Maxed Out On Career Learning

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

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

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

The Green Steno Notebook 9

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

*Jul 22, 2019. Use a paper towel to remove as much oil off the broil grill before washing. Minimize the chances of a clogged drain.

*Jul 23. Red plastic cups are a kitchen staple.

*Aug 11. Meals contained too much salt. Consumed too much caffeine. Too much adrenaline from today's activities. Combine all three blamed for falling asleep too slowly last night. Playing video games to fall asleep faster last night didn't work.

*Aug 12. adjudicate: to reach a judicial decision on something; to make an official decision.

*Aug 26. The air filter for the home A/C and furnace. The air flows down. The heater is the top. The A/C is the bottom.

Air compressor maintenance. Drain the moisture accumulated inside the tank. Place a towel below the moisture drainage. Recommend wear ear plugs. Turn the red handle below downwards. The towel captures the released moisture. The air compressor filters are black color. Wipe away surface dust. Check oil level at the oil plug near the air filters. Use motor oil. Top level is at the end of the threads or rivets. The copper colored oil can is inside the auto liquids and oil change tools cabinet.

*Aug 31. Left calf sore. I bend my left leg driving after a strenuous physical activity. I should straighten my left leg while driving.

*Sep 7. Sometimes the house is clean when I clean the house. Sometimes the house is dirty when I clean the house. I speculate the windows are open for longer hours. The outside dirt and dust enter the house from the opened windows.

*Sep 20. Forgot my wallet at the gym stationary cycle.

I retrieved my wallet on Sep 21 at 7:05am.

*Sep 23. Purchased a Coke at the supermarket next to the gym. The Coke saved my ass from getting sick.

*Sep 28. I read my personal bible. It was also Steve Jobs day. I read his biography's And One More Thing . . . section. I watched the 60 Minutes interview. I watched the D5 interview with Bill Gates.

*Oct 5. No more protein bars. I don't understand protein bars.

*Oct 6. For Sep 3. If by Bread. A song from the 1970s.

*Oct 10. Begin writing with pencils instead of pens for the Green Steno Notebook. Use both pencils and pens.

*Oct 10. For Oct 1. Air fluff the bathrooms carpets instead of vacuuming. More dust is removed by air.

*Oct 17. A car's battery warning light turned on. Causes can be low battery voltage or alternator stopped charging the battery. The car battery works when the voltage is between 13-14 volts while the engine runs. Replace the battery when the voltage reading is 12 volts or below.

*Oct 19. Use my desk fan to dry the mopped floors faster.

*Oct 21. A channel is missing on the television. Solution is rescan channels.

*Oct 28. I air compress or blast compressed air inside the PSU or Power Supply Unit from my desktop for the first time. Lots of dust removed.

*Nov 3. I felt weak after hiking yesterday. I may have dodged the sickness. Never skip meals. McDonalds is better than nothing.

*Nov 4. Add an empty cup to my daily life items. The daily life items include a can of WD-40, dice, a nickel, and duct tape.

The empty cup is a Bruce Lee wisdom reference. "Emptiness the starting point: In order to taste my cup of water you must first empty your cup. My friend, drop all your preconceived and fixed ideas and be neutral. Do you know why this cup is useful? Because it is empty."

*Nov 7. Use a chopping board to cut bell peppers. I almost cut my left index finger holding the bell paper to save time. I was lazy. I thought of SQL while cutting. Not worth saving time. Use a chopping board.

*Nov 10. My car has disc brakes. Each disk break has two brake pads.

*Nov 14. Create a text file .txt file for a short-term reminder. For example, type "get mail" when I hear the postal worker outside.

*Dec 2. For Nov 24. Warm Belvita tastes good. I toast two pieces of bread. I place Belvita on top of the toast. I read Harry Potter.

*Dec 15. No need to insert my entire hand washing vegetables in a pot full of water. Use my fingers and thumbs only.

*Dec 12. I saw two USPS trucks at Walgreens. I saw two UPS trucks going to the gym.

*Dec 27. Replace the brown color sandals because they hurt my feet with the blue sandals.

*Dec 28. It's the holidays. I play the Harry and Hermione card. I can't concentrate doing homework. I go to sleep. For me, it's take a break job training. Do other productive responsibilities.

*Dec 31. For Dec 29. Use yellow Post-It Notes as appreciation notes. Write "I owe you one beer."

*Jan 6, 2020. Parked in the new Monroe Parking Garage at Valley Fair mall for the first time.

Entered Macys to pay credit card bill. The returns line was long. I looked around. I saw another line for credit card payments. Nobody at the credit card payments line. Paid in seconds.

*Jan 11. West Valley Library Book Sale. More books specialty priced. Highest price was $5.

*Jan 27. No unsafe driving. Night driving on southbound 880 near the 29th Avenue exit. Sudden lane change from second lane to first lane. Don't do it again. Change lanes earlier to avoid sudden changes.

*Jan 29. Old desktop weigh 34.2 pounds. New desktop weigh 29.8 pounds. 4.4 pounds lighter.

Dell laptop 7 pounds and 3 ounces. HP Compaq laptop 6 pounds and 2 ounces. HP Spectre laptop 4 pounds and 11 ounces.

*Feb 2. I forgot to turn on the surround sound for Super Bowl LIV. Dad turned it on.

*Feb 4. A mouth with lots of saliva is a sign of good health, said my dentist.

*Feb 24. The car engine hoses are special made. Take the broken hose to an auto store. Tell the store the car make and model. The auto shop sells the replacement hose.

*Mar 6. Don't eat tomatoes on a physical workout day.

*Mar 23. There is a significant difference between one teaspoon and one tablespoon.

*Apr 8. Seinfeld episode titled The Old Man in Season 4. Foreplay suggestion: forbidden pleasure.

*Apr 10. My mom favors higher prices when she purchases New York steak on sale. The pieces are better cuts.

*Apr 22. My parents rescued a lost cockatiel.

*Apr 27. Bank checks are valid for six months.

*Apr 29. Classic radio station KDFC consecutively played the E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Main Theme by John Williams and Four Seasons-Spring by Antonio Vivaldi. The E.T. song was my ringtone. The Four Seasons-Spring was my connecting receive phone call song.

