Car Maintenance Is Expensive

Expenses must be paid to maintain a person's automobile. Filling up gas in a car is not car maintenance. The engine must be maintained. Change the car's motor oil. Replace a dead battery. Install new spark plugs. Check the air filter is clean. Inspect the belts must be tight without cracks.

Interior maintenance is important. Nobody wants to sit in a car full of trash. Exterior maintenance is important. Protect the car's paint from the sun with wax and sealants. Tire air pressure, headlight restoration, break lights functioning, and clean outside mirrors are additional examples.

Everything Else Maintenance

Car maintenance leads to life maintenance. Life maintenance costs add up. Some of the bare necessities are soap, clothes, toothpaste, towels, bedsheets, cups, light bulbs, haircuts, and laundry detergent. Insurances, utilities, cell phone services, relationships, and job skills are more examples of maintenance. A person can cheapen his or her maintenance. A person gets what he or she pays for himself or herself. A life wisdom is a person saves a dime ends up spending a dollar.

Time is also a maintenance expense. Time is required for physical fitness, learning new skills, and sleep.

Chaos is the result without maintenance.

Update On A Past Blog

I wrote two past blogs on maintenance. The first blog is Routine Car Maintenance At The Gas Station written on Apr 30, 2014. I wrote quick car maintenance checks while the car is being filled up with gas such as check the oil amount, check the tires for damage, and check the coolant level. The second blog is Maintenance Is Important As Innovating Infinitely written on Nov 6, 2016. I shared some of my life maintenances including a clean household, job training, physical fitness, and keeping myself clean and groomed. I admit maintenance can be boring; however, my life is in chaos without maintenance.

Something To Remember Album By Madonna Cover

Something To Remember by Madonna was a CD I listened regularly during my Spring Semester 1997 at San Jose State University. CD music saved the semester. It helped me complete my homework and study for exams. It was the first time listening to music helped me concentrate. I desired quietness for all my school work beforehand.

Something To Remember is a compilation album released by Maverick Records on Nov 3, 1995. The songs were her softer songs. You'll See, One More Chance, and I Want You are three new songs. My favorites songs are Take A Bow, Crazy For You, This Used To Be My Playground, and Rain.

I like the back cover. It's attractive, sexy, and intelligent. The Wikipedia Something To Remember stated the CD covers "showed Madonna looking 'deliciously cosmopolitan' as she wore a tight-fit white cocktail attire, while the back cover artwork is predominantly more playful."

Women's Clothing

The first two pics summarize women's clothing. The third pic is types of necklines.

Here is a summary of selected women's clothes worn on top:

*blazer: a tailored jacket which is part of a suit worn for business or casual.
*blouse: a loose-fitting upper garment.
*bodysuit: a one piece form-fitting garment which covers the torso and the crotch.
*cape: a sleeveless garment draped over the shoulders.
*cardigan: a knitted garment with an open front fastened with buttons or a zipper.
*crop top: sleeveless short ending above the waist to expose the waist or the abdomen.
*halter top: sleeveless secured around the neck and leaves the back bare.
*hoodie: a sweatshirt with a hood. Sometimes include a front pocket and drawstrings.
*parka: a coat with a fur-lined hood.
*polo: a collared short sleeve or long sleeve shirt with a buttoned placket.
*shrug: short and lightweight which covers the shoulders and upper arms leaving the torso exposed.
*tank top: sleeveless with wide armholes and a low neckline.
*trench coat: long and waterproof coat with a belt. Double breasted front.
*tube top: strapless fitted around the torso held by elastic.
*tunic: long and loose which extends to the hips and worn with pants or leggings on the bottom.
*vest: a sleeveless garment which covers the upper body.

Here is a summary of selected women's dresses:

*A-line: fitted at the hips widening towards the hem with the shape of a capital letter A.
*ball gown: floor-length and formal for proms and galas.
*bodycon: tight-fitted made from stretchy material designed to hug every curve. Bodycon is short for body conscious.
*cocktail: suitable for semi-formal to formal occasions. Typically knee-length. Can be a little shorter or little longer in length.
*halter: features a halter neck style of a strap tied behind the neck instead of over the shoulders.
*maxi: a floor or ankle-length fitted on the top part and loose flowing on the bottom part.
*mermaid: fitted which flares out the knees to resemble a mermaid's tail.
*midi: a balance of modesty and style which ends at the mid-calf.
*mini: short length which ends above the knee.
*peasant: loose fitting with a gathered waist and sleeves.
*sheath: form-fitting with a defined waist skimming the body from the shoulders to the hips.
*shift: short and sleeveless dress hanging or falling loosely from the shoulders. No waist definition.
*shirt: resembles a slip. Made from silky fabric which can be worn alone or layered.
*slip: similar to an underslip or petticoat cut on the bias with spaghetti straps.
*sun: made from lightweight fabric with a loose fit.
*wrap: a front closure produced by looping one side over the other and knotting the connecting waist ties or fastening buttons. Creates a V-neckline.

Here is a summary of selected women's clothes worn on bottom:

*capri: a style of pants longer than shorts and shorter than trousers. Or pants end below the knee or mid-calf. Worn in spring or summer.
*cargo: long pockets on the sides originally designed for utility and storage.
*culotte: knee-length pants or mid-calf pants to resemble a skirt.
*harem: baggy and long pants caught in at the ankle.
*jeans: made from denim. The pants are made in a variety of cuts such as skinny, bootcut, and straight-leg.
*jeggings: leggings resemble tight denim jeans. Made from stretch denim or denim-like fabric.
*leggings: skin-tight and stretchy pants made from a blend of lycra, nylon, cotton, or polyester. Used for exercise or casual wear.
*palazzo: long trousers cut with a loose, wide leg. Made of light and flowing fabric.
*shorts: a bottom clothes which covers from the waist to the thighs or just below.
*skirts: a bottom clothes which hang from the waist and cover all or part of the legs. There are many types of skirts such as pencil, maxi, and miniskirts.

Here is a summary of selected women's footwear:

*ballet flats: flat shoes shaped like ballet shoes.
*espadrilles: casual and flat short-heeled shoes or high-heeled shoes originating in the Pyrenees.
*flats: thin heels or no heels.
*heels: shoes which elevate the heel of the wearer's foot significantly higher than the toes. Types include stilettos, wedges, and pumps.
*loafers: slip-on shoes with a moccasin top and wide.
*mules: backless and often closed-toed.
*oxfords: leather shoes with a low heel.
*wedges: solid heel from the back to the middle or front to provide stability.

Here is a summary of selected women's underwear:

*bikini: a style of panties with moderate coverage and low-rise.
*boyshort: a style of panties with a low waist and cover the hips.
*bra: an undergarment which supports the breasts. Bras are made in many styles such as sports, push-up, and balconette.
*briefs: a style of panties with full coverage. In other words, "granny panties."
*bustier: a form-fitting garment to push up the bust and shape the waist.
*camisole: sleeveless undergarment which covers the top part of the body worn under sheer tops. Can be worn as sleepwear.
*chemise: loose and sleeveless worn as sleepwear or lingerie.
*corset: a tight undergarment to cinch the waist and give the body an hourglass shape.
*garter belt: a belt worn around the waist to hold up stockings.
*G-string: a style of panties like thongs with minimum overall coverage.
*panties: underwear.
*slips: a thin, often silky garment worn under dresses or skirts to prevent them from clinging to the body or to add a layer of modesty. Helps dresses hang smoothly.
*teddy: a one-piece garment that combines the features of a camisole and panties.
*thong: a style of panties with minimal back coverage and reduced visible panty lines.

