Throwback Blog: Variety Is The Spice Of Life

Blogger's Note: Throwback blogs are blogs from my past. I start posting past blogs reflecting what I wrote. It's like my "A Second Look" blogs for which I give myself feedback.

Today's throwback blog is titled Variety Is The Spice Of Life written on Mar 13, 2012. The title is misleading. The blog topic was listening to a variety of music. I listened to pop and rock music from my childhood to most of my college years. I started listening to Japanese Anime music in my senior year in college. I started listening to classical music after I graduated college. Thereafter, I listen to classic rock, classic jazz, Vocaloid, Japanese rock, big band, 1980s, and 1990s music. It's difficult listening to today's music variety.

I prefer to live my life avoiding boredom. I choose to live life open to new adventures and experiencing new experiences. I want to live life something different daily. The boring, same old, same old life is for somebody else. I live life open because I want to know there are many ways to live life happy and exciting. My best example is music.

I listened to pop and rock music when I was a child. My favorite radio station was 1170 AM KLOK. The radio station called itself, “Clock radio 1170 KLOK.” The station played late 70s and 80s pop and rock. I started recording music off the radio stations on cassette from 1986 to 1997.

I started listening to Japanese Anime soundtracks and character vocal music in 1998. I added classical music in late 1998. I considered myself a casual classical music. I hated classical music when I was a child. It sounded boring except Tchaikovsky’s 1812. It was my dad’s only classical music in his record collection. I opened myself to classical music after reading an article children listening to classical music makes them smarter.

I started listening to classic rock and a little Japanese Pop (J-Pop) in 2003. Pop music started to get crappy. I tried classic rock and liked it. From 1998-2008, I listened to pop, anime, classical, and classic rock and J-Pop. I listened to pop and rock only from 1997 and earlier.

My music interests took a huge eye opening as I more types of music in a shorter time frame. I became interested in classic jazz in late 2008. I listened to easy listening music such as Frank Sinatra in February 2009. I received my first Vocaloid CD in April 2010. Vocaloid, in short, is a computer program that plays music when given the lyrics and melody. Hatsune Miku is popularly associated with Vocaloid. The newest music I became interested was big band in January 2011.

Opening your life is important to live with variety. Everyone should try listening to different varieties of music. Each of my favorite music type brings different feelings and thoughts. Each of my favorite music type is appropriate for different moments. I switch to a different music type when I feel tired and needed something different. Variety can apply to the foods we eat, the board games we play, the different gym workout schedule, or a different work commute. People can have an interesting life and non-boring life by living a life with variety.

A Lesson From The Rich People

Many rich people spend more hours working. Many rich people spend less hours playing. The work more and play less mentality is misleading. It's true all work and no play make rich people lose their sanity. The rich people actually use the work time for mature adult responsibilities. Read more books. Learn new skills. Complete their tasks. Maintain their lifestyles. Work to earn an income. Minimize eating processed foods. Sleep eight hours. Raise their children. Physical fitness exercise. Minimize stress. The rewards are earned when accomplished.

What if the rich people spend more hours playing? Watching more TV doesn't pay the bills. Playing more video games doesn't improve physical health. Browsing the internet doesn't increase income. Eating more processed foods increase weight. Spending more time on a hobby obsessively doesn't clean the residence. Reading social media is less time on nurturing. Less sleep results in less focus and more stress.

I'm Still Learning The Lesson

I'm guilty there are days I ignore the rich people lesson. Distractions are present in my household. Distractions randomly appear in my mind such as a song, a movie scene, or a past moment I look up from my past blogs. Unanticipated priorities, emergencies, disrupted flow, and scheduling changes are present beyond my control. I lose time from my mature adult responsibilities. I'm confident I or anybody adapt 20% of the rich people habits my life or anyone's life improves at least 20%.

Side note: Here's the YouTube video scene from The Shining All Work and No Play. Here's the YouTube video The Simpsons parody The Shining No TV and No Beer.

Do We Fail When We Do?

