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.

Life Lessons From The Baseball Movie Bull Durham

Click on the YouTube links for scenes from the movie Bull Durham on life lessons.

BULL DURHAM (1988) | Meet Crash Davis | MGM. Any other job is usually better than retail.

Bull Durham (1988) - Kevin Costner - Tim Robbins - Fight. Buy a drink to break the ice to meet up from people in the past. Also, Don't think.

Bull Durham (1988) - Strikeouts Are Fascist Scene (3/12) | Movieclips. Listen to veterans. Listen to experience.

Bull Durham- Wanna Make it to the Show?. Don't date bossy people.

Bull Durham (1988) - Bunch of Lollygaggers Scene (5/12) | Movieclips. A good manager explains in simple words. Motivate explaining in simple words.

Bull Durham - Throw it at the Bull. Diversion is a trick. Diversion is a tactic.

Bull Durham (1988) - Getting Woolly Scene (6/12) | Movieclips. Job skills are more important than material goods. Say no to material objects. Say yes to job skills.

Bull Durham | Winning Streak. The feeling of a winning streak. Maintain the winning streak.

Bull Durham (1988) - Winning's Better Than Losing Scene (7/12) | Movieclips. Cliques can save a person from trouble. Boring can save a person from trouble.

Bull Durham (1988) - I Want you Scene (9/12) | Movieclips. Manners, self-esteem, confidence, strength, and intelligence attract men and women.

Bull Durham- Best Scene. The number one makes a difference. An average of one more makes a difference. Also, talent is more important than intelligence.

Bull Durham (1988) - Kevin Costner - Susan Sarandon. You can't get everything you want in life. There are going to be losers through no fault of their own. Some dreams don't come true. Also, out with the old and in with the new.

tourists in bull durham.mov. Almost all good news and bad news nobody knows.

Update On A Past Blog

The number one makes a difference scene> Bull Durham- Best Scene reminds me of the blog Today I Want To Talk About The Numbers Greater Than Zero And Less Than Or Equal To One written on Jun 17, 2020. Percentages make a difference. 20% increase. 20% decrease. A few percentage points is the difference between *fill in the blank one* and *fill in the blank two*.

I wrote past life lessons blogs. Here are two of my favorites. The first favorite is Top Ten Life Lessons I Learned Watching Sports written on Nov 5, 2016. Some of the lessons include curses are meant to be broken, be professional, and be calm. There are multiple updates on a past blog adding more lessons to the blog which include luck, circumstances, and talent are factors to succeed as a professional athlete; don't waste time thinking about something making no sense; and winning solves problems.

The second favorite is Life Lessons From Space Brothers written on Aug 17, 2015. Space Brothers is my second all-time favorite anime series. Some of the lessons include it's faster to just do it, veterans help newbies, find one interesting think to lose track of time, improve failures, and teamwork.

English Teacher Jordan Last Night Dream

I dreamed last night I was a student in ninth grade. One of my afternoon classes was in a bank. I didn't know the subject. My desk was a table where customers fill out either deposit slips or withdrawal slips located at the center. The size of the desk was small. The bank setting was a dark 1980s style. I conversed with students talking gossip when class was over. I rushed out of the bank when the bell for the final class of the day rang.

I arrived late for English I. There was an exam on the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The class was in the guest room of my house. The hallway light outside the guest room was the only light source. Half of the guest room was in the dark. English instructor Mr. Jordan was angry before I arrived. I picked up the exam at his desk located in the front of the classroom. I walked to the right side completing the exam in the dark.

The timed exam was difficult. I didn't prepare. Filling out my name was cryptic. Additional information was required to identify the exam paper. The exam questions were true or false and fill in the blank composed of multiple sentences and multiple blanks per paragraph. Mr. Jordan collected all exams at time expired. Almost all of the students did poorly from our reactions. Ironically, To Kill A Mockingbird is my all-time favorite fiction book.

Mr. Jordan taught a brief lesson after the exam. Another student passed around an unverified document showing Mr. Jordan's assigned books. The student likely hacked in the school computer system to print out the document. I received the document from a student behind me. I passed the document to a student in front of me. The too honest student got up from desk to hand the document to Mr. Jordan. He was furious. I woke up.

A Second Look At 2024

It's the time I look back at my 2024 blogs to give myself feedback. The goals delaying one year are relearning from my mistakes, reinforcing my lessons, reminding myself my moments, refreshing acquired knowledge, rediscovering new wisdom, correcting errant blogs, and sharing changes. The 14 blogs are also the 2024 best blogs.

1. Do You Really Care About Other People?
Date: Mon Jan 15
Summary: You must care about yourself to care for other people.
Feedback: There are multiple feedbacks on the blog post and on the Update On A Past Blog. The blog consisted of two paragraphs with wisdom. Boundaries is the one-word summary for the first paragraph. I remind myself boundaries from the blog I'm Tired Stepping Up Making Other People Feel Comfortable written on Mon Oct 13, 2025. Be fair. Stand up for yourself. Don't be taken advantage. Let the other party be angry.

I wrote "Don't sacrifice yourself to care for other people" is the other people don't necessarily pay you back or return the favor. Napoleon Hill said, "The man who does more than he is paid for will soon be paid for more than he does." The statement is false. It's not aloofness does pay in the service industry. It's niceness doesn't pay in the service industry. There are exceptions such as five-star hotels.

Self-respect and self-esteem are required to care for other people.

I repeat my favorite wisdom for the second paragraph. "Motivation or desire is more important than knowledge. Further, a little knowledge is better than a lot of ignorance."

One of the Update On A Past Blog is the day I grew up on Sat Oct 4, 2008. The blog Connecting My Dots Backwards written on Oct 13, 2011 details the immediate changes. The first two sentences I wrote: I reiterate an action on the day I realized I must grow up on Sat Oct 4, 2008. The action was "I forgave everything and everyone. . . ."

2. The San Francisco 49ers Third Super Bowl Lost Hurts The Most
Date: Tue Feb 13
Summary: I shared my opinion on the 49ers overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Feedback: The two sentences "I believe the 2024 Super Bowl hurts the most because head coach Kyle Shanahan did everything correct. He did it right." should be corrected to did almost everything correct and mostly did it right because I mentioned "Multiple reports stated some 49ers didn't know the new overtime playoff rules." Moreover, some sports journalists said a Shanahan weakness is he can't adapt and improvise when his game plan fails. Perhaps, the weakness explains Shanahan can't think ahead and anticipate multiple outcomes before the game and during the game.

I stand by my opinion as of today. Shanahan made the correct choice to receive the ball first in overtime. Go on offense, score a touchdown, and attempt the two-point conversion. There is no punting. The offense uses all four downs or all four chances to get first downs. Score eight points to win or lose the Super Bowl.

I reiterate to myself and to the readers. You can do everything correctly. The end result is a lost.

War of attrition. Chiefs won by attrition. No significant in-game injuries.

3. Throwback Blog: The Lesson To Be Successful Rarely Taught
Date: Wed Feb 28
Summary: The rarely taught lessons are timing, luck, opportunity, chance, learn from mistakes, and motivation or desire.
Feedback: Another factor to become successful is not taught in classes. The factor is nature. Natural talent. The powers to be granted something special to the person. I'm not a biologist. Natural selection must be considered.

