 yards and threw for three touchdowns. The 453 years is a championship game record. The offense averaged 6.5 yards per play.

*Boise State's offense scored 36.2 points per game which was the highest in 2020. Their defense gave up 169 passing yards per game which was the lowest in 2020.

*SJSU defense held Boise State to 12 yards rushing and 233 yards total.

*The game was televised nationally on FOX. Good national exposure.

*SJSU place kicker Matt Mercurio made four fields goals in the second quarter. He tied an NCAA record and became the fifth player to kick four field goals in one quarter.

*SJSU all-time record against Boise State was 0-15 entering the championship game. One can say getting the first win in a championship game was good timing.

*SJSU practiced at Humboldt State University 300 miles north because of the COVID-19 county restrictions in the middle of the Fall 2020 semester. The county prohibited sport teams from practicing. Also, SJSU practiced in Las Vegas at Sam Boyd Stadium as their temporary home for the championship game. The team with the best record hosts the championship game.

The time away from home the Spartans bounded. Special connections were formed. They became tight knit. The team focused more on football because they had little free time.

*The team slogan is "Climb The Mountain."

*The teams defeated Air Force, San Diego State, and Hawaii. These three are well known in the conference.

*Boise State and rivalry Fresno State games were cancelled due to COVID-19.

*Boise State has the most wins, most rankings in the AP Top 25, and most conference championships.

*SJSU's record in 2018 was 1-11 and in 2019 was 5-7.

*SJSU was picked to finished 10 out of 12 in the shorten season which started in late Oct.

*Head coach Brent Brennan said one scrimmage in 2019 the players clicked. They got it. They understood it. The players combined speed, physicality, and precision he never saw. Physical maturity displayed. Mental focus established.

*The SJSU football team released a video on their Twitter account @SanJoseStateFB singing Lean On Me. The viewer watches family closeness, trust, and genuine teamwork.

*Brennan agreed to a contract extension through 2023. He is the 2020 Mountain West Football Coach of the Year and a finalist for multiple national Coach of the Year honors.

Black Friday 2020

My Black Friday 2020 shopping didn't happen on Fri Nov 27 because of COVID-19. My purchases were made either before Thanksgiving Day or Cyber Monday. I exclude any sales before Black Friday or after Cyber Monday.

Mon Nov 23

The Home Depot extended their Black Friday sales for the entire Nov month. I purchased a set of four ratchet straps for a gift.

Sat Dec 5

Walgreens 30% off online orders during Cyber Monday week. I purchased bare necessities including Vanicream soap, Biofreeze cream, Neosporin, and Head & Shoulders shampoo.

I shop on Black Fridays to purchase bare necessities which includes stocking up on bare necessities, to buy new durable goods, to upgrade existing durable goods, and to buy DVDs on my wish list. Black Fridays are good shopping days for appliances, clothes, new TVs, desktop parts, and towels. If I can wait for Black Friday, then I wait. No SlickDeals' Frontpage Deals were purchased during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

A Second Look At 2019

It's the time I look back at my 2019 blogs to give myself feedback. The goals delaying one year are relearning from my mistakes, reinforcing my lessons, reminding myself my moments, refreshing acquired knowledge, rediscovering new wisdom, correcting errant blogs, and sharing changes. The 11 blogs are also the 2019 best blogs.

1. 2018 Christmas Holiday Firsts: Stress, Cowardness, Comfort Food
Date: Sun Jan 13
Summary: I experienced all stress, cowardness, escapism, and depression during a Christmas holiday for the first time. I had experience depression itself in past Christmas holidays decades ago.
Feedback: I'm fortunate I experience none of the above in 2019 and the current 2020. We're human beings. Everyone experiences depression. I experience another 2018 Christmas Holiday in time. I anticipate a faster recovery because of past depression experience.

2. Expect More Sad Days For More People
Date: Sat Feb 16
Summary: Life becomes more difficult for more people such as higher cost of living, fewer opportunities, and deeper personal struggles.
Feedback: I realized I wrote political opinions when I read the blog in 2020. I digress. Fast forward one year and ten months later. Nobody talks about sadder days ahead if the present paths stay their courses pre-COVID-19. The fortunate doesn't talk about the unfortunate. The fortunate ignores the conversation. Never take life for granted. An unfortunate event can happen. Are the fortunate prepare to not become unfortunate?

In addition, nobody expected a pandemic in Mar 2020. Prices continue to increase. Costs continue to increase. More people are unemployed due to COVID-19. Blame the virus. We're in a global recession. There are fewer opportunities; however, some economic indicators state the contrary.

COVID-19 has changed the world temporarily and permanently. Time will tell how the world responds to COVID-19 being in charge currently.

3. Another Perspective On Quiet People
Date: Wed Feb 20
Summary: There are quiet people to be undisturbed because they're in deep thought.
Feedback: Here is another another perspective on quiet people. There are people present. There is nobody to talk. These quiet people have zero confidence to communicate with the present people. There is no trust. These present people are weak. These present people lack wisdom. These present people lack intelligence. They can't handle the stronger, wiser, and smarter quiet people. They can't handle the truth. These present people deny the quiet people's thoughts. They don't understand the quiet people's feelings. Their minds are closed; the quiet people are wrong. There are reasons to stay quiet.

4. Did The Greatest Human Generation Doom Their Grandchildren And Their Future?
Date: Thur Mar 14
Summary: The greatest human generation hard work yesterday made life too easy today.
Feedback: COVID-19, climate change, and racial injustice are the truths serums. The truths are exposed in 2020. Faking is difficult in 2020. The problems the greatest human generation unsolved in the past are the present problems. The mistakes ignored in the past are repeated. The problems the greatest human generation wishfully hoped disappeared in the past are creating madness, conflicts, confusion, and despair in the present.

5. I Wasn't A Dumb Child After All
Date: Wed Apr 17
Summary: My poor short-term memory I discovered is the reason I struggled in my childhood.
Feedback: Nobody said throughout my K-12 school years I fell through the cracks education-wise while I got help for my learning problems. The special teachers, special classes, and additional teacher help failed. Further, I was diagnosed with a learning disability in my second year at San Jose State University. My English 1B instructor submitted a recommendation to the Disabled Students Services for testing. I was diagnosed with a poor comprehension learning disability. I read it. I didn't comprehend it. Poor reading comprehension was a misdiagnosis; however, if learning professionals says poor comprehension is the same as poor short-term memory, then I accept. If someone tells me poor short-term memory is a learning problem, then I respond, "no problem." Otherwise, I never had a learning problem. I need additional time, practice, drills, and repetition to remember everything I learn. I'm a smart-ass when I fully understand.

The additional time, practice, drills, and repetition to remember are the same as an adult. I apply to my job training and job refreshing six days a week. There is nothing wrong looking up documentation such as writing Python code or writing Excel formulas. Old-school teachers expected students must memorize formulas. Old-school teachers expected students solved math problems without calculators. Times have changed. Memorization is not required. Calculators are mandatory. We look up anything we forget on the internet. There is too much to know.

Further, professionals at their careers can't memorize everything. Professionals at their careers don't memorize everything. The professionals include the sports, engineers, medical, programmers, and analysts. Students and professionals look up formulas, templates, and documentations in books or online resources. They look up information to remind themselves. They look up information to practice. Look who's talking now old-school teachers.

I admit to anyone I have poor short-term memory. I'm not ashamed to admit my weakness. It's my answer in job interviews when I answer the what's my weakness question.

There is a chance a student not doing well in school is not dumb. He or she needs another way to learn. If the student not doing well is lacking motivation, then no motivation is a different problem and not a learning disability.

6. Oldsmobile Complimentary Tape Cartridge Cassette Song List
Date: Sat Jun 29
Summary: I posted YouTube videos for each song in the cassette.
Feedback: I created a YouTube playlist to listen Oldsmobile Complimentary Tape Cartridge Cassette Songs 1981.

