Children Following Sports Should Learn Life Is Unfair

There are four major professional sports leagues in North America. The National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), and Major League Baseball (MLB). The NBA has 30 teams divided in two conferences and six divisions total. The NFL has 32 teams divided in two conferences and eight divisions total. The NHL has 32 teams divided in two conferences and four divisions total. MLB has 30 teams divided in two leagues and six divisions total.

What is one commonality among the four sports leagues? The answer is one team wins their championship in a season. All other teams lose. One NBA Finals winner. One Super Bowl winner. One Stanley Cup winner. One World Series winner. There is no second-place winner. There are no playoff participation awards. There are lots of good teams in each league. A few of the good teams are championship caliber. I repeat. Only one team wins their championship. All other teams lose. Life is unfair.

There are more popular teams. There are less popular teams. There are teams the ownership provides the necessary monetary funds. There are teams the ownership limits monetary funds. There are teams with many all-stars. There are teams with few all-stars. There are teams in big markets. There are teams in small markets. There are teams with good coaching staff. There are teams with bad coaching staff. There are teams with the latest stadiums and facilities. There are teams with outdated stadiums and facilities. There are teams with strong fan bases. There are teams with weak fan bases. There are no equal teams in each league.

Timing and luck are factors. Which team has the fewest players on the injury list? Which team has the most players on the injury list? Which team is the healthiest during the championship game or championship series? Good weather or bad weather? Does the ball bounce perfectly? Does the ball tip to an opposing player? What team benefits the puck ricochets off the wall? Which team wins the attrition battle? Which team their star-players are in a slump? Which head coach or manager guesses correctly? Which player makes a winning gamble move? Which team benefits from an incorrect referee call? Which team gets the breaks?

Update On A Past Blog

I reminded people There Is Truth Serum During COVID-19 And After COVID-19 on Sep 16, 2024. I want to add some truths change life from good to bad. The blog Life Is Good Because It's Predictable And Certain written on Jan 20, 2022 said bombshells shook people's sense of predictability, certainty, and calmness. Life changed after the smoke cleared and damage assessed.

Learn By Example

I remember the first time I learn by example. It was in fourth grade English. I didn't know I learn by example at the time. Every homework exercise the teacher assigned the first question which included the answer at the bottom of the page. I understood the English concepts clearer following the first question and answer than the teacher lecturing on the chalkboard. My best example was learning subject-verb agreement. The singular and plural are opposites, unmatched, or not equal. A singular noun is followed by a plural verb. A plural noun is followed by a singular verb. One noun is followed by more than one verb. More than one noun is followed by one verb. For example, Tom runs to the store for which Tom is a singular noun and runs is a plural verb ending in s. Another example, Tom and Jane run to the store for which Tom and Jane are plural nouns and run is a singular verb without ending in s. It may not be grammatically logical. The logical fits my thinking process.

The learn by example continued in my high school math classes. I completed the homework assignments. I checked the answers at the back of the book. If I got the answer wrong, then I corrected the mistake by figuring out my incorrect calculations. I thought the answers at the back of the book was for students to cheat. I admit I was naive. The answers helped students check their work for students to confirm they solved the problems correctly.

Moreover, most of my high school math teachers believed in learn the concepts instead of practicing and drilling. These math teachers assigned fewer problems covering the section for which they believed if the students understand how to solve the fewer problem, then they understood the concepts. Any problems could be solved. I was in the minority. My learning process was practicing and drilling. The more I practiced. The more I drilled. The more I find patterns. The more I thought instinctively. The more I understood the concepts myself.

Practicing and drilling with examples are my best way to learn being an adult. My intuition becomes stronger. My reflexes become stronger. I think quicker.

Update On A Past Blog

I remind Beelzebub continues to collect the bills from the blog Times Are Changing written on Sep 17, 2020. People who made deals with Satan better pay up. Never overestimate or overspend. Know the limits. Nobody imagines the consequences.