*Apr 30. There is a difference between steelhead fish and salmon fish. Reminder. Always look at the label.

*May 8. Add panty hose to my survival backpack.

*May 10. Add nonlubricated condoms to my survival backpack. Bright colors are a plus.

*May 17. Stopped eating oatmeal.

*May 18. For May 16. Begin replacing cups to brush teeth weekly.

*May 29. A procedure to drain the hot water heater to prolong the lifespan. Lower the temperature. Connect the hose. Drain water inside a bucket to remove as much sentiment as possible. Use multiple buckets. Point the hose down. The hose is along the side of the bucket to minimize splash.

*Jun 1. Begin cleaning rice by leaving the water in the rice bowl for a minimum of 30 minutes. Minium 60 minutes is better.

*Jun 15. Local newspaper bill is $350.00 for six months. Four days of newspaper delivery. Household choose no renewing.

*Jun 19. Last day of newspaper is Jan 9, 2021.

*Jul 20. Add empty coffee can and matches to the wisdom items. Include two dice, teapot, nickel, dust tape, painter's tape, and WD-40. Reference entry dates Dec 15, 2018, Dec 16, 2018, and May 19, 2019.

*Jul 24. Went back to use shaving gel when I shave for the second twice against the grain.

*Jul 24. Solved a Grandmaster level in Microsoft Solitare.

*Aug 6. Add a rock hammer. Reference Instant Bullets blog Mar 15, 2020. WD-40, nickel, duct tape, blue painter's tape, teapot, coffee pot, matches, and dice.

*Aug 10. The car's parking brake is located at the rear wheels. Not both front wheels and rear wheels.

*Aug 14. Wash the three bathroom carpets. Quick wash setting. Spin cycle extra fast. Air dry in the backyard on top of buckets. Best on a hot day.

*Aug 14. High temperature 103 degrees.

*Aug 19. Searched for a movie on IMDb. The search criteria was IMDb Most Popular Water Storage Movies and TV Shows. Movie I found is Badlands 2005.

*Aug 24. Best must-have products under $100: some female products better than male products for men; some male products better than female products for women; Shop Vac; step ladder; king size blanket for a queen size bed; and safety razors.

Random Knowledge Or Random Trivia February 2025 Part 1

Blogger's note: I'm years behind sharing. There are two parts for Feb 2025. Today is part 1 of 2.

We live in the Information Age. Look it up on the internet. Random knowledge or random trivia? A life improvement? A waste of time? The answer is subjective. The answer depends on the reader.

AT&T announces deal to spin off DirecTV into new company owed by . . . AT&T. AT&T acknowledged that its DirecTV purchase didn't work out as planned. Article Feb 2021.

Best Buy lays off 5,000 workers as it shifts focus to online sales. Best Buy said its recent changes are an effort to adjust to this new market reality. Traditional stores aren't going away. Traditional stores are becoming less important. Article Feb 2021. True today?

mascot gets fed up with female supporter. Jacksonville Jaguars mascot Jaxson De Ville throws a birthday cake to a Houston Texans fan.

Hi my name is Evelyn, I was born with two vaginas (2 completely independent reproductive systems), I was a high class independent escourt[sic] for 8 years and used one vagina for "work" and saved one for my personal life. I don't think that counts as cheating. Ask me anything!

Cut or rip the strings on your disposable masks. Masks go into landfills & the strings can get caught on animals and hurt them.

non sequitur: an inference or a conclusion which does not follow from the premises. A statement containing an illogical conclusion. It does not follow.

Brain cells form connections with each other in a culture dish.

hedonist: a person whose life is devoted to the pursuit of pleasure and self-gratification.

Intel, Nvidia, TSMC, execs agree: Chip shortage could last into 2023. No chip shortage today.

Zookeepers of Reddit, what's the low-down dirty, inside scoop on zoos?

Overthinkers of Reddit, what unlikely scenario actually came true that you were completely prepared for because you are an overthinker?

Azaria Chamberlain. A dingo ate a couple's baby while camping in Australia. The mother, Lindy Chamberlain, was sentenced to life in prison for the murder. The baby's clothes were found near a dingo lair three years later. Lindy was released. The Seinfeld TV series The Stranded episode referenced the dingo ate her baby. A dingo is a wild dog in Australia.

Woman released a wild animal from a trap. She was protected with a shield. It appeared to be a bear.

Inside Japan’s CAPSULE Tower | 140 TINY Tokyo Apartments. Inside Japan's capsule tower with 140 tiny apartments.

A tumor is a mass or lump of tissue that may resemble swelling. A tumor is a morbid enlargement which results from an overabundance of cell growth and division; normally cells grow and divide to produce new cells in a controlled and orderly manner. Tumors may be benign or not cancer. Benign tumors may grow large and not spread into nearby tissues. Tumors may be malignant or cancer. Malignant tumors can spread into nearby tissues.

Now the chip shortage is being exacerbated by a labor shortage. Article Aug 2021. Not true today?

Kawhi Leonard laugh as NBA on NBC theme song.

impertinent: not showing proper respect; rude. Not pertinent to a particular matter; irrelevant.

impertinence: lack of respect; rudeness

Challenging sex positions from Sex With Emily.

Thugs - Saturday Night Live. SNL did a skit on the opposite of the TV show COPS. A video crew recording crooks committing crimes. Martin Lawrence, the late Phil Hartman, Rob Schneider, and Norm McDonald.

Local sushi place deterred graffiti in the bathroom.

Never Say Never To The Person Who Wore A Headlamp

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

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

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

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

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

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

An Accident From Flying Lumber

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

On The Outside Of Unemployment

Most unemployed people job search daily. There's nothing else important. Today's blog explains what a good unemployed person does outside job searching. If applicable, then today's blog also highlights what a good unemployed person does outside job training, going back to college, or enrolling in specialized vocational training. I'm on the spotlight as an example.

I'm like George Costanza from Seinfeld. I'm unemployed. I live with my parents. A difference is George doesn't cook, clean, and complete household errands. I cook, clean, and complete household errands. I take care of myself exercising, reading books, being calm, minimizing expenses, and sleeping well. I self job train learning new skills and reviewing existing skills. I write blogs. I minimize eating processed foods.