Here's a scenario. There are 200 students learning computer programming in a classroom. Some students learn fast. Some students learn slow. On the one hand, many students pass the class at the end of the academic term.

On the other hand, some students quit because they don't understand programming. Some students quit because programming is not a match for a career. Some students quit because they're lazy learning sincerely. A common wisdom is success is relative and failure is absolute. Do the students who quit fail? The failure students try. The failure students do their best. Is quitting a failure? What are the criteria for a failure? When is the time to declare a failure? How come we fail when we try? We do it. We attempt it. We try, we work, no reward, fail. Maybe the failure is a successful failure. Quit programming. Pursue another major. Turn the failure to a success. Graduate with another major. Change the failure narrative.

The scenario continues. All of the students who pass the class graduated with a computer science degree. Most found programming jobs. Some programming jobs are good. Some programming jobs are bad. Which of the following computer science graduates succeed? How many of the programming jobs match the graduates' education? The graduates didn't fail. Moreover, are the graduates who can't find jobs a failure? Success is relative.

Update On A Past Blog

I remember three pics of Stephen Curry for the 2019 NBA Finals and the 2022 NBA Finals. The Golden State Warriors lost to the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 NBA Finals. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals. The first two pics are the 2019 NBA Finals Curry with head coach Steve Kerr admitted defeat on Game 6. The third pic is the 2022 NBA Finals Curry on the bench smiling on Game 6. The Warriors scored 21 consecutive points. The game over feeling was present. The series was over.

The two blogs are My Thoughts On The Golden State Warriors Won The 2022 NBA Finals written on Jun 24, 2022 and 2019 Golden State Warriors Basketball Postseason written on Jul 14, 2019.

My Favorite Jokes And Riddles

I memorize jokes and riddles to improve my life skills. Jokes and riddles are good ice breakers. Jokes and riddles are good to stop the silence. Search online for jokes and riddles. There are websites posting the best. There are books, too. Here are my favorites below.

Jokes

*Why did the kangaroo stop drinking coffee? She got too jumpy.

*What do you call a classy fish? Sofishticated.

*Knock knock. Who's there? Cow. Cow who? No, silly cows don't say whoo cows say moooooo.

*Why is 6 terrified of 7? Because 7 "8" 9!

*What do you call a boomerang that does not come back? A stick!

*Two muffins in an oven. One says, "sure is hot in here!" Other one says, "Holy smokes! A talking muffin!"

*Why did the orange lose the race? He ran out of juice.

*Why did Tigger stick his head down the toilet? He was looking for Pooh.

*How does Darth Vader like his toast? On the darkside.

*What do you call a bear with no teeth? A Gummy Bear!

*What do you call an alligator in a vest? An investigator.

*Why don't any other shapes talk to circles? Because there's no point.

*Why did the skeleton quit her job? Her heart wasn't in it.

*What did the little corn say to the mama corn? Where is pop corn?

*Where do vampires keep their money? A blood blank.

*Why did the kid throw a clock out the window? To see time fly.

*Why isn't your nose 12 inches long? Because then it would be a foot.

*What kind of vegetable is angry? A steamed carrot.

*How do baby cats learn how to swim? The kitty pool.

*What do you call bears with no ears? B. Remove e-a-r-s.

*Why did the student eat his homework? Because the teacher told him it was a piece of cake!

*What did the wolf say when it stubbed its toe? Owwwww-ch!

*Why did the parent hit the cake with a hammer? It was a pound cake.

*How do you fix a cracked pumpkin? With a pumpkin patch.

*What do you get when you cross a snowman and a vampire? A frostbite.

*Which fish costs the most? A goldfish!

*Why do bees have sticky hair? Because they use their honeycombs.

*What did the rug say to the floor? Don't move. I have you covered.

*What do you get if you put a mother duck and five ducklings into a box? A box of quackers.

*If two kids share eight pieces of cherry pie, and one kid only gets to eat one piece, what does the other get? A stomach ache.

*Why are ghosts bad at lying? Because you can see right through them.

