Data Analyst Actually Data Entry Dream

I dreamed last night my first day on the job at my new company as a data analyst. The dream began at a signaled intersection on Interstate 880 between Junction 880-101 and Brokaw Road which doesn't exist in real life. I drove northbound from San Jose to Fremont. I waited for the green light driving my 2005 Toyota Camry. I accelerated at an easy slow pace. Traffic was light for a morning commute.

I exited Mowry Road in Fremont. I turned right. I realized I don't know the company location. I drove to a Chevron station to look up the address on my Samsung Galaxy S7.

I arrived at the freestanding Office and R&D two story building. The dream skipped to the main hallway where I met some coworkers. I already received my security ID badge. A manager walked with me to my workstation. I visited a coworker in a private office with no windows before my workstation. The private office contained all company video game magazines back issues. The coworker maintained multiple copies of most monthly back issues.

My work area was not a typical open office with cubicles. I met one co-worker nicknamed Si-Tiger pronounced Psy-tiger. My work area was a sectioned off partition along a wall. The drop ceiling was low--eight feet from the ground. There was a swinging door entering and exiting. The sheet rock was removed along the wall. No insulation. The wall studs could be seen.

My workstation desktop computer was like the late 1990s desktops. 21-inch gigantic heavy monitor. Windows 95 operating system. There was trouble with my emails. There were at least 200 emails unread.

The time was 11am. My training began. The same manager handed me a spiral notebook seen in schools and colleges. Each page contained four columns. Each row contained PC hardware specifications including hard drive size and RAM size. Each column and row represented one desktop PC for a total of four desktop PCs per row. The PC hardware specifications were year 2026 specifications and not 1990s specifications. My job was entering all specifications to the computer. I woke up.

Twenty Random Blogs Aug 2025

Blogger's note: I increase the number of random blogs from ten to twenty.

Here are twenty random blogs in order of randomly chosen. Duplicate blogs are allowed from past random blogs. There are no duplicates today. The previous random blogs are Ten Random Blogs Jul 2020 on Jul 31, 2020, Ten Random Blogs Aug 2021 on Aug 13, 2021, and Ten Random Blogs Apr 2023 on Apr 16, 2023. Update remarks are included.

1. Watch Wall Street (Sep 26, 2005). I shared my activities before and on Sep 26, 2005.

Update remark: Wall Street is one of my all time favorite movies.

2. Never Stop Learning Lesson Emphasized Because One Of The Shermans Past Away (May 05, 2017). The Shermans was a couple who lived in the neighborhood for decades. They moved to the eastern USA to be closer to their families. The husband past away. The wife passed away in Jul 2017.

The lessons I learned continue today. Never stop learning. Find new experiences to experience. Don't waste life watching television eight hours a day. Some seniors choose the sedentary life watching too much television.

Update remark: Rest in peace Bob and Alice.

3. Three Hours Of Me Time Weekdays (Feb 08, 2013). I wrote my life working Mon to Fri from 9am to 6pm. Wake up, go to work, work at the company building, go home, and sleep eight hours. Three hours of personal time remain. Repeat.

Update remark: No full time worker sleeps eight hours a night on weeknights. More workers lose concentration, act grumpy, feel weaker, and make more mistakes. No full time worker spares three hours of personal time. There are too many responsibilities in today's Information Age. A worker must complete an hour's work in 30 minutes.

A balanced life doesn't exist. The successful people don't live a balanced life to become successful.

4. Throwback Blog: I'm No Longer Nice (Aug 27, 2016). I reuploaded a previous blog be a good person. Don't be a nice person.

Update remark: I posted an I'm No Longer Nice blog update on Aug 21, 2025 Keep Going In Life. I added, "Being extra nice doesn't result in extra rewards. It's not aloofness does pay. It's niceness doesn't pay."

5. It's Okay To Live At Home (Jun 18, 2013). I wrote valid reasons sons and daughters live at home with their parents. Sons and daughters must not take for granted living at home. Sons and daughters must continue living their lives to the best of their abilities.

Update remark: The blog is 100% true today.

6. Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog February 2023 (Mar 05, 2023). California ended the pandemic state of emergency on Feb 28, 2023. It was the start of loosening restrictions and mask mandates.

Update remark: None.

7. Highlight and Favorite 2019 Tweets (Dec 30, 2020). My favorite Tweets in 2019. I share my top favorites:

Tweets

Jan 21: A conversation starter. Ask the question, "What keeps you busy?"

Jul 28: I'm not dumbing down. Never dumb down your life. Don't be an asshole for yourself. Don't let people drag you down. Nobody holds your back.

Jul 28: These people must leave your life. People come and go for good or for bad. Some people leave your life. New people enter your life.

Sep 22: I just finished watching The Shawshank Redemption. My high school and college friend watched the movie when it was released in theaters. It was the most boring movie he watched. He didn't understand the point. I avoided the movie.

Sep 22: I choose to watch the movie decades later. Good movie. Recommended. The movie is slow. I put the pieces together watching the movie without success.

Sep 22: My friend is correct up to the climax of the movie. It's the best full circle movie I have ever watched. Stick around. Don't give up. Have hope. The pieces are together. Good things can happen.

Sep 25: The female middle school student was wise beyond her years. RT @BoyYeetsWorld: one time in middle school i dated a girl for 4 days and when she broke up with me she posted on facebook sometimes your knight in shining armor is really just a loser in tinfoil and to this day that the sickest burn I've ever gotten.

Favorites

Apr 23: @NBCSSharks, BARCLAY GOODROW!!! Watch the Sharks winger's game-winning overtime goal to give San Jose an epic Game 7 victory. Pic Video.

May 12: @SportsCenter, KAWHI. GAME 7. FOR THE WIN. Pic Video.

May 12: @espn, Another look at Kawhi's Game 7 winner. Pic Video.

May 18: @SJEarthquakes, CHRIS WONDOLOWSKI. KING. #WondoWatched Pic Video.

Jun 13: @SportsCenter, Klay turning around in the tunnel and coming back out to shoot free throws had Oracle going nuts. Pic Video.

Jun 13: @BayAreaSportsHQ, This moment is an all-timer. Pic Video.

Jul 14: @SportsCenter, GAME. SET. MATCH. Novak Djokovic outlasts Roger Federer in an epic five-set #WimbledonFinal Pic Video.

Jul 14: @espn, Longest final in #Wimbledon history: 4 hours 55 minutes, 422 points, 68 games, 35 aces. Pic.

Aug 12: @SexWithEmily, As much as we like to beat around the bush, dropping hints to your partner is not the best way of communicating -- your chances of being understood are much higher when you are direct about what needs fixing. #sexwithemily #communicationisalubrication

Sep 14: @HistoryInPics, The Beatle's last live concerts—at Candlestick Park in San Francisco in 1966 and then on a London rooftop three years later—have gone down as some of the most significant events in pop music history. Collector Finds Rare Footage of The Beatles's Top of the Pops Performance in His Attic.

