A Half Day Visit To Sacramento To Pick Up A New Car

My dad and I assisted my brother and his family to pick up a new car in Sacramento, CA. Sacramento is the capital of California. The request for help came at the last minute. My dad and I rushed to my brother's house.

The weather throughout the day was heavy rain. We drove an alternate route to Sacramento driving along the Sacramento River, passing by tiny towns, driving over multiple bridges, and seeing wetlands. The alternate route was new sights for me. We arrived at the car dealership one hour late from our appointment. The dealership was busy. Customer parking was difficult. There were problems with the paperwork as expected. We ate hamburgers for a late lunch. We drove the main freeways back home at the end of the day.

The purpose of the blog is the sights around the Sacramento Arden-Arcade neighborhood area. I'm reminded of the suburbs or rural areas when I visited Oregon and Washington. Moreover, the suburbs or rural areas are similar in other states such as Oklahoma, Ohio, Arkansas, and Texas intuitively speaking. There are no sidewalks, no drainage, and no streetlights in one residential area. Most of the homes were spread out with big yards. All residential streets and all traffic streets are narrower compared to the greater Bay Area. There are no three lane or four lane streets. The retail stores architecture are 1950s and 1960s intuitively speaking. If there are any suburbs or rural areas in the greater Bay Area, then either I don't know or they don't have the suburb or rural feeling in the air.

A Wisdom Reminder

If it doesn't matter a year from now, then forget about it.

Donuts And Harry Potter Christmas

I thought about two going back to the past moments for Christmas Day on Christmas Eve. The first moment was going back in time when my family and I visited my grandparent's house on my mom's side in Santa Barbara, CA. Grandfather purchased donuts at Winchell's Donuts House for his grandchildren. The second moment was Harry Potter. I read the series three times. Author J.K. Rowling included chapters taking place on Christmas Day. I accomplished the two moments on Christmas Day below.

I woke up at 7:30am to purchase donuts at a ma and pa donut shop one mile away. I purchased glaze, vanilla, chocolate, old fashion, and French Culler donuts. Each family member ate two donuts.

I read the Harry Potter Christmas Day chapters. The chapters are SS ch 12 The Mirror Of Erised, COS ch 12 The Polyjuice Potion, POA ch 11 The Firebolt, GOF ch 23 The Yule Ball, OOTP ch 23 Christmas On The Closed Ward, HPB ch 16 A Very Frosty Christmas, and DH ch 16 Godric's Hollow. I included a bonus chapter DH ch 17 Bathilda's Secret which happened on the same night. DH took place on Christmas Eve.

Highlight and Favorite 2021 Tweets

Here are my 21 highlight Tweets and 10 favorite Favorites Tweets in 2021. The goals delaying one year are relearning from my mistakes, reinforcing my lessons, reminding myself my moments, refreshing acquired knowledge, rediscovering new wisdom, and sharing changes. Follow me @inin61. Enjoy!

Highlights

Jan 28: A GameStop story from a sports point of view. New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and a finance tycoon bail out a hedge fund totaling $2.75B. The fund is down 30% which betted against GameStop. URL Link

Jan 29: transcendent: going beyond ordinary limits; surpassing; exceeding; exceeding usual limits #mynewwordoftheday

Feb 03: hyperbole: a deliberate and obvious exaggeration used for effect; e.g., "I could eat a million of these." #mynewwordoftheday

Mar 04: @rensationaI, friendly reminder to cut or rip the strings on your disposable masks! since this pandemic doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon, disposable masks go into landfills & the strings can get caught on animals and hurt them, especially birds. don't forget to cut the strings!! Pic Link 1, Pic Link 2

Mar 06: Florence Nightingale used charts and graphs to convince Parliament hospitals increase the chances the sick and wounded survives with clean water, adequate sanitation, fresh air, and proper nutrition.

Mar 06: Nightingale's famous chart is the rose diagram. The right rose is deaths before hospital changes. The left rose is deaths after hospital changes. Deaths decreased significantly. Pic Link

Mar 11: Jesus, you can't make a buck in this market. The country's going to hell faster than when that son-of-a-bitch Roosevelt was in charge.