*What is the surest way to keep water from getting into your house? Don't pay your water bill.

*Why do you want to stand in a corner during a cold day? It's 90 degrees at the corner.

*What do you call a group of whales playing musical instruments? An orca-stra.

*How do you stop an elephant from charging? Take away his credit card.

*Where did the music teacher leave her keys? In the piano.

*What is the capital letter of Italy? I is the capital letter of Italy.

*A grasshopper walks into a bar and the bartender says, "We have a drink named after you!" The grasshopper says, "You have a drink named Steve?"

*What does a hamster have in common with a cigarette? They're harmless, unless you stick 'em in your mouth and light them on fire.

*What do you call a dead polar bear? Anything you want, it can't hear you anymore.

*Why can't you trust an atom? Because they make up everything.

*There's two whales in a bar. One of them goes: [imitates whale sound] And then the other one goes: "Go home. You're drunk."

*What do you call a fish with no eyes? A fsh.

Riddles

*What has eyes, but can't see? A potato!

*What goes up when the rain comes down? An umbrella.

*How do you make a lemon drop? Just let it fall.

*If you drop a yellow hat in the Red Sea, what does it become? Wet.

*What animal is always at a baseball game? A bat.

*What do cakes and baseballs have in common? They both need a batter!

*What does every birthday end with? The letter Y.

*Mr. Red and Ms. Red live in the red house. Mr. Purple and Ms. Purple live in the purple house. Who lives in the white house? The president.

*How many months of the year have 28 days? 12. Every month has at least 28 days.

*What has hands that can't hold and a face that can't smile? A clock.

*Kate's mother has three children: Snap, Crackle and ___? Who is the third child? Kate! She's Kate's mother.

*If you don't keep me, I'll break. What am I? A promise.

*You're running a race and at the very end, you pass the person in 2nd place. What place did you finish the race in? 2nd place. You finished in 2nd place.

*What 2 things can you never eat for breakfast? Lunch and dinner.

*What gets wet as it dries? A towel.

*Two fathers and 2 sons spent the day fishing. They caught 3 fish. This was enough for each of them to have one fish. How is this possible? There were only 3 people fishing. There was one father, his son, and his son's son. There were 2 fathers and 2 sons, since one of them is a father and a son.

*Mrs. Brown has 5 daughters. Each of these daughters has a brother. How many children does Mrs. Brown have? They have 6 children. Each daughter has the same brother. There are 5 daughters and 1 son.

*There are 3 apples in the basket. You take away 2. How many apples do you have now? You have 2 apples. You took away 2 apples and left 1 in the basket.

*I go all around the world never leaving the corner. What am I? A stamp.

*I make a loud sound when I'm changing. When I do change, I get bigger while weighing less. What am I? Popcorn.

*I can fill a room taking up no space. What am I? Light.

*If I have it, I don't share it. If I share it, I don't have it. What is it? A secret.

*What goes away as soon as you talk about it? Silence.

*What can run and can't walk? Water.

*What has one eye that can't see? A needle.

*If an electric train is traveling south, which way is the smoke going? There's no smoke as it's an electric train.

*Imagine you are in a room with no windows or doors. How will you get out? Stop imagining.

*What has a head with no brain? A lettuce.

*The English alphabet goes from A to Z. My name goes from Z to A. What am I? A Zebra.

*How many letters are in the alphabet? 11 letters. There are 11 letters in the phrase "the alphabet."

*What word begins with E and ends with E that has one letter? An envelope.

*What's black and white and read all over? The newspaper.

*What goes up and never comes down? Your age.

*What kind of water doesn't freeze? Hot water.

*What falls and never gets hurt? Snow.

*What has ears and can't hear? A cornfield.

*Four legs up, four legs down, soft in the middle, hard all around. What am I? A bed.

*What has many keys that can't open doors? A piano.

*I have wings, I am able to fly, I'm not a bird yet I soar high in the sky. What am I? An airplane.

*I follow you all the time and copy your every move. You can't touch me. What am I? Your shadow.

