Top Ten Plus Two Equals Top Twelve Hits And Top Ten Plus One Equals Top Eleven Misses

Hits and misses. The simplistic outcome of an event, a choice, a move, or an action. Hits succeed. Misses fail. Hits can be relative success. Fails can be absolute failures; on the other hand, fails can be successful as a successful failure. My number of hits is greater than the number of misses; however, my fails' weight, worth, value, and influence is greater than my hits. In other words, my fails are heavier than my hits on a balance scale. Life is unfair. The numbers are misleading. It's like a baseball game. The winning team scored more runs than the losing team; however, the losing team got more base hits than the winning team. Life is weird.

Here are my the top ten plus two equals top twelve hits:

12. My Two Blogs. I remember a conversation with a friend between Blogger and LiveJournal. He recommended LiveJournal. I choose Blogger. Blogger still exists. My two blogs are Innovating Common Knowledge and Finding Raymond Mar.

11. eBay. I started buying and selling on eBay in Dec 2002. Thank you for helping me sell my junk.

10. VirtualBox And Ubuntu. Learning Linux and Python are paying off. I'm confident these two skills help me for my next full-time job.

9. Settlers Of Catan. Thank you Settlers for bringing me back to board games starting in 2007.

8. Rich Dad Poor Dad. Robert Kiyosaki may be another person in the many investments experts. His first book educated me why the rich people are rich. WallStreetBets is recognized, too.

7. Innovate Infinitely. My life motto never stop innovating was created in Nov 2000. My webpage Innovate Infinitely went online on May 1, 2004.

6. O'Connor Hospital. I admitted myself to the emergency room on Apr 2, 2017. I was admitted as an in-patient requiring two surgeries. The doctors diagnosed me with Acute Gallstone Pancreatitis.

5. Steve Jobs. The late Apple co-founder influences my self-train genius. I read his biography written by Walter Isaacson twice.

4. Anime. I became an anime fan watching Sailor Moon on TV and purchasing my first anime series Ranma 1/2 in 1996. New friendships, new experiences, and new adventures were created. I retired from anime in 2014. Cosplay is recognized, too.

3. The Shawshank Redemption. There is a reason why the movie is number one in IMDb Charts Top 250 rated by IMDb Users. The movie saved my soul.

2. Infinite Learning. I combine job training, learning life skills, and learning useful skills. Examples of job training include reviewing Excel and SQL, learning Python, and learning basic finance. Examples of life skills include navigating with a compass, pioneering, and making paper airplanes. Examples of useful skills include rope knots, cook meals, and sew a button.

Honorable mention: Team Fortress 2 video game, social dancing, classic rock music including The Beatles, B.S. degree in Economics, and Breaking Bad television series.

1. Growing Up. My life changed forever on Sat Oct 4, 2008 when I realized I must grow up. The changes paid off immediately: new gym workouts, read fiction books, get back to clothes I used to wear, Gaming PC, Fry's Electronics $4 DVD movies, new mattress, new watch, wet shaving, classic jazz, and hiking.

Here are the top ten plus one equals top eleven misses:

11. Books. It's rare a book achieves a 100% approval rate for all its readers. Here is a sample of books I disliked: Wild by Cheryl Strayed, Olive Kidderidge by Elizabeth Strout, Up In The Air by Walter Kim, The Wind In The Willows by Kenneth Grahame, Ten Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Went Out Into the Real World by Maria Shriver, Unlimited Power by Anthony Robbins, and The Age Of Turbulence by Alan Greenspan.

10. Napster. I was stupid I paid for the subscription.

9. De Anza Classes. Writing a Business Plan, Beginning Japanese, and Beginning Singing were the three worse classes. On the one hand, I dropped Beginning Japanese which was the worse of the three. On the other hand, I should have dropped all three classes because they wasted my time. The Business Plan and Japanese instructors were terrible. The Beginning Singing was a mismatch of teacher and student expectations. I talked to a student the following quarter who completed the Beginning Japanese class. She said more than half of the students dropped out.