Sources including from pics for which there's no source: Women's Clothes Vocabulary from Promova and Women's Clothes and Accessories Items Names in English from Ilmish.

Driving Home Safely Fast

Blogger's Note: All drivers must obey traffic laws. All drivers must drive safely. No recklessness. Automobiles and trucks must be running in good operational condition.

I fully understand why some drivers speed on long road trips. Drivers speed 10 miles over the speed limit. Drivers speed 15 miles over the speed limit. Drivers speed 20 miles over the speed limit. The driving conditions favor higher driving speeds. The favorable conditions include no traffic, flat roads, straight-away highway, and no rain.

The faster driving speed purpose is arrive at the destination as quick as possible. The clock is close to midnight. Get home quick. It's unnecessary to stay on the road longer. The quicker the party arrives home, the quicker everyone sleeps. The gas milage is great because of the favorable freeway conditions. Any other driving habits to increase the gas milage is negligible. Time is prioritized over the extra one more mile a gallon.

Update On A Past Blog

I correct the blog Green Tea and Coke Don't Mix written on Feb 4, 2006. I blamed drinking green tea and Coke for keeping me awake. I slept around 4:30am. The correct reasons why I had trouble sleeping were too much hype, too much excitement, and too much happiness. My brain was overdosed on dopamine.

The next time I experience an overdose on dopamine I must distract myself. I must cool down the room. The distraction can be playing video games, watching television, watching movies, listening to music, and/or browsing the internet.

Top Ten Plus Three Equals Top Thirteen Reasons Life Has Always Been Me

"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. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life." --Steve Jobs

I've been the correct choice. It was always me. Life has been all me. Everything was me. The self-training paid off. I connect the dots backwards. I made good choices. I did it correctly. I continue making mistakes learning anything new. I continue committing mistakes when I aim high and miss. I achieved mature adulthood at the age of 45. I get it. I understand five years before age 50. I realized all since Sep 2019.

Nobody told me my path to success is correct. Nobody taught me a system. I self-discovered my system. The system is common knowledge and common wisdom: eat healthy, exercise, read books, sleep well, never stop learning, learn from mistakes, always meet new people, minimize watching TV, and ignore anything toxic. I hope timing, luck, chance, and opportunity favors me. Here are the top ten plus three equals top thirteen reasons life has always been me.

13. Be Patient And Go For The Long Run. I thought of the "be patient and go for the long run" when I was a student at San Jose State University. The wisdom was correct. The attitude was correct. The adaption was incorrect. The execution was incorrect. I did it wrong. College life was too much fun and too little learning.

I lived a false sense of getting everything done quickly. It worked in my 20s and early 30s. Somehow my quick life was successful quickly. I didn't have to be patient. I started on something. I completed it quickly.

The patience is back today. I'm doing the "be patient and go for the long run" correctly decades later. Work. Give everything time. Take everything one day at a time. Build a little every day. Add the little accomplishments for the big goals.

12. Talk. Communicate. We have a mouth under the nose and above the chin. If quiet people or introverted people speak up 20% more, then they're going to be happier 20% or more.

People said I talked too much in the past. They didn't explain why. They didn't correct me. My self-discovery was poor self-esteem, seeking attention, nobody teaching me proper social conversations, and being ignorant. All problems fixed today.

11. Steve Jobs. I follow the wisdom of Steve Jobs. I understand the "Stay hungry, stay foolish" wisdom. Trust intuition. Never settle. Be brave making mistakes. We do judge a book by its cover.

"Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact, and that is everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you, and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use. Um, once you learn that, you'll never be the same again."

10. Adulthood Preview In Ninth Grade. I studied hard. I spent more hours learning. I spent more hours practicing. Grit. I spent more hours exercising. I spent less hours watching television. The hard work paid off with good grades. I felt smart. I felt strong.

My adulthood was established. Hard work. Motivation. Focus. Strength. Intelligence. What about fun? The fun happened afterwards. I accepted the process. I accepted the challenge.

9. R.O.T.C. In High School. I took the U.S. Marines Reserve Officers Training Corps or R.O.T.C. in high school for three years. I learned leadership attributes and leadership skills. I also learned human relations rules.

8. Physical Fitness. I jog two days a week. I strength train two days a week. I'm the most healthiest I've ever been in my life. Exercising is not an excuse to eat unhealthy in moderation; in other words, exercising and eating unhealthy don't cancel. Exercise and eating healthy must be combined.

7. Read More Fiction Books Than Nonfiction Books. I learned more about life reading fiction books. It started in Oct 2008.

6. Clean And Organize. I self-taught myself how to vacuum, mop floors, clean toilets, and organize. Less stress where there is less clutter. More time saved where there is more organization. Routine maintenance is required to keep neatness. Work is required.

5. Take The Initiative. I admit I'm gun-shy when nothing happens. I know my position at the certain place and the certain time. I know my role in a social situation. I stay within my boundaries. Time is up. Action is required. I take the initiative. I'm successful sometimes. I'm not successful sometimes.

4. Self-job Training. The blog Self Job Training Graduation Analytics Research Technology written on Apr 19, 2024 explains everything. I passed the classes for data analysis or data science. YouTube videos, online education, books, articles, and online posts are my learning sources.

3. Be A Good Person. I'm getting stronger, smarter, kinder, and wiser. I'm not a nice guy. I'm a good guy. I continue catching up what I missed in the past. I'm experiencing new experiences. I'm seeking new adventures.

2. Desire Is More Important Than Knowledge. Practice, practice, learn from my mistakes, improve, progress, practice, practice, practice, . . . . "I will" is more important than "I know." The knowledge follows motivation doing something, anything. The rewards follow motivation when responsibilities are completed.

1. Growing Up. Sat Oct 4, 2008 changed my life forever. It was time to grow up. No more immaturity. No more taking life for granted. I'm responsible for my life.

Update On A Past Blog

I reference the blogs for today's blog on Update On A Past Blog.

*I Made Good Choices After All written on Jan 17, 2025. People said I did it wrong. I made mistakes. The logic was illogical. People didn't follow me. They wanted it their way. My thought process was nonsense. My actions were insincere. Ignore Raymond Mar. Connect the dots backwards. Hindsight is 20/20. I did it correctly.

*Unlearn To Be Better And Unlearn The Incorrect written on Jan 7, 2024. Forgive the past. Unlearn the past. Correct the incorrect. Retrain. Relearn.

*I Correct Be Patient And Go For The Long Run written on Dec 16, 2023. Take my time. I was irresponsible then. I'm responsible now.

*I've Been Doing Everything Correct Mostly written on Apr 12, 2022. The Shawshank Redemption was released on Oct 14, 1994. The movie is currently number 1 on IMDb's Top Rated Movie. If you didn't watch the movie, then watch the movie alone.

*Top Ten I Get It Now written on Nov 21, 2020. I listed ten life concepts, wisdoms, and lessons I understand.

*My High School Freshmen Year Was My First Taste Of Responsible Adulthood written on Jun 6, 2020. See number 10.

