Stupidity Stress In 1998

I remember one workday in my first job after I graduated from San Jose State University. I took a nap. There was nothing wrong with taking a nap. Everyone experiences an unusual stressful day. Management should allow naps.

However, the unusual stress causing my nap was unjustified. I remembered my stupidity. I was naive as a newly college graduate. My Research Analyst position was unstressful. I maintained a database. I created reports from the proprietary database. I completed special projects a college intern could understand. No Excel was required. No analysis needed. Further, I complained like an immature high school teenager.

There is no comparison between the stress in 1998 and the stress in 2026. The 1998 stress was Disneyland. In particular, the research analysts, business analysts, operations analysts, and data analysts industry Power BI, Tableau, SQL, databases, key performance indicators, text editors, Salesforce, artificial intelligence, dashboards, and programming languages either didn't exist or didn't require to fulfill the responsibilities in the late 1990s. Times have changed. All of the above are required to fulfill the responsibilities today.

Update On A Past Blog

The Riichi City latest promotion is Riichi City Date A Live V introducing Date A Tile Collab. The five questions asked to match a Date A Live V character are below. Each question should tell the Riichi player there are multiple ways to play and to win.

1. What's your mahjong playstyle?
2. What would you do when your hand is a mess?
3. What's your favorite way to win?
4. What's would you do if a discard completes your hand, but it's a low score?
5. What matter most in mahjong?

I included screenshots with my answers and the resulted character below.

The Data A Live V reminded me of two Mahjong Riichi blogs. I'm a beginner player on Nov 12, 2012 from the blog Let's Play Japanese Mahjong (Riichi). I included my Riichi Hands guide from my webpage. I'm an advanced player.

I shared Life Lessons Learned Playing Mahjong Riichi on Mar 18, 2016. Most of the lessons are true today. The lessons are applied either way from Riichi to life or from life to Riichi. One experienced Riichi player told me professions who place fourth two times in a row stop playing for the rest of the day.

A Full Time Job For Children

My parents are neither the best parents nor the worst parents. If they teach me one lesson, then they teach me to learn. My full time job was to learn as a child. What did I learn? Read, walk, talk, smile, computers, write, . . . . The two-word answer was learn everything. If I must self-learn, then I self-learn. Unfortunately, my parents are terrible teachers.

I failed to learn when I was a child. My parents failed to teach me when I was a child. They did not teach me their if. My childhood was too much fun, too little learning, and too easy childhood. Fortunately, I realized the mistakes decades later as an adult. I taught myself my if--self-learn. I started catching up when I missed when I realized I must grow up on Sat Oct 4, 2008. The catching up continues today. I learn job skills. I learn life skills. I'm the most physical fitness shape. My emotions are stable. I sleep eight hours a night. I get it. I understand it.

A child's full time job is to learn.

Update On A Past Blog

I wrote a blog Some Parents Can't Teach Their Children on Nov 15, 2022 explaining why my parents are poor teachers. I said they're embarrassed of their lack of knowledge, ashamed of their ignorance, and lazy they don't want to learn what they don't know.

I elaborated my too much fun childhood A Childhood Lowlight written on Oct 23, 2011. One can say too much fun is boring because fun can be an addiction. A fun activity can be boring or dissatisfying leads to another fun activity to compensate for the previous fun activity. Repeat multiple times. Repeating fun multiply times results in fun addiction. I incorrectly occupied my childhood time with too much fun; in particular, summer vacations were playing toys, playing video games, and watching TV.

I Lie If You Want An Exciting Update

The scenario is you and I are at a coffee shop. We converse. You ask for an update. I answer in two ways. My first way is the boring update. My recent changes are boring. I finished reading *insert book title*. I'm currently reading *insert book title*. The last movie I watched was *insert movie title*. My physical workouts are limited because of a left tricep injury. I play classic video games once in a while. You may as well read fake news on the internet. Fake news is exciting. Fake news is entertaining.

Although, my self-job training is completed. Click Self Job Training Graduation Analytics Research Technology written on Apr 19, 2024 for the detailed timeline and the skills learned. I finished the extended self-job training HTML, JavaScript, and WordPress. I continue Python and Excel which are boring.

A Reason Some People Lie

The second way is lying. I exaggerate because I hide my boring life; moreover, some people lie to hide personal weaknesses or personal vulnerabilities. There is no right and no wrong living a boring life. There is a good way and a bad way to live a boring life. It has been harder to live my boring life in a good way.

