A Daily Dose Of Novocain

Today's Information Age we get any information on the internet in seconds. Too much information is available in seconds. Easy access. News feeds are 24/7. Information feeds are 24/7. Social media feeds are 24/7. 98% of all feeds are garbage. Novocain is administered. Useless facts. Useless information. Nothing learned. Nothing improved. Moreover, dissatisfaction increases there is a desire for more information hoping to quell the dissatisfaction. Brain cells are destroyed results. My IQ drops. The causality is too much Novocain. The Novocain habit I accidentally miss reading important news, information, and knowledge.

Reading is tiring. Additional mental energy is required to ignore the useless. Additional mental energy is required to stop reading. On the other hand, there are some people with more time on their hands they enjoy the useless. More power to them.

Update On A Past Blog

People who purchased shares from the blog Bet On The Real Raymond Mar Coming Soon written on Oct 4, 2014 should be happy. The stock price went up. Long term investing works. Buy and hold work.

I'm the best choice for many circumstances. I have been the best choice to get the job done. Unfortunately, there were too many barriers. Bad luck. Bad timing. I was told lies. People prevented me from being successful. Misinformation. Bad lessons. All are forgiven. I needed more time. I needed four years and 11 months to be specific. The naive, uncontrollable, and immature person is retired. Be patient.

My Two Biggest Regrets

There are two answers. The first biggest regret is taking life for granted. I have mention multiple times in past blogs since the day I grew up on Sat Oct 4, 2008. I stopped taking my life for granted since Sat Oct 4, 2008. The second biggest regret is an update on a past blog.

Update On A Past Blog

I lived a life having too much fun. I blogged The World Is Having Too Much Fun on Tue Jan 22, 2019. I lived a life having too little work. I said in the one paragraph blog, ". . . I had too much fun in my early to mid 2000s." If I exchanged 20% of fun for work, then I'm 20% smarter in my early to mid 2000s. I might self-discover I grow up earlier than Sat Oct 4, 2008. My life changed forever might have been earlier.

It Was My Fault I Made A Mistake

I admit I made a mistake. It was my fault. We were late to a family gathering yesterday at 4:30pm in a restaurant. We arrived at 5:30pm.

I shopped for the second gift in the late morning. I purchased the second gift at the fourth store. What if I purchased the second gift at the first store? The narrative was I found the second gift minutes away from the house. The family schedule followed according to plan. I looked good. Unfortunately, the narrative was too much traveling time and too much shopping time. I rushed eating a late breakfast. I rushed wrapping up the gifts in two boxes. The first gift was purchased weeks before.

In addition, there was bad traffic. There were miscommunications. There were more red signal lights than green signal lights by a two-to-one ratio. I needed to use the bathroom twice. I was told on Thur two days before the family gathering.

It didn't matter the circumstances. I couldn't control the bad timing. I couldn't control the bad luck. I took responsibility. I apologize.

Normalcy In My Life

I'm lucky. I'm not in the abyss of something negative. Normalcy is present. There is no obsession. No abuse. No addiction. No craziness. No infinite fanatic. Depression is rare. Anxiety is non-existent. My soul is present. My spirit is free. Health is good. No disorders. I'm not in multiple abysses if they exist.

I watch TV on occasion. I don't watch the news daily. I watch one movie a week. Computer time is mostly job skill training, job searching, checking emails, and writing blogs. Time spend on social media is maximized to 30 minutes a day. I eat healthy balance meals breakfast, lunch, and dinner to the best to my ability. I minimize eating processed foods. No dairy. I drink water when I'm thirsty. I don't believe in drinking eight glasses of water a day. I read books. My physical workouts are two days strength training and two days cardio.

Role playing games, watching anime, and playing video games were the past. However, I play classic video games two weekend days a month.

I'm aware of my present circumstances and future possibilities. I spread my time. I expose myself to a variety of anything present. I seek new adventures. I experience new experiences. My life is focused on my well-being. I know my importance. I know my priorities. I describe my normalcy.

Update On A Past Blog

I want to add more to my last blog Raymond Mar 3.0 written on Jul 15, 2023. The better me and the new me circle is almost completed. I don't know when the circle is completed. My job training reached the endgame; in other words, it's like I'm in my senior year in college. The COVID-19 pandemic changes are permanent including physical workouts out at home, jogging at least five miles, and broiling water at home instead of purchasing one gallon water bottles at the store. Learning new life skills continue. The end of the day I'm one step closer to become a self-trained genius. Another circle begins when I finish the endgame.

Raymond Mar 3.0

There are alternate titles for today's blog: Another New Raymond Mar and This Is Raymond Mar III Now. I'm better today. There's no going down. Raymond Mar 2.0 began on Sat Oct 4, 2008 when I realized I must grow up. The best years of my life started in Sep 2019. Ironically, my life is George Costanza from Seinfeld. I'm unemployed and I live with my parents. The best years continue. There is no top ten. Today is not the day I grew up for the third time. I'm contradicting myself. There is no Growing Up 3.0 or Growing Up Part 3. The threes must wait. Here are the better me and the new me in no particular order:

1. Intelligence. Intelligence or genius. My reading speed is faster. I learn new job skills. I refresh existing job skills. I seek new life skills such as tying knots, navigating with a compass, memorizing jokes, and cooking new meals. I'm becoming useful. I'm not an old fuck in my senior years. The end of the day I'm one step closer to become a self-trained genius.

