The Real Moving Forward

Moving forward equals active. Moving forward is closing old chapters. Moving forward is opening new chapters. Life moves on. Strength, courage, intelligence, and wisdom are required.

A person is dying when he or she thinks more about the past than the present and future. There is no more looking ahead. Dying is looking back only. Dying is evaluating what a person has remaining good or bad. It can be knowledge. It can be memories. The person gives up. The person's game is over. The person rewatches old movies and relistens to old music too many times. The planning ahead stops. Making plans to watch the next TV series, play the next video game, or read the next comic book don't count. Make real plans getting up and doing something. Stay busy.

Update On A Past Blog

I wrote the blog My Generation X Sucks on Jun 20, 2025. I said the forgotten Gen X is the gunnie pigs in today's Information Age. Gen X made the mistakes to correct for the future generations.

I wrote two blogs the Greatest Generation doomed future generations including Gen X, Gen Y or Millennials, and Gen Z. The Baby Boomers generation is responsible for the doom, too. I listed unsolved problems in the blog The Greatest Human Generation Doomed Their Grandchildren And The Future Thereafter written on Jun 25, 2022. Some of the problems include loneliness, increase costs of living, and poor physical health. The answer is yes to the question Did The Greatest Human Generation Doom Their Grandchildren And Their Future? asked on Mar 14, 2019. The Greatest Generation and the Baby Boomers created today's life being too good. It's difficult for future generations to learn from our mistakes.

My Generation X Sucks

Gen X is known as the forgotten generation. Gen X is between the bigger size and expressive generations Baby Boomers and Millennial or Gen Y. Gen X are people born between 1965 and 1981. Baby Boomers are people born between 1946-1964. Millennials are people born between 1981 and 1996.

Our childhood was latchkey. A latchkey kid is defined as a child left home alone or without supervision for most of the day because their parents are working. Another definition is a child returns to an empty residence after school or after other activities without supervision. We went to school by ourselves. We went home by themselves. We gathered in feral packs. We roamed the streets. The activities included riding bikes, playing baseball, skateboarding, and jumping rope. We included kids we didn't like because of inclusion. There were commercials reminding latchkey parents about their children; for example, a local news commercial said, "It's 10pm. Do you know where your children are?" Our parents said before we exited the front door, "Be home before dinner." Perhaps, our latchkey childhood explained no parental involvement. No guidance. No teaching. No nurturing.

Gen X prefers calls over text. We desire offline communication over online communication. We are more patient. Persistence and grit are true attributes. The process is more valuable than the result. Privacy is paramount. We prefer cash over credit cards.

Some world events included the Vietnam War, Watergate, the energy crisis in the 1970s, AIDS in the 1980s, President Ronald Regan's Reaganomics, Chernobyl, the Berlin Wall collapse, the Cold War ended, and the Apple and IBM personal computers. There were disco, MTV, and Michael Jackson.

The Gunnie Pigs

Gen X are the first people to watch educational television such as Sesame Street, The Electric Company, and Schoolhouse Rock! We experienced changes in music from vinyl records, cassette tapes, CDs, and then mp3s. We experienced changes in communication from typewriters to word processors; from landlines, car phones, pagers, mobile phones, cell phones, and then smart phones; from floppy disks, USB storage devices, email attachments, and then the cloud.

Gen X are the first workers with defined contribution accounts. These accounts are 401(k) and IRA for which the workers are responsible for their retirements. Baby Boomers retirement accounts are defined benefit pensions for which the company funded their retirement accounts. Moreover, we are the first generation both parents worked for dual incomes.

We Gen X juggle our lives by taking care of our children and our aging parents. We care about our families. We make sure our children are active such as dance class, band practices, and sports practices. We make sure our parents arrive at their medical appointments and rehab sessions. On the other hand, our generation saw an increase in the number of divorces.

Further, Gen X struggles with personal finances. It's an economic inflation storm of college tuition, utilities, mortgages or rent, insurances, and bare necessities. Some Gen X support their parents and their adult children. The increase costs make some Gen X work in their 60s and 70s. I hope they don't lose their jobs. They experience ageism while finding employment. They experience some jobs replaced with AI.

The 2000s decade Gen X's 401(k) and IRA declined because of the dot com bubble in Mar 2000 and the real estate bubble in Sep 2008. Our retirement accounts declined during a brief inflation in late 2018, COVID-19 global recession from 2020-2022, and the present inflation. We can be the first generation to experience the Social Security collapse. The forecast is Social Security loses all funding in the year 2033. Payments are decreased by 20% to 25%.

Update On A Past Blog

I wrote blogs blaming my parents for my unsuccessful life or loser life. I forgave them decades ago. It's not entirely my parent's fault. Gen X is to be blamed, too. Here are three blogs I blamed my parents: Top Ten Don't Be My Parents written on Mar 17, 2020, There Are Many Children With Parents Like Mine written on Jun 2, 2014, and Top Ten Lessons My Parents Failed To Teach Me written on May 2, 2013.

My Problems Are Nothing

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

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

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

Highlight and Favorite 2023 Tweets

Here are my 13+1=14 highlight Tweets and 2 favorite Favorites Tweets in 2023. The goals delaying one year are relearning from my mistakes, reinforcing my lessons, reminding myself my moments, refreshing acquired knowledge, rediscovering new wisdom, and sharing changes. Follow me @inin61. Enjoy!