Mar 11: Too much cheap money sloushing around the world. Worst mistake we ever made was letting Nixon get off the gold standard. --Lou Mannheim, Wall Street, 1987

Mar 26: Call it YOLO. Call it all-in. Bet the ranch. The present is now. The San Francisco 49ers traded their 2021 first round pick (12th overall), 2022 first rounder, 2022 third rounder, and 2023 first rounder to the Miami Dolphins for their 2021 first round pick (3rd overall).

May 19: If you are attacked by a dog, push your forearm into the bite. Pushing into pries the jaws apart which prevents them from clamping down. Likewise for cats and humans.

May 19: A woman alone who needs assistance is actually far better off choosing someone and asking for help, as opposed to waiting for an unsolicited approach.

May 19: The person you choose is nowhere near as likely to bring you hazard as is the person who chooses you. --The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker

Jun 06: Charlie Sheen and Jennifer Grey in Ferris Bueller's Day Off police station scene. Drug junkie Sheen gives Grey life wisdom URL Link

Jun 11: Thank you Dave Ross for being honest luck is part of success URL Link

Jul 14: Seinfeld fans know The Stranded episode where Elaine says "Maybe the dingo ate your baby." In Aug 1980, a dingo dragged a baby from a family's tent in Australia. A dingo is a wild dog. URL Link

Jul 28: irascible: having or showing a tendency to be easily angered #mynewwordoftheday

Jul 29: Once bitten twice shy is an idiom which means the first time was a bad experience or failure the second time is with caution, fear, or avoidance. #mytriviaoftheday

Aug 28: People remember McDonald's Dollar Value Menu back in time. Inflation is not transitory. Pic Link

Oct 06: MLB history is made on Fri Oct 8, 2021. The Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants play in the postseason for the first time. Dodgers 106 wins vs Giants 107 wins. #sfgiants #postseason #mlb

Dec 10: The Dow Jones closed 35,970.99 up 216.30 (+0.60%), NASDAQ closed 15,630.60 up 113.23 (+0.73%), and S&P500 record closed 4,712.02 up 44.57 (+0.95%). The Nov 2021 Consumer Price Index or inflation is 6.8% from Nov 2020. It was 6.2% in Oct. Last time 6.8% was June 1982.

Dec 30: The Beatles officially broke up in Sep 1969.

Favorite Favorites

Mar 03: @rensationaI, friendly reminder to cut or rip the strings on your disposable masks! since this pandemic doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon, disposable masks go into landfills & the strings can get caught on animals and hurt them, especially birds. don't forget to cut the strings!! Pic Link 1, Pic Link 2

Apr 29: @arstechnica, Verizon tries to sell Yahoo and AOL after spending $9 billion on fallen giants URL Link

Oct 01: @ESPNStatsInfo, The Dodgers are 48-21 (.696) since the All-Star break, their best in a 2nd half since 1953. They've gained 0 games on the Giants over that span (49-22 since the break). Pic Link

Oct 03: @ESPNStatsInfo, The Dodgers tied their franchise record with 106 wins and finished in 2nd in the NL West. No team in MLB history has ever won more games and NOT finished in 1st place in its division or league. Pic Link

Oct 05: @SexWithEmily, If you want to try something new in the bedroom, bring it up! Our partners aren't mind readers.

Oct 27: @wizardingworld, Who'd have thought a mountain troll would be the pivotal moment for the Golden Trio's friendship Pic Link

Nov 04: @NBCSGiants, Forever Giant. Thank you for the memories and Buster hugs Pic Link

Nov 07: @SJEarthquakes, The hometown kid didn't want to do it in a press conference. He wanted to announce it in front of the San Jose faithful. Legend. #WondoForever URL Link

Dec 14: @957thegame, Steph Curry: "I never wanted to call myself the greatest shooter until I got this record. Now, I feel comfortable saying that."

