Read Dr. Seuss Books

Today I read Dr. Seuss books I didn't read when I was a child. There were plenty of his books I didn't read. Any adult who read either too few Dr. Seuss books or never read Dr. Seuss books must devote three hours to read some of his classics. All parents must read these timeless classic Dr. Seuss books to their toddlers and young children.

Dr. Seuss was born as Theodor Seuss Geisel on Mar 2, 1904 in Massachusetts. Geisel created the Dr. Seuss name while studying at Dartmouth College and Lincoln College, Oxford. He received multiple awards including two Primetime Emmys and a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation.

Here are the books I read:

ABC. Toddlers can learn their ABC's.

And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street. Seuss's first book written in 1937. The book may awaken children's imaginations and comedian skills.

Are You My Mother? I corrected myself the crying bird is from The Best Nest. Written by P.D. Eastman.

Go, Dog. Go! The only book I read multiple times as a child. One reason was the signal lights. Written by P.D. Eastman.

Great Day For Up. The book may be written for the young parents. It's okay the great day for down.

Green Eggs And Ham. I praise the consistent writing. The child may learn consistency.

Hop On Pop. Good book on rhymes.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas! I watched the animated cartoon when I was a child. Read the book for the first time.

I'll Teach My Dog 100 Words. Teach verbs to children. Written by Michael Frith.

In A People House. Good vocabulary book.

Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! Geisel used the book as a satire for the Watergate scandal in the United States from 1972-1974. Mooney was Richard Nixon.

Oh, The Places You'll Go. A number one must read for grade school children.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. Introduce the young children on randomness.

Put Me In The Zoo. I remember the book in my room never read for a long time. I might have been an older child I read the book for the first time. Written by Robert Lopshire.

Ten Apples Up On Top! An action book and comedy book.

The Best Nest. The book with the crying bird. Written by P.D. Eastman.

The Cat In The Hat. Read the book for the second time. I needed to be reminded Thing 1 and Thing 2.

The Foot Book. I didn't read when I was a child.

The Lorax. Written in 1971. The book aged well.

The Shape Of Me And Other Stuff. An okay book.

There's A Wocket In My Pocket. I laughed at each page I read. Parents can learn how to communicate silly rhymes to their children.

Wacky Wednesday. My brother's favorite book. My least favorite book. I was a squared child. The incorrectness made me uncomfortable. The wisdom was wackiness must come to an end.

Update On A Past Blog

I Read When I Was Five Years Old blog written on Apr 22, 2024 included the Dr. Seuss books. I remember reading Go, Dog. Go! on my desk multiple times.

Top Ten Plus Three Equals Top Thirteen Stupid Blogs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Living An Alternate Life

My current life is the George Costanza from Seinfeld when he was unemployed and lived with his parents. I can live a life working in a crappy dead-end job while spending my free time watching TV and playing video games. Unacceptable. The life is a loser. I can upgrade somewhat. I live a life working in a white collar and dead-end job, struggle financially, spend time with weak friends, practice unhealthy habits, find little time to learn life skills, and spend little time job self-training. The idea adults must move out of their parent house just to move out of their parent house is questioned. The global pandemic exposes the truth independence can be overrated. Living independently may be deceptive independence is the way to live an adult life.

If anyone asks me if I'm happy, then my answer is I'm working on it. If anyone asks me if I'm happy yes or no, then my answer is yes. I accept my alternate life hoping its temporary.

Forget the average life. Forget the B's, C's, and D's graded life. Grade A life or grade F life. Success or failure. There is nothing between success and failure. I have nothing to lose. I'm fortunate I still have a choice how to live my life. I don't take the choice for granted.

Update On A Past Blog

The world is happy when I'm happy. I reference the last paragraph in Happy Life on Dec 21, 2010. Happy life is for everyone. Happy life must be earned and worked on. Happy life never comes to you and me on a silver platter. Go out and get happy--a happy life.

Point Blank Movie 5,464 Days Later

I can't explain why I watched the movie decades later. I watched Point Blank (1967) starring Lee Marvin tonight. The movie is part of a three DVD box set I purchased at the Chronicles Of Crime store in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada on Nov 18, 2008. The other two DVDs are The Departed (2006) and Bullitt.

The Departed (2006) starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg. The movie won four Oscars including Best Picture at the 79th Academy Awards on Feb 25, 2007. Bullitt stared Steve McQueen. The movie included one of the best car chase scenes in movie history. The two cars were Bullitt's 1968 Ford Mustang 390 GT and the bad guys' 1968 Dodger Charger 400 Magnum in San Francisco, CA.