Timing, luck, opportunity, chance, learn from mistakes, motivation or desire, and nature are factors to be successful.

4. Underachieve And Did Nothing About It
Date: Sun Mar 3
Summary: I dreamed I was an options trader laid off by Roseanne Barr.
Feedback: I wrote seven blogs sharing last night dreams. The blog represented one of the seven.

5. Homeless Encampment Eviction Day Real Story
Date: Sat Mar 23
Summary: The YouTube comments told the truth on a homeless encampment Eviction day for Oakland's Wood Street homeless encampment from KTVU Fox 2 News on Apr 10, 2023.
Feedback: The real news reporting is in the comments. The real journalism is from the comments acting as news reporters. There are some life lessons people can learn regardless of age. A favorite: You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

6. Self Job Training Graduation Analytics Research Technology
Date: Fri Apr 19
Summary: I documented my Analytics Research Technology job training from Aug 2014 to Mar 2024.
Feedback: The post Analytics Research Technology learning started on Jul 15, 2024. JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Excel, Python, and WordPress. I read one book on Power Pivot from Jul 2024 to Sep 2024. Power Query was a drill reminder rereading selected chapters from Aug 2024 to Jul 2025. I cleaned my code for my webpage Innovate Infinitely after JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.

The education is Python and Excel as of the blog post. Did I reach my maximum what I needed to learn and to know for a data analyst is a question for the remainder of 2025. I don't know what new skills to learn starting in 2026.

The WordPress deserves its own paragraph. I started in Jul 2024. I ended in Aug 2025. I used my previous web hosting provider to learn WordPress. The web hosting provider accused me of using too much bandwidth. I closed my account. I found a better web hosting provider. I lost interest learning WordPress. The new web hosting provider is one blessing in disguise. A second blessing in disguise is I cancelled copying my Innovating Common Knowledge blogs to a WordPress blog template for further learning. Google Search Console and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) are part of the WordPress learning.

R, R-Studio, and VBA are dead. I see no job postings requiring these skills. Linux is unseen in 99% of job postings I'm qualified. Access is seen in 1% of job postings I'm qualified. Moreover, almost all job descriptions the latest and greatest knowledge in Excel is not required; although, almost all job descriptions imply Excel.

7. Crossing The Line To Become An Adult
Date: Tue Jun 4
Summary: I declared myself an adult.
Feedback: I reiterate to correct the blog and the Update On A Past Blog. Age 46 is incorrect. Age 45 is correct. I was 45 years old when I became an adult.

8. Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog July 2024
Date: Fri Aug 2
Summary: My COVID-19 blog for July 2024.
Feedback: One consistent Shelter In-Place COVID-19 blogs is the surges. The virus mutates; however, there's no second COVID-19 global pandemic. No shut downs. No restrictions. No partial restrictions. The vaccines must be working. Herd immunity protects people from COVID-19. Regardless, friends and relatives are still testing positive.

9. Blame Life For Too Much
Date: Wed Aug 14
Summary: There is too much to do with too little time.
Feedback: The title is true. I made a mistake on the content. The content is mostly bullshit. The individual blogs combined for the title blog should not be combined. The bottom line is blame life and blame the Information Age there is too much to do. Life and the Information Age don't increase the number 24 for the 24 hours per day.

10. Half Ass Doesn't Work Anymore
Date: Tue Oct 8
Summary: People can't half ass to become successful.
Feedback: I want to clarify sometimes half-ass is good enough. Half-ass work depends on the responsibility, the assignment, the request, the resources or support available, and timing. It's a judgment call. A lazy person doing everything half-ass is another conversation.

11. Grown Up Lessons In Second Grade Completing A Word Search
Date: Tue Oct 22
Summary: I recall a word search homework assignment in second grade.
Feedback: I want to reiterate the first grown up lesson. The first lesson applies to everything in life. School, college, workplace, helping friends, helping family, and personal projects. Need more information. Inadequate support. Short amount of time. Can't complete it. Fuck it. Stop doing the assignment.

I wrote ten blogs referencing my past childhood or past childhood in school. The blog represents one of the ten.

12. Throwback Blog: Throwback Blog: A Mixed Bag Of Everything
Date: Thur Oct 31
Summary: Moments from the year 2006.
Feedback: 2006 is the year I talked about the least when it comes to good years. I still agree with the sentence 14 months later. 2006 was a fake happy year. I need reminders 2006 was a fake good year. 2006 was the least good year.

13. The Perfect Error
Date: Wed Nov 6
Summary: I shared my thoughts and opinions on the 2024 US Presidential Elections Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris.
Feedback: I made a mistake. The title is incorrect. I'm incorrect saying Harris committed the perfect error. If Harris won, then she fulfilled the political miracle in the history of the United States Of America. A reason why Harris and the Democrats lost was no focus. The Democrats were too spread out. The Democrats were too diverse. The Democrats were too diluted.

I wrote the sentence, "Harris did her best to convince the American people to vote for her in 107 days." 107 Days is the title of her new book which reached number one in the New York Times Bestsellers list for nonfiction. I want Harris to name names who screwed up the Democratics and screwed up her political career.

Harris had little fault for her defeat. She was given one star ingredients to make a five star dinner.

14. My Problems Are Nothing
Date: Fri Dec 27
Summary: My life is happy because my problems are nothing.
Feedback: Another end of the day thought. My life is paradise. Shelter, food, sound mental capabilities, no physical injuries, mattress to sleep, minimal expenses, and internet. I'm not lost in the woods. No drugs or alcohol addictions. No video game addictions.

My problems are nothing relatively speaking. My life is not nothing relatively speaking. A person with nothing doesn't need money. A person with nothing doesn't need shelter, food, and the internet. He or she is nothing. Nothing. Period.

I wrote eight blogs referencing my long-term unemployment. The blog represents one of the eight.

The following blog is a honorable mention: The 10 Percent Physical Is Much Bigger With 90 Percent Mental.

My First Memories

I share some of my first memories.

*First dream. I fell down from the sky at Meyerholz Elementary School in San Jose, CA. I saw wise old Asian men watching from the mountains. I landed on top of a waterslide made of square wooden pieces like a 1970s playground metal slide supported by wooden posts shaped in squares. I slid down to the main playground. The air dried me immediately. I walked home minutes away from the school.

*Pre-school. I attended Wilson Elementary School in Cupertino, CA. My teacher's name was Miss Sue. She was red haired. One school day I cried myself to the time-out section with my brown paper lunch bag. The time-out section was a wall cordoned by a large red and white color gym mat perpendicular to the floor. My brown paper lunch bag was written with my first name and last name. I read when I was four years old.

*Pre-school parking lot. The end of my school day I walked around the parking lot sidewalk saying goodbye to the school buses.

*First stuffed animal. My mom sewed. She made a lamb for me and my brother. My mom named the lambs after my brother's first name and my first name. My lamb was Raymond Lamb. There was a day my brother played with all of the stuffed animals except for Raymond Lamb. I played with Raymond Lamb alone pretending to watch the house for all of our stuffed animals. The house was the glass coffee table in the living room. My brother thank me and Raymond Lamb for watching the house when his lamb and the stuffed animals came home.