Dec 15: @WarriorNationCP, Mark Jackson already knew that Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were gonna be this great Pic Link

Black Friday 2022

There was one Black Friday 2022 shopping on Fri Nov 25. Most of my Black Friday shopping was online. I picked up most of my orders at the retail stores. All retail stores online and offline offered fewer Black Friday deals during the Thanksgiving week. Black Friday 2022 was my worse Black Friday since I started shopping Black Friday in 2004. One Cyber Monday 2022 purchase was cheaper than Black Friday 2022.

Tue Nov 22

Samsung 256GB FIT Plus USB 3.1 flash drive at NewEgg. The flash drive was backordered.

Thur Nov 24

Two Head & Shoulders 23.7oz shampoo bottles purchased online at Walgreens.

A three pack Calvin Klein classic boxers underwear purchased online at Kohl's.

Workout socks, casual socks, and two performance shorts purchased online at Under Armour. Socks and shorts were delivered.

Hotel Collection 500 thread count Micro Cotton Queen bed set purchased online at Macy's.

Fri Nov 25

Two Sara Lee frozen pound cakes at Grocery Outlet. The family went back in time when we ate Sara Lee pound cake at my grandparent's house in Santa Barbara, CA. The price wasn't Black Friday pricing. The price has been the same afterwards.

Sun Nov 27

Selected video games in the Valve Complete Pack for my Steam account. The purchase completed my Valve Complete Pack.

Mon Nov 28

Vanicream 3.9oz soap purchased online at Walgreens. The store I selected for pickup fulfilled half my order.

Hotel Collection 500 thread count Micro Cotton Queen bed set purchased online at Macy's for the second time. The Cyber Monday sale price was cheaper than the Black Friday sale price. It was the first time I experienced Cyber Monday cheaper than Black Friday. The Black Friday purchase must be returned when I picked up my Cyber Monday purchase. I couldn't refuse pick up.

Update On A Past Blog

The San Francisco Giants backed out of the 13-year, $350 million contract offer with all-start shortstop Carlos Correa. The Giants cancelled the introductory press conference on Tue Dec 20. Correa signed a 12-year, $315 million contract with the New York Mets later in the day. A professional sports media opinion said the Giants can't sign superstars. The Giants can't sign all-star talent. The Giants becoming a cheap franchise is debatable. Was the Giants feeling buyer's remorse?

The Giants are risk-adverse. The Giants are the runner ups. The Giants are the big free agents' second choice: Carlos Rodon, Kodai Senga, Carlos Correa, Aaron Judge, Brandon Nimmo, Dansby Swanson, Bryce Harper, Shohei Ohtani, and Giancarlo Stanton. The second choice reminded me of the blog I Can't Win The Freedom Championship written on Jul 18, 2021. The Giants can't win the big prize free agent(s) for whatever reasons.

Top 2021 Pics

Here are the 9 top pictures I took in 2021. They’re sorted from the start of the year to the end of the year. The goals delaying one year are relearning from my mistakes, reinforcing my lessons, reminding myself my moments, refreshing acquired knowledge, rediscovering new wisdom, and sharing changes. Enjoy!

Winners Attract

I dreamed last night I played for a Major League Soccer (MLS) team. The season started. My position was midfielder. I started four games. I was substituted in the second half of the fourth game. Our record started 0-4. The fourth game was played in a gigantic tavern with the soccer field in the middle of the tavern. There was a giant flat screen TV above one side of the field against a wall from the high ceiling. The bar and individual chairs aligned one side of the field. It was a dream for which some parts make no sense.

I was benched for the next five games. I was not substituted in the game. I asked questions from the fourth game to the ninth game. I asked teammates on the bench. I asked the head coach. It was information and intelligence gathering why we lost the first four games and more games thereafter. The answers made me angry. The team didn't practice between games. Poor coaching staff. Ownership didn't care. Low morale. Little teamwork. Nobody wanted to talk to me outside my information and intelligence gathering.

I practiced on my own after the fifth game. I drilled kicks. I worked out in the gym to increase strength, speed, and endurance. The hard work paid off. I was substituted in the second half of the tenth game. I scored a goal. I started on the eleventh game. I scored three goals or a hat trick. The three goals were easy scores in the open because the opposition underestimated me.