7. Too Many People
Date: Mon Jul 15
Summary: A newspaper article a church offered 44 affordable apartment units. More than 5,000 applications were filed. The article inspired me to blog there are too many people on planet Earth.
Feedback: An economist studied why there are fewer affordable housing in the United States. His research concluded older residences match market rent prices because the older residences must follow rental laws making their older residences rentable; for example, working heater, running water, providing a refrigerator, and cleaned floors. Landlords pass the costs to renters. Almost all apartments and homes for rent the prices are the same regardless of the residence's age.

On the other hand, use intuition. No analysis required. There are too many people living in the world. The world is overpopulated. People are living longer. People are living their lives longer.

There are eight blogs which talked about too many, increase, don't take life for granted, and more work required blogs in 2019. These eight 2019 blogs also talked about higher costs, more time, complex skills in careers, rising tide raises all boats, more *fill in the blank*, higher *fill in the blank*, fewer opportunities, more people, and self-responsibility to train or to learn.

8. Where Is The Intelligence?
Date: Sat Aug 24
Summary: The second look is on the Update On A Past Blog You're Smarter Than You Think written on Nov 7, 2018.
Feedback: I learned about the Dunning-Kruger effect which is a cognitive bias in which people with low ability at a task overestimate their ability. The Wiki link continues stating the following: It is related to the cognitive bias of illusory superiority and comes from the inability of people to recognize their lack of ability. Without the self-awareness of metacognition, people cannot objectively evaluate their competence or incompetence. As described by social psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger, the bias results from an internal illusion in people of low ability and from an external misperception in people of high ability; that is, "the miscalibration of the incompetent stems from an error about the self, whereas the miscalibration of the highly competent stems from an error about others." Colloquially, people experiencing this bias are said to be "on Mount Stupid."

A psychologist explained another way saying people learn something quickly or learn something by summary. Afterwards, these people become experts at the something.

9. Bruce Lee Was The Man Revisited
Date: Mon Nov 4
Summary: I blogged more Bruce Lee wisdom from the move Enter The Dragon.
Feedback: Quoted for emphasis. "The enemy has only images and illusions behind which he hides his true motives. Destroy the image and you will break the enemy" applies to everyday people. A person who can see past another person's images and illusions see the true person.

"A martial artist has to take responsibility for himself and accept the consequences of his own doing" applies to everyday people, too. Replace martial artist with person. The quote is the following, "A person has to take responsibility for himself and accept the consequences of his own doing."

The best of the best. The masters of the masters. They never say their highest achievements are having no techniques. Teaching no techniques is practically impossible. It's easier to teach the techniques first. Also, intuition can't be taught.

10. The Lack Of Effort Is What People Must Be Angry
Date: Sun Nov 24
Summary: People are not angry for misinformation, misunderstandings, and miscommunications. People are angry for lack of correcting.
Feedback: I get angry when people sit around acting dumb to solve problems. Perhaps, I must become the initiator, become the leader, and teach people how to correct misinformation, misunderstandings, and miscommunications.

11. Why Are Most Straight A Students 4.0+ Students Not Millionaires?
Date: Sat Dec 21
Summary: People don't need to be smart to be motivated.
Feedback: The blog may be my best blog on motivation. Desire is more important than knowledge. Motivation is more important than intelligence. Moreover, seek new adventures and experience new experiences infinitely. Never stop learning. Innovate infinitely.

The lessons of owning businesses, creating new inventions, and investing these millionaires teach us desire is more important than knowledge or I will is more important than I know. Financial discipline is a key. Never stop learning. Never settle. Further, get out of the classroom, learn outside the classroom, learn good communication skills, learn good social skills, be a professional, and never stop making mistakes--learn from your mistakes.

The following blogs are honorable mentions: Perspective Pictures, The Real Life Match Game, and Roll The Dice When You Wake Up.

Top 2019 Pics

Here are the 11 top pictures I took in 2019. They’re sorted from the start of the year to the end of the year. The goals delaying one year are relearning from my mistakes, reinforcing my lessons, reminding myself my moments, refreshing acquired knowledge, rediscovering new wisdom, and sharing changes. Enjoy!

An Abandonment Dream

I dreamed last night my dad picked me up from a parking lot in the early evening. Darkness started. The street lights began to turn on. I entered his sedan. The make and model were unknown. We drove off.

My dad said he played a practical joke on a friend. My dad removed the battery from his friend's cell phone. He gave me the battery. The sedan became a firetruck which made no sense. My dad parked the firetruck off the street. He told me to exit. I immediately became suspicious. I held the cell phone battery while I exited as leverage. I closed the door. He drove off. I pursued initially on the driver side door showing him the battery through the window. He drove faster while I ran fast enough to maintain close distance. We traveled through a big city park. I rode on the back of the firetruck. I climbed on the top. I shouted I held the cell phone battery. He didn't care.

I fell off the fire truck by a combination of losing my grip and faster speed. I asked myself why he abandoned me? My first answer was he stopped waiting for me to be a winner. I have been a loser like George Constanza from Seinfeld when George became unemployed and moved back with his parents. I'm earning my freedom. I job search and self-train six days a week. My self-training consists of career skills learning and reviewing such as Python, SQL, and Excel. I also self-train life skills. I learn how to communicate Morse Code, read a compass map, tie rope knots, and shuffle playing cards. My frequent readers know the same story.

The Irony Afterwards

I woke up. My first thought was a vacation or a staycation. The thought was an oxymoron to my loser dream. My upcoming staycation is not a relaxing, take a break, and breathe. I'm behind in one time responsibilities. I'm behind in routine responsibilities. My annual blogs are 50% completed. I admit my brain feels like jelly or a sponge too wet; although, I anticipate I sneak in time job searching and self-training like many white collar professionals on vacation sneaking in time to check voice mails and emails.

My last staycation which was an unexpected, prolonged, and mildly satisfying happened between Apr 6, 2019 to Apr 21, 2019. I excluded the days I set up my new laptop and new desktop in Dec 2019 and Jan 2020. Life evens itself out. A long vacation leads to long months without a vacation. I complete my scheduled self-training today, tomorrow, and Sat Dec 19. I go with the flow choosing when I begin my vacation on Mon Dec 21.

Update On A Past Blog

My dream last night reminded me How Much Patience Does A Person Need? I wrote on Jan 21, 2019. I answered every person waits a subjective amount of time. My dad waited too long. He was too tired waiting for me to be a winner. He lost hope. It was time to abandon me.

On the other hand, I posted a never give up perspective picture. A person may be very close. View the picture with the caption below "Never give up. You may be one step to success." at Perspective Pictures posted on Jun 8, 2019.

There Is Logic In Life. There Is Illogical In Life.

Today's blog is another adult self-discovery. It's better late than never. I realize sometimes life makes no sense; for example, why is finding a new job harder for unemployed people compared to employed people. An unemployed person may be learning new skills instead of wasting time working at a mindless minimum wage job. A janitor has a higher chance of finding a job than an unemployed person.

Stop. Think of something else. Do something else. Don't waste time making sense in today's complex Information Age. Don't make sense something which makes nonsense. Don't waste time finding the logic. Some events happen which makes no sense. There is no logic. There is no rational reason.

Let It Be

Let it be, let it be; Let it be, let it be; Whisper words of wisdom; Let it be --Let It Be, The Beatles

My all-time favorite band singing my all-time favorite Beatles song. The wisdom is true yesterday. The wisdom is true today. The lyrics also include, "There will be an answer, let it be." Most moments have answers. Most moments have endings. We must consider sometimes there is no answer. If there is/are answers, then is/are the answers have rational reason. They're a judgement call.

The bottom line is don't make sense anything nonsense. Let it be. Hope there is an answer soon. Find something else to do such as sleep, read, or call a friend.

Update On A Past Blog

Thanksgiving Day was 16 days ago on Thur Nov 26, 2020. I wrote a blog on My Two Grandfathers on Jul 3, 2018. I want to thank them for the little lessons they taught by example and from my observations I realized as adult. Take care of your residence. Maintain your residence. Your residence takes care of you. Some examples are cleaning, minimizing clutter, fix problems as soon as possible, and organizing.

