I Read When I Was Five Years Old

Many of today's four year old children and five year old children can't read. I read sentences when I was five years old. I read words when I was in preschool. I remember reading my teacher's name on her desk. I remember reading my name on my snack bag my mom prepared me. I read books when I was in kindergarten. I remember reading the word "playhouse" in the indoor blue colored classroom playhouse with stairs, doors, beds, and a kitchen. I also read the instructions in the math book. My spelling was average. Perhaps, I was in the minority good reading skills didn't correlate with good spelling skills. Sesame Street taught me well.

What happened to schools today compared to decades ago? I don't know why today's young children can't read. On the other hand, I know junior high school students learning Algebra. My nephew learned Algebra when he was in junior high school. Perhaps, at the end of the day, today's public education system has neither progressed nor digressed.

There Is Work To Be Done

There are responsibilities to be completed. Get it done. In particular, the single and unemployed people. Not all work involves being compensated with money. There is physical work staying in physical shape and maintaining good health. There is work preparing healthy meals. There is work maintaining a clean and organized living environment. Work to get smarter by reading books and learning skills. Training in job skills is work. There is nothing wrong with watching television and playing videos games. They're leisure activities. Watching television and playing video games to avoid work is a problem. Watching television and playing video games don't pay the rent or mortgage.

Self Job Training Graduation Analytics Research Technology

The college diploma is fake. The degree is fake. The award is earned. The training is real. I passed the classes for data analysis or data science. YouTube videos, online education, books, articles, and online posts are my learning sources. The part time self-training took nine years and two months. The self-training could have been completed in five years if I trained full time. The reasons for the part time included household responsibilities, family obligations, other personal commitments, and mistakes from Aug 2014 to Dec 2019. Nov 2014-Mar 2015 were excluded because of a contract job.

I summarize my self job training completion from start to finish.

Aug-Oct 2014: The Preview, The Foreshadow, The Seed

I failed an interview for a contract Data Analyst position because I failed the Excel tests in Jun 2014; in particular, I failed the VLOOKUP test. I never used VLOOKUPs in past jobs. I couldn't explain how I used Excel successfully without VLOOKUP. Bible truth.

I reviewed and learned Excel which included reviewing pivot tables and learning VLOOKUPs watching YouTube videos in Jul 2014. My contract job with a retail startup wasn't renewed in Sep 2014. My friend Appu introduced me to Python for the first time and Ubuntu for the second time. He introduced me to Ubuntu for the first time in 2008. My first Python learning came from a book written for kids. The self job training ended in Nov 2014 when I found another contract job in a networking company.

May 2015-Dec 2019: I Didn't Know What I Was Doing

I actually started in Apr 2015 during my last month at my contract job. The first topic was relearning Oracle SQL. I continued Excel which included dashboards, statistics, and data analysis in May 2015 when I became unemployed. I taught myself Salesforce watching YouTube videos and reading a tutorial book. I created a free Tableau account to learn Tableau from a .pdf book. I quit both Salesforce and Tableau because there was no progress.

VBA was added on Feb 2016. I continued Oracle SQL and Excel. Python began in Apr 2016 learning online from CodeUpStart promotion on Kickstarter. The lessons were terrible. The CodeUpStart convinced me to be skeptical when paying for online training courses. Linux and the text editor Sublime Text began in May 2016. I reviewed HTML, learned CSS, and learned JavaScript. I uploaded my redesigned webpage Innovate Infinitely on Jun 29, 2016.

A major change happened on Apr 2017. I was diagnosed with Acute Gallstone Pancreatitis. I was admitted as an in-patient in a local hospital requiring an Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio Pancreatography which removed gallstones and a Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy which removed my gallbladder. There was no job training for the entire month. The self job training became a consistent five-day responsibility thereafter. Git was added in May 2017. Appu introduced me to Project Euler to practice Python in May 2017. Drill training began in Jun 2017. Excel was the first drill training topic; for example, formulas, tables, and pivot tables. VBA drill training began in Sep 2017.

The self job training became six days a week in Feb 2018. My friend Spiritsnare told me about free Salesforce official online courses which I learned on Sundays. I stopped the Salesforce in Mar 2018. The six days a week stopped in May 2018 because I got sick in Apr 2018. Power Pivot and Power Query were added in Jun 2018. Power Business Intelligence (Power BI) was added in Oct 2018.

The year 2019 became inconsistent for the topics I learned for the week. Some weeks its Power Pivot and Power Query one day, Python another day, and Power BI another day. Other weeks its Python and SQL one day, Excel another day, and VBA another day. Each week and each day were random topic or topics. I continued six days a week job training between Jul 2019-Nov 2019. No new topics were added.

Jan 2020-Mar 2024: The Light Bulb Turned On Bright

I built my second desktop PC in Jan 2020. Upgraded hardware. Windows 10 operating system. Office 365 subscription. Upgraded Ubuntu from 18.04 to 20.04. I also re-evaluated the topics. Power BI, Power Pivot, Power Query, Python, and SQL were the five topics each week. JSON were added on Apr 2020. A two group and two-week rotation started in Jun 2020 which continued to Mar 2024. The initial first group was Excel, Git, Linux, Power Pivot, Python, and SQL for six days. The initial second group was JSON, Power BI, Power Query, Python, and Sublime Text for six days. The COVID-19 global pandemic made the six day weekly rotation easier. Data analysis was combined with Power Pivot and dashboards was combined with Power BI starting on Aug 2020. I completed JSON in Sep 2020.

The year 2021 started with a winter break from Dec 20, 2020 to Jan 16, 2021. I changed my two group and two-week rotation. Excel and data analysis, finance, Power Query, Python, and SQL were the first group for six days a week. Git, Linux, Sublime Text; Power BI and dashboards; Power Pivot; and Python were the second group for five days a week. PowerPoint replaced finance in Jun 2021. R and R-Studio were added in Jul 2021 for Saturdays. Also, Access was added in Jul 2021 for which I finished in Nov 2021. Data analysis ended in Aug 2021. I took a Summer Sabbatical October 2021 from Oct 13, 2021-Thur Nov 4, 2021 because I was tired.

The groups changed in 2022. Excel, Power BI, Power Pivot, PowerPoint and dashboards, Python, and R and R-Studio were the first group for six days a week. Sun was the day off. Linux, Sublime Text, and Git; Power Query; Python; R and R-Studio; and SQL were the second group for five days a week. Thur and Sun were the days off. I combined Excel with PowerPoint and dashboards in the first group in Jul 2022. Thur and Sun were the days off for the first group and the second group in Jul 2022. R and R-Studio was replaced with another Python in the first group in Sep 2022.

I added Windows 10 drill training on Jan 2, 2023. Windows 10 became part of the first group. The Thur and Sun days off changed to Sat and Sun days off in Mar 2023. Jun 27, 2023 was the turning point. It was my senior year. It was time to wrap up the topics. It was time to final review everything. Here came graduation. The endgame began. Power BI, Power Pivot, Python, R and R-Studio, and SQL were the endgame topics. Git and PowerPoint and dashboards were excluded in the endgame topics. Excel, Linux, Power Query, and Sublime Text topics continued as drill training. Excel, Linux, Power Query, Python, SQL, and Sublime Text were the endgame first group. Power BI, Power Pivot, Power Query, Python, and R and R-Studio were the endgame second group. Oracle SQL was the first endgame final completed on Jul 10, 2023. Windows 10 stopped in Aug 2023.

The rest of the endgame topics were completed in 2024. I finished Power BI on Jan 16, 2024. I finished Power Pivot on Jan 17, 2024. I finished SQL on Feb 14, 2024. I finished R and R-Studio on Mar 7, 2024. Topics completed were replaced with incomplete topics; for instance, one week two days of R and R-Studio and two days of Python because Power BI and Power Pivot were finished. I finished Python on Mar 25, 2024. I congratulated myself graduating. I never paid for any online training courses.

Apr 2024-?: Never Stop Learning

I began researching new skills to self-train on Mar 26, 2024. The new skills are the graduate self job training. The topics are either Excel and Power Pivot or Excel and Power Query, HTML and CSS, JavaScript, Python, and WordPress. Power Pivot and Power Query rotates every two weeks with Excel. One group. Sat and Sun are days off. Never stop innovating. Innovate infinitely.

There are multiple family priorities since Apr 1, 2024. There is no graduate self job training as of today.

Suggested Learning Sources

Here are suggested YouTube video channels, online education, and books in alphabetical order.

YouTube
Corey Schafer. Multiple topics for beginners to experts.
EJ Media. HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and JQuery.
Excel Campus - Jon. Excel career training.
ExcelIsFun. Excel, Power BI, Power Pivot, and Power Query. Best for Excel newbies.
Kevin Stratvert. All purpose educational content creator.
Manish Sharma. Oracle SQL expert.
MarinStatsLectures-R Programming & Statistics. R-Studio.
MyOnlineTrainingHub. Excel and Power BI career training.
ProgrammingKnowledge. Linux, Ubuntu, and VirtualBox.
sentdex. Professional programmer.
Socratica. Educational courses.
thenewboston. Bucky is a genius in multiple programs and multiple technologies.
WiseOwlTutorials. Excel and Excel VBA.

Online Education
Codecademy. Free and paid courses in technology. Examples are AI, programming languages, web design, data analysis, and game development.
Codewars. Learn programming by solving problems. Free to join.
Kaggle. Download data sets to practice data analysis.
Project Euler. Solve mathematical problems by writing code. Create an account to track progress and access solutions which must be solved by the user first.
Socratica. Free and paid courses in math and science.
SQLZoo. Learn SQL following their tutorials.
w3resource. Free online tutorial to learn and to practice.

