Ten Random Blogs Jul 2020

Here are ten random blogs in order of randomly chosen. The restriction is the blog dates Dec 31, 2018 and earlier. 2019 blogs are A Second Look blog in Dec 2020. I include a brief description and an update remark.

1. One, Two, Three (Feb 13, 2007). I blogged three topics. The first blog was visiting a friend's apartment for the first time. My friend and her husband at the time were sci-fi fans. I saw the biggest sci-fi collection in my life consisting of DVDs, figurines, board games, and books. I arrived home thinking about time and their sci-fi collection. If I spent more time on sci-fi and anime, then I had a bigger collection.

Update remark for the first blog: I'm happy and I'm fortunate my anime and sci-fi collection didn't reach my friend and her husband at the time biggest sci-fi collection. There is more to life than watching television. I retired from anime in Sep 2014. I sold 50% of my DVDs, 67% of my books, and 90% of my toys on eBay from 2015-2018 and at swap meets from 2008 to 2012. My time away from anime and sci-fi collection were spent wisely.

The second blog was all families have problems. My family had been consistently late to engagements. I compared my family's lateness problem to other family problems. Being late was not a family problem worth making a big deal.

Update remark for the second blog: My family continues to be late. Sometimes my family and I make a big deal. Sometimes my family and I don't make a big deal.

The third blog was keep our residence clean. It was hard to keep the house clean because my parents were hoarders. The minimum was organization. Maintain organization to maximize keeping the house as clean as possible.

Update remark for the third blog: My parents continue to be hoarders. I do my best to keep the house clean which is a challenge.

2. The Second Pics From My Smart Phone (Jun 29, 2012). I purchased my first smart phone in Jul 2011. I started to blog pics from my smart phone. Here's the second batch of pics.

Update remark: I continue to blog pics from my smart phone.

3. Another Batch Of Pics (Sep 13, 2012). Another blog with pics from my first smart phone.

Update remark: I continue to blog pics from my smart phone.

4. Accutane Day 236 (Sep 29, 2009). I started taking Accutane on Feb 5, 2009. The dermatologist said Accutane shrinks the oil glands to prevent acne and blackheads; however, I continued getting acne and blackheads. The dermatologist gave me an option to double to dosage from 20mg to 40mg for which he discouraged doubling. There was no timeline when I stopped taking Accutane.

Update remark: I eventually doubled my dosage because acne and blackheads continued. The dermatologist said there are cases patients undergo a second round of Accutane treatment. I may need another acne and blackhead treatment because marks on my face which disappeared after Accutane treatment are reappearing again.

5. Top Ten Moments Wearing My Braces (Sep 2, 2009). I blogged my top ten moments I wore braces from Jan 24, 2007 to Aug 17, 2009 totaling 936 days.

Update remark: Wearing braces helped me look handsome with a perfect smile. Nine of the top ten are in my Top 40 Most Memorable Moments written on Sep 27, 2016.

6. My Spirituality Discovery (Jan 11, 2015). I have two spiritual practices. The first practice is sleeping eight hours a night. The second practice is reading my personal bible once a week.

Update remark: I have a confession. I wrote a blog Why Do I Pray? on Aug 3, 2014. I answered I pray reading my personal bible once a week to remember the mistakes I made. Don't repeat my mistakes. My guess is I stopped praying once a week at the end of 2018. The result has been my productivity increased. The last two times I prayed was during the week of National Day Of Prayer in May 2019 and May 2020.

7. Life Goes On (Sep 23, 2017). I reminded myself and my readers the world didn't come to an end. Life moves forward for better or for worse.

Update remark: The blog applies to today's COVID-19 life.

8. A Full Week (Jan 12, 2006). I prepared to take a night class on how to write a business plan at De Anza College.

Update remark: I should have dropped the class. The class was a waste of time. Conversely, I dropped Beginning Japanese in Spring Quarter 2009 which was moment number two in my Top Ten Moments Wearing My Braces. Dropping Japanese didn't make my Top 40 Most Memorable Moments.