2. Motivation. I practice. I drill. I repeat. I learn by repetition. I will is more important than I know. Desire is more important than intelligence.

3. Physical Health. I minimize eating processed foods. Dairy is non-existent. I disagree with the common health knowledge drink eight glasses of water a day. I drink water when I'm thirsty. My physical workouts have been improving. I maintain my 155 pound weight since Apr 2022. My max weight was 188 pounds before. Eight hours of sleep is mandatory. Lower priorities can wait tomorrow. I'm the healthiest I've ever been.

4. Excel. A special recognition to Excel. The Excel skills were incomplete at my previous jobs. Number one Intelligence and number two Motivation above are the reasons I'm better at Excel.

5. Financial Education. Thank you WallStreetBets!

6. Books. A special recognition to books which helped me become stronger. The books are The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, A Brief History Of Time by Stephen Hawking, and Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling.

7. Retired. I retired from anime and video games. However, I'm playing classic video games an average of one weeknight every three or four weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The noteworthy video games I completed are Final Fantasy VI-VIII. I replay Bloons Tower Defense (BTD5) for the second time on Steam.

8. Sex. Thank you Sex With Emily podcast. Good Vibrations is a good adult sex store. Sexual Health Magazine is a free quarterly magazine. My big penis ladies tell me is more than a complement. Wearing large size condoms feel great.

9. Mahjong. I'm an intermediate skilled Mahjong player. I play Hong Kong and Japanese Riichi. It's unfortunate I have too much bad luck.

10. Handyman. I learn patience. I learn practice. I learn take it easy. Take one task at a time. The elbow is the key to hammer a nail properly.

11. Technology. Timing favored me when I purchased a new laptop and built a new desktop PC months before the COVID-19 pandemic in Mar 2020. I learned Windows 10. I expanded my Linux knowledge. I include job skills such as Python, Oracle, and Power BI.

12. The Shawshank Redemption. My spirit is free. My soul is relaxed. Tensions and conflicts are released. Who cares what other people think as long as I'm truthful sincerely. I'm honest for real. The Shawshank Redemption is my all-time favorite movie. The movie is number one in iMDB's Top Rated 250 Movies.

Update On A Past Blog

Here is the blog I grew up for the first time on Sat Oct 4, 2008 Five Years Ago Today I Grew Up written on Oct 4, 2013. The day began Raymond Mar 2.0.

Here are the blogs related to growing up part 2 for which I took it back in subsequent blogs. The day I grew up part 2 on Dec 6, 2012 Growing Up Part 2. The two blogs I took back growing up part 2 are The Correct Growing Up Part 2 on Oct 28, 2013 and The Correction To The Correct Growing Up Part 2 on Oct 7, 2020.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog June 2023

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. The unseasonably cooler weather continued. Fewer people are concerned with COVID-19. Jun started slow which speeded up towards the end.

Thur Jun 1. Update on the Center For Disease Control (CDC) Epidemic Intelligence Service Conference in Atlanta, GA. 1,800 attendees. 181 tested positive. 99% vaccinated. 0% hospitalizations.

Fri Jun 2. Most wastewater treatments plants in New York City were in the high detection level category which meant at least 50 positive cases per 100,000 people. Wastewater tracking is a good early detection for potential future increases in positive cases. At least half of COVID-19 patients shed viral RNA in their feces. The wastewater virus level samples occur before the case numbers increase.

Tue Jun 6. Dentist appointment. Shopped at Costco.

Thur Jun 8. Dr. Ashish Jha is resigning as the White House Covid response coordinator on Jun 30. Jha returns to Brown University as Dean Of The School Of Public Health. Jha worked for the White House since 2022.

Sun Jun 11. Hundreds of Bio-N-Tech lawsuits were submitted in Germany for alleged side effects of its COVID-19 vaccine. One lawsuit the plaintiff suffered upper body pain, swelling, fatigue, and sleeping disorders. Germany law stated drug companies are liable if their products scientifically cause disproportionate harm relative to benefits or misinformation on the label.

The European Medicines Agency estimated COVID-19 vaccines saved 20 million globally for which 1.7 million reported suspected side effects as of May 2023.

Mon Jun 12. Watched Game 5 of the NBA Finals Miami Heat at Denver Nuggets at the 7:00 mark during the 4th quarter.

Tue Jun 13. The United Kingdom began a public inquiry on the COVID-19 global pandemic to ask if some sufferings and deaths could have been avoided. The inquiry holds hearings through 2026. It investigates the government preparedness, responses, and lessons learned. 226,977 people died in Britian.