Nov 19: @WakeOfWeek, I will always root for this man because of the way he has handled himself in hard times -- from bad coaches to having a different offensive coordinator every year to losing his job to Kaep to... this. #AlexSmith @lizbsmith11. Alex Smith's wife celebrates ex-49er's recovery from ghastly leg injury in emotional Instagram post.

Dec 11: @espn, Bill Belichick has his players focused on the 53 players in their locker room, not on social media. Pic.

Dec 16: @NBCSGiants, So many memories. @PavlovicNBCS takes you back through all of the best -- and funniest -- moments from MadBum's legendary Giants career. Pic Article.

Update remark: The Shawshank Redemption is my all time favorite movie. The Shawshank Redemption is not a slow movie after many rewatches.

8. Quad 3 Of 4: My Favorite Shape (Oct 24, 2006). The circle is my favorite shape. "My anything, anytime, and anywhere are going to come full circle good or bad. I make sure I create good circles and I innovate the circles."

Update remark: None.

9. Intelligence May Change Your Daily Life Intelligently (Sep 09, 2015). Use intelligence as an adverb. Think intelligently, communicate intelligently, work intelligently, and make mistakes intelligently are some examples.

Update remark: None.

10. Top 2018 Pics (Dec 17, 2019). My favorite pics posted in 2018. I share my top favorites:

Update remark: None.

11. Thought Provoking Information (Sep 03, 2017). A pics blog. The pic which inspired the title is below.

Update remark: None

12. My First Pop Tart (Sep 12, 2007). I ate a pop tart for the first time in my life. It was strawberry and strawberry with icing.

Update remark: No more pop tarts in my diet. I rarely drink milk. I stopped eating oatmeal in 2018.

13. De Anza Week Nov 15, 2010 (Nov 18, 2010). I went back to school to earn an AA degree in Accounting. I blogged one week during Winter Quarter 2010 at De Anza College. The week consisted of students and instructors with too much on their minds and too fatigued.

Update remark: They were the same yesterday. They are the same today.

14. First Time I Saw A Restaurant Close On Tuesdays (Dec 09, 2018). I said it best. "2018 is over. I wanted to try a restaurant in another city for the first time. I was in the area on Tue Dec 4. The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays. Are you serious? The event summed my recent life. Bad luck. Bad timing." The blog continued expressing my frustration 2018 was the year everything went wrong.

Update remark: I have not experienced another 2018. I have not let life take control of me.

15. I Own 15 Pairs Of Shoes (Jan 28, 2021). I posted pics of my 15 pair of shoes. They include exercise, boots, formal, and casual outdoors.

Update remark: None

16. A Procedure To Stop Insanity (Sep 09, 2021). A life wisdom. Everyone is different. Everything is different. Birds of a feather flock together. Different folks for different strokes. There are matches. There are mismatches. A circle can't fit in a square peg.

Update remark: Live your life who, what, where, how, and I match who you are.

17. Lonely And Cheerful (Jul 24, 2007). I felt lonely and depressed in Jul 2007. I didn't feel cheerful. False optimism.

Update remark: The 2007 Summer Sabbatical failed. I did everything wrong. I admit I made a mistake. 2007 should have been one of the best years of my life. 2007 was one of the worst years of my life.

18. Throwback Blog: SOMT: Kodak Declares Bankruptcy (Sep 30, 2017). Toys R Us declared bankruptcy on Sep 19, 2017 which inspired the throwback blog on Kodak declared bankruptcy. The throwback blog was a brief explanation of the Kodak bankruptcy and my experiences using a film camera and a digital camera.

Update remark: Mismanagement, Amazon and Wal-Mart, and poor customer service are not the top reasons Toys R Us declared bankruptcy.

19. Work Mar 8, 2014 (Mar 08, 2014). I blogged the highlights when I worked in a retail start up. Dermatitis on my hands. Refusing a shipment. Both store locations short-handed. Purchased my first bottle of wine Raymond Cabernet Sauvignon "Generations" 2009. Wi-Fi problems.

Update remark: The dermatitis on my hands turned out to be a dirty workstation. I cleaned my workstation. No more dermatitis. I still own my Raymond wine bottle.

No smart person works in retail. Desperate smart people do work in retail.

20. Go To Sleep With A Smile (Oct 21, 2011). I was called for jury duty. I didn't get selected. The prospective jurors answering personal questions during the selection process convinced me my life is good. I sleep with a smile.

Update remark: Domestic violence can be a lifelong trauma. Some people you see when shopping are victims of crimes.

A Bonus Pic On Good Habits Three Pics Total

Blogger's Note: May is pic month. I'm catching up posting pics from my smart phone. Enjoy!

An afternoon view of cars on a freeway after driving on a freeway. Another batch of pictures of first times. The first time I saw a cigarette disposal and a freeway workers memorial; labels telling customers to microwave their food; repair sunglasses; and soap, shampoo, and conditioner dispenser secured in a hotel room shower. There are eleven pictures in today's blog because I needed an 11th picture to mention the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. Spoiler alert: if you didn't read In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, then skip picture number seven. Not spoiler alert: a quick lesson on oral sex involving the vulva.

Cliffhanger On The Cabin Air Filter To Be Continued

Blogger's Note: May is pic month. I'm catching up posting pics from my smart phone. Enjoy!

Another pic blog with first time experiences: saw a cotton candy vending machine, longest delay on a freeway, using a new sunscreen, and trail mix for emergency food on the road. Anything Bluey and cheap made Christmas gifts are guarantee money makers. Another minimum to live a good life is do your best honestly. No inflation relief in supermarkets. The last pic is a teaser for the clogged cabin air filter for my car.

Read Books To Become Smarter And Wiser

Blogger's Note: May is pic month. I'm catching up posting pics from my smart phone. Enjoy!

Long term temporarily signal lights aren't permanent. Read books to learn these wisdoms: head is prioritized over heart or intelligence prioritized over emotions; avoid controlling people because it's a sign of poor self-esteem; good self-esteem is attractive; don't believe experts all the time; and prostitutes have stories. A remembrance to old running shoes. Soda cans needs air. Breathe clean air in the mountains.

Throwback Blog: Washington Canada Trip Part 4 of 7

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 Washington Canada Trip Part 4 of 7 written on Sep 24, 2005. The fourth day visiting Washington and Canda in Aug 2005 was Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Who knew I visited Vancouver for a business trip in Mar 2007. The Aug 2005 visited made Vancouver not a strange place in Mar 2007.

Half way there. Thanks for reading!

Tuesday August 30, 2005 at 9:00 A.M. Driving the Canadian Freeways

We woke up around 8:00 A.M. without eating breakfast. We choose to eat breakfast along the road. We needed to take a ferry to travel from Victoria to Vancouver. We drove on Highway 17 from downtown to Swartz Bay where the ferry is located. Steve kept a close watch of the speed because Canada uses the metric system and the speed signs are in km/h or kilometers per hour and the speeds changed many times. The maximum speed he drove was 50 miles per hour. And it was raining.