*What is orange in color, green on top, and sounds like a parrot? A carrot.

*What is yours, yet mostly used by others? Your name.

*Give me a drink, and I will die. Feed me, and I'll get bigger. What am I? A fire.

*If you drop me, I'm sure to crack. Smile at me and I'll smile back. What am I? A mirror.

*Which question can you never answer "yes" to? "Are you asleep?"

*A cowgirl road into town on Friday. Three days later, she left on Friday. How is that possible? Friday is the name of her horse.

*I'm tall when I'm young. I'm short when I'm old. What am I? A candle.

*What's really easy to get into, and hard to get out of? Trouble.

*What has four fingers and a thumb but isn't alive? A glove.

*You cut me, slice me, dice me, and you cry. What am I? An onion.

*What kind of room has no doors or windows? A mushroom.

*What three-letter word is a mousetrap? Cat.

*Who always goes to sleep with his shoes on? A horse.

*What is full of holes holding water? A sponge.

*Where does Monday come before Sunday? In the dictionary.

*What flies all day and never goes anywhere? A flag.

*What goes uphill and downhill, and always stays in the same place? A road.

*What is the highest building in your city? The library has the most stories.

*What table has no legs to stand on? A multiplication table.

*What is too much for one, enough for two, but nothing at all for three? A secret.

*What is it that no one wants to have, but no one wants to lose, either? A lawsuit.

*I am always around but unseen. I am often avoided but never outrun. I could find you at the end of the road or even the next corner. What am I? Death.

*What gets harder to catch the faster you run? Your breath!

*I am an instrument whose music always comes from the heart. What am I? An organ!

*What travels on all fours in the morning, two legs at noon and three at twilight? A man as he grows from a crawling baby into an adult, and finally into an elder with a walking stick!

*What do you throw away yet keeps returning? A boomerang.

*What has neither nails nor bones, yet has four fingers and a thumb? A glove!

*The more you take away from me, the larger I grow. What am I? A hole!

*I have both a head and a tail, but no legs. What am I? A penny, of course.

*Two coins total $0.30. One of the coins is not a nickel. What are the two coins? A quarter and a nickel. The second coin is the nickel.

*There is an elephant and a refrigerator. How does the elephant go inside the refrigerator? Answer is open the door and put the elephant in the refrigerator.

*A pound of feathers or a pound of bowling balls. Which weighs more? None. They're one pound each.

*Which U.S. Presidents are not buried in the United States of America? The ones still living.

At Least Ten Years Ago Last Visited

The following places I visited 2013 or earlier. The COVID-19 global pandemic is part of the reason for the long-term hiatus. I have faith I visit these places soon. The places are off the top of my head.

*Santa Cruz, CA
*The Golden Gate Bridge and north of the bridge
*Santa Clara Convention Center
*Oracle Park home of the San Francisco Giants
*Southern California including Los Angeles, Disneyland, and Santa Barbara
*Tapioca Express
*Oakridge Mall
*Pier 39
*State of Washington
*An ice skating rink
*California Academy Of Sciences
*An arts festival
*British Columbia, Canada
*Taco Bell
*Denny's
*San Jose State University
*Any Mountain store
*Wal-Mart; however, I shopped at a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market once in Jan 2022.
*Ballroom dance studio
*University Avenue in Palo Alto, CA
*Any flea market
*Union 76 gas station
*Golfland

Bleach Anime Songs Turn Back The Clock Briefly

The following tables are openings and endings songs from the Bleach anime series episodes 1-229 for which I watched. I stopped watching at the Zanpakuto Unknown Tales arc beginning on episode 230. The point of the blog is I temporarily stop the present clock to turn back the clock. I reopen the life chapter I cosplayed Toshiro Hitsugaya at anime conventions, made friends, watched the anime, and read manga. I thank the chapter for the good times and bad times. I close the chapter. Start the present clock. Life changes. There are new chapters. There are different chapters. Move forward.

The first table is the opening songs. The second table is the ending songs. The third table is songs sorted by episodes and opening or closing. The Link(s) column includes the studio version and a live version if available.