Thur Jun 15. Quick errands at Safeway and the Campbell library.

The Food And Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel recommended updating the COVID-19 vaccine to target the XBB strain in present circulation. The Vaccines And Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted unanimously. The CDC stated the XBB.1.5 variant affects 40% of current cases. XBB.1.16 and XBB.1.9.1 are the other variants.

Hospitalizations are down since Mar 2023. The BA.4 and BA.5 variants are no longer in circulation. 17% of the US population received the updated booster.

Sun Jun 18. Take out lunches at Hash House restaurant.

Mon Jun 19. Shopped at Smart & Final first thing in the morning.

Sat Jun 24. A US intelligence report from the Office Of The Director Of National Intelligence stated multiple US agencies are divided on the origins of the COVID-19 global pandemic in Wuhan, China. The Department Of Energy and FBA stated a lab leak. The CIA didn't have an assessment. Four agencies believe the cause was the virus transferred from animal to human. The Wuhan Institute Of Virology genetically engineered viruses. All agencies agree COVID-19 was not a biological weapon.

Congress passed a bill in Mar 2023 giving US intelligence 90 days to declassify intelligence on the Wuhan Institute Of Virology. China made it difficult for independent research to gather information.

The CDC tracked new COVID-19 omicron variants. The EU.1.1 increased in Europe. EU.1.1 represented 1.7% of US cases; although, the percentage might be higher in the states of Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. It's too early to know any new symptoms.

Most Americans have antibodies from vaccinations. The majority of hospitalizations and deaths were reinfections. XBB.1.5 cases declined even though the FDA choose to update the fall vaccines to target the XBB.1.5 variants. Experts said all current variants are closely related.

Tue Jun 27. Shopped at Costco during the 9am hour. Warehouse was dead. My cashier named Steve wore an old name tag with Costco in all red color.

Wed Jun 28. The Small Business Administration reported 200 billion dollars in fraudulent COVID-19 loans. The agency loosened certain requirements to rush loans for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Borrowers self-identified under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, And Security Act in 2020. The Labor Dept. estimated 164 billion dollars in improper unemployment fraud payments.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said 36 million people in Europe may have long COVID-19 during the global pandemic.

Thur Jun 29. Morning first thing quick shopping at Safeway.

The Money Adds Up

People rarely think about how much we spend money on everything. Spend some here. Spend some there. Some people in today's post-COVID-19 global pandemic focus most purchases on sale due to inflation. The purchases are discounted with coupons. Money saved. We think quickly the savings add up. The purchases are once in a while such as once a year or once every two months. Money saved. We think quickly these purchases add up slowly. No financial worries.

Critical thinking is required for people to consciously sum all spending. Analysis is required to break down the shock or the surprise we spent X amount on something Y. The money spending adds up quickly. The money spending is higher than guessed. Intuition fails when it comes to budgeting. It's like the end of the work day at the bar scene from one of my favorite movies Wall Street when Bud Fox played by Charlie Sheen asked his dad Carl Fox played by Martin Sheen for money:

Carl Fox: How much you need?
Bud Fox: Can you spare 300? I'll pay you back next month, I promise.
Carl Fox: I don't know if I got that much on me.
Bud Fox: Not in here. Please.
Carl Fox: It adds up. 300 here, 200 there. Your brother . . . . I always say money's something you need in case you don't die tomorrow. . . .

Today's Information Age lifestyle the days end too fast. We spend money too fast. Unfortunately, most of us live normal spending lives after the shock and/or surprise feeling disappears.

Update On A Past Blog

I posted a link where a board gamer spent at least $16,000 on board games at Kickstarter. He regretted it. It adds up. The blog I posted the link is Highlight And Favorite 2017 Tweets written on Dec 29, 2018. The direct links are Kickstarter addict reflects on backing $16,000 worth of board games, regrets everything and An epiphany after 2.5 years backing board games on Kickstarter.

Continue The Lie

I dreamed last night I was a data analyst for an unknown business located in San Jose, CA. I completed a pricing analysis. I didn't analyze. I didn't research. I faked the report. I made up the numbers.

Two co-workers brought to my attention an email from our manager. Our manager was embarrassed. A local university said her presentation was incorrect. The students spent hours past midnight proving the incorrectness. She defended her presentation.

I woke up. I realized I should have continued the dream because I could have lied my way out of my fake analysis. The dream represented today's life. Some people get away with bullshit. I could have escaped my bullshit with more bullshit.

Update On A Past Blog

My dream last night reminded me of the blog Did The Dumb Ass Co-Worker Wanted To Change? on Jul 15, 2009. My dumb ass co-worker faked the statistics for years. He was eventually caught. I was told he found another job in the same industry before he got fired. He was too lucky.

I could follow lesson six by keeping my mouth shut in the Five Minute Management Course written on Jan 12, 2010. Lesson six is three parts. The third part is to be silent when I'm in trouble. Although, lesson five is nobody stays on top lying 100% of the time.