My mom made Raymond Lamb with a mean smile :< My mom made my brother's lamb with a happy smile :)

*Living room glass coffee table. I favored clean. I cleaned up the living room by moving all the toys under the glass coffee table. I told everyone the room was cleaned.

*A late afternoon walk. My parents, brother, and I walked to Meyerholz Elementary School to play at the playground. I played on the playground equipment doing everything wrong because nobody taught me how to use the equipment.

No Guarantees In Life Including Sports

Sports are percentages. There is pass completion rate, percentage drops, and number of points the defense gives up per game in football. There is field goal percentage and free throw percentage in basketball. There is batting average, walk to strike out ratio, and earned run average in baseball. There is goals against average and shots on goals in hockey. There is no 100%. There is no 1.000.

The percentages, rates, ratios, probabilities, averages, sums, and totals in all sports applies to life. Chances in life applies to sports. Timing and luck in sports applies to life. A basketball player experiences a bad shooting night in a regular season game. A no big deal. A basketball player experiences a bad shooting night in a championship game. A yes big deal. The thought process applies to a quarterback throwing a football, a place kicker kicking a field goal, a baseball player going 0 for 4 with three deep flyouts, a pitcher giving up four home runs, a winger missing too many shots on goal, and a goal keeper giving up four goals.

We blame the players for the bad performance. We blame the players for the miss critical plays. We blame coaches for bad decisions. Think rationally. No player wants to screw up. No coach wants to lose. The chances are there to connect, and sometimes there are no chances. Timing and luck are not there. The game is lost. The strategies don't work out. It's the other result. It's the opposite of the percentage. It's the other side. A basketball player free throw percentage success is 90.1%. The player missed critical free throws at the fourth period. It's the 9.9% failure percentage. Failed. The team lost the game. Regular season is a no big deal. Try again next time. Championship playoffs is a yes big deal. It's unfair. It's the nature of the sports world. A professional sports team not making the playoffs with at least 50% regular season wins is considered a successful season.

The Odds Are Against Professional Dreamers

There are a limited number of active professional sports players who play in the top leagues. There are 1,696 professional football players in the 32 team NFL out of all the professional football players. There are 450 professional basketball players in the 30 team NBA out of all the professional basketball players. There are 780 professional baseball players in the 30 team MLB out of all the professional baseball players. There are 736 professional hockey players in the 32 team NHL out of all the professional hockey players. Those numbers are small. Practice squad and inactive professional players are excluded from the numbers. The chances of professional sports players in a North American big league roster are slim. Life is rolling the dice. Many try to become professional sports players. Few succeed.

Update On A Past Blog

I add the percentages, rates, ratios, probabilities, averages, sums, and totals in all sports to the blog Top Ten Life Lessons I Learned Watching Sports written on Nov 5, 2016.

I wrote a no guarantees blog A Lesson Learned Tonight written on Feb 2, 2010. The blog talked about Conan O'Brien leaving The Tonight Show with a $45 million settlement on Jan 2010. I remind myself there are no guarantees in life; however, death and taxes are 100% certain.

I repeat an update on a past blog word for word from Owners Hiring The Below Average Worker on May 12, 2023:

Life is chances. The right place at the right time. Timing and luck are in favor. The wind blows behind your back. The odds are good. The dice are rolling well. Probability is close to 100%. Here are two blogs related to chances, odds, and probabilities: Roll The Dice When You Wake Up written on Aug 12, 2019 and The Homeless People Rolled Too Many Snake Eyes written on Apr 8, 2019. Death and taxes are 100% certain. Life is unfair regardless of the probabilities. Times continue to be tough going forward.

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.

The Green Steno Notebook 11

Blogger's note: There are three consecutive Green Steno Notebook blogs. Today is the third of three.

The picture above is the notebook I acquired on the first day of my new white collar job. I wrote notes during my job training. I wrote other notes, reminders, and knowledge thereafter. I share many of them. Here is the ninth blog.

*Apr 12, 2022. Dream last night. I played for the San Jose State Spartans baseball team. We played to qualify for the College World Series. Men on second base and third base. I hit a walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth inning on the first pitch to the opposite field.

*Apr 12, 2022. Removed arm rests from the laptop desk chair. I thought the arm rests were permanent. Incorrect. Arm rests were bolted.

*Apr 27. Dad installed a new shower head.

*Apr 30. Everyday carry idea. Fire starters made from cotton balls. Cover each cotton ball with 3/4th Vaseline.

*May 20. REI lifetime membership increased to $30. REI Anniversary Sale fewer items for sale.

*May 21. Four forces of nature: gravity, electromagnetic force, weak nuclear force, and strong nuclear force.

*May 22. Albert Einstein's Theory Of Relativity. Energy = Mass X Speed Of Light squared or E = MC^2.

A new theory devised is really an extension of the previous theory. Disprove a theory find a single observation disagreeing with the prediction; however, there can be an exception or an incorrect test.

Werner Heisenberg uncertainty principle. There are limits we know the properties of a pair of particles simultaneously. We know more of one particle and we know less of the second particle.

Space-time is curved. Space-time is not a straight line.

Not finite. There are boundaries.

*May 29. Entropy measures the degree of disorder of a system. Disorder increases if things are left to themselves; for example, stop making repairs around the house. One can create order out of disorder; for example, paint a house. Creating order requires expending energy which decreases the amount of ordered energy available.

Anthropic Principle. "We see the universe the way it is because we exist." There are two versions: the weak and the strong.

*May 29. The correct way below.

*Peel a banana at the bottom.
*Place food required to be cold at the rear of the refrigerator. Maximum coldness and minimize warmness.
*A security procedure. Substitute crossing out words and numbers by adding words, letters, and numbers.
*Peel Post-It notes sideways.
*Bobby pins the scribbly part is downwards.
*The center part is empty when microwaving.
*Use the pizza saver to assist selecting a pizza slice instead of the other hand.
*Put ice cream inside a freezer bag.
*Side sleep on the left side on the mattress. Minimize the chances of digestive stomach pain.

*May 31. Drove from the post office to Costco. Air conditioning on. Switched air circulation from outside to recycle because smog coming out of a black Toyota Camry's tailpipe.

*Jun 22. NFL Commission Roger Goodell testify regarding the Washington Commanders owner Dan Synder's toxic workplace. "We're not perfect, but we do our best."

*Jun 28. Played Puzzle Fighter II for the first time. Slept at 5:30am in the morning.

*Jun 29. Played Puzzle Fighter II for the second time. Slept at 4:00am in the morning.

*Jun 30. Played Puzzle Fighter II for the third time. Slept at 1:00am in the morning.

*Jul 3. Played Puzzle Fighter II for the fourth time. Slept at 4:20am in the morning. Quit. Other priorities.

*Jul 11. Shaved with cold water for the first time.

*Jul 13. Cooking bok choy and other vegetables. One bowl and one plate. Safety. Second batch fully cooked use the one plate to transfer to the one bowl instead of second batch to the almost filled to the top one bowl.

*Jul 16. A gift idea for me. Anything vanilla flavor.