8. Green Tea. I'm in the minority regarding the health benefits of green tea. Drinking green tea daily negatively affects my body. Likewise with drinking eight glasses of water a day. I drink water when I'm thirsty. I stopped drinking green tea decades ago. I stopped drinking eight glasses of water after O'Connor Hospital. I'm the healthiest I've ever been today.

7. 2000 Dot-Com Crash. I failed to sell all my shares when NASDAQ reached 5,000. The crash was in the air. Admit it. I could have doubled my money easily.

6. Role-playing Games (RPGs). Many of my past friends hate my number six. Playing RPGs was a waste of my time. RPGs was a poor escape from life. RPGs was a poor leisure activity. It should not have been a match for my hobbies. Ironically, RPGs is a top life moment. I continue catching up what I missed today.

5. Cisco And Palo Alto Networks. I failed to strengthen my resume working at these successful networking companies. Ironically, I strengthen my resume when I worked at Blockbuster Video and a retail start-up selling artisan wines.

4. Growing Up Part 2. I wrote about my Growing Up Part 2 on Dec 6, 2012. The lesson I learned is personality. Be positive, cheerful, kindness, and joyful. I corrected myself on Oct 28, 2013 with The Correct Growing Up Part 2 saying I took the second growing up moment back. I made the wrong changes having too much fun and too little job preparedness. I corrected myself a second time on Oct 7, 2020 with The Correction To The Correct Growing Up Part 2 reiterating I lived life with too much fun. There is no growing up part 2.

3. Accounting. I earned an A.A. degree in Accounting during the 2008 Great Recession going back to school. As of today, the Accounting degree is a miss because I didn't find permanent employment. All my friends who were unemployed during the Great Recession found permanent jobs.

2. 2008 Great Recession. I failed to buy stocks when the stock market was down 50%.

1. 1990s. The 1990s was the best decade in history in my opinion. It was the ten years to be young making mistakes, experimenting, and learning. It was the best time to establish a foundation for the highest probability of long-term success. I fucked up.

Update On A Past Blog

The 1990s should have been my top mistake in Top Ten Mistakes, Bad Decisions, And Bad Choices written on Mar 22, 2013. Number ten Napster was the number one mistake in the blog. Number seven 2000 Dot-Com Crash and number nine De Anza Classes Beginning Singing were mentioned in the blog.

I add Short Circuit 2 to the list of movies I cried on Top Ten Make Me Cry written on Sep 26, 2021. The list of movies I cried is number nine in the top ten.

I Went To An Amusement Park During The Global Pandemic

I exited my comfort zone. I deactivated the COVID-19 risk-adverse shield. I was with groups of people including families, couples, and friends. I don't recall the last time I was present with groups of people pre-pandemic. I attended an amusement park yesterday. Mar 2020 was the last time I participated in any gathering before California shutdown on Mar 17, 2020.

I went to the Gilroy Gardens in Gilroy, CA. My brother invited my dad and I because his wife and his son couldn't attend. It was a last minute invite. I rushed preparation. I brought sunscreen. I wore my hiking clothes. Obviously, I brought my mask. I assured myself and my family I minimize my chances of getting COVID-19.

I did my best to social distance. I initiated social distancing when I walked around the park. I wore my mask except eating.

My observations are plenty. Few people wore masks. I saw one Gilroy Gardens employee wearing a mask. People were in groups without social distancing. I saw no groups initiating social distancing. People waited in line without social distancing. People ate in groups were closer than social distancing. People are tired of the global pandemic adjustments. People desire pre-pandemic normal life.

Headlines state omicron BA.5 is contagious and immune to present vaccines. I fear more people contract COVID-19 from Gilroy Gardens. I hope I don't contract COVID. Masks are not 100% protection.

It Was A Life Break

I admit I felt relaxed at the end of yesterday. Yesterday was a break from job training. Yesterday was a break from staying indoors throughout the day. Yesterday was a break from eating healthy. I cancelled my planned physical workout. I ate a vanilla chocolate chip ice cream inside two chocolate chip cookies for which I ate the ice cream at the car instead of inside the park. Yesterday was a change being outside San Jose throughout the day.