Books
M Is For (Data) Monkey by Ken Puls And Miguel Escobar. Beginner Power Query.
Master Your Data With Excel And Power BI by Ken Puls And Miguel Escobar. Intermediate to advanced Power Query.
Python For Kids by by Jason Briggs. If you can't understand Python written for children, then change your career choice.
Supercharge Excel by Matt Allington. Power Pivot or DAX.
Supercharge Power BI by Matt Allington. Power BI and Power Pivot or DAX.
The Visual Display Of Quantitative Information Second Edition by Edward Tufte. Create professional charts. No chart junk.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog March 2024

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. Measles and whooping cough were health headlines. The last two weeks of the month went by fast. Mar was the fastest month of the 2024 year. I began living a normal life slowly.

Fri Mar 1. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) dropped the minimum five day quarantine for people who tested positive for COVID-19. The new infections caused less severe illnesses, fewer hospitalizations, and fewer deaths. CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said there is immunity within the US population against COVID-19. The country is no longer experiencing large waves of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. There are predictable summer surges and winter surges on a smaller scale. The CDC wanted to align COVID-19 guidelines with other common viruses such as influenza and RSV. However, the five day quarantine remains for health care facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes.

Infected people should stay home to recover. People could leave their residence fever-free without medication for at least 24 hours and symptoms improve for 24 hours. However, the CDC recommended these people take additional precautions for five days including wearing a mask and limiting close contact with other people.

The current weekly average hospitalizations was 20,000. The current weekly average deaths was 2,000. 1.2 million Americans died. 95% of the recent hospitalized patients didn't receive the latest vaccine booster.

COVID-19 dropped from the third leading cause of death in 2020 and 2021, to fourth in 2022, and to tenth in 2023.

Mon Mar 4. The White House lifted regulations people working in close contact with the President and Vice President no longer require a negative COVID-19 test.

Tue Mar 5. A 62 year old man is vaccinated 217 times. The unnamed man from Germany received the COVID-19 vaccine over 29 months. No side effects. Researchers found his immune system produced a large amount of antibodies. No weaken immune response. He never tested positive for COVID-19.

Tue Mar 5. The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic subpoenaed New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The reason was the handling of nursing homes during the pandemic. Cuomo instructed nursing homes to admit recovering COVID-19 positive patients from hospitals. Cuomo reversed the admittance weeks later.

Tue Mar 5. I voted. I shopped at Costco. I overheard another customer the last time she shopped at Costco was four years ago.

Tue Mar 5. The US Government free at-home COVID-19 test program is suspended on Fri Mar 8. All orders placed on or before Fri Mar 8 are fulfilled. Each household order receives four rapid antigen tests. 1.8 billion free COVID-19 tests delivered. The free tests continue to be distributed to long-term care facilities, food banks, health centers, and schools. The free program is suspended for the sixth time. The nation's respiratory virus season ended. The last suspension was May 2023. It was reopened on Sep 25, 2023.

Wed Mar 6. Shopped at Costco Business Center.

Fri Mar 8. An emergency request from a family friend for a home repair. Got gas at Chevron. Shopped at Lucky.

Mon Mar 11. Shopped at Costco and Lucky.

Wed Mar 13. Paul Alexander who lived in an iron lung after contracting polio as a child died at the age of 78 from COVID-19. Alexander was known as The Man In The Iron Lung. He was paralyzed from the neck down in 1952 at the age of 6. The iron lung is a respirator which works like a person's diaphragm.

Fri Mar 15. Shopped at Costco. Light crowds. More people wore masks. Perhaps, the reason is hay fever or spring allergies. No bananas.

Sat Mar 16. Helped a family friend reorganize their residence. Ate at Chiptole. Shopped at Harbor Freight and Kohl's.

Sun Mar 17. Four year anniversary State Of California shutdown due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Sun Mar 17. Worked out at the gym for the first time since the State Of California shutdown due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The last time I worked out at the gym was Mon Mar 16, 2020.

Tue Mar 19. Former President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil was accused of falsifying his COVID-19 vaccination records. The accusation extended to 16 other people in his circles including his family members. Bolsonaro was one of the few world leaders against the vaccine.

Thur Mar 21. Watched NCAA March Madness Oakland vs Kentucky and NC State vs Texas Tech at the five minute mark during the second period.

Thur Mar 21. Life expectancy in the US increased in 2022 after declining in 2020 and 2021. The CDC reported life expectancy was 77.5 in 2022. Life expectancy was 76.4 in 2021. Heart disease is the number one cause of deaths. Cancer is number two. Unintentional injuries is number three. COVID-19 is number four.

Fri Mar 22. Watched NCAA March Madness Vermont vs Duke and James Madison University vs Wisconsin.

Sat Mar 23. Watched NCAA March Madness Michigan St. vs University of North Carolina at the ten minute mark during the first period.

Thur Mar 28. Shopped at Costco, The Home Depot, and Safeway.

Fri Mar 29. Helped a family friend reorganize their residence. Ate at Hong Kong City restaurant. I ate inside a restaurant for the first time since the State Of California shutdown due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Shopped at Costco Business Center.

Sun Mar 31. Watched NCAA March Madness Elite 8 NC State vs Duke part of the game.

No Job Breaks During My Job Search

I share my no breaks job search being long term unemployed in descending order. I forget all phone interviews. Phone interviews are phone interviews. Most of the phone interviews are recruiters instead of hiring managers for contract positions. Long-term unemployed can get job interviews.

*Dec 2019. I was interviewed for a data analyst position in a hardware networking company. A second interview was scheduled in Mar 2020. The reader should know the outcome given the date Mar 2020--the COVID-19 global pandemic. The company announced a hiring freeze.

*Feb 2019. A US based temp agency arranged a phone interview for a six-month data analyst contract. The company produced hardware chips for Internet-Of-Things. I requested a person-to-person interview because I needed to fulfill my due diligence. I experienced bad job opportunities because I failed my research. I was given an offer. I completed the paperwork. The 11th hour the agency said the contract was cancelled. I suspected a director in the division cancelled the contract.

*Aug 2018. The same US based temp agency arranged a business analyst contract for another hardware networking company. I passed the interviews. I passed the Excel test. The hardware networking company choose to hire a contractor internally.

*Nov 2017. A hospital interviewed me for a Customer Product Analyst. The hospital rejected all the candidates. I saw the same job ID with a different job title weeks later.

*Oct 2017. Google interviewed me for a Reporting Analyst II. I found out I was the sixth candidate to be interviewed. The five candidates previously interviewed were rejected because they failed the interview skills test. They must have failed intentionally. I realized why after the interview.

Side note: I took an Excel test during an interview for a low paying contract analyst position decades ago before my current long-term unemployment. The recruiter told me the contractor position was open for weeks. The recruiter must be desperate to fill the position. I arrived at the job site. I realized why the previous job interviewees intentionally failed the Excel test 30 seconds inside the building. High cubicle walls. No sound. Dull air. I forgot the idea of taking any position to strengthen my resume. The contract analyst position likely weakened my resume.

*Nov 2016. I interviewed for a four-month contract position at a software company for hospital information systems. I was interviewed for the incorrect position. Also, the job agency submitted my resume modified to the hiring manager.

*Jul 2016. A Canadian based aerospace company interviewed me for a database coordinator position. The panel interview consisted of all the department employees. The questions didn't match the job description. The technology used was outdated. It was a dead-end job.

*Aug 2013. Interview for a sales support position for a Taiwanese technology and manufacturing company at their Fremont, CA location. The interview was short. The questions asked were irrelevant to my experience. I suspected the hiring manager interviewed the weakest candidates to hire a specific worker. My interview was dead on arrival.

*Aug 2013.. Interview for an analyst position in the accounting department for a Japanese technology and manufacturing company. The interview was at their South San Jose campus. The hiring manager was fired for doing something illegal.

*Oct 2012. The position was a Contract Support Specialist for a biotech company in North San Jose. A friend helped me forward my resume to human resources because she knew someone responsible for hirings. I was approved for a first interview. Unfortunately, there was no interview because the San Jose location was incorrect. The correct location was in the East Coast.

*Sep 2012. I interviewed for an analyst position at my alma mater San Jose State University. I passed the Excel 2003 and Access 2003 exams administered to all job candidates. The actual interview half of the job requirements were not mentioned in the job description. I was unqualified. My interview was dead on arrival.

2023 Year In Review

The six nominations and its explanations for the moment of the year.

1. Job training. Excel, Python, R and R-Studio, Linux, Power BI, SQL, and more. The basics were learned. I began the endgame which was the final review, final practice, and combined documentation from my favorite books and favorite videos. Five days of training per week plus one day for life skills training.

2. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. I spent less time job training and more time finishing Moby-Dick for seven job training days. The last three chapters were the best final chapters I have ever read. I understand the jokes and references from other medias.

3. My 2005 Toyota Camry. The roof, trunk, left quarter panel, and right quarter panel were repainted. The headliner or the fabric inside the car's ceiling was replaced. I hand wash and hand wax four times a year to protect my classic car.

4. Physical fitness. My longest daily jog was 6.1 miles. I created a fifth workout plan for my mini home gym. I jogged with a knee brace on the right knee temporarily.

5. Wallstreet Bets. I learned more about Wall Street and financial investments in 2023 than in the past decades and the classes when I was a student at San Jose State University and De Anza College.