Update On A Past Blog

The Point Blank movie reminded me of another decades old purchase. I wrote The Big Book Of Beatrix Potter 5,902 Days Later on Nov 16, 2021. I purchased the book on Sep 2, 2005 at Half Price Books in Washington state. I finished the book on Oct 30, 2021.

My Two Biggest Regrets

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

Update On A Past Blog

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

Normalcy In My Life

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

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

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

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

Update On A Past Blog

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

At Least Ten Years Ago Last Visited

The following places I visited 2013 or earlier. The COVID-19 global pandemic is part of the reason for the long-term hiatus. I have faith I visit these places soon. The places are off the top of my head.

*Santa Cruz, CA
*The Golden Gate Bridge and north of the bridge
*Santa Clara Convention Center
*Oracle Park home of the San Francisco Giants
*Southern California including Los Angeles, Disneyland, and Santa Barbara
*Tapioca Express
*Oakridge Mall
*Pier 39
*State of Washington
*An ice skating rink
*California Academy Of Sciences
*An arts festival
*British Columbia, Canada
*Taco Bell
*Denny's
*San Jose State University
*Any Mountain store
*Wal-Mart; however, I shopped at a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market once in Jan 2022.
*Ballroom dance studio
*University Avenue in Palo Alto, CA
*Any flea market
*Union 76 gas station
*Golfland

Honey Maid Grahams Crackers

The first time I saw a Honey Maid Graham Cracker was in kindergarten. The teacher's assistant gave each student a graham cracker at the end of recess. I declined. Why? I didn't know a graham cracker. I was a picky eater. These are the best answers thinking back as an adult. I might have the wisdom and the attention span of a two year old for a five year old body. On the other hand, I might have the intelligence of a seven year old for a five year old body because I read words and I added numbers. Moreover, I remember many days the teacher's assistant always responded with a shock and surprise I refused a graham cracker. I give the teacher's assistant credit she was consistent giving every student the opportunity to eat a snack after recess daily.

I'm confident I didn't eat a graham cracker in grade school, junior high school, and high school. I might have eaten a graham cracker as an ingredient for a prepared food. I exclude those moments. I'm also confident I didn't eat a graham cracker in college. There were infinite-like chances I eat a graham cracker because Costco sells the Nabisco Honey Maid Graham Crackers since Costco opened for business. Nope. I likely ate a graham cracker for the first time in my mid-20s after college.

Fast forward decades later. I ate a Honey Maid Graham Cracker today. My lesson today is be open to try new foods and new drinks. My reminder today is be open to try new foods and new drinks. There must be a reason the classic foods and classic drinks are classic foods and classic drinks. I realized I must grow up on Sat Oct 4, 2008. The people who read my blogs know my life changed forever. One of my immediate actions was trying new foods and new drinks. I ate Stacy's Pita Chips for the first time last week. I continue catching up what I missed before Sat Oct 4, 2008.

Tom Brady NFL Success From Being Drafted To Retired And Beyond

Future hall of fame and 15-time Pro-Bowl quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement on Tue Feb 1, 2022. The 44-year-old Brady played in the NFL for 22 years. He played for the New England Patriots 20 of the 22 years and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the last two years. Three-time MVP in 2007, 2010, and 2017. Seven Super Bowl champions in ten Super Bowl appearances with five Super Bowl MVPs. He is the NFL leader in touchdown passes with 624, pass completions with 7,263, passing yards with 84,520, and playoff game started with 47. He ranks eighth in passing yards per game with 265.8. Brady is the G.O.A.T Greatest Of All Time.

Brady is one of the best examples of success. Brady is given a chance to play in the NFL. The Patriots drafted Brady in the 2000 NFL Draft in the sixth round and 199th pick overall from Michigan. Who he is, what he does, and how he does it after Brady is drafted matters. Seven-time Super Bowl champion. Who he is, what he does, and how he does it after Brady is retired matters, too. He retired as the NFL G.O.A.T. He spends more time with his family and his business. The afterwards is more important than the beforehand. The idea applies to life. A person or company is awarded the contract. A person is given a job offer. A couple is married. Great. The door is opened. The selection is final. Who the person or the people are, what the person or what the people do, and how the person or people do afterwards matter. The idea applies to negative life moments. A divorce, a loss of job by firing or layoff, and a medical emergency are examples.