One teammate initiated a conversation with me after the game. He was concerned I overachieved. I didn't worry about being released. The fan base started to support me after the hat trick. Ownership didn't want bad public relations if the team released me.

Game twelve I scored an assist. I didn't know I scored a fifth goal because I woke up.

My point of the dream is people who are winners attract other people. Confidence attracts. Strength attracts. Initiative attracts. Intelligence attracts. Communication attracts. Self-esteem attracts. Motivation attracts. Good people attract.

A Second Look At 2021

It's the time I look back at my 2021 blogs to give myself feedback. The goals delaying one year are relearning from my mistakes, reinforcing my lessons, reminding myself my moments, refreshing acquired knowledge, rediscovering new wisdom, correcting errant blogs, and sharing changes. The ten blogs are also the 2021 best blogs.

1. A 46 Year Old Mind And Spirit Inside A 13 Year Old Body
Date: Sat Jan 9
Summary: I dreamed I was the captain of my co-ed basketball team in junior high school.
Feedback: I can't explain my feeling I need to take charge more in life. I take charge inside the household, outside the household, any group of people, and any situation nothing is happening. Making the decisions and making the choices are the first time I step up. I'm the person to speak up. If nothing happens, then I accept it. The absolute minimum is I done something. I create action. Success or failure doesn't matter. Start small. Climb up the ladder slowly and surely.

2. No On The Job Training For Excel. Also No Classes On How To Use A PC. Better Know How To Type.
Date: Tue Jun 29
Summary: More jobs require more prerequisites, additional acquired knowledge, and higher self-taught skills.
Feedback: More white collar professions self-training and self-learning are required because there is more technology to know, more technology to learn, and more knowledge to acquire. There is not enough time in an education setting to teach everything. Perhaps, blue collar professions, too, such as auto mechanics self-training and self-learning are required to get an interview.

High schools and colleges should be increasing the number of classes require to graduate. There is more to learn. There is more technology to learn. Otherwise, a student is responsible for himself or herself to self-teach anything important for success not taught in school.

I remember an Excel assignment in Accounting 1C class at De Anza College. Half of the class didn't finish the assignment because their Excel skills were poor. High school students should learn basic spreadsheet skills.

3. Throwback Blog: A Mixed Bag Of Everything
Date: Wed Jun 30
Summary: I took a second look at Aug 2006.
Feedback: The month Aug 2006 summarized most of the year 2006.

I said most of the happiness was faked. I was depressed most of the year. I was unhappy most of the year. They are incorrect. I take them back. 2006 was a good year. I admit I could have done a better job to make 2006 a better year. For instance, I mentioned, ". . . I could have done such as find a new job, self-teach myself Excel correctly, and research gym workout plans." The positives outweighed the negatives. The 2006 happiness was good.

I forgot my grandmother on my dad's side past away in Jul 2006. I visit my grandparents on my dad's side at least once a year.

A simple, sarcastic, and wise quote from a friend must be repeated. Barnes said, "Enjoy it or complain."

4. The Look
Date: Tue Aug 10
Summary: I dreamed I was in a contest to put puzzle pieces together inspired me a person's looks show who he or she is.
Feedback: I stand by my opinion with 98% accuracy. We always judge people by their looks. We always judge people by their appearances. The judgements are 98% accurate. The 2% are the exceptions.

The day Thur Dec 1, 2022 convinced me to add The Look on A Second Look. I shopped at a grocery store and a drugstore. The grocery store cashier and the drugstore store manager looked like they don't belong in retail. They belong in tech. Something happened in their pasts they are desperate for any job. The cashier job and the store manager job are the best jobs they found. Underachievers? Maybe. Bad luck? Maybe. Unfortunate circumstances? Likely.

5. A Loser Is Pissed At People Who Screw It Up
Date: Sun Aug 22
Summary: I expressed anger some winners self-destruct their good lives.
Feedback: People like me are false losers. False losers are doing their best to live a good life. We prepare for the next opportunity. We continue to get stronger, get smarter, and get wiser. There is no complaining. We appreciate life. We take care of ourselves inside and outside. Spending is controlled. The false losers are hidden. Nobody talks about the false losers because we're losers.