Top 50 Most Memorable Moments

Number 50. 50 years on planet Earth. A life milestone. Life can be better. Life can be worse. We do the best. I do my best. These top 50 are the moments from when I was born to my 50th birthday. Each person is responsible to live a memorable life. Here are the Top 50 Most Memorable Moments:

50. My Boss Was Fired (Sep 2002). Officially, she found another job. Unofficially, she was fired. The reasons were incompetence and doing nothing. Lesson learned: have nothing, do nothing, get nothing, be nothing, and people treat you like nothing. Never be a nobody.

49. The Golden State Warriors Won The 2015 NBA Finals (Jun 16, 2015). I was less than one year old when the Warriors won the 1975 NBA Finals. It felt good the Warriors won a championship as a conscious awareness human.

48. Neverland Album By Nirvana (Aug 1, 2025). I can't explain why it took me decades to listen to the album. There are some songs I didn't realize Nirvana sang from other medias.

47. Bonchon (Jan 27, 2021). I ate Korean fried chicken for the first time. The fried chicken is fried twice.

46. Team Fortress 2 And Final Fantasy VI-VIII (Oct 21, 2007, Dec 20, 2020, Aug 9, 2021, and Feb 2, 2022). Team Fortress 2 was my first video game I played online with other players. I took advantage of the COVID-19 global pandemic to play classic Final Fantasy games. VI is my favorite out of the three Final Fantasy games.

45. Witnessed An Eviction (Mar 6, 2024). I helped a family friend evict a tenant who took advantage of the COVID-19 global pandemic eviction moratorium living rent free without paying back rent. Lesson learned: it's coming--give it time. Everything happens in time.

44. Riichi Mahjong (Oct 2009). I played Japanese Mahjong Riichi for the first time in summer 2007. I hated it. I quit. I accepted a challenge from a friend to relearn Riichi. I accepted. Mahjong is one of my all-time favorite table top games. I also play Hong Kong and Taiwanese styles.

43. Moby-Dick By Herman Melville (Oct 17, 2023). The last three chapters are the best last three chapters I have ever read. I understand all the jokes and references from other medias.

42. Breaking Bad (Dec 2012-Dec 2014). My all-time favorite television series. The show is number one in the IMDb Top 250 TV Shows.

41. Harry Potter By J.K. Rowling (Sep 2019-Mar 2020). I can't explain why it took me decades to read a modern classic. I read the books two more times during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Harry Potter is my favorite character. Gryffindor is my house. My favorite volume is either Year 5 The Order Of The Phoenix or Year 7 The Deathly Hallows.

40. Classic Rock Music (Sep 2005). I was introduced to the local classic rock station 98.5 KFOX. The station saved me from driving without music. I lost interest in pop music. Classic rock is one of my favorite music today. The Beatles is my favorite band.

39. Rent A DVD From The De Anza College Library (Oct 2010-Mar 2011). I rented one DVD a week for my movie of the week. Almost all of the movies I rented were from the American Film Institute's Top 100 Movies 1997 edition. Some of the movies I rented include King Kong, Singin' in the Rain, Midnight Cowboy, Vertigo, and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.

38. Las Vegas 2004 (Dec 13-15, 2004). My friend from Washington and I met in Las Vegas. Both of us won money at the Luxor casino playing craps and playing the camel race machine. We visited Fremont Street where we played limit poker at Binion's. The casinos we stayed overnight were Paris Las Vegas and Bellagio. The Bellagio is my all-time favorite hotel and casino.

37. Oregon Trip (Nov 16-20, 2005). My parents, uncle, aunt, and I drove from the Bay Area to Oregon for a road trip. We visited Portland, Salem, and Multnomah Falls. Shopping, sightseeing, and real estate were our top activities. I won $100 at an Indian gaming casino along Interstate 5.