Support, opportunity, and luck are part of Brady's G.O.A.T. There is support from family, coaching, teammates, business partners, agents, and personal aids; in particular, wide receivers, running backs, and tight ends who catch footballs. The opportunity was Brady replaced injured quarterback Drew Bledsoe on Sep 23, 2001. Brady won his first of seven Super Bowl in the 2001 season against the St. Louis Rams. Luck favored Brady including defensive penalties extending fourth quarter comeback offensive drives and Malcom Butler's interception in Super Bowl XLIX in the 2014 NFL season resulting in Brady's fourth Super Bowl championship.

Also, breaks are part of Brady's G.O.A.T. There were breaks such as the 2001 AFC Divisional game between the Patriots and the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders led the Patriots 13-10 in the middle of the fourth quarter. Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson tackled Brady fumbling the football recovered by linebacker Greg Biekert. The officials initial call was a fumble. The official reviewed and overturned the initial fumble call because Brady tucked the football resulting in an incomplete pass. The Patriots scored a tying field goal to even the score at 13-13. The Patriots won the game 16-13 in overtime. Another break was Brady and the Deflategate scandal. The Patriots used an illegal method to lower the air inflation in their footballs unknowingly to Brady. Brady served a four-game suspension because the NFL believed Brady knew the footballs were deflated. A four-game suspension was a small deal in comparison to the original NFL suspension one full season 16 games. The Patriots was fined $1 million and lost two selections in the 2016 NFL Draft. Footballs with less air makes them easier to grip, throw, and catch.

And timing is part of Brady's G.O.A.T. Timing favored Brady because the NFL changed the rules in quarterbacks tucking the football and officials checking the air pressure in footballs before games are played.

Chance, support, opportunity, luck, breaks, and timing rephased as timing, luck, chance, opportunity, breaks, and support are factors to become successful. Afterwards is more important than beforehand.

Pic credit: ESPN Sportscenter.

Are You Being You Character Check

"Bud, I like you. Just remember something. Man looks in the abyss. There's nothing staring back at him. At that moment, man finds his character, and that is what keeps him out of the abyss." --Lou Mannheim, Wall Street

I thought of the quote above from one of my all-time favorite movies when I thought about character. People's character change. Your character changes. My character changes. If you don't want your character to change, then life finds a way to change your character. Acting new. Behaving differently. Feeling strange. The moment is uncomfortable. Discovering a new personality. Your character may be changing.

New experiences. New moments. New feelings. They can change character. Make new friends with a changed character. Make new enemies with a changed character. Relationships can be closer. Relationships can be stronger. Relationships can be broken.

It's you. Out with the old. In with the new. Grow up. Time to be mature. Welcome the new you. Close a chapter. Open a new chapter. It's life. Be honest. Take responsibility for your own actions. Own up to your faults. Credit people who assist you.

Here are three of my favorite quotes from Top Ten Favorite Quotes written on Dec 30, 2015:

9. You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life. --Winston Churchill

8. You can choose comfort or you can choose courage, but you cannot have both. --Theodore Roosevelt

7a. My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure. --Abraham Lincoln

Here are two of my favorite quotes from Top Ten Favorite Quotes 2 written on Mar 9, 2017:

5. A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new. --Albert Einstein

1. Being honest may not get you a lot of friends it'll get you the right ones. --John Lennon

Update On A Past Blog

I dreamed last night my sister and her boyfriend no longer in a relationship are engaged to be married. The ex-boyfriend was an idiot, a loser, and a nobody. My sister cried when she told the family of the engagement. I questioned the engagement because she was crying. I asked the reason why marriage. No answer.

Why does a somebody marry a nobody? The somebody marrying a nobody to prevent being lonely is a bad reason to marry. The nobody reminded me of my 40th moment in Top 40 Most Memorable Moments written on Sep 27, 2016. Here is the exact wording: 40. 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.

Moreover, a nobody can marry a nobody. However, if one of the nobodies become a somebody, then the marriage is in question.

The Real Raymond Mar Please Stand Up

I'm rising up. I'm a self-trained genius. My destiny card says I achieve freedom when I stand up and walk to the front of the stage. I become the real Raymond Mar. The real Raymond Mar stands up. He walks to the front of the stage. The fake Raymond Mars remain seated. The audience doesn't care for the fakes. The audience applauds for the real. It's the truth.

There are two sides in favor of me and against me. I play the personal objective card.

For The Real Raymond Mar

*Growing Up. I grew up on Sat Oct 4, 2008. I never wrote a dedicated blog detailing the day I grew up. I choose a similar blog I Choose Raymond Mar Today to represent the day which changed my life.

I include reading more fiction books than non-fiction books, learning strength training at bodybuilding.com, wearing new clothes, sleeping on a new mattress, accepting responsibility, and not taking life for granted as my immediate changes growing up.