6. Video Games. I completed Left 4 Dead 2.

Explanation: The consistent and productive job training approached the final year like a senior year in college; moreover, I continued the Moby-Dick days spending less time job training like a graduating senior in high school suffering from senioritis. An all-time classic Moby-Dick deserved a nomination. Steve Jobs' biography by Walter Isaacson won in 2016. A Brief History Of Time by Stephen Hawking was nominated in 2022. Forget my car and video games. Too trivial.

I incorrectly mentioned my left rear knee injury in Nov-Dec 2022 from the 2022 Year In Review. It was my right rear knee. I learned a correct way to jog for which I don't need a knee brace. Wallstreet Bets continues my attention since Jan 2021. Financial education is part of my life skills training.

What Won: Physical fitness.

What Should Have Won: Physical fitness.

My Thoughts On The Winning Moment: I'm 0.1 miles away from running a 10k marathon. I continue learning better jogging techniques. I jogged from 3.0 miles in 2022 to 6.1 miles in 2023. I purchased a pair of ASICS jogging shoes not Nike for the first time. No major injuries.

Job training shouldn't win because I'm not completed with the training. It can win in 2023 when I complete the endgame.

2023 Letter Grade: B+. 2023 year ended fantastic. There were plenty of little wisdoms. There were plenty of wisdom reminders. Add those wisdoms for something big. Be grateful. Appreciate the present life. Don't take for granted the minimums food, shelter, and clothes; in addition, don't take for granted the Information Age minimums cell phones and computers with internet access. The minimums shouldn't be boring. There are some teenagers with wisdom beyond their years. There is a good way and there is a bad way to be patient. Life moves forward regardless of good moments and bad moments. The COVID-19 global pandemic survival mentality continues.

Past Moments Of The Years And Its Letter Grades

2022: Wallstreet Bets. Grade B.
2021: Wallstreet Bets. Grade B.
2020: First responders, doctors, nurses, and hospital staff. Grade B.
2019: Consistent gym workouts. Grade C+.
2018: Consistent gym workouts. Grade C-.
2017: O'Connor Hospital. Grade D.
2016: Steve Jobs' biography by Walter Isaacson. Grade F.
2015: Zion National Park. Grade A.

A Laboratory In The Men's Bathroom

I dreamed last night I got a job being too curious. My dream started in North San Jose. My brother, cousin, dad, and uncle traveled to a partially frozen lake to fish in North San Jose. The lake doesn't exist in real life. The five of us used silver fishing lures for our fishing poles. There was a R&D building on the other side of the lake. The dream changed from the lake to inside the R&D building.

I walked inside the R&D building. I went to the men's bathroom. There was one urinal. The rest of the bathroom was a laboratory for chemical experiments. The manager was my first manager at my first job. One moment the original four Strike Team detectives from the TV series The Shield did something suspicious.

I walked to the reception area. The CEO of the company occupied the reception desk. The CEO believed all guests and clients must be greeted by the top person. The corner of the reception was a 20 gallon commercial cylinder plastic garbage can with wheels below. A stainless steel pot was inside the can. A portable flame camping stove was underneath the can. There were indications of failed attempts to cook brown rice using the three objects.

I cooked the brown rice doing something silly and illogical. I removed the stainless steel pot. I poured brown rice inside the plastic garbage can. I added water. I turned on the portable flame camping stove. The CEO was oblivious. I walked to the men's bathroom. The laboratory was empty. New people entered the laboratory moments later. It was like another research staff shift. I stayed inside waiting for the rice to finish cooking.

I walked to the reception area. The brown rice cooked successfully. The CEO inspected the brown rice. He was satisfied. He offered me a job as an entry database analyst. I said I don't have recent experience. The CEO replied experience is irrelevant. Anybody could do the job. The HR department embellished the job description.

Curiosity killed the cat. Satisfaction brought it back.

Homeless Encampment Eviction Day Real Story

KTVU Fox 2 News reported on a homeless encampment eviction in Oakland, CA on Apr 10, 2023. YouTube link Eviction day for Oakland's Wood Street homeless encampment. The homeless were being cleared for a city affordable housing project. The news report was superficial. The YouTube comments and opinions told the real story. I select 24 posted below.

@kxngdavid 11 months ago: "They can't get rid of us. We're dug in like ticks." Spoken like a person who doesn't have any intentions of getting off the streets.

@juanitaannporras3775 7 months ago (edited): The woman who said, "Glorified prisons they're inadequate to feed the basic human needs and rights of a person" might not understand what being homeless means! The transition homes are a step up from sleeping on the sidewalk or living in a tent.

@gls3894 8 months ago: That woman is a prime example of a homeless person whom no matter how much money or [opportunity] you give her, she has no intention of leaving the street. Stop giving them free food and d.ope(sic) and they will leave.

@dylanberg1188 7 months ago: There are more than enough resources available for the homeless. Many of them simply don't want to take advantage of them. They would rather be homeless and live however they want than be exposed to any amount of accountability.

@02SCDC5 11 months ago: it has nothing to do with affordable housing AND EVERYTHING TO DO WITH DRUGS

@roroneto 8 months ago: The problem is that shelters don't allow the crime and filth they want to live in. It is not about housing or basic human needs; it comes down to antisocial behavior.

@leeboriack8054 11 months ago: As a person in recovery, you can't help someone, who doesn't want to participate in their own recovery or improving their life.

@m.scottreeder 11 months ago: I served 19 consecutive years in the Alabama Department of Corrections (2002-2021). Around ten days after release, I took a Greyhound from Montgomery, Alabama to Spokane, Washington, where I have been living here since release. When I first arrived in Spokane on 09/01/21, I sought shelter at House of Charity. They took me straight in, not once was I forced to sleep in the streets. There were (and always will be) places across Spokane to get a free meal, not just a bag of snacks. The VA, Goodwill, plus other agencies got me stable shelter, and I have not been homeless since. The point is, to get blessed with what I got, the person wanting to escape the streets MUST go all out to make the f***ing difference. No more excuse-making, smoking that fentapoison, casinos, and other BS. Keep all of your appointments with the VA, Goodwill, the Salvation Army--whomever!! You can't give up on yourself!! Your victory off the streets encourages others to go for it.

@dandorris8531 11 months ago: You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

@julieslatton8714 11 months ago: Looks at the mess you made if you can keep it clean maybe you wouldn't get evicted.

@exoressdelivers70 11 months ago: I volunteer at a shelter. We always have open beds available but most of the homeless don't come here because we have an 11:00pm curfew, no drugs or alcohol, and no cohabitating with someone who they're not married to. They say they'd rather live on the streets where they can be 'free'.

@MarcusTheJR 11 months ago: I was homeless myself, from South Carolina to North Dakota. And the overwhelming majority of homeless people don't wanna change. They aren't gonna work hard to not be homeless.

@kingofcorridosfilm2154 11 months ago: Interesting how them paying for their own housing was not even mentioned as an option.

@geigertec5921 11 months ago: It doesn't matter if they have homes or not, they create the same environment for themselves regardless. A neighbor of mine owned a nice house but lived like she was homeless - never cleaned up after herself, abused drugs and alcohol, didn't work, then she died of a drug OD and her body turned into a skeleton by the time anyone realized she was dead.

@catalinaWineMixerfan 11 months ago: I have been homeless with my son bc of bad decisions I made..but if you have a positive mind frame you can turn it around. I worked, we lived in a studio apartment, got government help like welfare and foodstamps, now my son is 16 and we have a good clean simple life. You can turn it around if you want to but you have to try and want it!

@sygnusadun4832 11 months ago: Currently homeless and living out of my pickup while I wait on my new apartment to open up. I've been homeless a few times from living in a storm drain to staying in a shelter and I can 100% vouch that these people 9/10 times don't want help or a way out, they want a handout and get mad when you wont give them one. I have risen out of the hole each time through hard work and frugal spending until I can reach a place of stability. You gotta want it, you gotta earn it

@lickourballs1atatimeok 11 months ago (edited): The HOMELESS don't want any responsibility

@uscustomzauto 11 months ago: These governors and the regular public need to realize that some of these people just want to live like this. It will never stop.

@janinecarson8380 11 months ago: There are different kinds of homeless people. There are the addicts, the mentally ill, and some for whom it's a lifestyle choice. And then there are those folks who just can't find an affordable place to live. The latter category should get the highest priority in my opinion.

@alangrant5684 8 months ago: You can build 1000 million dollar homes with total gov support and funding and it will STILL end up being the same crappy dump because of drug addictions and unwillingness to change.

@pangchang3332 11 months ago: I use to intern at a homeless shelter. Homeless people are some of the most ungrateful people I know. Literally 80% [didn't] want to help themselves. They were given every kind of help to help them get back on their feet or help them learn basic things to sustain their lives but they wouldn't take it they wanted everything to be given to them.

@allisonoconnor8055 7 months ago: Most of the homeless bums on the west coast aren't even from those cities originally

@DavidWilliams-so2dy 11 months ago: Transitional housing and shelter facilities must have rules and guidelines to function without total chaos. These guys aren't willing to abide by anyones(sic) rules. They want to be drunk and high all the time. They want to come and go as they please at all hours.

@saturnstar718 11 months ago: I've worked in social work, here's my estimate (*some people can fit in 2 or more categories):

5% of the people became homeless because of terrible life events (e.g. loss of job, medical issues, never got a high school diploma).

15% of the people became homeless because of mental health issues.