Another lesson is financial education. Spend wisely. Invest wisely. Spending time or invest time in financial education pays off in the future. Financial education may be boring to some people. Financial education is not boring years later when your finances are secured. Fortunately, my family's financial education we are surviving the global pandemic and global recession.

Charting My The Shawshank Redemption Movie Awesome Rating

I chart my all-time favorite movie The Shawshank Redemption. I watched the movie for the first time on Sep 2019. I continue watching random scenes today. I highly recommend the movie.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog November 2020

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. November was the fastest month for me. I blinked once it was Thanksgiving. I blinked twice it was Tue Dec 1. Professional and college sports are delaying or cancelling games. COVID-19 infections are increasing globally. Vaccines are discovered. Governments are bringing back strict stay-at-home restrictions since the start of the global pandemic.

Mon Nov 2. I voted early delivering my ballot to my nearest polling location. I paid for my car registration. Donated books at a volunteer staffed public library store selling used books. The volunteer told me professional books buyers have been shopping.

Wed Nov 4. Helped my dad fixed my mom's car. We cleaned the idle control valve. USA reached at least 100,000 new COVID-19 cases a day for the first time.

Fri Nov 6. Cleaned and sealed gutters at a family friend's house. Colder days began.

Sat Nov 7. Vice-President Joe Biden declared the next President Of The United States.

Sun Nov 8. Colder nights began.

Mon Nov 9. USA reached 10,000,000 COVID-19 cases.

Wed Nov 11. Costco was busy at 10:20am. It must be Veteran's Day holiday. It was the most customers I saw in an early weekday shopping morning during the pandemic. Or more people shopped in the mornings instead of the afternoons and evenings. Texas was the first state to reach 1,000,000 cases.

Thur Nov 12. Regular checkup at my dentist appointment. I called the office to request entrance. My temperature was checked. I gargled with Colgate Hydrogen Peroxide.

California was the second state to reach 1,000,000 cases.

Ate at Luna Restaurant for the first time.

Sat Nov 14. I slept for 11.5 hours last night.

Sun Nov 15. Haircut.

Tue Nov 17 Santa Clara County moved from the Tier 2 Orange to Tier 4 Purple in the State Of California four color tier COVID-19 Economic Status. First day of rain for the rainy season. It was mostly showers.

Thur Nov 19. State Of California brought back 10pm-5am curfews for Purple Tier counties.

Fri Nov 20. I was fatigued. I overtrained myself throughout the week. USA reached 250,000 COVID-19 deaths.

Sun Nov 22. Day 250 shelter in-place orders. I watched the Sunday Night Football Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders from the 2:00 in the second quarter to the end.

Mon Nov 23. There was a line section at Safeway. I didn't wait. I also shopped at The Home Depot and Lucky.

Cleaned the house including vacuuming main areas, mopping main areas, and air compressed the refrigerator removing dust.

Tue Nov 24. I shopped at Costco in the morning. Paper goods, disinfectant wipes, toilet paper, and disposable gloves were sold out. Two people per membership allowed inside. I spent more time entering the parking lot than shopping inside. There were three employees directing traffic at the choke point intersection. There were lots of cars. There were fewer customers per car.

I helped dad cleaned the house gutters. I checked my car afterwards. There were debris on the intake manifold again.

The afternoon shopping was post office, Target, REI, and The Home Depot. I found out my REI expanded the store with its Always On Garage Sale.

I purchased tacos and tostadas at Taco Bravo. The last time I ate at Taco Bravo I was a child.

I drove at night time for the first time since Mon Mar 16.

Wed Nov 25. A complete cardio workout outside the gym for the first time. I jogged 1.8 miles around the neighborhood. I rode the stationary bike for 30 minutes.

Thur Nov 26. Happy Thanksgiving! I watched the Washington Football Team at Dallas Cowboys from the second quarter to the fourth quarter. Video chat with family.

Fri Nov 27. No Black Friday shopping in stores. I watched one quarter of The Big Game Stanford Cardinals at Cal Bears.

Santa Clara County announced new restrictions starting on Mon Nov 30 at 12:01am. All contact sports banned from high school to professional. 14 day mandatory quarantine for people who traveled more than 150 miles away. Retail stores at 10% of maximum capacity. Grocery stores, drug stores, and pharmacies at 25% of maximum capacity. The earliest restrictions end is Mon Dec 21.

All Bay Area counties except Marin in the Purple Tier 4 most restrictive State Of California four tier Economic Status.

Sat Nov 28. Nationally televised game San Jose State Spartans at Boise State Broncos cancelled due to COVID-19 outbreak. Both teams in the Mountain West conference were undefeated. I watched most of the second half Utah Utes at Washington Huskies.

Sun Nov 29. Christmas tree put up. Watched the fourth quarter San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams.

The Thanksgiving holiday was productive.

Throwback Blog: The Blues

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 The Blues written on Nov 10, 2005. I reflect 15 years later what I blogged. The what ifs. The economic prediction. The mistakes. I was feeling blue. Regardless, 2005 was one of the best years of my life. I take everything one at a time.

I mentioned I have been in the blues. I reflect I was feeling blue for the wrong reasons. Work was unusually busy. I failed to make adjustments outside work to recover. If I took better care of myself outside work, then the chances of feeling blue decreased.

I mentioned . . . there is concern for the year 2006. The economy remains uncertain. There is going to be a new Federal Reserve chairman because Alan Greespan retires on January 2006. Is inflation going to remain in check? The economy strengthen. There was no inflation. On the other hand, there were a few outsiders who started researching the mortgage bond markets earlier in 2005.

I mentioned I'm being slammed at work. Some of those [broker] requests are time consuming requests. It's not difficult, just takes a ton of time--something that should not happened which is another subject. Another reason I felt blue. Work which took too much time to complete should have been a red flag. I completed broker requests inefficiently. I completed broker requests unintelligently. I should have found time to learn advanced Excel, basic VBA, and advanced Access during my free time instead of goofing off.

I mentioned [the] fun, the excitement, and the joy of doing stuff outside work such as updating my webpage, going to the gym, reading books, and more don't exist currently. I blogged the possible reasons thereafter. All of the reasons were wrong. The correct reasons were lack of sleep, unhealthy meals, poor planning, and taking life for granted.

Finally, Novembers have been one of the best months in my entire life. November 2020 is an exception November month. There have been days I felt blue; fortunately, I adjust successfully to minimize the affects of being blue including good sleep, eat healthy meals, physical fitness, going with the flow, and doing everything one at a time. The Thanksgiving holiday was relaxing, taking a break, and doing different activities.

Since November 1 . . . no, since Daylight Standard Time began, I have been in the blues. Fortunately, I'm not near being depressed. I find some fun here and there, even if it's short. It's just me and my surroundings have been in the blues.

This week, there are some brokers who are using the Research Department in ways they never used before. In the beginning of 2005, many brokers were using Research in unordinary ways because they were worried about not fulfilling their 2005 targets. Moreover, January 2005 was kinda in the blues for me--heck, I remember the radio station DJ lacked enthusiasm. The brokers inside work and me outside work were concerned how the year 2005 was going to be.

As of today's blog entry, many of those brokers achieved at least their minimum targets. And currently, there is concern for the year 2006. The economy remains uncertain. There is going to be a new Federal Reserve chairman because Alan Greespan retires on January 2006. Is inflation going to remain in check?

Furthermore, I'm being slammed at work. Some of those requests are time consuming requests. It's not difficult, just takes a ton of time--something that should not happened which is another subject ;-) I took a late lunch today and yesterday and I'm sooo behind in my primary responsibilities!

The fun, the excitement, and the joy of doing stuff outside work such as updating my webpage, going to the gym, reading books, and more don't exist currently. Maybe it's an adjustment period to get used to the dark at 5:00 P.M.? Maybe it's because I'm tired? Maybe it's something else? All this week when I come home from work, I'm tired. I don't have the energy to do all my activities. Yesterday, I was reading a book and I became really sleepy. I didn't even brush my teeth. Just too tired to get out of bed which I hate to do. On the other hand, I was able to do my 100 sit-ups. I probably going to have one blog entry for the week :-<

And today, I was supposed to go to the gym. No gym today. I went home early from work because I could not concentrate. Today everything is haywired . . . no, the week is haywired . . . no, again, the last two weeks has been haywired.