*The Real Innovating Infinitely. I combine all learnings, new adventures, and new experiences. I include learning by drilling and practice by repetition. Life skills learned. Job skills acquired.

*Self-trained Genius. I'm one step closer to becoming a self-trained genius at the end of the day.

*Cooking. I know enough cooking skills to eat healthy meals. I minimize eating processed foods.

*Retired Hobbies. I'm retired from watching anime and playing video games. I'm playing classic video games three hours a week.

*I'm the healthiest I've ever been. I exercise four days a week. The last time I got sick was Oct 2018.

*Maintenance. I practice proper body bare necessities. My residence is cleaned. My car is maintained including oil changes and tire rotations.

Against The Real Raymond Mar

*The Real George Costanza. I'm unemployed. I live with my parents.

*Bad Luck. I experienced bad luck during job interviews. It's not a curse.

*Behind In Life. I'm behind in experience and knowledge. If there's a what a 40s-year-old man supposed to achieve, then I'm behind.

*Inherit Weakness. I have poor short-term memory. I can't trend water. I'm sensitive to heat. I'm partial tone deaf.

*Slow Reading. I'm a slow reader--not reading slow due to poor intelligence. However, for whatever reason, my speed and my comprehension have improved.

*July 1998-March 2007 Jobs. There were no transferrable skills working in the commercial real estate. The commercial real estate industry was my first jobs after I graduated college. Working in a retail start-up and working in data entry were pathetic. Working at Cisco was the best job experience.

*Unearned Successes. Most of my past successes including high school, college, and my first jobs were unearned. I was successful due to good luck, good timing, and good fortune. It was not my fault. I think of unearned success like an unearned run in baseball. It wasn't the pitcher's fault the run scored.

Update On A Past Blog

I wrote past blogs on Raymond Mar. Here are the past blogs with a brief description.

My Own Commentary On The Daily Life Of Raymond Mar written on Jul 31, 2013. I self-questioned and self-answered my daily life for which most of the answers were correct back then. They're incorrect today. I was dishonest for the most part. It was a bullshit blog.

The Myths Of Raymond Mar written on Jul 29, 2014. The four myths were correct back then. They're correct today. I was honest for one of the few days back in 2014. I still don't have a lot of friends. I'm retired from anime never being an anime expert. I still live with my parents. I still know and I still learn computers and technology.

Bet On The Real Raymond Mar Coming Soon written on Oct 4, 2014. The blog was written exactly six years ago when I realized I must grow up. I mentioned job searching, learning, having support, and believing in nothing to lose attitude. All of them are true today. People who bet on the real Raymond Mar is actually betting on Raymond Mar's big break.

Raymond Mar 2015-2019 Looking Better written on Jan 5, 2020. I posted a pic of myself between 2015 and 2019. I looked terrible between 2015 and 2017. I looked better in 2018 and 2019. I post a recent pic of myself for the purposes of today's blog. Fortunately, I look better as I get older.

I Choose Raymond Mar Today written on Apr 9, 2020. I rejected my past self which is the correct answer. I'm getting better. I honestly say I choose myself today.

The Big Book Of Beatrix Potter 5,902 Days Later

I can't explain why I read the book decades later. I purchased the book containing 19 stories including Peter Rabbit on Sep 2, 2005 at Half Price Books in Washington state. I finished the book on Sat Oct 30, 2021. Some of the children short stories are good. Some of the children short stories are boring. I enjoyed all of the art. Peter Rabbit, Squirrel Nutkin, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, Jemima Puddle-Duck, and Johnny Town-Mouse tales are my favorites.

Helen Beatrix Potter was born on Jul 28, 1866 and died on Dec 22, 1943. She was an English writer and illustrator. Potter self-published the successful The Tale of Peter Rabbit book. Potter began writing and illustrating children's books full-time thereafter. Her art was influenced by owning pets, spending holidays in Scotland observing animals and landscapes, and studying watercolors.

Video Games Are A Depression

I have additional free time due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. I choose to use more of my additional free time coming out of video game retirement to play classic video games for the first time on Jun 2020. I purchased video games on sale during the Steam's annual Summer Sale. The first video game I completed was Final Fantasy VI. I'm currently playing Final Fantasy VII (FFVII).

I played FFVII once a week staring on Jan 2021. The Jul month is the sixth month. I want to finish the game. I'm taking too long. I started playing multiple days. I started playing more hours per day. The result is fewer hours slept. My sleep schedule is altered. I feel depressed. My body feels weaker. I drink more soda. There is less time on my higher priorities such as reading books, taking care of myself, job training, and exercising. These higher priorities minimize my chances of depression.