9. Go Get My Life (Jan 31, 2015). I remember one day as a senior in high school I was in the library with a classmate. I was depressed. I said, "I need a life." She said, "Then go get it." I understood the meaning decades later. Don't take life for granted. I'm lucky I discovered I must earn my successes. I'm lucky I discovered I must never stop learning.

Update remark: The classmate was a junior named Thanh. She played volleyball on the varsity team. She hung around the library with me during the lunch hours consistently. I wonder if she liked me.

Six days a week I'm doing my best to earn my successes. My personal projects are reviewing Excel and SQL; learning Python and Git; and learning life skills such as basic land navigation with a compass, Morse Code, and make paper airplanes. I exercise four or five days a week. I minimize eating processed foods. I read books, write blogs, and cook.

10. I Live To Reach The 90 Club (Jul 21, 2011). My grandmother on my dad's side was my oldest living grandparent. She died at 90 years old. Her mind was sharp at an old age. She didn't have Alzheimer's disease. Unfortunately, my grandfather on my dad's side died from Alzheimer's. I vow to keep my mind sharp to minimize my chances from getting Alzheimer's disease. I vow to keep my mind sharp to maximize my chances living at least 90 years old.

Update remark: I refer to the update remark at number 9 Go Get My Life. Use it or lose it. Use my brain or lose my brain. Use my knees and elbows or lose my knees and elbows; in other words, exercise. I'm not going to be an old fuck.

Be Strong, Be Useful, Strong Self-Esteem All Relationships

There is a common knowledge in dating don't date a loser. Don't date a nobody. Don't date a boring person. There is a common knowledge in marriages don't marry a loser. Don't marry a nobody. Don't marry a boring person. A common conversation in a circle of friends is an incompatible couple. The couple is not a match. The relationship is toxic. Why is person A dating person B? Why is person A married to person B? Person B is boring. Or person B is too nice. Or person B is abusive. Or person B is manipulative. Why is person A tolerating misery from person B? What is the person B summary? The answer is poor self-esteem.

My knowledge is people don't date boring people before today. Boring people are always single. People rather date exciting people than boring people. Most people agree with the statement. People rather date people with a "bad boy" attitude or "bad girl" attitude. The people dating people with a "bad boy" attitude or "bad girl" attitude can be misleading. The "bad boy" or "bad girl" abuses and manipulates their boyfriend or girlfriend. The "bad boy" or "bad girl" tricks or coerces their boyfriend or girlfriend to stay in the relationship; for example, the "bad boy" or "bad girl" intimidates the boyfriend or girlfriend he or she is lonely forever if they leave.

What's the first attribute to look for in a person for a long-term relationship? My answer is strong self-esteem. In addition, be useful. Strong self-esteem and being useful are my answers to attract a person for a long-term relationship.

A Dear Abby advice column the second letter a reader ended a toxic relationship Sun Jul 26, 2020.

Update On A Past Blog

The crux of today's blog is self-esteem. Men and women with strong self-esteem attract the matching man and woman. No tricks. No manipulation. No intimidation. Strong men and women. Smart men and women. Useful men and women. I wrote a Self-Esteem Blog on Nov 14, 2018 self-evaluating a person's self-esteem.

There are two additional questions to ask before a couple gets married. I asked My Two Question Marriage Is He Or She My Spouse Till Death Do Us Part on Dec 1, 2019. They're "Do you trust your spouse to take of you if you're the weaker person?" and "Is the couple motivated to work hard on their marriage?". Strong self-esteem and usefulness are factors in answering the two questions.

Ten Thoughts From The Last Dance Documentary

I finished watching The Last Dance yesterday from ESPN on my DVR. A camera crew was given unrestricted access to the Chicago Bulls 1997-1998 season. The ten-part documentary is Michael Jordan's NBA career and the Chicago Bulls' six NBA championships in the 1990s. Each thought is from each of the ten episodes in ascending order.