80% of the people became homeless because of DRUGS! They don't want shelters because there are curfews---they won't be allowed to use drugs. Lots of times when they get section 8, their homes become drug dens, affect neighbors and they get evicted.

For those serious about sobriety, let's get them help. Those who need mental health, let's help them (if they are so sick they can't make decisions, commit them indefinitely).

For those playing games and wanting to be "ticks" in their area---PRISON!

Many Breaks For Some People

Many successful people tell their reasons for success are hard work, good education, up-to-date skills, and networking. True. Many successful people withhold telling the accurate reason for success is breaks. The successful people are given the opportunities. The successful people are at the right place at the right time. Fortunate timing and good luck favor them. Support is available. There are generational hand-me downs. Parents, executives, extended family members, senior management, and/or close friends provide resources and fast-tracked career paths.

Today's Information Age good breaks and lucky bounces are the utmost importance. There are too many people. There are not enough opportunities to satisfy the number of people seeking opportunities. The costs are higher for training and education. Resources are expensive. Nothing is getting cheaper. The job employment market the supply is greater than the demand. The higher education market the demand is greater than the supply. Life is unfair.

Going Back To The Gym

I went back to the gym yesterday on Sun Mar 17, 2024 for the first time since Mon Mar 16, 2020. It was exactly four years ago yesterday Governor Gavin Newsom shut down the state of California due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. I've been working out at home with my mini gym. My mini gym consists of two adjustable dumbbells from 2.5lbs to 50lbs, a 25lb plate, a 45lb plate, and a workout mat.

I was rusty. The gym changed the name for marketing purposes. I recognized almost all of the equipment including machines, cardio, and free weights. The gym expanded the astro turf section. Almost all of the new equipment was found in the free weight section. The mini gym succeeded maintaining my physical strength. I could still bench press 135lbs two sets and 12 reps. I felt sore last night and today.

There is no comparison between a mini gym and a full gym. People who say a mini gym substitutes a full gym to avoid gym fees and to stay home for convenience shortchange their physical benefits. It was like when I changed job industries decades ago from commercial real estate to technology. The skills and knowledge in commercial real estate were inadequate in technology. I struggled for months learning new skills and unlearning my incorrect training.

I continue working out at home and going to the gym. The present weekly workout plan is two days jogging around the neighborhood, one day mini gym, and one day at the gym. The choices working out at the gym and working out at home gives me flexibility.

Correlation Does Not Imply Causation Short Education

Correlation means there is a relationship or pattern between two different variables. Causation means one variable or event causes another variable or event. The phase "correlation does not imply causation" is a false cause-and-effect relationship between two variables or events. "Correlation implies causation" is questionable when two variables or events occur together with a result. There is no logical conclusion or logical causation even though there is correlation between two variables or events.

We perform analysis to find what happened. A direct causation is A causes B. A reverse causation is B causes A. A common causation is A and B are both caused by C. A bidirectional or cyclic causation is A causes B and B causes A. A coincidence is no connection between A and B. Another explanation is A and B are correlated when A and B change and move together positively or negatively.

There are six reasons correlation does not equal causation. The first is an omitted variable. An omitted variable is a missing variable or missing factor. The second is an incorrect sample selection, incorrect data, missing sample selection, or missing data. The third is a mathematical error. The fourth is difficult to analyze. The fifth is coincidence. A reverse causation is the sixth.

Here are correlation doesn't imply causation examples:

*Ice cream sales and shark attacks increased during the summer months. More people ate ice cream caused more shark attacks. Correlation? Yes. Causation? No. There were more people in the beaches during the summer months.
*People who exercised were more likely to get skin cancer. Exercise caused skin cancer. Correlation? Yes. Causation? No. Sunlight exposure increased the chances of skin cancer. People reduced skin cancer by exercising more indoors and less outdoors.
*US universities awarded more Master's degrees each year since 1910. Movie theaters earned higher revenues each year since 1910. More people earned Master's degrees led to more people watching movies. Correlation? Yes. Causation? No. Global population increased since 1910. More people attended college. More people watched movies.
*The state of Maine divorce rate increased because margarine consumption per capital increased. Correlation? Yes. Causation? No. The divorce rate and margarine consumption were a coincidence.
*Pool drownings increased since 1910. Nuclear plants produced nuclear energy increased since 1910. Higher pool drownings caused more nuclear energy production. Correlation? Yes. Causation? No. More homes were built with more pools. Nuclear energy became more viable.
*A windmill spinning causes wind. Correlation? No. Causation? No. The wind causes a windmill to spin.
*Drinking too much alcohol caused lung cancer. Correlation? Yes. Causation? No. Smoking was a third variable. People who drank too much alcohol also smoked more causing lung cancer.
*The rooster crows when the sun rises in the morning. The rooster causes the sun to rise. Correlation? Yes. Causation? No. Coincidence. Obviously, the sun rises every morning.

The human mind likes to find patterns even when they don't exist. We formulate correlation and causation logic. It's important to distinguish between what variables or events to conclude causality. Determining causality is never perfect. In my opinion, concluding logical correlation imply causation is an art.

Update On A Past Blog

I wrote Did The Greatest Human Generation Doom Their Grandchildren And Their Future? on Mar 14, 2019. Millennials or Generation Y born between 1981 and 1996 and Zoomers or Generation Z born between 1997 and 2012 ask themselves why have children? Some of the present problems influence these two generations no raising families. The present problems include no retirement security, numerous wildfires, hotter summers, unaffordable childcare, expensive housing, mass shootings, and too much consumption. Generation Y and Generation Z may blame Generation X for artificial intelligence and robots replacing opportunities. Further, Generation Y and Generation Z may blame their grandparents during the Baby Boomers generation. Perhaps, the Baby Boomers forgot the tough lessons and rough lessons taught from their parents.

There is a pattern. Every generation blames the previous generation or previous two generations.

Here is the generation breakdown by the years people born in descending order:

*Generation Alpha: 2013-present
*Generation Z Zoomers: 1997-2012
*Generation Y Millennials: 1981-1996
*Generation X: 1965-1980
*Baby Boomers: 1946-1964
*Silent Generation: 1928-1945
*Greatest Generation: 1901-1927

Raymond Mar Political Opinions

Government system: Democratic
Political party: Republican. I'm anti-Trump.
Liberal, conservative, or moderate: Moderate
Economic system: Capitalism
LGBTQ recognition: Pro
Income tax: Flat tax system
Sales tax: Against
Legalize marijuana or cannabis: Yes
Gun policy right to bear arms: Pro
Abortion woman's right to choose: Pro
Schools teach cursive handwriting: Yes
Students attend more years in school: Transition kindergarten mandatory, grades K-5 primary school, grades 6-9 junior high, grades 10-13 high school
Fund police: Yes
Fund military: Yes
Fund fire: Yes
Universal basic income: Federal government pays US citizens $2,000 per month no questions asked
Immigration reform: Yes. Limit immigration is yes. Limit H1B visas is yes. American citizens are priority.
Mexican and US border wall: Yes
Rent control: Against
COVID-19 mandatory mask requirement: Yes. The mask mandate ends when people no longer need to wear masks in health care facilities.
Affordable Care Act or Obamacare: Against
Climate change: Pro. Tough changes and sacrifices required.
Government pays for free community college: Against
Fund Planned Parenthood: Yes
Death penalty: Pro; however, if the costs are too high, then against
Women in combat: Against
Euthanasia: Pro
Minimum wage or living wage: Yes
Affirmative Action: Against

More opinions can be found at ISideWith...

Update On A Past Blog

There is a Reddit post about US students behind in education The public needs to know the ugly truth. Students are SIGNIFICANTLY behind. on Feb 23, 2024. The Original Poster (OP) teaches high school. The OP listed what students can't do such as read at a high school level, write complete sentences, spell simple words, round numbers, calculate percentages, and no research skills. Multiple posts said today's students use calculators for simple match such as 4+6. Multiple posts said today's students improperly Google search for information and Google search to learn.

I wrote SOMT: Calculators Are Allowed on Jun 13, 2021 teachers allowed students to use calculators anytime. It started in my senior year in high school. My junior year in high school and my previous school years calculators were not allowed in tests. The teachers wanted to teach the math concepts and math theories.

I'm not a professional educator. Perhaps, education administrators need to go back to the old school days. Bring back phonics. Bring back flash cards. Bring back learning fun and games. Bring back practice, drills, memorization, practice, drills, memorization, practice, drills, memorization. Bring back learning the basics of the basics. Minimize use of calculators. Minimize use of computers. Minimize use of the internet. Eliminate distractions. If the use of computers and internet are approved, then teach students how to Google properly.

The 10 Percent Physical Is Much Bigger With 90 Percent Mental

A common success formula is 10% physical and 90% mental. The formula applies to sports, to many physical activities, and professional action activities. The 10% physical mathematically speaking is 10% out of 100%. However, the 10% is much bigger conceptually speaking.

Many people believe mental health is the most important in a human. Many people say good mental status is the top priority. A common knowledge mind, body, and spirit are important for a successful life. Many people neglect body and spirit. My easy definition of spirit is sleep. Sleep eight hours a night.

I speak counterintuitively. The body or the physical is below the brain. The physical or the body is the most important. I include oral hygiene, bathing, grooming, and body nurturing as part of them. A poor physical health makes mental health maintenance difficult. Exercise. Eat healthy. Minimize processed foods. Do all the above sincerely. Motivation is strengthen. The chances of depression decrease. Never stop learning. Innovate infinitely. Earn happiness with courage.

The person's look doesn't lie. The physical appearance tells the truth. The story is told by presentation.

