What If 1

Blogger's note: I numbered the What If blog number one in case I write another What If blog in the future.

What if I didn't work at Grubb & Ellis on Thur Jul 9, 1998? What if the co-worker who trained me to replace her didn't accept her transfer to another office? What if my second co-worker didn't quit weeks later after I started. The short answer is I didn't work in commercial real estate for 7.5 years.

There was workplace drama in my first month. The workplace drama was a warning sign I ignored. I should have started looking for another job; on the other hand, it was my first job after graduating college. Moreover, the drama reminded me when I worked in my second company in 1999. The company hired a full-time buyer. She quit a few months later. My intuition told me she didn't get along with the CFO and she witnessed mismanagement. Another instance happened when I worked in a retail start-up as back-end sales support in 2014. The new beer buyer submitted his two week notice after his first shift. He told me he saw mismanagement. He was correct. I quit the retail start-up four months later.

Update On A Past Blog

I wrote a what if like blog on Oct 19, 2014 titled Alternate Endings. Some of the questionable moments are what if I graduated high school at the same high school I attended from 9th grade to 11th grade? What if I graduated with another degree at San Jose State University? What if my contract at Cisco continued during the 2008 Great Recession? None of the alternate endings mentioned Grubb & Ellis.

Celebrities Are Assholes Because We're Assholes

I dreamed last night musician Eric Clapton, actor Kevin Bacon, sports journalist Ray Ratto, and an unknown young actor in the Star Trek movie franchise visited our house. I had a family. They were playing a concert after dinner.

Clapton's guitar was on a table. I touched his guitar. Clapton was angry because he just cleaned his guitar. Clapton wanted me to confess. I didn't confess. Clapton rubbed a dirty brush on a yellow and white rabbit figurine on the same table. It turned out Ratto touched Clapton's guitar.

The young actor in the Star Trek movie shared a scene from an upcoming Star Trek movie. The scene took place in Oakland, CA. Jumbo jets were taking off from an army base like the GI JOE Sky Stryker jets taking off GI JOE headquarters in the GI JOE cartoon episode The Synthoid Conspiracy Part 2.

What's the point of the blog? Celebrities are humans. They have lives outside their celebrity jobs. They're normal people living a non-normal life. The public treats them special. They want some time for themselves. Blame the media for interfering the celebrities' private lives. Blame the immature people being assholes to celebrities. Celebrities become assholes by habit because of the immature people being assholes.

Do I want to be a celebrity? My short answer is no. My long answer is unlikely.

Update On A Past Blog

I listened to a Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford podcast Cautionary Tales--Fritterin' Away Genius. The podcast talked about Claude Shannon who invented the information age. What if Shannon spent more time on his work instead of goofing off? The podcast answered the question. Here are a few excerpts from Harford:

*Between those two thunderbolts, Shannon didn't just switch fields, he lived a rich and complicated life. He married and then divorced within a year. He moved to Manhattan to spice things up. He played chess in Washington Square Park. He played clarinet. He loved the jazz scene in New York. He swam. He played tennis. He stayed up too late and played his music too loud. All this was happening when Shannon was at the peak of his intellectual powers. Shannon didn't just hit 35 and abandoned serious thinking in favor of playing around. Shannon was playing around all along. Maybe Shannon's love of fritterin'--and I say fritterin' away his time--on juggling, or unicycling, or music, or chess. Maybe that's not the reason he produced only two truly brilliant ideas. Maybe it's the reason he produced two truly brilliant ideas in the first place.

*Claude Shannon didn't feel that same compulsion to clear his inbox. He often left correspondences unanswered. Then eventually cleared the decks through the use of a trash can marked "letters I procrastinated on for too long." That might seem a trivial thing, but I think it points to something deeper.

Psychologists have identified a tendency called completion bias. If you ever assembled a list of things to do and ticked off all the easy ones while ignoring the important stuff, you demonstrated completion bias. That apparently admirable tendency, persistence, the determination to finish what we start, well, it could be twisted and perverted. If we feel compelled to reach the finish line, we also feel tempted to choose a short racetrack. There's more at stake here than making ourselves feel better by cheating with our to-do list.

Psychologists recently studied completion bias in a high-stake setting--a hospital emergency department. They found that the busier the emergency room becomes, the more the doctors look for quick whims, the patients who aren't really very ill, and can therefore be treated swiftly and ticked off the list. And this behavior is counterproductive. The more serious ill patients wait longer, of course. And the doctors start to slow down after working through a lot of fairly trivial cases. I expect we all know the feeling. But in their subconscious desire to see some work through completion, doctors were harming the patients who were in greatest need.