The real losers are the people who screw up their freedom. The real losers take life for granted. The real losers fail to maintain and to strengthen their successes. Sometimes the real losers become losers by the sign of the times or too many down on their lucks. It's unfortunate. Some real losers are losers through no fault of their own. It's life.

6. I Was Lonely, I Fell Through The Cracks, Everyone Let Me Go
Date: Tue Sep 14
Summary: I recalled my teachers and my managers failed to help my learning problems.
Feedback: I use the feedback to address my youngest nephew in pre-kindergarten who cries. I cried many times in pre-school. It's part of growing up. Be patient. Don't give up parents. Don't quit. Teach your children. Be tough and be fair when rough parenting are in play.

7. Algebra II Math Intuition
Date: Sun Oct 17
Summary: I dreamed I took an Algebra II exam in high school for which one question the answer was unequal or no answer.
Feedback: I trusted my intuition to conclude the proof question was unequal. Trust intuition. No analysis paralysis. Sometimes there is no solution. If there is no solution, then no solution is correct.

"I began to realize that an intuitive understanding and consciousness was more significant than abstract thinking and intellectual logical analysis . . . intuition is a very powerful thing, more powerful than intellect, in my opinion. That's had a big impact on my work." --Steve Jobs

The third blog from my dreams in A Second Look 2021.

8. The 1992 Presidential Election Bill Clinton At San Jose State University
Date: Thur Oct 28
Summary: Impatience cost me an opportunity to attend an once-in-a-lifetime presidential rally.
Feedback: I remember the Paul McCartney concert at AT&T Park in Jul 2010. His band was significantly late. It was intentional. Fans waited longer. The longer the wait, the more excitement the audience became when the band played. Life wisdom. If you need to wait for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, then take the wait.

9. Celebrities Are Assholes Because We're Assholes
Date: Sun Nov 28
Summary: The second look is an update on a past blog Today Is A Lucky Day I Count My Blessings written on Feb 23, 2020 when I realized I became a genius.
Feedback: Focus is good; however, don't focus too much. Can't finish it today? There's always tomorrow. If you need a break, then do something else constructive. Don't want to finish it? Delay when you feel refreshed or quit when it's a no go. On the other hand, don't delay or quit because of laziness. Incomplete work is not to be submitted. Wait for the work to be completed; although, half-ass is better than nothing. Make the intelligent judgment.

10. My Six Guarantees
Date: Sat Dec 11
Summary: The six guarantees in no particular order are death, taxes, everyone is weird, everyone changes, everyone has problems, and there are 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
Feedback: If there are awards for blog of the year, then I nominate the blog. I refer to the blog more times in the future.

The following blogs are honorable mentions: Everybody Doesn't Manage and Have The Courage To Be Sincerely Happy.

Today Is Not Your Parent's Or Grandparent's Days

Blogger's note: Today's blog is edited minimally for grammar.

Sometimes the old ways are still the best ways. Nothing beats the classics. They don't make them like they did in the past. These are common wisdom comparing life today and life yesterday. Sometimes the common wisdom is true. Sometimes the common wisdom is false. Today is the present. Today is not your parent's or grandparent's days.

The stock market is changed. There are new techniques to invest in companies. Artificial intelligence analyzes the data. Algorithms make the choice to buy or to sell. Forget fundamentals. Forget the statistics. Forget the financial statements. Follow the money. WallStreetBets opened eyes on new investing. Time will tell decentralized finance is the best global economy. I'm not a licensed financial advisor. I'm not giving financial advice.

I'm not a professional handyman. I see new tools at hardware stores. I see improved parts for plumbers and for electricians. Automobiles are getting smarter with computers operating engines for fuel efficiently.

Computer programming changed. Anyone can learn Python. More jobs require more skills. More skills require more time. More time requires less time outside the workplace. Costs go up for more training. There are engineers who know both hardware and software. More full-time employees require technical skills. Fewer full-time employees work 40 hours a week.