Highlights

Jan 4: @LiveDoppler7, Today is a stormy day with a Level 5 extreme storm on the exclusive ABC7 Storm Impact Scale. (The first level 5 storm since the inception of the scale 7 years ago). Watch LIVE ABC7 Team Coverage with @DrewTumaABC7 and the #ABC7Mornings team: https://t.co/n3QBk9fCxc https://t.co/IEGq9Eliqj https://abc7ne.ws/2YUq6x7 Pic.

Feb 2: palpable: 1 capable of being touched or felt. 2 easily perceptible. Readily or plainly seen, heard, perceived; obvious. #mynewwordoftheday

Apr 16: A bat and a ball cost $1.10. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? $0.10 is the incorrect answer. . . . The correct answer is $0.05. ball+bat=1.10 bat=1.00+ball ball+(1.00+ball)=1.10 2ball+1.00=1.10 2ball=0.10 ball=0.05

Apr 23: Apology is policy.

May 11: The Verge posted a TikTok video summarizing the 2023 Google I/O event promoting their latest and greatest on May 10. Here is CEO Sundar PichAI Link.

May 15: It's not a secret. It's confidential.

May 28: The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck. It makes hormones which control the way the body uses metabolism. These hormones affect nearly every organ and control functions including breathing, digestion, nervous systems, and body temp. #mytriviaoftheday

Jun 3: Ask a person to share a boring fact instead of an interesting fact. There is too much pressure to share an interesting fact. One is I don't like mayonnaise on sandwiches. Another boring fact is I take pictures of police cars.

Jul 19: These people didn't commit a crime because they're corrupt. These people committed a crime because they're stupid.

Aug 25: 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan lost the bet drafting Trey Lance. It was a series of unfortunate events. Finger injury, ankle injury, and COVID-19.
Mar 26, 2021: Call it YOLO. Call it all-in. Bet the ranch. The present is now. The San Francisco 49ers traded their 2021 first round pick (12th overall), 2022 first rounder, 2022 third rounder, and 2023 first rounder to the Miami Dolphins for their 2021 first round pick (3rd overall).

Aug 31: Willful blindness is a person avoiding civil liability or criminal charges by ignoring facts for which the person could be found liable or guilty.

Aug 31: Ignorance of law, conscious avoidance, and intentional ignorance are other terms. People commit willful blindness everyday. Link.

Sep 23: @espn, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning didn't hold back in his pregame speech against Colorado. "They're fighting for clicks, we're fighting for wins."

Nov 17: Don't make it a big deal fellow family members. Grandma's secret cake recipe is the Pillsbury Doughboy.

Favorite Favorites

Apr 26: @HistoryInPics, Founded in 2002 @SpaceX @elonmusk turned a vision into reality. Pic.

Sep 23: @espn, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning didn't hold back in his pregame speech against Colorado. "They're fighting for clicks, we're fighting for wins."

Generation Alpha May Be The Last Generation To Shop In Malls

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

Update On A Past Blog

The biggest mall in San Francisco is closing due to sales decreasing and lower number of shoppers. The COVID-19 global pandemic, employees working at home, and inflation are factors, too. Popular stores such as Nordstrom, Banana Republic, Whole Foods, LuluLemon, Disney, Macy's, The North Face, J. Crew, and Old Navy announced in summer 2023 they leave the Westfield San Francisco Centre. The Century San Francisco 9 movie theater owned by Cinemark closed in Jun 2023. However, the mall stays open for new businesses renamed to Emporium Centre San Francisco at a later date. I wrote two blogs on malls. The first blog is SOMT: Fast Times At Ridgemont High written on Jan 20, 2018 and SOMT: A Few Malls Still Exists Today written on Mar 24, 2018. SOMT stands for Sign Of My Times, an occasional blog sharing my thoughts how time changes life from when I was young to today. The malls are a people get-together magnet. People gather to socialize.

I remember a conversation with a group of friends back in my college years. It was a Friday night. We were bored. There was a suggestion we go to the mall. One disagreed admirably. He didn't believe in going to the mall to hang out. My opinion on malls is unchanged. Malls are a great place for gatherings. People are present. Human interaction. Face to face socializing. People spend money for the local economy.

Unfortunately, online commerce is another reason malls close. The generation alpha people born from 2013 to present may be the malls' final customers. There are people still shopping at malls at all ages; in particular, generation alpha's grandparents representing the baby boomer generation. The best malls remain. Winning malls stay open. Losing malls close.

Correlation Does Not Imply Causation Short Education

Correlation means there is a relationship or pattern between two different variables. Causation means one variable or event causes another variable or event. The phase "correlation does not imply causation" is a false cause-and-effect relationship between two variables or events. "Correlation implies causation" is questionable when two variables or events occur together with a result. There is no logical conclusion or logical causation even though there is correlation between two variables or events.

We perform analysis to find what happened. A direct causation is A causes B. A reverse causation is B causes A. A common causation is A and B are both caused by C. A bidirectional or cyclic causation is A causes B and B causes A. A coincidence is no connection between A and B. Another explanation is A and B are correlated when A and B change and move together positively or negatively.

There are six reasons correlation does not equal causation. The first is an omitted variable. An omitted variable is a missing variable or missing factor. The second is an incorrect sample selection, incorrect data, missing sample selection, or missing data. The third is a mathematical error. The fourth is difficult to analyze. The fifth is coincidence. A reverse causation is the sixth.