*Claude Shannon's willingness to set aside projects starts to look like a strength rather than a weakness. Shannon certainly could focus with a building information theory from scratch or building a wearable computer to beat roulette. Yet Shannon also seemed to have an inner confidence that allowed him to declare victory at any point that suited him. If a piece of work was not good enough to publish, fine, he was happy to leave it unpublished.

*When I first thought about writing this Cautionary Tale, I thought it would be a warning not to lose focus like Shannon did. I've changed my mind. Now I think Shannon and [Ed] Thorp are inspiration figures. The Cautionary Tale isn't a warning to keep your focus. Instead, it's a warning not to focus too much. Don't commit yourself so totally to a project you lose heart, or lose sight to a creative ideas, or lose your freedom to change course.

The podcast reminded me when I wrote I'm becoming a genius at Today Is A Lucky Day I Count My Blessings on Feb 23, 2020.

Another Perspective Work Longer Hours

Former Presidential Candidate and Florida Governor Jeb Bush was quoted ". . . people need to work longer hours . . ." to fix the American economy. Click Jeb Bush: To Fix Economy, Americans Need to "Work Longer Hours" to watch the YouTube video. Most people interpret Bush's quote as working at least 40 hours a week with no life or working 60 hours a week with no life.

I have a different perspective on Bush's quote. People need to work longer hours not working at their jobs with their feet nailed to the floor. People need to work longer hours to be better professionals inside work. More jobs today require more hours. More careers require more hours. More training required. Jobs are more technical. Costs are increasing. There is more learning. Blame today's Information Age life.

People need to work longer hours to be mature adults outside work. Don't waste time. The irony is more work for productive leisure. Spend more time for financial planning. Financial education is important. Learn life skills outside work because there's no time to learn life skill inside work. Rest the brain during sleep. Spend more time sleeping and less time watching TV. Blame today's Information Age life.

Be responsible. You may succeed one day. You may win one day. You may understand one day. Practice hard. Practice intelligently. Practice indefinitely. The longer hours inside work may click one day. The longer hours outside work may click one day. Times have changed inside work and outside work comparing today's generation and past generations. The work eight hours a day, go home, and watch TV on a chair drinking a beer are gone.

Top Ten Plus Seven Equals Top Seventeen Unprofessional, Bold, Stupid, Nonexpert, Who Knows, Possible Predictions

Are these predictions a joke? Are these predictions serious? Are these predictions a waste of time reading? I let the reader choose. One crazy, weird, and unlikely prediction I hope the reader doesn't experience is all hell breaks loose. A person experiences a day everything is out of his or her control. Everything is outside his or her comfort zone. Here are the top ten plus seven equals top seventeen predictions:

17. $10.00 Per Gallon Gas. I predict one gas station charges $10.00 a gallon anywhere in the US.

16. A terrorist attack succeeds in a developed country impacting the world. I hope the prediction never comes true.

15. Another Pandemic. There are too many people. More people live closer to each other such as high density housing. More people become unhealthy. More people live with underlying health conditions affecting their immune system. More people give viruses more chances to infect more people.

14. All schools add an extra year. The old school system is obsolete. Elementary school pre-kindergarten is mandatory before kindergarten. Junior high schools add a fourth year for grades 6-9. High schools add a fifth year for grades 10-14. There is too much to learn. Expectations are too high. A rising tide raises all boats. Students need more time. School is a full time job. No more summer vacations. Schools are year-around. Parents, school administrators, and the government need more patience.

13. Social Security is going to be bankrupt. More money is paid out to senior citizens than money funding Social Security. The Federal Government must be bold to pass laws to increase money flowing to the social program.

12. Increase Homelessness. More people are going to be homeless globally. There are not enough resources to help them. There are not enough resources to slow down the homelessness rate. The cost of living increases.

11. Too Big To Fail. The global big name companies. The top Fortune 500 companies. The top of the top can't fail. These companies are built to last doing everything legal, border line legal, border line illegal, anything. AT&T, Wal-Mart, NFL, Cisco, Bank Of America, Chase, Google, banks, tech, finance, governments, manufacturing, etc. If any of the above fail, then the impact affects many people in many countries.

10. Work And Life Balance Is False. More people work more hours. The 40 hour work week is outdated. More people work after hours at home. More people work during the weekends.

9. Increase Unemployment. The job market is tight indefinitely. More people can't find work. People graduate school, college, or a trade school every year. The supply of workers increases. There are not enough opportunities to hire new graduates. More people delay retirement. More jobs are eliminated by technology such as robots and automation.