1. Jordan shared a story in his 1984-1985 rookie season he didn't participate in a hotel team party involving illegal drugs. He prioritized his career over partying. He said he was on his own.

2. Scottie Pippen started the season on the injury list. Jordan felt frustrated the team didn't play championship basketball. He called out players performing poorly.

3. Head coach Phil Jackson approved a 48 hour vacation request for Dennis Rodman. Jordan assisted in convincing Jackson to approve the request. Rodman lost his professional mentality after Pippen recovered from his injury. Also, Rodman was no longer Jordan's number two player because Pippen returned.

4. Follow-up to Rodman's 48 hour vacation request. Rodman spent at least 80 hours vacationing in Las Vegas, NV. The Bulls went after Rodman to bring him back.

The 1988-1989 and 1989-1990 teams lost to the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals. Jackson replaced Doug Collins as the head coach after the 1988-1989 season. Jackson used Tex Winter's triangle offense. The Bulls' 1989-1990 offseason workouts began the day after the team lost to the Pistons. The team got stronger. Stamina, endurance, and muscle improved. The Bulls won the next three NBA Championships 1990-1991, 1991-1992, and 1992-1993.

5. Jordan disclosed Isiah Thomas was not selected to the 1992 USA Men's Basketball Team Dream Team because he, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson didn't like Thomas. Jordan disclosed everyone got along well. Everyone was happy the Dream Team played together.

6. I quote from the fictional character Tom Riddle from Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling, "Greatness inspires envy, envy engenders spite, spite spawns lies."

7. "Well, I mean. I don't know, I mean. Winning has a price. And leadership has a price. So I pulled people along when they didn't want to be pulled. I challenged people when they didn't want to be challenged. And I earned that right because my teammates who came after me didn't endure all the things that I endured. Once you joined the team, you lived at a certain standard that I played the game. And I wasn't going to take any less. Now if that means I had to go in there and get in your ass a little bit, then I did that. You ask all my teammates. The one thing about Michael Jordan was he never asked me to do something that he didn't fucking do. When people see this they are going say, 'Well he wasn't really a nice guy. He may have been a tyrant.' Well, that's you. Because you never won anything. I wanted to win, but I wanted them to win to be a part of that as well. Look, I don't have to do this. I am only doing it because it is who I am. That's how I played the game. That was my mentality. If you don't want to play that way, don't play that way. . . . Break." *Jordan requests a break*

8. Keep it simple. Jordan's press release he was coming back to the Bulls.


9. It's a red flag when five people deliver a pizza on the lighter side. People who cry have a soul on the serious side.

10. Live the present. Live the moment. You don't know when it ends. Nobody knows when it ends.

Scarcity For Real Or There Is Too Little

Today's blog is cynical. Today's blog is pessimistic. Today's blog is an economics lesson on supply and demand. There are too many people needing goods and services. There is not enough goods and services to satisfy everyone. Prices rise for medical insurance, homes, rents, food, energy, and higher education. Welcome to capitalism.

Nobody complains. We want growth. We want a longer life span. We want technology. Welcome to the Information Age. Cities become denser because there are more people. More people demand goods and services. Prices rise. The size of the pie remains the same size. There are too many people competing for too few opportunities. More people are screwed. More people are victims of circumstances. The government raises taxes because the government needs more money to meet the demands for government goods and services. Blame the system.

24 Hours A Day

There is one constant from past generations to today's generation. The constant is 24 hours a day. More money, more time, more work, more costs, more training, more experience, and more education are required to complete responsibilities, projects, events, goals, and successes. They're life in the Information Age. There is too much to do. A rising tide raises all boats.

Many people are trying. Many people are working hard. Many people are not lazy. Many people are not stupid. Unfortunately, more time and more money are required to be independent. The Information Age makes life harder. Anyone with good fortunes, minimize struggling, and financial support must not complain.