Playing video games is a valid leisure activity. Playing video games is a good activity to take a break. Video games can be a social activity meeting new people. There is no right way and wrong way to play video games as a hobby. There is the good way and there is a bad way. Many people play video games the bad way. These video gamers neglect real life. They forget their personal problems. Their health is weak physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, and spiritually. Playing video games at least 20 hours a week is not worth it. There is too much cost for the enjoyment.

A Challenge

I challenge the video gamers who disagree with my opinion. Stop playing video games for two weeks. Use the two weeks to check off the to-do list. Seek new adventures. Experience new experiences. Go outside. Get up and do something, anything. I speak from personal experiences. Get more sleep. Eat healthier. Minimize eating processed foods. Find your desire. Motivation is more important than knowledge. Learn a skill. Review an existing skill.

If the two weeks are successful, then repeat the challenge for an additional two weeks. The point of the challenge is challengers realize more time living life and less time playing video games.

A 46 Year Old Mind And Spirit Inside A 13 Year Old Body

Blogger's note: The title A 46 Year Old Mind And Spirit Inside A 13 Year Old Body is incorrect. The title A 45 Year Old Mind And Spirit Inside A 13 Year Old Body is correct.

I dreamed last night my adult mind and adult spirit was inside a preteen boy. Warped to the past. Transferred to the past. Reincarnated to the past. Transported to another universe. Slid to another dimension. Traveled permanently to another world. The reader can make up any verb.

I was in eighth grade at my actual same junior high school. The class was physical education (PE). The PE teachers combined the boys and girls for co-ed basketball. The class was held in the cafeteria which was also the gym. The boys and girls lined up. The coaches randomly assigned the boys and girls to teams. I maintained my mind and spirit as a 46 year old on planet Earth on January 9, 2021 throughout the team selection. I asked myself in the back of my head, "What's going on here? Why am I back in junior high?" I reminded myself I know Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar being the NBA's all-time scoring leader.

I was selected in team #3. My team played poorly. We didn't play as a team. We were confused. Nobody knew how to play basketball. I took charge. I became like Draymond Green of the Warriors. I directed my team to play offense and play defense. I played like Curry shooting long range shots and passing to open players.

I became popular during the lunch hour. I went to the outdoor basketball courts after I ate lunch at the benches. I talked with my classmates on random topics. Students came up to me asking how to play basketball. Two particular students thanked me and bowed to me as if I'm their grandfather.

My philosophical question is the following: Are genius people geniuses being possessed from another person's mind and spirit? Any person with past knowledge and past experience has an advantage.

My Four Mount Rushmore Greatest Moments In My Life

95.7 FM The Game KGMZ selected four Mount Rushmore greatest moments in Bay Area sports history in May 2020. The four moments are "The Catch" San Francisco 49ers Joe Montana touchdown pass to Dwight Clark against the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship game in Jan 1982, "The Play" Stanford Cardinals kicked off to California Golden Bears with five lateral passes to score the game winning touchdown on the final play of the game in Nov 1982, the 2014 World Series Game 7 San Francisco Giants Madison Bumgarner pitched the last five innings of shutout baseball out of the bullpen to earn the series clinching save against the Kansas City Royals in Oct 2014, and the Golden State Warriors Steph Curry scored 37 points in Game 5 of the 2015 NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Jun 2015.

The Game selecting four greatest Bay Area sports moments inspire me to select my four greatest life moments. Creating the list is easy. Eliminating the obvious not Mount Rushmore moments are easy. Selecting the four life moments are hard. Finalizing my official Mount Rushmore life moments are easy when I connect the dots from creating the list to my official list in the end.

I mention my one honorable mention. Steve Jobs is my honorable mention. I read his biography twice written by Walter Isaacson. God knows when and who he or she was the last biography I read. I adapt Jobs' wisdom. I model Jobs' successes and failures. The end of the day I'm one step closer to becoming a self-trained genius. I'm learning a lesson people are no smarter than me. I influence them to become better people.

Here are my Mount Rushmore life moments in order of date earliest to latest:

1. My First Day Cosplaying (Sat Sep 11, 2004). I thank my mom for making my anime costumes or cosplays. I thought about retiring from anime in May 2004. I watched 17 episodes of Full Metal Alchemist at Fanime Con 2004 Midnight Marathon. The end of episode eight I said to myself, "I'm going to cosplay [the main character] Edward Elric." I wore my cosplay at Japantown Anime Faire 2 on Sep 11, 2004. I made my choice to continue being an anime fan on Dec 2004. I retired from anime on Sep 2014. I made a lot of new friends. I experienced my good moments and bad moments. I watched my share of good anime series and bad anime series.

