A Second Look At 2022

It's the time I look back at my 2022 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 2022 best blogs.

1. Can I Be Overqualified?
Date: Mon Jan 10
Summary: My college educations, past experiences, and current job training disqualifies me for job openings.
Feedback: All jobs except my second company on the job training was required. The training included the commercial real estate market, SAP, Salesforce, and a proprietary online sales transaction system.

Some hiring managers and recruiters ignore me because they anticipate I master the job in six months. I become bored afterwards. I think back to my past jobs. I mastered the basics in six months. I fully mastered the job in one year. I became Wally from the Dilbert comics.

Almost all career counselors, professional career consultants, and college job placement centers their information is outdated. The best source for job information is job searching. Read the job descriptions. Read the job requirements.

My job training is currently in the endgame; in other words, there's nothing more to learn. New skills to learn are planned.

2. Boring Can Save Your Ass
Date: Wed Jan 12
Summary: Complete the boring responsibilities.
Feedback: Patience is required to complete the long assignments. The work can be tedious. The job is completed. Goals accomplished.

The person or people connects the dots backwards. Reverse engineer the process. They're not boring thinking back. The boring process wasn't boring. The formula is pressure and time.

3. Life Is Good Because It's Predictable And Certain
Date: Thur Jan 20
Summary: People are relaxed and secured because the knowns are clear and present.
Feedback: Bombshells were fired. It has been a long time since the bombs were launched. Most bombshells were planned. 2023 was good bombshells fired and bad bombshells fired for family members and friends. Personally, the safeties on my bombshell devices are removed. I don't know when the bombshells explode.

4. Accuse Slackers Accurately Because You Also Waste Time
Date: Sat Jan 29
Summary: Everyone is slacking off. Everyone.
Feedback: It takes another distraction to disengage the present distraction to go back to work. For instance, I'm on my phone watching a random YouTube video. Somebody walks in the room. I disengage watching a random YouTube video. I go back to my responsibility. Negate a distraction with another distraction.

The Information Age is also the Distraction Age.

5. Stop And Smell The Roses And Read Your Receipt
Date: Thur Feb 3
Summary: Slow down.
Feedback: I remember the moment when I shop at a grocery store from time to time. I also remember the moment when I feel rushed. I say to myself, "Hold on. One at a time." I realize the older I age, the more I say the sentence to myself.

6. I've Been Doing Everything Correct Mostly
Date: Thur Apr 12
Summary: I realized decades later I was mostly correct.
Feedback: I reiterate the sentences, "Nobody told me I have been walking the correct paths. I have stronger confidence I'm earning my successes correctly. I tell myself everything has been well. I tell myself I'm correct."

Nobody told me my path to success is correct. Nobody taught me a system. I self-discovered my system. The system is common knowledge and common wisdom: eat healthy, exercise, read books, sleep well, never stop learning, learn from mistakes, always meet new people, minimize watching TV, and ignore anything toxic. I hope timing, luck, chance, and opportunity favors me. Don't be a nice person. Be a good person.

7. Dear Abby Advice On Blind Love, Guilt Trip, And Truce On Wedding Day
Date: Fri Apr 22
Summary: Dear Abby hits the home run on three advice for an abusive girlfriend, a physically dependent boyfriend, and an alcoholic soon-to-be daughter in-law.
Feedback: I add one comment for both abusive girlfriend and daughter in-law. Give it time. Be patient. The chances the couples stay together are slim. Life returns to normal in time. Life returns to a relaxing state soon. Furthermore, there is a tolerance limit for his fiancee's drinking problem.

8. I Got Stuff Done Because I Didn't Play Video Games
Date: Wed Jun 29
Summary: A rare day I become bored because I caught up.
Feedback: The blog title and the blog content don't make sense. The first paragraph is being bored because I completed all responsibilities. The second paragraph is playing video games. I was confusing the first paragraph and the second paragraph. I take the blog back.

The full disclosure is I played another classic video game Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo all night on Jun 28, 2022 and Jun 29, 2022. I slept in the early morning. It was a miracle I finished all priorities and responsibilities. I stopped playing Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo on Jul 2, 2022. The priorities and responsibilities continue to motivate me minimizing playing video games.

9. Grading My Past Years On A Curve
Date: Sun Jul 17
Summary: I raised the letter grades from 1998 to 2021.
Feedback: I forgot about the blog. Good. There should be no curve grading in real life. I take the blog back.

10. No Mulligan, No Do-Over, No Second Chance Going Back To San Jose State University
Date: Sat Nov 19
Summary: I didn't want a mulligan when I attended San Jose State University.
Feedback: I take the title back. Yes Mulligan, Yes Do-Over, Yes Second Chance Going Back To San Jose State University. There is one simple reason. The semesters, the classes, the majors, the student services, and the extracurricular activities are irrelevant. The do-over is grow up; in other words, earn it. I take the blog back.