We stopped at McDonalds for breakfast in Saanichton. The McDonalds is the nicest and cleanest McDonalds we ever saw. The common areas has street light posts that acted as indoor lighting, indoor plants and TREES, a huge indoor playground for the kids, and the décor to simply explain is like a middle class home's living room. I should have visited the bathrooms. It's probably better than my bathrooms at home. I ordered the Sausage McGriddle and Steve ordered the pancakes.

Tuesday August 30, 2005 at 11:00 A.M. Entering the BCFerries

Before I go on, I forgot to mention all times are in Pacific Timezone. I didn't experience any jetlag or adjustments.

I purchased the ferry ticket at the BCFerries ticket booth. BCFerries is the company that runs the ferry system in British Columbia. The ticket booth is like a toll booth--drive up to an open ticket booth lane that issues tickets for Vancouver. After purchasing the ferry ticket, we lined up on the road along with the other cars waiting for the ferry to arrive. The destination from Victoria to Vancouver is from Swartz Bay on the Vancouver Island to Tsawwassen on the British Columbia mainland.

The ferry Steve and I rode is huge, huge, huge!!! There are three levels for automobiles, trucks, and buses, and people are allowed to stay in their cars if they choose. We parked in Deck 4 which is the upper level for automobiles. The common areas are two floors which included a cafeteria, three arcade areas, gift shop, workstations, play areas for children, and a formal buffet. I even looked at the Ferry schedule. Some destinations take 15 hours!!! My goodness. The cafeteria is big and busy. We could have eaten breakfast on the ferry.

The trip time is 1 hour and 35 minutes. The name of the BCFerries Steve and I rode is named "M.V. Spirit of Vancouver Island." I wonder what "M.V." stands for? I did the same activities and walk-arounds on the M.V. Coho Ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria: I walked around the entire ferry and took pictures of the outside scenery; unfortunately, the rain affected the ferry trip such that I really limited my time outside the ferry and the rain clouds and fog limited picture taking. Steve mostly read his book on Feudal Japan. In the gift shop, I purchased magnets and maps for souvenirs. The Canadians are really friendly. In one instance, I maneuvered around the magazine section, and I needed to say "Excuse Me" to pass by a worker. When I said "Excuse Me", six people around me moved. Talk about politeness. Doesn't happen in San Jose =__=

After getting off the ferry we drove on Highway 99. Parts of Highway 99 are sophisticated. One stretch of the road there are lane signals. Lane signals tell drivers which lanes are open and which lanes are closed. It appears during commute times, Highway 99 opens extra lanes to move traffic faster for commute traffic and close extra lanes for reverse commute traffic. The maximum speed Steve drove was 90 km/h or 55mph.

Tuesday August 30, 2005 at 1:00 P.M. City of Vancouver City Limits

We arrived at the city limits. The sky was grey and Vancouver rained during the drive and during the entire day. Steve played his James Bond Greatest Hits CD. Gas was never a problem because Steve filled up the gas tank at Port Angeles, and we were glad because it felt weird to get gas in liters . . . and Steve drove a Volkswagen Bug which has great gas mileage.

Our destination was Downtown Vancouver where the hotel is located. We needed to drive by Marpole, South Granville, Shaughnessy, and Fairview neighborhoods before reaching Downtown Vancouver. These areas are like Santa Barbara, California including the homes, neighborhoods, and the shopping districts; in addition, the area is diverse with many stores and restaurants representing different cultures and different sexual orientations (if you know what I mean *nudge, nudge*) The drive reminded me when I was 5 years old visiting my grandparents in Santa Barbara for which the surroundings, the grey skies, the homes, and neighborhoods were 100% authentic and represented my memory accurately.

When we crossed the Granville Street Bridge, I noticed a lot of development in Downtown Vancouver. It appears Vancouver is growing. Downtown Vancouver kinda reminded of Downtown San Jose; however, the buildings are unique--the looks of the buildings I never seen before. We checked in the hotel and choose to visit the Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park for the activity of the day and to eat lunch. And yes, the rain continued.

When we drove on Pacific Street and Beach Avenue and along English Bay and Sunset Beach to the Vancouver Aquarium, there are a lot small apartment buildings that looked like Santa Barbara again. The signal lights are simple like in Victoria.

Tuesday August 30, 2005 at 3:00 P.M. Vancouver Aquarium

Vancouver Aquarium is located in Stanley Park. We drove along the Stanley Park for 20 minutes. For me, it's the first time I drove around a park. The closest I drove in a park was Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, and me and my friends drove through just to get to Highway 1. No scenic tour. There is a public pool at Stanley Park, and there were people in the public pool despite the rain. I believe the pool is a wading pool where people just go to the pool to get wet and play around.

Vancouver Aquarium was really busy. I think the rain and that the kids' summer vacations being almost over were the reasons for the packed aquarium. Compared to the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California, Vancouver Aquarium is really small. We entered the aquarium, paid admission, and the first stop was getting lunch. I like to tell everyone I donated $2.00 to the aquarium and I got a S.O.S. sticker which stands for Save Our Seals. Hee, hee, hee.

The rain kept pouring as we ate lunch. We saw the Belugas exhibit and they were swimming as we ate lunch. I ordered a burger and Steve ordered pizza. After lunch, we walked around the entire aquarium. We started viewing the outside attractions including seeing the sea lions, sea otters, and a dolphin show. The dolphin show was packed with spectators and their umbrellas. I was fortunate I got a spot and was able to see most of the show. I had to stand on my toes to view some of the acts.

After viewing the outside activities, the rest of the time, Steve and I walked around inside. We saw sharks, giant fishes, alligators, jellyfish, sting rays, seahorns, and entered the Amazon Rainforest. Man, the rainforest is really humid. I felt awkward viewing the maps of Canada on the displays and animal explanations. I'm used to viewing the California map when I visit the Monterey Aquarium, SeaWorld-San Diego, Disneyland, and other amusement attractions in California. The final stop was viewing the dolphins at the lower level of the aquarium. There is the Clownfish Cove where kids can touch the smaller sea animals. Kids, make sure your parents stick with you ^_^

Tuesday August 30, 2005 at 5:30 P.M. Dinner Time

We ate dinner at a high class, fancy restaurant named "The Crime Lab." There was nobody there and the food came pretty fast. After dinner, we walked around parts of Downtown Vancouver. Downtown reminded me of Downtown San Jose--quiet during the evening time. We visited a few stores. Most of the shops closed at 7:00 P.M. (for which, in my opinion, most retail shops should close around 7:00 P.M. because everyone needs to have leisure time).

We arrived back at the hotel around 8:00 P.M. and we channel surf. We saw the catastrophic damage Hurricane Katrina caused to New Orleans and part of Mississippi and Alabama.

Driving Home Safely Fast

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

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

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

Update On A Past Blog

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

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

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog February 2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mon Feb 17. Shopped at Smart & Final.