*Jul 28. Broil water at night instead of day. Water cools faster overnight.

*Aug 14. My parents eat whole wheat buns because wheat buns are softer than white buns.

*Aug 19. Air compressed jogging shoes. Too much debris inside.

*Aug 20. Shopped at Under Armour Outlet Store at the Great Mall in Milpitas, CA. Buy one, get one free on socks $24. One pack of socks fit my size. Fitted running shirt $40. Loose workout shirt $25. Poor selections on the shirts. I couldn't find my color. Exited store empty handed.

*Aug 21. Two bathroom carpets at stairway bathroom. Rotated smaller brown bathroom carpet perpendicular to blue bathroom carpet. No carpet overlapping each other.

*Sep 4. Home air conditioner set to 79 degrees. Turned on early.

*Sep 6. Job trained before breakfast. Forecast daytime high 104 degrees. Lower chance of rolling blackout. Perhaps, new procedure on hot days. Job train first. Eat breakfast second.

*Sep 6. 109 degrees. Hottest day on record.

*Sep 7. 1 + 1 = 6. Wrong thinking.

*Sep 8. A complete water shut off is located at the water meter. The house's green knob doesn't shut off the water completely. The house's red knob shuts off the sprinklers. The red knob is stuck--doesn't turn.

*Sep 9. Dad fixed the shower knob.

*Sep 13. Add more clothes during the early washing stage for the washer. Press Pause/Cancel button once. Wait for Door Locked light to turn off. Open door. Add more clothes. Close door. Press Power button.

*Sep 16. 99% Invisible podcast. Google search. Add :reddit with no spaces between the colon and reddit to search at Reddit for information. For example, favorite books:reddit or greatest books:reddit.

*Sep 21. Reinstall Ubuntu 22.04 multiple times. Failed. Reinstall Ubuntu 20.04.

*Oct 2. Heard strange sounds in the dryer. An object? Turned off dryer. Checked inside. Found a soda can pop opener.

*Oct 4. Exit the house from the garage if the floor at the front door is empty after mopping.

*Oct 9. You loose when you're tired. You win when you're insane. Movie from Cold Eyes.

*Oct 10. Installed new car battery. Clean terminals with fine sand paper. Connect positive terminal first. Negative terminal second. No need to remove the perpendicular bar. Loosen the bar.

*Oct 26. Evoland is the video game RPG history of RPG play, graphics, gameplay, and music.

*Oct 30. Ate cold Milky Way for the first time since 2010.

*Nov 7. Replaced windshield wipers. Passenger side blade crumpled when I touched it.

*Nov 10. Costco sold books. A few New York Times Bestsellers. Children books. Examples include Pigeon Ride Roller Coaster and Odder. I was surprised. Must be Christmas.

*Nov 10. Chevron gas station. Pump problems. Slow filling up. Intuition told me to move myself and wait behind my car just in case of topping off. Nozzle topped off spilling gas.

*Nov 17. Need sharp tool in an emergency. Remove the vehicle's license plate. Sharp straight edge length.

*Nov 21. Use a regular towel instead of paper towels when I anticipate washing my hands multiple times while preparing meals. Save paper towels.

*Nov 21. A self-discovery years ago driving. Open the front driver side window and the rear passenger side window for a diagonal line good air ventilation.

*Nov 27. There are matches inside the light brown ceramic bowl in the family room.

*Nov 28. For Nov 24. Create a label with number sequence from 1 to 0 on my monitor below the Windows task bar. The label assists me in navigating programs or togging programs using the shortcut keys Win+1, Win+2, Win+3, Win+4, . . ., Win+0.

*Dec 7. Under Armour Black Friday order delivered one day early. My dad's Amazon order delivered one minute later. I didn't hear the FedEx trucks even though the window is open. Lucky mom was outside to pick up the packages.

*Dec 17. Take off my indoor jacket when I brush my teeth. Lower the chances my shirts get wet.

*Dec 17. Rewrite summary tips jogging. Shoulder blades slightly back. Easier to breathe. More oxygen in lungs. Head straight up. Look forward. Chin slightly up. Arms slightly touching rib cage. 90 degree angle at elbows; loose first, swing arms additional momentum created like hiking with trekking poles. Twist upper body, too? A little. Strong core. Active core. Efficient hip movement. Land your feet at mid-foot. Forward lean. Don't be too upright. Blogger's note: Not an expert at jogging.

*Dec 21. Drove from Kohl's to Safeway-Winchester Campbell. Driving on the streets was slower than driving on the freeway. All signal lights were red when I arrived at the intersection.

*Dec 21. Ate two donuts for the first meal of the day. Stomach ache. No fried foods for the first meal of the day. One donut should be okay.

*Dec 21. Jog wearing boxer briefs. Stinging pain upper right leg. Solution is shave hair off my upper legs.

The Green Steno Notebook 10

Blogger's note: There are three consecutive Green Steno Notebook blogs. Today is the second of three.

The picture above is the notebook I acquired on the first day of my new white collar job. I wrote notes during my job training. I wrote other notes, reminders, and knowledge thereafter. I share many of them. Here is the tenth blog.

*Aug 25, 2020. Furnace and A/C unit in garage. Furnace on top. A/C condenser on bottom. The power switch is on the left of the unit. Air flows down for the air filter. Top panel removed turns off the unit for safety. The black switch out powers off. The black switch in powers on as long as top panel is inserted.

Used air compressor to air blast A/C unit. Water and some sludge flowed out. The drainage is located to the left of the garden hose in the backyard.

*Sep 8. Don't boil water from the hot water heater. The deposits form the hot water heater are unsafe to drink. The deposits include metallic parts which corrodes water.

*Sep 13. Riichi Mahjong observation. I play online. Players call on dragon tiles and wind tiles early. I might as well discard dragon tiles and wind tiles early. Why did it take me a long time to figure out the problem?

*Sep 20. The Big Short (2015) movie. Use the tabletop game Jenga as a presentation prop. Also, if you don't want to do the deal, then hang up.

*Sep 23. Shower without washing hair. Wash body first. Wash backside second. Wash face third. Shower with washing hair. Wash hair first. Wash face second. Wash body third. Wash backside fourth.

*Oct 11. Listen to 106.5 FM on Sun mornings to keep in touch with today's popular music.

*Oct 12. Rearranged my room. Bookshelves, storage bins, and desk drawers contents. Consolidated desk items. 90% cleaned.

*Oct 18. Dad noticed the ceiling fan blades wabble and shakes when the ceiling fan is on. He checked the screws. Screws are loose. He tighten them.

*Oct 18. Debris on top of my car's intake manifold.

*Oct 22. Accidentally swallowed mouthwash. I lost my concentration.

*Oct 27. Kitchen faucet leaked. Replaced the cartridge.

*Oct 31. G.I. Joe cartoon titled Arise, Serpentor, Arise Part 5 is the episode where the US President knelt in front on Serpentor. "G.I. Joe, why, right here."

*Nov 4. Set aside four white colored socks for my white color workout shirts. These four white color socks and my white color workout shirts tell me it's time to wash my whites.

*Nov 8. Use my florescent desk lamp as additional lightning when I take pictures on my cell phone.

