Throwback Blog: 10 Hour Therapy

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 10 Hour Therapy written on Aug 17, 2008. I blogged a solution when I felt depressed. The solution was sleep. I connect the dots backwards. I grew up 48 days later on Oct 4, 2008. My life changed forever. The number of days I felt down, depressed, tired and not myself dropped significantly thereafter. Feeling depressed is normal; on the other hand, feeling depressed consistently is not normal. Ironically, minimizing depression requires work; for example, staying active physically such as exercise and staying active mentally such as reading books. In addition, minimize eating processed foods and live an organized life keeping your residence clean. I stand by everything I blogged because I practice them daily.

The 10 hour therapy sleeping works. I rarely need the therapy today. I can't remember the last time I slept for 10 hours to treat depression. Today's blog is a reminder I have the no cost option.

Wednesday night August 13, 2008 I slept for 10 hours. What happened? Since Monday July 28 I felt empty. I neither felt happy nor sad. My attitude was "I'm living life. So what else is new." I showed up for work, exercised, played Team Fortress 2, and replied to emails work and personal. Whoopiedoo =\ My life was uncommon, or perhaps too common such as go to work, exercise three days a week, and sleep. The days were plain with no joy. I had too many thoughts including the recession and "What If" questions such as what if my contract is terminated and what if I never buy a house. (Yes, the US economy is in a recession.) I was myself and I was not myself.

On Thursday August 14, I felt much better. I was myself again. Wednesday night was my 10 hour free and self-help therapy session ^_^ My mood was happy. My attitude was I'm living life and what's new. My life was common . . . a positive attitude, looking forward to new adventures, and seeking new opportunities. The day was joy. I continued with too many thoughts positive and negative; however, the negative thoughts were conquered with the positive thoughts. I was ready to finish anything I needed to get done.

Feeling down, feeling depressed, feeling tired, feeling not yourself? Try sleeping 10 hours. Delay your night plans and activities. Go to bed (-,-) I learned sleep is more than resting your body. Sleep also rests your brain and your soul =D

Side note: The week of Monday August 11 I didn't go to the gym. Physically I felt good. Attitude wise I felt bad. I remember when I have the "I don't want to workout" feeling tells me I'm tired and I must devote extra hours to sleep. Fortunately, I skipped gym for the week or else I might have been sick >.>

How I Learn Morse Code

Learning Morse Code is one of my personal projects. I was inspired to learn Morse Code when I watched a movie the undercover police officer communicated with his commanding officer using Morse Code. I was also inspired when I started learning rope knots. I realized the Morse Code in the movie was fake Morse Code. I'm not shocked.

I'm not a professional at communications. I know enough Morse Code to communicate in an emergency. The following groups are my recommendation to learn the code. I advise against learning the code alphabetically. I separate the alphabet in four groups in terms of dots and dashes patterns. The numbers are in the fifth group. I don't separate alphabetically.

First Group
e *
a *-
n -*
b -***
c -*-*
d -**
h ****
i **
m --
o ---
s ***
t -

Second Group
l *-**
f **-*
j *---
p *--*
k -*-
r *-*
g --*

Third Group
u **-
v ***-
w *--

Fourth Group
y -*--
q --*-
x -**-
z --**

Fifth Group
1 *----
2 **----
3 ***--
4 ****-
5 *****
6 -****
7 --****
8 ---**
9 ----*
0 -----

Sixth Group
period *-*-*- (three a's)
question mark **--** (imi)
comma --**-- (mim)
error ******** (eight e's)

I practice five days a week typing stock symbols on the Google search bar selecting the Morse Code keyboard. I need paper and pen to write the dots and dashes when receiving or before I communicate in Morse Code.

Here's a video explaining how to communicate by Morse Code. It's an old video. It's still valid. HOW IT WORKS: Morse Code.

You Feel *Insert Feeling*, I Feel *Insert Feeling*, Too

Do you feel sad? Do you feel depressed? Do you feel confused? Do you feel *insert negative feeling*? It's okay. I give you permission to feel those feelings. I recognize what you're feeling. Tired? We're all tired.

*Insert Positive Feeling*

There is a solution. It takes time. Be patient. Do you feel happy? Do you feel joyful? Are you in control? Do you feel *insert positive feeling*? Give yourself permission to feel those feelings when you overcome personal problems. Smile sincerely.