Know The Real Reality

TV, movies, and video games are the lowest priority. Any entertainment with a screen is the lowest priority. Entertainment as a leisure activity is valid. Priorities are priorities. Responsibilities are responsibilities. There is no excuse a son or a daughter lives like a homeless bum under their parent's roof.

What the unemployed people do personally inside and outside matter more than working on finding employment. Anyone can cook, clean, and complete household errands. Anyone can be nice. People want to see the unemployed continue living even if life moves slowly. Life moves forward. Be stronger. Be smarter. Be wiser. Get motivated. Actions speak louder than words.

I want people to know I try honestly. I do the best I can. I do something. I do anything. All mistakes corrected. All accomplishments improved. Innovate infinitely.

No money needed to be a nobody. No money to pay for nothing. The absolute minimum for the unemployed outside of unemployment is don't be a jerk or a bitch.

Merry Unmotivational Christmas

Bad Christmas. Sad Christmas. Depressed Christmas. There was no joy. The Christmas flow went against you. Expectations unfulfilled. The plan backfired. You're not alone.

There were multiple reasons some people were unhappy on Christmas Day. Some reasons could be controlled. Some reasons couldn't be controlled. I share my below expectations family Christmas. There was no desire for a good Christmas. Some family members didn't check their personal problems at the door. A few family members worked to make a happy Christmas. A few family members put in the time and effort to create a good Christmas. Few successes. Many failures. Everyone contributed to a less stellar family Christmas regardless of working or not working. I admit I contributed to a less stellar family Christmas. I should have been stronger. I should have been courageous.

All leisure activities including birthdays and holidays require planning. It's an oxymoron work and effort must be completed for play and fun moments. Chaos is the result without work and effort. Chaotic leisure is not leisure. The rewards pay off after the work and effort are completed sincerely and satisfactory.

Dec 26

Dec 25 is another bad day at the office. Everyone experiences bad days. Blame life, destiny, karma, timing, and luck a bad day happened on Christmas Day.

Life moves forward. The bad Christmas doesn't matter next year. Correct the mistakes. Hope the next Christmas is better. A suggestion to overcome a bad Christmas is go back to the basics. Follow the common wisdoms sincerely. Sleep well. Eat well. It's okay to splurge processed foods. Get to work. Be busy.

I Correct Be Patient And Go For The Long Run

I thought of the "be patient and go for the long run" when I was a student at San Jose State University. The wisdom was correct. The attitude was correct. The adaption was incorrect. The execution was incorrect. I did it wrong. College life was too much fun and too little learning. Obviously, any student read the book, attended the lectures, and passed the exams to graduate. I took life for granted. Outside the classroom was unproductive growth.

I'm doing the "be patient and go for the long run" correctly decades later. Work. Give everything time. Take everything one day at a time. Build a little every day. Add the little accomplishments for the big goals. My job training approaches the endgame. I learn investing following WallstreetBets since Jan 2021. I'm training for a 10k marathon since 2021. I'm close to the 6.2 miles. My longest distance is 6 miles. It took me six months to read Harry Potter from Sep 2019 to Mar 2020. I researched two hours every Sun from Jul 2019 to Nov 2019 to build a new desktop. Furthermore, medical scientists continue to research the COVID-19 virus since 2020.

I was irresponsible then. I'm responsible now. It's okay for immediate fun and leisure. Work for most of the week. Take a break for a few. I did none of these as a college student. Perhaps, my biggest regret was being a naive person in my 20s. The regret is forgiven. My life catching up continues.

Excel Tips I Tweeted

Here are my Excel tips from my Twitter @ININ61.

*Aug 11, 2023: Use EDATE() to return a date a number of months away. =EDATE("6/11/2023",1) returns 7/11/2023 +30 days. =EDATE("8/11/2023",-1) returns 7/11/2023 -31 days. =EDATE("2/29/2024",12) returns 2/28/2025 +365 days. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1690037846034563072)

*Jul 25, 2023: Left click the plus sign New Sheet on the worksheet tabs along the bottom inserts a new worksheet. Double left click New Sheet inserts a new worksheet and user renames the worksheet. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1683930698934280192)

*Jun 8, 2023: Press Alt, O, D to open the Conditional Formatting Rules Manager window. Press Alt, D, S to open the Sort window. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1666924039124963329)

*May 29, 2023: Press Ctrl+Shift+F to open Format Cells window Font tab active. It can be faster than Ctrl+1, F which also opens Format Cells window select Font tab. One less key stroke. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1663339001967939585)

*Apr 25, 2023: Excel table opened. Column filters on. Press Alt+Shift+Down on a column cell or press Alt+Down on a column header to open the filter drop down menu. Immediately press E to begin typing the search filter. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1650989145823793152)

*Mar 14, 2023: Display a decimal number as a whole number and fraction. Cell A1 is 333.33. Cell B1 is =TEXT(A1,"# ?/?") returns 333 1/3; =TEXT(A1,"# ??/??") returns 333 32/97. Cell A1 351.67. Cell B1 =TEXT(A1,"# ?/?") returns 351 2/3. 314.25 returns 314 1/4. 4.34 returns 4 1/3. #exceltip RM: Initial draft is Display a decimal number as a whole number and a fraction using the TEXT function. Cell A1 is 333.33. Cell B1 is =TEXT(A1,"# ?/?") returns 333 1/3; =TEXT(A1,"# ??/??") returns 333 32/97. Cell A1 is 351.67. Cell B1 is =TEXT(A1,"# ?/?") returns 351 2/3. Cell A1 314.25. Cell B1 i=TEXT(A1,"# ?/?") returns 314 1/4. 4.34 returns 4 1/3. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1635779231727886336)

*Dec 19, 2022: Press Ctrl+F to open Find and Replace window. Press Find Next search downwards. Hold Shift when pressing Find Next search upwards. (Tweet ID-1604903555747311617)

*Nov 23, 2022: Double click an option in a dialog box or pop-up window instead of pressing OK to execute. For example, press Ctrl+Shift+= *equal sign* to insert a row. Double click Entire row instead of selecting Entire row and pressing OK. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1595497363715420161)