36. Anime Expo 2006 (Jul 1-4, 2006). Best Anime Expo I attended. Some of the highlights included the guest of honor CLAMP, cosplay gatherings, meeting new people, and sneaking in the dealer's room without lining up. It was the last year Anime Expo was held at the Anaheim Convention Center.

35. South Bay Job Search Network (Oct 14, 2013). I joined a local job networking group. Their experiences and their knowledge helped me get a job in Nov 2013. I used their information to improve my job search. They inspired me to continue learning new job skills and to continue reviewing my existing job skills. Joining the CSIX job networking group is included in the moment.

34. Steve Jobs And Stephen Hawking (Feb 26, 2016 and May 25, 2022). I read the late Jobs' biography Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson and the late Hawking's A Brief History Of Time. Two geniuses. Steve Jobs is my all-time favorite book. Lessons are learned. Wisdom acquired.

33. Paul McCartney Up And Coming Tour (Jul 10, 2010). I missed the opportunity to see Paul McCartney at the HP Pavilion in 2005. I wasn't making the same mistake twice. I saw Paul McCartney at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Great concert. He played for almost three hours.

32. Podcasts (Various Dates). I listen to 99% Invisible, Awesome Etiquette, Damon Bruce: Plus, Freakonomics, Lex Fridman, MuggleCast, Sex With Emily, Stuff You Should Know, The Dave Ross Commentary, and The Problem With Jon Stewart. My current events podcasts are 60 Minutes and Nightline. My retired podcasts are Car Talk and NBC Sports Bay Area Happy Hour.

31. Artisan Wine Depot (Nov 2013-Sep 2014). My first start-up company I worked. My second retail company. Great business idea selling high-end wine at discount prices.

30. Palo Alto Networks (Nov 2014-May 2015). It was nice going back to a tech company. The timing was good I earned money for the 2014 Christmas Holiday. The experiences from the mistakes and the politics were greater than the work experienced itself.

29. New Laptops And New Desktops (Various Dates). My first laptop was the Dell 8600 Inspiron in Feb 2005. My second laptop was the HP Compaq 8510p in Jul 2008. My third laptop was the HP Spectre in Nov 2019. I built my first desktop in Jan 2009. I built my second desktop in Jan 2020.

28. My Bible (Aug 7, 2012). I created my bible from past blogs. My bible reminds me who I am, my strengths, and my lessons learned from my mistakes. I say with high confidence I am who I am today reading the bible: stronger, smarter, kinder, wiser, confident, and having faith in myself.

27. My Blogs (Aug 4, 2005 and Sep 2, 2008). I created two blogs. The first blog is Innovating Common Knowledge. Innovating Common Knowledge innovates life's common knowledge. My second blog is Finding Raymond Mar. Finding Raymond Mar is my personal blog for which I blog anything without restrictions.

26. The Perfect Semester At San Jose State University (Fall 1996). I attended classes on Tue and Thur. I learned how to write. 3.64 semester GPA. I mastered the shooting arcade game Area 51. I worked part-time at Blockbuster Video. I lost weight. I began listening to music while I studied.

25. Washington Canada 2005 (Aug 27-Sep 4, 2005). I visited my Washington friend in his home state for the first time. It was my first time in Washington. It was my first time in Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Some of my highlights included visiting the Space Needle, winning money at an Indian casino, shopping for used books, visiting small towns, and seeing new sights I never saw in California. I don't consider Canada my first foreign country because anyone in the United States can visit Canada easily.

24. My First Car (May 19, 2007). I purchased my first car from my neighbor who moved to Virginia. It was the Toyota Camry 2005 XLE V6. Very dependable car. No major problems. I take my car to the auto repair shop for routine repairs. I change the oil myself using Castrol. I fill my car with Chevron gas.

23. My New Face And My New Haircut (Sep 2004 and Apr 2017). My new haircut was a buzzcut in Sep 2004. I lost weight which included a new face in Apr 2017. Today is the best I've ever looked.