Tomorrow is another day. Maybe something good happens tomorrow. The world didn't come to an end today :-))

Play The Sesame Street Character Bert Card To Decrease The Chances Contracting COVID-19

The COVID-19 virus changes the world temporarily and permanently. Time tells us the permanently. The global pandemic changes our daily lives such as six feet social distancing, wearing face masks, minimizing gatherings, cancelling events, closing businesses indefinitely, working from home, and students learning from home. All governments are involved with shelter-in-place orders, rental ordinances, emergency shelters, and economic stimulus laws. Most businesses are involved with cutback hours, delay new hires, layoffs, and cancel projects. There are business profiting from COVID-19 such as video conferencing, home fitness equipment, and cleaning supply manufacturers.

Don't get COVID-19. Death is not certain. The coronavirus disease is survivable. The future question is the post-COVID-19 health effects. 60 Minutes reported on doctors and medical researchers on Post-acute COVID Syndrome Puzzling, often debilitating after-effects plaguing COVID-19 "long-haulers" on Nov 22, 2020. COVID-19 recovered people have died. It's too early to know the COVID-19 aftermath.

It's time to be boring. Live a boring life to get through the global pandemic. The best model to be boring is Bert from Sesame Street. Bert masters the art of being boring. Bert makes boring interesting. Bert's philosophy is be patient--or you'll be a patient. Bert is analytical, responsible, forgiving, and uptight. He plays checkers with his pet pigeon Bernice. He reads boring stories. He collects bottle caps and paper clips. Be honest with yourself. We can make a case with ourselves some of our hobbies are boring.

Frank Oz who performed Bert from 1969 to 1997 said, "I was never really happy with Bert's character until about a year in when I realized . . . that he was a boring character, and I'd use that weakness as a strength for him." Ask yourself the question on a boring situation, "What would Bert do?" Some boring people are unattractive. Bert is a boring person who attracts other people.

Classic Bert And Ernie Videos

I end today's blog with YouTube videos to laugh.

Ernie Calls Bert
Bert Gets His Own Phone
Ernie's Apple Stand
Bert And Ernie Fish Call
Ernie Shows Bert How To Plan For A Bath
Bert And Ernie Water Sports
Ernie And Bert Meet The Martians
Ernie Counts Sheep To Sleep
Bert Dances To Doin' The Pigeon
Pizza And Grape Juice
Peanut Butter N'Bread
Ice Cream Soda
Bert Gets a Fish Tank
Radio Knob
Ernie Turns On The Fan
Ernie Wants to Play Ball
Surprise Present
A Portrait of Bert, By Ernie
Bert and Ernie Can't See At The Movies
How to Build A Snowman
Ernie & Bert - Swiss Cheese
TV Repair
Drawing Bert's Face
Bert and Ernie In A Pyramid
Bert's Bust
Ernie Gets Bert to Exercise
Ernie's Disguises
That's What's Friends Are For With Bert And Ernie
Adding Song With Bert And Ernie
Bert Gets Angry
Ernie Is Loud While Bert Reads
Ernie Counts Cups And Saucers
Ernie & Bert: Jazz #8/Ernie's Sandbox Game
Bert's Blanket

Update On A Past Blog

Today's blog on the art of being boring reminded me of past blogs on boring. I have a new perspective on boring people for which I write the contrary on boring people: they can never stop learning, they can be active, and they can be useful. I know a real person who admits to be boring. His name is retired baseball manager and future baseball Hall Of Famer Bruce Bochy who won three World Series with the San Francisco Giants.

*Sort Of Professional Painter on Feb 17, 2019. There are jobs which are boring. There are responsibilities which are boring. Both must be completed professionally.

*Doing The Same Routine Boredom on Feb 12, 2018. The correct title is Doing the Same Boring Routine. Consider the worse alternatives. I take the boring routine over a disaster anytime. Moreover, life finds a way to change a routine such as a global pandemic.

*Lucky To Be Alive on Apr 10, 2017. Don't take life for granted. Those who don't have COVID-19 be fortunate. I repeat the previous blog reply. Consider the worse alternatives. Be lucky you're not in a worse alternative.

*Be Strong To Be Sane on Aug 10, 2016. I correct myself. Boring doesn't kill the life motivation to live. Boredom does kill the life motivation to live.

*My Thoughts On Boring on Feb 19, 2016. The day I wrote the blog I masted being boring. Three plain meals a day, no hording, buy used books, and no friendship drama.

*Do Boring People Exist? on Feb 25, 2014. The answer is yes. There is a difference between boring people and bored people. It's okay to be a boring person. It's not okay to be a bored person.

*Parents, Get Out And Do Something on May 3, 2011. Boring parents can get out and do something. There is no right way and wrong way to be boring parents. There is a good way and a bay way to be boring parents. Do the good way.

*My Parents Are Boring on Jan 18, 2010. I repeat the above. Boring parents can get out and do something. There is no right way and wrong way to be boring parents. There is a good way and a bad way to be boring parents. My parents did it bad for the most part. They sucked at being boring.

Top Ten I Get It Now

Everyone experiences the unlighted light bulb lights up. We make the connection. I get it now. I understand it now. The puzzle pieces are together. The eyes are wide open. Yes! I figure it out. I solve the riddle. The continuous working at the problem never giving up. The time spent is worth it. The late Steve Jobs said, "The journey is the reward."

Here are the top ten I get it now:

10. Steve Jobs. I continue mentioning Jobs. Jobs promoted his employees to think during the early days of Apple. I believe Jobs changed the mantra from think to feel. Trust intuition. The late Bruce Lee said don't think, feel.

I also understand Jobs' "Stay hungry, stay foolish" wisdom. Never settle. Be brave making mistakes. He never worried about money. He lived a simple life before Apple. He lived a comfortable life after Apple went public. And we do judge a book by its cover. Everyone must admit it.

9. The Shawshank Redemption And Good Will Hunting. The two movies are my number one and number two all-time favorites, respectively. The Shashank Redemption: geology is the study of pressure and time; hope is a good thing; and no good idea ever dies. Good Will Hunting: it's not your fault.

8. The Professionals. There is a reason why people are professionals at what they do. Professional sports, attorneys, doctors and nurses, plumbers, auto mechanics, engineers, programmers, accountants, carpenters, first responders, singers, etc. Sometimes it's better to pay a professional instead of watching YouTube tutorials to be a do-it yourselfer.

7. bodybuilding.com. Go to a gym with a workout plan. Never workout at the gym picking random machines and/or random free weights. Know the basics running the treadmill and cycling. Never stop learning new plans and never stop changing workouts. A person choosing to workout at the gym consistently must workout at least three days a week. Also, minimize eating processed foods. Working out at the gym doesn't cancel the negative health affects eating bad food.

6. Train, Practice, Learn, Drill, Review, Repeat. I started relearning Excel in Aug 2014. I started learning Python in May 2015. The Excel and Python are not the point. The point is never stop learning. Always train. Always practice. Always learn. Always review. Continue drilling. Repeat the process. The process can be boring; on the other hand, the process is not boring when successful. Number six is a definition of hard work. See The Professionals number eight.

5. Happy Single People Attract. Single people who want to attract new people are happy. Single people increase their chances of meeting new people and making new friends are useful, know lots of skills, and learn indefinitely. See Train, Practice, Learn, Drill, Review, Repeat number six.

4. Master The Five. Here is another example of number six. I remind myself and I remind my readers a good person lives a good life mastering the five: physical, mental, emotional, financial, and spiritual. Physical fitness is moving the elbows and knees. See bodybuilding.com number seven for those interested in physical activity at the gym. Mental health includes intelligence. Use the brain or lose the brain. See Train, Practice, Learn, Drill, Review, Repeat number six. Keep calm and lower stress for emotional stability. Keep expenses in check for financial stability. See Steve Jobs number ten. The simplest spiritual practice is sleep eight hours a night.