*Sep 28, 2022: Extract unique values or extract duplicate values. Cells A1:A7 is a fruit table. Cell A1 is the column header. Cell C1 is =UNIQUE(A2:A7,0,0) returns unique values. Cell E1 is =UNIQUE(A2:A7,0,1) returns duplicate values only [--Apple and Orange are duplicates, formula returns Apple and Orange.] #exceltip (Tweet ID-1575184416179003392)

*Sep 16, 2022: Excel worksheet with multiple blank rows unconnected to be deleted. Select the entire cells. Press Ctrl+G. Press Special. Select Blanks. Press OK. Right mouse click a selected cell. Select Entire row. Press OK. Multiple blank rows deleted. #exceltip RM: Okay to select the leftmost column of data instead of the entire cells. (Tweet ID-1570830416139157505)

*Aug 29, 2022: Select all cells in an Excel table except the column headers. Press Ctrl+Spacebar, Shift+Spacebar. Or point cursor to the upper left of the Excel table. Cursor turns into an arrow pointing down and right or southeast. Single mouse click. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1564344389182185472)

*Jun 14, 2022: Left mouse click a calculation on the status bar to copy to clipboard. Paste anywhere. Highlight cells A1:A10. Left mouse click Sum: 55. Paste the sum 55 on cell B1. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1536811675348652032)

*Jun 7, 2022: Copy a cell or a text in Excel or another program. Press Alt+Ctrl+V to open the Paste Special window. There must be something to be pasted for Alt+Ctrl+V to work. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1534256145094782978)

*Apr 15, 2022: Press Alt+*number* to use the tools in the Quick Access Toolbar. My three tools are Format Painter, Speak Cells, and Select Objects from left to right in Excel. Alt+1 activates Format Painter. Alt+2 activates Speak Cells. Alt+3 activates Select Objects. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1515084816261152769)

*Jan 7, 2022: Scroll left and right on a worksheet without using the horizontal scroll bar. Hold Ctrl+Shift, scroll up and scroll down on your mouse wheel scroll the worksheet left and right. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1479586187027222529)

*Dec 29, 2021: Use TEXTJOIN to combine text from multiple cells. Cells A1 is Apple, A2 is Orange, A3 is Banana. Cell A5 is =TEXTJOIN(", ",TRUE,A1:A3) returns Apple, Orange, Banana for which TRUE ignores blank cells. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1476318390008442887)

*Dec 17, 2021: Press Shift+F2 to insert a New Note in a cell. Press Esc, Esc to save note and exit. Edit an existing note press Shift+F2. Save edit and exit press Esc, Esc. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1471999977983340547)

*Nov 1, 2021: Excel press Alt+Ctrl++ (plus sign) to zoom in. Excel press Alt+Ctrl+- (minus sign) to zoom out. Excel press Alt, W, G to zoom in at selected cell. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1455324557909192709)

*Sep 3, 2021: Use Excel to print the file names in a folder. Click Data-->Get Data--From File-->From Folder. Click the folder in Browse window. Click Open. Click Load. A pivot table is created with the file name, dates, extensions, and path. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1433949522053328896)

*Aug 20, 2021: Cell A1 is 1. Cell A2 is 2. Cell A3 is 3. Cell A4 is 4. Cell A5 is 5. Cell A10 is =SUM(A1:A5). Press Ctrl+' on cell A10 highlights cells A1:A5 used in formula. Press ESC to exit. Also, press Ctrl+[ selects cells A1:A5 used in formula. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1428835342447112193)

*Jun 24, 2021: A faster way to switch Excel windows is View-->Switch Windows-->select Excel window or Alt, W, W, number for which the number references an open Excel file. It may be faster than Ctrl+F6. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1408182043725352962)

*Jun 10, 2021: Use LEN and SUBSTITUTE to count specific characters in an Excel cell. Cell A1 is mississippi. Count the i's =LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1,"i","")) returns 4. LEN of mississippi is 11. LEN and SUBSTITUTE replaces the letter i with nothing returns 7. 11-7=4. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1403165898676998144)

*May 25, 2021: A quicker way to copy and paste one time use. Copy the cell or cells to copy Ctrl+C. Go to the cell to paste and press Enter which is a little quicker than Ctrl+V. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1397294669780766723)

*May 25, 2021: Use F4 to paste multiple times. Cell A1 is Today is Tuesday. Press Ctrl+C to copy. Go to cell C5. Press Alt, E, S, Enter to paste using Paste Special. Go to cell G5. Press F4 to paste. Go to cell G8. Paste F4 to paste. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1397293933739143168)

*May 12, 2021: Use Excel TRUNC function to return a number without its decimal number. =TRUNC(7999.51,0) returns 7999. =TRUNC(7999.49,0) returns 7999. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1392612685137678343)

*May 12, 2021: Use Excel INT function to round down nearest integer. =INT(7.9) returns 7. =INT(7.1) returns 7. =INT(-7.9) returns -8. =INT(-7.1) returns -8. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1392611926908096512)

*Mar 25, 2021: Press Alt+Enter in an Excel cell to insert a new line or insert a line break. Alt+Enter also enables Wrap Text. To wrap text without line break, Alt+Enter, Ctrl+Enter, F2, Backspace, Enter. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1375245314588696577)

*Jan 16, 2021: Excel table shortcut keys. Ctrl+Spacebar selects a column, Shift+Spacebar selects a row. Access the filter drop down menu press Alt+Down Arrow if cursor on the column header; otherwise Alt+Shift+Down Arrow. Access drop down menu Alt+Down Arrow. #exceltips (Tweet ID-1350646794649104385)

*Sep 21, 2020: The CONVERT function takes a measurement and converts to another measurement. Cell A1 is 50. Cell B1 is =CONVERT(A1,"sec","hr") converts 50 seconds to 0.013889 hours. Cell C1 is =CONVERT(A1,"in","ft") converts 50 inches to 4.166667 feet. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1308290224846327808)

*Sep 18, 2020: Display the number zero as n/a or as a blank cell in Excel using Format Cells. Numbers are between 0 and 99,999. \n Cell A1 is 0. Cell B1 displays n/a custom format cell #,###;;"n/a". Cell C1 displays blank cell custom format cell #,###;; #exceltip (Tweet ID-1307048633209171973)