My last exciting change was Self Job Training Graduation Analytics Research Technology on Apr 19, 2024. One must look at the big picture to conclude the graduation was exciting. I must mention watching the movie The Shawshank Redemption on Sep 21, 2019. The movie saved my soul. It was one of My Four Mount Rushmore Greatest Moments In My Life written on Aug 9, 2020.

Real Answers

My real answers are boring. They're legitimate. They're genuine. I practice them. Physical fitness is real. My mental capabilities are real. My job candidate prospects pre-pandemic were real. My job candidate prospects post-pandemic are fake. My webpage, my reading books, and my cooking as a single person are real. My programming is fake; although, I can escape the fakeness when I write ad hoc programming for general business data analysis. My data analysis is real.

Update On A Past Blog

The unemployed job candidate rejected after being a finalist for a job opening one reason may be he or she is a threat to the department manager or senior employees' employment statuses. He or she asks the question Can I Be Overqualified? written on Jan 10, 2022. Some hiring managers hire underqualified people or people stupider than himself or herself. There are logical reasons and illogical reasons departments employ underqualified workers.

If you understand the management intention, then you understand the management behavior. The hierarchy must be preserved.

I wrote Raymond Mar 3.0 on Jul 15, 2023. The blog is about me at my best. No Raymond Mar 4.0. Two small unexciting updates. Number 9 Mahjong I'm an advanced skilled Mahjong player instead of an intermediate skilled player. Number 10 Handyman the patience and practice are valid. I continue looking for new life skills to learn.

Depression Need Christmas Distraction Before, During, And After December 25

I jogged around my neighborhood on Tue Jan 20, 2026. Yesterday was the first time I jogged in 2026. There were a few homes with their outdoor Christmas decorations. 26 days after Christmas 2025. Beforehand, there were homes with their outdoor Christmas decorations during the first full week of Nov 2025.

There must be families experiencing tough times Christmas must come early. These households needed a distraction. These households have too much time on their hands. The Christmas holiday was unsatisfactory the outdoor Christmas decorations remain outdoors today. Life has been getting harder before the global pandemic, during the global pandemic, and after the global pandemic.

State Of Raymond Mar 2026

Blogger's note 1: Today's blog is posted at both Innovating Common Knowledge and Finding Raymond Mar.

Blogger's note 2: Today's blog is edited minimally for grammar.

Today's blog is a life status update. These updates are in no particular order.

The Negatives. I start 2026 with an upper left arm injury since Nov 2025. The injury is not shoulder related. The injury is muscle related. My research leads me to a left tricep muscle injury. I think it's a strain. More research needed. Treatments are rest, ice, and Diclofenac Sodium Topical gel. I tried Biofreeze. Advil didn't work after five days. Consulting a sports injury doctor is possible.

Another negative is no new job skills to learn. A friend suggested the open source machine learning PyTorch. My quick research tells me PyTorch is not a fit for my career. I need more research. I learned everything I could learn including PowerBI, HTML, SQL, Linux, and Power Pivot in the meantime. Python and Excel are reviews.

My car needs to be serviced by an automotive technician. An initial check is my car needs a new fan belt. I anticipate more problems for my 2005 Toyota Camry.

Another anticipation is the household eats more take out food. The household eats more processed foods. The household maintaining the daily meals quality declines. I must be more proactive unnecessarily through no fault of my own.

Grew Up On Sat Oct 4, 2008. I realized I must grow up on Sat Oct 4, 2008. The growing up changes I made paid off immediately; for example, new clothes, new mattress, new physical workout plans, and new Gaming PC. Similarly, the changes I made since Jan 1, 2026 also paid off immediately; although, they were smaller changes. I rearranged my desk, I used a longer USB cord to charge my phone, I coated the baking pan with butter to roast chicken to experiment, I played classic arcade games, and I played the Puerto Rico board game with four players as a solo player.

2009 Again? 2026 began with a partial 2009 feeling. Ignorant bliss. Less than too much free time today compared to 2009. Fewer friends, family, and acquaintances to support me today compared to 2009. More serious non-income generating work today. Less serious non-income generating work in 2009.

I bring back the beginner mentality. I need to find new life skills to learn. I tell myself, "I don't know what to do" multiple times. Be a beginner again intelligently. Be ignorant intelligently.

All previous personal projects were completed. Some personal projects are maintained by reviewing or by practicing. Maintenance is not new projects.

No anime, no ballroom dancing, no Accutane treatment, no vacations, no hiking, and no college classes. However, video games are significantly reduced. Counter Strike 2 is the next video game for which I play for the first time. Yes reading books, yes exercise, and yes cooking.