22. Cisco (Mar 19, 2007-Nov 22, 2008). My first job working at a tech company. I experienced working in a cubicle for the first time, eating in a cafeteria, and my first work-issued laptop. I went on a business trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on my second week. My 18 months was good experience in the tech sector. My contract was terminated because of the financial real estate bubble burst leading to the Great Recession.

21. Hiking (Apr 2009-Present). Hiking became a new hobby. My first trail was Uvas Canyon in Morgan Hill, CA. Some of my favorite trails include Castle Rock State Park in Los Gatos, CA; Point Lobos in Monterey, CA; and Pinnacles in Paicines, CA. I purchased hiking clothing, shoes and a backpack at the 2009 REI anniversary sale. I recognize four hikes in four months between Sep-Dec 2019. The hikes were Montara Mountain trail at San Pedro Valley Park in Pacifica, CA; Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland, CA; Castle Rock State Park; and Mission Peak in Fremont, CA.

20. Ballroom Dancing (Jan 2009-Mar 2011). My sister was an amateur ballroom dancer. She introduced me to ballroom dancing. Dancing is a great social activity. I took dancing classes at De Anza College. I met new people and made friends.

19. De Anza College (Mar 2009-Jun 2011). I choose to go back to school after I lost my job at Cisco. I took Beginning Weightlifting and Social Dance in Spring Quarter 2009. I choose to go back to school full time majoring in Accounting. Accounting was an alternate major when I attended San Jose State. I earned my AA degree in Mar 2011. I finished in Jun 2011. Going back to school was a second chance to relive life as a true college student. My experiences were satisfactory.

18. Fanime Forums Valentine's Day Gathering (Feb 18, 2006). It was my first forum gathering. We met at a bowling alley. I made lots of new friends. I keep in touch with most of them on social networking.

17. Innovate Infinitely Was Created (Nov 2000). There is no innovateinfinitely.com without Innovate Infinitely. Innovate Infinitely was created driving to Japantown-San Jose. The words "Innovate" and "Infinitely" came to my mind waiting at a signal light. I said, "Innovate Infinitely . . . Never Stop Innovating Life." I innovate infinitely. Always find something new to learn, always improve, always create, and always becoming a better person.

Blogger's note: Sep 2000 is incorrect in the Top 40 Most Memorable Moments. Nov 2000 is correct.

16. innovateinfinitely.com Is Online (May 1, 2004). I created a web site to promote Innovate Infinitely. It took 10 months finding a web hosting company, learning how to register a domain name, learning how the domain name servers work, and learning the basics of web pages and the Internet.

15. Fanime Con 2009 (May 22-25, 2009). Best Fanime Con I attended. Everything started on time. The weather was perfect for cosplayers. I made lots of money at the Swap Meet. I danced at the Black And White ball. I always did something. It was the perfect con with minimal problems.

14. COVID-19 (Mar 17, 2000-Present). California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I'm in the minority. My life has been improving. There are life changes such as new cooking techniques, old school boiling water to drink clean water, completing more errands in the morning, and sleeping with the windows closed. A few COVID-19 moments appear in the Top 50.

13. The Year Of The Role Playing Game (RPG) (1997). 1997 was the perfect year for RPG. Everyone was in San Jose, everyone adjusted their college and work schedules, everyone participated in the action, and the plots were terrific. The memories are remembered for a long time.

12. Washington Canada 2008 (Nov 15-20, 2008). I visited my Washington friend in his home state for the second time. We went to Seattle and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The highlights included visiting Hurricane Ridge, playing Betrayal At the House On The Hill board game, touring The Underground Tour in Downtown Seattle, and shopping for books. I also climbed the indoor wall at REI in Downtown Seattle. The timing was good because I needed a life distraction desperately. The vacation satisfied the distraction.