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

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

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

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog December 2024

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

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

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

Sun Dec 8. Shopped in Japantown-San Jose.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Throwback Blog: De Anza Week May 23, 2011

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 De Anza Week May 23, 2011 written on May 25, 2011. I reflect these three days I went back to college during the Great Recession. My goal was to earn an A.A. degree in Accounting. I hoped to strengthen my resume when the economy recovered from the Great Recession. I thought a B.S. in Economics and an A.A. in Accounting were a good combination. They didn't work.

I visited the De Anza College-Accounting Department website. Four instructors remain in the department since 2011.

Reading the blog recalled my memory as if the three days happened earlier in the week. The week was memorable with action.

Mon May 23: The bad habit arriving late to class was never eliminated. Bad discipline. I was irresponsible.

Shocked was another verb the students felt when the professor handed out more homework. I finished the initial homework assignments before Memorial Day weekend.

Tue May 24: I missed driving to Mission College every Tue night. The class was easy. Attendance counted in the final grade. Important announcements were given in-class only.

Wed May 25: I should have exchanged contact information with the California State University (CSU)-East Bay graduate. She was informative on the accounting degree. Her accounting knowledge including auditing was good. For instance, there were in-class exercises. She exceled them for which sometimes she didn't read the textbook. The reason was she took an auditing class as an undergraduate.

I mentioned above the Economics degree and Accounting degree combination didn't work. The CSU-East Bay graduate explained a reason for which I was ignorant and I was in denial. The accounting classes taught in junior colleges are the same in four-year colleges; however, some important accounting classes are taught in four-year colleges only. Companies prioritize four-year colleges accounting degrees over two-year colleges accounting degrees. A person can say a two-year A.A. degree is fraud.

I think back about the conversation 13 years and at least three months later. I should have been proactive by researching skills I could learn related to accounting, data analysis, or both. The learning should have continued after graduation.

Mon May 23

The drive to De Anza was the shortest ever. I had one red light which was the first left turn that was a short wait. I still was 10 minutes late. The time could have doubled if I had more red lights.

The professor surprised the entire class. He handed out an additional chapter 5 homework assignment due Wed. 24 multiple choice questions. That's not good for those who wanted to finish the initial homework assignments before Memorial Day weekend. My goal is to finish all homework assignments before Fri.

Tue May 24

I arrived at Mission College at 7:20pm. The instructor said the official start time for the final is 7:30pm. Students can come at 7:00pm. I was running behind in everything. I ate a Snickers candy bar at the parking lot.

I turned in the take home final and received the final. My usual seats at the back of the class were occupied. I moved to the front. The final was doable. I didn't study. I recognized some questions from the take home final and lectures. I completed around 20 minutes. I received the take home final solutions after I submitted the final. It seems I did well because the debit and credit numbers matched what I calculated.

In a small way, I'm going to miss driving to Mission College every Tue night. It was a set activity for the beginning of 2011. I can use the two and a half hours to study for auditing and work out at the gym.

Wed May 25

The professor immediately checked the students completing the additional chapter 5 homework assignment as soon as he walked in the classroom. Then he began lecturing chapter 6. Finally, we reviewed the additional chapter 5 homework. The professor made me read all the questions.

I did poorly on the assignment. I got most of the questions wrong. Most students were surprised at some of the answers to the questions. The classmate who sat on my right was absent on Mon. She got most of the questions correct when she answered the questions before the professor announced the solution.

The classmate and I went to the library after class to photocopy the assignment for her. We talked about accounting degrees and economics degrees. She corrected my knowledge on accounting degrees at the California State University (CSU) systems. An accounting degree is actually a business administration degree. The account part is the business administration's emphases. I incorrectly thought an accounting degree is a stand alone degree with more accounting classes took compared to a junior college. The correction is the number of accounting classes is almost the same between a CSU and junior college. In particular, my classmate noted there are key classes taught at CSU junior college don't teach, and that's a key factor when it comes to companies hiring a person with a four year degree and a two year degree in accounting. The accounting classes I have taken at De Anza are the same as any CSU school. If I transfer to a CSU school, then some of my accounting classes count towards the transfer and I must retake some classes I already took at De Anza.

Update On A Past Blog

I finished reading the book version of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child by J.K. Rowing, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne. The story is overrated. The plot twist saved the theatre production. I watch the live action play. I prepare myself to avoid being hyped.

I add two more lessons to the blog Top Ten Plus Nine Equals Top Nineteen Harry Potter Adult Perspective Takeaways written on Apr 29, 2020. The lessons happened at the end of Year 4 Goblet Of Fire. Harry, Ron, and Hermione visited Hagrid because there was no Defense Against The Dark Arts class. Hagrid told Harry it was okay to feel bad. Hagrid also told the trio, "Known it fer years, Harry. Knew [Voldemort] was out there, bidin' his time. It had ter happen. Well, now it has, an' we'll jus' have ter get on with it. . . . No good sittin' worryin' abou' it. What's comin' will come, an' wel'll meet it when it does. . . ."

It Was My Fault I Made A Mistake

I admit I made a mistake. It was my fault. We were late to a family gathering yesterday at 4:30pm in a restaurant. We arrived at 5:30pm.

I shopped for the second gift in the late morning. I purchased the second gift at the fourth store. What if I purchased the second gift at the first store? The narrative was I found the second gift minutes away from the house. The family schedule followed according to plan. I looked good. Unfortunately, the narrative was too much traveling time and too much shopping time. I rushed eating a late breakfast. I rushed wrapping up the gifts in two boxes. The first gift was purchased weeks before.

In addition, there was bad traffic. There were miscommunications. There were more red signal lights than green signal lights by a two-to-one ratio. I needed to use the bathroom twice. I was told on Thur two days before the family gathering.

It didn't matter the circumstances. I couldn't control the bad timing. I couldn't control the bad luck. I took responsibility. I apologize.

Ten Random Blogs Apr 2023

Here are ten random blogs in order of randomly chosen. Duplicate blogs are allowed from past Ten Random Blogs. There are no duplicates today. The previous random blogs are Ten Random Blogs Jul 2020 on Jul 31, 2020 and Ten Random Blogs Aug 2021 on Aug 13, 2021. Update remarks are included.

1. Free Your Mind (Sep 02, 2010). An anime conversation is an example of people with different likes and different dislikes. One person likes an anime series. Another person dislikes the same anime series. Don't hold back. Share your opinion with your group of people. Nobody should disrespect your opinion.

Update remark: Speak up. Share your thoughts. Share your suggestions. If the group of people denounces you, then find another group.

A good example of two people with two extreme opposite opinions is VERY FUNNY Siskel & Ebert movie review "Brain Candy" 1996. Siskel loved Brain Candy. Ebert hated Brain Candy.

2. There Is More Than One Way Home (Mar 02, 2014). Commuters should know multiple routes to and from work and home in case of accidents or road closures.