Am I going to spend more time outdoors with groups of people? It depends on my comfort feeling. It depends on the COVID-19 case numbers. It's case by case. It's a judgement call. Gilroy Gardens is a small amusement park. There was room for me to social distance when I walked; although, I couldn't control other people walking towards me when I'm either waiting in the shade or other people walking behind me. Did I smell good?

A final observation. I saw more obese children.

Your Hiring Manager Doesn't Train In Excel

The Catch-22 job market interview exists today. How does a job candidate get experience if he or she doesn't get hired to get experience? The Catch-22 job market interview existed yesterday. The Catch-22 job market interview exists tomorrow.

Many white-collar jobs require Excel. Give it time in today's Information Age. Up to 99% of white-collar jobs require Excel. No Excel. No job offer. No X skills. No job offer. Many jobs require past job experience. Hiring managers don't have time to train. It's not the hiring manager's fault. Blame the job market interview system. Blame the Information Age. Blame life. More jobs require more skills. More jobs require more experience. More skills require time to learn. More skills require money to learn. More skills require for more experience. Hiring managers and department co-workers neither have the time nor the patience to train because they have too many responsibilities. The company is unlikely to train because training costs money. There is someone in the job market with the skills and experience. Hire the person. Plug and play. Moreover, it's embarrassing to the job candidate the job description failed to disclose the skills and experience required during the interview process for which the job candidate doesn't have the skills and experience. "Why am I being interviewed," said the job candidate inside his or her head.

There Are Exceptions With Luck

I speak from experience. Job candidates hired may be lucky their hiring manager provides training. I was offered training by my hiring manager for two job interviews for which I was hired in one interview. The job I worked my hiring manager trained me in front-end Salesforce which was easy. The job I didn't work the hiring manager offered training in Salesforce reporting.

Grading My Past Years On A Curve

I'm regrading my past years. I give myself permission for additional happiness even though it's fake and it's temporary for one day. There are no F grades. My past grading blogs: Grading My Past Years on Aug 13, 2018 for 1998-2017, 2018 Year In Review. Three Consecutive Bad Years For The First Time in My Life. on Mar 9, 2019 for 2018, 2019 Year In Review. It Was Barely A Good Year. on Mar 8, 2020 for 2019, 2020 Year In Review on Mar 27, 2021 for 2020, and 2021 Year In Review on Mar 26, 2022 for 2021.

1998 (Grade: B): I got my first full-time job after I graduated college. I self-taught Microsoft Access strengthened my resume. One of my two weekend vacations was my first time experiencing freedom.

1998 (Curve Grade: B+): I give myself additional credit I had no mentor at my first full-time job. I could have screwed up.

1999 (A): Microsoft Access helped me get a better job. I attended the biggest anime convention Anime Expo for the first time. I experienced life going my way for the first time. The flow felt good.

1999 (Curve: A): No curve for A's.

2000 (D): The Y2K problem never happened. On the other hand, the stock market crashed. Innovate Infinitely was created. Life didn't go my way. There was no flow.

2000 (Curve: C-): The end of 2000 life began to go my way.

2001 (B-): A roller coaster good year with good moments and bad moments. Anime Expo was at Long Beach, CA. I watched a Golden State Warriors basketball game at courtside. 9/11 changed the world forever.

2001 (Curve: B): I recognize a roller coaster good year again. Good years should be a minimum B grade.

2002 (B-): A roller coaster bad year with good moments and bad moments. The months Sep-Dec were good including my boss fired, shopping on eBay for the first time, and a Thanksgiving SoCal trip.

2002 (Curve: B): Likewise for 2000. The end of 2002 life began to go my way. 2002 was still a bad year.

2003 (B): Good anime conventions after bad anime conventions in 2002. Back-to-back wedding vacations in SoCal gave my family a road trip vacation which included Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. I failed to meet new people and make new friends.