Money. Money resources are not a problem. I continue keeping my expenses in check. I spend intelligently. However, no budget restrictions like the Sat Oct 4, 2008 when I made changes growing up. Black Friday 2025 was like Black Friday 2008. Black Friday 2025 was goods upgraded or goods replaced.

My Foundation. I either improve my existing foundation or create a new foundation. I'm going nowhere. I'm regressing slowly. I'm losing the ability to live an awesome boring life.

The current life path destination is an unsuccessful life. There is failure at the end of the road. Blame life. Nobody wants to live a failed life. No rational person wants to live a George Costanza. There are successes; there must be failures.

I did everything correctly. I learn professional skills. I learn life skills. I ate heathy. I helped the family. I don't buy junk. No rewards. I'm an example of a person who did everything correctly and didn't get the desired results.

On the other hand, I speak up for myself. I share my thoughts and my feelings. I choose the timing. Be tactical. Speak intelligently.

No 2025 Momentum To 2026. 2026 is the first year since I don't know when the last time no momentum from the previous year. No carry over. No ideas, plans, and unfinished projects continuing from 2025 to 2026. My usual activities reading books, writing blogs, and exercising are excluded. Mahjong is excluded. The Counter Strike 2 next video game is excluded.

However, the Black Friday 2025 purchases a 14TB external hard drive and a new gaming PC mouse were upgrades which could have been purchased years ago.

I'm Out Of Bullets. The totality of my life is empty clips. Inside and outside the house. Inside and outside my body. There's nothing. The mini gun is dry. Reloading is possible. I don't know where to find ammunition.

Good Way Depression And Bad Way Depression

Blogger's note 1: Today's blog is posted at both Innovating Common Knowledge and Finding Raymond Mar.

Blogger's note 2: Today's blog is edited minimally for grammar.

Christmas 2025 was a bad Christmas. No need for a detailed explanation. The one sentence explaining a bad 2025 Christmas was my family did a bad job being boring. Dec 25, 2025 changed my family's lives for better or for worse. Dec 25, 2025 initialized permanent changes. I write bullet points to share my thoughts and my feelings in no particular order.

*I played Portal 2 for the second time. I finished the video game in Sep 2025. I planned to play a second time. I choose to play the second time during the holiday.

*There was one lucky moment. The moment was small. I play Riichi or Japanese Mahjong on Riichi City. I paid $7.99 to support the video game paying for one out of four new characters guaranteed. The guaranteed new character was my first choice Toho Nagi.

*I read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. I ate like the French during the German occupation in World War II. Food was distributed with ration cards. I ate poor meals after Christmas. No appetite.

*I cleaned the house.

*I watched the beginning scenes from the movies Saving Private Ryan and The Godfather Part I.

*Eat intelligently regardless of proper meals or improper meals. No appetite. Still eat intelligently. There were some days I ate meals like I had the stomach flu.

*I didn't want to cook for the household. There were no reasons to eat well. On the other hand, I admit I completed tasks I delayed months ago with the free time. No cooking was another protest to express my anger Christmas was bad.

Did everyone feel Christmas was bad? My answer is most of us felt Christmas was bad. Nobody verbally expressed it.

*I trusted nobody with my thoughts and my feelings. The family was weak. The family was not strong enough to handle me.

*The world didn't come to an end.

*The cure is stay busy. Stay busy relieves the depression pain. Be active relieves the depression symptoms. Motivation is the key. Motivation is more important than knowledge. Motivation > Knowledge. Hope the depression is cured like taking medication for the common cold.

*There is no reason to be a jerk. There is no excuse to be impolite. Bad behavior is intolerable.

*The feelings and the thoughts no wants and no desires to do something, anything are valid. The feelings and the thoughts must be temporarily.

*The Christmas holiday was effortlessly boredom. There are people who live good boring lives with effort.

*I silently protested how my family celebrated Christmas 2025.

*There is work every day. Work can be a positive distraction to a negative feeling. Work is not necessarily financial or earned income. Household cooking, cleaning, and organizing are examples of work with zero pay.

Personal intelligence is also work. Reading, learning new skills, and doing personal maintenance are work.

*No sex desire. I understood better how depression repress the human sex drive.

*Choose the cure. Choose the distraction. Choose wisely.

*The human being is like an engine. All parts must function well to live a good life. Any parts go down or weaken a negative chain reaction starts. Other parts of the engine compensate. More stress. Life is harder to live.

The engine must be maintained. Sleep is important to rest the engine. Sometimes the engine needs upgrades. A tragedy can disable the engine. Hopefully, the engine can be repaired.