3. Time Is The Ultimate Judge. Time will tell what we do presently affects the future. The time judge applies to change. What we do right now can make a difference. Time will tell us the outcome. We don't know the answer now. We don't have a solution key at present.

2. Desire Is More Important Than Knowledge. Self-explanatory. Number two Desire Is More Important Than Knowledge is higher than number four Master The Five's mental health includes intelligence.

1. Grow Up. Sat Oct 4, 2008 changed my life forever. It was time to grow up. No more immaturity. No more taking life for granted. I'm responsible for my life.

The World Has Been Changing Geometrically In Plain English

I blog the outside of your residence in plain English. I blog the economy in plain English. I blog world success and world failure in plain English.

It's harder to breath fresh air. There are too many people. More people are working longer. They continue earning income. The retirement rate is lower. There are fewer openings. There are fewer opportunities; moreover, robots close opportunities permanently. More people are unemployed. Fewer graduates find jobs.

Further, there are fewer entry level jobs. More knowledge is required. More learning is required. Advanced training is expected for more positions. Complex employment requires complex education. Complex education requires higher costs and additional time. Four years of college is too short. Four years of high school is too short. Times have changed. There is too much to learn.

People are living longer. More people are healthier. More people are living longer because of medical technology curing people's ailments. Although, COVID-19 may change the world's overall health. Time will tell.

The expectations have been rising for companies from the bottom line more profits to the goods and services produced. Higher profits demanded. Lower costs expected. Minimize expenses. Outsourcing, contracting, and hiring foreign workers saves a buck here and there. The big companies must expand to stay in competition. A rising tide raises all boats. Amazon expanded its business outside books. Google and its parent company Alphabet expanded its business outside search engine. There are exceptions such as In-N-Out Burger and Trader Joe's.

The world is fast today. The world moves faster tomorrow. The world odometer is running faster daily. We hurry. Some of us may be lucky to find time to smell the roses. Bless COVID-19 for some people who need to smell the roses. A potential blessing in disguise. Time is the ultimate judge. Regardless, there is too much to do.

The world is overcrowded. There are more high density apartments and high density single family homes. Older apartments and older industrial areas are being demolished for high density residences. Be prepared rural areas for some urban population moving for lower cost of living and breathing fresh air. There are fewer open spaces remaining.

The size of the pie is still the same. There are many ways to look at the pie including employment, opportunities, successes, openings, and money. The world is a zero-sum game. More people are not going to get a piece of the pie no matter how much motivation, encouragement, and grit. Few people win. Most people lose. There are fewer opportunities for people achieving their dreams. There are fewer breaks for people working hard.

Four Certainties

The common knowledge certainty is death and taxes. There is a third certainty the information age realized. The third certainty is there are 24 hours in a day. No more. No less. In addition, my personal third certainty is people always have problems 24 hours a day. There are a total of four certainties: death, taxes, 24 hours in a day, and problems.

Update On A Past Blog

Today's blog can be considered a continuation to Did The Greatest Human Generation Doom Their Grandchildren And Their Future? blog on Mar 14, 2019. Blame can be given to the greatest human generation for causing today's information age way of living. The greatest human generation created the economic, education, and living systems. There were little to none checks and balances on growth and pace. They created their present with little regard for our future. Their grandchildren today and the future children tomorrow are paying the price.

An Opinion Letter To Trump And An Opinion Letter To Biden

I write two opinion letters. One letter is for President Donald Trump. The second letter is for President-elect Joe Biden. Here is the first letter to Trump.

Dear Mr. President: The people have spoken. You lost the 2020 election. The people want normalcy back in the Executive Branch. Your way of running the Presidency and the United States failed. The people don't like how you are President being outside the system.

All is not lost. Election 2024 is four years away. Begin today. Concede. President-elect Joe Biden won fair and square. Follow the system of presidential transition. Be sincere. Be graceful. Learn from your mistakes. The people remember you not being a whiny bully when you're a professional politician acting, thinking, and behaving like a President who lost. Brownie points are earned which are used for your 2024 election campaign. You're a strong person with clout in the Republican party. Don't lose it.

Moreover, take advantage of your presidency and your Republican clout to help Republican Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler win the Georgia Senate runoffs on Jan 5, 2021. If Perdue and Loeffler lose, then Republicans lose Senate control.

Take advantage being out of a job to prepare for Election 2024. Lose weight. Healthy people look good on camera.

Here is the second letter to Biden.

Dear Mr. President-elect: Congratulations on winning the 2020 Presidential Election. The final Electoral Count is 306 to 232 as long as there's neither 11th hour problems nor courts lawsuits. The election is close. The election system works. Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin flipped from Republican to Democratic.

The people have spoken. The people want a normal President to occupy the White House. The people want a normal Democracy. The people breathe fresh air. The people have one less worry in today's COVID-19 pandemic life. The people trust you.

You inherited problems from President Donald Trump. New presidents always inherit problems from past presidents. It's like new CEOs, directors, and managers starting their jobs for the first time. There's always problems. It's like a new step-parent coming to his or her new family. There are adjustments. All of the above are daunting. Strength, courage, integrity and motivation are important for new beginnings.

Your first day as President Of The United States is also your first day of preparing for your 2024 election campaign. You have a raw deal. Today's Information Age life every hour you're under the media's microscope. Unfair. The margin for errors is too tiny. I wish your administration the best of luck!

A P.S. To Both Trump and Biden

Jan 20, 2021 is also the first day to prepare for the mid-term 2022 Elections. Both of you influence how the 2022 elections fare for the Democrats and Republicans in Congress. Can the Democrats win seats lost in the House? Can the Republicans win seats lost in the Senate? Further, you can help your parties win in the state governors. Take advantage of your status and your clout to help your parties win.

Top Wisdom Acquired In 2005 I Failed To Follow

Aug 4, 2005 was My First Blog. I wrote good wisdom from Aug 2005 to Dec 2005. I also wrote good wisdom in 2006 and 2007 I failed to follow from 2006 and 2007 to Sat Oct 4, 2008 when I realized I must grow up. I wrote a top ten wisdom acquired in 2006 and 2007. The 2005 are below. I have been following the wisdom today. I put actions to my words. I practice what I preached.

I admit I made mistakes like most first-time bloggers; for example, I wrote too many blogs detailing daily activities. I also complained too much. There were grammar errors. Regardless, 2005 was one of the best years in my life including my first time visiting Washington, Oregon, and Canada; creating new circle of friends; reading more books; learning investments; and purchasing my first laptop. On the other hand, I followed the good wisdom years later instead of immediately. Here are the top wisdom acquired.

*It's An Example Of Going Back To The Basics on Aug 7, 2005. I forgot to review my basics when I'm in trouble. Go back to the basics when I'm in a jam. Re-read a book. Review my notes. Re-watch a YouTube instructional video.

*There Is Always Something To Do on Aug 23, 2005. It's hard for me to be bored. Stay productive intelligently. Be busy wisely. A person who is never bored means the person has strong motivation.

*2005 Is A Year Of Firsts on Aug 26, 2005. I reminded myself reading the blog to seek meeting new people for the first time, experience first time experiences, and find first time adventures. I needed the reminder back in the middle of 2019. I must continue the first time attitude to continue living a good life. It takes effort to find new firsts. However, some firsts are given to me due to the COVID-19 pandemic such as building a home mini gym, jogging in the neighborhood, and eating take-out at new restaurants.

*No Experience Necessary on Oct 6, 2005. Chances are the unemployed can't find jobs because they don't have the experience. It's not their fault. Blame the system. Many hiring managers either don't have time or don't want to train new hires. My intuition tells me many jobs no experience is necessary. Communication, motivation, and a smile are the requirements to work in many jobs; likewise, many responsibilities and life in general the three requirements lead to success.