*I Choose Raymond Mar Today written on Apr 9, 2020. I realized yesterday's Raymond Mar was not the real Raymond Mar when he made mistakes. The people who believed the yesterday's Raymond Mar was the fake Raymond Mar. The present Raymond Mar is the true Raymond Mar.

*Going Up Or Getting Better Am I? written on Sep 8, 2019. Is my life getting better or getting worse? Is my life going up or going down? Honestly speaking, I'm one step closer to become a genius.

*When Is An Adult An Adult? written on Sep 17, 2017. It's a judgment call. Time will tell everything I'm doing today to live independently tomorrow is successful.

*Top Ten I Was Correct When I Was Young written on Jun 9, 2016. I was told wrong because nobody reinforced my good moments, nobody encouraged me to continue my good successes, and/or people were jealous of my accomplishments. Or it could have been me. I quit reinforcing my good moments to do better. I took my good successes for granted. I was a people pleaser stopping when I was told to stop to make other people happy.

*I Did It Right written on Nov 14, 2013. We experience bad days, bad moments, and bad luck. We can't control everything 24 hours a day. The end of the day we continue moving forward hoping for the best.

Buy Time At Restaurants

There are many purposes for the restaurant retail industry. Customers buy meals. Customers meet other customers for social events. Customers support businesses. I focus today's blog customers buy time. Also, customers buy human energy. Customers use the buying time for other priorities instead of cooking meals, eating processed microwave food, or eating frozen food. Customers use the human energy for other priorities instead of cooking meals, eating processed microwave food, or eating frozen food. Customers complete the other higher priorities or lower priorities. Examples of higher priorities are work projects, work reports, job training, physical exercise, raising children, and sleep. Examples of lower priorities are watching television, catching up with social media, and playing video games.

The restaurants provide a big service in today's Information Age. The service is more important today compared to past generations. The restaurants convenience may be too good for some people which can lead to bad healthy habits. Use discretion.

Instant Bullets Blog Mar 3, 2025

*Zombo.com is a joke webpage from the George Washington University Center For Professional Development in 1999. Zombo.com consists of one page with a title and animation of seven colorful discs. There is an audio clip welcoming the visitor to "Zombo com."

*Round Up by Sam Spence. Selections from Autumn Thunder. 40 Years of NFL Films Music.

*Jazlyn "Jazzy" Guerra aka iamjazzysworldtv interviews Mike Tyson. Tyson fought social media star Jake Paul.

"Well, I don’t know. I don’t believe in the word legacy. I just think that's another word for ego. Legacy doesn't mean nothing. That's just some word everybody grabbed onto. Someone said that word, and everyone grabbed on the words, and now it's used every five seconds. It means absolutely nothing to me. I'm just passing through. I'mma die, and it's gonna be over. Who cares about legacy after that? What a big ego. So I'm gonna die. I want people to think that I'm this, I'm great. I'm, no. We're nothing. We're just dead. We're dust. We're absolutely nothing. Our legacy is nothing."

*Board Game Geek Forum topic Why I Got Rid Of It discussed board games the original poster removed from his collection.

*World's Shortest And Tallest Women In 2024. Rumeysa Gelgi from Turkey is 7 foot tall. Jyoti Amge from India is 2 foot and 3/4 inch tall.

*[I] told me kids they were allowed to hit each other once per day so they should really think it through and not waste their one hit and now they're calmly discussing when might be the best time to hit each other (but the actual hitting has stopped, I'm a genius).

*Financial markets from the textbook and financial markets from real life.

*visceral: 2 relating to deep inward feelings rather than to the intellect; emotions over intelligence; instinctive. 1 relating to the viscera or internal organs in a body.

*leeway: the amount of freedom to move or act that is available. An allowable margin of freedom or variation; tolerance.

*Epididymal Hypertension. Aching or painful testicles. Some people may experience the pain after sexual arousal not ending in orgasm. Blue balls is a slang term. A cummy ache.

*The Emperor's New Clothes. A slang term expressing when many people believe something that is not true. To express something as untrue.

A Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale published in 1837. A vain emperor was obsessed with new clothes. Two con artists tricked the emperor they made clothes out of fabric visible to those worthy. In other words, the con artists made no new clothes or made nothing. The emperor wore fake clothes which was nothing while the subjects remained silent to avoid being thought of a fool.

*Kevin Durant's Advice To Victor Wembanyama Phoenix Suns Durant said to San Antonio Spurs Wembanyama after Wembanyama suffered from deep vein thrombosis or a blood clot on his right shoulder ending Wembanyama's 2024-2025 NBA season.

"Just be patient, and that's the most you can do. You can't get back on the court. Being upset about it is not gonna do much for you. You know, so get in tune with yourself a little bit more, and maybe go find some new Legos to put together, read a couple new books, and then when you know it's time to get back on the court to start working out and stuff, lock in. I think he'll be fine. You know, it's tough mentally not playing the game, but you know when you understand what's ahead and focus on each and every day, it'll make it a little easier."

*Old Shirts. Remove the buttons before throwing away, recycling, or using as rags.

*It's better to aim high and miss than aim low and hit. Agree or disagree?

*The US population is separated by 10% radical left, 10% radical right, 70% too busy to care, and 10% love to fight. Agree or disagree?

*A Block Of Clay. Create something your way. Make something to match your desire.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog February 2025

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. Flu cases received more coverage than COVID-19. The flu rates reached a 15-year high. The shortest Shelter In-Place blog. Another slow month. The last week was the fastest week of 2025 relatively speaking.

Tue Feb 4. Ran errands at the post office, library, and Lucky's.

Wed Feb 5. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) said wastewater data aggregated there was less COVID-19 during the 2024 holidays compared to previous years. Hospitalization rates were 50% less compared to last year. 600 people died per week as of Dec 2024. 10,000 people died per week during the omicron surge in 2021.

Sat Feb 8. Ran errands at Costco, library, and Lucky's. The noon hour was easier to enter the parking lot compared to the 11am hour due to Super Bowl shopping.

Fri Feb 14. President Donald Trump signed an executive order no federal funding to schools mandating COVID-19 vaccine for students only. Teachers and staff were not affected. No states currently mandate the vaccine. The executive order was symbolic.

The CDC reported flu deaths were higher than COVID-19 deaths for the first time since the start of the pandemic. 2.6% of deaths caused by the flu and 1.4% of deaths caused by the COVID-19 virus 2025 year to date. 3.4% of deaths caused by the flu and 1.3% of deaths caused by the COVID-19 virus in CA 2025 year to date.

Mon Feb 17. Shopped at Smart & Final.

Fri Feb 21. A Chinese research team discovered the coronavirus HK US-CoV-2 or the bat coronavirus. The coronavirus can spread to humans. The research was conducted by the Wuhan Institute Of Virology, the Guangzhou Laboratory, and the Guangzhou Academy Of Sciences.

Martin Short and Maya Rudolph tested positive for COVID-19. They attended the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary SNL50: The Anniversary. Steve Martin announced a delay for his and Short's latest tour Dukes Of Funnytown Tour.

Sat Feb 22. Ate lunch at World Gourmet Buffet restaurant. Shopped at Lowe's.