Opening Songs

Song #	Eps	Artist	Title	Link(s)
1	1-25	Orange Range	*Asterisk	Studio Live
2	26-51	UVERworld	D-TecnoLife	Studio Live
3	52-74	High And Mighty Color	Ichirin No Hana (One Lone Flower)	Studio Live
4	75-97	Beat Crusaders	Tonight, Tonight, Tonight	Studio Live
5	98-120	YUI	Rolling Star	Studio Live
6	121-143	Aqua Timez	Alones	Studio Live
7	144-167	Asian Kung-Fu Generation	After Dark	Studio Live
8	168-189	Kelun	Chu-Bura	Studio
9	190-214	Aqua Timez	Velonica	Studio Live
10	215-242	Scandal	Shoujo S (S, Girl S)	Studio Live

Ending Songs

Song #	Eps	Artist	Title	Link(s)
1	1-13	Rie Fu	Life Is Like A Boat	Studio Live
2	14-25	Home Made Kazoku	Thank You!!	Studio
3	26-38	Younha	Hokiboshi (Comet)	Studio Live
4	39-51	Skoop On Somebody	Happy People	Studio Live
5	52-63	YUI	Life	Studio Live
6	64-74	SunSet Swish	My Pace	Studio Live
7	75-86	Ikimono-Gakari	Hanabi (Fireworks)	Studio Live
8	87-97	Takacha	Movin!!	Studio
9	98-109	JUNE	Baby It's You	Studio Live
10	110-120	Mai Hoshimura	Sakura Biyori (Cherry Blossom Weather)	Studio Live
11	121-131	OreSkaBand	Tsumasaki (Tiptoe)	Studio Live
12	132-143	Chatmonchy	Daidai (Bitter Orange)	Studio Live
13	144-154	Kosuke Atari	Tane Wo Maku Hibi (The Days When Seeds Are Scattered)	Studio
14	155-167	RSP	Kansha (Appreciation)	Studio Live
15	168-179	Lil'B	Orange	Studio
16	180-189	Pe'zmoku	Gallop	Studio
17	190-201	Stereopony	Hitohira No Hanabira (A Single Petal Piece)	Studio Live
18	202-214	Shion Tsuji	Sky Chord ~Otona Ni Naru Kimi E~ (Sky Chord 〜To The Adult You〜)	Studio Live
19	215-229	Sambomaster	Kimi Wo Mamotte, Kimi Wo Aishite (I Protect You, I Love You)	Studio Live

Opening And Endings Songs In Order Of Broadcast

OP Or ED	Song #	Eps	Artist	Title	Link(s)
OP	1	1-25	Orange Range	*Asterisk	Studio Live
ED	1	1-13	Rie Fu	Life Is Like A Boat	Studio Live
ED	2	14-25	Home Made Kazoku	Thank You!!	Studio
OP	2	26-51	UVERworld	D-TecnoLife	Studio Live
ED	3	26-38	Younha	Hokiboshi (Comet)	Studio Live
ED	4	39-51	Skoop On Somebody	Happy People	Studio Live
OP	3	52-74	High And Mighty Color	Ichirin No Hana (One Lone Flower)	Studio Live
ED	5	52-63	YUI	Life	Studio Live
ED	6	64-74	SunSet Swish	My Pace	Studio Live
OP	4	75-97	Beat Crusaders	Tonight, Tonight, Tonight	Studio Live
ED	7	75-86	Ikimono-Gakari	Hanabi (Fireworks)	Studio Live
ED	8	87-97	Takacha	Movin!!	Studio
OP	5	98-120	YUI	Rolling Star	Studio Live
ED	9	98-109	JUNE	Baby It's You	Studio Live
ED	10	110-120	Mai Hoshimura	Sakura Biyori (Cherry Blossom Weather)	Studio Live
OP	6	121-143	Aqua Timez	Alones	Studio Live
ED	11	121-131	OreSkaBand	Tsumasaki (Tiptoe)	Studio Live
ED	12	132-143	Chatmonchy	Daidai (Bitter Orange)	Studio Live
OP	7	144-167	Asian Kung-Fu Generation	After Dark	Studio Live
ED	13	144-154	Kosuke Atari	Tane Wo Maku Hibi (The Days When Seeds Are Scattered)	Studio
ED	14	155-167	RSP	Kansha (Appreciation)	Studio Live
OP	8	168-189	Kelun	Chu-Bura	Studio
ED	15	168-179	Lil'B	Orange	Studio
ED	16	180-189	Pe'zmoku	Gallop	Studio
OP	9	190-214	Aqua Timez	Velonica	Studio Live
ED	17	190-201	Stereopony	Hitohira No Hanabira (A Single Petal Piece)	Studio Live
ED	18	202-214	Shion Tsuji	Sky Chord ~Otona Ni Naru Kimi E~ (Sky Chord 〜To The Adult You〜)	Studio Live
OP	10	215-242	Scandal	Shoujo S (S, Girl S)	Studio Live
ED	19	215-229	Sambomaster	Kimi Wo Mamotte, Kimi Wo Aishite (I Protect You, I Love You)	Studio Live