*Nov 13. If I need a rest and there is a folded blanket, then place the folded blanket at the end of my mattress to prop up my legs.

*Nov 24. Clean gutters. Summary. Detach black drainage from downspout at left side of house. Place a ladder on the middle of the roof rafter to sturdy the ladder. If the water is resting on the gutter, then use a hose or fill gutter with water. Shoot water down to downspout. Remove leaves with hand when possible to avoid water on the roof. The roof is designed for water to flow down. Not up.

*Dec 4. For Nov 28. Replacing boot laces. Always buy the laces one size or one unit above. Buy the longer length size laces.

*Dec 14. My dad experienced vertigo. Hospital didn't know the cause. Hospital didn't admit him for an in-patient examination. Dad researched. Found possibilities. Told hospital. Hospital wanted an in-patient examination.

*Jan 12, 2021. hemorrhage: a heavy discharge of blood from the blood vessels; ruptured blood vessel. A rapid or uncontrollable loss or outflow; the loss of assets.

*Jan 16. Toothpaste tube almost out. Squeeze the toothpaste pointing down. Gravity the toothpaste remaining out of tube.

*Jan 26. Jan 2021 feels like Jan 2009; in particular, biggest rain storm of the year with weather warnings. Flood warnings. Wind warnings.

*Feb 16. Bloody nose after I jogged on a cool day. I ate Belvita Chocolate. I suspect chocolate. No chocolate before workout.

*Mar 8. Movie with the stopwatch. Movie is 2 Days In The Valley.

*Mar 11. Denatured alcohol banned in CA. Reason is bad air quality.

*Mar 30. Web articles before the pop-up ad must subscribe to read article. Quickly press Ctrl+A. Then Ctrl+C to copy and paste to Word or a text based program.

*Apr 15. Running land on feet or forefoot or mid-foot instead of heels on ground. Avoid excess stress on Achilles, knees, and calves. Keep legs moving forward. No bouncing. Moving forward longer distance. Blogger's note: Not an expert at jogging.

*Jun 14. Stairway bathroom toilet water main hose burst.

*Jul 8. Neighborhood street lights changed from amber color to LED white color.

*Aug 10. Suggested replace car battery every five years. It's seven years for me because less electronics. I replaced the car battery in 2008 and 2015.

*Aug 24. Interview question. What is culture? My answer is undefined. Culture is an intuitively defined.

*Aug 24. Pre-dream or pre-sleep dream before I went to sleep. I brushed my teeth between pre-sleep and sleep. The pre-dream was my brother and I were at a nearby retail strip mall with a Japanese supermarket. There was an outdoor video arcade with carnival games. Closes at midnight. We exited well before midnight. Mom and dad waited. The four of us drove off in a fire truck. Mom drove. I sat on the driver side rear. We drove south to an indoor shopping mall and strip mall. We shopped inside at 11:45pm. One store was Toys R Us. The Toys R Us looked like a dry cleaners.

*Sep 2. Baking tri-tip. No sizzling. Color is white. Not ready. Color is not brownish. Tri-tip must still be cold inside.

*Sep 9. First time I overwrite an old file to a new file on my new desktop. Old file on my USB drive. New file on my new desktop. I want to backup from my new desktop to my USB drive. I actually incorrectly backup from my USB drive to my desktop.

*Sep 9. The nickel arcade near my neighborhood was Hi-5 Nickel.

*Sep 23. I heard It's All Too Much by The Beatles twice while jogging.

*Oct 22. Headlight restoration. Polishing is more important than applying polish for a clear shine.

*Nov 10. Squirm (1976) is a horror movie involving worms. A childhood horror movie. The Swarm (1978) is deadly bees. Kingdom Of The Spiders (1978) is killer tarantulas.

*Nov 12. Shopping at Safeway. Did price math on my head. I didn't add correctly. Didn't get the extra discount. Don't be lazy. Use a calculator.

*Nov 18. Adam & Eve store. Low inventory. Supply chain problems.

*Dec 1. Home Depot doesn't sell flowers. A Target store may sell flowers.

*Dec 2. Christmas song Christmas In Jail.

*Dec 6. Avoid schools when children are present or when school starts and school ends. Extra driving time because of parents picking up their children and children crossing the street.

*Dec 11. I spilled the boiling water pot filled with vinegar to remove oxidation. I held the pot with my wrists instead of my hand.

*Dec 16. Read my personal bible. Link to download: Inspiration Cheer Up.

*Dec 18. A bloody sock the last two jogs. First time I wore sweatpants jogging. Full moon. Nearby school a neighborhood Christmas celebration. There was a hay ride. Minimal attendance because of COVID-19 Omicron.

Remove fresh blood off clothes. Run cold water from the faucet. Soak cold water with detergent. Repeat soaking if necessary. Soaking 10-12 hours. Hang dry. Best in sun.

*Dec 25. Watched Cowboy Bebop episodes 1-5.

*Jan 1, 2022. For Dec 31, 2021. Everyone has. Not everyone have.

*Jan 9. Wrap towel around my waist. Tuck underneath. Look down at towel wrapped. Wrap down and in.

*Jan 13. The bath scrub brushes sold at Bed Bath & Beyond are different lengths.

*Jan 27. Haircut early afternoon. Jogged after haircut. Full sun. Wore my long sleeve workout shirt and shorts. I forgot to switch my underwear from boxers to jogging briefs.

*Feb 25. Dream last night area with warehouse and industrial buildings. Finished shopping at Costco. Book fundraiser big sale. The catch was a lottery. If you won or chosen in lottery, you purchase books at wholesale prices. Otherwise, you waited. Can't purchase. Most be chosen. Changed from ten winners top of hour to five winners top of the hour and five winters bottom of the hour. Most noted book was Harry Potter first edition Scholastic hardback set volumes 1-7. Initially, I entered warehouse because I saw people buying high-end bedsheets at discount prices.

*Mar 13. Dream professional football quarterback Baker Mayfield and another quarterback fought against each other. Then fought me on a cliff at the high school where I graduated. Then I drove my Toyota Camry out of the high school to an unknown downtown Saturday night before Super Bowl Sunday. There were dancers dancing and wearing masks.

*Mar 14. Another dream people wore masks. Galaktican arcade. There was a public transit station. Bart Simpsons was on a round spinning playground toy. Time passes. Sherri and Terri were on the toy. Some patrons wore masks in the arcade.

*Mar 16. I dreamed last night I was at the west side hills in Fremont, CA. Two entries to enter another dimension black & white colors only. Checkpoints. People can enter or not enter at their will.

*Apr 6. Middlefield Road road trip on bicycles from Sunnyvale, CA to Redwood City, CA. Inspired when I helped my dad with an errand in Menlo Park, CA.

I Learned Nothing From Preschool To Third Grade

I dreamed of Kmart last night. Kmart is a big box department store. There were 2,323 Kmart stores in the United States in 1994. There are twelve stores in the United States as of Apr 24, 2024. I remember the front of the store was all glass with glass entrances, exits, and emergency exits doors. There were no automatic doors. I remember the clothes, shoes, deli, restaurant, hardware, garden, and toys sections. I think there was a fabric and crafts section next to the restaurant. I looked at the Hershey's candy bars and Lifesavers candy at the checkout with my mom and brother.