11. Japanese Anime (Summer 1996-Sep 2014). I became an anime fan watching Sailor Moon on TV. The first anime series I purchased was the first season of Ranma 1/2. Anime influenced my life. I created many memories. I officially retired in Sep 2014. Full Metal Alchemist is my all-time favorite anime series.

10. The Shawshank Redemption (Sep 21, 2019). There is a reason the movie is number one in the IMDb Top 250 movies. The movie is my all-time favorite.

9. Life Skills (Various Dates). Learning life skills is part of my training to become a self-trained genius. The skills I have been learning include rope knots, paper airplanes, shuffle cards, sew a button, read a compass, and basic electricity. I'm open to new suggestions.

8. The Triple Play (1984-1988). My brother and I played G.I. Joe, Transformers, and MASK. We played on Saturdays and during the summers. We created plots to determine the scenarios like a cartoon episode. Our collections were not the biggest. I believed having enough toys for the three series was better than having all the toys for one series. There was a lot of variety.

7. Zion National Park (Oct 3-4, 2015 and Sep 16-17, 2016). My first time visiting Utah. My first time in the Mountain Time Zone. My first time camping. My first time backpacking.

6. Cosplaying (Sep 11, 2004-May 27, 2013). I attended anime conventions cosplaying from Sep 11, 2004 to May 24-27, 2013. Memories were created. I made friends at cosplay gatherings. Cosplaying saved me from quitting anime at the end of 2004. I thank my mom for making the costumes.

5. Wall Street Bets And Superstonk (Jan 2021-Present). I learn more about financial investing following the two Subreddits wallstreetbets and Superstonk compared to my B.S. in Economics and A.A. in Accounting degrees combined. It's an example people learn more outside the classroom.

4. The Real Job Training (Oct-Nov 2014 And May 2015-Present). The skills include Power BI, R-Studio, Excel, Python, and SQL. YouTube videos, online education, books, articles, and online posts are my learning sources. My self job training is completed with a graduation in analytics research technology on Mar 2024. I began my graduate self job training on Apr 2024.

Blogger's note: Oct-Nov 2013 And Jul 2014-present are incorrect in the Top 40 Most Memorable Moments. Oct-Nov 2014 And May 2015-present are correct.

3. O'Connor Hospital (Apr 2-Apr 6, 2017). I was admitted as an in-patient requiring two surgeries. The first surgery was Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio Pancreatography which removed gallstones. The second surgery was Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy which removed my gallbladder. The doctors diagnosed me with Acute Gallstone Pancreatitis.

2. 50 Years Old At The Age Of 45 (Sep 2019). In my opinion, a genuine adult is a genuine adult at age 50. I became a genuine adult at the age of 45. I crossed the line four years and 11 months ahead of schedule.

1. Growing Up (Oct 4, 2008). My life changed forever when I realized I must grow up. I walked to my car after attending the Los Altos Fall Festival when the moment happened. The life changes were immediate. I built a new Gaming PC, I started to read fiction books, I wore new clothes, I purchased my first fine watch, and I slept on a new mattress. I found new hobbies which included hiking, ballroom dancing, and listening to classic jazz. I started following new gym workout plans. I live life stronger, smarter, wiser, kinder, and mature. The real innovate infinitely continues today.

There Is Truth Serum During COVID-19 And After COVID-19

Governments declared the COVID-19 global pandemic ended in 2023. However, the COVID-19 virus is clear and present indefinitely people need an annual vaccine like the annual flu vaccine.

Sodium pentothal or the truth serum was administered during the global pandemic. There is more sodium pentothal administered afterwards. Living a life with lies has been harder. Anyone lying maintaining the lies are difficult. Resilience faked during the pandemic is not faked afterwards. Calling out dishonestly has been easier. People waiting for the evidence to prove lies must be patient. It's impossible for 100% of the people globally their lives change for the better because life is unfair. There are winners. There are losers. The losers are identified. The percentage applies to me and everyone I know. The truth is coming soon from the lies I notice. The equalizer is coming soon for the appropriate situations or moments.