Update remark: Today's workplace some people are no longer concern about commutes because of hybrid work schedules, permanent work-from-home, or being laid off.

3. The Most Likely Good Time At Any Convention Rule (Jun 06, 2013). The convention attendee is responsible for having a good time.

Update remark: An attendee can't control how a convention is organized. The worst case scenario is the attendee leaves a poorly organized convention.

4. Accutane Day 135 (Jun 18, 2009). My face experienced virus warts which was a side effect. My dermatologist prescribed Aldara.

Update remark: I need another Accutane like treatment. The year is 2023. My intuition tells me there are better treatments than Accutane.

5. Washington Canada 2008: Prologue (Jan 20, 2009). The introduction for my Washington Canada 2008 vacation. Vacations planned correctly are a great life time out.

Update remark: The vacation is number 9 in my Top 40 Most Memorable Moments written on Sep 27, 2016.

6. Streaks Of Imperfection (Mar 04, 2011). I experienced a streak of bad luck, bad timing, and bad circumstances.

Update remark: Nobody cares. Blame nobody. Blame life. Move on. Move forward.

7. This Week With Raymond Mar (Jun 19, 2009). I blogged all the events during the plain week.

Update remark: No need to click on the link. The blog was about my De Anza classes, Accutane treatment, anime, video games, books, and music. I tried to do everything which was rationally impossible.

8. De Anza Week Jan 11, 2010 (Jan 16, 2010). I blogged another Winter Quarter 2010 week.

Update remark: I feel sorry for college students who can't afford either a desktop or a laptop. I believe the computers in colleges are subpar compared to students who can afford their own computer. Also, I should have dropped Beginning Singing class.

9. You Need The Correct Attitude? (Jan 21, 2006). I blogged a common dating advice, "What's the worst that can happen--he or she says [no]."

Update remark: A person can increase the chances he or she says yes by being a stronger person.

10. Throwback Blog: I Remember These Tragedies Forever (Jan 30, 2019). I remembered where I was when I heard about the tragedies: Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Michael Jackson died, Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, Columbine shooting, Operation Desert Storm, and the Loma Prieta earthquake.

Update remark: No more all major networks' breaking news for mass shootings after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

Update On A Past Blog

I want to add parallel parking to the list of My Parents Raised My Correctly written on Feb 15, 2015. Some of today's cars include self-parallel parking. I have seen more drivers fail at parallel parking. The drivers are forced to drive away from the open parking spot because he or she holds back traffic. My dad taught me parallel parking. He constructed vertical wooden stands to mimic cars parked between the open parking spot. The old skill is a valid life skill today.

I also add my mom teaching my siblings and I don't eat candy, instant foods, sugary cereals, frozen foods, fruit juices, and donuts when we were children. Avoiding the bad food habits continue today. All of the processed junk foods mentioned are consumed in the rare special occasions.

Interstate 95 Virginia Blizzard Shutdown Cautionary Event

Multiple accidents happened on Interstate 95 in Virginia on Mon Jan 3 at 5:20pm. A tractor-trailer jackknifed causing multiple big-rigs to collide. The collision caused a chain reaction of delays and backing-up cars. Nearby roads were backed up due to congestion, downed trees, or wintry conditions. Total time the 50-mile stretch shutdown was 27 hours. One of the busiest East Coast highways connecting Virginia and Washington D.C. and the US Capitol and the Pentagon reopened northbound and southbound on Tue Jan 4 at 8:40pm.

A main reason why it took 27 hours to reopen Interstate 95 from Maine to Florida was clearing the road one car and one truck at a time. Tow trucks dragged disabled cars out of the ice. Some cars ran out of gas after exhausting gas to warm up their cars and power up devices. Some cars broke down.

The weather forecast was rain and up to two inches of snow. 12 inches of snow fell. Salt trucks and plows couldn't get on the highway to clear the snow. The rain forecast prevented pretreatment because rain washes away any salt mixture. Here is the Virginia Department Of Transportation bulletin Interstate 95 Closed Through Fredericksburg.

It was nobody's fault. No person intentionally caused people stranded in their vehicles during a snowstorm overnight. Blame dumb luck and bad timing. The forecast was incorrect. One event led to another event. It was a chain reaction of bad events. A rational person say two hours of minor inconvenience happens. Delays happens. Traffic jams happens daily. A 27-hour traffic jam was one in a million.

My Car's Emergency Equipment

My car is equipped with emergency equipment which includes blankets, tarps, bags, toilet paper, jumper cables, two flashlights, emergency tool kit, two portable chairs, fire extinguisher, matches, paper, change, shovel, sewing kit, hand sanitizer, jackets, shirts, garbage bags, rope, and utensils. I admit some of my emergency equipment are removed due to the pandemic because I limit my driving within the Northern California Bay Area since Mar 2020. There is no need for the equipment in street driving.

Snow is a one in a billion event in the Bay Area. Most of the Bay Area is urban. There are nearby facilities and emergency services. I bring food and water the next time I travel out of the Bay Area. I'm consciously aware of the weather report from my home to my long-distance destination for which I bring necessarily supplies to prepare in case of emergency.

Saying Friday On A Monday

It's a Mon at 5pm. Or it's a Mon at 1pm. Or it's a Mon at 10am. You ask a question, "When is it Fri?" Or you ask a question, "When is the weekend?" You say, "I can't wait for Fri." You say anything with the word Fri on a Mon. These questions and statements indicate your life sucks. Or you don't like your life. Make changes. If you don't like what you're doing, then it's a question of when you're going to give up. You're going to quit. The question is not if you're going to change. Changes are inevitable for people who don't like their present life; a rational person leaves his or her lifestyle professionally, personally, and leisurely.

Update On A Past Blog

More people make changes because their life sucks. They give up living a terrible life. I wrote The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Harder To Fake It on Jun 15, 2020. No more faking a good life. They realize the truth during the pandemic.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog June 2021

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. Jun slowed down with a few slow days. Regardless, 2021 year continues to move quicky. CA is reopened.

Tue Jun 1. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported 1.9 million people in US airports during the Memorial Day weekend. The number was the highest during the pandemic.

Thur Jun 3. President Joe Biden announced the US shares 80M vaccines. 75% of the 80M is donated through COVAX. Priority goes to Latin America, the Caribbean, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa. The remaining 25% goes to immediate need and suppress surges around the world.

Fri Jun 4. The State of CA started a CA Vax For The Win state contest to encourage people to get vaccinated. 15 vaccinated people won $50,000. The second drawing was Fri Jun 11. 10 people won $1,500,000 on Jun 15.

CA Occupational Safety And Health Standards Board (CALOSHA) approved workplaces maskless if every employee is fully vaccinated. Fully vaccinated people can skip masks and social distancing in nearly all workplace situations starting on Jun 15.

A 65 year old fully vaccinated person died in Napa County. He had underlying medical conditions. He was hospitalized with COVID-19.