2. Grow Up (Sat Oct 4, 2008). Aug-Sep 2008 were the worse months of my life at the time. I was weak. I was lost. I was a wimp.

My life changed forever on Sat Oct 4, 2008 in Los Altos, CA. I met with a friend at a board game gathering at the public library to return DVDs. He had to leave early because of a medical appointment. I walked across the street to the arts and crafts fair. I made an observation eating lunch and listening to a live band. The observation was I'm the only single person. 99.9% of the people were together as friends, couples, and families. I walked back to the library parking lot. I stood next to the parking lot driveway. I said to myself, "I have to grow up."

I tried anything new. My behavior started to mature. My wisdom grew. I stopped taking anything and anyone for granted. The changes paid off immediately. Some of the changes included a new desktop PC, new clothes, new gym workouts, started to listen to classic jazz, and read more fiction books. I learned more about life reading fiction books than non-fiction books such as self-help, leadership, and business books.

3. Self Job Training (Aug 2014). I failed an interview for a contract Data Analyst position because I failed the Excel tests. It was an example of use it or lose it. I started to relearn and refresh my Excel skills. I added Access, SQL, VBA, and PowerPoint. The job training inspired me to redesign my webpage using Sublime Text relearning HTML and learning JavaScript and CSS. My new webpage Innovate Infinitely debuted on Jun 29, 2016. My self job training today are learning and reviewing Excel, Power Pivot, Power Query, Power BI, SQL, Python, Linux, and Git. Learn, practice, drill, and repeat.

Furthermore, I add self-training outside my career. I learn how to tie knots, make paper airplanes, communicate with Morse Code, and basic land navigation.

4. The Shawshank Redemption (Sat Sep 21, 2019). I tell the background story why it took me decades to watch the movie. A friend in college watched The Shawshank Redemption in the theater. He told me the movie was boring. He didn't understand the point. My friend was a smart student. I didn't question his opinion. I believed the movie was boring.

I watched the movie for the first time on Sep 21, 2019. The movie saved my soul. The movie saved my life. The movie released everything holding me back. The movie gave me hope. The movie made me tell myself I can control more of my life. My feelings and my intuitions are trusted and strengthen. There are some situations I don't care what other people think. Geology is the study of pressure and time. Success is coming because I'm a mature adult applying heavy or deep training daily.

Side note one: My next blog is a Steve Jobs compilation blog. I combine past Steve Jobs blogs. I add additional quotes from the D5 Conference in 2007 where Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were interviewed.

Side note two: There was a chance I couldn't attend the Japantown Anime Faire 2 because my family cars were broken except the 1984 Toyota truck. Driving the manual transmission and no power steering truck in San Francisco wasn't hard as I expected.

My High School Freshmen Year Was My First Taste Of Responsible Adulthood

My freshmen year was the year I studied the hardest. I spent more hours learning. I spent more hours practicing. I spent more hours exercising at home. I spent less hours watching television. I used flash cards to learn French vocabulary. I drilled my R.O.T.C. general orders and ranks. The hard work paid off with good grades. I felt smart. I felt strong.

On the other hand, I failed the state's basic writing standards exam. My mom purchased two books to improve my English and my writing skills. I read the books. I studied. I practiced. I passed the exam in my sophomore year.

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.

Summer Vacation Ruined Everything

My summer vacation after freshmen year was too much fun. I watched too much television. I took the adulthood lesson for granted. I thought I remember everything. I wasn't going down. The opposite happened. I forgot everything I learned. Use it or lose it. I lost it. I didn't exercise. I didn't refresh my French. It was harder without my French textbook; however, I did have my lecture notes and flash cards. My parents were partially responsible because they never encouraged me to continue getting stronger and learning more. They didn't look after me.

Today's high school students can study during the summer because of the internet; in particular, tutorial videos on YouTube, Wikipedia, books in .pdf, and websites posting learning materials.

High School Was Different Thereafter

I experienced a non-typical high school thereafter. There was one French II class instead of two classes due to budget cuts in my sophomore year. French II was overcrowded. I couldn't take R.O.T.C. because the class conflicted with French II. The district announced two high schools closed permanently due to budget cuts in my junior year. My teachers didn't care. Homework was reduced. Teaching was relaxed. Tests were easier. I graduated at another high school in my senior year. Students and faculty didn't care about the multiple schools merged. I struggled in my classes during my senior year. I could have studied smarter. I still earned A's and B's.