Social media is untrustworthy overall. I go with the information present. Lies? Maybe. Deceit? Maybe. Give them time. The lies and the deceit are exposed.

The truth serum is administered anywhere at anytime. It's given at the workplaces such as nurses and the hospitals, teachers and the schools, first responders and the stations, and postal employees and the post office. It's given at the supply chains. It's given in manufacturing. It's given in retail businesses. It's given in the public sector. It's given in governments. It's given in the banks. Money decreasing. Stress increasing. Respect decreasing.

Settle Down And Intelligence Quotient Goes Down

How does a person know he or she is losing intelligence? Self-evaluating I.Q. can be difficult. It can be hard to be honest with oneself. Maybe a trusted family member calling out the person getting dumber? Maybe a trusted friend calling out the person getting dumber? Maybe a third-party person calling out the person getting dumber? Maybe an event acts as a wake-up call the person is getting dumber? "What the heck is going on with me?" is an example of a question the person asks himself or herself something wrong.

I witness people who settled down for years they're losing intelligence. I notice their I.Q.s are dropping. Never settle. Minimize the television shows, video games, and social medias. Slow down to minimize stress. Take a breath. Continue learning. Use the brain or lose the brain. Read books. Continue physical fitness. Use the knees and elbows or lose the knees and elbows. Always seek new adventures. Experience new experiences indefinitely. Maintain sharp senses eyes to see, ears to hear, hands to touch, nose to smell, and tongue to taste; for example, try new foods. Never stop innovating--innovate infinitely.

The late Steve Jobs on don't settle: Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

Top Ten My Last Minute Choices Were Correct

The late Steve Jobs said, "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something--your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever." I connected the dots for the following last minute choice moments. The choices were correct. Here are the top ten my last minute choices were correct.

10. Gilroy Gardens (Jul 23, 2022). My brother's family had two extra tickets to visit the small amusement park in Gilroy, CA. My dad and I went. I did my best to social distance. I initiated social distancing when I walked around the park. I wore my mask except eating. I felt relaxed. It was a good life break.

9. 1998 (Various Dates 1998). Honestly speaking, the opportunities appeared in front of me without effort. I was given no brainer choices.

*Emergency Dentist Filling (Jan 1998). My dentist at the time created an opening for a filling to charge my insurance as a procedure for the 1997 calendar year.
*Celine Dion (Jan). I purchased my first used CD Celine Dion-Celine Dion at a used media store.
*Fanime Con 1998 (Feb 15). I purchased three anime CDs from a dealer who wanted to sell as much inventory before leaving. I was short on cash. He accepted my amount. I didn't pay taxes.
*Cal Poly Open House (May). A friend invited me to visit him during the Cal Poly Open House weekend. The weekend vacation was my first solo vacation.
*Japantown-San Francisco (Jul or Aug). The same Cal Poly friend called me up for a last-minute trip to escape the record heat in San Jose, CA.
*Santa Barbara, CA Weekend Trip (Aug). My mom and I picked up my grandfather driving the Mercury Sable 1997 station wagon. It was the first time the car drove long distance. We listened to music on my portable CD player connected to the radio's cassette deck for the first time. We delivered a cage of birds to one of my aunts.

8. Coraline (Mar 14, 2009). I felt bad at a cosplay gathering in the Japanese garden Hakone Gardens in Saratoga, CA. I wanted to go home quickly. I contacted two friends to watch Coraline with me when I arrived home. Also, another friend organized a 3/14 pie dinner gathering. The three of us ate dinner at the pie dinner gathering. We watched the last showing of Coraline after dinner. I purchased the tickets on a friend's app because I feared the showing was sold out. The theater was dead. It was the first time and last time I purchased movie tickets outside the movie theater.

7. Anime Expo (AX) 2009 (Jul 2-5, 2009). I had no plans to attend AX due to the Great Recession. I changed my mind after Fanime Con 2009 in May 2009. I hung out with my friends. I called my friends. My friends called me. I met new people. I visited Japantown in Los Angeles for the first time afterwards.