*Backups can be available. Complements, supplements, and substitutions must be effective to keep the human living his or her best.

*I ate one good meal during the depression. It was like the late Steve Jobs while he attended Reed College who said, "I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple." The one good meal was at Panda Express. I ordered fried rice, broccoli beef, and string bean chicken.

Outdoors can be good. I was out of the house. I was out of the bad boredom household. I understood better from decades ago I read an article about multi families staying in a single residence due to low income. Each family spent private time at a fast food restaurant.

*Depression time should be temporary. Depression passes.

*Must eat good meals to live a good life.

*Permanent changes happen afterwards due to self-discovery. Be aware to correct the ongoing mistakes.

*I read my personal bible. Click Inspiration Cheer Up File to download the .pdf file. Continue to live life finding what you want to do. Jobs said, "Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."

*I played my all-time favorite board game Puerto Rico solo. I played with four players being solo. I rolled dice to randomly determined the roles.

*I rearranged the PC and tech cables in the computer desk.

*I stored the Christmas tree on Sun Jan 4, 2026. I initially wanted to keep the tree displayed for months as a reminder for a bad Christmas. I changed my mind which was the correct choice. Out of sight, out of mind.

Update On A Past Blog

There were blogs I mentioned my personal bible I didn't include the link to download the Inspiration Cheer Up File. I posted the link again. The blogs were Top 50 Most Memorable Moments written on Sep 18, 2024, The Green Steno Notebook 8 written on Apr 22, 2023, Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog 1 written on Jun 2, 2020, Top 40 Most Memorable Moments written on Sep 27, 2016, My Spirituality Discovery written on Jan 11, 2015, and Exercise Your Body From Head To Toe Inside And Outside written on Jan 6, 2015.

My Game Over Is Coming Soon

Blogger's note: Today's blog is posted at both Innovating Common Knowledge and Finding Raymond Mar.

I'm running out of time. I'm running low on the number of chances. Resources and support dwindle. Permanent quitting time is near. I've exhausted everything I can think to earn my freedom. There are winners in life. There are losers in life. I belong to the losers. Nobody's fault. Blame life. I receive bad advice. Some knowledge are acquired incorrectly. I reverse setbacks as much as I can. I did my best. The narrative is I didn't do enough.

I'm tired. I'm exhausted. I think of my past self job training from today to 2015. Some may say my training was too good. Completing some training faster didn't guarantee a job. Time is no longer my friend. I'm not going to succeed.

No Longer Awesome Boring

I'm running out of ideas to keep my life fresh. There are more stale days lately. There are more rotten days recently. The present life is getting old. The general routine is unchanged for decades. I fear the present general routine becomes too comfortable I'm unable to adapt to better changes.

Reject The Alternate Life

Fortunately, the otaku life or the anime and video game life is forbidden. No fat man life. No eight hours of video games a day life. The lifestyle eating healthy and exercising is clear and present. I read books. I maintain the household. Self job training continues; although, what else can I learn which matches my strengths? My choices are few. I sleep well. I move forward.

Update On A Past Blog

I wrote an honest blog Permanent Unemployment on Jan 24, 2024. I spoke for some long-term unemployed people like me frustrated with the job hiring system. I mentioned AI replaces human jobs. Job training costs continue to increase which includes money and technology tools. Timing and luck are factors getting hired and getting rejected.

Maxed Out On Career Learning

I finished my WordPress self job training last week. Full disclosure. The WordPress was a satisfactory failure. The training resulted in finding a new web hosting provider for my webpage Innovate Infinitely and ending the training project due to costs. The last WordPress tutorial was an offline training I found from the YouTube algorithm. Regardless, I added the skill to my resume.

The remaining self job training skills are Excel, Python, and HTML as of the blog post. Years 2022 and 2023 were peak with the following skills: Excel with Power Pivot and Power Query, Git, Linux, Power BI, Python, R and R-Studio, SQL, and Sublime Text. There is no new job training related to my profession thereafter. Reviewing existing job skills are too repetitious with no additional benefits--borderline boredom and tiredness. It's like no more promotions. There's nothing more going up. My salary is maxed. My rank is at the top ceiling. Anything new adds no additional value; although, I receive information to learn PyTorch for machine learning.

I never thought about running out of new job training skills. I never realized the self job training spanned a decade. Students graduate high school. Students graduate college. The common wisdom is never stop learning; however, all training must come to an end. The student takes the pebble from the master's hand.

High School Campus Is A Teenage Day Care Center

I dreamed last night I was a student in high school. One class was like a Reserve Officers Training Corp (ROTC) class. It was taught like a ROTC class. Most of the class material was ROTC. The instructor was like a ROTC who was a retired Marine officer.