More people are not going to succeed. Life is zero-sum. The world is zero-sum. The size of the pie is always the same. There are people who fail no matter what. There are unsuccessful people no matter what. Many works hard and follow their dreams. Few succeed. Many times something happens beyond their control they become unsuccessful. Blame life. Life is not fair.

8. People continue to hurt other people. Divorces, abuses, assaults, alcoholics, cheats, dishonesty, DUIs, and drug addicts. People make the same mistakes. People don't learn. History repeats infinitely.

7. The average IQ decreases. More people are dumb. More people watch TV and play video games. Life is too easy, yet too complicated.

6. Increase Conservative. More people are scared. More people are afraid of losing. More people are less daring. There is more caution. More people are politically correct.

5. Increase Depression. More people are lonely. More people have poor social skills. More people feel isolated. Today's Information Age living increases anxiety. There is too much screen time on phones and computers.

4. Too Hot. Global warming. Planet Earth is getting hotter. Surface temperatures are increasing. There are more natural disasters including wildfires, hurricanes, and droughts. Countries must be bold to pass laws to curb climate destruction by setting limits.

3. The fight against social injustice never ends. There is preferential treatment. Racism, discrimination, and prejudice existed in the past. Racism, discrimination, and prejudice are present. Racism, discrimination, and prejudice exist tomorrow. They continue throughout humankind.

2. Medical insurance dental insurance, and vision insurance increase indefinitely. There are too many people. There are not enough medical resources. Economics 101--supply and demand. The indefinite increase also apply to utilities gas, water, electricity, and sanitation.

1. Another Recession. There is going to be another recession after the COVID-19 global pandemic recession. The stock market is going to crash.

Have The Courage To Be Sincerely Happy

There are no complaints. Eating donuts don't make me happy. Playing video games don't make me happy. Watching YouTube videos don't make me happy except the informative tutorials. Binge watching TV doesn't make me happy. Eating candy doesn't make me happy. There are exceptions or situations eating donuts, finishing a video game, watching non-informative tutorial YouTube videos, binge watching TV, and eating candy does make me happy.

Learning something new on Python makes me happy. Exercising makes me happy. Learning new cooking techniques makes me happy. Reading books makes me happy. Finishing a book makes me happy. Living in a clean residence makes me happy. Visiting a new place makes me happy. Learning a useful life skill such as tying knots and communicating using Morse Code makes me happy.

The activities above making me happy hard work is required for the most part. There is frustration. There are routines. I smile big when I become successful or when I figured it out. I solve the problem. Achievements are earned. There are no routines afterwards. The alternatives are not happiness.

If you have the strength, courage, honesty, sincerely, maturity, and motivation to seek happiness, then life finds a way to reward happiness.

Update On A Past Blog

A Bob Dylan song The Times They Are a-Changin' inspired the blog Times Are Changing written on Sep 17, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic changes the workplace temporary and permanently. Give it time. The changes are clear and present. One permanent change I predict is the workplace becomes fun since who knows when. There are fun procedures to solve problems. No more threats. No more politics. Contests, fun, and joking around are the motivators to complete assignments. Forget reading the procedures; sometimes it's faster to do it learning by trial and error. More collaborations are done outdoors. Veterans helping newbies are sincere and vice versa; moreover, workers help other workers remember their happy moments. Courage and energy are sincere, too. Employees are matched with their strengths. Employees lose track of time because the workplace is fun. Employees are given appropriate time because projects are completed eventually. Employees work together. Teamwork is no longer a clique. The rewards are earned.

I'm all ears. Someone tell me a professional fun company. I haven't heard a fun company from my family and friends in years.

The Big Book Of Beatrix Potter 5,902 Days Later

I can't explain why I read the book decades later. I purchased the book containing 19 stories including Peter Rabbit on Sep 2, 2005 at Half Price Books in Washington state. I finished the book on Sat Oct 30, 2021. Some of the children short stories are good. Some of the children short stories are boring. I enjoyed all of the art. Peter Rabbit, Squirrel Nutkin, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, Jemima Puddle-Duck, and Johnny Town-Mouse tales are my favorites.

Helen Beatrix Potter was born on Jul 28, 1866 and died on Dec 22, 1943. She was an English writer and illustrator. Potter self-published the successful The Tale of Peter Rabbit book. Potter began writing and illustrating children's books full-time thereafter. Her art was influenced by owning pets, spending holidays in Scotland observing animals and landscapes, and studying watercolors.