2003 (Curve: B+): I'm being too generous. The end of 2003 life began to go against me. 2003 was still a good year.

2004 (A): If the only bad moments were two anime conventions, then I had a good year. I wore a costume at an anime convention for the first time. I created my own webpage Innovate Infinitely. I visited Las Vegas. Curses are meant to be broken. The Boston Red Sox won the World Series.

2004 (Curve: A): No A+ because the bad moments were two anime conventions prevented the curve.

2005 (A+): I visited Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia, Canada for the first time. I purchased my first laptop. The entire 2005 was like 1999. Life flowed my way from Jan 1 to Dec 31.

2005 (Curve: A+): There's no curve for the maximum A+ grade.

2006 (A): The 2005 flow continued in 2006. I learned meeting new people and making new friends are important in life. People come and go in our lives for which I learned the lesson the hard way. I had a fun two day local business trip in San Francisco.

2006 (Curve: A): The curve holds back. No back-to-back A+'s.

2007 (F): I found a new job at Cisco. I had opportunities to make life changes which could have affected the rest of my life. I was given all the tools and all the opportunities on a silver platter. I messed up. I took life for granted saying anything bad is not going to affect me. I was naive. Most of the bad affected me later. I'm still paying for my mistakes today.

2007 (Curve: D): Think positive. I connect the dots backwards. At least the tools I acquired are valid today. I promise myself I don't repeat the mistakes of 2007.

2008 (B): 2007 continued in 2008 ending on Fri Oct 3. My life changed forever on Sat Oct 4 when I realized I must grow up. The changes paid off immediately: new clothes, read fiction books, built a new desktop PC, new mattress, new gym workouts, and a soul-searching Washington Canada vacation in Nov. I was a beginner again.

2008 (Curve: B+): My initial grade was a B-. I changed to a B two days before I published the blog. I curve the grade from a B to a B+. I give the Sat Oct 4 more credit.

2009 (A+): The growing up continued correcting my mistakes, catching up what I missed, and learning what I should have learned earlier in my life. I continued being a beginner again. Some of the events included taking ballroom dancing lessons, going back to school attending De Anza College, hiking, and playing Mahjong for the second time.

2009 (Curve: A+): There's no curve for the maximum A+ grade.

2010 (A): I experienced what's like being a full-time college student again: taking classes, meeting new people, making new friends, experiencing new experiences, and seeking new adventures. One mistake was I didn't job search. There was a chance I find a full-time job during the Great Recession. I knew people who found jobs. If I didn't find a job, then I find additional job skills I needed to learn outside the classroom.

2010 (Curve: A): The curve holds back. No back-to-back A+'s.

2011 (A): I graduated De Anza College with a AA degree in Accounting; however, the job market continued to be tough from The Great Recession. I maximized my free time experiencing new experiences and seeking new adventures for the second year in a row.

2011 (Curve: A): No curve because I didn't get a job after I graduated. The job market was tough. Gaps in resumes were frowned. Gaps in resumes are acceptable today.

2012 (B+): Lots of job interviews. No hires. Job market was tough. I had too much fun for which I should have spent time learning new job skills and reviewing existing job skills like I did in 1998 self-teaching Microsoft Access.

2012 (Curve: A-): I raise the grade because the San Francisco Giants won the 2012 World Series.

2013 (C): I learned new job skills and reviewed existing job skills incorrectly using Accountemps. Avoid Accountemps' online courses. I got a job at a retail start-up.

2013 (Curve: C+): I took me 2.5 years to find a job.

2014 (C): I retired being an anime fan. I learned new job skills and reviewed existing job skills correctly watching YouTube tutorial videos. I listened to Podcasts for the first time. I got sick for six weeks between May and Jun. I went back to a white-collar job.

2014 (Curve: C+): I found a better job.