Update On A Past Blog

95.7 FM The Game KGMZ released the Top Ten All-Time Bay Area Athletes fan votes. Eight of the ten fan votes are on my list Top Ten All-Time Bay Area Professional Athletes on Sun Jul 5, 2020. The eight athletes are the following in alphabetical order: Barry Bonds, Madison Bumgarner, Stephen Curry, Rickey Henderson, Ronnie Lott, Willie Mays, Joe Montana, and Jerry Rice. The other two fan vote athletes Rick Barry and Steve Young are on my honorable mention list.

Gift Checkbooks

My parents purchased a book of gift checkbook for a fundraiser in the early 1980s. A gift checkbook contains discount coupons for local businesses such as restaurants, services, and entertainment. Today's discount coupons are online such as Groupon and LivingSocial. I remember when I was a child I looked at each coupon reading the business and their discount. I ignored all coupons except for Straw Hat Pizza. My parents used the Straw Hat Pizza coupon only. They ignored the rest of the coupons. Buying a gift checkbook was a waste of money. Why did my parents ignore the rest of the coupons? My answer is my parents lacked the courage and the interest to try something new. Also, my parents were too cheap. We could have saved money trying something new and eating something new.

Can't Always Go With The Flow

I remember a localized power outage on Sep 2019 which inspires today's blog. The power outage started at 3:19pm and ended at 6:04pm. I was learning Python when the power went out. I did small tasks such as read the newspaper, clean up my desk, and learn new rope knots afterwards. I didn't workout at the gym after dinner because the household ate a late lunch. I purchased take-out pizza from a local restaurant at 6:05pm for the late lunch. If I knew the power went back online, then I go home and cook the late lunch. I went with the flow. The power was out. I couldn't learn Python. All activities involving electricity were out during the late afternoon.

On the other hand, I went against the flow. I continued learning Python albeit I spent less time practicing code. I finished watching a movie I normally watch on weekends. I fell asleep at 3am because I was still full eating a late dinner.

A common life wisdom is go with the flow. Sometimes the easy way out going with the flow is the incorrect choice. I could declare the day a one-off day being lazy without a care in the world. I didn't. I went with the flow. I went against the flow. Strength, courage, and motivation are required to go against the flow. Get gritty. The assignment must be finished regardless of delays. Complete another checkbox in the project--at least make some checks. Doing something is better than doing nothing. Meet halfway. Do something one step closer to accomplish the goal. It doesn't have to be many steps given the previous flow is diverted.

Never use the go with the flow life wisdom as an excuse to neglect responsibilities.

Update On A Past Blog

I made a mistake in the honorable mention list for the Top Ten All-Time Bay Area Professional Athletes on Sun Jul 5, 2020. Marcus Allen played for the Los Angeles Raiders. The Raiders moved to Los Angeles during Allen's rookie season in 1982. An example of poor research and an example my memory is not perfect. Rick Barry from the Golden State Warriors replaces Allen.

Also, KGMZ 95.7 FM The Game neither mentioned the Bay Area athletes must be professional nor mentioned can play in any Bay Area schools or colleges. Some of The Game journalists include amateur athletes or athletes played in Bay Area colleges in their top ten list.

Top Ten All-Time Bay Area Professional Athletes

KGMZ 95.7 FM The Game requested sports fans to submit their top ten best Bay Area professional athletes. The Game's sports journalists share their lists starting Mon Jul 6, 2020. Here's my top ten list I submitted.

10. Madison Bumgarner, Giants. The 2014 World Series was all Bumgarner. He needs a no-hitter for his career.

9. Joe Thornton, Sharks. A future hall of famer in the Sharks organization and in the NHL.

8. Ronnie Lott, 49ers. Defense wins football games. He was part of the glory years during the 1980s.

7. Klay Thompson, Warriors. Thompson is playoffs dependable game 6 Klay including the 2016 Game 6 Western Conference Finals vs. Oklahoma City Thunder.

6. Rickey Henderson, A's. The greatest leadoff hitter in the history of the MLB. He's the all-time leader in stolen bases.