San Francisco Giants Catcher Buster Posey Retires His Way

Buster Posey announced his retirement on Thur Nov 4, 2021. He played all 12 years of his professional baseball career with the San Francisco Giants from 2009-2021. Posey retired happily. Posey retired on his terms. His awards and accolades below:

*2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021 All Star
*2010 Rookie Of The Year
*2012 Batting Title
*2012 NL MVP
*2012, 2014, 2015, 2017 Silver Slugger
*2016 Gold Glove
*2012, 2021 Wilson Defensive Player Of The Year
*2012, 2021 NL Comeback Player Of The Year
*2010, 2012, 2014 World Series Champion

My favorite Posey moments are his 2012 National League Division Series Game 5 grand slam against the Cincinnati Reds, 2012 World Series Game 4 two-run game leading home run, and his 17th regular season home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks in his 2010 rookie season. I was joyful when the Giants recalled Posey in 2010. He became the starting catcher, battled clean up in the starting lineup, and an instant spark in the clubhouse. A true professional.

Buster Posey wrote a message to the Giants fans. The Giants posed the message on its Twitter page @SFGiants A message from Buster. The message is below:

To the best fans in baseball . . .

You have most likely heard by now that I have decided to step away from the game and officially retire.

As you can imagine, this was not an easy decision. Kristen and I spent a lot of time discussing and weighing what would be best for our family. I ultimately felt that now is the right time to start a new chapter in my life.

Throughout my life, I have been incredibly fortunate to play the greatest game in the world. Not many kids who start playing baseball at the age of five have the opportunity to continue to play the game they love beyond Little League or even high school. I was one of the lucky ones, and I am truly grateful for all that the game has given to me and my family. It has taken me from my hometown in Georgia to Florida State University to ultimately San Francisco, with many stops in between. The people I’ve met, the experiences I’ve shared with my teammates and family are beyond what I expected. Our family has created a lifetime of memories and lifelong friendships.

During the press conference, I had the opportunity to thank the countless number of people who have supported me throughout my career - Kristen, our children Addi, Lee, Ada and Livvi, my parents, grandparents, siblings, teammates, coaches, training and clubhouse staff, the Giants ownership group and front office. They were the driving force who helped me and inspired me to make my baseball dream a reality.

And, of course, our great fans. How do you thank a fan base? The Giants fan base is more than just fans. It's a community. That sense of community is something we as players can feel in the ballpark when we take the field each night. I hope you have felt it too.

I hope over the years you've been able to see in our teams the sense of pride we all take in coming together each day working hard and pushing each other toward a common goal. Oddly, some of the best times when you look back are the challenging times. When you're going through them they don't tend to be very fun, but when you get on the other side you realize that you've grown from these experiences. I think that's one of the best things about sports and hopefully something a lot of fans can also identify with.

Over the years, I've heard a lot of stories from different fans about what the Giants mean to them. Or, what baseball means to them. When I think back on those stories, there's usually one common denominator -- family and friends. When I was a child, one of my earliest baseball memories was Sid Bream of the Atlanta Braves sliding into home plate to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in Game Seven of the NLCS to send the Braves to the World Series. To be able to share in the joy with my grandad that Christmas as he proudly displayed a picture of Sid Bream sliding into home on his t-shirt is a memory that I'll never forget.

I'm sure there are kids out there today -- who might actually be adults now -- and parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles who can remember exactly where they were when in 2010 Edgar Renteria hit the game-winning homer in Texas that led the Giants to their first World Series title since moving to San Francisco. Or when Sergio Romo stood on the mound, shook me off from throwing a slider (which still scares me to this day) and snuck a fastball past Miguel Cabrera to clinch the second title in three years. Or when Madison Bumgarner came out of the bullpen in Kansas City in Game Seven and 45,000 people went deathly silent because they knew at that point, the World Series was over. Or you remember where you were when Matt Cain stood on the back of the mound and gazed up at the crowd, taking it all in before he recorded the final out of the first ever perfect game in Giants franchise history.

To me, this is what baseball is all about. It's a lot more than just winning or losing a game – although the wins do feel a lot better. It's about time spent with family on countless nights and days pulling for your team, riding the emotions of the highs and the lows. It's ultimately about the people who have come along with you for the ride and making great memories together.

I am so very humbled to have played a part in some of those memories. Thank you for welcoming me into the Giants community 12 seasons ago and for supporting me every step of the way. I look forward to creating new memories of my own and sharing them with my children as I pull for the Giants for years to come.

With deep admiration and appreciation,

Buster Posey

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog October 2021

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. Oct was the slowest month of the year. There were a few days which went fast. Christmas sales and early Black Friday sales were seen in stores and in advertisements. Governments issued relaxing restrictions and stopping mandates.