2015 (A): I experienced new feelings being a professional mature adult. Also, I experienced new feelings sacrificing, nothing to lose, going out of my comfort zone, willpower, and not giving up. There were first time experiences including watching a live Major League Soccer game, visiting Zion National Park, and training for natural disasters. I lost ten pounds.

2015 (Curve: A): My contract was terminated in May 2015. Nobody hired me afterwards.

2016 (F): Life flowed against me. There was no control over my life. Bad luck. Bad timing. Misfortunes. Anything bad which could happen happened. Too much frustrations. I redesigned my own webpage Innovate Infinitely using JavaScript and CSS.

2016 (Curve: D-): No F's. I tried. I didn't get any breaks. 2016 is the worse year of my life. Zion National Park should be recognized for saving 2016.

2017 (D): O'Connor Hospital prevented 2017 getting an F. I was an inpatient for the first time because I had Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio Pancreatography and Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy surgeries. I was diagnosed with Acute Gallstone Pancreatitis. I lost 18 pounds. Job searching continued. Job training continued.

2017 (Curve: C-): I tried. I didn't get any breaks except O'Connor Hospital.

2018 (C-): I'm playing the teacher is a good mood who gives passing grades to students who try. I'm trying. I'm doing my best. I really am.

2018 (Curve: C): I recognize my grit for bearing down a year full of bad luck, bad timing, and misfortunes.

2019 (C+): 2019 is a barely a good year scoring a 51/49 good/bad. My best is 60/40 good/bad. The Self-Trained Genius increases the grade a third from a C to a C+.

2019 (Curve: B-): I raise the grade up one-third because of The Shawshank Redemption.

2020 (B): 2020 was a good year since 2015. 2019 was barely a good year 51% good and 49% bad; although I could reward myself 60% good and 40% bad. Two good years in a row. The last time I had two good years in a row were 2011-2012.

2020 (Curve: B+): I'm getting ahead of myself. I wrote a blog I Have An Answer To When Is An Adult An Adult on Jan 6, 2021. The answer is 50 years old. I achieved an adult is an adult four years ahead.

2021 (B): Actions spoke for themselves. Harry Potter two more times, consistent job training, consistent physical fitness, and correcting the 2007 Summer Sabbatical.

2021 (Curve: A-): There is recency bias. The financial education following Wallstreet Bets are paying off big time. Everything I learned since 2015 or the past six years are paying off big time. If I found a job, then the grade is A+.

Minor correction. The two good years in a row 2011-2012 was part of four good years in a row 2009-2012.

Update On A Past Blog

Exchanging video games for another activity to finish was the blog I Got Stuff Done Because I Didn't Play Video Games written on Jun 29, 2022. There was nothing to do. Everything was completed.

Another activity to replace, to substitute, to exchange, or any similar verb playing video games is sleeping. Sleeping is an activity. I wrote three blogs on sleep. The first blog Sleep Is Your World written on Jun 19, 2015 was about being in heaven to dream. The second blog Go To Sleep written on Dec 7, 2014 was about the common knowledge long term benefits sleeping well includes looking younger, thinking clearer, and physically stronger. The third blog Get Some Extra Sleep written on Apr 27, 2014 I shared I felt better, didn't feel grumpy, and being sociable.

Treasure Hunting At Ross Dress For Less

I shopped at Ross earlier today for the first time since May 1, 2017 when I purchased a Nike gym shirt for $10. I was lucky to see the Nike gym shirt. I was unlucky today. I found no Nike gym shirt.

I give Ross and its competitors credit. Their discount department store business model can be addicting. No Wed or Sun advertisements. The discounted price is what shoppers see. The inventory is attractive for bargain shoppers. No inventory is held in the back room. The shopping is luck and timing. The shopping is either a good day with purchases or a bad day with no purchases.

I buy books at used bookstores and library fund raising used book sales. I realize shopping at used book sales can be similar at discount department stores. The used book prices are what shoppers see. The books are attractive for book readers. No books are held in the back room. The shopping is luck and timing. The shopping is either a good day with purchases or a bad day with no purchases.