The following blogs are honorable mentions: We Make The Same Mistakes Twice and Too Much Distractions.

Top 2022 Pics

Here are the top four pictures I took in 2022. 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!

Merry Unmotivational Christmas

Bad Christmas. Sad Christmas. Depressed Christmas. There was no joy. The Christmas flow went against you. Expectations unfulfilled. The plan backfired. You're not alone.

There were multiple reasons some people were unhappy on Christmas Day. Some reasons could be controlled. Some reasons couldn't be controlled. I share my below expectations family Christmas. There was no desire for a good Christmas. Some family members didn't check their personal problems at the door. A few family members worked to make a happy Christmas. A few family members put in the time and effort to create a good Christmas. Few successes. Many failures. Everyone contributed to a less stellar family Christmas regardless of working or not working. I admit I contributed to a less stellar family Christmas. I should have been stronger. I should have been courageous.

All leisure activities including birthdays and holidays require planning. It's an oxymoron work and effort must be completed for play and fun moments. Chaos is the result without work and effort. Chaotic leisure is not leisure. The rewards pay off after the work and effort are completed sincerely and satisfactory.

Dec 26

Dec 25 is another bad day at the office. Everyone experiences bad days. Blame life, destiny, karma, timing, and luck a bad day happened on Christmas Day.

Life moves forward. The bad Christmas doesn't matter next year. Correct the mistakes. Hope the next Christmas is better. A suggestion to overcome a bad Christmas is go back to the basics. Follow the common wisdoms sincerely. Sleep well. Eat well. It's okay to splurge processed foods. Get to work. Be busy.

Highlight and Favorite 2022 Tweets

Here are my 11 highlight Tweets and 2 favorite Favorites Tweets in 2022. 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 3: @HistoryInPics, The last photograph of the Beatles together. August 22, 1969 at John Lennon's countryside estate Pic Link

Mar 3: I paid over $5 a gallon for gas at $5.27 earlier today. It was a first in #raymondshistorybook.

Apr 18: condone: to disregard or overlook (something illegal, objectionable, or the like); accept and allow (behavior that is considered morally wrong or offensive) to continue. #mynewwordoftheday

May 5: Job candidates can get hired by ignorance. Pic Link

May 13: It's brought to my attention the word "analysis" can't be spelled without the letters a-n-a-l.

Jun 27: There were 48 stars in the American flag during World War II. Alaska was admitted to the Union on Jan 5, 1959. Hawaii was admitted to the Union on Aug 21, 1959. #mytriviaoftheday

Sep 7: 109 degrees was a record high temperature in San Jose yesterday. My personal record high was 120 in Las Vegas during my Summer 1997 vacation. #raymondshistorybook

Sep 15: YouTube safety video a car crashes into an electrical pole. Stay in the car. Exit the car only if in danger. Exit jumping down feet together because of electrical touch potential. Walk short shuffling because of electrical step potential Video Link

Sep 29: superficial: existing or occurring at or on the surface. Appearing to be the true or real only until examined more closely. #mynewwordoftheday

Sep 30: Customer: We take the deal with no money down. Salesperson: No, money down.

Oct 13: The three major market indices reached new 52 week lows. The Consumer Price Index is +8.2% year over year. Dow Jones new 52 week low 28,660.94 and closed 30,038.72, NASDAQ new 52 week low 10,088.83 and closed 10,649.15, and S&P 500 new 52 week low 3,491.58 and closed 3,669.91.

Favorite Favorites

Jun 16: @BleacherReport, Warriors 21-0 run Pic Link

Jun 30: @LarryBeilABC7, As you watch the madness unfold with KD, Kyrie, Harden, Simmons, Ayton etc, understand the value of @StephenCurry30. The rare superstar who thinks TEAM before himself. Impossible to quantity how much his attitude & leadership are worth to the Warriors

I Correct Be Patient And Go For The Long Run

I thought of the "be patient and go for the long run" when I was a student at San Jose State University. The wisdom was correct. The attitude was correct. The adaption was incorrect. The execution was incorrect. I did it wrong. College life was too much fun and too little learning. Obviously, any student read the book, attended the lectures, and passed the exams to graduate. I took life for granted. Outside the classroom was unproductive growth.

I'm doing the "be patient and go for the long run" correctly decades later. Work. Give everything time. Take everything one day at a time. Build a little every day. Add the little accomplishments for the big goals. My job training approaches the endgame. I learn investing following WallstreetBets since Jan 2021. I'm training for a 10k marathon since 2021. I'm close to the 6.2 miles. My longest distance is 6 miles. It took me six months to read Harry Potter from Sep 2019 to Mar 2020. I researched two hours every Sun from Jul 2019 to Nov 2019 to build a new desktop. Furthermore, medical scientists continue to research the COVID-19 virus since 2020.