The Kmart dream inspired today's blog. Who was I as a child? Who was I between ages 5-9? I read sentences. I added numbers. I subtracted numbers. I wrote simple sentences. I spelled simple words such as dog, cat, hat, Monday, playhouse, Sesame Street, The Wall Street Journal, and block. On the other hand, I was an enthusiastic, nice, friendly, and dumb kid. There was no guidance. There was nobody to call out my mistakes. There was no encouragement. There was too much fun such as watching too much television; however, Sesame Street taught me more than my parents. There was too little brain simulation such as too little reading books. I didn't know the latest and greatest outside the house in terms of current events, culture, entertainment, and leisure. There was no discover new hobbies. There was no learn new knowledge. My parents were afraid of new adventures.

There were little friends. I didn't have any friends in preschool. My first friend was a girl in kindergarten. My first crush was in first grade. She sat on my immediate left. I sat at the far right along the second to the last row and in front of the teacher's desk. We never talked. Her first name was Meghan. First grade was the best year for friends. I changed schools in second grade. The friends I met in second grade and third grade were one school year and done.

All of the above were not my fault. All is forgiven. I'm catching up what I missed from preschool to third grade. I learn how to talk to people. I learn how to make paper airplanes. I learn how to fold a piece of paper to a triangle as if I'm passing notes between myself and a girl. I learn Morse Code. I watch movies I missed in my childhood. I read books I should have read when I was a child. It's never too late to catch up from the past.

Side note: My first grade teacher never rearranged the desks. I sat in the same desk and in the same position throughout the school year. My second grade and third grade teacher rearranged desks and positions multiple times throughout the school years. My teacher was the same in second grade and third grade.

Update On A Past Blog

I selected past blogs when I was a child. I wrote two blogs on my parents in a negative way. The first blog Top Ten Lessons My Parents Failed To Teach Me written on May 2, 2013 is lessons I self-taught. The second blog Top Ten Don't Be My Parents written on Mar 17, 2020 is their habits and lifestyles I discourage people to adapt. Nobody is perfect. On the other hand, my parents taught me lessons I follow today My Parents Raised My Correctly written on Feb 15, 2015.

Seven of the ten Top Ten Kid Moments written on Oct 26, 2015 happened between preschool and third grade. There were some good memories; although, I second guess today being a quiet child in number 2 Girls I Liked And Liked Me.

It took me decades being an adult I Wasn't A Dumb Child After All on Apr 17, 2019. I realized my poor short-term memory was the primary reason for my frustrations, sadness, and hiding my weaknesses. I also wrote a blog with the same title I Wasn't A Dumb Child After All on Aug 3, 2013. My parents are partially blamed for my false sense I was dumb when I was a child. All is forgiven.

The Laws Do Work

I dreamed last night I attended a neighborhood car race. I watched at a designed attendees section inside the race track. All sections composed of people and their vehicles. I came as one person with no vehicle.

The car race was part of the Professional Racing Neighborhood Driver League or PRNDL. All cars included modern cars today and classic cars as far back as the 1970s. All cars could be thought of Hot Wheels racing cars brought to life. All cars raced inside the streets of a neighborhood consisting of homes, apartments, stores, and parks. All barriers, safety equipment, and streets repairs were involved.

The final lap of the PRNDL race I suggested to a family of three to move their inoperative car to the center of the road. My dream didn't make sense. Follow my lead. The father of the family moved the car to the center of the road. The road was blocked. The race stopped. All cars stopped. The racers were angry. All cars which avoided the roadblock beforehand crossed the finishing line.

A PRNDL official told me to follow him. I was escorted to a table where the Operations Director issued a fine for which my dad signed off. My uncle was present, too. The fine was $400 million. I woke up.

I didn't like the ending. I went back to sleep half conscious. I changed the ending. I dreamed I carried a concealed Glock 19 gun on my rear waist. I reached around my rear waist with my right hand. I grabbed the gun. I shot the director in the head. Then I shot myself in the head. There were two police officers behind me. I was too quick for them to react.

The dream continued. The murder and my suicide made headline news for days. Many sports commentaries said the $400 million was an inappropriate fine. The PRNDL Board Of Directors eliminated the bylaw fine imposed for anyone interfering with the face. Many law commentaries said my parents could sue PRNDL in civil court for wrongful death. They predicted a settlement out of court.

Not Perfect. Still Good Enough.

The dream may convince many sports fans why people who interrupt live professional sports games are charged trespassing misdemeanors instead of felonies if law enforcement arrests the perpetrators. The punishment matches the committed crime. $10,000 fine is too high. Six months jail time is too cruel. $400 million fine is beyond outrageous.

Moreover, in an NFL game for example, the referee stops the game clock and play clock for security to remove the trespasser(s). Game continues afterwards. The PRNDL could stop the race temporarily by removing me and the car blocking the race track. The race continued afterwards.

The laws work. The laws protect people. The justice system is not perfect. The laws being enforced is good enough. The justice system convicting guilty felons and releasing innocent suspects is good enough.

Throwback Blog: Curses Are Meant To Be Broken

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 Curses Are Meant To Be Broken written on Nov 5, 2010. I used Major League Baseball teams as examples curses were broken. The San Francisco Giants won two more World Series in 2012 and 2014. The Chiago Cubs won the 2016 World Series. The Cleveland Guardians, formerly the Cleveland Indians, continue waiting.

Here are recent first time franchise championships. I don't know their local franchise histories. I believe local fans say there were curses. The Texas Rangers won the 2023 World Series. The Denver Nuggets won the 2023 NBA Finals. The Florida Panthers won the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals.

The title is self-explanatory. Curses are meant to be broken. However, it's unfortunate some people can't or don't break their curses for reasons beyond their control. Blame life.

The last time the Chicago Cubs won the World Series was in 1908, a span of 102 years which is the longest time a team hasn’t won. The second longest is the Cleveland Indians at 62 years. The third longest was the San Francisco Giants at 56 years. The key word is was.

The Giants won the 2010 World Series defeating the Texas Rangers four games to one. The win is the first time in San Francisco franchise history. The torture is over, and that includes torture Giants fans experienced during the last six weeks of the season. Edgar Renteria’s three run go-ahead home run in the bottom of the 7th inning is the Giants most memorable homerun in San Francisco Giants history. The championship is for the Willie Mays, Will Clark, and Barry Bonds eras. The win erases all the Giants curses. Here are some of curses I lived through:

*1987 NLCS. Candy Maldonado’s misplayed fly ball in Game 6 and Jose Oquendo hitting a homerun in Game 7 off Atlee Hammaker against the St. Louis Cardinals. Oquendo hit one homerun in the regular season.

*1989 World Series. Loma Prieta earthquake and the Oakland A’s swept.

*2002 World Series. Anaheim Angels’ Scott Spiezo’s three run go-ahead homerun against Felix Rodriguez in Game 6.

*2003 NLDS. J.T. Snow thrown out at the plate on the last play of the series against the Florida Marlins in Game 5.