Here are correlation doesn't imply causation examples:

*Ice cream sales and shark attacks increased during the summer months. More people ate ice cream caused more shark attacks. Correlation? Yes. Causation? No. There were more people in the beaches during the summer months.
*People who exercised were more likely to get skin cancer. Exercise caused skin cancer. Correlation? Yes. Causation? No. Sunlight exposure increased the chances of skin cancer. People reduced skin cancer by exercising more indoors and less outdoors.
*US universities awarded more Master's degrees each year since 1910. Movie theaters earned higher revenues each year since 1910. More people earned Master's degrees led to more people watching movies. Correlation? Yes. Causation? No. Global population increased since 1910. More people attended college. More people watched movies.
*The state of Maine divorce rate increased because margarine consumption per capital increased. Correlation? Yes. Causation? No. The divorce rate and margarine consumption were a coincidence.
*Pool drownings increased since 1910. Nuclear plants produced nuclear energy increased since 1910. Higher pool drownings caused more nuclear energy production. Correlation? Yes. Causation? No. More homes were built with more pools. Nuclear energy became more viable.
*A windmill spinning causes wind. Correlation? No. Causation? No. The wind causes a windmill to spin.
*Drinking too much alcohol caused lung cancer. Correlation? Yes. Causation? No. Smoking was a third variable. People who drank too much alcohol also smoked more causing lung cancer.
*The rooster crows when the sun rises in the morning. The rooster causes the sun to rise. Correlation? Yes. Causation? No. Coincidence. Obviously, the sun rises every morning.

The human mind likes to find patterns even when they don't exist. We formulate correlation and causation logic. It's important to distinguish between what variables or events to conclude causality. Determining causality is never perfect. In my opinion, concluding logical correlation imply causation is an art.

Update On A Past Blog

I wrote Did The Greatest Human Generation Doom Their Grandchildren And Their Future? on Mar 14, 2019. Millennials or Generation Y born between 1981 and 1996 and Zoomers or Generation Z born between 1997 and 2012 ask themselves why have children? Some of the present problems influence these two generations no raising families. The present problems include no retirement security, numerous wildfires, hotter summers, unaffordable childcare, expensive housing, mass shootings, and too much consumption. Generation Y and Generation Z may blame Generation X for artificial intelligence and robots replacing opportunities. Further, Generation Y and Generation Z may blame their grandparents during the Baby Boomers generation. Perhaps, the Baby Boomers forgot the tough lessons and rough lessons taught from their parents.

There is a pattern. Every generation blames the previous generation or previous two generations.

Here is the generation breakdown by the years people born in descending order:

*Generation Alpha: 2013-present
*Generation Z Zoomers: 1997-2012
*Generation Y Millennials: 1981-1996
*Generation X: 1965-1980
*Baby Boomers: 1946-1964
*Silent Generation: 1928-1945
*Greatest Generation: 1901-1927

Grandmother Listened To Me

I dreamed last night my late grandmother on my mom's side and I conversed. The topic was my long-term unemployment. She said I should be working any job. I agreed and I disagreed. Any person can work any job. My stronger response was some jobs are a match to people and some jobs are a mismatch to people; for example, an oversimplified scenario a grocery store doesn't hire job candidates with a master's degree. She asked why I'm unemployed. I answered bad luck. I got interviews. I didn't get hired beyond my control. I job train five days a week. I don't watch TV and play video games eight hours a day. Furthermore, I explained why some people can't find work. I said timing and luck are factors. There are too many people applying to fewer openings. The quantity of job candidates increases the supply of job candidates at the end of every academic school year. There are not enough openings to satisfy the additional supply.

Power Outage For 14 Hours

A power outage started on Tue Jan 10, 2023 at 2:30am in the West San Jose area. Power was restored in my neighborhood at 4:30pm totaling 14 hours. The bomb cyclone-driven rains driven by multiple atmospheric rivers arrived in CA since Fri Dec 30, 2022.

I didn't get mad there was no electricity for most of the day. I was glad. I was upbeat. No electricity. No internet. No computer. No TV. I could have used my cell phone to access the internet. I used the cell phone to access PG&E's power outage map only. Otherwise, my cell phone was for emergency use only. The household listened to the emergency radio for the first time in a weather related emergency and the second time overall. Both uses were power outage related. The radio was off most of the day. The news was the same throughout the day including power outage locations, traffic accidents, weather updates, property damages, and injuries.

I read Orange Is The New Black by Piper Kerman book. I practiced rope knots as a life skill. I ate a granola bar, a nut bar, cereal, and a Belvita. The household kept the refrigerator closed throughout the day. I remained calm. I minimized expending my calories. My parents spent the day not involving computers and TVs.

I went back to my normal daily routine after 4:30pm. The refrigerator kept all foods cold. I reset clocks plugged in to the electricity outlets. I job searched. I ate an early dinner. I trained in Python which was today's job skill. I wrote today's blog. The weather forecast is more atmospheric rivers continuing to next week.

14 hours is the longest power outage I experienced. The last time a multiple hour power outage related to heavy rains and strong winds I was in second grade in my grandparent's house.

Black Friday 2022

There was one Black Friday 2022 shopping on Fri Nov 25. Most of my Black Friday shopping was online. I picked up most of my orders at the retail stores. All retail stores online and offline offered fewer Black Friday deals during the Thanksgiving week. Black Friday 2022 was my worse Black Friday since I started shopping Black Friday in 2004. One Cyber Monday 2022 purchase was cheaper than Black Friday 2022.