The students and I were outside the classroom. The instructor told us to go inside the classroom which was like a mini gym. The ceilings were tall. The classroom was four times bigger than a standard classroom. The students were given a yellow piece of paper with questions. There were a few multiple choice questions. There were two fill in the blank. The rest were short answers.

My dream immediately fast forward to the instructor handing back the yellow piece of paper to the students. It turned out we were given a surprised test. All students did poorly. I scored a 73. The instructor punished the students by telling us to go outside and correct our mistakes. I woke up.

High School Is A Joke

My cynical thinking the ROTC like class was a waste of time. I thought back to my high school years. Many classes were a waste of time. Teenagers need to learn mathematics, learn reading, and learn writing. The deeper question is "How much depth do teenagers need to know US history, world history, geography, science, foreign language, and fine arts?" Parents are told by the government these classes must be taken to graduate with a high school diploma. US citizens should know the civil war, World War II, the capital of the USA, and water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen. I reread a few literature books in high school as an adult such as The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Red Badge Of Courage by Stephen Crane, and Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck. Most of the books stank. Physical education was a joke. I don't know today's physical education curriculum.

My high school is a joke opinion may be weak. College bound high school students must take college requisites. I accept. Otherwise, my opinion has merit. Music, art, and cooking do nothing to get a good paying job in today's Information Age. Students who are lazy may have a point. They're bored. The high school standards and high school policies are a mismatch. I admit they're not perfect.

Start The Conversation

Education is passing knowledge to future generations. Any other definition is probably bullshit.

Update On A Past Blog

I add another lesson learned taking R.O.T.C. in high school. The blog is High School R.O.T.C. Leadership Lesson Another Viewpoint By Rank written on Oct 24, 2020. Here is the lesson on words.

*What is the one most important word? We.
*What are the two most important words? Thank you.
*What are the three most important words? If you please.
*What are the four most important words? What is your opinion?
*What are the five most important words? You did a good job.
*What are the six most important words? I admit I made a mistake.

Wrong Stress

I remember I took a nap at my first job after I graduated from San Jose State University. I was a Research Analyst in a commercial real estate company. The job title was misleading. My job consisted of 90% data entry and 10% analysis. I took a nap because I was stressed out. The stress was neither good nor bad. The stress was menial, repetitive, and boring data entry.

The jobs after working in commercial real estate were legitimate stress. Quick timelines. Bad management; although, management was bad in commercial real estate, too. Poor instructions. Last minute changes. Delays beyond my control.

Stress is relative. Stress is a perspective. The best people minimize stress such as the common knowledge eat healthy, exercise, and sleep for eight hours. I admit I failed minimizing stress. Lessons learned afterwards.

Today's workplace is fast paced. Today's workplace never slows down. More knowledge, more technical skills, and more responsibilities are required for most occupations. The workplace decades ago was kiddie pace compared to today.

Graduating High School Seniors All Back At Square One

My nephew graduated high school yesterday. There were 750 out of 800 graduating seniors who attended their ceremony held in the football field. No tickets were required. Seniors could invite any number of family members and friends. The open seating area on the field was full. Both sides of the bleachers were filled. Some family members and friends disobeyed the graduation ceremony rules. No big deal at the end of the evening. The graduating seniors met with their family members and friends to share a once in a lifetime moment.

There was a commonality when all graduating seniors received their diplomas. They're all even. They're promoted to high school graduate level 1. A new experience points system is activated. Everyone starts with zero points. Everyone opens a new book starting at chapter 1. Level the playing field.

It doesn't matter who were the high school students. Athletes, trouble makers, C average 2.0, goths, rockers, skaters, geeks, loners, straight A 4.0+, popular students, gamers, and good looking students. If the term "college preps" still exists, then they're included. Weirdos, fat students, bullies, bullied, special ed, and bad looking students. All high school students were included.

The rumors disappeared. The mistakes learned. Popularity no more. No more ranking students in *fill in the blank*. Send the bad memories to vault. There were bygones. There was forgiveness. The past is the past. The past four years matters none. The end arrived. High school is over more for better and less for worse. Time to say goodbye.

Boring Ceremony Not Boring

Parents and younger siblings who said high school graduation was boring must take it back. Retract the boring feeling. If parents said high school graduation was boring, then their high school graduation was boring, too. If younger siblings said high school graduation was boring, then their high graduation is going to be boring. The siblings are going to graduate soon.