*Say Hi and Smile Goes Miles on Oct 20, 2005. Hi and smile are the little things which opens doors. Hi and smile are the little things to be a good person. See the No Experience Necessary above. Add saying hi or initiate a greeting to another person to the No Experience Necessary requirements. Hi, a smile, and an observation or a complement are ice breakers.

*Dream on The Apprentice on Oct 21, 2005. I dreamed I impressed Donald Trump with my soft skills: communicating, initiating, and getting along with others. I made it to the top three. I didn't know I won because I woke up from my dream.

*A Realty Check on Nov 15, 2005. It's okay to be depressed. Depression is temporarily. There is an ending to depression.

*What Is The Worst Gift on Nov 29, 2005. I wrote the worst gift was gift cards incorrectly. Correction. The worst gift is cash.

*Bored? Play Power Outage on Dec 24, 2005. Mix up a Fri night or Sat night playing power outage. Turn off the lights. Turn on the flashlights. Light up the candles or turn on the LED candles. Cover the clocks. Keep the refrigerator plugged because the game is not worth turning off. Tune out all technology. Use your imagination how to play power outage.

*Working Out Ignorance on Dec 29, 2005. Never stop learning. Use your brain or lose your brain. Don't be an old fuck. Read books. Learn a new skill. Minimize watching television. Never stop learning doesn't necessarily mean going back to school.

On The Other Hand

The following 2005 wisdom I successfully followed.

*100% Success Rate To Keep The Toilet Seat Down on Aug 6, 2005. Men must pee with the toilet seat down. It keeps the seat down for the females. It minimizes splash damage on the bowl and around the toilet.

*First Aid Kit on Nov 1, 2005. Self-explanatory. Always have a first aid kit ready for emergencies. Maintenance is required when we change clocks during daylight savings and daylight standard.

*24/48 Rule on Nov 27, 2005. The rule is wait 24 hours to splurge on a good or service less than $100 and wait 48 hours to splurge on a good or service $100 or greater. The rule saves money.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog October 2020

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. Politics ruled all media. There were day trips to El Cerrito 10 minutes north of Oakland, San Francisco, and Alameda 5 minutes southwest of Oakland. Europe has been experiencing a rise in cases. The pandemic daily life is unprecedented, uncharted, new, unknown, and untested.

Thur Oct 1. Smoky day. Hot temperatures. Spare The Air alert started today which extended to Tue Oct 6. Red Flag alert extended to Tue Oct 6.

I helped my dad with errands in El Cerrito, CA. Minimal traffic jams at major freeway junctions. Minor traffic jams caused by two accidents. Otherwise, I drove between 65mph and 70mph. We listened to the Oakland A's vs. Chicago White Sox baseball game Wild Card round.

President Donald Trump and the First Lady tested positive for COVID-19.

Sat Oct 3 and Sun Oct 4. Indoor fans turned on. Desk fans turned on. The weather was not hot enough to turn on the home air conditioner. Windows were closed because of the hot air. No wind.

The State Of California announced four million acres burned for the first time in state history. The size is larger than the state of Connecticut.

Mon Oct 5. Watched the first quarter of the New England Patriots vs. Kansas City Chiefs for a Mon afternoon football game. The NFL delayed the game one day due to some players tested positive for COVID-19 in the Patriots team.

Wed Oct 7. Watched the last 40 minutes of the Vice Presidential debate.

Thur Oct 8. Fewer cars on local roads and freeways continued. I shopped at Costco in the morning. The third time in the last three weeks a Costco employee brought new bananas. The third time the bananas were organic instead of regular. The Oakland A's lost to the Houston Astros in the American League Divisional Series.

Fri Oct 9. Watched the NBA Finals Game 5 fourth period. The week sped up late Tue. The week slowed down in the end.

Sat Oct 10. I hoped I fixed my grandmother's clock by removing dust with an air compressor inside the clock.

Mon Oct 12-Wed Oct 14. Almost complete cleaned the house.

Tue Oct 13. Watched the end of the second quarter and most of the third quarter in the Tue night football game Buffalo Bills vs. Tennessee Titans.

Wed Oct 14. Red Flag warning issued which ended Sun Oct 18. Santa Clara County moved to the Tier 3 Orange for the State of California's four tier shutdown system.

Thur Oct 15. Heat Advisory issued which ended Fri Oct 16. Watched four innings of the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves National League Championship Series.

Fri Oct 16. Faster week. The week wasn't a blink of an eye it was the weekend.

Sat Oct 17. I helped my dad with errands in San Francisco. Minimal cars and minimal people in downtown. There was a police incident at a free speech rally at the UN Plaza. We stopped at the Costco Business Center in South San Francisco, CA. The hot dogs are shorter in length. We listened to the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves National League Championship Series. The last stop was The Habit to purchase hamburgers to go.

Weather reports were incorrect. Temperatures were hotter than forecasted.

Sun Oct 18. Dad fixed a minor problem with the ceiling fan. Dad assisted me removing branches, plants, and leaves on top of my engine's intake manifold. We suspected small animals built a home.

Mon Oct 19. Watched most of the first half Mon afternoon football game Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills.

Tue Oct 20. An apartment fire near the neighborhood. The air smelled smoke like lighting a match smell. No jogging outdoors. I watched a few innings of the Game 1 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Tampa Bay Rays World Series.

Wed Oct 21. Jogged with a flashlight.

Fri Oct 23. The United States reached a record COVID-19 daily cases at 83,000. The FDA approved the anti-viral Remdesivir. Europe reached 8,000,000 COVID-19 cases and 250,000 COVID-19 deaths. France announced a second shut down when it reached 1,000,000 COVID-19 cases.

Sat Oct 24. Watched the World Series Game 4 starting at the bottom of the sixth inning.

Mon Oct 26. I helped my dad with errands in Alameda, CA. Minimal traffic jams at major freeway junctions. We ate lunch at The Cheese Steak Shop. I purchased Dominion at Toy Safari using a gift card.

Tue Oct 27. Repaired a leak from the kitchen faucet. I watched the World Series Game 6 from the bottom of the sixth inning to the MVP presentation.

San Francisco County moved to the Tier 4 Yellow for the State of California's four tier shutdown system. The county was the first in the Bay Area.

Wed Oct 28. Germany announced a partial shut down for one month.

Thur Oct 29. The United States reached a record COVID-19 daily cases at 90,456. Total United States COVID-19 cases 9,031,493.

Fri Oct 30. Faster week. The week wasn't a blink of an eye it was the weekend.

Sat Oct 31. England announced a second national shutdown for one month. The country reached 1,000,000 COVID-19 cases.

Update On A Past Blog

A 2007 blog titled The Need For Speed written on Dec, 22, 2007 was missed in the Top Ten Wisdom Acquired In 2007 I Failed To Follow on Jan 10, 2020. I dreamed I was a running back for the San Francisco 49ers during the Joe Montana and Bill Walsh era. I was too slow to receive a pass. The pass was intercepted. Slow speed was a weakness. I trained to run faster the next day. The Need For Speed blog should have been mentioned in the honorable mentions at the minimum.

United States Of America Today Is Election Day 2020

Today is the day US citizens votes. US citizens have a civic duty to vote. Express your thoughts. Express your feelings. Express your opinion. You may submit your vote leaving the presidential candidate field blank. You may vote for any qualified person in the write-in candidate box.

I blog my unprofessional political science opinion on past US presidents. I play the connect-the-dots card starting with the 2000 election. All of the presidents voted to serve were the correct choices. The losing candidates likely performed worse than the winning candidates. Presidents don't need a 4.0 GPA in college. Presidents don't need to be white. Presidents don't need past government experience or hold past elected positions. Presidents connect with people. Do you feel comfortable having a beer with the candidate *insert last name*? The answer is the candidate you vote.

Time is the ultimate judge for the 2020 winner. I believe the voters of the United States Of America vote for the best candidate. The voters have been successful. The voters have spoken.