6. Ranma 1/2 Season 1 On VHS (Dec 1996). A comic book store was going out of business. The owner sold five of the six VHS tapes in stock for $5 each. The retail price is $30 each. I was short on money at the time.

5. Fanime Con 2004 Midnight Marathon (May 30, 2004). I watched 17 episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist during the Midnight Marathon. I initially planned to watch four episodes. I stayed awake during the entire marathon. I said, "I'm going to cosplay Edward Elric" after episode 8. Fullmetal Alchemist saved me from quitting anime.

4. Washington Canada 2008 (Nov 15-20, 2008). The last minute timing was perfect to visit my friend. My contract at Cisco was terminated. I was lost. I was confused. I didn't know what to do with my life. I needed a break to refocus and reset. We visited Victoria, British Columbia, Canada; Hurricane Ridge; the Rock 'n Roll museum; gambled in a casino; visited Downtown Seattle; and shopped in used bookstores. We watched movies. We played board games. The trip saved me from years of therapy.

3. Shopped For Gym Equipment (Mar 16, 2020). CA Governor Gavin Newsom announced the state shut down on Mar 17, 2020 due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. I shopped the entire afternoon buying gym equipment for my home mini gym. I purchased a 45-pound plate and a 25-pound plate at a specialty fitness store. I purchased the exercise mat at Sports Basement. I continue my strength training at home. My cardio workout is jogging around the neighborhood.

2. Zion National Park Walking Stick (Oct 3-4, 2015). I went backpacking for the first time. The party and I received information The Narrows Top Down backpacking trail is strenuous. I rented a walking stick which saved my ass walking in the river and navigating the rocks. I purchased a pair of trekking poles afterwards.

1. O'Connor Hospital Emergency Room (Apr 2-6, 2017). I thought I had the stomach flu. The pains were sharp like pins pinning my stomach. I went to the emergency room. I was diagnosed with Acute Gallstone Pancreatitis. I required two surgeries for the first time. The first surgery was Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio Pancreatography which removed gallstones. The second surgery was Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy which removed my gallbladder. I was a hospital in-patient for the first time.

Update On A Past Blog

I mentioned Fanime Con 2009 and AX 2009. Fanime Con 2009 is my all-time favorite anime conventions from the blog Top Ten Favorite Anime Conventions written on Oct 25, 2012. AX 2009 should be on the list because the last minute choice to attend was a good choice. AX 2009 is ranked fifth after Fanime Con 2009, Fanime Con 2010, AX 2006, and Fanime Con 2005.

My Second Boss Was Fired

I experienced a manager was fired for the first time in Sep 2002. She was my second manager overall. It happened at my second company after I graduated at San Jose State University. She was hired in Sep 1999 to replace my first manager who hired me at my first company and my second company. I warned the office manager the replacement was a poor choice. The office manager ignored my warnings like many office managers disregarding worker concerns.

My intuition told me the managing partner needed to layoff staff due to the dot-com recession and the brokers complained about my manager's performance. The managing partner told the office manager to fire my manager. The office manager came to the Research Dept for an impromptu meeting to acquire justification. The meeting lasted ten minutes. The final question was, "Is Research going to be affected if she leaves?" The co-worker and I said the answer "no" immediately.

The office email stated she found another job. I received inside information from a broker's assistant my manager was informed her firing beforehand. The office fired her after she found another job. The broker's assistant also told me my manager's salary was "very high."

I learned a life lesson from my manager firing: have nothing, do nothing, get nothing, be nothing, and people treat you like nothing. Never be a nobody.

Afterwards

The next 4.5 years another office manager was the Research Dept's manager. The previous office manager admitted her mistake to me in 2003. My co-worker maintained the database. I ran the operations. The managing partner wrote the quarterly newsletters. All was peaceful. Why? Everybody was winners. Each year were record setting revenues. Each year brokers surpassed their previous year's sales targets.