*Aug 14, 2020: Excel Microsoft 365 view the same worksheet in multiple windows View-->New Window or Alt,W,N. Likewise for Excel 2016 View-->New Window. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1294340056790966272)

*Jun 18, 2020: Excel format cells tip. Cell A1 is My number is *number*. Press Ctrl+A1-->Number-->Category-->Custom-->Type. Under Type, type "My number is "#. Press OK. User types a number in Cell A1 instead of typing My number is *number*. Cell A1 displays My number is *number*. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1273699206100746240)

*Jun 2, 2020: Shortcut keys to insert an Excel new worksheet and name the new worksheet. Shift+F11, Alt, H, O, R, type worksheet name. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1267943510088380417)

*May 19, 2020: Excel users press F1 opening the Help pane instead of ESC. \n The shortcut keys to close are Ctrl, Space, C when the Help pane is focused. It can work with other task panes. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1262812478276161536)

*Apr 23, 2020: AutoFit column size hover the mouse between column identification letters and double-click. The double-click resizes to greatest length. If you want to AutoFit column size at shorter length, select the cell with shorter length text on column, press Alt, H, O, I. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1253405685947088896)

*Jan 3, 2020: Press Ctrl+G to open the Go To window. Cursor is at cell G100. User wants to go to cell J5. Press Ctrl+G, type J5 at Reference, press OK. Cursor is at cell J5. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1213233121530826752)

*Jan 3, 2020: Press Ctrl+' to copy the exact Excel formula above a cell. Press Ctrl+Shift+' to copy the value from the Excel formula above a cell. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1213232369559228416)

*Nov 9, 2019: Audit Excel formulas for consistency. Highlight a column of formulas. Press Ctrl+Shift+\\ (Backspace). Highlighted cells afterwards are the inconsistent formulas. Press Ctrl+\\ (Backspace) for a row of formulas. #exceltip https://t.co/PvZNH0vxvv (Tweet ID-1193279270426050560)

*Oct 26, 2019: Hold the Ctrl key when clicking cells in a formula. The comma separators are automatically inserted. e.g. SUM function hold Ctrl clicking cells A1, B5, C9, D10. Result is =SUM(A1,B5,C9,D10) with commas automatically inserted. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1188157535238230016)

*Sep 13, 2019: #exceltip Cells A1:A20 contain integers. Need to add 100 to each integer. Type 100 at cell C1. Copy cell C1. Highlight cells A1:A20. Home-->Paste-->Paste Special or Alt, H, V, S. (Tweet ID-1172579024549240832)

*Aug 10, 2019: View two worksheets in two windows in the same Excel file. View-->New Window or Alt+W+N, click on another worksheet on new Excel window. See the two worksheets. Can arrange the Excel windows View-->Arrange All such as Tiled or Horizontal. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1160280578081427456)

*Jul 13, 2019: An efficient way to format cells consistently is save the cell formatting. Home-->Styles-->Cell Styles-->New Cell Style. Complete the attributes including the style name and formatting. Keyboard shortcut Alt+H+J opens Cell Styles. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1150135338360119296)

*Jul 13, 2019: Ctrl + F1 to collapse the ribbon or pin the ribbon. Another method to collapse the ribbon or pin the ribbon is double click a menu object such as Home, Insert, or Data. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1150134239985192960)

*Jul 3, 2019: Highlight an Excel table without the headers. Hover cursor to the top left of the table to see a diagonal arrow pointing down and right or southeast. Single click. Table is highlighted except the headers. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1146612561208467456)

*May 21, 2019: Slicers and a total row are available for a table itself. Right mouse click anywhere on the table-->Table-->Totals Row to insert a total row. Table Tools-->Design-->Tools-->Insert Slicer to insert a slicer. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1131022721372917760)

*Apr 25, 2019: The Excel AVERAGE() functions include cells containing zeros calculating the average and excludes blank cells. If you must include zeros for display and not in average calculation, then type ">0" in the criteria; e.g. =AVERAGEIF(A1:A30,">0"). #exceltip (Tweet ID-1121525498733944832)

*Apr 1, 2019: Excel short cut key to insert today's date in a cell is Ctrl+;. Excel short cut key to insert current time in a cell is Ctrl+Shift+;. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1112790426795171840)

*Mar 19, 2019: Type CHAR(13) in an Excel formula for a carriage return. A good use for CHAR(13) is a formula label for a chart. e.g. ="B4label = "&B4&CHAR(13)&"B5label = "&B5&CHAR(10)&"b6label = "&B6 #exceltip (Tweet ID-1108126732781932544)

*Feb 19, 2019: One way to print selected cells in an Excel worksheet is File-->Print--> under Settings first drop down box select Print Selection. A quicker way is Ctrl+P, under Settings first drop down box select Print Selection. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1098063153655513089)

*Feb 18, 2019: Use DOLLAR(number,decimal places) to add the dollar sign in an Excel cell. =DOLLAR(5,0) is $5. ="I won "&DOLLAR(5,0) is I won $5. ="I won "&DOLLAR(5,2) is I won $5.00. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1097715959853240320)

*Jan 18, 2019: Select an entire column. Select column B type B:B. =COUNTIF(B:B,A1). Select multiple contiguous columns. Select columns E to G type E:G. =VLOOKUP(A1,E:G,3,0). #exceltip (Tweet ID-1086449171849142272)

*Jan 18, 2019: Split a column or separate a column with a common character Data-->Text To Columns. Can save time instead of writing formulas. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1086448132123049985)

*Jan 18, 2019: A quick way to open the Excel Page Setup window is Page Layout-->under Page Setup group click bottom right arrow. Short cut keys Atl+P+S+P is another way. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1086447268968853505)

*Jan 18, 2019: A quick way to add text to a header or footer is Insert-->Text-->Header/Footer. View-->Page Layout double click Add header works, too. #exceltip (Tweet ID-1086445724911337472)

*Jan 18, 2019: A quick way to rotate an Excel file orientation from portrait to landscape and vice versa is Page Layout-->Orientation-->Portrait or Landscape #exceltip (Tweet ID-1086444720065105923)