Throwback Blog: Get Up And Do Something, Anything

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 Get Up And Do Something, Anything written on Jul 21, 2012. I created a life motto "Get out and do something, anything" on the day I grew up on Oct 4, 2008. Sometimes do something, anything is indoors. I changed the life motto to "Get up and do something, anything." More people discover there are plenty of productive somethings and enlighten anythings indoors in today's Information Age and today's economy. A balance life of indoors and outdoors is unnecessary; however, people shouldn't spend all the time either indoors or outdoors.

Furthermore, get up communicates to people to get up from bed or get up from the chair to live life.

There is 5-6 weeks remaining in the summer. School and college begin soon it's like one blink of an eye and classes start. There is still time to take a vacation for the full time workers. The year is going by fast. I hope everyone has done something special. It can be a big trip or a few small moments. Never settle on one small exciting day. Never wait for something to happen.

I changed my life motto from "Get Out And Do Something, Anything" to "Get Up and Do Something, Anything." I changed the word "out" to "up" because I wanted to imply people can have a good life indoors; however, a balance life of indoors and outdoors should be achieved. Some of my favorite indoor activities are working out in the gym, listening to music, ballroom dancing, and reading. Some of my favorite outdoor activities are hiking, visiting new places, and shopping.

Get up and do something, anything. Stop sitting on the chair or lying down on the bed. Find a new adventure. Meet new people. Read a book. Rent a classic movie on DVD. Eat something new. Walk around new places. Improve a part of you. Start fulfilling your to-do list. This blog is a solution to stop being lazy. Find happiness and joy in your life today.

De Anza Fall 2010 Note: Going off topic to end this blog, I realized one of my key for my most successful quarter was my Accounting 86 class. The instructor assigned homework on the fourth week. The first 3 weeks I settled in and concentrated on my other classes more difficult than Accounting 86.

Random Knowledge Or Random Trivia February 2025 Part 2

Blogger's note: I'm years behind sharing. There are two parts for Feb 2025. Today is part 2 of 2.

My Favorite Announcer Calls In NFL History and My Favorite Announcer Calls in NFL History | Part 2.

Hiring managers ask for three references from the job candidate. The job candidate responds by asking the hiring manager for three happy co-worker references.

Say Goodbye To Missionary And Hello To Lotus.

Turkey In The Straw for the Murphy's Oil soap commercial. Turkey In The Straw (First Version 1942). Folk Songs - Turkey In The Straw. Murphy's Oil Soap commercial.

When we sleep, waves of spinal fluid wash over the brain to remove waste.

A military litter is a military stretcher carried on a backpack. A litter is a stretcher or basket shaped to accommodate an adult for search and rescue operations. The person is strapped making safe evacuation possible.

Define women. The correct response is I can't answer the question.

What's the biggest Scam in life that no one wants to admit?

A new study untangles why sunscreen is killing coral reefs and the chemical reactions at play just below the surface.

catharsis: purification or purgation of the emotions (such as pity and fear) primarily through art, writing, theater, or music; spiritual renewal or release from tension.

Millionaire Matchmaker Patti Stanger on romance and dating in the modern age. "When [women are] not being treated right, they'll often still stick around and keep seeing each other, hoping [men] will change like they were at the beginning of their relationship. As women, we're taught to be polite and service the man. My mom programmed me to be like that and I had to work to break that programming. People are afraid to do that! If their needs are not met, get out!"

"For women, she may not find him cute initially and then goes on the date and comes back with 'I can fix that! And I really liked him as a person.' A man will never want to get 'fixed' because men and women are different animals. I know women will grow into a relationship, but a man will know in a second."

Card game Thirty-One. Wiki link for instructions.

A navy SEAL Reveals How To Survive An Active Shooter.

Bear hits himself in the nuts.

Eichler Homes. Joseph Eichler partnered with progressive and respected architects and architectural firms to build more than 10,300 modernist Eichler homes between 1950 and 1974. The Eichler homes were easily discernable by their open floor plans and floor-to-ceiling glass which help blurred the line between indoor and outdoor living. Wiki Joseph Eichler.

Bruce Lee videos. Bruce Lee 1965 Interview with Chinese and English subtitles. Bruce Lee Interview With Pierre Berton 1971. Bruce Lee 1965 Interview Original.

What are some real but crazy facts that could save your life?

Get In The Fucking Robot Shinji is a catchphrase from the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. Shinji Ikari refused to pilot the giant mecha Evangelion Unit 01. The phrase has been used to refer to characters that are forced to do stuff they dislike while mentally weak to decline.

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

Random Knowledge Or Random Trivia February 2025 Part 1

Blogger's note: I'm years behind sharing. There are two parts for Feb 2025. Today is part 1 of 2.

We live in the Information Age. Look it up on the internet. Random knowledge or random trivia? A life improvement? A waste of time? The answer is subjective. The answer depends on the reader.

AT&T announces deal to spin off DirecTV into new company owed by . . . AT&T. AT&T acknowledged that its DirecTV purchase didn't work out as planned. Article Feb 2021.

Best Buy lays off 5,000 workers as it shifts focus to online sales. Best Buy said its recent changes are an effort to adjust to this new market reality. Traditional stores aren't going away. Traditional stores are becoming less important. Article Feb 2021. True today?

mascot gets fed up with female supporter. Jacksonville Jaguars mascot Jaxson De Ville throws a birthday cake to a Houston Texans fan.

Hi my name is Evelyn, I was born with two vaginas (2 completely independent reproductive systems), I was a high class independent escourt[sic] for 8 years and used one vagina for "work" and saved one for my personal life. I don't think that counts as cheating. Ask me anything!

Cut or rip the strings on your disposable masks. Masks go into landfills & the strings can get caught on animals and hurt them.

non sequitur: an inference or a conclusion which does not follow from the premises. A statement containing an illogical conclusion. It does not follow.

Brain cells form connections with each other in a culture dish.

hedonist: a person whose life is devoted to the pursuit of pleasure and self-gratification.

Intel, Nvidia, TSMC, execs agree: Chip shortage could last into 2023. No chip shortage today.

Zookeepers of Reddit, what's the low-down dirty, inside scoop on zoos?

Overthinkers of Reddit, what unlikely scenario actually came true that you were completely prepared for because you are an overthinker?

Azaria Chamberlain. A dingo ate a couple's baby while camping in Australia. The mother, Lindy Chamberlain, was sentenced to life in prison for the murder. The baby's clothes were found near a dingo lair three years later. Lindy was released. The Seinfeld TV series The Stranded episode referenced the dingo ate her baby. A dingo is a wild dog in Australia.

Woman released a wild animal from a trap. She was protected with a shield. It appeared to be a bear.

Inside Japan’s CAPSULE Tower | 140 TINY Tokyo Apartments. Inside Japan's capsule tower with 140 tiny apartments.

A tumor is a mass or lump of tissue that may resemble swelling. A tumor is a morbid enlargement which results from an overabundance of cell growth and division; normally cells grow and divide to produce new cells in a controlled and orderly manner. Tumors may be benign or not cancer. Benign tumors may grow large and not spread into nearby tissues. Tumors may be malignant or cancer. Malignant tumors can spread into nearby tissues.

Now the chip shortage is being exacerbated by a labor shortage. Article Aug 2021. Not true today?

Kawhi Leonard laugh as NBA on NBC theme song.

impertinent: not showing proper respect; rude. Not pertinent to a particular matter; irrelevant.

impertinence: lack of respect; rudeness

Challenging sex positions from Sex With Emily.