I was irresponsible then. I'm responsible now. It's okay for immediate fun and leisure. Work for most of the week. Take a break for a few. I did none of these as a college student. Perhaps, my biggest regret was being a naive person in my 20s. The regret is forgiven. My life catching up continues.

Black Friday 2023

The Black Friday 2023 shopping was a week event. I shopped offline and purchased online before the true Black Friday and on true Black Friday. I made a Cyber Monday purchase. There was a little of everything such as false advertisements, good luck, good timing, and items sold out. All purchases were gifts, practical uses, and family uses except the bag of powdered donuts. No splurges. The Fitletic running accessories were delivered. All other online purchases were picked up at their respective stores. All retail stores online and offline offered fewer Black Friday deals like Black Friday 2022.

Mon Nov 20

Three Coke 2-liter bottles and a Zyrtec 60 count tablets bottle at Walgreens Black Friday Week Sale.

Tony's Chocolates made in Belgium and Nyakers Holiday Gingersnaps a product of Sweden at World Market. The 10% member exclusive coupon food and drinks was added days before the 20% off excluded food and drinks coupon expired.

Tue Nov 21

ASICS GT 2000 Running Shoe purchased online at DSW. An additional 30% off the reduced price.

Driver side front door and back door belt moldings at Livermore Toyota. Black Friday sale, nationwide free shipping, and dealer discount. The parts were approved to be purchased for a body shop repair order.

Fri Nov 24

Hostess Powdered Donuts at Nob Hill. No Black Friday sales interested me. The sale price was a regular weekly ad price. I wanted to exit with a purchase.

Three Coke 2-liter bottles at Walgreens Black Friday Week Sale.

NewJean 2nd EP at KLOUD K-Pop Store. The Korean music package wasn't on their Black Friday sale.

Running belt, water bottle and its pouch holster, and running bib string toggles at Fitletic. 30% off Black Friday sale.

Hatsune Miku 10th Anniversary Magical Mirai book at Kinokuniya. 10% off selected items purchased at their website.

Mon Nov 27

Farberware Classic Dial Kitchen Timer at Kohl's. Cyber Monday discount codes applied.

The Minimums To Live

A human being lives comfortably with the minimums. The minimums are food, shelter, and clothing. A shelter is a room, a bathroom, and a kitchen for those who want to get technical. Intuitively, a shelter is a roof with the basic amenities.

Many people take food, shelter, and clothing for granted. Many people focus their attention too much to their phones, the next TV show to binge watch, the next celebrity gossip, the next professional sports trade, the next must own stock, the next urge moment to play video games, and their work. Many people forget to stop, to breathe, and remind themselves who we are. More people neglect to stop, breathe, and appreciate their present life. The present life can turn the worse anytime and anywhere. The certain becomes uncertain.

More Minimums Than The Minimums

There are more minimums than the initial minimums food, shelter, and clothing. Today's Information Age communication using cell phones and computers connected to the internet are minimums. A radio is a valid and legitimate substitute. There are non-electrical minimums. Detergent, dishwasher soap, pots, pans, mattress, basic first aid, fire extinguisher, towels, toothbrushes, degreaser chemicals, and pens are good examples.

Maintain the minimums proactively. They're not boring. Living life becomes easier.

Update On A Past Blog

There are common statements on things and people. Good things happen to good people. Bad things happen to bad people. Life is uncertain. Bad things happen to good people. Good things happen to bad people.

I remind myself there are false losers. People do everything correct. The outcomes are unfavorable. The results are poor. These people lost. I wrote These Young People Are False Losers on Aug 7, 2022 from a dream about a group of young educated men unsuccessful through no fault of their own.

Normal Adolescents At Chipotle

I ate a late lunch at Chipotle at the 3:00pm hour on Fri Dec 8, 2023 because of shopping. A nearby middle school ended the school day. Students walked home. A few of the students congregated at a small retail strip mall. The fast food restaurant was 90% occupied with students. A few seats were unoccupied. The restaurant workers were prepared. The front end was fully staffed. The cooks were preparing the food. It was loud inside.

Witnessing the middle school students was no different when I attended middle school. Students socialized. There were no parents; although, I saw a couple of parents picking up students in the parking lot. Cell phones were prevalent; however, nobody was individually silent self-occupied with their own phone. They used their phones for conversation topics. They used their phones to pay for their orders. They used their phones calling their parents. The students acted and behaved like normal adolescents. Their parents taught them well. Their parents trusted them and their circle of friends. I didn't have cell phones in school. Socializing and friendships are the same today and the same yesterday regardless of the trends or technology.