*Jul 30, 2018: #exceltip A table with named columns. Create a helper column to filter the table. OR criteria =OR([column1]="Hat",[column2]="Fred",[column3]>25). AND criteria =AND([column1]="Cat",[column2]="Ratbag",[column3]>=63). (Tweet ID-1024066197233397760)

*May 21, 2018: Excel tip. Logical formula equal sign = is case insensitive. Cell A1 is rad. Cell A2 is Rad. =A1=A2 returns TRUE. ="rad"="Rad" returns TRUE. #exceltip (Tweet ID-998668958629687296)

*May 9, 2018: Excel tip. Cells A1:E10 have numbers. Highlight cells A1:F11. Press Alt + =. Excel adds =SUM() to F1:F11 and A11:F11 adding the rows and columns. #exceltip (Tweet ID-994300830109990912)

*Apr 11, 2018: In Excel, Alt, I, R inserts new row above. e.g. Cursor on cell A5. Press Alt, I, R. New row inserted at row 5. #exceltip (Tweet ID-984157390948843520)

*Feb 2, 2018: Excel tip. Highlight or select multiple cells. Pressing tab moves active cell only to highlighted or selected cells. e.g. highlight A1:E5. Press tab active cell cycles highlighted A1:E5 cells only. (Tweet ID-959575640021151744)

*Dec 20, 2017: Excel tip. Alt, E, A, F clears cell formatting. Alt, E, A, A deletes entire cell. (Tweet ID-943688412753666049)

*Nov 27, 2017: Excel tip. Ctrl+Left click the left arrow at the worksheet bar scrolls to the first sheet. Ctrl+Right click the right arrow at the worksheet bar scrolls to the last sheet. (Tweet ID-935247792712249344)

*Nov 7, 2017: Excel tip. Ctrl + Shift + L inserts the Filter on a row of column headers. (Tweet ID-928092804617707520)

*Nov 7, 2017: Excel tip. Ctrl+X to cut a formula in a cell. Paste the formula in another worksheet same file. The pasted formula in the new worksheet contains the cell references referencing the originating formula. (Tweet ID-928092562694402048)

*Oct 3, 2017: Excel tip. Right mouse click sheet scroll arrows a list of all the sheets in the Excel file appears. Select the sheet to view. (Tweet ID-915325707617673216)

*Sep 18, 2017: Excel tip. Deactivate GETPIVOTDATA cell referencing in pivot table. File->Options->Formulas->uncheck Use GetPivotData functions for Pivot... (Tweet ID-909952106169171968)

*Sep 7, 2017: Excel tip. Use integer INT() function to remove decimals. =INT(16.98748754) returns 16. Likewise for INT(16.11245478) and INT(16.45487897). (Tweet ID-905873049810984960)

*Aug 15, 2017: Excel tip. Ctrl + Shift + ~ converts a cell to General format. General format useful to see what's really in the cell. No format deception. (Tweet ID-897542826581426176)

*May 3, 2016: EOMONTH(A1,1) returns 6/30/14. EOMONTH(A1,-1) returns 4/30/14. EOMONTH(A1,-1)+1 returns 5/1/14. #exceltip (Tweet ID-727711932099264512)

*May 3, 2016: Use EOMONTH() to find the last day of a month. Cell A1 is 5/3/14. EOMONTH(A1,0) returns 5/31/14. EOMONTH(A1,0)+1 returns 6/1/14 #exceltip (Tweet ID-727711362898612226)

*Mar 2, 2016: Under Data tab, there's a Get External Data Excel wizard importing data from various database. No need open database. #exceltip (Tweet ID-705175893849714689)

*Jan 7, 2016: TRIM function removes excess spaces before and after a text string including excess spaces between words #exceltip (Tweet ID-685233340509626368)

*Nov 18, 2015: The AVERAGE function ignores cells with text when calculating the average. #exceltip (Tweet ID-667071715919327232)

*Nov 17, 2015: 3-D cell reference steps: 1 Click on first sheet. 2 Highlight range. 3 Hold Shift key. 4 Click on last sheet. Source ExcelIsFun #exceltips (Tweet ID-666759708796059648)

*Nov 15, 2015: Use Alt, E, A, A shortcut key combination to clear cells content in Excel #exceltip (Tweet ID-665840573140496384)

*Jun 10, 2015: Excel tip: Press Ctrl+Enter after typing a formula in a cell to keep the cell with formula active. (Tweet ID-608731198718758913)

*May 13, 2015: #exceltip =RANDBETWEEN(x,y) generates a random number between x and y. x and y are numbers. (Tweet ID-598642900793044000)

*May 11, 2015: #exceltip Sometimes an Excel formula converts number into text. To convert text back to number, add zero, multiply by one, double negative, (Tweet ID-597696951363112000)

*May 11, 2015: #exceltip Press Ctrl + Shift + ` or ~ button to convert a cell to General format. (Tweet ID-597688670691328000)

*May 6, 2015: #exceltip Column A has numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Sum is 15. On Cell A6, press Alt + = (Alt and Equal). Excel adds formula =SUM(A1:A5) (Tweet ID-596149904935784000)

*Jul 26, 2012: Excel tip. The Format Painter copies a cell's format settings including font, color, and format. (Tweet ID-228568175074213000)

All Is Ready Cue The Bugs Bunny Road Runner Show Opening Theme

Click CBS Bugs Bunny Road Runner show open 1979 to watch the YouTube video. Click bugs bunny road runner show opening to search for variation openings.

Overture, curtain, lights
This is it, the night of nights
No more rehearsing and nursing a part
We know every part by heart
Overture, curtain, lights
This is it, we'll hit the heights
And oh what heights we'll hit
On with the show this is it.

Tonight what heights we'll hit.
On with the show, this is it.

There is nothing more to add. Research completed. Knowledge learned. Set-up is done. Everything acquired. Preparation accomplished. The i's are dotted. The t's are crossed. Drills are mastered. Practices checked off. The teacher taught everything. The student takes the pebble from the teacher's hand. The present is now. This is it.

Update On A Past Blog

Follow the patterns. People who live long enough realize the Same Shit. Different Day. Everything Happens. blog written on Jul 28, 2021 is 100% true. Follow the patterns everyday. An additional wisdom is go back to the past. Find the source. Learn from the source. Get to the root of the cause.