Tue Nov 22

Samsung 256GB FIT Plus USB 3.1 flash drive at NewEgg. The flash drive was backordered.

Thur Nov 24

Two Head & Shoulders 23.7oz shampoo bottles purchased online at Walgreens.

A three pack Calvin Klein classic boxers underwear purchased online at Kohl's.

Workout socks, casual socks, and two performance shorts purchased online at Under Armour. Socks and shorts were delivered.

Hotel Collection 500 thread count Micro Cotton Queen bed set purchased online at Macy's.

Fri Nov 25

Two Sara Lee frozen pound cakes at Grocery Outlet. The family went back in time when we ate Sara Lee pound cake at my grandparent's house in Santa Barbara, CA. The price wasn't Black Friday pricing. The price has been the same afterwards.

Sun Nov 27

Selected video games in the Valve Complete Pack for my Steam account. The purchase completed my Valve Complete Pack.

Mon Nov 28

Vanicream 3.9oz soap purchased online at Walgreens. The store I selected for pickup fulfilled half my order.

Hotel Collection 500 thread count Micro Cotton Queen bed set purchased online at Macy's for the second time. The Cyber Monday sale price was cheaper than the Black Friday sale price. It was the first time I experienced Cyber Monday cheaper than Black Friday. The Black Friday purchase must be returned when I picked up my Cyber Monday purchase. I couldn't refuse pick up.

Update On A Past Blog

The San Francisco Giants backed out of the 13-year, $350 million contract offer with all-start shortstop Carlos Correa. The Giants cancelled the introductory press conference on Tue Dec 20. Correa signed a 12-year, $315 million contract with the New York Mets later in the day. A professional sports media opinion said the Giants can't sign superstars. The Giants can't sign all-star talent. The Giants becoming a cheap franchise is debatable. Was the Giants feeling buyer's remorse?

The Giants are risk-adverse. The Giants are the runner ups. The Giants are the big free agents' second choice: Carlos Rodon, Kodai Senga, Carlos Correa, Aaron Judge, Brandon Nimmo, Dansby Swanson, Bryce Harper, Shohei Ohtani, and Giancarlo Stanton. The second choice reminded me of the blog I Can't Win The Freedom Championship written on Jul 18, 2021. The Giants can't win the big prize free agent(s) for whatever reasons.

The Greatest Human Generation Doomed Their Grandchildren And The Future Thereafter

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

Update On A Past Blog

My answer is yes to the blog and the question Did The Greatest Human Generation Doom Their Grandchildren And Their Future? written on Mar 14, 2019. I said the fathers and grandfathers of the greatest generation didn't teach their successes to their offspring because there was no time. There are more reasons more humans living in today's Information Age are screwed. I repeat what I wrote in the first blog: I'm not a historian. I'm not an anthropologist. I'm not a sociologist. Today's blog is based on my intuition. The greatest human generation made life easy today. Perhaps they made life too easy.

I see more weak people. I see more people working easier. I see people being too dependent on others or being less resilient. There's no reason to be stronger, work harder, and learn by trial-and-error. There are fewer opportunities. The requirements are too hard. There's no reason to make an effort. Moreover, today's too easy life more younger people are entitled. Motivation is poor. Desire is weak. More parents fail to teach success. More parents choose the path of least resistance because they are too busy with their own success.

I predict the following problems become worst. Today's young generation must not blame themselves. It's not their fault. Blame the parents and the past generation. The problems are ignored. The problems are wishful thinking hoping the problems solve themselves. The problems are kicked down the road.

*Pandemic. There is another pandemic.
*Loneliness. The percentage of lonely people increase indefinitely.
*Economic Inequality. The rich gets richer.
*Costs Of Living. Prices increase.
*Economic Problems. There are more recessions.
*Climate Change. The world is getting warmer.
*Personal Finance. More people are in debt.
*Job Search. More people are long-term unemployed.
*Mass Shooting. More people die from criminals shooting multiple victims.
*Population. There are too many people living on planet Earth.
*Screens. More people play video games, watch TV, and communicate on social media.
*Mental Health. Depression, anxiety, fear, drug use, and alcoholics increase.
*Physical Health. More people become obese.
*Intelligence. The average human intelligent quotient or IQ decreases.

Ten Random Blogs Aug 2021

Here are ten random blogs in order of randomly chosen. Today's blog is the second random blogs. Duplicate blogs are allowed for which blog number seven and blog number eight appeared again from Ten Random Blogs Jul 2020 on Jul 31, 2020.

1. I'm Sneaking Junior Mints Next Time I Watch A Movie (Mar 25, 2009). It was the first time I snuck food inside a movie theater. I was inspired from an article every young adult must do the nickel and dime petty crimes.

Update remark: I'm not sneaking in food for the rest of my life. Too childish for an adult. Immature.

2. Growing Up Part 2 (Dec 06, 2012). I experienced another grown up moment on Nov 7, 2012 after a job interview.

Update remark: I wrote two follow-up blogs. The first blog is a correction The Correct Growing Up Part 2 written on Oct 28, 2013. The second blog is I took the moment back The Correction To The Correct Growing Up Part 2 written on Oct 7, 2020.

3. The beer test. You have friends, co-workers, someone you just met. Who do you feel most comfortable with? The person(s) you want to have a beer is your answer. (Nov 15, 2009).