Freshmen Year Didn't Count

Freshmen year in a college candidate's application was excluded. I'm not sure the rules apply to today's high school students. It's ironic I didn't need a warm-up year. I was prepared in terms of motivation for college.

My freshmen year I was motivated to be a mature adult. I lost the motivation during my first high school summer vacation. The motivation came back decades later.

Side note: One of the two high schools closed permanently reopened five years later due to higher student enrollment. The school opened with freshmen and sophomores only.

Is February The New Bad Luck Month?

The March month had been my bad luck month. The last time March was bad luck happened on 2017 when I experienced stomach flu like pains for days in multiple spurts. I admitted myself to the emergency room in April 2017 for which I was diagnosed with Acute Gallstone Pancreatitis. 2018 was a bad luck year in its entirety.

The February bad luck month started in 2019. 2019 started well with many phone interviews and an in-person interview. The jobs I interviewed were six-plus months contracts potentially strengthening and improving my resume. An eleven o'clock decision by a director or an executive cancelled my job hire at the end of February 2019. Another bad luck happened outside job searching. Mahjong is one of my hobbies. January 2019 I had been getting good luck winning more games. February 2019 I went back to getting bad luck and bad draws.

February 2020 was another bad luck month. I admit 2020 was less severe than 2019. The little delays, little setbacks, and little nuances added up. The week of February 17 went too fast I got little done; in addition, I almost got sick I went to the gym two times instead of four times. I made up missing two workouts by working out six times the week of February 24. It was the first time I worked out six times in a calendar week. Time will tell if I get sick in early March 2020. Another instance was I continued my self-training and self-reviewing job skills six days a week after I built my second desktop PC in January 2020. The little delays, little setbacks, and little nuances in the middle of February 2020 stopped the six days a week flow.

Time will tell if future Februarys are my bad luck months.

Update On A Past Blog

I was somewhat a nothing person referencing number 40 in my Top 40 Most Memorable Moments on Sep 27, 2016. My 40th moment was my boss was fired on Sep 2002. She was a nobody. The lesson was have nothing, do nothing, get nothing, be nothing, and people treat you like nothing. I was a nothing person to a lesser extent for which I didn't warrant a firing. I'm happy I'm a minimal nothing person. I must achieve freedom to remove the nothing title. I'm the George Constanza in my family unemployed and living with my parents. On the other hand, I'm working hard to earn freedom. I'm smarter, stronger, wiser, braver, and more useful today. The end of the day I'm one step closer to be a self-trained genius.

Sibling Role Reversal

I'm the oldest among my siblings. I felt one disadvantage being the oldest when we were children and teenagers. I was the first to make mistakes. My siblings learned from my mistakes growing up. I was the first child my parents raised me. My parents learned from their mistakes raising me. My siblings didn't repeat my mistakes. My parents corrected their mistakes raising my siblings. My siblings were smart students with lots of friends. My parents encouraged my siblings to study hard. I was the opposite. I was an average student with little friends. I felt jealous. I felt weak. I felt my family abandoned me. I felt life betrayed me.

We are adults today. My siblings are making mistakes today. I'm learning from their mistakes which includes raising a family and dating people. I have the desire to avoid repeating their mistakes. I have the desire to get smarter. I don't know why my siblings are regressing? Is it family stress? Is it work stress? Do my siblings stop learning? Do my siblings take life for granted? Do my siblings loss the desire to continue improving? Do my siblings accept their life as good as it gets and can't get better? The answer or answers is yes to more than one question.

Further, I experienced the most problems when we were children. My problems were poor physical fitness except my running speed, mental average intelligence, emotional worrying, emotional cowardness, and social being a loner for some school years. Today my siblings have the most problems. My adult problems are George Constanza problems unemployed and live with my parents. The two problems are nothing compared to my siblings.

One last question which is personal. Am I evil observing and learning from my siblings' mistakes? I forgive my parents for their poor job raising me. I'm an adult. I'm responsible for my successes and for my failures.

Desire Is More Important Than Knowledge

People expected my siblings to work at high paying jobs. Their jobs are typical middle class white collar jobs. I wonder why almost all smart students in high school and college aren't millionaires. Research concludes many millionaires are average C students or dropouts. Do these average C students or dropouts have the desire to learn to become millionaires? Likely yes. Do these average C students or dropouts know what to learn and what not to learn? Likely yes. I'm making a connection between my smart siblings when they were young not becoming millionaires and the millionaires who were average students. Do my siblings (and people like my siblings) lose the desire to continue their education or do they accept their current life not working to improve their lives?