Two What Ifs in 2016

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

I interviewed for two jobs in 2016. The first job interview was an analyst position for a Canadian space company in Jul 2016. The department was offsite from the main campus. The official job title was Database Coordinator with minimal data entry. The job was a non-traditional business analyst or data analyst. The requirements included database administration, reporting, and updating webpages. Outdated proprietary software. The employees were senior citizens for which the youngest was the late 50s. They wanted a younger jack-of-all-trades employee to bring fresh air.

The second job interview was another analyst position for a medical devices company in Dec 2016. Four month contract position. The hiring manager initially interviewed me for the wrong position. He didn't know what's going on; although, many of my past jobs I didn't know what's going on. My confidence was low on my job skills. Regardless, I completed all of my job responsibilities satisfactory. Too much unnecessary worry. Past history was in my favor.

A Paycheck Or A Career

I digress. I worked in neither of the two companies. An important question yesterday and today is, "Do I want a paycheck or do I want a career?" I choose all or nothing. No middle ground. I choose all-in for happiness, being lucky, and wake up in the morning to a good job. Or I choose nothing for melancholy, being unlucky, and praying in the morning for a good day; in other words, I work for the company to cut me the paycheck.

The bad luck, bad timing, and bad choices cost me eight years as of today. Most people say I'm a loser. I can't get a job. I earn no paycheck. I live at home. I don't have a family of my own. I live a stalled life long-term.

I recognize the criticisms. I recognize the observations. I listen to opinions. I took chances. None worked out in favor. I take full responsibility not getting a job. I thought I could do better. Nothing happened.

What Are The What Ifs

I'm the best person ever today. I'm the strongest, smartest, and wisest ever today. I graduated my self job training. The present job training is the endgame. My physical fitness is tops. Health is strongest. I'm one step closer to become a self-trained genius at the end of day.

I believe the above paragraph didn't happen if I worked at either the Jul permanent job or the Dec contract job. I didn't vacation at Zion National Park in Sep 2016. I didn't need two surgeries for Acute Gallstone Pancreatitis at O'Connor Hospital in Apr 2017. My Mahjong skills stalled since I didn't play more games. 2016 was the most recent bad year. All 2016 failures became successes years later. I'm unemployed. I live with my parents. I'm not George Costanza. I'm not embarrassed. Independence is maintained to the best of my ability.

Graduation Means Continue Learning

I misunderstood graduation. I accepted graduating high school and college incorrectly. The congratulations were valid. The partying was earned. The relaxing was deserved. I began my vacation. The awards came afterwards.

My mistake was I stopped learning. Graduation was a validation all the requirements were fulfilled. Graduation was a completion of the learnings. Graduation opened new paths for new requirements and new basics. Graduation meant continue learning in subject one, subject two, subject three, subject four, subject five, etc. Graduation was actually a checkpoint.

I'm lucky I corrected the error in May 2015. I reviewed SQL, Excel, and Access. I made a mistake learning Salesforce with their online videos and tutorials. I made a mistake learning Tableau signing up to use their trial accounts multiple times. They were a waste of time. Power BI was better because it's free and incorporates Microsoft 365. A friend told me learn Python instead of Ruby. Relearning HTML and learning CSS and JavaScript encouraged me to redesign my personal webpage Innovate Infinitely.

I changed my training on Feb 2020. I created a two-week rotation schedule. One week was a set of job skills to learn and review. Another week was another set of job skills to learn and review. I took advantage of a new desktop PC. Consistency was strong. I graduate my job training on Tue Jun 6, 2023. Jun is graduation month. Good timing. The skills learned and/or reviewed are the following in no particular order: Excel, Power BI, SQL, Python, Git, Sublime Text, Linux, PowerPoint, R, and Access.

The Endgame

I personally call my continue learning the endgame. It's possible I create multiple endgames. Multiple endgames are innovate infinitely. The endgame started on Wed Jun 7. I finished watching two Git tutorial videos for the third time. These two videos are considered my review videos when I need to review Git. The endgame continued on Fri Jun 9 when I use my old desktop to review Oracle SQL using Oracle SQL Developer. I create a personal database using the same data for Excel, Power BI, SQL, R, and Python. I create a personal Python textbook combining all the lessons I learned. Furthermore, the endgame includes life lessons I learned such as rope knots, physical fitness, paper airplanes, Morse Code, and cooking.

Instant Bullets Blog Feb 26, 2023

*Rosenhan Experiment. Stanford University Psychologist David Rosenhan duped hundreds of psychiatric workers by admitting sane pseudopatients in mental hospitals. The Rosenhan experiment or Thud experiment determined the validity of psychiatric diagnosis. The participants feigned hallucinations to enter psychiatric hospitals. The participants acted normally after admittance. They were diagnosed with psychiatric disorders. They were given medications. Rosenhan published his findings on Science in 1973 titled, "On Being Sane in Insane Places." The study concluded, "it is clear that we cannot distinguish the sane from the insane in psychiatric hospitals" and illustrated the dangers of dehumanization and labeling in psychiatric institutions.

YouTube interview David Rosenhan: Being Sane in Insane Places. Wikipedia Rosenhan experiment.

*pedantic: of or like a pedant. Pedantic describes a person who annoys others by correcting small errors, caring too much about minor details, or emphasizing their own expertise especially in some narrow or boring subject matter.

*Federal Reserve Possible Malfunction And Need Input. The Federal Reserve Bank Board invited public comments on a proposal to enhance regulators' ability to resolve large banks in an orderly way should they fail. If they were to fail, then their large size could complicate efforts by regulators to resolve the firms without disruption to customers and counterparties. Press Release.

*Another Big Bet For Mattress Mack Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale won $75 million making it the largest legal payout in sports betting history. He betted the Houston Astros win the 2022 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. McIngvale owns the furniture store Gallery Furniture located in Houston, TX.

*Same Frauds On Different Days. Co-founder and CEO of FTX Sam "SBF" Bankman-Fried was arrested for fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to avoid campaign finance regulations. FTX is a cryptocurrency exchange company. The fraud is still the same business fraud. The differences are a different day and an unprecedent cryptocurrency company.