Underachieve And Did Nothing About It

I dreamed last night I was an options trader about to be laid off. The company founder and CEO was Roseanne Barr.

I worked at a four story freestanding building. I rarely traded options because I'm conservative. I rarely cold called. My commissions earned was petty. One particular option was a call option for the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA) stock. A call option is a bet the stock price for DIA increases. The call option owner has the right and not the obligation to buy 100 shares of DIA for every one option of DIA at the call option price before a particular date. The DIA stock price must be at the call option price or above for the call option owner to buy the 100 shares. The call option price is called the strike price.

I was responsible for one DIA call option at a particular strike price. The DIA stock price traded above the strike price. I exercised my right for one DIA option to buy 100 shares. I kept the remaining options as options. My computer screen showed I was responsible for three call options. Three is too little for a professional options trader. The reader should deduce I was unqualified. The reader should also deduce I was lazy.

Enter Roseanne Barr

Barr walked to my station. She wanted to talk to me. I followed her from the third floor to her office on the first floor. The center of the building was an atrium with indoor trees and plants. We entered through a thick glass door. There was a waiting room consisting of ten chairs like a waiting room in a doctor's office. Barr told me to wait. I was the only person. Time passed. More people entered the waiting room. One person was a co-worker. He told me I was getting laid off. Barr entered the waiting room immediately. She became angry at my co-worker because I was informed of my laid off before she told me.

Barr told me she's ready for our conversation. We entered her office. Barr explained the reasons for being laid off. The reasons were standard: poor performance, lack of motivation to become a better worker, and the recession. I said, "The company is going to be bankrupt because fewer option traders and fewer clients buying and selling options." She acknowledged money spending is tightening.

Barr ran another business on the first floor. She was the owner of a spa. She offered me a one hour massage as part of my severance. I thought about the message. I woke up.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog February 2024

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. Headlines increased in Jan has decreased in Feb. Very few people wear masks after the winter surge.

Thur Feb 1. Shopped at Safeway and Lucky first thing in the morning.

A Center For Disease Control (CDC) study concluded the latest COVID-19 vaccine is 54% effective at preventing exposure to COVID-19; in addition, 49% effective against the JN.1 variant. The study looked at 9,000 people who received the vaccine at CVS and Walgreens pharmacies. Other countries reported similar conclusions. The latest CDC data stated 22% of US adults and 11% of US children received the latest vaccine.

Mon Feb 5. The CDC estimated 93.1% of COVID-19 infections is the JN.1 variant. There were signs the spread slowed. The South was the only US area the virus rose from wastewater detection. Early research concluded the JN.1 is not worse than previous strains in terms of severity.

Tue Feb 6. Shopped at Costco Business Center and got gas at Chevron.

Sat Feb 10. Busy at Costco during the 12pm hour. Very few people wore masks.

Sun Feb 11. Super Bowl LVIII.

Mon Feb 19. Researchers from the Global Vaccine Data Network released a study in the journal Vaccine. The study found an increase in neurological, blood, and heart related medical conditions for those who received certain types of mRNA vaccines. The conditions included heart muscle inflammation, blood clots in the brain, spinal cord inflammation, brain swelling, and Guillain-Barre syndrome. Guillain-Barre syndrome is a neurological disorder for which the immune system attacks the nervous system.

Fri Feb 23. 2012 Olympic gold gymnastics champion Gabby Douglas tested positive for COVID-19 at the Winter Cup. She withdrew from the competition.

Tue Feb 27. Errands at Firestone, Costco, Lucky, Harbor Freight, Toyota, a local library, and Goodwill.

Wed Feb 28. High risk people and people age 65 and older should receive a booster in the spring. The CDC said the booster offers the best protection for a summer surge; however, the CDC recommendation was unofficial because the director Dr. Mandy Cohen must sign off. Historical trends point to winter and summer waves. An official CDC recommendation is needed for health insurance providers to cover the COVID-19 booster cost. The booster is administered at least four months after the previous dose or at least three months after a COVID-19 infection.

The booster is the same vaccine approved last fall for the XBB.1.5 subvariant and effective against the JN.1 subvariant which caused 96% of new US COVID-19 infections in fall 2023. Weekly hospitalizations dropped from 35,000 in early Jan to 20,000 as of Feb 7.

Thur Feb 29. Power outage from 9:02am to 10:29am.

Throwback Blog: The Lesson To Be Successful Rarely Taught

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 The Lesson To Be Successful Rarely Taught written on Sep 12, 2018. Part of the title word Lesson should be Lessons in plural. The lessons are timing, luck, opportunity, and chance. I add how to learn from mistakes to the list of lessons. Teaching learn from mistakes is easier than timing, luck, opportunity, and chance. I also add motivation or desire is more important than knowledge or intelligence.

What is the lesson to be successful? The lesson is timing, luck, opportunity, and chance. How are timing, luck, opportunity, and chance taught? Impossible. If there is a way, then someone teach me. Also, if there is a way, then it's likely the teaching is difficult. Forget the quotes from the most successful people in business, sports, politics, and arts. Timing, luck, opportunity, and chance are four simple words to success. Many people can be engineers. Many people can be plumbers. Many people can be doctors and nurses. Many people can be accountants. Many people can be athletes making an income. Many people can be actors or actresses. Few people achieve those professions.

Are you at the right place at the right time? If yes, then timing favors you. Are you in good health? If yes, then you're lucky. Similarly, do you have a good brain and do you live in a good community? You have good luck. Do you have a complete college education or do you have good training? If yes, then you have opportunity. Do you have interviews? Do you have callbacks? Do you have invites? Do you have offers? Are you in the second round of an audition? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you have a chance.

Some people have the timing, luck, opportunity, and chance. Some people don't have the timing, luck, opportunity, and chance. There are winners and losers in championship games such as the Super Bowl and World Series. There are winners and losers in life. Some bad people win. Some good people lose. Life is unfair. Pray timing, luck, opportunity, and chance come to you.

Update On A Past Blog

Do you need a conversation starter? Do you need an ice breaker? Click Tell Me You Games for tips to get people talking. My tips I wrote on Dec 2014 may be silly. My tips are successful when people talk. The games bring back old school socialization. There are no texting, emailing, and video chatting. Everyone is present. Conversations are intelligent. Technology is okay to lookup information.

Nobody Weaker Than Me Kicked My Ass

I thought about the people weaker than me throughout my life from junior high school to my 30s. There were reasons why the weaker people I knew were weaker than me. I feared the weaker people become stronger than me. I feared the weaker people become better than me. I hated the weaker people whether they were my friends, co-workers, acquaintances, classmates, and family. I didn't want them to be in my presence.

What was my mistake? The fear should have motivated me to get stronger. The fear should have motivated me to get better. I should have worked to be a better child, better teenager, better student, and better young adult. I worked less than half-assed to prevent the weaker people becoming better than me. The end result was either the weaker people remained weak or the weaker people improved to match me. There was nothing to fear. Nobody overcame me.

The motivation to get stronger continues today. I include the motivation to get smarter and wiser. Physical fitness workouts improve indefinitely. Eight hours of sleep is required. Financial education is nonstop. I make a note to learn something every time I encounter a better person than me.

Bad Luck At Schools Predicted My Bad Luck Today

A common life wisdom is life changes. One example is schools. Connect the dots backwards. Reverse the timeline. I write a silly blog the school closures being bad luck from preschool to twelfth grade carried over decades later as an adult. Bad timing, circumstances beyond control, and somebody must lose are the same for the blog. Blame life. I include my preschool as another example of neighborhoods changing.

*Preschool: Closed at the end of the 1988-1989 school year. Demolished to build homes.
*Kindergarten and first grade: Closed at the end of the 1988-1989 school year. A Montessori school today.
*Second grade and third grade: Closed at the end of the 2021-2022 school year due to lack of enrollment.
*Fourth grade and fifth grade: Still exists.
*Sixth grade to eighth grade: Converted to a kindergarten to eighth grade school.
*Ninth grade to eleventh grade: Closed at the end of the 1990-1991 school year due to budget cuts. Became an adult alternative school. A private school today.
*Twelfth grade: Still exists.

Side note: My sister achieved the perfect three for three. She attended the same schools for grade school, middle school, and high school.

Seven Thirty In The Morning

I woke up at 7:30am today because my brother's family planned a last minute weekend visit. The air smelled cleaner. The air was crisped because of the rain and windy weather. I completed last minute quick cleaning housework. My brother's family arrived at 8:10am.

The last time I woke up early was Mar 2023. I have been waking up between 9am and 11am. I admit I'm inconsistent waking up in the morning. My late grandfathers on my dad's side and my mom's side must be angry. They woke up early for their responsibilities. On the other hand, they must be happy I did my share of keeping the household clean.

I go with the flow. Something happens causing me to sleep later than planned. I hope the flow moves towards sleeping earlier and waking up earlier.

Update On A Past Blog

I blogged My Two Grandfathers on Jul 3, 2018. I elaborated my grandfather on my mom's side keeping his house clean and organized. I elaborated my grandfather on my dad side on financial knowledge.

Top Ten Plus Three Equals Top Thirteen Stupid Blogs

I reread The Three C's: Choices, Consistency, Control blog written on Apr 2, 2013. The blog was about following the three C's to become successful. I was inspired to compile my stupid blogs. Nobody is perfect. Disclosing my stupid blogs is an example of being honest. New lessons or corrected lessons are learned. The Three C's is number one in the top thirteen. Six of the thirteen blogs or 46.2% were in 2013. 2013 was my worse year of written blogs. Here are the top ten plus three equals top thirteen stupid blogs.