Curses are meant to be broken. If you’re in a bad streak of sales, dates, homework and tests scores, interviews for a job, burning cooked dinners, or buying bad goods, don’t worry about it. Don’t give up! Curses are meant to be broken.

Side note: The Boston Red Sox’s broke their curse in 2004.

Playing Riichi Mahjong With Dice

I dreamed last night I played Riichi Mahjong. Most of my tiles consisted of dice like in Monopoly or casino craps. Illogical and inaccurate. We played in my house. My mom watched the game.

The dice was the dots or pinzu tiles. The hand began. I made tempai or one tile away from winning on my second draw. My hand consisted of the following explained in melds: 1,2,3; 1,2,3; 6,6,6; 6,6 for the pair; and 2,4 for which I needed a 3 to win 2,3,4. The 6,6,6 were the mahjong tiles.

I declared riichi or I told the players I'm ready to win with my 14th tile. The player on my left was OCD. She adjusted my dice to be faced consistently in one direction. The player on my right looked at my dice facing one direction. He was guessing my winning tile or tiles. I made a mistake on the 2,4 for which I needed a 3 to win. I should have set up the dice from 2,4 to 2,3 for which I needed either a 1 or a 4 to win for a 1,2,3 or 2,3,4; in other words, I could win with two numbers 1 or 4 instead of one number 3. The player on my right discarded a 3. I won my hand.

Another friend appeared out of thin air. He scored my hand. Dora was 3 dots or pinzu. Ura dora was 1 dots or pinzu. My score was riichi, ippatsu, chinitsu, ipeiko, dora 3, and ura dora 2. Total score is 1+1+6+1+3+2=14. I earned a 13+ yakuman 32,000 points which is the highest score possible. He disappeared after scoring my hand.

A Laboratory In The Men's Bathroom

I dreamed last night I got a job being too curious. My dream started in North San Jose. My brother, cousin, dad, and uncle traveled to a partially frozen lake to fish in North San Jose. The lake doesn't exist in real life. The five of us used silver fishing lures for our fishing poles. There was a R&D building on the other side of the lake. The dream changed from the lake to inside the R&D building.

I walked inside the R&D building. I went to the men's bathroom. There was one urinal. The rest of the bathroom was a laboratory for chemical experiments. The manager was my first manager at my first job. One moment the original four Strike Team detectives from the TV series The Shield did something suspicious.

I walked to the reception area. The CEO of the company occupied the reception desk. The CEO believed all guests and clients must be greeted by the top person. The corner of the reception was a 20 gallon commercial cylinder plastic garbage can with wheels below. A stainless steel pot was inside the can. A portable flame camping stove was underneath the can. There were indications of failed attempts to cook brown rice using the three objects.

I cooked the brown rice doing something silly and illogical. I removed the stainless steel pot. I poured brown rice inside the plastic garbage can. I added water. I turned on the portable flame camping stove. The CEO was oblivious. I walked to the men's bathroom. The laboratory was empty. New people entered the laboratory moments later. It was like another research staff shift. I stayed inside waiting for the rice to finish cooking.

I walked to the reception area. The brown rice cooked successfully. The CEO inspected the brown rice. He was satisfied. He offered me a job as an entry database analyst. I said I don't have recent experience. The CEO replied experience is irrelevant. Anybody could do the job. The HR department embellished the job description.

Curiosity killed the cat. Satisfaction brought it back.

Underachieve And Did Nothing About It

I dreamed last night I was an options trader about to be laid off. The company founder and CEO was Roseanne Barr.

I worked at a four story freestanding building. I rarely traded options because I'm conservative. I rarely cold called. My commissions earned was petty. One particular option was a call option for the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA) stock. A call option is a bet the stock price for DIA increases. The call option owner has the right and not the obligation to buy 100 shares of DIA for every one option of DIA at the call option price before a particular date. The DIA stock price must be at the call option price or above for the call option owner to buy the 100 shares. The call option price is called the strike price.

I was responsible for one DIA call option at a particular strike price. The DIA stock price traded above the strike price. I exercised my right for one DIA option to buy 100 shares. I kept the remaining options as options. My computer screen showed I was responsible for three call options. Three is too little for a professional options trader. The reader should deduce I was unqualified. The reader should also deduce I was lazy.

Enter Roseanne Barr

Barr walked to my station. She wanted to talk to me. I followed her from the third floor to her office on the first floor. The center of the building was an atrium with indoor trees and plants. We entered through a thick glass door. There was a waiting room consisting of ten chairs like a waiting room in a doctor's office. Barr told me to wait. I was the only person. Time passed. More people entered the waiting room. One person was a co-worker. He told me I was getting laid off. Barr entered the waiting room immediately. She became angry at my co-worker because I was informed of my laid off before she told me.

Barr told me she's ready for our conversation. We entered her office. Barr explained the reasons for being laid off. The reasons were standard: poor performance, lack of motivation to become a better worker, and the recession. I said, "The company is going to be bankrupt because fewer option traders and fewer clients buying and selling options." She acknowledged money spending is tightening.

Barr ran another business on the first floor. She was the owner of a spa. She offered me a one hour massage as part of my severance. I thought about the message. I woke up.

Every Person Has A Breaking Point Dream

I dreamed last night I worked at my second company in the commercial real estate industry. It was a dark dream like a dark comedy or dark drama. The two-story office building prepared for a Valentine's Day celebration. The air, the environment, and the lighting felt dark except the reception area. There were no decorations. One of the administrative staff prepared many bowls of candy bars like Halloween. Perhaps, the Halloween explained the darky feeling. The back area prepared for a barbeque.

I worked in the Research Department. One of my primary responsibilities was maintaining the database. There was one R&D broker who needed closed deals entered in the database. The broker was a professional, a top producer, patient, respected, and focused. He was preparing a presentation for one of his top clients in the early afternoon. I received the closed deals he submitted in the department inbox in the morning. I delayed entering the closed deals. The broker asked me did I input the closed dealers. I answered, "I get to it." I was distracted. I was interrupted. One incident involved an industrial broker's daughter who started today as an intern. She was going to take my workspace. I was going to take my co-worker's workspace. My co-worker was going to be fired. I refused to switch my workspace. The conversation between the R&D broker and I continued throughout the morning.

Another conversation was during the 12:00pm hour. I didn't input the closed deals in the database. The R&D broker lost it. He grabbed me by the throat with two hands. He lifted me up. He threw me through a window on the second floor. I fell down at the back area where the barbeque was held. My body shattered. Blood came out from my body. I died immediately.

The dream fast forwarded to the evening. The perspective changed to third person who was me watching from above. Maybe I was a ghost. Maybe I was an angel seeing from heaven. The sheriff's department arrived at the R&D broker's house. The R&D broker's wife distracted the deputies as they walked inside the house tactically. He was an emergency medical technician before he became a commercial real estate broker. He drove out of the garage in an ambulance. He crashed the ambulance at another house on the same street. Additional deputy units were around the neighborhood. They surrounded the crashed ambulance. I woke up.

My morale of the dream is every person has a breaking point.

Matching Connections Between People Get Along With Each Other

I dreamed last night I played softball at a privately owned softball park. The softball park consisted of many softball fields, batting cages, a soccer field, and a central building for administrative, operations, and a cafeteria.