I understand why there are regular shoppers at discount department stores. These regulars are treasuring hunting like when I shop at used bookstores and used book sales. I find a treasure when a book on my wish list is purchased at used book sales.

Update On A Past Blog

I choose my most recent Black Friday Black Friday 2021 written on Dec 23, 2021 to blog my Jul Amazon Prime Day like purchases. A positive capitalism benefit is market competition. Amazon Prime Day was Jul 12-13, 2022. Competitors released their own version of Prime Day. I took advantage shopping online at Nike and Target. My Nike purchase was the same shoes Nike React Infinity Run Flyknit 2 Men's Road Running Shoes I purchased on Black Friday 2021 for approximately the same price. My Target bare necessities purchases were toothpaste, shaving gel, a finger splint for the first-aid kit, and bar soap. My Target home necessities purchases were floor cleaner, toothpicks, and snack bags.

Acknowledgements

Today's blog is more thank yous from the blog Top Ten Thank Yous on Nov 23, 2014. A few are mentioned again from the blog.

My parents. They're not really dumb. They're slow, lazy, take life for granted, and rely on luck too much. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on perspective, they have more good luck than me. Their support is passive. Their parenting is minimally good for which most children with toxic parents prefer my parents. I'm sincerely grateful. Regardless, I realized years ago I solve problems on my own.

A specific recognition to my mom for making my cosplay costumes and teaching basic cooking. A specific recognition to my dad for teaching me automotive basic maintenance and driving a manual transmission.

Appu. My technical advisor. The best person I know who explains anything technology any grandparent understands. He introduced me to Linux and Python. The two skills are paying off.

Punkbuster. Bodybuilding.com

Vgan. My first manager at my first job after I graduated San Jose State University. He was my manager at my second job. I knew you wanted to train me in everything. Everything! Unfortunately, circumstances prevented my training. I was your project you took personally. My intuition told me you had marriage problems. I was your distraction.

The late Steve Jobs. I read your biography written by Walter Isaacson twice. Your biography is my all-time favorite book across all genres. I'm wiser. I live part my life today based off Jobs.

Fanime Con Forums. Short-term and long-term friendships were formed. Unfortunately, my retirement from anime naturally made me leave quietly. I grew out. Life goes on. Lifetime memories created. Are we going to meet up again? God only knows. The forum members to be acknowledged: appu, Chun, Dev, gmontem, LastExlir, Loktera, mduo13, Spiritsnare, and Tsubasa.

"You know the carnival comes and goes. If you wait for a while, it always come back." --Ryoko, Tenchi Muyo

Thundercloud. Stocks, investments, Washington-Canada vacations, and Las Vegas.

Kimu. A master cosplayer. You saved me from Yaoi Con 2008.

My sister. She introduced social dancing.

Leeza. A social dancing organizer.

Cousin Chris. Introduced GI Joe, Transformers, MASK, and baseball cards to my brother and I.

Cousin Alan. I experienced both camping and backpacking at Zion National Park for the first time.

The San Jose State University classmates and staff: Economics Lecturer Blackerby the best instructor; Economics Professor Ortega who taught me how to write; Mathematics Lecturer McClory who hired me as a math tutor for my first paying job; China man Thomas who changed majors from Computer Science to Economics and fluent in Spanish because you are born in Brazil; Joyce in Earth Science good luck being a police officer; my gun partner art major playing Area 51 in the Student Union; Linda, an Economics major classmate and popular among us majors, who was hired as an intern at the Redevelopment Agency for which I was the runner-up, no hard feelings; and JoshC my Physics 61 lab partner majoring in general engineering who saved my ass.

O'Connor Hospital. I was diagnosed with Acute Gallstone Pancreatitis. Many first-time life experiences: emergency room, hospital inpatient, two surgeries, hospital food, and blood tests. I thank the doctors, nurses, and staff.

Montarbo. The Blockbuster Video store manager who hired me twice.

JDulay. My second manager at my second job who was fired. Lesson learned: have nothing, do nothing, get nothing, be nothing, and people treat you like nothing.