Fri Oct 1. Total US cases 43,500,000. Total US deaths 700,000. Worldwide cases 219,000,000. Worldwide deaths 4,550,000.

Governor Gavin Newsom mandates all eligible students in CA private schools and public schools to be vaccinated. It's the first school mandate in the US beginning in the 2022-2023 school year. The expectation is the Food And Drug Administration (FDA) approves vaccines for ages 5-11 beyond emergency authorization. Religious and medical exceptions are granted when requested.

Tue Oct 5. Northwell Health fired 1,400 or 1.8% of the workforce who failed to comply with New York's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The company is the largest health care provider in New York.

Wed Oct 6. Kaiser Permanente suspended 2,200 unvaccinated employees nationwide. These employees must be vaccinated before Dec 1 or be terminated.

Thur Oct 7. Shopped at Costco during the 1pm hour. It was dead. Social distancing was easy. I ordered take-out at The Pasta Market afterwards.

Mon Oct 11. TX Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order to ban COVID-19 vaccine mandate on workers. He asked state lawmakers to pass the ban into law. MT passed a law preventing employers from mandating workers to get vaccines.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said Halloween trick-or-treat is safe as long as it's outdoors and everyone is vaccinated.

Tue Oct 12. 70,000 CA residents died from COVID-19. The number was the highest in the US. TX was second. FL was third. CA was below average per capita at 177 deaths per 100,000. The US average per capita was 214 deaths per 100,000.

Thur Oct 14. Purchased gas. Purchased Get Back by The Beatles book and groceries at Costco. The food court opened.

Fri Oct 15. US travel restrictions lifted for fully vaccinated foreigners from 33 countries begin on Mon Nov 8. United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, and China are some of the countries. Proof of vaccination and a negative test are required within three days of travel.

Non-essential travel restrictions lifted from Canada and Mexico. The travelers must be fully vaccinated.

San Francisco County and Marin County lifted indoor mask mandates in certain situations. The situations include offices, gyms, religious gatherings, and college classes with less than 100 people. Facilities must be properly ventilated, no recent outbreaks, and no children under 12. Masks are required in restaurants, stores, and K-12 schools. Marin County and Contra Costa County lift indoor mask mandates on Nov 1.

Mon Oct 18. A second friend tested positive for COVID-19.

Former Secretary Of State Colin Powell died from COVID-19 complications. He was fully vaccinated.

People protested the school vaccine mandate at the CA capitol in Sacramento. Some parents pulled their children out of school to attend the rally. Some parents kept their children out from school as a statewide protest.

Wed Oct 20. The FDA approved the Moderna vaccine and Johnson & Johnson vaccine for booster shots. Mixing vaccines are okay.

San Francisco shut down the In-N-Out restaurant for indoor dining in Fisherman's Wharf for violating the city's COVID-19 health order. The staff didn't check customers for proof of vaccination.

Thur Oct 21. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) approved the Moderna vaccine and Johnson & Johnson vaccine for booster shots. Mixing vaccines are okay. Nursing home residents, people with underlying health problems, front line workers, education workers, and people in homeless shelters can get boosters.

Fri Oct 22. A summary for people eligible for boosters. Mixing vaccines from different companies okay. However, the CDC doesn't recommend mixing.

Pfizer and Moderna: People must wait a minimum of six months after the second dose and must be 65 or older. People 18 or older living in long-term care, a front line worker, or with an underlying medical condition.

Johnson & Johnson: People must wait a minimum of two months after the dose. Age 12 or older and other factors are irrelevant.

Sat Oct 23. The COVID-19 delta variant was detected in CA, DC, MA, NC, and WA.

COVID-19 cases increase in Britain. Hospitalizations and deaths increasing. The government is not planning to restrict daily life.

Sun Oct 24. First day of rain for the rainy season. It rained all day non-stop.

Wed Oct 27. Errand day. I went to the post office, repaired my windshield, smog check, and shopped at Costco. Costco crowd was a prepandemic busy afternoon at 3pm. I ordered from the food court kiosk for the first time. The self checkouts were moved closer to the center of the checkout registers.

Fri Oct 29. Music festival Outside Lands happened at Golden Gate Park during Halloween weekend. People must show proof of vaccination or proof of a negative test within 72 hours. Masks were required.

Costco's Black Friday ad arrived from the mail.

FDA approved Pfizer vaccine for children 5-11 for emergency use. The dosage is 1/3 of the teen and adult dosage. The second shot is administered three weeks later.

Sat Oct 30. Total US deaths 740,000. Worldwide deaths 5,000,000. Britain deaths 140,000. Brazil deaths 600,000. Italy deaths 132,000.