Update remark: There is nothing more to add. The blog is clear. The test is still valid today.

4. A Favor To Slow Down Everyone (Jul 04, 2007). I blogged asking people to slow down. Be patient.

Update remark: Fast forward to Aug 2021. I thought the COVID-19 global pandemic is a blessing in disguise for the world to slow down. It was short lived if anyone slowed down. The slow down pace might not have been slow enough.

5. De Anza Journal Week June 15, 2009 (Jun 25, 2009). I took a weightlifting class and a social dancing class. It was the last week of instruction before finals.

Update remark: I continue lifting weights two times a week.

6. Information And Trivia (May 29, 2018). May 2018 was a month posting pictures from my smart phone.

Update remark: Click the link to read the two quizzes on wisdom.

7. I Live To Reach The 90 Club (Jul 21, 2011). The blog appears for the second time. The indefinite goal continues today. Never stop learning. Exercise four days a week. Sleep eight hours a day. Minimize eating processed foods.

Update remark: Don't be an old fuck.

8. Go Get My Life (Jan 31, 2015). The blog appears for the second time. I wrote about a moment in my high school senior year. I talked to a classmate in her junior year. She tried to cheer me up telling me to go get a life.

Update remark: I must earn my successes.

9. I Made The Fewest Mistakes And Succeeded (Jul 27, 2007). I blogged one key to success is making the fewest mistakes. The Allies won World War II making fewer mistakes than the Axis. A baseball player is in the hall of fame averaging one extra hit a week during a season. The one extra hit or one less mistake hitting into an out is the difference between a .300 hitter and a .250 hitter.

Update remark: Make many mistakes when learning. Make fewer mistakes after learning.

10. It's Okay To Live At Home (Apr 28, 2013). There are more sons and daughters living with their parents or fathers and mothers living with their children. No problem. Times continue to be tough today from at least eight years ago. More people are unemployed. More people experience bad luck, bad timing, and bad fortunes. There are not enough pieces of pie for everyone.

Update remark: I repeat the last sentence in the blog: It's okay to live at home. Don't take the generous offer for granted. Second remark: Life is paused or life is slowed down at best. Accept it. Hope for the best.

Do You Know What Day Is Trash Night Brain Test

The common questions people ask to another person to test his or her brain function are the following: the person's name, today's date, occupation, spouse's name, son or daughter's name, birthday, the last meal, and present location. I add another question to the common questions list. The question is, "Do you know what day is trash night?" I'm not a neurologist. I'm not a brain specialist. I believe nobody forgets trash night. Trash night is routine. Trash night requires brain function even though minimal mental effort is needed. Trash goes inside the garbage can. Roll out the garbage can to the driveway. Roll back the garbage can back to the side of the house after trash pickup. No sane person wants to live in filth.

Update On A Past Blog

Commentator Dave Ross released a podcast Commencement speakers are talking to the wrong people talking about his luck becoming successful on Jun 11, 2021. I remind myself three blogs on luck The Lesson To Be Successful Rarely Taught on Sep 12, 2018, Top Ten Men Truths on Jan 7, 2017, and Luck Is Part Of Life on Nov 15, 2016. Few successful people admit luck is a factor. I stand by my opinion on luck. The most successful people under appreciate luck. The least successful people over-rely on luck. A common wisdom is the harder a person works, the luckier the person becomes. However, there's not enough luck for the thousands of people working hard. The late Steve Jobs and Bill Gates admitted they are lucky from the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson.

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.

Ten Random Blogs Jul 2020

Here are ten random blogs in order of randomly chosen. The restriction is the blog dates Dec 31, 2018 and earlier. 2019 blogs are A Second Look blog in Dec 2020. I include a brief description and an update remark.

1. One, Two, Three (Feb 13, 2007). I blogged three topics. The first blog was visiting a friend's apartment for the first time. My friend and her husband at the time were sci-fi fans. I saw the biggest sci-fi collection in my life consisting of DVDs, figurines, board games, and books. I arrived home thinking about time and their sci-fi collection. If I spent more time on sci-fi and anime, then I had a bigger collection.

Update remark for the first blog: I'm happy and I'm fortunate my anime and sci-fi collection didn't reach my friend and her husband at the time biggest sci-fi collection. There is more to life than watching television. I retired from anime in Sep 2014. I sold 50% of my DVDs, 67% of my books, and 90% of my toys on eBay from 2015-2018 and at swap meets from 2008 to 2012. My time away from anime and sci-fi collection were spent wisely.

The second blog was all families have problems. My family had been consistently late to engagements. I compared my family's lateness problem to other family problems. Being late was not a family problem worth making a big deal.

Update remark for the second blog: My family continues to be late. Sometimes my family and I make a big deal. Sometimes my family and I don't make a big deal.

The third blog was keep our residence clean. It was hard to keep the house clean because my parents were hoarders. The minimum was organization. Maintain organization to maximize keeping the house as clean as possible.

Update remark for the third blog: My parents continue to be hoarders. I do my best to keep the house clean which is a challenge.

2. The Second Pics From My Smart Phone (Jun 29, 2012). I purchased my first smart phone in Jul 2011. I started to blog pics from my smart phone. Here's the second batch of pics.

Update remark: I continue to blog pics from my smart phone.