Staff members began to leave the partnership and my office starting in late 2006. I worked at Cisco in Mar 2007. My co-worker worked at another commercial real estate company in Jul 2007. Winning hides weaknesses. Winning ignores problems hoping they go away. Problems were clear and present starting in late 2006.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog August 2024

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. The summer surge continued. The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics was completed. I see a tiny increase in people wearing masks. August was the fastest month of the year.

Tue Aug 6. Nassau County in New York passed the Mask Transparency Act into law. The act makes wearing a mask or face covering a crime. The misdemeanor offense is punishable by up to one year in jail or a $1,000 fine. Supporters say the law helps combat crime during protests and combat potential felons only. Opponents say the law gives police the legal authority to stop and question people wearing a mask when no crime is being committed.

Thur Aug 8. American sprinter Noah Lyles tested positive two days before he won a bronze medal for the 200 meter race. Lyles quarantined at a nearby hotel. He took Paxlovid. Trainers and medical staff attended Lyles who laid down on his back after the race. He was taken off the track on a wheelchair.

The Center For Disease Control (CDC) said the US overall death rate dropped to 6% in 2023. Heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injury including drug overdose were the leading causes of death. COVID-19 fell from 4th place in 2022 with 245,000 deaths to 10th place in 2023 with 76,000 deaths. Stroke is 4th place in 2023 with 750 deaths per 100,000 people. 799 deaths per 100,000 people due to stroke in 2022.

Sat Aug 10. Watched the fourth quarter of the Men's Olympic Gold Medal Round France vs. USA.

Sun Aug 11. Attended my first social event outside my residence or another family's house.

Mon Aug 12. The CDC said 27 states reported very high levels and 17 states reported high levels of wastewater data measuring COVID-19 activity. The western region was the highest levels. Emergency room COVID-19 cases increased. Death rates were unchanged at low rates.

The Food And Drug Administration (FDA) recommended the vaccine is based on the KP.2 strain for the updated vaccines available in the fall.

Wed Aug 21. The JAMA Psychiatry journal published a study people with a severe case of COVID-19 their chances of mental illnesses increased. They include depression, anxiety, PTSD, eating disorder, suicide, and bipolar disorder. Unvaccinated people who experience a mental illness are more severe than vaccinated people. In addition, unvaccinated people who are older aged and male their mental illness is more severe.

The study looked into long COVID-19 for children. The results indicated debilitating and long-term side effects which make children difficult to live their childhood lives in and out of their residences. The symptoms include headaches, loss of memory, trouble sleeping, and stomach pain. Teenagers with long COVID-19 experience children symptoms plus fatigue, dizziness, gastrointestinal problems, heart palpitations, and body pain.

Tur Aug 22. I went to an industrial company to drop off shoes for recycling. Nobody was available to receive the shoes. I went to Costco and Safeway afterwards. More people wore masks.

The FDA approved emergency authorization for the updated COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccine targets the KP.2 strain. The authorization applies to Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. The vaccines are available in the coming weeks. People who got the COVID-19 vaccine recently should wait three months.

The CDC recommends people age 6 months and older receive the latest vaccine.

Fri Aug 23. The Federal Government restarted its free home COVID-19 tests program in Sep. The exact date next month is unknown. It's the 7th time in the President Joe Biden administration each household receives up to four free tests.

Thur Aug 29. Shopped at Target first thing in the morning.

Fri Aug 30. The FDA approved emergency authorization for the updated Novavax COVID-19 vaccine. The Novavax vaccine targets the JN.1 strain. People age 12 years and older may get the traditional protein-based updated vaccine.

The KP.3.1.1 strain dominated with a 42.2% of cases.

Sat Aug 31. Went to Sports Basement, Books, Inc., Chevron for gas, and Safeway.