Tue Jun 8. Shopped at Lucky and Costco between 3pm and 4pm. Costco was dead like a weekday morning opening hour. There were more cars on the freeway. Traffic drove at the limit.

Wed Jun 9. The State of CA aligned with the Center For Disease Control (CDC) mask guidance. Fully vaccinated residents don't have to wear a mask in most social situations. Masks are required in public transportation, schools, child care facilities, health care facilities, and nursing homes. Unvaccinated residents must wear a mask in all social situations. Most businesses are not required to check vaccination statuses.

Indoor events with 5,000 or more people must wear a mask from now till Oct 1, 2021. All crowded outdoor events people must wear a mask.

Thur Jun 10. The US purchased 500 million of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines to share with 92 countries over the next 12 months.

Fri Jun 11. San Francisco is the first city in the US to vaccinate at least 80% of eligible residents with at least one dose.

Sun Jun 13. The United Kingdom delayed reopening for one month.

Tue Jun 15. The State of CA is reopened.

Wed Jun 16. I shopped at Costco. The number of customers were like a weeknight. All customers and all employees wore masks. All cashier stations back in their original position aligned together. There is no additional spacing.

There were more cars on the main road along Costco. There were more cars on the freeway. The opposite bound traffic experienced slower speeds. Some of the metering lights were activated.

Thur Jun 17. 4% of CA COVID-19 cases were the delta variant. 10% of US COVID-19 cases were the delta variant.

President Biden announced a 3.2 billion antiviral bill "Antiviral Program For Pandemics." The bill develops COVID treatments and prevents future viruses causing future pandemics.

Fri Jun 18. The US Government announced 300 million vaccine shots were administered in 150 days during the Biden administration. 168 million or 65.1% of US adults 18 and over received vaccine shots.

CALOSHA announced fully vaccinated workers don't have to wear a mask in most industries.

Mon Jun 21. The WHO announced the delta variant is fast and is more lethal.

Tue Jun 22. Dr. Anthony Fauci said the delta variant is a threat to COVID-19 herd immunity. The vaccines protect against the delta variant.

Wed Jun 23. The TSA announced business travel increased 19% from Mar to Apr.

Thur Jun 24. San Francisco is the first city in CA to require city workers to be vaccinated. However, the vaccines must be fully approved by the FDA. The vaccines are currently under emergency approval.

Fri Jun 25. Mass vaccination site Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA closed. 350,000 shots were administered.

The CDC confirmed 323 vaccinated cases experienced a rare heart inflammation. Most of the cases were people under 30. 216 of the 323 are male. The 323 is one case for every 12 million.

Tue Jun 29. The WHO urge immunized people to continue wearing masks and practice social distancing because of the delta variant.

Los Angeles County issued a mask mandate. People are encouraged to wear a mask indoors vaccinated or not.

Update On A Past Blog

A random thought entered my mind. The thought was an event at my second company I worked decades ago. The second in-command managing partner organized an afternoon workplace gathering at an upscale pool hall to celebrate and destress. The entire office staff and brokers worked hard. Revenues were high. The year was 1999 during the dot-com boom. We played pool. Cocktails and food were served. The staff was given the rest of the day off. Almost all of the brokers went back to the office to work. There was work to be completed. They were being professional.

The pool hall gathering reminded me of a scene from the ten-part Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls' six NBA championships documentary titled The Last Dance. I wrote a blog Ten Thoughts From The Last Dance Documentary on Jul 20, 2020. Michael Jordan organized an afternoon golf outing for all his teammates by ending practice early. I remember Jordan went inside the chartered bus's driver seat to honk the horn for, I think, Scottie Pippen, to get on the bus.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog April 2021

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. Another fast month in 2021. The week of Mon Apr 19 slowed a little. My pandemic daily life continues being consistent and doing better. I got my first of two COVID-19 vaccines. The global pandemic news is a mix of good and bad depending on which country.

Thur Apr 1. CA residents age 50 and over are qualified to get the vaccine.

Fri Apr 2. State of CA issued new guidelines for indoor gatherings including concerts, theater performances, and professional sports. Limited attendance for CA residences only. Private indoor gatherings such as weddings, meetings, and conferences all guests must be COVID-19 negative at least 72 hours or proof of vaccination.

CDC stated fully vaccinated people can travel within the USA.

Sat Apr 3. Indian COVID-19 variant identified in CA.

Mon Apr 5. Shopped at local grocery stores for 50% off Easter candy. Stores minimal customers. Light street traffic.

Tue Apr 6. CA Governor Gavin Newsom announced the state is on track to fully reopen on Jun 15.

Thur Apr 8. Some countries reported new records for daily cases and daily deaths. Brazil 4,000 deaths. India 127,000 new cases. Iran 22,600 new cases.

Some USA clinics halted Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to adverse reactions.

Tue Apr 13. USA officially paused Johnson & Johnson vaccine. 27 USA states reported rising cases.

Thur Apr 15. CA residents age 16 and over are qualified to get the vaccine.

Fri Apr 16. WHO accounted weekly global cases doubled over the past two months. Deaths increased.

Sat Apr 17. 3,000,000 died from COVID-19 globally.

Mon Apr 19. Shopped for cereal at Grocery Outlet and Safeway.

Thur Apr 22. CA university systems California State University and University Of California announced all students, faculty, and staff must be fully vaccination. Exceptions are medical or religious for which they must be tested regularly.

Shopped at Costco. Normal pandemic crowds. I witness more social distancing becoming automatic.

Fri Apr 23. Bank errands. All of the banks were empty inside. Minimal street traffic.

CDC and FDA approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine to resume with warnings.

Mon Apr 26. Reported 15 people with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had blog clots out of eight million.

Tue Apr 27. CDC says fully vaccinated people can go outside without a mask; however, people should wear masks in big crowds. Groups of people unvaccinated must wear masks.

A Bay Area man in his 30's is the first male in the USA with a blood clot in his leg. He was the first male linked to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine blood clot.

Wed Apr 28. I got vaccinated with the first of two Pfizer vaccine. I shopped at Costco afterwards. Heavy freeway traffic moved slow. Stop and go traffic due to merging traffic.

Thur Apr 29. I watched 2021 NFL Draft picks 1-15.

The State of CA and local counties warned water restrictions due to the drought.

Fri Apr 30. Shopped at Costco and Lucky. Crowds were like a weekday morning. Traffic was like a weekend early afternoon.

The USA announced travel restrictions from India.

The Transportation Security Administration said travelers are required to wear masks in airports, airplanes, trains, and buses through Sep. 13.

The County Of Santa Clara urged teenagers and young adults begin vaccination. The county announced a vaccine surplus and low demand.

100 million Americans or 39% of the population fully vaccinated. USA deaths total 575,000. The average daily deaths decreased to an average of 670 per day from 3,400 per day in Jan. However, about 8% of those who have gotten one dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine didn't return for their second shot, according to CDC.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog March 2021

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. One blink of an eye the month is Apr. Minor nose rash, upper lip rash, and left calf strain were the health problems experienced together. Otherwise, my routines were consistent in the fastest month of 2021. More counties in CA upgraded from purple to either red or orange.