Thugs - Saturday Night Live. SNL did a skit on the opposite of the TV show COPS. A video crew recording crooks committing crimes. Martin Lawrence, the late Phil Hartman, Rob Schneider, and Norm McDonald.

Local sushi place deterred graffiti in the bathroom.

The Same Four Seasons In A Calendar Year

"Seasons change" is a common expression. The winter season becomes the spring season around Mar 20. The summer season becomes the fall season around Sep 20. Winter, spring, summer, and fall. We expect the four seasons to change four times a year. Winter is Dec, Jan, and Feb. Spring is Mar, Apr, and May. Summer is Jun, Jul, and Aug. Fall is Sep, Oct, and Nov. If the seasons don't change in a calendar year, then there is no change. They're the same four seasons during their same three months.

Update On A Past Blog

I finished reading From The Mixed-Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg. The reader learns a different perspective on a life wisdom. Mrs. Frankweiler said, ". . . I think you should learn, of course, and some days you must learn a great deal. But you should also have days when you allow what is already in you to swell up inside of you until it touches everything. And you can feel it inside you. If you never take time out to let that happen, then you just accumulate facts, and they begin to rattle around inside of you. You can make noise with them, but never really feel anything with them. It's hollow."

There is no need to learn daily. Don't learn something every day. Spend those days practicing what you learned. The two blogs A Dream On Practice written on Jul 20, 2019 and Beethoven Practiced Eight Hours A Day written on Aug 13, 2009 included the word practice in their titles.

Also, I should have added the sentence "Never stop learning means learning and practicing" to the blog Correcting Never Stop Learning written on Jul 21, 2021. Number six in the Top Ten I Get It Now written on Nov 21, 2020 is about practicing, drilling, and reviewing.

Oreo Can't Be Milk's Favorite Cookie

The Oreo chocolate sandwich cookies were part of yesterday's Super Bowl LIX snacks. It has been multiple years since I last ate an Oreo. I didn't eat an Oreo during the COVID-19 pandemic. I purchased a Costco size box on sale in Dec 2024.

I couldn't believe it after taking one bite. The Oreo changed compared to my childhood. There was less cream. The cookie felt lighter in weight. There was no crunch sound. My tongue felt foamy. It was like air holes filled part of the texture.

I read the ingredients. A few ingredients include palm oil, cocoa process with alkali, invert sugar, wheat, and soy. There is a bioengineered food ingredient. A marketing ingredient exclusion is no high fructose corn syrup. I choose not to research further the ingredients for the changed Oreo. I'm not eating Oreos. I take my chances on Costco's bakery cookies.

Life Knowledge And Life Wisdom From De Anza College Oct 2010

Today's blog is an update on a past blog. The blog is inspired from the current feature post.

Update On A Past Blog

I want to review my blog De Anza Week Oct 25, 2010 written on Oct 28, 2010. There were life knowledge and life wisdom I want to repeat. I attended the Fall 2010 quarter four days a week. It was the only quarter I attended classes four days week.

Mon Oct 25: I have a better understanding why most students eat out more than they want. The reasons are saving time from cooking and saving money . . . . Eating out is convenient. Less time cooking and more time studying.

The food at home was boring. The household did a bad job cooking boring meals. The boring meals continue today. The change is I'm doing a better job making the boring meals awesome.

Tue Oct 26: Intermediate Acct and Integrated Computer [Acct] classes are behind schedule. What else is new in life? I believe everyone is behind on something. The irony is students who submit their homework and projects late are penalized. Teachers grading homework and mid-terms late and are behind schedule in the syllabus are not penalized. Similarly, sons and daughters who are late doing something are penalized by their parents--at least strict parents; however, if parents are late with something, sons and daughters don't [penalize] their parents.

In the real world, sometimes work, projects, and commitments are completed late.

I thought students were lazy submitting assignments late while I was at San Jose State. Now that I think about it, many of those students submitting assignments late were not lazy. They have other commitments such as working and taking care of their family. There is so much we do in today's [Information Age] way of living. The honest people complete their responsibilities and commitments the best and the earliest we can.

An irony yesterday. An irony generations ago. An irony today. An irony tomorrow. The people at the lower ladder steps, the people at the lowest level, or the people at the lower end of the totem pole can't get away with tardiness. Also, everyone is behind schedule in something in the Information Age. People choose their priorities. Sometimes there are penalties. Sometimes there are no penalties. We want to say "yes." Unfortunately, there are saying "no" or saying "can't do it."

Wed Oct 27: Read the textbook, do the homework, and study hard are keys to earn high grades. Another key to earn high grades teachers and counselors fail to advise their students is eat well. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are meals unavoidable. No junk food. No cookies and chips while doing your math. If you need to skip a meal, skip lunch. Breakfast is the most important meal.

Sometimes the easy answers are incorrect. Sometimes the clique answers are incomplete. Good meals are important to earn high grades. I add physical fitness and sleep. I accept students exchanging physical fitness for completing class projects and exchanging sleep for working at their jobs. I accept flexibility. I allow leeway.

Thur Oct 28: Timing and luck are part of success. If you're at the right place at the right time, life is good. My first accounting class in Fall '09 obviously was Financial Acct I. I never knew the basic accounting classes are three quarters. Timing and luck were in my favor. I took Financial Acct I in Fall '09, Financial Acct II in Winter '10, and Managerial Acct in Spring '10. I completed the basic courses in one year while retaining what I learned carrying forward to the next class without worrying about summer vacation forgetting the concepts.

The first sentence is self-explanatory. I want more successful people to be honest admitting timing and luck favored them.

It was my fault I failed researching the beginning accounting classes when I started Fall Quarter 2009. The beginning accounting consisted of one academic year or three quarters. I was lucky I took all three classes in one academic year instead of a summer break in between any of the three classes.

Top Ten Plus Fourteen Equals Top Twenty Four Favorite Black & White Movies

The classic movies. The black & white classic movies. The best movies established today's movies we see today. Take a break from the fast pace Information Age life. Do something different. Slow down. Watch the classics. They're true today. Here are my top ten plus fourteen equals top twenty four favorite black & white movies. There is no restriction on the release year.

24. Why Worry? (1923). A Harold Lloyd and Jobyna Ralston classic.

23. Some Like It Hot (1959). Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon are the names. A comedy and a musical.

22. Modern Times (1936). My only Charlie Champlin movie I watched. No need for green screens. The rush society in the 1930s was a turtle compared to today's rush society.

21. Psycho (1960). An Alfred Hitchcock classic. The ending twist is fantastic.

20. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939). My second James Stewart movie. The politics in the 1930s were the same today.

19. It Happened One Night (1934). Clark Gable stood his ground. You may not laugh out loud during the comedy scenes. A funny romantic comedy a family enjoys.

18. Harvey (1950). James Stewart could do comedy.

17. The Grapes Of Wrath (1940). The movie about the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl did a good job adapting 67% of the book written by John Steinbeck. The ending in the movie was not the ending in the book.

16. Schindler's List (1993). It's bad timing Liam Neeson who played Oskar Schindler lost to Tom Hanks from Philadelphia for best actor. The movie should have double best supporting actor nominations Ralph Fiennes as Amon Goeth and Ben Kingsley as Itzhak Stern.