You're ready to solve problems when the positive feelings are felt. The problems causing negative feelings are solved. That's the deal. The contract is never ignore problems. The contract is ignore the naysayers. Be sincere. Be true. The contract requires motivation. There is no right way or no wrong way. There is a good way and a bad way. No faking. Don't trick the world. Mature people know fakers never succeed. Fakers never win. Be intelligent with your feelings. Be honest with your feelings. No whitewashing. No steering around. No distortion.

There Are Millions Of Daily Stories Nobody Knows

Today's blog is another reminder life go on. Life moves forward. Life starts for some of the living. Life stops for some of the living. Stories are made daily. A tiny fraction is reported. More bad stories are reported than good. Anything can happen.

There are the typical stories. Weddings, divorces, graduations, rejections, victories, defeats, promotions, accidents, natural disasters, new shows, and new grand openings. New discoveries, new learnings, and new opportunities. Fairness, unfairness, right place at the right time, wrong place at the wrong time, luck, and unfortunate circumstances. Rehabilitate, therapy completed, training completed, testing passed. Awakenings, I got it moments, and I did it moments. Break-ups, firings, farewells, and growing apart.

How about the not-so typical stories? These stories are unusual. They can happen. The man asks the woman in their date to drive him to the hospital because the mother of his child is giving birth. A white wife gives birth to a black baby. The white husband commits suicide. A son is divorcing his wife for which the son's mom must be present during the divorce lawyer's meetings. A husband and wife are divorcing after 60+ years of marriage because the daughter convinced the mom her dad is hiding money from the mom. Erectile dysfunction (ED) is more common than people realize; in addition, more young people are diagnosed with ED. A suicide person jumps in front of a train for which the person positions the head the impact causes the head into his chest through his neck. There are high school rapes. There are students bullying the victim using his or her peanut allergy as the weapon. A movie watcher died in a movie theater cause by choking on popcorn. Nobody heard the cries for help.

These are the negative stories. Negative stories are more likely to be reported than positive stories. We rarely hear first responders saving lives. We rarely hear random acts of kindness. We rarely hear strangers helping people in distress. We rarely hear 50+ year anniversary stories. We rarely hear 100 year old birthdays.

Maybe living a life without a story of the day can be good. Boring can be good.

Delayed Equalizer

The COVID-19 global pandemic continues. Every day people are vaccinated. We hope for global herd immunity because people are tired living the pandemic life. What is the COVID-19 post-pandemic life? Your guess is as good as mine. Time will tell.

I have one guess. The post-pandemic life is closer to balance. COVID-19 is the equalizer. The equalizing is delayed. The equalizing is deferred. Be patient. I believe more people are impacted. Give it time. More balance is coming. The financial markets say otherwise there's no global recession. The economy news says less people are impacted; for example, fewer job losses are reported. I believe the COVID-19 economic slowdown impacted more people than reported. Is inflation the equalizer? Time will tell.

We hear the good news. There is still good news. Almost everyone shares the good moments on social media. We don't hear the bad news. There is still bad news. Almost nobody shares bad moments on social media. People who don't deserve the good life lose the good life. People who don't deserve the bad life hard work pays off. We see the fallout when life goes back to normal. The truth is revealed.

Everybody Doesn't Manage

A Reddit post I can't remember who send me this video nevermind there it is inspired today's blog. A senior citizen initiates small talk with a pregnant woman. The woman is scared of everything. The 2018 full version is at Vimeo The Wait.

Many people are good natured. A common response to a person experiencing bad moments is "everything is going to get better." Another response is "there is hope" or "hope for the best." What if everything is getting worse? The chances of getting better are slim. There is a slimmer of hope. A miracle is needed for a miracle.

Be honest. Be truthful. I talk about some people who don't make it. The goals are unsuccessful. The worst happened. The problems triumph the solutions. Some of us never make it. It's not entirely our fault; although, the loser must accept some responsibility. There are winners. There are losers. Some people deserve success. Some people don't earn their successes. The world is a zero-sum game. It's unfair. It's messed-up.