Tue Mar 2. Santa Clara County lifted the 10-day travel quarantine for residents traveled 150 miles or greater outside the county.

Santa Clara, Napa, and San Francisco counties upgraded from the purple tier to the red tier in the State of California's Safer Economy COVID-19 color reopening tier. Gyms open at 10% capacity, restaurants open indoor dining at 25% capacity or 100 people whichever is fewer, movie theaters open at 25% capacity or 100 people whichever is fewer, museums open at 25% capacity, zoos open at 25% capacity, and aquariums open at 25% capacity.

Wed Mar 3. Shopped at a Nike Store for new running shoes. Fitting rooms closed. All seating areas removed to try shoes on. Nike shoe guarantee is all returns accepted within 60 days no questions asked.

I shopped at Pep Boys to purchase a steering wheel cover. I changed my car's motor oil in the afternoon.

Thur Mar 4. Baseball stadiums in CA to allow fans when regular seasons begins on Thur Apr 1, 2021 as long as their county is not in the purple tier.

Fri Mar 5. CA high schools allow indoor sports. High schools follow college and professional sports COVID-19 protocols.

CA to allow outdoor activities starting Thur Apr 1, 2021 at limited capacity: sports, music, art, and amusement parks. Restrictions depend on the county's place in the California's Safer Economy COVID-19 color reopening tier.

CA Governor Gavin Newsom signed the $6.6B school reopening bill.

Mon Mar 8. I visited my brother's house in the Tri-Valley. More cars on the freeways. Any traffic jam stop and go was brief. Traffic flowed at the limit.

Wed Mar 10. Texas was the first state to lift the state mask mandate. The entire state is opened.

Thur Mar 11. President Joe Biden signed the $1.9T relief bill.

Fri Mar 12. Shopped at Costco Business Center. Normal crowds. Social distancing practiced. Visited my aunt in Alameda. More cars on the freeways. More traffic jam stop and go; otherwise, traffic flowed at the limit.

Sat Mar 13. CA averaged 4,000 COVID-19 cases a week. The last time the state averaged 4,000 was Halloween 2020. 3,477 hospitalized on Halloween 2020. 22,000 hospitalized on January 2021. Total CA COVID-19 cases 3.6M and 55,000 deaths. The death number is the highest in the USA.

25% of CA adults received at least one vaccine shot.

Tue Mar 16. Quick errands to the post office and Bank Of America. The branch I visited three customers came in and out during my brief wait.

Wed Mar 17. Day 365 of CA shelter in-place.

Fri Mar 19. The Center For Disease Control announced students from grade school to high school can sit three feet apart. Students must separate six feet apart in common areas.

President Biden announced 100M vaccinations administered on his 58th day as President.

Sat Mar 20. Paris announced one month lockdown.

Tue Mar 23. San Francisco and Santa Clara Counties upgraded from red tier to orange tier.

Fri Mar 26. Quick errands to the post office and Safeway. Few customers at Safeway.

Tue Mar 30. Cases rising in 27 states. People under age 60 are the majority of new cases.

Wed Mar 31. Johnson & Johnson announced 15M vaccine doses bad due to human error.

Update On A Past Blog

I made a mistake on Timeout Good Raymond Mar III written on Mar 15, 2021. I wrote I built my second desktop PC in Dec 2020-Jan 2021. The dates are incorrect. The correct dates are Dec 2019-Jan 2020. The sentence is deleted.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog October 2020

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. Politics ruled all media. There were day trips to El Cerrito 10 minutes north of Oakland, San Francisco, and Alameda 5 minutes southwest of Oakland. Europe has been experiencing a rise in cases. The pandemic daily life is unprecedented, uncharted, new, unknown, and untested.

Thur Oct 1. Smoky day. Hot temperatures. Spare The Air alert started today which extended to Tue Oct 6. Red Flag alert extended to Tue Oct 6.

I helped my dad with errands in El Cerrito, CA. Minimal traffic jams at major freeway junctions. Minor traffic jams caused by two accidents. Otherwise, I drove between 65mph and 70mph. We listened to the Oakland A's vs. Chicago White Sox baseball game Wild Card round.

President Donald Trump and the First Lady tested positive for COVID-19.

Sat Oct 3 and Sun Oct 4. Indoor fans turned on. Desk fans turned on. The weather was not hot enough to turn on the home air conditioner. Windows were closed because of the hot air. No wind.

The State Of California announced four million acres burned for the first time in state history. The size is larger than the state of Connecticut.

Mon Oct 5. Watched the first quarter of the New England Patriots vs. Kansas City Chiefs for a Mon afternoon football game. The NFL delayed the game one day due to some players tested positive for COVID-19 in the Patriots team.

Wed Oct 7. Watched the last 40 minutes of the Vice Presidential debate.

Thur Oct 8. Fewer cars on local roads and freeways continued. I shopped at Costco in the morning. The third time in the last three weeks a Costco employee brought new bananas. The third time the bananas were organic instead of regular. The Oakland A's lost to the Houston Astros in the American League Divisional Series.

Fri Oct 9. Watched the NBA Finals Game 5 fourth period. The week sped up late Tue. The week slowed down in the end.

Sat Oct 10. I hoped I fixed my grandmother's clock by removing dust with an air compressor inside the clock.

Mon Oct 12-Wed Oct 14. Almost complete cleaned the house.

Tue Oct 13. Watched the end of the second quarter and most of the third quarter in the Tue night football game Buffalo Bills vs. Tennessee Titans.

Wed Oct 14. Red Flag warning issued which ended Sun Oct 18. Santa Clara County moved to the Tier 3 Orange for the State of California's four tier shutdown system.

Thur Oct 15. Heat Advisory issued which ended Fri Oct 16. Watched four innings of the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves National League Championship Series.

Fri Oct 16. Faster week. The week wasn't a blink of an eye it was the weekend.

Sat Oct 17. I helped my dad with errands in San Francisco. Minimal cars and minimal people in downtown. There was a police incident at a free speech rally at the UN Plaza. We stopped at the Costco Business Center in South San Francisco, CA. The hot dogs are shorter in length. We listened to the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves National League Championship Series. The last stop was The Habit to purchase hamburgers to go.

Weather reports were incorrect. Temperatures were hotter than forecasted.

Sun Oct 18. Dad fixed a minor problem with the ceiling fan. Dad assisted me removing branches, plants, and leaves on top of my engine's intake manifold. We suspected small animals built a home.

Mon Oct 19. Watched most of the first half Mon afternoon football game Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills.

Tue Oct 20. An apartment fire near the neighborhood. The air smelled smoke like lighting a match smell. No jogging outdoors. I watched a few innings of the Game 1 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Tampa Bay Rays World Series.

Wed Oct 21. Jogged with a flashlight.