15. Raging Bull (1980). A movie where a person is the best at something and the best at being a terrible person. Robert DeNiro won an Oscar for best actor.

14. The Philadelphia Story (1940). My first Cary Grant movie. The movie included one of the greatest of all time actor James Stewart and actress Katharine Hepburn. It should be a movie all student actors and student actresses watch.

13. All About Eve (1950). A movie about a fictional biography of a successful Broadway star. The movie watchers realize she's ruthless.

12. Seven Samurai (1954). A poor village hires samurais without pay to protect them from bandits. I watched the movie in two days.

11. Roman Holiday (1953). My critical opinion is Gregory Peck didn't have enough charism. Audrey Hepburn won Best Actress.

10. Metropolis (1927). A science fiction classic with no time boundaries. The futuristic city with dividing social classes. A four star movie.

9. The Apartment (1960). It's all about affairs and adultery in a comedy and romantic way. They existed in the 1960s. They exist today.

8. Citizen Kane (1941). Rosebud.

7. Young Frankenstein (1974). I read the book by Mary Shelley and the 1931 movie before watching Young Frankenstein. Hilarious.

6. Rebecca (1940). A classic psychological thriller. Maybe horror. An early black and white mind twist movie. The only Alfred Hitchcock movie to win an Academy Award for Best Picture.

5. Sunset Blvd. (1950). I heard students majoring in film watch the movie in their undergraduate classes.

4. To Kill A Mockingbird (1962). There is a reason why Gregory Peck portraying Atticus Finch won an Academy Award for Best Actor. Finch was a model strong man and strong father.

3. Paper Moon (1973). Father Ryan O'Neal and daughter Tatum O'Neal are the lead actors. Tatum won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 10. She's the youngest to win an Oscar as of today.

2. 12 Angry Men (1957). If your date says 12 angry men is about a movie about 12 angry men, then end the date immediately.

1. Casablanca (1942). Too many movie quotes: Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship; Here's looking at you, kid; Play it once, Sam; We'll always have Paris.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog January 2025

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. Minuscule COVID-19 coverage due to President Donald Trump. No rain. A slow month to begin 2025 ever though current events portray the opposite.

Thur Jan 9. Picked up a pre-order at Kloud KPOP. Shopped at Costco and Top Fitness.

Thur Jan 16. Shopped at Sherwin-Williams Auto Paint store and The Home Depot.

Fri Jan 17. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. asked the federal government to revoke COVID-19 vaccines in May 2021. He petitioned the Food And Drug Administration (FDA) to revoke the Emergency Use Authorization five months after the FDA approved the vaccine. The FDA denied the petition three months later.

Mon Jan 20. President Donald Trump announced 8,000 military service members who refused the COVID-19 vaccine can return to the military with back pay. The vaccine was mandatory from Aug 2021 to Jan 2023. There were exceptions for medial or religious reasons.

Five years ago today was the first positive case in the US. The person lived in Washington state. He returned from Wuhan, China.

Tue Jan 21. Ran errands at the post office, bank, and the library.

Thur Jan 23. Shopped for used books at the Saratoga Library and the Los Gatos Library. Ate lunch at Chipotle.

Sat Jan 25. The CIA said the COVID-19 virus was leaked from the Wuhan Institute Of Virology lab in China. The judgment had low confidence. A research lab and natural origin as the sources of the global pandemic remains plausible. The CIA has said it was unclear where the COVID-19 pandemic originated. No new evidence was found for the low confidence judgment.

Mon Jan 27. Trump signed an executive order to reinstate military personnel discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine. These military members must file for reinstatement. They are restored to their prior rank and receive back pay and benefits. 43 of the 8,000 troops who were discharged returned when the vaccine mandate was repealed in Jan 2023.

Ran errands at the post office.

Thur Jan 30. Visited my dentist. Shopped at Costco. There were more customers wearing masks.

Fri Jan 31. The US declared a public health emergency five year ago today. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) reported 2,100 died in 2025 year-to-date. The COVID-19 death rate was 1.8%. Hospitalizations and emergency visits increased. Less than 25% of adults were vaccinated with the latest vaccine as of Jan 4, 2025.

The World Health Organization stated seven million died globally. COVID-19 was no longer a global emergency on May 5, 2023.

The Bottom Line Is A Big Change Influencer

Here's a typical scenario. A customer, client, patient, or buyer recognizes an error, discrepancy, miscalculation, or exclusion. The party converses professionally to management, agent, doctor, ownership, or seller. The talking points are clear. Tones are calm. Spoken words are mature. Everyone is patient. Unfortunately, sometimes talking points are confusing. Tones are conflicted. Spoken words are shouted. No more patience. Regardless, there is no change. The management party and the like changes nothing even if the customer party and the like are correct.

Follow the pattern. There are more errors, discrepancies, miscalculations, or exclusions. The management party and the like continue changing nothing. It doesn't matter who's correct and who's incorrect. The system is unchanged. Give it time. The best change instigator is money. The catalyst for change is profit. The bottom line is the wake up call. We see changes everyday in the business news. A company misses their forecasts. A company announces changes. We see changes everyday in the sporting news. A professional sports team with multiple losing seasons. Ownership announces coaching changes.

Money talks. Profit talks. Problems are no longer ignored.

Post-It Notes Notes

Blogger's note: The following knowledge or trivia are written in Post-It Notes a decade ago. All are shared mostly written as-is. I minimally edited the blog grammatically.

Nudging The Customer. Behavioral economics. Here are three simple marketing or selling procedures.

1. Invoke social norming or social peer pressure. Many people like you . . . . I wouldn't want you to miss out . . . .
2. Lost aversion. We are so confident you stay with you. You can cancel anytime; we won't pin you down.
3. Positively. Most people choose B, but you can choose A or C.

There are simple manipulation statements. "Four seats at this price" doesn't necessarily mean the cheapest. There could be another four seats cheaper. Another statement is "limited time at *insert price*" implies scarcity.

If you don't know, then you don't know. Demos? What are the demos?

Follow me lead. The conversation below:

Person 1: Hold on a minute. Just play along. Follow me lead. (Person 1 implies following the train of thought.) Person 2: Okay, I'm sorry. Person 1: I'm playing 20 questions. (Person 1 taking the conversation to a deeper thought.)

A phantom dating philosophy. I believe this until I'm proven otherwise. This is my knowledge . . .

Brian Howie on dating. Men on women: Make it easier. Men look for green lights. Women on men: Try [or do] harder. Women look for red flags.

A basic oral sex man going down on a woman.

1. Place a pillow below the female's butt.
2. Pull her pelvis in toward her.
3a. Tease the clitoris. Kiss the vagina lips. Kiss around the vagina area. Sneak breast massage. The clitoris is last.
3b. Curl your tongue. Flick like a butterfly--flutter, suck. The mouth on her clitoris forms a circle.

Texting words with emotion. It depends between the couples. Choose the emotional degree. Context is a factor. Either "Hey, what are you doing this weekend, we should hang out" or "Hey, what's shakin, what trouble are you getting this weekend?"

Kegel exercise for me. Hold your urine for five seconds before peeing.

Gary Chapman on the five love languages to give love and to receive love. Quality time, gifts, physical touch, words of affirmation, and kind services.

What motivates you when you wake up in the morning? My answer is I'm one step closer to become a self-trained genius.