3. Another Batch Of Pics (Sep 13, 2012). Another blog with pics from my first smart phone.

Update remark: I continue to blog pics from my smart phone.

4. Accutane Day 236 (Sep 29, 2009). I started taking Accutane on Feb 5, 2009. The dermatologist said Accutane shrinks the oil glands to prevent acne and blackheads; however, I continued getting acne and blackheads. The dermatologist gave me an option to double to dosage from 20mg to 40mg for which he discouraged doubling. There was no timeline when I stopped taking Accutane.

Update remark: I eventually doubled my dosage because acne and blackheads continued. The dermatologist said there are cases patients undergo a second round of Accutane treatment. I may need another acne and blackhead treatment because marks on my face which disappeared after Accutane treatment are reappearing again.

5. Top Ten Moments Wearing My Braces (Sep 2, 2009). I blogged my top ten moments I wore braces from Jan 24, 2007 to Aug 17, 2009 totaling 936 days.

Update remark: Wearing braces helped me look handsome with a perfect smile. Nine of the top ten are in my Top 40 Most Memorable Moments written on Sep 27, 2016.

6. My Spirituality Discovery (Jan 11, 2015). I have two spiritual practices. The first practice is sleeping eight hours a night. The second practice is reading my personal bible once a week.

Update remark: I have a confession. I wrote a blog Why Do I Pray? on Aug 3, 2014. I answered I pray reading my personal bible once a week to remember the mistakes I made. Don't repeat my mistakes. My guess is I stopped praying once a week at the end of 2018. The result has been my productivity increased. The last two times I prayed was during the week of National Day Of Prayer in May 2019 and May 2020.

7. Life Goes On (Sep 23, 2017). I reminded myself and my readers the world didn't come to an end. Life moves forward for better or for worse.

Update remark: The blog applies to today's COVID-19 life.

8. A Full Week (Jan 12, 2006). I prepared to take a night class on how to write a business plan at De Anza College.

Update remark: I should have dropped the class. The class was a waste of time. Conversely, I dropped Beginning Japanese in Spring Quarter 2009 which was moment number two in my Top Ten Moments Wearing My Braces. Dropping Japanese didn't make my Top 40 Most Memorable Moments.

9. Go Get My Life (Jan 31, 2015). I remember one day as a senior in high school I was in the library with a classmate. I was depressed. I said, "I need a life." She said, "Then go get it." I understood the meaning decades later. Don't take life for granted. I'm lucky I discovered I must earn my successes. I'm lucky I discovered I must never stop learning.

Update remark: The classmate was a junior named Thanh. She played volleyball on the varsity team. She hung around the library with me during the lunch hours consistently. I wonder if she liked me.

Six days a week I'm doing my best to earn my successes. My personal projects are reviewing Excel and SQL; learning Python and Git; and learning life skills such as basic land navigation with a compass, Morse Code, and make paper airplanes. I exercise four or five days a week. I minimize eating processed foods. I read books, write blogs, and cook.

10. I Live To Reach The 90 Club (Jul 21, 2011). My grandmother on my dad's side was my oldest living grandparent. She died at 90 years old. Her mind was sharp at an old age. She didn't have Alzheimer's disease. Unfortunately, my grandfather on my dad's side died from Alzheimer's. I vow to keep my mind sharp to minimize my chances from getting Alzheimer's disease. I vow to keep my mind sharp to maximize my chances living at least 90 years old.

Update remark: I refer to the update remark at number 9 Go Get My Life. Use it or lose it. Use my brain or lose my brain. Use my knees and elbows or lose my knees and elbows; in other words, exercise. I'm not going to be an old fuck.

Top Ten Wisdom Acquired In 2007 I Failed To Follow

I wrote a similar top ten for the year 2006 in Top Ten Wisdom Acquired In 2006 I Failed To Follow on Nov 16, 2019. 2007 was a bad year. What if I followed through my 2007 wisdom before I realized I must grow up on Sat Oct 4, 2008? I might have found a job before my Cisco contract was terminated in Nov 2008 or found a job during the Great Recession in 2009. I know two friends who found jobs in 2009. I might not need the Sat Oct 4, 2008 fateful day because I had been growing up in 2006 and 2007.

I reacquired, relearned, and rediscovered my 2007 wisdom years later. They started on the day I realized I must grow up on Sat Oct 4, 2008. I never forget these additional top ten wisdom. I practice them daily. Today's top ten is another reminder how I live a good life.

I wrote Learn From Failures, Too on Sep 25, 2007 innovate successes and convert failures to success. A common life wisdom is learn from our failures. I failed to learn from my failures because I ignored my failures. I quit what failed to become success. Also, there were no failures because I didn't try anything new.

Here are the top ten wisdom acquired in 2007 I failed to follow. I followed them years later.

10. Summer Of 2001 In 2007 on Jun 1, 2007. I declared Summer 2007 as Summer Sabbatical 2007. I took it easy, relax, be patient, slow down, and had some fun. I actually took it too easy, relaxed too much, impatient, rushed, and had too much fun. Summer Sabbatical 2007 was the time I took life for granted. I didn't solve problems I need to solve.

9. Innovate Infinitely on Aug 20, 2007. I had an opportunity to innovate my entire life sincerely. My entire life included learning new job skills, improving my gym workouts, and meeting new people. I failed.