5. Barry Bonds, Giants. He's the all-time leader in home runs.

4. Jerry Rice, 49ers. The greatest wide receiver in the history of the NFL. He's the all-time leader in touchdown receptions.

3. Willie Mays, Giants. His career numbers stand the test of time: 660 HR, .302 BA, 1,903 RBI, two-time MVP, 24-time all-star, and 12 Gold Gloves.

2. Joe Montana, 49ers. Children growing up in the 1980s needed to know Joe Montana to be a 49ers fan.

I add the honorable mentions for my blog. They're the following: Rick Barry, Warriors; Frank Gore, 49ers; Shane Lechler, Raiders; Tim Lincecum, Giants; Patrick Marleau, Sharks; Willie McCovey, Giants; Buster Posey, Giants; Joe Staley, 49ers; Chris Wondolowski, Earthquakes; and Steve Young, 49ers.

1. Stephen Curry, Warriors. He revolutionized basketball.

Edit Fri Jul 10, 2020: I made a mistake. An example of poor research and an example my memory is not perfect. Marcus Allen played for the Raiders in Los Angeles. I thought he played for the Raiders in Oakland before moving to Los Angeles. Allen is removed from the honorable mention. Rick Barry from the Warriors replaces Allen.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog 2

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. Jun was the fastest month in 2020 with two fast weeks. The pandemic daily life is unprecedented, uncharted, new, unknown, and untested. Here's the second blog.

Wed Jun 3. I took a SQL test online for a first round data analyst job interview.

Fri Jun 5. Santa Clara County announced Phase 2b.

Sun Jun 7. My mom gave me a haircut.

Mon Jun 8. I removed dust from my desktop computer and my laptop.

Tue Jun 9. Shopped at Costco. Limit 2 poultry; otherwise, no limits on other meats. No limits on eggs. A Costco worker fills up sodas for the customers. The soda fountains are blocked off from customers going to and from the soda fountains.

Wed Jun 10. The Lucky stored was closed for sanitizing on Tue Jun 9. One employee tested positive for COVID-19. His last shift was Sat Jun 6.

Fri Jun 12. Fast week. My parents purchased yeast.

Mon Jun 15. Day 90. Picked up my compass I purchased online during REI's Anniversary Sale at my local REI store. Store was dead. Arrows were printed on the floor directing customers which way to walk. There were more employees than customers.

Picked up chicken fried steak breakfasts at Holder's restaurant. The restaurant set up outdoor tents for outdoor seating.

Tue Jun 16. Shopped at Costco during the opening hour. Minimum crowds. Poultry limits removed. Paper products, disinfectant, Lysol, and hand sanitizers limits remained.

Lucky supermarket restricted area for employees only next to entrance removed. I might consider shopping in the mornings for less customers.

Wed Jun 17. Earthquake. One second quick jolt. Magnitude 3.6.

Thur Jun 18. California governor issued Executive Order all people must wear masks in public.

Fri Jun 19. Fastest week in 2020. Added Dave Ross Commentary to my podcast list.

Sun Jun 21. Happy Father's Day. Ripped old CDs to .flac. Practiced basic land navigation with a compass.

Mon Jun 22. Home mini gym #2 workout 1 set with 20 reps due to lack of time.

Tue Jun 23. Turn back the clock. Played chess online. Visited chess.com for the first time.

Record 6,498 new infections in a day in CA. 4,095 COVID-19 patients in hospitals. Sat Jun 13 3,092 COVID-19 patients in hospitals.

Wed Jun 24. Ordered take out at Sam's Bar-B-Que for the first time. Home mini gym #2 workout 2 sets with 14 reps each.

Thur Jun 25. Day 100. Arrived at Costco at 9:35am. Easy to move around. Small number of customers at check out. City traffic was like a Sun morning.

Sat Jun 27. Played Final Fantasy VI video game for the first time.

Sun Jun 28. Dad troubleshooted my mom's car battery draining. I headlight restored my car and my mom's car.

Mon Jun 29. Caught up on emails.