Source credits: Bleach Wiki Fandom and YouTube.

Graduation Means Continue Learning

I misunderstood graduation. I accepted graduating high school and college incorrectly. The congratulations were valid. The partying was earned. The relaxing was deserved. I began my vacation. The awards came afterwards.

My mistake was I stopped learning. Graduation was a validation all the requirements were fulfilled. Graduation was a completion of the learnings. Graduation opened new paths for new requirements and new basics. Graduation meant continue learning in subject one, subject two, subject three, subject four, subject five, etc. Graduation was actually a checkpoint.

I'm lucky I corrected the error in May 2015. I reviewed SQL, Excel, and Access. I made a mistake learning Salesforce with their online videos and tutorials. I made a mistake learning Tableau signing up to use their trial accounts multiple times. They were a waste of time. Power BI was better because it's free and incorporates Microsoft 365. A friend told me learn Python instead of Ruby. Relearning HTML and learning CSS and JavaScript encouraged me to redesign my personal webpage Innovate Infinitely.

I changed my training on Feb 2020. I created a two-week rotation schedule. One week was a set of job skills to learn and review. Another week was another set of job skills to learn and review. I took advantage of a new desktop PC. Consistency was strong. I graduate my job training on Tue Jun 6, 2023. Jun is graduation month. Good timing. The skills learned and/or reviewed are the following in no particular order: Excel, Power BI, SQL, Python, Git, Sublime Text, Linux, PowerPoint, R, and Access.

The Endgame

I personally call my continue learning the endgame. It's possible I create multiple endgames. Multiple endgames are innovate infinitely. The endgame started on Wed Jun 7. I finished watching two Git tutorial videos for the third time. These two videos are considered my review videos when I need to review Git. The endgame continued on Fri Jun 9 when I use my old desktop to review Oracle SQL using Oracle SQL Developer. I create a personal database using the same data for Excel, Power BI, SQL, R, and Python. I create a personal Python textbook combining all the lessons I learned. Furthermore, the endgame includes life lessons I learned such as rope knots, physical fitness, paper airplanes, Morse Code, and cooking.

Instant Bullets Blog Jun 3, 2023

*A Steady Paycheck. Winston Zeddmore said, "Ah, if there's a steady paycheck in it, I'll believe anything you say" when he answered Janine Melnitz's interview question, "Do you believe in UFOs, astral projections, mental telepathy, ESP, clairvoyance, spirit photography, telekinetic movement, full trance mediums, the Loch Ness monster and the theory of Atlantis?" to become a ghostbuster in the movie Ghostbusters. The scene summarizes why we work at jobs: a steady paycheck. Everything else is secondary during an interview. . . .