8. A 1,000 or More Pieces Of Life on Jul 31, 2007. Another instance I took 2007 for granted. I blogged, "We are going to make mistakes. We are going to experience slumps. We are going to experience down months or down years. We are going to experience conflicts." I have been experiencing slumps. I have been experiencing down years. I failed to prepare for the slumps and down years.

7. I Made The Fewest Mistakes And Succeeded on Jul 27, 2007. How can one be successful? Commit the fewest mistakes. On the other hand, we must be brave to make mistakes. We must be brave to fail. Mistakes and failure are the best ways to learn. Don’t make too many and careless mistakes. Number 7 parallels the introduction for which I didn't fail because I didn't try anything new. Ironic.

6. Release The Cherish on Mar 14, 2007. I was too sentimental. I was afraid to leave my comfort zone. I failed to say goodbye to people, to places, and to objects. I blogged, "As time moves forward, we encounter new people, new places, and new items. There is a moment where we must make a choice to keep an existing cherish or choose a new cherish. And sometimes we must say goodbye to a cherish and find a new cherish to continue living."

5. Free Bird on Apr 15, 2007. I wrote there are benefits to cook at home. I ate too much processed foods. I ate out too much. My diet today is minimize eating processed foods and minimize eating at restaurants.

4. The Shermans on May 23, 2007. The Shermans were neighbors in their 80s. They never stopped learning. They continued to read. The retirees never relaxed doing nothing. They worked to keep their minds sharp. I vow to follow the Shermans throughout my entire life.

3. Innovating My Enthusiasm on Mar 5, 2007. I didn't keep my fun in check. Having too much fun can ruin a good time. The wisdom is relax while having fun.

2. What Pissed Me Off Yesterday? on Jan 10, 2007. My co-worker took hours to calculate statistics when I worked in commercial real estate. He failed to learn new technology. I failed to learn new technology. There is no failure today. I'm learning Python and Microsoft BI. I'm reviewing SQL and Excel.

Honorable mention. An Inspiring CEO on Dec 3, 2007. I wrote 14 tips if I become a CEO.

1. Fourth Of July Double Fireworks Blast: Schools Get An F For Excluding The Letter E on Jul 7, 2007. Success must be earned. Most of my past successes were unearned. I blogged, "Successes must be earned. Everyone must work and earn. Work and earn. Get up from the couch. Get up from the computer. Go out and earn your life. . . . Anything you do, any goals, any desires, any achievements, any wants, you must earn it." One of my life mottos I created days after Sat Oct 4, 2008 is, "get up and do something, anything."

Summary

10. My Summer Sabbatical 2007 was a failure.
9. Innovate infinitely.
8. We live a roller coaster life of ups and downs. Be prepared for the downs.
7. Make the fewest mistakes to win. On the other hand, make sincere mistakes to learn.
6. Be courageous to say goodbye.
5. Learn how to cook. Minimize eating processed foods.
4. Never stop learning during the senior years. Work to keep the mind sharp.
3. Keep fun in check. Relax while having fun.
2. Never stop learning new technology.
1. Earn successes.

Update On A Past Blog

My parents, one of my uncle's family, and I visited my grandparents on my father's side at the cemetery during the Christmas holiday. My grandfather reminded me the blog My Two Grandfathers on Jul 3, 2019 and my grandmother reminded me the blog I Live To Reach The 90 Club on Jul 21, 2011. My grandfather was an average intelligent person; on the other hand, his financial knowledge was above average. He created financial security for my dad and my uncles. I promise to continue my financial education to create my own financial security. My grandmother was a sharp person in her 90s. She experienced typical senior citizen slow brain function. Her memory was strong. Her learning was solid. I promise to never stop learning. I promise to use my brain. I promise I'm not a dumb old fuck.

Open And Close Retail Stores

Sometimes stories are meant to be taken lightly except mattress buying stories. A supermarket closed and a hardware store closed. A retail store opens for storing bags. A restaurant cantina opens. I saw deer in a city. Bowling alleys are found in towns. Maybe James Bond is the owner of a restaurant by the Pacific Ocean.

Oldsmobile Complimentary Tape Cartridge Cassette Song List

My family and I listened to the cassette tape when we drove to Santa Barbara, CA to visit my grandparents. My parents purchased a 1982 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser Station Wagon. I don't know why the label says "Cartridge" when it's a cassette. The engineer who designed the rear brake lights, turn signal, and reverse light should have been fired. The lights were on the bottom bumper.

Here is the song list copyrighted 1981 Capitol Records, Inc. YouTube video link is on the right of the singer.

Side A
Someone That I Used To Love by Natalie Cole YouTube.
Love The World Away by Kenny Rogers YouTube.
When I Dream by Crystal Gayle YouTube.
This Night Won't Last Forever by Michael Johnson YouTube.
As We Fall In Love Once More by Shirley Bassey YouTube.
Sharing The Night Together by Dr. Hook YouTube.
It Doesn't Matter Anymore by Linda Ronstadt YouTube.
You're My World by Helen Reddy YouTube.

Side B
I Just Fall In Love Again by Anne Murray YouTube.
We've Got Tonite(sic) by Bob Seger YouTube.
More Love by Kim Carnes YouTube.
Dreaming by Cliff Richard YouTube.
Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word by Dottie West YouTube.
Make Little Magic by The Dirt Band YouTube.
It's A Heartache by Juice Newton YouTube.
Am I Blue by Willie Nelson YouTube.