Time. Do your time or don't let time do you. Agree or disagree.

averse: having a strong dislike of or opposition to something; strong opposite. Rise averse is reluctant to take risks.

Wash a mouse pad. Use Dawn dish soap to clean a mouse pad. Apply the dish soap. Run cold water over the mouse pad under the kitchen faucet or shower head. Hang dry.

Mother Nature Demands Payment

The wildfires in Southern CA started on Tue Jan 7, 2025. The biggest current fires in Los Angeles County as of the blog posting: Palisades burned 23,448 acres, Eaton burned 14,021 acres, and Hughes burned 10,396 acres. The Border 2 Fire in San Diego County burned 600 acres. The Palisades and Eaton started on Tue Jan 7. The Hughes started on Wed Jan 22. The Border 2 started earlier on Thur Jan 23.

The record breaking winter snow storm along the Gulf Coast started on Tue Jan 21. The storm stretched 1,500 miles from the Texas Gulf Coast to the Carolinas along the Atlantic Coast. Snow fell in Houston, TX; New Orleans, LA; Mobile, AL; Pensacola, FL, and Myrtle Beach, SC. Airports closed. Flights cancelled. Road closures. Schools and college classes cancelled.

The Northern CA Bay Area weather is unseasonable warm in the daytime and cold temperatures between the upper 20s to upper 30s in the nighttime. No rain storms in weeks. There is talk about droughts for Summer 2025.

Mother nature assesses penalties to humankind. My household gives partial payments by consuming less. I shave with cold water since Jul 2022. I have been taking cold showers to save water. My mom shops less.

Consumption, destruction, production, reproduction, and expansion for humankind. Mother nature wants payback for all of them. Mother nature wants its share of humankind progress. Mother nature can end the present humankind in minutes. Two million years later another humankind life cycle starts over.

Update On A Past Blog

Here is another forgotten memory for the Top Ten Forgotten Moments written on Feb 15, 2020. There was a Santa Barbara, CA and Los Angeles mini vacation during the 2002 Thanksgiving weekend. I rode with my uncle, aunt, and grandfather. My family drove separately arriving later. I purchased a jacket at a thrift store for which I wear indoors every winter. The jacket still fits. My dad built a desktop PC when we stayed over in Los Angeles. I forgot my portable CD player containing my Spirited Away anime soundtrack. I retrieved the CD player and soundtrack attending a wedding in Los Angeles in Jul 2003.

Take Away The Security Blankets

President Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 47th President Of The United States. Republican candidate Trump defeated Democratic candidate Vice-President Kamala Harris 312 to 226 in electoral votes in the 2024 Presidential Election. Trump received 77,303,573 of the popular vote. Harris received 75,019,257 of the popular vote. The pollsters who predicted a tight race were incorrect. The political scientists who said be prepared the court system determines the election outcome were incorrect.

The next four years I want to see huge changes. I want to see bombshells. I want to mix everything. Stur the pot more than the recipe states. Launch the uncertainty missiles. Stand to attention from the relaxation. Change the routines. Ignore the professional predictions. Chances are they're incorrect. Nobody knows what happens in the next four years. It may be better. It may be worse. It may be a push; in other words, a zero-sum change. A question is how big are the explosions?

Actions speak louder than words. Bring on everything. If my life gets worse, then so be it. If I'm screwed more, then so be it. My life can't get any worse. I'm George Kostanza. I'm unemployed. I live with my parents. My life can go up only.

107

The number 107 is the only number to analyze why Harris didn't win the presidency. All other analysis are secondary. Harris was given 107 days to convince the United States to vote for her. Not impossible. Improbable. If Harris won, she pulled the political miracle in the history of the United States.

I Made Good Choices After All

"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. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life." --Steve Jobs

People said I did it wrong throughout most of life from Sep 2019 and earlier. I made mistakes. The logic was illogical. People didn't follow me. They wanted it their way. My thought process was nonsense. My actions were insincere. Ignore Raymond Mar because of ineffectiveness.

Times have changed. Attitudes have changed. Opinions have changed. Circumstances have changed. New knowledge acquired. Connect the dots backwards. Hindsight is 20/20. I did it correctly. I could have been successful. The logic was logical. People should have followed me. Their way was problematic. My thought process made sense. My actions were sincere. Listen to Raymond Mar. Take candid pictures. Physical workouts are equally or more important than mental capabilities. A person's inside is equally important than a person's outside. Drinking eight glasses of water per day is false. Read books. Minimize processed foods. There are not enough pie pieces for everyone. There are no valid reasons to watch all those television shows. It's okay to be alone. Sometimes be patient and go for the long run. Don't be a nice person. Do be a good person. Listen to intuition.

I have not been perfect. I admit my mistakes to anything brought to my attention past and present anytime. I should have earned my share of wins. The past is the past. All is forgiven.

Smile For One Thousand Three Hundred Dollars

My regular dental cleaning was in Dec 2024. The dentist said I needed five resins costing $1,300. The resins are a generic term. Specifically, the dentist fills in gaps between the teeth to minimize debris stuck between the teeth and gums, and minimize decay. $1,300 or $260 per tooth is expensive; on the other hand, the alternative is future gum surgery which costs higher and more inconvenience.

I went shopping afterwards. The first two retail locations were two high class malls. I thought about $1,300 dental work and $1,300 for X object(s) many stores sell. The chances of X object(s) are useless for practical uses. A $100 jacket is good as a $1,300 jacket. Almost nobody cares for a $1,300 pretty decoration on a table. I thought "a who cares he or she has it (them)" item(s) for sale in the two malls.

Consumerism at its best. Consumerism creates jobs. We don't complain on televisions, movies, clothes, toys, automobiles, and tech gadgets. We complain on food, insurance, utilities, and dental work. Some people need to re-evaluate their budgets and their priorities. A smile can earn more than $1,300 in money. Nobody wants his or her partner with bad dental hygiene during sex.

All prices increase. Higher costs. Spend wisely. It's the 2025 advice of the year.

Update On A Past Blog

Here is additional information on the blog Homeless Encampment Eviction Day Real Story written on Mar 23, 2024. The media doesn't report the real story.

Many legal homeless people receive government support such as Social Security, disabled veterans pensions, food stamps, and Medi-Cal. Some homeless people don't meet the rules for government support.

Some homeless people refuse shelters by choice. Women feels unsafe. Pets are prohibited. Must be sober. Strict curfews; for instance, homeless people with jobs and/or visit family members conflicts with the curfew. Couples must be married to be admitted together.

Change Priorities

I took a Moby-Dick vacation on selected days from Oct 2023 to Feb 2024. Those selected days I spent less time job training and more time reading Moby-Dick by Herman Melville.

I adapt the Moby-Dick vacation job training starting today. My job training continues. I spend less time job training. I spend more time on life. The reasons for the job training priority change are the job market, AI, the Information Age, and the economy.

Furthermore, I job search five days a week. There have been fewer job openings. There have been more people unemployed. More unemployed people apply for the fewer job openings; although, some job applications are submitted by AI. The probability of finding a job declines year after year. The probability of finding a job declines further in May and Jun when seniors graduate from high school and college.