*. . . Moreover, The Job Interview Process Is Broken. It's easy for the interviewee to fake himself or herself being the best candidate. The interview system applies to many job openings. Easy to lie. Easy to be somebody else. In my opinion, the interviewee takes his or her chance to be himself or herself to be hired. The conditions must be the interviewee is strong, sincere, professional, honest, and knowledgeable.

Search YouTube how to ace a job interview. Information overload. Multiple strategies. Multiple opinions.

*A Worst Feeling. You step on a wet spot wearing socks. You don't have another sock or you don't have access to an extra sock to replace the wet sock. You need to wear shoes soon.

*Defeat Chaos. Work defeats chaos. Work is the solution to solve chaos. The rewards are afterwards.

*Take Wedding Vows Seriously. The YouTube video Bride jokingly says "NO" and the wedding is cancelled is a cautionary tale for couples to be married. Be mature. No joking around. The Reddit post Bride jokingly says 'no' before saying 'yes' and marriage is cancelled included an English translation. Here it is below verbatim.

video is in brazil, i believe somewhere Minas Gerais maybe

priest to bride: is from your free and spontaneous will to marry him?
she: no-YES! *everyone laughs*
priest: no, you can not joke.
she: sorry
priest: there is no sorry, seriously, youcan not joke in this moment
she: omg
priest: it is true, the question is the main thing that we do
she: [i could not hear] i'm getting nervous
priest: you guys are getting pictures, have wedding witness, unfortunately today we will not be marrying you two
she: oh love(common nickname for the significant other), i'm nervous..
priest: we can not have a joke in this moment
she: i was very nervous
priest: go speak with Marina *hand something to husband*
--video ends--

The couple married in 2016. The groom recently posted the video online. The reason it took long was embarrassment. He posted to raise awareness about the importance of sticking to the formality of the event. The couple has a 2 year old daughter.

*The Web in 1993. The Internet in 1994. 1993: CNN's first reports on the Web. 1994: "Today Show": "What is the Internet, Anyway?"

*The Scorpion And The Frog. The Scorpion and the Frog is an animal fable teaching bad people can't resist hurting others even when it's not in their own interest. The fable originated in Russia in the early 20th century.

A scorpion wants to cross a river. The scorpion can't swim. It asks a frog to carry it across the river. The frog hesitates because the frog is afraid the scorpion might sting. The scorpion promises not to sting because if the scorpion kills the frog in the middle of the river, then they drown. The frog considers the reasoning sensible. The frog agrees to transport the scorpion. The scorpion stings the frog midway which dooms both of them. The dying frog asks the scorpion why it stung despite knowing the consequence. The scorpion says, "I am sorry, but I couldn't resist the urge. It's in my nature."

*Sequels Is The Modern Film Industry. A pic of the Fiesta Five movie theater in Santa Barbara, CA. Four of the five movies are sequels.

*indict: formally accuse of or charge with a serious crime. To charge with a crime by the finding or presentment of a jury in due form of law. A pic below on the Donald Trump criminal case grand jury. Pic source: NBC News.

*The artificial intelligence percentage of success rate is less than 100%. There is a failure rate percentage in AI. Comic source: Work Chronicles.

*Tell Me A Boring Fact. Another change in job interviews. Another change in workplace ice breakers. Another change in the first day of classes. There is too much pressure to share an interesting fact. Share a boring fact. Here are some of my boring facts:

I don't like mayonnaise on sandwiches.
I take pictures of police cars.
My favorite color is white.
I listen to classical music in the mornings.

*Expect nothing. Prepare for anything. These people know nothing. There are many situations the three sentences apply in today's management.

*The March Of Progress. An illustration of 25 million years of human evolution. Pic source: On the Origins of "The March of Progress"

*Reddit Advice On A Troubled Son. Son or daughter doesn't matter. The advice applies. The son or daughter needs professional help. Parents don't kick your son or daughter out of the house. The parents might as well shoot him or her in the back of the head. How should we handle our 23 y/o son who doesn't want to work?

*Trevor Jacob's Poor Self-Esteem. A staged plane crash. A fake viral video. A person needed likes and attention on social media. CNN reported Jacob pleads guilty to a federal charge on destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation on Fri May 12, 2023.