Throwback Blog: Free Bird

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 Free Bird written on Apr 15, 2007. I wrote three topics. The first topic is my fifth week at Cisco. I completed an assignment in one week. I admit I was lucky. I made a mistake. I should have found a way to improve my Crystal Reports skills. On the other hand, any additional training was likely a waste of time because Crystal Reports was a terrible reporting software program.

The second topic was learn cooking. The content was true in Apr 2007. The content is true today. I follow what I said today. Cooking is an activity to take a break. Cooking reduces eating processed foods. A healthy person minimizes eating processed foods. Cook healthy meals. Cooking is an activity to reduce stress, to rest the brain, and to slow down.

The third topic was boredom wastes time. There is always something to do. I repeat my suggested activities verbatim: watch a DVD never watched in a long time, take a walk around the neighborhood, read a book, play an old video game, clean the bathroom, listen to a CD never listened to before, go shopping, organize a future gathering, create a Blog, watch YouTube videos, learn how to cook (huh, what?), and take a nap. I add additional suggestions: learn another skill, refresh an existing skill, and visit a new place.

O.K. The title of the Blog is unrelated to what I'm talking about. I'm listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd and I said, "Free Bird" which is my title XP

Update at Cisco. Tomorrow, I start my fifth week at Cisco. No complaints. There are lots to learn. And I need to know more Crystal Reports. Last week, it took me all week to complete an assignment. I was happy, lucky, and concern. I was happy I finished my assignment because it involved Crystal, and my Crystal knowledge is still newbie. I was lucky because there were moments I needed to think of another way to do it and I did it. My concern was the assignment was updating the monthly statistics report which was in a quarterly format. For those who produce monthly and/or quarterly reports, I believe we are talking on the same page. A quarterly format is not used for monthly reports because nobody wants to read a quarterly reports 12 times a year ;-)

Here are two Innovating Common Knowledge Blogs. Enjoy!

Working Hard? Learn How To Cook

Do you work hard? Some people do. And some people work too hard. If you work too hard and need to find a new activity to take a break, then consider cooking.

Many people who work too hard chances are high they can't cook. They eat at restaurants, eat processed foods, drink coffee . . . unconcerned what they eat. You are what you eat. One may be making lots and lots of money; however, how can one enjoy the money if they work too hard and are unhealthy to spend. If a hard worker is staying in the hospital in bad health, then all the money may not be able to save his or her life, and who wants to spend hard working money in medical bills $-/ A dead hard worker can't spend money six feet under X.X

There are many benefits to cook at home. For me, I cook healthy food. The more healthy food I eat, the less likely I visit the hospital. Eating healthy food promotes good healthy habits, keeps the weight acceptable, and keeps the brain active and heart pumping and pumping. When I cook, I take a break from work. I take food and ingredients to create something for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My brain slows down from the fast pace, critical thinking working environment. Even brains need to rest from thinking too long. And when I think of anything including work, the kitchen provides me an environment to think differently, think slowly, and think at the back of head. My primary brain thinking is cooking without burning the stove. *hee, hee*

Please visit my webpage Cooking 101 at cooking101.html to find simple recipes.

Bored? Do Something Out Of The Ordinary

One of my pet peeves is boredom. I hate to be bored. Boredom wastes time. Some say being bored is O.K. It's like a time out. For me, though, if I want to be bored, I take a nap. (-,-)

Boredom is an opportunity to do something out of the ordinary. I remember in August 21, 2005, I was super bored. It was the last time I was super bored, and I even wrote the moment on paper. What I did was I looked at all of my anime art books including Full Metal Alchemist, Evangelion, and Card Captor Sakura. Since the day, when I get super bored, I find activities I usually never do. I find activities I never did in a long time. I just find something, anything, whatever, and think of new activities and new ventures to pursue.

Here are some activities to consider when bored: watch a DVD never watched in a long time, take a walk around the neighborhood, read a book, play an old video game, clean the bathroom, listen to a CD never listened to before, go shopping, organize a future gathering, create a Blog, watch YouTube videos, learn how to cook (huh, what?), and take a nap.

Life goes by fast. The older the person, the faster life goes by. Live every moment in the present. Live right now. Boredom is evil in life. Stay active, and it's O.K. to take life slowly. Just don't sit on the couch waiting for life to come to you. Do something, anything, whatever, and think of new activities and new ventures to pursue.

Update On A Past Blog

Congratulations to the Los Angeles Dodgers for winning the 2020 World Series. The last time the Dodgers won the World Series was in 1988. The Dodgers won the National League West Division 2013-2020. The Dodgers appeared in the World Series in 2017, 2018, and 2020. The Dodgers lost to the Houston Astros in 2017 and lost to the Boston Red Sox in 2018.

Why did the Dodgers finally win the World Series being in the playoffs since 2013? My answer is Mookie Betts. The 2018 American League MVP is the superstar the Dodgers lacked. I wrote a blog titled There's An A In Overachieving on Oct 11, 2020. A championship team requires three components which are a superstar, good coaching, and good management or good ownership. Betts is the superstar. Manager Dave Roberts is the good coaching. I give Roberts credit for learning from his past mistakes. President Stan Kasten is the good ownership such as giving the green light to acquire Betts from the Boston Red Sox. The past Dodgers teams 2013-2019 making the playoffs lacked the superstar. Some may say former manager Don Mattingly was a bad manager.

High School R.O.T.C. Leadership Lesson Another Viewpoint By Rank

I took the U.S. Marines Reserve Officers Training Corps or R.O.T.C. in high school for three years. I still remember the leadership attributes and leadership skills. I discover another viewpoint. I share them.

Leadership attributes. There are four leadership attributes C.A.P.P or CAPP: Communication, Ability to deal with others, Physical fitness, and Professional knowledge. If I rank CAPP from hardest to easiest, then Communication is the hardest to Professional knowledge is the easiest. Communication is the hardest because most people have trouble communicating their thoughts, feelings, and explanations professionally, personally, publicly, socially, and privately; moreover, people with poor communication skills their ability to deal with others skills are weaker. Most people with communication problems don't seek professional help. Professional knowledge is the easiest because anyone can read a book. The most ignored leadership attribute is physical fitness. Many people lack physical activity.

Leadership skills. There are seven leadership skills M.I.S.S.C.R.E.E.K. or MISSCREEK. Motivation, Integrity, Self-discipline, Self-confidence, Courage, Responsibility, Enthusiasm, Emotional stability, and Knowledge. If I rank MISSCREEK from most important to least important, then Motivation is the most important and Knowledge is the least important. Motivation is more important than knowledge or desire is more important than intelligence. Most of the best people in the world are not the smartest people in the world. The best people are highly motivation. Anyone can read a book to increase their knowledge. I will is more important than I know.

List Format

Leadership Attributes
Communication
Ability to deal with others
Physical fitness
Professional knowledge

Leadership Skills
Motivation
Integrity
Self-discipline
Self-confidence
Courage
Responsibility
Enthusiasm
Emotional stability
Knowledge

Top Ten Alternate Points Of View My Life Is Good

Today's blog is a different be grateful. Today's blog is a different count my blessings. Today's blog is not a clique don't take life for granted. Today's blog convinces me my life is better than I realize. Today's blog I'm lucky to be alive.

I'm fortunate I'm one step closer to be a self-trained genius at the end of the day. It can be daunting. I have been self-correcting myself. I have been fixing my problems. I have been solving my personal problems. I have been going back in time realizing my setbacks. I'm correcting my setbacks my fault or not my fault. My self-training genius is part of number ten. Here are the top ten alternative points of view my life is good.

10. Responsibility. I'm responsible for my life. It's not my fault I fell through the cracks when I experienced childhood problems. It's not my fault nobody helped me. There was a lack of teaching. The system failed me. I'm not being ashamed of myself. The responsibility includes becoming a smarter person achieving genius status.

9. No Otaku. I retired from anime in Sep 2014. I know how to be an otaku. I was never an otaku in the first place. Thank God.

8. No Long Daily Commutes. Number eight is temporary. I rather have a job given my current situation. A human being can take so much driving long hours five days a week to and from work. The stress adds up.