South Bay Job Search Network. Turnout was always low during my weekly attendance. I learned about job searching from people who actually lost their jobs and found new jobs instead of career counselors.

The Shermans. I believe you influenced my parents more than my dad helped you. Thank you for selling your used cars to my mom and I.

The Shawshank Redemption. My acknowledgements are more than people. The movie realized I have been doing many things correctly. I had to convince myself. The movie also saved my soul. Good Will Hunting is another movie worth acknowledging.

Arashii. She called me out to tell me to stop complaining about everything. She's a person with more wisdom than a 50+ year old adult.

Mahjong. The South Bay Mahjong group and Pacific Mahjong League. Everyone opened me up how to play Mahjong for real.

Any acknowledgements I missed are acknowledged in future blogs under Update On A Past Blog.

Hold On Nobody Knows When The Global Pandemic Ends

The first USA COVID-19 case was January 2020. The US has been in a pandemic for 2.5 years or 30 months. California shut down on Tue Mar 17, 2020. The day count is 838 days as of today. The Fourth Of July weekend and the Summer 2022 headlines explain most people's attitudes about the COVID-19 global pandemic. We are tired. We are depressed. The last two and a half years suck. People are going out. People are going on vacation. People are getting together. People are doing something, anything pre-pandemic.

However, people must hold on. Wear masks. Social distance. Continue vigilance. Get vaccinated. Get boosted if eligible. Continue strength and courage. People forget the global virus. Global COVID-19 case numbers are increasing. USA disease experts says our case numbers are underreported because some people who tested positive at home don't report to their local government. Minimize the chances of getting COVID-19. Experts don't know the long-term effects. Experts don't know the post-COVID-19 effects on the human body. Nobody knows how the world governments continue funding COVID-19 research and prevention.

Full Disclosure

Today's blog reminds my readers and reminds myself. The COVID-19 pandemic is clear and present. I lost my strength and courage last week. I lost my focus. I was tired living in the global pandemic. I diverted from my defensive COVID-19 lifestyle. I hold on. I'm back to my defensive COVID-19 lifestyle. The mini break is over. The distraction is stopped. Move forward.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog June 2022

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. Half of the 2022 year past in a blank of an eye. Global positive rates continued to increase due to omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants. Monkeypox is spreading.

Thur Jun 2. Watched Boston Celtics at Golden State Warriors NBA Finals Game 1.

Alameda County reinstated indoor mask requirements effective Fri Jun 3. Indoor facilities included grocery stores, gyms, and summer schools. The county was the first in the Bay Area to reinstate since Feb when California lifted indoor mask requirements.

Fri Jun 3. Assisted my dad running errands recycling metal and shopping at Costco and The Home Depot.

Sun Jun 5. Watched Boston Celtics at Golden State Warriors NBA Finals Game 2.

Tue Jun 7 The Food And Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee approved the Novavax vaccine. Two vaccine dosage for adults 18 years and older. The risk of a heart attack was a primary concern. Novavax is the fourth vaccine authorized in the USA if the FDA and Center For Disease Control (CDC) approves. There is no data on the effectiveness of the omicron variant because the vaccine targeted the original strain. The side effects were pain on the injection site, fatigue, headache, and muscle pain.

Millions of COVID-19 vaccine dosages were thrown away from Dec 2020 to May 2022. The reasons included expiration dates and open virals containing a few doses with nobody to receive at the end of the day, decline in demand, large minimum orders, and multi-dose virals made it hard to avoid waste.

Wed Jun 8. Watched Golden State Warriors at Boston Celtics NBA Finals Game 3.

Fri Jun 10. First Spare The Air alert in 2022.

Watched Golden State Warriors at Boston Celtics NBA Finals Game 4. I also watched the Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants 7th inning.

The CDC lifted the requirement foreign travelers must test negative before entering the US effective Sun Jun 12 at midnight. The requirement was in place since Jan 2021.