Instant Bullets Blog Mar 3, 2019

*The following books I read two times in no particular order: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, Cashflow Quadrant by Kiyosaki, Prophecy by Kiyosaki, Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, Moneyball by Michael Lewis, Seinlanguage by Jerry Seinfeld, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, The Red Badge Of Courage by Stephen Crane, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, The Old Man In The Sea by Ernest Hemingway, All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum, How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie, The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey, Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson, and The Invention Of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.

*Flashdance Movie. My fifth grade class sang the theme song for the school music recital. The movie was popular because of the music. The movie included adult themes fifth graders didn't understand including the sex, brief nudity, and adult relationships. On the other hand, we understood the bad language swearing.

There is a line "take your passion." I interpreted the line as "take your pants off" before I read the correct lyrics to sing at the school music recital.

*Splash Movie. My fifth grade class watched Splash starring Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah, and the late John Candy. The entire class laughed when we saw Hannah character's nude butt when she walked out of the water. Today's political correctness female nude butt scenes are inappropriate for children.

*Super Bowl LIII. Congratulations to the New England Patriots defeating the Los Angeles Rams for their sixth Super Bowl Championship. 66 year old Patriots head coach Bill Belichick outcoached 33 year old Sean McVay. Belichick coached nine Super Bowls. .667 championship record anyone takes the odds for many chance opportunities.

In particular, Belichick called for a defensive blitz resulting in a Rams interception turnover. The Rams punted the ball in their first 8 offensive possessions. The Rams defense played too many minutes in the first half resulting in fatigue in the fourth quarter.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is the only NFL player with six Super Bowl titles. The Patriots and the Pittsburg Steelers are the only NFL teams with six Super Bowl titles.

*More Bay Area Sports Media Changes. Former NBC Sports Bay Area Ahmed Fareed is working for NBCSN East Coast. Ryan Covey was fired from KNBR 680. Covey works for 95.7 The Game.

*The world is getting dumb. IQ is dropping. There are more dumbing down. There is intelligence loss.

*I realize why people inflict self-pain. The pain makes people forget anything bad, depressing, evil, and anxious. Similarly, people runaway, escape, to get out for the same reasons above.

*Apocalypse. What goods are more valuable than money? Nude pictures. Nude deck of cards. Great barter to exchange for food, surplus goods, transportation, and shelter.

*The Firm Movie. I read the book by John Grisham. I watched the movie. The movie is a template how not to adapt a movie based off a novel. The movie wasted star power actors and actresses.

*Seeing More Homeless. There are going to be more homeless people in the Bay Area. I saw a homeless person at a supermarket who walked away from me. I carried four 1 gallon bottle water. I should have given the homeless person a gallon.

*USPS Manipulating Delivery Statistics. My dad's package was marked delivered according to the USPS website. The packaged never arrived. My dad contacted the local post office the next day. The supervisor said USPS had to mark the packaged delivered. There was no time to deliver the package yesterday. The packaged was delivered the next day. Why did the post office marked my dad's packaged delivered? My answer is quotas or minimal percentage of packages must be delivered on time. Politics?

*KCEA 89.1 FM. The big band radio station in the Nor Cal Peninsula area is back on the air. The radio station is located in the Sequoia Union High School district at Menlo-Atherton High School. The website is kcea.org.

*Senior Home. Visitors shouldn't ask the seniors to recollect past memory. Too much pressure to remember. The better communication is tell the seniors the past memory proactively.

Never refer to the senior present in a pronoun. Don't say he or she. Do say my grandfather or my grandmother.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Pictures Today Reflect Yesterday

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

Let's go back at least 20 years. Pocky was $1 a box. People listened to music on boom boxes. Sailor Moon was the top anime. Consumers did judge a product by its cover. Homes were built with care. There was worker company loyalty. We had more time for peace; we breath cleaner air. Star Wars IV-VI were the best yesterday. Star Wars IV-VI are the best today.





















Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

40 For 40: The Conversational Grandmother

Introduction: I start a new blog series titled "40 For 40." I share moments and experiences I lived in my 40 years. The ESPN 30 For 30 inspired me to create my 40 For 40 blogs. The sport documentary series detailed people, sport teams, moments, events, and controversial situations. The same ideas apply to my 40 For 40.

My fourth 40 For 40 blog is my first long conversation with a new person.

My mom, aunt, brother, cousin, and I took the Alameda County transit bus from Alameda, CA to San Francisco round trip. My mom and aunt didn't like to drive on the freeway. We departed from the San Francisco bus depot, walked to Chinatown, spent the day at Chinatown, and walked back to the bus depot. Bus letter "O" was our bus.

The five of us arrived early for the next bus from San Francisco to Alameda one trip in 1981. I walked away on my own to a bus pole where bus O stopped. I held on the pole with my two hands to move myself in circles around the pole because I was bored. There was a grandmother in her 80s five feet away from me. She and I talked for a long time. I talked about my family, school, and how I spent my time by myself. She never talked about herself. She listened to everything I said. She responded to everything I said. I didn't know if I bored her. I didn't know if I was interesting. I believed she was being a grandmother as if I was her grandson.

The grandmother followed social conversation human relations etiquette. She was a good listener. She became interested in others. She didn't complain I talked too much. I was a child. I believed she appreciated my time with her because she was with nobody else. She made me feel important by keeping her company. She let me do a great deal of talking, and I hoped I wasn't boring.

I'm looking forward to pay it forward to a young child needing someone to talk.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com