The Costs Outweigh The Benefits

The more time job training cost outweighs the maintaining maximum job training skills benefit. A company hiring long-term unemployed people is rare. I reduce the job training cost. I benefit more living life not job training. The living life priorities are the following in alphabetical order:

*Cook: Everyone eats healthy.
*Complete errands: Shopping, organizing, and filling my car with gas.
*Emails: Sending and replying email to my family and friends. I also read my favorite articles.
*Learn life skills: Tying knots, shuffling cards, and memorizing jokes and riddles are examples.
*Listen to audio: Music and podcasts.
*Maintain the residences: Vacuuming, washing dishes, laundry, moping, cleaning toilets, and taking out the trash.
*Physical activity: Two days strength training and two days cardio.
*Play video games: Lowest priority. I play classic video games I never played.
*Read books: 75% fiction and 25% non-fiction.
*Social life: Spend time with people.
*Social media: Up to 45 minutes a day is nothing.
*Watch movie: I watch one movie a week.
*Watch television: Lower priority. I watch more sports and less shows.
*Write blogs: Write 100 blogs a year or 8.33 blogs a month is acceptable.

Ignorant consistency is removed. I accept half-ass sometimes because there's no penalty for less than 100% completion. I'm more flexible to priority changes beyond my control. I'm more accepting to adjust priority changes beyond my control. There is no reprimand for finishing a responsibility or a task tomorrow. It's okay to delay lower priorities.

I continue job training for the record. I continue job searching for the record. Finding employment is slim. There's more to life than knowing Excel, Python, data analysis, databases, and web pages.

Update On A Past Blog

I can title today's blog Reset Priorities In A Good Way, Reset Priorities II, Reset Priorities Correctly, or Reset Priorities Maturely. It's another life re-evaluation blog. Fair statement. People should re-evaluate their own lives time to time. Re-evaluate properly. Re-evaluate intelligently. It's okay to make priorities mistakes. Correct priorities mistakes immediately when committed.

I committed priorities mistakes from the blog Reset Priorities written on Sep 18, 2013. The two goals creating three priority tiers were consistency and more hours to sleep. I failed. I admitted my mistake on Feb 28, 2018 Throwback Blog: Reset Priorities saying " The blog is full of crap. I reset my life too many times." There is a limit people resetting their lives too many times indicates professional help may be needed.

Screwed Or Not Screwed

I ask questions about myself. I answer "screwed" or "not screwed" followed by an explanation. I choose no NSFW answer "fucked" or "not fucked." There is no 50/50 middle ground. If it's 51% screwed, then I'm screwed. If it's 51% not screwed, then I'm not screwed. Here are the self-analysis questions:

*Find a job: screwed. The unemployed readers know the truth. There are fewer job openings. There are too many unemployed seeking employment from the fewer job openings.

*Health: not screwed. I include physical fitness. I workout four days a week. I minimize eating processed foods. I sleep eight hours a night. I drink water when I'm thirsty.

*Money: screwed. All prices are going up. All costs are going up. All payments are going up.

*Job training: screwed. On the one hand, I finished my self job training on Apr 19, 2024 Self Job Training Graduation Analytics Research Technology. On the other hand, the continued job training remains too slow. There is too much to learn. There are good free learning resources. I'm skeptical on paid online training.

*Learning outside the job training: not screwed. Finding new life skills is slow and sure. An advantage being unemployed is plenty of time to learn. These skills can be useful tomorrow.

*Socialize with friends and family: not screwed. I started meeting my friends post pandemic. I started meeting new people post pandemic. I'm patient.

*COVID-19: not screwed. I wear masks. I'm updated on the latest vaccines. I never tested positive.

*Timing, luck, destiny, karma: screwed. The world has not been flowing in my favor for years.

*Time remaining to live life: screwed. My life is either paused or moving forward too slowly. I follow through everything I learned. Too many delays. Too many stalls.

*Happiness in the short term: not screwed. I wrote being a happy loser My Problems Are Nothing on Dec 27, 2024 compared to many people with bigger unhappy problems.

*Happiness in the long term: screwed. Money is not a factor to become happy. However, money helps a person become happy. I don't know the future regarding money.

*Mental: not screwed. I separate physical health and mental health. I read books. I job training. I learn life skills. Never stop learning.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog December 2024

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. The COVID-19 coverage on the XEC strain was almost nonexistent. I might have spent the most time out of the house. One reason was Christmas shopping. I avoided the big crowds. The Christmas and New Year's holiday weeks went by fast.

Wed Dec 4. Completed errands at AAA. Shopped at World Market.

Thur Dec 5. Picked up online orders at REI and Target.

Sun Dec 8. Shopped in Japantown-San Jose.

Thur Dec 12. Picked up an online order at ASICS in the Great Mall.

The latest COVID-19 strain is the XEC. The XEC is a subvariant of the omicron strain. The milder strain is the most transmissible strain. The main symptoms resemble the common cold including coughing, runny nose, congestion, sore throat, and fever. A test must be performed to determine the person has the common cold or COVID-19. The latest vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax should mitigate symptoms if a person tested positive.

Mon Dec 16. Shopped at Costco Business Center. Filled up my car with gas at Chevron.

Tue Dec 17. Went to the outdoor Christmas event Enchant.

Wed Dec 18. Regular checkup at the dentist. Shopped at Valley Fair, Santana Row, Costco, The Home Depot, Books, Inc., and O'Reilly Auto Parts. There were too many cars on the road. It seemed the freeway and city traffic returned to pre-pandemic life.

A scientific paper stating the hydroxychloroquine drug to treat COVID-19 was retracted from the International Journal Of Antimicrobial Agents. The anti-malaria drug claimed to reduce virus levels. The Food And Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization in Mar 2020 allowing doctors to treat COVID-19 patients. The authorization was revoked three months later because further studies failed to show the benefits outweighed the risks. Scientists questioned the drug effectiveness with small sample size and short peer review times.

Fri Dec 20. Picked up online orders at O'Reilly Auto Parts.

Mon Dec 23. Shopped at Daiso, Target, KLOUD K-POP, and Safeway.

Tue Dec 24. The CDC's National Wastewater Surveillance System indicated an increase in the COVID-19 virus in the nationwide wastewater measurements ending Dec 14. Levels increased from low level to moderate level suggesting an increased risk of infection. 21 states have high or very high levels. The midwestern region was at high levels. The Northeast and South regions were low. The West region level declined while remaining at low level.

The death rate was 1.1% of infected people. Hospitalizations at 2.3 per 100,000 which was down from 10.7 per 100,000 in Oct. Emergency visits remained at 0.7% since Oct 15. The positivity rate was 5.6% as of Dec 14. The positivity rate was 17.8% on Aug 10.

Sat Dec 28. Visited a Christmas pirate ship display at a residential home in South San Jose.

Tue Dec 31. The previous COVID-19 fall and winter seasons wastewater levels rose in Nov. The wastewater levels peaked at the end of Dec. The 2024 year wastewater levels were the lowest in Oct and Nov. Wastewater levels began to increase in Dec from low to high. The week ending Dec 21 COVID-19 tripled in circulation due to the newest dominate variant XEC.

The XEC variant is a hybrid of two JN.1 variants. The JN.1 variant was an omicron subvariant for the 2023 winter surge. XEC accounted for 45% of new cases from Dec 8 to Dec 21. XEC accounted for 15% in Oct.

Flu levels and RSV levels increased in Dec. 21.4% of Americans were updated with the latest COVID-19 vaccine as of Dec 21.