Professional sports changed. Baseball is adapting new rules to speed up the games. Football is adapting new rules to protect players from injuries. Basketball is being revolutionized with three-point shooting since 2015. There are more overtime games in hockey playoffs. All professional sports rely more on computers analyzing players.

Forget telephones. People carry cell phones everywhere 24/7. People may need to carry a barf bag when listening to today's music. The movie writers seem to be out of new ideas. We're seeing more remakes, additional sequels, and unheard prequels. There are too many cable channels in television. Households were happy with clear signals decades ago.

There are more pandemics. There are more problems in the economy--maybe more recessions. There are more wildfires because of climate change. I'm looking forward for summer rains in the Northern Hemisphere. There are fewer uses for military soldiers. There are greater uses for hackers. The keyboard is stronger than the gun.

More people are going to be sick. Families with newborns are out of the hospital at the end of the day. My Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy which removed my gallbladder in Apr 2017 could have been an outpatient appointment. I was hospitalized with Acute Gallstone Pancreatitis. A Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy required inpatient care decades ago.

Board gamers recognize The Settlers of Catan, Dominion, Ticket To Ride, Pandemic, and Carcassonne as the modern classic board games. Few board gamers talk about Monopoly, Life, Clue, and Sorry.

Fortunately, there are TV stations broadcasting classic movies, radio stations playing classic rock, book stores selling classic literature, the website Internet Archive, and YouTube watching videos of our parent's and grandparent's days.

The parent's or grandparent's days may be irrelevant today. The parent's or grandparent's days are remembered forever.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog November 2022

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. The Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and the seasonal flu are part of the COVID-19 headlines. Also, headlines increased for the COVID-19 winter surge compared to last month. Doctors and health officials warned the tripledemic. Cases increased nationwide.

Tue Nov 1. Oakland, CA mask mandate for large indoor events expired. However, masks must be worn at events with 2,500 or more people and city facilities including libraries, civic buildings, recreational centers, and senior centers.

Thur Nov 3. A 2.8 magnitude earthquake struck the Bay Area at 8:45am centered in Downtown San Jose.

Pfizer is creating a combined COVID-19 and flu vaccine.

Fri Nov 4. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) reported weekly US cases increased for the first time since Jul 2022. New cases last week were 261,315. New cases this week were 265,983. The seven-day hospitalizations daily average increased from 3,217 to 3,249. The seven-day deaths daily average increased from 2,591 to 2,649. These increases were after Aug, Sep, and Oct declines. 49.3% of eligible people for the bivalent didn't receive it.

China approved the BioNTech SE's COVID-19 vaccine for its foreign residents. The vaccine is the first mRNA vaccine in China. China relies on domestically developed vaccines.

Sun Nov 6. Shopped at Books, Inc. and Barnes & Noble to purchase gifts for my nephews and niece's birthdays. It was the first time I visited my brother's house since Apr 2021 when I dropped off and picked up items.

Tue Nov 8. I voted at the library and I completed errands at the bank, AAA, and Trader Joe's. There was a police car at the library.

Thur Nov 10. Shopped at Costco at the 10am hour. It was quiet inside. I filled up my car with gas afterwards.

Fri Nov 11. China reduced the quarantine days to one day for inbound international travelers pre-departing. The centralized quarantine was reduced to five days and three days home isolation. International travelers without a permanent address must quarantine for eight days in hotels.

Sat Nov 12. The Majestic Princess cruise ship docked in Sydney, Australia with at least 800 passengers infected with COVID-19 out of 4,000 passengers. The ship was scheduled to sail to Melbourne, Australia from New Zealand. Princess Cruises is the cruse line.

China reported 14,878 new COVID-19 cases today. 1,711 symptomatic cases and 13,167 asymptomatic cases. 11,950 new cases reported yesterday. There were no new deaths today and yesterday.

Sun Nov 13. Watched lots of football relatively speaking. I watched the Minnesota Vikings at Buffalo Bills from the 4th quarter with 0:30 to overtime, Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers from the 4th quarter with 9:00 to overtime, and the Los Angeles Chargers at San Francisco 49ers 4th quarter.