Ars Technica article YouTuber who crashed plane admits he did it for money and views. Inside Edition video YouTuber Crashed Airplane on Purpose; FAA Says. The latest from NBC News YouTuber whose plane crashed agrees to plead guilty to staging incident.

I'm reminded of Bill Belichick's quote on social media: I hate social media. We get rid of it wherever we can. . . . Who cares if you get 2,000 likes from people you don't even know? There's 53 guys in the locker room, those are the 53 that matter.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog May 2023

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. More people are going back to pre-pandemic lives. I continue my cautious life minimizing my chances of testing positive for COVID-19. May started slow which speeded up towards the end.

Mon May 1. Completed errands at AAA Insurance and Trader Joe's.

The Department Of Homeland Security announced foreign travelers entering the US no longer need to be fully vaccinated starting on May 12, 2023.

President Joe Biden announced federal employees no longer need to be vaccinated.

Tue May 2. A COVID-19 outbreak at the Center For Disease Control (CDC) annual conference resulted in 35 positive cases. Many attendees didn't wear masks or socially distance. The conference was held on Apr 24-27, 2023 in Atlanta, GA.

Thur May 4. The CDC reported COVID-19 was the fourth leading cause of death in the US in 2022. 245,000 people died from COVID-19. Heart disease was the number one leading cause of death in 2022. Cancer was the number two leading cause of death in 2022. Unintentional injuries including drug overdoses, shootings, and vehicle fatalities were the third leading cause of death in 2022.

COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in 2020 and 2021.

Fri May 5. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 global health emergency is over. WHO issued the first emergency declaration on Jan 30, 2020. The public health emergency of international concern has been used for seven outbreaks since 2007. The outbreaks were monkey pox, COVID-19, Zika, H1N1 flu, polio, and Ebola twice.

CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky resigned. Her last day is Jun 30, 2023.

Sat May 6. King Charles III coronation.

Mon May 8. Shopped at Costco to purchase a new car battery.

Thur May 11. The federal COVID-19 public health emergency ended.

Mon May 15. The CDC said Johnson & Johnson vaccine is no longer available in the US. All remaining doses expired last week. 7% of vaccinated people got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as their first shot. The mRNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna represented the vast majority of shots administered.

Thur May 18. Shopped for used books at local libraries.

Fri May 19. The WHO recommended the 2023 COVID-19 booster shot targets the XBB variants; in particular, XBB.1.5 or XBB.1.16. The original strain is excluded because it's no longer circulating and is poor neutralizing the current variants.

Mon May 22. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong tested positive for COVID-19. The 71 year old was prescribed Paxlovid. Loong returned home from work trips in Indonesia for the Southeast Asian Nations Summit May 10-11, South Africa May 14-16, and Kenya May 17-19. Loong was boosted in Nov 2022.

Thur May 25. Shopped at REI and The Sports Basement.

The National Institutes Of Health study identified the 12 most common symptoms associated with long COVID-19. The symptoms are the following: post-exertional malaise which is debilitating fatigue getting worse after a physical or mental activity, fatigue, brain fog, dizziness, gastrointestinal symptoms, heart palpitations, weak sex desire, loss of smell or taste, thirst, chronic cough, chest pain, and abnormal movements. 6% of the 100 million Americans infected with COVID-19 experience long COVID-19. The study was a first step establishing a foundation for further and long lasting research.

The latest omicron variant XBB is increasing the number of cases in China. Respiratory disease specialist Zhong Nanshan discovered the increase outbreak which started in late Apr 2023.

Tue May 30. High cholesterol is likely developed for people who tested positive for COVID-19. There is a 1 in 4 chance people with no cholesterol problems develop high cholesterol after recovery in the future.

Wed May 31. Shopped at Daiso, Mitsuwa, and Marukai Japanese stores. Almost all of the employees wore masks.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong tested positive for COVID-19 again. It was a rebound case. Loong tested positive nine days ago on Mon May 22.