13. A Million Dollars Or Your Life (Sep 14, 2013). My brother and I discussed philosophically when we were children do you want a life or a million dollars? We choose life because a million dollars is nothing without a life. Times have changed. Attitudes have changed. Today's lifestyle a million dollars can solve some life problems even in 2013.

12. Raymond's Calendar Year (Jan 17, 2015). I wrote my personal calendar year started on September instead of January with no reasons. Stupid.

11. My 30s Is Like Developing A Baseball Player (Oct 1, 2012). I documented my life when I turned 30 years old in 2004 like a baseball player starting his professional career. I said I'm going to be an all-star starting in 2012. No all-star. I was released from my baseball team in 2013. I'm taking oddball jobs including working the night shift at Costco.

10. My Personal Circle Of Trust (Nov 18, 2017). I wrote I trust myself by creating an inner circle consisting of intuition, a new circle of friends, learning new job skills, staying active, and growing wisdom. Control, Consistency, Choices, and Proactive (CCCP) is also inside my circle of trust. I didn't need to create a trust circle. CCCP is part of the number one in the top thirteen.

9. Bring Back Emotional Thinking (Sep 25, 2013). I don't understand what I wrote when I brought back emotional thinking. I'm still confused rereading the blog.

8. Naivety Is Ageless (Apr 12, 2016). I didn't need to write a blog adults can be naive. I didn't need to write five paragraphs. Perhaps, the point of the blog is the reader becomes naive.

7. Board and Can’t Quit Your Job? Try A New Work Schedule (Dec 2, 2005). I was bored--not board. Anyone can quit. I should have started finding another job instead of requesting a new work schedule. Nothing changed.

6. My Professional Dream Work Environment (Sep 21, 2013). I said open workspaces. Am I kidding myself!?! What other companies besides Google provide free food; free drinks; on-site physical activities, childcare, auto repairs, banking, dry cleaning; and relaxing areas for pool tables, foosball tables, ping pong, and video games. My answer is fewer companies today compared to 2013.

5. High School Fee (Mar 19, 2009). I wrote high school students pay $100.00 each year. Stupid.

4. My Open Cover Letter (Sep 17, 2012). The blog is a job employment cover letter. Don't read it. I'm embarrassed. I was naive. I was stupid.

3. An Extremely Great And Terrible Week (Jan 26, 2013). The blog was many blogs about recent events which should not have been written throughout 2013. These recent events blogs were written just to write a blog. I expressed my frustrations.

2. Give First To Receive Later . . . Wrong (Apr 16, 2006). What I wrote incorrectly was give first, receive later. What I write incorrectly was give something to receive something. There is no automatic receive later. There is no automatic receive something.

1. The Three C's And A P And Two More P's: Choices, Consistency, Control, Proactive, Professional, Personal Responsibility (Apr 2, 2013, May 4, 2013, and Jan 3, 2018). Thanks goodness I never answered an interview question with the three C's and the three P's. The three C's and the three P's are the stupidest idea I created.

The San Francisco 49ers Third Super Bowl Lost Hurts The Most

Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime in Super Bowl LVIII on Sun Feb 11, 2024. The Chiefs earned the back-to-back championship. I believe the 2024 Super Bowl hurts the most because head coach Kyle Shanahan did everything correct. He did it right. There are no guarantees. There is a winner. There is a loser. It's football. The 49ers lost the 2013 Super Bowl and the 2020 Super Bowl.

Shanahan couldn't control luck and timing. The 49ers experienced bad luck and bad timing. Debilitating injuries are bad luck. Lineback Dre Greenlaw torn his Achilles. Right guard Jon Feliciano injured his arm. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel injured his hamstring. Tight end George Kittle injured his shoulder. Samuel and Kittle returned to the game. My intuition told me running back Christian McCaffery was injured. Nobody controlled injuries. Another bad luck was the muffed punt. A punt bounced off Darrell Luter, Jr.'s foot inadvertently resulting in the Chiefs to recover.

Outcoached By Keeping Their Men Informed

Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones said head coach Andy Reid talked with the team about the new overtime playoff rules. If the 49ers scored a touchdown and kicked a one point on its opening overtime possession, then the Chiefs planned to go for a two point conversion if we scored a matching touchdown on its overtime possession. Multiple reports stated some 49ers didn't know the new overtime playoff rules. The new overtime playoff rules short explanation is each team is guaranteed one offensive possession. The overtime becomes sudden death at the beginning of the third possession if the score is tied. The new playoff rules started in 2022.

I'm in the minority. Shanahan made the correct choice to receive the ball after winning the overtime coin toss.

Moreover, a bad timing moment. The 49ers were the guinea pigs as the first NFL team to play offense with the new overtime playoff rules. The 30 other teams know what to do. The Chiefs received confirmation their plan going for two to win if they needed a touchdown on their possession. The overtime goal is either score a touchdown and score a two point conversion or bust.

Update On A Past Blog

Today's blog reminded me of the blog I Did It Right written on Nov 14, 2013. I can't control everything. Do the best I can. Forget the written bullshit.

Every Person Has A Breaking Point Dream

I dreamed last night I worked at my second company in the commercial real estate industry. It was a dark dream like a dark comedy or dark drama. The two-story office building prepared for a Valentine's Day celebration. The air, the environment, and the lighting felt dark except the reception area. There were no decorations. One of the administrative staff prepared many bowls of candy bars like Halloween. Perhaps, the Halloween explained the darky feeling. The back area prepared for a barbeque.

I worked in the Research Department. One of my primary responsibilities was maintaining the database. There was one R&D broker who needed closed deals entered in the database. The broker was a professional, a top producer, patient, respected, and focused. He was preparing a presentation for one of his top clients in the early afternoon. I received the closed deals he submitted in the department inbox in the morning. I delayed entering the closed deals. The broker asked me did I input the closed dealers. I answered, "I get to it." I was distracted. I was interrupted. One incident involved an industrial broker's daughter who started today as an intern. She was going to take my workspace. I was going to take my co-worker's workspace. My co-worker was going to be fired. I refused to switch my workspace. The conversation between the R&D broker and I continued throughout the morning.

Another conversation was during the 12:00pm hour. I didn't input the closed deals in the database. The R&D broker lost it. He grabbed me by the throat with two hands. He lifted me up. He threw me through a window on the second floor. I fell down at the back area where the barbeque was held. My body shattered. Blood came out from my body. I died immediately.

The dream fast forwarded to the evening. The perspective changed to third person who was me watching from above. Maybe I was a ghost. Maybe I was an angel seeing from heaven. The sheriff's department arrived at the R&D broker's house. The R&D broker's wife distracted the deputies as they walked inside the house tactically. He was an emergency medical technician before he became a commercial real estate broker. He drove out of the garage in an ambulance. He crashed the ambulance at another house on the same street. Additional deputy units were around the neighborhood. They surrounded the crashed ambulance. I woke up.

My morale of the dream is every person has a breaking point.

Instant Bullets Blog Feb 8, 2024

*The US Prison System. I read from an ex prison guard. Sex based offenses aren't tolerated in general population. The prison he worked these convicts are called SO. The SOs shower separately. SOs, severe mental illness, and ex law enforcement are separated in protective custody units.

Moreover, a lot of prisoners need help. They ended up locked up with sociopaths. Most are under-medicated or over-medicated. All are undertreated.

*Similarly, the foster care system is similar to prisons. Combining children with trauma and mental health problems don't make a nurturing environment. Foster care facilities are a jail for children.

*cordon: a line of circle of police, soldiers, or guards to prevent access to or from an area or building. Prevent access to or from an area or building by surrounding it with police or other guards. The troops cordon around the headquarters. The city center was cordoned off after fires were discovered in two stores.

I thought cordon was pronounced "corner off" when I was a child.

*The World Needs More Kind Teachers. Teachers communicate silently to their students writing notes. Next, teachers walk up to the student's desk to give additional help instead of calling out the student in class. It avoids potential shame.

*Is The Color Grey? Follow the instructions. Both blocks are the same color. Use your finger to cover the middle line. Light plays an important role in how we perceive color.

You may cover half of the middle line above or below.

*Internal Monologue. There are brain mechanisms which cause a person to hear himself or herself talk in their head without speaking. On the other hand, a person visually hears himself or herself talk if he or she doesn't hear his or her inner voice. For example, a person visually looks at a to-do list and can't hear himself or herself think.

*Aphantasia is the inability to visualize images in the brain. Mind blindness. Aphantasia is pronounced a-fan-tas-ia.

*A cow is female given birth to a calf. A heifer is a female cow not given birth to a calf. A bull is a fertile male. A steer is a castrated male calf. An ox is a fully grown castrated male.

*Miscarriage And Stillbirth. A miscarriage is a loss of a baby before the 20th week of pregnancy. A stillbirth is loss of a baby at or after 20 weeks of pregnancy. A miscarriage and a stillbirth describe pregnancy loss.

*Harry Potter. Diagon Alley is diagonally. Knockturn Alley is nocturnally. Grimmauld Place is grim old place.

*Snap Fingers. The snapping fingers sound is from the fingers hitting your palm. Specifically, the middle finger hitting your palm. The sound is not the friction between your middle finger and thumb.

Snap your fingers. Hit the palm hard with your finger.

*A Child Is Thirsty. A child asks the parents for a glass of water late night. One of the parents is lazy walking to the kitchen. The mom or dad gets water from the bathroom. The child complains he or she wants kitchen water. Water is water. Don't be fussy.