The first part of the dream I played in the left outfield. Each team required four outfields. I played between the true left fielder and center fielder. No balls went my way. The left fielder was a grade school child. He caught all the fly balls hit his way. He fielded all the ground balls hit his way. The game ended. The grade school child was recruited for another softball team.

The second part of the dream I wondered around looking for a team who needed an outfielder. I found another team. There was a two minute interview. The team accepted me. The weirdness was the second game I played was inside the narrow rectangular office suites of an industrial building. The entrance of the office suite or the reception was the infield. The first office suite with no windows was the shallow outfield. The second office suite with windows at the back was the deep outfield. The captain, vice-captain, and I played the outfield at the second office suite. There was a fourth outfield who didn't appear in my dream.

The game started. The team played poorly. All three of us couldn't catch fly balls defensively. The team couldn't get on base offensively. It was three batters up and three batters down. The opposition scored runs without problems. There was in-team fighting and arguing. I asked the umpire named Mr. RR about the maximum seven runs scored per inning rule in the middle of the game. The umpire acknowledged the rule. The opposition scored seven runs in their inning. The umpire told the captain of the opposing team to switch sides. The captain was angry.

There was enough time in the one hour of gameplay for the final four batters to step up to the plate. I was batter number ten. I hoped at least of the three reached base for me to bat. The opposition didn't send a pitcher. Mr. RR pitched for the opposition. One of the three batters reached second base on a double. I approached the batter's box. Mr. RR gave me a wink. The first pitch was in the middle of the plate. I hit the ball deep to the outfield or the second office suite for a two run inside the park home run. The team celebrated at home plate and at the dugout like we won the championship. The game ended. I woke up.

I finished the dream consciously lying on my bed. The team went to the central building cafeteria. We ate pizza. We drank beer. There were smiles. There was socializing; although, some of the conversations was drunk talk. There was singing. There was joy. Everyone connected. I established the connections. It took one action to combine a group of people. It took one event to bring togetherness. It took one moment to be together. It took one person to spark a group of people to become together.

Throwback Blog: I Celebrate My Independence Soon

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 I Celebrate My Independence Soon written on Jul 4, 2016. My number one goal freedom is clear and present. I substitute the word freedom for the word independence anytime I talk about living on my own because of preference. Freedom is coming. There is no alternative.

The working intelligently for freedom partially changed. I job search once a day from Mon to Sat. I continue learning job skills and life skills when I'm not job searching. The job skills training is the endgame or one final practice including Excel, Python, R, and Power BI. My workouts are two days strength training and two days jogging outdoors.

The working intelligently for freedom partially not changed. I fulfill household chores such as cooking, cleaning, and laundry. I sleep well. I read books. I'm happy I read Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling for the first time on Sep 2019. The timing was perfect I read Harry Potter three times during the COVID-19 global pandemic. I minimize watching television, eating junk food, and visiting my social media.

Today is Independence Day in the United States Of America. The Americans celebrate our independence when the thirteen American colonies became a new nation leaving the British Empire on July 4, 1776. One of these days I'm going to be independent making my own choices, living a consistent life, controlling more of my life, and being more proactive. The bottom line is freedom.

I'm working intelligently to be independent. I'm strong. I'm brave. I job search two times a day every weekday. I learn new skills when I'm not job searching. My current personal projects are learning Python and HTML5. I also stay active. Boredom is a motivation killer. Boredom defeats the reason to live. I workout at the gym four days a week. I fulfill household chores such as cooking, cleaning, and laundry. I sleep well. I read books. My last book was 1984 by George Orwell. I minimize watching television, eating junk food, and visiting my social media.

My independence is not if. My independence is when. I promise to myself and I promise to everyone my earned independence is exciting. I can say my next manifesto includes an exciting independence.

Three Dreams

There were three dreams last night. I wrote the dreams on paper. Here they are below.

The first dream took place at a retail strip mall named Strawberry Park in San Jose, CA. My brother and I played arcade games at a carnival in the evening. The carnival closed at midnight. We exited before midnight. Our parents waited outside. We exited the carnival in a fire truck. Mom drove. I sat in the driver side rear. We drove to Westgate Mall which was an indoor mall with retail stores along the perimeter. We shopped inside around 11:45pm. One store was Toys R Us. The inside of the store looked like a dry cleaners business.

The second dream I was in a Vietnam War protest. I wore clothes in the 1930s. I carried weapons from the Korean War. I was shot from an unknown person. I died. Nobody visited my grave during burial. One of my cousins and people unknown took care of my belongings. I might have been a ghost witnessing. The unknowns looked like the main characters from the anime series Azumanga Daioh. They read and sang from textbooks next to my grave. The textbook subject was unknown.

The third dream took place in Campbell, CA; although, the downtown in my dream was different than the actual downtown. The downtown dream version was like a city for junior college students. The city economy depended on the students. There was a tall office building with restaurants and stores on the first floor. The basement was a parking garage. I worked at a dead-end job. I worked in the mortgage department at a company named Iron Mountain.

There were foreign students hanging out at the restaurants. There were two interactions. The first interaction happened at Burger King. Two of the three students forgot their sweaters. The third student helped me put my grocery bag inside my duffle bag. My duffle bag was my eighth grade school duffle bag. The grocery bag didn't fit. The second interaction was at the ground floor parking machines to pay for parking. The same three students were present. One of the three students had trouble paying for parking. I assisted. I walked to the entrance double-doors to my parking floor which was actually the first floor above ground floor. The stairway path to the entrance double-doors was narrow. I had trouble entering with my duffle bag and backpack--yes, I wore a backpack. The dream ended with the song Lost Our Love by Air Supply.

Update On A Past Blog

The blog Happy Life written on Dec 21, 2010 is a reminder happiness must be earned. There are good ways to be happy. There are bad ways to be happy. I don't know the bad ways. The good ways include sincerity, honestly, and genuinely. There is no violence. There is no acting like a jerk or a bitch. No harassment. No bothering other people. Work for happiness. If you're happy, then nobody criticizes your life.

Continue The Lie

I dreamed last night I was a data analyst for an unknown business located in San Jose, CA. I completed a pricing analysis. I didn't analyze. I didn't research. I faked the report. I made up the numbers.

Two co-workers brought to my attention an email from our manager. Our manager was embarrassed. A local university said her presentation was incorrect. The students spent hours past midnight proving the incorrectness. She defended her presentation.

I woke up. I realized I should have continued the dream because I could have lied my way out of my fake analysis. The dream represented today's life. Some people get away with bullshit. I could have escaped my bullshit with more bullshit.

Update On A Past Blog

My dream last night reminded me of the blog Did The Dumb Ass Co-Worker Wanted To Change? on Jul 15, 2009. My dumb ass co-worker faked the statistics for years. He was eventually caught. I was told he found another job in the same industry before he got fired. He was too lucky.

I could follow lesson six by keeping my mouth shut in the Five Minute Management Course written on Jan 12, 2010. Lesson six is three parts. The third part is to be silent when I'm in trouble. Although, lesson five is nobody stays on top lying 100% of the time.