I Missed The Discovery Day My Computer Desktops When I Was A Child

My dad worked at HP. He brought home desktop computers for my brother and I. I researched at the HP Computer Museum website the HP desktops I playfully wasted my time. Why playfully? Why wastefully? I played video games only. I did nothing on the desktops to learn. My dad never taught us how to use computers and why we use computers.

I thought my dad brought home outdated HP desktops. The HP Computer Museum website corrected me. The HP desktops were current. My first HP desktop was the HP-125 in 1982. The second HP desktop was the 150 Touchscreen 45611A in 1983. I might be incorrect on the model number because the 45611A has 3.5 inch disks. I remember using the 5.25 inch floppy disks. The third and four HP desktops were from the HP Vectra series. The third HP desktop was the Vectra 45945A in the late 1980s. I forgot the fourth HP desktop specific model. There were more HP desktops between the fourth HP desktop and the first desktop my dad custom made in Nov 2002.

A Commodore 64 Or An Apple II Instead Or A Macintosh Instead

What if my dad purchased a computer instead of bringing home HP desktops on loan? The Commodore and the Apple were household computer names in the early to mid 1980s. What if my dad taught my brother and I how to use the computer beyond turning on and off and inserting the floppy disk? What if my dad taught my brother and I why we should learn computers? I play the rational card. He worked at HP. HP allowed employees to borrow their computers for family use. Computers were expensive. My dad was a cheap person. Were the Commodore 64 or Apple computers better than HP? I honestly don't know. If my brother and I had a better computer, then could we have successful technology careers?

Moreover, what if I had a lucky childhood day when I connected the dots. The dots were computer programming, a better computer, someone telling me computers were the future, and someone introducing me a career in computer technology. The lucky childhood day never happened. There was no one moment to light the computer fire. There was no one moment to spark my computer desire.

Adult Responsibility Today

I was unlucky. I'm catching up what I missed. Two friends helped me purchase hardware for my first desktop PC in Oct-Nov 2008. My dad assisted me building my first gaming desktop PC in Dec 2008. I built my second non-gaming desktop PC in Mar 2015. I research new hardware for a third desktop PC anticipation date build Dec 2019 or Jan 2020. Another friend introduced me to Python. I'm learning Python focusing on Matplotlib, NumPy, SciPy, and Panda. I'm also learning Power BI. I self-taught myself Linux, HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript. I'm reviewing SQL and VBA. I forgive my dad for no interest teaching his sons. I can't change the past.

I Need More Stories

One gauge to determine how good a person's life is stories. Does a person share many stories? It's likely he or she lived a good life. Does a person share few stories? It's likely he or she lived a boring life. Some stories are bad; however, some bad stories have good endings. Lessons are learned. Wisdom acquired. Strength gained. There are tips to improve the quality of stories at the end of today's blog.

I already have stories such as the first time I was an inpatient in a hospital, improving my Mahjong skills, cosplaying, backpacking, late bloomer growing up, ballroom dancing, self-teaching new job skills, local sports teams winning championships, and attended a Paul McCartney concert. I share stories getting married and becoming independent soon. I need stories visiting a European country, visiting Hawaii, playing new board games, making new friends, and improving my cooking skills.

Tell a Story

The scenario is I'm interviewing for a job. One of the interviewers asked me to tell a story. I was inspired from the movie "La La Land" when Emma Stone's character was asked to share a story in a movie casting.

"Okay, it's a risky story. Risky is an incorrect adjective. I can't think of another adjective. Interpret the story on your own terms.

"I want to share a story finding my wife. I'm looking for a woman who is still new in life. She is still fresh. She's behind in life. I'm behind in life. I want her and I to catch up what we missed. I haven't visited a foreign country. Canada doesn't count. There are places I haven't visit in San Francisco, and my home city San Jose. My bucket list includes a Chow Mein pot luck, hosting board game nights, hiking in Hawaii, and an all-time favorite movie night binge. There is a blackout night we pretend there's no electricity we entertain ourselves with candles and flashlights.

"The best example I'm catching up is I drank an alcoholic beverage for the first time when I worked at a retail start-up. Another best example is I both camped and backpacked for the first time when I visited Zion National Park."

Tips To Tell A Good Story

Carmine Gallo wrote the book "The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Other's Don't" shared some rules from The Costco Connection magazine July 2017. Here they are:

*Don't tell a boring story.
*Do tell a story with a clearly defined villain.
*Don't pretend you never had to struggle.
*Do embrace your past and the experiences that define you.
*Don't end the story in the middle.
*Do provide a happy ending.

Side note 1: Alex Haley said the best way to being a speech is, "Let me tell you a story."

Side note 2: A little knowledge is better than a lot of ignorance.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com