*Dear Abby Oct 24, 2023. 1. The dad is a bad cook. Her advice is the entire family cooks together. 2. Son getting married and father wants to bring his special friend because mother has dementia. Her advice is no special friend because his special friend is a wedding distraction. 3. Old high school girlfriend heard old high school boyfriend arrested wants to contact his mother. Her advice is contact approved because they continue their relationship. Click Dear Abby Tue Oct 24, 2023 to view the column.

*Rank from 1 to 5 being 1 most important and 5 least important the following: emotional, financial, mental, physical, and spiritual. My rank is 1 physical, 2 mental, 3 spiritual, 4 emotional, and 5 financial. I define my spiritual as sleep because I have no religion.

*Human beings don't know what they need until they have seen what they asked for.

*sanctimonious: making an exaggerated show of holiness or moral superiority. A sanctimonious control freak.

*omniscient: knowing or seeming to know everything. I'm the omniscient narrator.

*Can a person experience the highs without experiencing the lows?

*Make A Marriage Bet. Make a marriage wager. Look at the groom when the bride walks down the aisle in a church. Don't look at the bride. Make the appropriate bet.

Another note. Neither the bride nor the groom wants to reverse engineer or connect the dots backwards a failed marriage. The multivariant equations are weaponized.

*A Granola Person. Granola loves the outdoors, low maintenance, and conscious of the environment. The outside activities including camping, hiking, and skiing. Granola supports local businesses. Granola eats organic foods.

*Successful Marriage? Yes or no. A couple is married for 50 years. 47 of the 50 years are miserable. The couple is not divorced.

*The secret lies in the reading and the writing. You are able to read. Every day you must read one page from some good book to your child. Every day this must be until the child learns to read. Then she must read every day, I know this is the secret. --Mary Rommely, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog January 2024

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. COVID-19 cases and flu cases surged. Headlines continued to increase. The 2024 year started out slow.

Mon Jan 1. Wastewater data showed high levels of flu, COVID-19, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in the Bay Area. The Santa Clara County Department Of Public Health data showed the third highest levels since 2021 for the City Of San Jose.

Wed Jan 3. Florida State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo wanted healthcare providers to stop administering the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. The reason was the Food And Drug Administration (FDA) didn't show evidence the mRNA vaccines can't cause cancer. Public health experts and federal officials dispute Ladapo's statement.

Thur Jan 4. Shopped at a Costco Business Center.

A study from the University Of California-San Francisco (UCSF) found patients who took the COVID-19 pill Paxlovid didn't significantly lower the risk of long COVID for vaccinated people. The outcomes were similar for patients taking Paxlovid and for patients not taking Paxlovid for long COVID symptoms. A COVID rebound was higher than expected for patients taking Paxlovid. Paxlovid is effective for the unvaccinated. UCSF reiterated Paxlovid is a good treatment to prevent COVID-19 for high risk people.

Fri Jan 5. The JN.1 variant accounted for 61.6% of COVID-19 cases according to the Center For Disease Control (CDC). The JN.1 is a descendant of the BA.2.86 variant. JN.1 represented 3.3% of the total cases in mid Nov 2023. Hospitalizations increased for the eighth consecutive week to levels as of Jan 2023. The CDC said either the JN.1 is more transmissible or better at evading the immune system. Experts said there is no evidence the JN.1 has different symptoms or causes more severe illness. The positivity levels in wastewater samples are higher compared to Jan 2023 in the US. 19.4% of adults received the updated vaccine as of today.

Sat Jan 6. An uncle, aunt, and a cousin tested positive for their first times.

Mon Jan 8. The CDC stated 38 states and New York City are experiencing high or very high levels of respiratory illness activity. These activities include flu, COVID-19, RSV, and the common cold.

Mon Jan 15. The Oakland Unified School District announced students and staff who tested positive for COVID-19 can attend class as long as they don't have any symptoms. These students must wear a mask while indoors. The five day isolation period for testing positive is removed. Wearing a mask is optional policy started on Apr 2022.

Wed Jan 17. The genetic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID-19 was submitted to the National Institutes Of Health database two weeks before the Chinese government released the genetic sequence. The submittal didn't indicate the origin of the coronavirus.

Virologist Dr. Lili Ren of the Institute Of Pathogen Biology at the Chinese Academy Of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College submitted the genetic sequence to GenBank on Dec 28, 2019. GenBank is a public genetic sequence repository managed by the National Center For Biotechnology Information which is part of the US National Institutes Of Health. Ren's submission was incomplete. The submission was removed on Jan 17, 2020. Another submission was published on Jan 12, 2020 from GenBank.

China informed the world of SARS-CoV-2 on Jan 7, 2020. The outbreak started in Wuhan.

Wed Jan 17. The California Department Of Health released new guidance on people who tested positive for COVID-19. The isolation period is reduced from five days to one day. These people must be fever free for 24 hours. Wear a face mask when there are other people indoors for 10 days. Stop wearing a mask after two negative tests at least one day apart. Avoid high risk people for 10 days such as the elderly and weakened immune systems.

The CDC reported 21% of US adults and 8% of US children received the updated vaccine. The CDC also reported 24% of CA adults and 7% of CA children received the updated vaccine.

Fri Jan 19. The San Francisco Department Of Public Health closes its six community testing and vaccination sites on Feb 1, 2024. The reasons are budget constraints and fewer people getting vaccinated. The end of the COVID-19 emergency stopped funds to pay for the sites.

Tue Jan 23. Shopped at Costco at the 10am hour. It was dead inside.

Thur Jan 25. Shopped at Smart & Final Extra.

The CDC estimated 86% of COVID-19 cases are the JN.1 variant. Hospitalizations increased 200% for influenza, 51% for COVID-19, and 60% for RSV over the last month.

Fri Jan 26. UCLA researchers looked at 199 babies born between Apr 2020 and Aug 2022 to study the chances of babies experiencing respiratory distress. None of the babies tested positive for COVID-19. The odds of respiratory distress in babies born from unvaccinated mothers increased three times compared to vaccinated mothers.

Respiratory distress in infants is defined as difficulty breathing within 24 hours after birth. Also, pregnant women tested positive increases the chances of a premature birth or stillborn baby.

Fri Jan 27. The IRS told the Senate Finance Committee 95% of the employee retention tax credit were fraudulent. Congress created the program for businesses to keep workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The initial cost was $55 billion. The cost was $275 billion as of July 2023. Congress is considering ending the program. A higher tax credit for low-income families replaces the employee retention tax credit.

Top Ten Plus Eight Equals Top Eighteen Improved My Quality Of Life I Wished I Did Them Sooner

Anything goes big or small. Never stop improving. Never stop innovating. Innovate infinitely. These improvements changed my life. We experience the "I wish it happened before." Better late than never. Here are the top ten plus eight equals top eighteen improved my quality of life I wished I did them sooner.

18. No More Family Guy. I donated all my Family Guy DVDs. My intelligence improved afterwards. I can't explain it.

I also donate DVDs and books I'm no longer interested. Free shelf space. Less clutter.

17. Cursive Writing. I started to write cursive again on Jul 1, 2017. Writing became faster.

16. Ambient Light. I installed an LED soft white light strip behind my desktop PC and along the wall on Dec 2019. My eyes strained less at night.

15. Harry Potter. I read Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling for the first time in Sep 2019. I read the series three times.

14. Trekking Poles. I backpacked with a rented walking stick for the first time at The Narrows Top To Bottom at Zion National Park on Oct 3-4, 2015. The pole saved my ass. I upgraded all hiking equipment and purchased new camping equipment afterwards. I always hike with trekking poles.

13. No More Sunday Worries. I worried about Mondays on Sundays throughout my childhood and my young adulthood. The worrying stopped when I learned worry about tomorrow--tomorrow. Live the present.

12. The Power Of Goodbye. Be brave to retire. Be courageous to move forward. It's time to move on. People grow apart. It's time to say goodbye. It's life.

11. It's Okay To Quit. Most things don't work. It's okay to quit. Stop when something is not working out. No need to be arrogant.

10 Steve Jobs. I read the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson on Mar 2016. I promise people change after reading the book. A few examples are the following: Picasso had a saying--"good artists copy, great artists steal"--we have always been shameless . . . stealing great ideas; innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have; quality is much better than quantity; and the journey is the reward. I read the book twice.

9. Run Raymond Run. One example the COVID-19 global pandemic changed my life is I jog more miles. I jogged 1.5 miles and rode the stationary bike for my cardio workouts at the gym before the pandemic. My longest distance is 6.1 miles.

8. Release The Cherish. Number eight is a number twelve extension. I was too sentimental. I was afraid to leave my comfort zone. I failed to say goodbye to people, to places, and to objects. We encountered new people, new places, and new objects. We made a choice to keep an existing cherish or choose a new cherish. Sometimes we said goodbye to a cherish to continue living.

7. Diet And Cooking. One benefit learning how to cook is I minimize eating junk food, eating processed food, and eating at restaurants. No moderation. Yes minimizing. I don't drink milk. I reduce my water intake drinking less than eight glasses of water a day. I drink when I'm thirsty.

6. The Shawshank Redemption. It took me decades to watch the movie. I mention no spoilers. There is a reason the movie is number one in IMDB's Top 250 Movies.

5. Job Training. Never stop learning new job skills. Never stop reviewing existing job skills. Learn, drill, practice, and repeat; likewise, to any and all skills and knowledge.