A Silent Thinking Appreciating My Present Life In Writing

Today's blog is take a deep breath. Today's blog is another time to say thank you. I'm grateful for my present life who I am, what I am, where I am, when I'm living today, how I am, and why I'm the present person. Strength, intelligence, health, wisdom, and motivation are the highest. Confidence and self-esteem are the highest. I acknowledge my parents for their assistance. I'm indebted to friends and to people who helped me be who I am. I tribute the two moments which are the day I realized I must grow up on Sat Oct 4, 2008 and The Shawshank Redemption movie on Sat Sep 21, 2019. I don't take life for granted.

Job training continues. Job searching continues despite a tough job market. I exercise four days a week. I maintain a clean body. I minimize eating junk foods. I read books. Spending is controlled. Expenses are checked. I learn life skills. I listen to music. I listen to podcasts. I write blogs. I watch one movie a week. I maintain a clean household.

Destiny, life, karma, the stars, the heavens, and the powers that be are acknowledged. Timing, luck, chance, and opportunities are respected. I want my life to get better. My life can get worse which isn't. I understand patience to be happy. I comprehend the lessons learned from mistakes. I'm conscious of intuition. Thank you to everything. Thank you to everyone.

Update On A Past Blog

I give sincere thanks again for the people who assisted. The blogs are Acknowledgements on Jul 10, 2022, My Two Grandfathers on Jul 3, 2018, and Top Ten Thank Yous on Nov 22, 2014.

I count my blessings again such as my brain, my health, food, and shelter. The blog is Be Grateful Day on Aug 14, 2016.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog November 2023

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. Fewer COVID-19 headlines continued. Another slow month except the Thanksgiving week which was the fastest week of the year.

Wed Nov 1. Watched the World Series Game 5 bottom of the ninth inning Texas Rangers at Arizona Diamondbacks.

Fri Nov 3. Shopped at Lucky's first thing in the morning.

Thur Nov 9. Ran errands with my dad shopping at Costco, Lowe's, and an auto body shop for an estimate. I saw the Costco food court selling roast beef sandwiches.

Fri Nov 10. Shopped at O'Reilly's Auto Parts Store and Books, Inc.

A new COVID-19 variant HV.1 is spreading. HV.1 is an omicron subvariant first detected in late Jul overtaking other strains including the Eris EG.5 variant. HV.1 was 25% and EG.5 was 22% of the total cases as of late Oct. Cases and hospitalizations declined since the late summer surge. Other mutated strains noted include the BA.2.86 or Perola and the JN.1.

Tue Nov 14. The Annals Of Internal Medicine published a study 20% of people taking Paxlovid experienced rebound infections. Patients were still infected meaning they could spread COVID-19. The drug maker Pfizer said 2.3% of people rebounded. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) recommended Paxlovid for people age 12 and older with high risk of COVID-19 complications. The CDC also recommended people tested positive isolate for five days.

Fri Nov 17. First rain storm of the autumn and upcoming winter season.

Tue Nov 21. Shopped at Walgreens for their Black Friday weekly sale. Shopped at Cost Plus World Market using a Black Friday coupon.

Wed Nov 22. The CDC reported 15% of adults and 5% of children received the latest COVID-19 vaccine as of mid Nov. Hospitalizations increased; however, lower compared to the same time last year.

Fri Nov 24. Late morning Black Friday shopping at Big Lots, Nob Hill, and Walgreens. The Mimi's Cafe restaurant building at El Paseo was torn down.

Mon Nov 27. 10% of COVID-19 cases in the US was the BA.2.86 which tripled from two weeks ago. HV.1 and EG.5 variants were the dominate strains. The World Health Organization (WHO) said early data suggested no worse or no different symptoms than previous strains

Tue Nov 28. The WHO granted the Novavax updated vaccine emergency authorization use for people age 12 and older. Novavax was authorized in the US in Oct 2023. The updated vaccine targets the XBB lineage. Novavax's updated vaccine uses a traditional protein-based technology.

Wed Nov 29. The US life expectancy increased 1.1 years from 76.4 in 2021 to 77.5 in 2022 according to the CDC. The life expectancy was 78.8 in 2019. A decline in COVID-19 deaths, COVID-19 vaccines, and declines from cancer, heart disease, and intentional deaths are factors. On the other hand, pneumonia, flu, malnutrition, kidney disease, birth defects, and perinatal deaths increased.

Thur Nov 30. Picked up Black Friday and Cyber Monday purchases at a Korean music store Kloud KPOP and Kohl's. Also, recycled metal and paid fees at a county building.

The Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Pfizer for false COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness. Pfizer claimed its vaccine is 95% effective. Paxton claimed the efficacy is misleading. The clinical trial data and vaccine recipients showed lower effectiveness. The lawsuit seeks Pfizer to stop the false claims and to fine $10M for violating the Texas consumer protection laws.