Mon Nov 14. CA reported its first death due to the flu and RSV for a child under age five.

The CDC tracked the COVID-19 omicron variant BN.1. 4.3% of new cases were the BN.1. Early estimates the BN.1 doubles every two weeks. BN.1 was discovered in Sept from Europe and Asia. BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 were the prevalent strains accounting for 50% of present cases. BA.5 was the prevalent strain in summer 2021. BN.1 started in the US west region and the state of Hawaii.

Tue Nov 15. Protests over China's Zero-COVID-19 tolerance policy happened in Guangzhou. Daily infections reached 5,000 for the first time. China reported 17,772 new cases which is the most in the country since Apr 2020.

The White House requested $10B from Congress for COVID-19 relief and researching vaccines.

Fri Nov 18. The Children's Hospital Association and the American Academy Of Pediatrics asked President Joe Biden to declare an emergency for the RSV affecting children. The CDC reported infants six months and younger are getting hospitalized seven times higher than in 2018. 3/4ths of pediatric hospital beds in the US are occupied. Arizona, District Of Columbia, Maine, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Kentucky, and Utah are almost at full capacity. An emergency declaration provides hospitals with the flexibility to free more beds and add additional staffing.

Sat Nov 19. Shopped at Costco at the 10am hour. The crowds increased by the minute. Turkeys were in stock. The COVID-19 transparent barriers were removed at the checkouts. Staff controlled traffic at the roundabout and at the gas station.

A person I know got COVID-19 twice weeks apart. She is the first time I know a person who got it two times.

Sun Nov 20. China reported three people died from COVID-19 for the first time since May 2022. The three people lived in Beijing were aged 87-91 with pre-existing conditions.

Mon Nov 21. CA COVID-19 cases increased 50%.

Tue Nov 22. Shopped at Safeway at the 10am hour. Shopped at Costco at the 11am hour. There were more customers at Costco on Sat Nov 19 compared to today.

A COVID-19 outbreak at the Family Justice Center Courthouse closed today and tomorrow due to staffing shortages in San Jose.

The Head of the National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci said, "I did not image and I don't think any of my colleagues imagined that we would see a three-year saga of suffering and death and a million Americans losing their lives."

Wed Nov 23. China COVID-19 infections increased to 28,000 cases in a day. The last time China reached 28,000 was April 2020. Government tightened restrictions for business and social activities.

The CDC reported the new omicron vaccines are better than the previous vaccines to prevent symptomatic COVID-19 infections. Pfizer and Moderna provided protection against COVID-19 for the upcoming winter season. The omicron vaccine boosters target BA.4, BA.5, and the original coronavirus strain.

Fri Nov 25. Grocery Black Friday shopping at Safeway and Grocery Outlet. Almost no customers in the stores. Almost no cars on the streets.

Sat Nov 26. Protests erupted over COVID-19 lockdowns in China's Xinjiang region and the capital Beijing. The protests started after an apartment fire in Urumqi killed ten people. There were questions either firefighters or victims trying to escape were blocked by locked doors due to the lockdown. Chinese people held a piece of blank white paper which symbolized censorship.

China set another COVID-19 infections record with 34,909 daily cases.

Mon Nov 28. Picked up my Black Friday online order at Walgreens.

Tue Nov 29. China accused an unmasked jogger who infected 33 unmasked park visitors and two unmasked park employees. These 35 people infected other people in their close proximity.

Wed Nov 30. The US Health And Human Services Department stated up to 30% of Americans get long COVID or long-haul COVID or post-acute COVID syndrome. A basic definition of long COVID is a chronic illness with symptoms persisting months or years after a COVID infection. Long COVID from a financial point of view includes disability benefits, life insurance, household debt, and using retirement savings for present expenses. The total economic damage is projected at $3.7 trillion.

The CDC released data 92% of all deaths in the US are Americans aged 65 years or older from the start of the pandemic to the week ending Nov 19, 2022. 58% of deaths aged 65 years or older during Summer 2021. 33% of people aged 65 years or older received the bivalent booster as of Nov 24, 2022.