Mon Jun 13. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tested positive for COVID-19 again. Trudeau was vaccinated and boosted. Trudeau met with President Joe Biden and California Governor Gavin Newsom days ago.

Watched Boston Celtics at Golden State Warriors NBA Finals Game 5.

US Health & Human Secretary Xavier Becerra tested positive for COVID-19 again less than a month after being infected.

Wed Jun 15. Top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci tested positive for COVID-19 again. Fauci is fully vaccinated and boosted twice. Mild symptoms.

Thur Jun 16. Watched Golden State Warriors at Boston Celtics NBA Finals Game 6.

Fri Jun 17. The FDA approved emergency authorization use for the Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer vaccine for children as young as 6 months. The Moderna vaccine was approved for children and teens ages 6-18. The Pfizer vaccine is three shots for which the first two shots are three weeks apart, and the third shot is two months after the second shot. The Moderna vaccine is two shots four weeks apart. Children 5 or younger were ineligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Sat Jun 18. The CDC approved the COVID-19 Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for children 6 months to 5 years.

Mon Jun 20. The weather forecast was 90 degrees or hotter for the entire week. It was the first time in 2022.

Wed Jun 22. The European Centre For Disease Prevention And Control said case numbers increased last week due to the omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants. Some of the European countries included Portugal, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Greece, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and Spain. Affected people with BA.4 and BA.5 didn't experience severe illnesses.

A CDC study from Jun 1 to Jun 13 stated 19% of adults with COVID-19 reported long COVID-19 symptoms. 7.5% of adults reported long COVID-19 symptoms year-to-date. Long COVID-19 is defined as symptoms not experienced before contracting the virus and lasted at least three months after contracting the virus. The symptoms included fatigue, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, cognitive difficulties, and chronic pain. Younger adults were more likely to have long COVID than older adults.

Thur Jun 23. The San Jose Airport passenger count year-to-date is the highest during the pandemic.

Moderna announced a new vaccine providing protection against the omicron variant including the current BA.4 and BA.5 variants.

Fri Jun 24. Alameda County lifted indoor mask mandate effective Sat Jun 25. The county COVID-19 transmission level changed from high to moderate. Masks were still required for correctional facilities, homeless shelters, and long-term care facilities.

California reached 10 million total cases.

Sat Jun 25. An updated Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster is effective against the omicron variant including the current BA.4 and BA.5 variants.

Mon Jun 27. China reduced the number of quarantine days for inbound travelers from 14 days to seven days. China reported Beijing and Shanghai are back to zero COVID cases.

Wed Jun 29. The US purchased 105 million Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses for a fall booster campaign. The total cost is $3.2 billion coming from an earlier COVID-19 relief package to be reallocated for the fall booster campaign. There is an option for an additional 300 million doses. The first shots are the new vaccine version pending approval to combat the omicron variants. The current vaccines are weak to protect from omicron; although, the current vaccines protect against hospitalization and death. There is a stalemate in Congress to pass additional COVID-19 funding.

Thur Jun 30. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported global case numbers increased 18% last week. 110 countries reported increases. The Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5 were the biggest factor. WHO was concern over weak vigilance and efforts to sequence the virus.

I mailed a letter at the post office, shopped at used book stores, and shopped at Target. More people were walking in public without wearing masks.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said in an interview with the Foreign Policy's Global Health Forum he took Paxlovid because his symptoms worsen when he got COVID-19 a second time. Fauci tested negative after he completed the five-day course. Fauci tested positive on the fourth day after he tested negative. Fauci felt fatigue. Fauci took another five-day Paxlovid course. His health condition improved.

The CDC stated regarding additional Paxlovid courses, "There is currently no evidence that additional treatment for COVID-19 is needed for COVID-19 rebound. Based on data available at this time, patient monitoring continues to be the most appropriate management for patients with recurrence of symptoms after completion of a treatment course of Paxlovid." The FDA agreed. However, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said a second Paxlovid course can be used to treat rebound cases. Pfizer makes paxlovid. There is no information how and why rebounds happen.