High school graduation is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Nobody must screw up a once in a lifetime moment.

Star Wars Episodes IV-VI On Wait And Patience

Here are selected dialogue quotes from Star Wars IV, V, and VI with "wait" or "patience" from iMDB Internet Movie Database. A common life wisdom is patience. Star Wars can teach waiting.

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Darth Vader: [as Obi-Wan finds him and ignites lightsaber] I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner. Now I am the master.
Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi: Only a master of evil, Darth.
[fights Vader]
Darth Vader: Your powers are weak, old man.
Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi: You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.
[fights more]
Darth Vader: You should not have come back.
[fights more]
Luke: [Obi-Wan spots him and allows himself to be killed] NO!
[stormtroopers shoot at him]

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

[Luke has just encountered Yoda. Yoda is pretending to be senile to test Luke's patience; R2-D2 watches as Yoda plays with a little flashlight-like lamp. Already impatient, Luke tries to take the lamp away from Yoda]
Yoda: Mine! Or I'll help you not.
Luke: I don't want your help. I want my lamp back. I need it to get out of this slimy mudhole.
Yoda: [insulted; as he speaks, R2-D2 opens a side door and extends a pair of pinchers and grabs hold of the lamp and tries to pull the lamp away from Yoda] Mudhole? Slimy? MY home, is this!
Yoda: [startled] Wha?
Luke: [Yoda and R2-D2 start a tug-of-war with the lamp; R2 beeping and humming protestingly] R2, let him have it. [Yoda grabs his cane and starts whacking R2-D2 repeatedly with it]
Yoda: [as he is whacking R2] Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!
Luke: [firmly] *R2!* [R2 relents, sinking his pinchers into his metallic body. Yoda uses his cane to close the side door for R2-D2's pinchers]

Luke: How far away is Yoda? Will it take us long to get there?
Yoda: Not far. Yoda not far. Patience. Soon you will be with him.

Yoda: Why wish you become Jedi?
Luke: Well, mostly because of my father, I guess.
Yoda: Ahh . . . father. Powerful Jedi was he. Powerful Jedi.
Luke: [suspicious] Oh, come on! How can you know my father? You don't even know who I am. Oh, I don't even know what I'm doing here! We're wasting our time!
Yoda: [Looking away from Luke] I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience.
Obi-Wan: [voice-over] He will learn patience.
Yoda: Much anger in him . . . like his father.
Obi-Wan: [voice] Was I any different when you taught me?

Yoda: Stopped they must be; on this all depends. Only a fully trained Jedi Knight, with the Force as his ally, will conquer Vader and his Emperor. If you end your training now - if you choose the quick and easy path as Vader did - you will become an agent of evil.
Obi-Wan: Patience.
Luke: And sacrifice Han and Leia?
Yoda: If you honor what they fight for? Yes.
Obi-Wan: If you choose to face Vader, you will do it alone. I cannot interfere.
Luke: I understand. R2? Fire up the converters.
Obi-Wan: Luke! Don't give in to hate. That leads to the Dark Side.
Yoda: Strong is Vader. Mind what you have learned. Save you it can.
Luke: I will. And I'll return, I promise.

Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi

[Aboard the Death Star, The Emperor's shuttle is greeted by hundreds of Imperial troops and officers. As the last of six red-robed Royal Guards exit the shuttle, both Darth Vader and Moff Jerjerrod kneel in reverence at the foot of the boarding ramp as the Emperor himself emerges]
The Emperor: Rise, my friend.
Darth Vader: The Death Star will be completed on schedule.
The Emperor: You've done well, Lord Vader. And now I sense you wish to continue your search for young Skywalker.
Darth Vader: Yes, my Master.
The Emperor: Patience, my friend. In time, he will seek you out, and when he does, you must bring him before me. He has grown strong. Only together can we turn him to the Dark Side of the Force.
Darth Vader: As you wish.
The Emperor: Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen.

Pursue Happiness

I Googled random happiness quotes. I selected the worse happiness quotes. I selected the weakest happiness quotes. I selected the bullshit happiness quotes. The source of the quote is noted if known. All quotes are my opinions. Here are the quotes below:

*Happiness is not a destination. It is a method of life. --Burton Hills
*Happiness is found when you stop comparing yourself to other people.
*Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you. --Mary Lou Retton
*Be happy not because everything is good, but because you can see the good side of everything.
*Don't worry. Be Happy --Bobby McFerrin
*The purpose of our lives is to be happy. --Dalai Lama
*You deserve happiness always, no matter what.
*Whoever is happy will make others happy. --Anne Frank
*The less you care, the happier you will be.
*Your anxiety is lying to you. You are loved. Everything is ok.
*I have fond that if you love life, life will love you back. --Arthur Rubinstein
*Happiness is the art of never holding in your mind the memory of any unpleasant thing that has passed.
*To be kind to all, to like many and love a few, to be needed and wanted by those we love, is certainly the nearest we can come to happiness. --Mary Stuart
*Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness. --Bertrand Russell
*The two enemies of human happiness are pain and boredom. --Arthur Schopenhauer
*The only thing that will make you happy is being happy with who you are. --Goldie Hawn
*Stop comparing yourself to other people, just choose to be happy and live your own life. --Roy T. Bennett
*You have everything you need for complete peace and total happiness right now. --Wayne Dyer
*If only we'd stop trying to be happy, we could have a pretty good time. --Edith Wharton
*Stop feeling sorry for yourself and you will be happy. --Stephen Fry
*Be happy in your body. It's the only one you've got, so you might as well like it. --Keira Knightley
*You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life. --Albert Camus

Happiness is not a right. Happiness is not deserved. Earn happiness. It's ironic. Work is required to be happy. Work is required to experience fun. Work. Learn. Drill. Practice. Repeat. Complete the boring. Don't take happiness for granted.

What Is The Best Happiness Quote?

There is one good happiness quote. There is one strong happiness quote. All other happiness quotes can be ignored. The one quote is learned in grade school history. Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration Of Independence on July 4, 1776. The declaration included, "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Pursuit is the key verb. "Pursue happiness" is the best happiness quote. Pursue happiness is a system.

My Bigger Picture Of Nothing

If anyone asks me at a dinner table why I'm quiet, then I reply, "Don't mind me. I'm boring." There is truth. I'm boring. I'm nothing. I'm the George Costanza in my family. I'm unemployed. I live with my parents. I do nothing. An anticipated question is what I do with money. Where is my income? Do I have any job? No money is needed to do nothing. An honest answer. Look at my picture. I cook for the household. I clean for the household. I workout four days a week. I job train and I job search five days a week. I watch movies. I read books. I write blogs. Nobody cares. Planet Earth doesn't care.

Property Taxes Change Priorities

Everyone who owns property pays their property taxes. Property taxes pay for county services such as sheriff, fire, ambulance, libraries, schools, parks, roads, and social services. Money must be earned to pay property taxes. There is no fun paying property taxes. All leisure activities, jokes, and discretionary expenses are secondary. Responsibilities are taken seriously. Furthermore, all children who say their parents or guardians being homeowners are boring should be taught property taxes.

The county places a property tax lien on property owners who don’t pay their property taxes. A tax lien is a lien to secure payment for back taxes. A lien is a law term meaning a right to keep possession of the property which belongs to another owner being in debt. If a tax lien is unsatisfied at a future time, then the county auctions the property as a tax default property which includes the land and the house. The winner bidder pays for the winning auction price and the tax lien or back taxes.

Paying insurance is another action which changes priorities. Everyone knows auto, home, life, medical, rental, dental, optical, and personal property.

Update On A Past Blog

Paying property taxes and insurance is a good reminder for the blog The Minimums To Live written on Dec 14, 2023. I wrote food, shelter, and clothing are the minimums. One can say food, shelter, and internet are the minimums. Shelter implies a bed, bare necessities, medications, utilities, and clothes. Internet implies a cell phone. The minimums are paradise at the end of the day.

2024 Year In Review

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

1. Analytics Research Technology. I self-trained. I passed my classes for data analysis or data science. The classes were from YouTube videos, online education, books, and articles. I blogged the graduation Self Job Training Graduation Analytics Research Technology on Apr 19, 2024.

2. Black Mesa. A fan-made remake of Half-Life. It's the video game nomination for 2024. It's the only video game I played.

3. Gym. I worked out at the gym for the first time since the global pandemic.

4. Discretionary Spending In Check. A 2018 moment nominee. I minimized discretionary spending. For example, one music CD, Steam's annual sale selected video games $1.50 or cheaper, and DVDs at public library sales. Most bare necessities purchased on sale.

5. Taiwanese Mahjong. I learned how to play Taiwanese style. I know Hong Kong and Japanese or Riichi.

Explanation: I completed my like senior year in college with a fake degree in Analytics Research Technology. The consistent and productive job training paid off. Forget the video game, gym, and mahjong. Too trivial. I could continue working out at home. A mini home gym and a full size gym were no comparisons. Keeping my expenses in check was worth mentioning given prices have been increasing. Make everything last as long as possible.