I put myself in the spotlight. I'm long-termed unemployed. I had interviews. Many of the interviews ended up bad luck. For instance, my second to last interview was a contract data analyst position. I passed the interviews. I submitted the paperwork. The director of the department cancelled the contract at the eleventh hour. The contractor company told me a cryptic explanation as if they didn't want to admit guilt. My last interview I made it the second round; unfortunately, the company froze new hires due to COVID-19.

There are not enough open positions to satisfy the millions of unemployed today. There are new college graduates and high school graduates every Jun adding more supply of job seekers. There are not enough open positions to satisfy the millions of unemployed when the global pandemic ends tomorrow.

In the meantime, I live my life with earnest. I job search six days a week. The job openings are fewer during the pandemic. I job train five days a week or six days a week depending on my schedule. The job training includes learning Python, learning Power BI, reviewing Excel, and reviewing SQL. I cook healthy meals. I minimize eating processed foods. I exercise four days a week. I read books. I maintain a clean household. I'm doing the best I can. I honestly must converse with myself I may not achieve freedom.

Instant Bullets Blog Apr 3, 2021

*Maximum Weight First Class Mail. The United States Postal Service maximum first class weight is 13 ounces. However, commercial maximum first class weight is 16 ounces.

*Encourage your children to go outside by taking the WiFi outside.

*Constructive Eviction. Generally speaking, the law allows a tenant to terminate a lease when the landlord fails to provide a reasonable living environment. The law differs in each state. Source: Tenant Resource Center.

*Best Time To Buy And Sell On eBay. My intuition tells me Nov, Dec, Jan and Feb are the best months for buyers looking for treasure because sellers sell their junk. The sellers sell junk on Nov and Dec to make money for Christmas shopping. The sellers sell junk on Jan and Feb because a common New Year's Resolution is get rid of clutter.

*Take Pictures Of A Data Table. The Office on Android app imports the data table picture as an Excel file. Click YouTube video Import Data from a Picture to Excel - for iPhone and Android to watch the tutorial.

*Congratulations to NFL all-star and future hall of fame quarterback Tom Brady for winning his seventh Super Bowl championship. He has more Super Bowl championships than the New England Patriots and the Pittsburg Steelers with six each. Brady appeared in 10 Super Bowls out of 55 or 18.2%. He won seven of his ten appearances or 70.0%. I'm open to hear opinions Brady is not the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) quarterback in the NFL.

*Tucker Max Retires From The Game. Michael Ellsberg from Forbes wrote an article interviewing Max who wrote the New York Times bestselling book I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell. Click Tucker Max Gives Up the Game: What Happens When a Bestselling Player Stops Playing? to read the article on Max becoming a mature and married man.

*People Change. Married Couples Change. Dear Abby answers the question about a husband's life and a wife's life diverging Wife Resists Man's Efforts To Improve Her Lifestyle on Feb 15, 2021. Her advice to the husband is get professional help for the wife. The husband continues living his healthier lifestyle.

*Follow Up On The G.O.A.T. Brady. Is a criteria to be the G.O.A.T. making others great, too? Tom Brady G.O.A.T.? My answer is yes. Michael Jordan G.O.A.T.? My answer is yes. LeBron James G.O.A.T.? My answer is no. I'm open to hear opinions.

*White Is My Favorite Color. Also, Super Bowl winners. Super Bowl teams wearing their white uniforms have won 14 out of the last 17 Super Bowl games.

*Female Voiced Voicemail Introductions. I worked in Commercial Real Estate for 8.5 years. Some brokers requested their female personal assistants or a female administrative assistant to record their voice mail greeting. The reason was male clients or male potential clients are more likely to leave a voice mail after hearing a female voice.

*Free Labor From A Job Interview. The following appeared from my LinkedIn timeline on Mar 30, 2021 from Robynn Storey, CEO of Storeyline Resumes:

I say FU*K that...

2 clients emailed me today about outlandish interviewing assignments that have become ALL too common today.

One, a Tech Account Exec, was presented with a 40 page spreadsheet and told to 'crunch the data' and prepare an analytics report for sales projection.

She's a 25 year industry veteran.

The second, a Marketing Executive, was presented with an assignment to create a full year marketing plan with an estimated time investment of 35 hours.

35 hours!!
That is nearly a full week of UNPAID work!
For an INTERVIEW!