4. Grow Up. I grew up for the first time on Sat Oct 4, 2008. My life changed forever. It was time to grow up. No more immaturity. No more taking life for granted. I'm responsible for my life. Life is much better from a mature point of view. The changes were immediate. New clothes, new PC, new gym workouts, fiction books, new board games, and new hobbies such as ballroom dancing and hiking.

3. Timing And Luck. Timing and luck are factors to be successful. Opportunities and chances are required to be successful, too. If a person is not at the right place and the right time, then there are no opportunities and no chances.

Chances happen every second. The future is unknown. We take a chance something good or something bad comes tomorrow. We hope we are at the right place at the right time. Timing and luck are in favor. We hope we're not at the wrong place at the wrong time. Timing and luck aren't in favor. Life is unfair.

We control as much as we can to increase the odds. We can't control everything. Sometimes life decreases the odds. Stop counting the bad luck moments. Forget the bad timing instances. Add up the bad luck and bad timing creates frustrations, loses focus, depletes strength, increases stress, and forgets priorities.

2. Personal Boundaries. Set boundaries. If people don't set boundaries, then other people set the boundaries. People's lives are terrible when they worry about making their own choices and don't make their own choices. It's okay to say no without excuses.

1. Motivation. Desire is more important than knowledge. I will is prioritized over I know. Motivation is greater than knowledge.

The Management Job Training Objectives Are Bullshit

The pic above is my objectives for the first six months when I worked at a retail start-up. The store sold high-end wine, beer, and sake at discount prices in the store and online. I worked in the back-end of the store where the inventory was received and stored. My job title was Data Entry/Bookkeeper. The title was misleading. My primary responsibilities were receiving inventory, researching prices, and entering products to the webpage.

The title speaks for itself. The program is self-explanatory. It's bullshit. I share my observations. I share my thoughts.

*Areas of Responsibility (AORs) was mentioned once.

*Nobody received monetary bonuses. Nobody received training for the objectives.

*It was impossible for the front-end workers to enter data. The reason was customer service. The objectives were miscategorized. Financial statements?!? The employees worked in retail.

*I'm not an English major. The writing was terrible. The formatting was inconsistent. Also, management didn't write the sheet. An assistant must have written the objectives. Management approved by a 5 second scan.

*Retail workers earning retail pay were not going to accomplish 80% of the objectives. 20% of the objectives were accomplished naturally such as customer service, knowing the products, and supporting events offsite.

*Management neither encouraged not tracked employee objectives.

*Social media was outdated. Social media rarely marketed upcoming events to their followers. The company didn't employ a marketing specialist.

*Targeted customer e-mails, marketing, web content, artwork, etc.?!? The employees worked in retail.

*Finally, the last bullet point on technical skills not related to webpage. The company was lucky I knew PowerPoint, Excel, Word, SQL, and Access. I used the tools to assist in auditing inventory.

I didn't read the sheet during my employment. If I did, then I probably raise a red flag and begin looking for another job. The store went out of business 6.5 years later. I tip my hat 6.5 years was a long time for a retail business.

My Greatest Favorites Of All Time

I share my greatest favorites of all time.

*Professional Athlete: Michael Jordan

*Musical Band: The Beatles. My favorite song is Let It Be.

*Board Game: Puerto Rico

*Nonfiction Book: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

*Fiction Book: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

*Comic Strip: Peanuts

*Bay Area Sports: Joe Montana from the San Francisco 49ers, Stephen Curry from the Golden State Warriors, Buster Posey from the San Francisco Giants, Joe Pavelski from the San Jose Sharks, and Chris Wondolowski from the San Jose Earthquakes.

*Calendar Year: 2005

*Calendar Month: November

*Calendar Day: Sat Oct 4, 2008

*Semester At San Jose State University: Fall 1996

*TV Series: Breaking Bad

*Anime Series: Full Metal Alchemist

*Video Game: The Legend Of Zelda for console. Gauntlet II for arcade.

*Harry Potter Book: Year Seven

*Movie: The Shawshank Redemption

*Meal: Broccoli beef with rice

*Candy Bar: Milky Way

*Cookie: Sugar

*Cereal: Cheerios

*Number: 40

*Color: White

*Favorite Sesame Street Character: Cookie Monster

*Classical Music: Mozart

*Modern Classical Music: Helen Jane Long

*Soda: 7-UP

*Actor: Cary Grant

*Actress: Meryl Streep

*Innovating Common Knowledge Blog: No answer.

Update On A Past Blog

I forgot another Fry's moment for the blog Top Ten Plus Four Equals Fourteen Fry's Electronics Moments written on Feb 25, 2021. I shopped at Fry's Electronics on Black Friday 2005. I blogged the only store I shopped I Fried Fry's Electronics written on Nov 25, 2005. I didn't purchase a projector screen because the line was too long. I'm glad I didn't because I never pursued watching movies on a projector. Online shopping and the COVID-19 global pandemic changed Black Friday decades later.

Permanent Unemployment

*Charlie composed a message to his LIT 101 online class*
"Dear Fellow Journeymen:
One last lesson:
Fuck these ridiculous essays.
FUCK the readings.
JUST WRITE ME SOMETHING HONEST."

"These assignments--they don't matter. This course doesn't matter. College doesn't matter. These amazing, honest things you wrote--they matter." --Charlie, The Whale (2022)

Today's blog is posted at Innovating Common Knowledge and Finding Raymond Mar. Today's blog or essay is inspired from the two quotes above from the movie The Whale (2022). I choose Permanent Unemployment as the topic.

I speak for some long-term unemployed people. The job market has been rough for years. I experience phone interviews, person-to-person interviews, incorrect position interviews, mismatched skills and mismatched experiences interviews, 11th hour job offers rescinded, and another candidate was hired. The job market is harsh today and tomorrow regardless of a good economy or bad economy. The number of job candidates increases at the end of every academic year. The number increase applies to all education levels and all job openings. There are not enough blue-collar jobs and not enough white-collar jobs for the too many job candidates. The demand is greater than the supply.

Further, artificial intelligence (AI) replaces human jobs. I'm not a software engineer. Give it time. AI never stop innovating. A rational executive saves money replacing human labor with a 90% success rate AI. AI can replace outpatient doctor consultations, accountants, and data analysts. I'm not a robotics engineer. AI may not replace a plumber; although, a robot may.

A rising tide raises all boats. More jobs require additional skills and addition experiences. Education is expensive. Training is expensive. Knowledge is more technical; for instance, a Kohl's employee didn't know how to use its proprietary tablet scanner when I picked up an online order. More time is required to learn. More time is required to train. Higher incomes are earned for people who succeed in acquiring the additional skills and additional experiences. Job security is stronger for people who master their responsibilities.

Timing and luck are part of finding employment. Qualified candidates are subjective. Qualified candidates are relative. A job candidate may be a top five in one position. The same candidate may be in the bottom hundreds in another position. It depends on the hiring manager's expectations. It depends on the company. The qualified candidate found the position immediately. He or she is an early job applicant. Conversely, the qualified candidate found the position days later. He or she may be rejected because too many job applications are submitted. Moreover, networking is overrated. Networking does matter; however, imagine a scenario where a hiring manager receives dozens of qualified resumes for the hiring manager's dozens of networks. I remember a conversation with a friend decades ago. If we were educated in the same field, then why help each other find jobs. We want the job. We need an income. The bottom line is everything matters.

Unemployed Me

I'm doing the best I can. I self-train new skills such as Python, R-Studio, Power BI, and Linux. I review existing skills such as Excel, SQL, and data analysis. I'm catching up what I missed in previous jobs. I'm catching up what I missed in my younger years. Also, I learn life skills such as tying rope knots, folding paper airplanes, and using a navigating compass. Never stop learning. The clique wisdom is emphasized in today's Information Age. Never stop innovating.

When am I going to quit job searching? When am I going to stop learning? The quick answer to the two questions is not today. There's no reason to quit searching. There's no reason to stop learning. I'm unemployed. I live with my parents. I'm the George Costanza in the family. There is too much free time. I learn indefinitely. It's better than watching TV and playing video games eight hours a day. I stay sharp because a miracle can happen. Timing and luck favor me. I found a new job. I read books, exercise, cook for my parents, maintain the household, write blogs, and watch a weekly movie when I'm not being a self-professional. I'm fortunate there is family support.

The long answer to the two questions is I stop when I'm permanently unemployed. Age is a factor. Resume gaps are a factor. Weak working experience is a factor. Missing skills are a factor. A benefit to job searching is knowing what skills are required for my profession. These factors are not excuses to stop searching and stop learning.

The statements, "a rising tide raises all boats," "more skills are required," and "higher expectations" are valid when job candidates read job descriptions. A cash sweepstakes or a prize contest disclaimer "many people enter, few people win" applies to job candidates applying to multiple job positions. I'm not dumb. People are not dumb. Life is too hard.

Update On A Past Blog

There are two more moments for the blog Top Ten Plus Six Equals Top Sixteen Moments Never On A Top Ten Before written on Jan 11, 2024. I add the 1986 Lake Tahoe trip where my family, my cousin's family, and a friend of the family's family stayed at a cabin. I touched snow for the first time. I include a 1987 Lake Tahoe trip for which I remembered reading a self-help book. The last sentence said, "Normalcy will return." My brother, cousin, and I went fishing at a retail fishing pond.

I also add my sister acquired tickets to watch a live Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? gameshow at a local mall in summer 1994. The game was held at the food court. The host Greg Lee moderated the show with children contestants.