There were multiple setbacks in my physical training. One setback was sickness in July. Another setback was left calf pain solved by wearing a calf compression sleeve. I must jog with a knee brace on my right leg.

What Won: Analytics Research Technology.

What Should Have Won: Analytics Research Technology.

My Thoughts On The Winning Moment: Job training won because I completed the self training. The endgame was accomplished. The post graduate training continues today with Excel, Python, HTML, and WordPress. However, as of the blog post, WordPress is postponed indefinitely. I don't know the replacement. JavaScript is fulfilled satisfactory.

2024 Letter Grade: B-. 2023 year ended fantastic. 2024 year ended subpar. 2023 and 2024 balanced out. 2024 was boring. I could have done a better job making the boring awesome. There were no rewards for morale victories. No payouts for the process. There were setbacks. Results matter. The conclusion received attention. The conclusion was disappointing.

On the other hand, the little wisdoms and the wisdom reminders continue. I continue not taking life for granted. I seek new life skills to learn. I drill existing life skills to remember.

Past Moments Of The Years And Its Letter Grades

2023: Physical fitness. Grade B+.
2022: Wallstreet Bets. Grade B.
2021: Wallstreet Bets. Grade B.
2020: First responders, doctors, nurses, and hospital staff. Grade B.
2019: Consistent gym workouts. Grade C+.
2018: Consistent gym workouts. Grade C-.
2017: O'Connor Hospital. Grade D.
2016: Steve Jobs' biography by Walter Isaacson. Grade F.

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.

My Problems Are Nothing

I'm a happy loser for the purpose of today's blog. My life is like George Costanza. I'm unemployed. I live with my parents. My personal problems are small in comparison to other people. I'm not grandparents who do a bad job living a boring life. I'm not a divorced parent. I'm not an overworked and underpaid supervisor. My problems are small compared to a typical high school student. My intuition tells me some people with bigger problems exchange their lives with my life.

I'm happy. I work to earn a good life. Disregard the financial rewards in the paragraph. I job train learning new skills and reviewing existing knowledge. I job search. My physical workouts are two days strength and two days cardio per week. I minimize eating processed foods. I sleep eight hours a night. I read books. I learn life skills. I cook. I clean. I do my share maintaining the household. Stay busy.

The regular readers may say I sound like a broken record repeating my daily life. They may say I repeat another daily life blog as too repetitious. They may say today's blog is another bullshit blog. Regardless, I keep quiet. I don't communicate unsolicited advice. The problems are theirs. I hope their lives improve.

Never Say Never To The Person Who Wore A Headlamp

A common knowledge is nobody can be too prepared in case of an emergency. Meet a person who can be an amateur rescue person. A person always wore a headlamp except when going to bed like taking off eyeglasses. The person placed the headlamp on the nightstand. The person feared darkness except sleeping.

Three events happened in a calendar year. The first event the person drove on the freeway home one winter night. One of the car's tires went flat. The car pulled over to the right shoulder with no streetlights. The person turned on the headlamp. The flat tire was exchanged with the spare tire. The person arrived home safely.

The second event the department participated in an offsite event one hot summer day. The building power shut down. The electrical generator stopped. Some of the emergency lights turned on. Almost total darkness. The person turned on the headlamp. The person led everyone to evacuate the building.

The third event a city blackout in a weekend autumn night. The person turned on the headlamp. Life continued. The emergency radio was on. The candles were lit. The person relaxed.

The fiction story is never say never. The improbable can happen. It's not absolute zero percent. There is always something new. Anything can happen. Anything new happens every day. It may be old to you. It can be new to another person.

The counterpoint to the story is the person could carry the headlamp in a pants pocket or jacket pocket instead of wearing the headlamp on the forehead during waking hours.

An Accident From Flying Lumber

An example of the improbable can happen. An example it's not absolute zero percent. Lumber falls from truck on Pennsylvania overpass, sweeps car right off highway. The YouTube description is the following: Dashcam video captured the moment a load of lumber flew off a truck driving on a Pennsylvania overpass and slammed into a car below.

Take Another Look At The Happy Life Checklist

Today's blog is an update on a past blog.

Update On A Past Blog

I remember the One Lunch Day In 2000 I wrote on Aug 9, 2007. There was a homeless person with a sign saying all hope is loss. If you're not homeless, then you need to reread the blog Checklist Do You Have The Following written on Mar 16, 2018. Complete the checklist again. For example, check or uncheck the following: shelter, food, bed, and clothes. We live in the Information Age. Add internet and a computer to the checklist. Enjoy your life or complain about your life.