There is NO guarantee of an offer.
NO guarantee they won't STEAL your ideas.
NO guarantee that you will even hear back from them.

I gave them both the same advice.

Your track record, experience and success speak for themselves (I know this, because we did their resumes).

It is ultimately up to you to decide how badly you want this opportunity, but if it were me, I'd say F-No.

Lol...both did exactly that.

One was dropped from the process, the other got moved along with an abbreviated version of the assignment.

Ultimately, it is your time, your dime and your career.

If you are uncomfortable with the amount of work you are being asked to do for an interview, push back, bow out or move on.

#success #jobsearch #resumewriting

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog March 2021

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. One blink of an eye the month is Apr. Minor nose rash, upper lip rash, and left calf strain were the health problems experienced together. Otherwise, my routines were consistent in the fastest month of 2021. More counties in CA upgraded from purple to either red or orange.

Tue Mar 2. Santa Clara County lifted the 10-day travel quarantine for residents traveled 150 miles or greater outside the county.

Santa Clara, Napa, and San Francisco counties upgraded from the purple tier to the red tier in the State of California's Safer Economy COVID-19 color reopening tier. Gyms open at 10% capacity, restaurants open indoor dining at 25% capacity or 100 people whichever is fewer, movie theaters open at 25% capacity or 100 people whichever is fewer, museums open at 25% capacity, zoos open at 25% capacity, and aquariums open at 25% capacity.

Wed Mar 3. Shopped at a Nike Store for new running shoes. Fitting rooms closed. All seating areas removed to try shoes on. Nike shoe guarantee is all returns accepted within 60 days no questions asked.

I shopped at Pep Boys to purchase a steering wheel cover. I changed my car's motor oil in the afternoon.

Thur Mar 4. Baseball stadiums in CA to allow fans when regular seasons begins on Thur Apr 1, 2021 as long as their county is not in the purple tier.

Fri Mar 5. CA high schools allow indoor sports. High schools follow college and professional sports COVID-19 protocols.

CA to allow outdoor activities starting Thur Apr 1, 2021 at limited capacity: sports, music, art, and amusement parks. Restrictions depend on the county's place in the California's Safer Economy COVID-19 color reopening tier.

CA Governor Gavin Newsom signed the $6.6B school reopening bill.

Mon Mar 8. I visited my brother's house in the Tri-Valley. More cars on the freeways. Any traffic jam stop and go was brief. Traffic flowed at the limit.

Wed Mar 10. Texas was the first state to lift the state mask mandate. The entire state is opened.

Thur Mar 11. President Joe Biden signed the $1.9T relief bill.

Fri Mar 12. Shopped at Costco Business Center. Normal crowds. Social distancing practiced. Visited my aunt in Alameda. More cars on the freeways. More traffic jam stop and go; otherwise, traffic flowed at the limit.

Sat Mar 13. CA averaged 4,000 COVID-19 cases a week. The last time the state averaged 4,000 was Halloween 2020. 3,477 hospitalized on Halloween 2020. 22,000 hospitalized on January 2021. Total CA COVID-19 cases 3.6M and 55,000 deaths. The death number is the highest in the USA.

25% of CA adults received at least one vaccine shot.

Tue Mar 16. Quick errands to the post office and Bank Of America. The branch I visited three customers came in and out during my brief wait.

Wed Mar 17. Day 365 of CA shelter in-place.

Fri Mar 19. The Center For Disease Control announced students from grade school to high school can sit three feet apart. Students must separate six feet apart in common areas.

President Biden announced 100M vaccinations administered on his 58th day as President.

Sat Mar 20. Paris announced one month lockdown.

Tue Mar 23. San Francisco and Santa Clara Counties upgraded from red tier to orange tier.

Fri Mar 26. Quick errands to the post office and Safeway. Few customers at Safeway.

Tue Mar 30. Cases rising in 27 states. People under age 60 are the majority of new cases.

Wed Mar 31. Johnson & Johnson announced 15M vaccine doses bad due to human error.

Update On A Past Blog

I made a mistake on Timeout Good Raymond Mar III written on Mar 15, 2021. I wrote I built my second desktop PC in Dec 2020-Jan 2021. The dates are incorrect. The correct dates are Dec 2019-Jan 2020. The sentence is deleted.