Fri Oct 23. The United States reached a record COVID-19 daily cases at 83,000. The FDA approved the anti-viral Remdesivir. Europe reached 8,000,000 COVID-19 cases and 250,000 COVID-19 deaths. France announced a second shut down when it reached 1,000,000 COVID-19 cases.

Sat Oct 24. Watched the World Series Game 4 starting at the bottom of the sixth inning.

Mon Oct 26. I helped my dad with errands in Alameda, CA. Minimal traffic jams at major freeway junctions. We ate lunch at The Cheese Steak Shop. I purchased Dominion at Toy Safari using a gift card.

Tue Oct 27. Repaired a leak from the kitchen faucet. I watched the World Series Game 6 from the bottom of the sixth inning to the MVP presentation.

San Francisco County moved to the Tier 4 Yellow for the State of California's four tier shutdown system. The county was the first in the Bay Area.

Wed Oct 28. Germany announced a partial shut down for one month.

Thur Oct 29. The United States reached a record COVID-19 daily cases at 90,456. Total United States COVID-19 cases 9,031,493.

Fri Oct 30. Faster week. The week wasn't a blink of an eye it was the weekend.

Sat Oct 31. England announced a second national shutdown for one month. The country reached 1,000,000 COVID-19 cases.

Update On A Past Blog

A 2007 blog titled The Need For Speed written on Dec, 22, 2007 was missed in the Top Ten Wisdom Acquired In 2007 I Failed To Follow on Jan 10, 2020. I dreamed I was a running back for the San Francisco 49ers during the Joe Montana and Bill Walsh era. I was too slow to receive a pass. The pass was intercepted. Slow speed was a weakness. I trained to run faster the next day. The Need For Speed blog should have been mentioned in the honorable mentions at the minimum.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog August 2020

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. The Aug month was the fastest month in 2020. The Aug month was the hottest in 2020. There were too many wildfires. Air quality was poor for many days. The pandemic daily life is unprecedented, uncharted, new, unknown, and untested.

Sun Aug 2. Watched my first NBA game Portland Trailblazers vs. Boston Celtics during the pandemic. Watched my first NHL game Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins during the pandemic. Partially cleaned the exterior and the bottom of the refrigerator.

Mon Aug 3. Weather forecasted high temperature 83 degrees. Actual high temperature 88 degrees. Throat irritation. Craved for Coke. Fatigued symptoms. I didn't fully recover from the stomach ache last week.

Tue Aug 4. Ate Tony & Alba's All Meat Pizza. Weather forecasted high temperature 76 degrees. Actual high temperature 81 degrees.

Wed Aug 5. Weather forecasted high temperature 71 degrees. Actual high temperature 73 degrees. I'm sensitive to big temperature changes in a 24 hour period.

Thur Aug 6. Mopped all floors.

Mon Aug 10. Flat tire on dad's truck driver side rear. I assisted. There were too many people walking at 7:30pm. I jogged at 8:14pm. There were fewer people.

Tue Aug 11. Costco sold soft-serve ice cream in the food court. Costco began selling Halloween candy packs and children's costumes. I saw the most people between 9:30am-10:00am. It must be back to school. Inventory shelves stocked. I realized Costco doesn't sell men's and women's shaving cream or gel.

A car backed out from its parking space while I drove to the exit. The slowly backing car didn't yield. The car blocked the path causing both directions to stop. I noticed the backing car's rear windshield had Uber and Lyft stickers. The car tried to get into an accident to get insurance money?

The street near the fire station was repaved. Gas prices increased.

The PAC-12 college conference delayed all fall sports programs.

Wed Aug 12. Trash collected one day late. I forgot to mention the regular postwoman no longer delivers mail weeks ago. I jogged at 8:15pm. There were too many people outside.

Fri Aug 14. I woke up at 8am. Washed bathroom rugs. I purchased Coke at Safeway three for $5.00. Weather temperature forecasts incorrect all week. The days went from warm to hot. The high temperature was 103 degrees. I worked out in the afternoon while the air conditioner was on instead of the evening with the windows opened. I went to bed at 2am. The windows were fully opened all night while sleeping.

Sun Aug 16. Rain, thunder, and lightning. Three big wildfires started from the lightning.

Mon Aug 17. California rolling blackouts. The record heat wave continued.

Tue Aug 18. I arrived at Costco at 10:13am. I was running late doing errands. There were fewer customers compared to last week. Five wildfires burning in the Bay Area and Santa Cruz County. I closed the windows before I went to bed because of the smoky air. I turned on a desk fan while I slept.

Wed Aug 19. 20 wildfires in five counties. Total acres burned 85,000. Governor Gavin Newson declared State Of Emergency. I started to watch some old episodes of Roseanne on COZY-TV.

Sat Aug 22. Air less smoky during the late afternoon to evening. Spare The Air alerts continued.

Sun Aug 23. I'm out of new books. I began rereading Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling.

Mon Aug 24. Humid, hazy, and unhealthy air forecasted for the next seven days. Today's weather thunder and dry lightning which didn't happen in the Santa Clara County.

Tue Aug 25. I slept with the desk fan turned off. The air was cleaner because of the fog. I opened the window at 25%. The REI Labor Day sale ad arrived. The sales were the best in years with deeper discounts and more useful items IMO.

Wed Aug 26. Most professional sports scheduled were postponed to protest police brutality and the Jacob Blake shooting.

Thur Aug 27. Morning errands. The City Of Cupertino was dead. Few cars. No commute traffic on the freeway. Costco hours changed. Costco opens weekdays between 9am-10am for seniors and the disabled. Costco opens weekdays at 10am for all customers. My nearby Safeway there is a new line for self-checkout for which the Safeway worker must call the next person in line because it's hard for customers to see the right side of the self-checkout.

Fri Aug 28. Used the air compressor to drain the air conditioner drainage pipe. Debris was removed. Dad fixed the thermostat problem which was not powered.

Governor Newson announced a color coded four-tier business reopening plan. The colors are purple or widespread, red or substantial, orange or moderate, and yellow or minimal. There is no green color. 38 of the 58 counties in California are purple, nine are red, eight are orange, and three are yellow.

Sun Aug 30. Two of the three wildfires caused by lightning currently the second and third largest in California history. The LNU Lightning Complex in Sonoma County 368,888 acres burned. The SCU Lightning Complex in Stanislaus County 368,671 acres burned. The largest wildfire in California history is the Mendocino Complex in July 2018 459,123 acres burned.

Mon Aug 31. I shopped at Target to purchase shaving gel. I shopped at Smart & Final to purchase tri-tip. Three businesses closed which were Men's Wearhouse near Target, and Omaha Steaks and Edible Arrangements near Smart & Final. Traffic minimal on streets. One reason was back to school. There was no smoky smell; however, the smoke could be seen up at the hazy sky.

Seven telemarketing or robocalls in the morning.

Six million Americans infected with COVID-19.

Temperatures forecasted lower 80s for the week.