7. Expanded Basics. I'm fortunate I have a computer, access to the internet, a washer and a dryer to wear clean clothes, a toilet, a shower, and a bed to sleep.

6. My Job Is Not A Recruiter. I'm not a recruiter; in particular, working at a recruiting firm outside the United States.

5. Not Divorced. Self-explanatory.

4. No Dependent Children. In particular, I have no dependent children with long-term problems.

3. No Credit Card Debt. I minimize my expenses. I control my spending.

2. No Addictions. No addictions to alcohol, drugs, food, video games, and shopping.

1. No Felonies. I include no DUIs. I had one driving citation while I was a college student.

Is Tanking The New Way To Succeed?

tank (verb): to make no effort to win; stop trying to win a competition.

I write today's blog on tanking referencing sports. The Houston Astros baseball team lost at least 100 games from 2011 to 2013 and lost 92 games in 2014. The Astros received high draft picks for one of the worse records drafting center fielder George Springer in 2011, shortstop Carlos Correa and pitcher Lance McCullers in 2012, and shortstop Alex Bregman in 2015. These four players played a major factor in the Astros winning the 2017 World Series. The Astros are playing in the 2020 American League Championship Series facing another elimination game down 3-2 out of a best of seven games against the Tampa Bay Rays as of the blog entry. The Astros cheating is another conversion.

The Philadelphia 76ers basketball team won less than 20 games from 2013-2014 season to 2015-2016 season and 28 games for the 2016-2017 season. The 76ers received high draft picks for one of the worse records drafting center Joel Embiid in 2014 and guard Ben Simmons in 2016. These two players are all-stars who turned around the team to NBA Championship contenders. The 76ers were swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2019-2020 NBA Playoffs. Head coach Brett Brown was fired. Doc Rivers is the new head coach.

The Miami Dolphins football team were speculated to tank for the 2019-2020 season. The Dolphins ended the season 5-11 and last place in their division. There were pre-season and early season rumors Dolphins players demanded trades to leave the team. The Dolphins tanked because they team wanted high draft picks to rebuild their team to championship contender. The Dolphins are 2-3 and third place in their division for the 2020-2021 season as of the blog entry.

The Golden State Warriors basketball team are tanking intentionally and unintentionally. The Warriors are plagued by injuries including all-stars guards Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. The 2019-2020 is a one-off year given the last five NBA seasons the Warriors played in the NBA finals winning three NBA Championships. The Warriors won the second pick in the 2020 NBA Draft Lottery. Their final regular season record guaranteed the Warriors pick between the first pick and the fourth pick.

There is a new philosophy discussion tanking is the new way to become successful. There is no reason to be in the middle. There is no reason to break even. There is no reason to be above average. All or nothing. Go big or go home. Excellent or fail. Get an A or get a F. 100% or 0%.

Go into debt intelligently. Lose more money to earn more money. Spend more money to earn more money. Deconstruct in its entirely to reconstruct completely. Tear down to the ground to build up to the sky.

Hit a home run or strike out. A pitcher pitches one inning or two innings throwing fastballs, fastballs, and fastballs resulting in strike out, strike out, strike out, and pitcher is relieved. Live or die with the three-point shot. A football team with a top-tier quarterback compensates all team weaknesses. I emphasize top-tier! The rest of the team is ignored regardless of talent and skill.

Am I Tanking?

Time is the ultimate judge. Time answers the question soon. I'm waiting for the next opportunity to succeed. Maybe its bad luck. Is success coming? Is tanking working? I'm unemployed. There is no part-time brain-numbing jobs. I'm self-training. I'm self-reviewing. I'm staying proactive. Everyday I'm one step closer to become a self-trained genius.

How About Cheating?

The New England Patriots football team won six NFL Championships in nine Super Bowl appearances. The Patriots cheated multiple times. The Patriots were caught multiple times. Punishments were a slap on the wrist. Cheat, caught, punished, cheat, caught, punished, cheat, caught, punished, . . . . . The result is six NFL Championships.

Let's Eat Or It's Time For Dinner

I remember my childhood mom says "let's eat" in the house. Everyone stops what they're doing. They walk to the dining room for a family dinner. No waiting for everyone. No wait one minute. Turn off the TV except for special TV shows. Place the bookmarker on the book reading or doing homework. Turn off the electronic. Dinner time is break time. Past family generations followed the rule dinner time is break time.

Times have changed. I admit I'm guilty I'm part of the change. Today's Information Age the attitudes are get it done now. Complete the assignment immediately. People are focused intently to complete the present assignment. People are focused intently to complete the task on hand. The assignment or task is anything such as writing reports, replying to emails, texting, programming, playing video games, watching TV, reading a book, sewing, painting, and cleaning. Five more minutes to finish the last paragraph. One more email reply. The programmer is too close to stop writing the function. The boss man is almost defeated. The episode is near the commercial. One more chapter. Let me wash the brushes first. The sink is still dirty. The excuses to delay coming to dinner are endless. The result is people eat dinner at different times, at different places, and maybe alone.

It's sad the Information Age disrupts the family time dinner time. The Information Age disrupts the family time meal time. Less family communication. Less family get together. Each family members has their own schedule. Dinner time is supposed to be break time. Dinner time is get together time. It's ironic break time can be good for the person for which after dinner the person may find a better way to complete the assignment or task.

There's An A In Overachieving

The 2020 American League West Champions Oakland A's were defeated by the Houston Astros on Thur Oct 8, 2020. The A's defeated the Chicago White Sox in the Wild Card round for their first postseason series win since 2006 when the A's played in the American League Championship Series against the Detroit Tigers. The A's has lost 10 of its past 11 postseason series. The bullpen was the A's strength with the lowest ERA in the major leagues at 2.72. On the other hand, the starting pitching ranked 16th in the major leagues at a 4.49 ERA. Poor starting pitching resulted in a fatigued bullpen. The team batting average .225 was the second lowest in the American League.

One superstar plus good coaching plus good management or good ownership equals a championship. 1+1+1=3. The 1+1+1=3 odds improve to win a championship are higher than teams with a sum less than three. The superstar is a high impact player with leadership, charism, highest performance on the field, strong, and intelligent. There have been professional sport teams following the 1+1+1=3 formula in history. Here are some examples below:

*Joe Montana+Bill Walsh+San Francisco 49ers=three Super Bowl championships in the 1980s
*Michael Jordan+Phil Jackson+Chicago Bulls=six NBA Finals championships in the 1990s
*Buster Posey+Bruce Bochy+San Francisco Giants=three World Series championships in five years between 2010-2014
*Derek Jeter+Joe Torre+New York Yankees=five World Series championships 1996, 1998-2000, 2009
*Sidney Crosby+Mike Sullivan+Pittsburg Penguins= back to back Stanley Cup championships 2016 and 2017 for the first time in the salary cap era
*Stephen Curry+Steve Kerr+Golden State Warriors=five consecutive NBA Finals appearances 2015-2019 winning three
*Tom Brady+Bill Belichick+New England Patriots=six Super Bowl championships 2002, 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017, and 2019

There are 1+1+1=3 examples of teams winning one championship. One championship is good enough in some cases.

*Russell Wilson+Pete Carroll+Seattle Seahawks=2014 Super Bowl Champions
*Patrick Mahomes+Andy Reid+Kansas City Chiefs=2020 Super Bowl Champions

The A's disagree with 1+1+1=3. The team have been overachievers 0+0+0=0. There are no superstars. Manager Bob Melvin should be fired. Ownership is cheap. The A's is a ball team with one of the lowest baseball payrolls. Ownership doesn't pay big contracts to superstar players. The A's develop their young talent, play the best young talent in the major league level with all-star performance, and acquire veteran free agents at the end of their careers. The offseason the A's trade their young all-start talent for new younger potential talent. Buy low, sell high. The A's baseball team plan is Moneyball. The Moneyball method is using statistical analysis and paying bargain contracts for a winning baseball team explained in plain English. Maybe 50 years from now the Moneyball method wins a World Series Championship for the Oakland A's. Prove me wrong.