*Secretary Of The Treasury Janet Yellen. Secretary Yellen was interviewed on 60 Minutes dated Sun Dec 11, 2022. Yellen is a politician first. Yellen is an economist second. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen: The 2022 60 Minutes Interview.

*Remake *fill in the blank*. There are movie remakes, television remakes, music remakes, and video games remakes. In addition, there are spin-offs, continuations, prequels, reboots, and revivals. There is one positive to all of the above which is they create jobs.

*Oklahoma City Thunder mascot Rumble scared Portland Trailblazers courtside reporter Brooke Olzendam. Thunder mascot scared this reporter #shorts. A woman is prettier when her blood flows throughout her body.

*Angry Multiplier. Anger is not a sum. 1+2+3+4+5+. . . is incorrect. Anger is a product. 1*2*3*4*5*. . . is correct. Choose anger wisely. Make the correct judgment call. Most of the time a negative moment is forgotten one year later.

*Cheer up. Don't be a stuck up.

*Barry Minkow. 16 year old Los Angeles, CA high school student Barry Minkow started a carpet cleaning business named ZZZZ Best Carpet and Furniture Cleaning in 1982. The company went public in 1985. Minkow was convicted of fraud in 1987. Barry Minkow is taught in business and accounting classes today.

60 Minutes interview Con Man: Barry Minkow - It Takes One To Know One (2005). "We were claiming to be doing restoration jobs totaling in excess of 50 million dollars. We weren't doing any. None. Well, I mean, I did like some toilet overflows at Mrs. Jones house, but that certainly didn't constitute 50 million dollars," said Minkow. $50 million in 1985 is worth $138 million today.

Watch the movie Con Man (2018). Mark Hamill, Talia Shire, James Caan, and Ving Rhames co-stars. The movie is the first time I watch without a disclaimer like some of the characters, names, businesses, locations, and events are fictionalized for dramatization purposes. I believe the movie is almost 100% accurate which likely explains the 4.7 rating in IMDb.

Read an article my auditing professor shared with the class Meet Fraudster Barry Minkow. The May 5, 2011 blog includes a .jpg of a news article.

Minkow's wisdom is, "Don’t trust--verify."

*Corrupted Blood. Blizzard's War Of Warcraft role playing game created a virtual pandemic in 2005. A boss named Hakkar casted a Corrupted Blood disease spell to players. Players who retreated spread the disease to non-playable characters due to a programming glitch. Blizzard rebooted the game for all servers affected. Article Real-World Lessons From a World of Warcraft Virtual Outbreak written on Mar 17, 2020.

*Some lower back pain is okay. ArsTechnica published an article on Feb 14, 2017 Doctors: Lower back pain is like a cold—minor, annoying, and temporary. "I know your back hurts, but go run, be active, instead of taking a pill."

*The 2023 Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show performer Rihanna said on work-life balance, "The balance is almost impossible because no matter how you look at it, work is always something that's going to rob you of time with your child. That's the currency now, that's where it goes. The magnitude of how much it weighs." She's currently building a cosmetic business named Fenty Beauty a lingerie business named Savage x Fenty. She gave birth to a boy in 2022. Rihanna last toured in 2016. Rihanna is born Robyn Rihanna Fenty on Feb 20, 1988 in Barbados.

*Adult Children Need Parental Help. Dave Ross Podcast More Millennials Need Their Parents Help But For How Much Longer on Feb 1, 2023. Parents of adult children need financial help to live an independent life.

Update On A Past Blog

The SBF FTX fraud reminded me of the blog Same Shit. Different Day. Everything Happens. I wrote on Jul 28, 2021. Today is another same day for the most part. The news is the same 99.99% of the time. Nothing new. Move along. Live your life. Worry more about yourself and less about others. Be lucky you're not on the evening news in a negative way.

The Devil Is Persistent Collecting The Bills

People make deals with the devil. The devil logs all deals in the ledger. Nothing is missed. Expect the devil to collect when the bill is due. Some bills may be past due. The devil allows leeway sometimes.

How can people pay the devil back? Most people can. Few people can't. Some people took the deals for granted. Some people took too much for what the deal is worth. If you want X, Y, and Z, then people should pay back X, Y, and Z equally. People don't blame themselves something bad happens sometimes. There may be circumstances the payment is unavailable. Bad timing? Bad luck? Maybe bad timing and bad luck are either the warnings or the penalties.

Regardless, follow the deal. Complete the contract no more. Complete the contract no less. Don't do more than stated.

Update On A Past Blog

I remind myself and my readers Most Things Don't Work. I wrote the blog on Feb 26, 2020. Be honest. There is failure. Each person counting their own failures throughout life is infinite. How many failures become successes? The answer is a few. How many failures become absolute fails? The answer is many.

Moody Men

Women are known to have mood swings. Women are happy, sad, depress, calm, nice, dreadful, funny, crazy, angry, shameful, sympathetic, and tired. Women are leave me alone, stay with me, party pooper, relatable, lonely, friendly, no touching, yes touching, horny, blame anything and anyone, and full of excuses. Don't blame the women. Blame the female hormones. Blame the mensuration cycle.

Men must admit. Men have mood swings, too. Men are happy, sad, depress, calm, nice, dreadful, funny, crazy, angry, shameful, sympathetic, and tired. Men are leave me alone, stay with me, party pooper, relatable, lonely, friendly, no touching, yes touching, horny, blame anything and anyone, and full of excuses. Don't blame the man. Blame the male hormone. My testosterone levels are high on most days or low on few days. There are days I have no interest in watching sports, reading books, sex, cooking, and working out. The days are like a time out. Nothing interests me. It's normal as long as the time out is rare. It's normal as long as the time out don't disrupt consistently and don't disrupt relationships.

Caution From My Stomach

My stomach acted up on the evening of Sat Aug 22, 2022. I neither felt hungry, upset, needing the toilet for diarrhea, throwing up vomit, nor nervous as if I'm teaching a class in my underwear. My stomach vibrated. Although, I might have avoided serious food poisoning on Thur Aug 18. I went to the bathroom three times on Fri Aug 19. The minor stomach irritations continued today from the food poisoning. No medications have been taken. I have been limiting my meals intake.

What was my vibrating stomach telling me? I may have found the answer. There is a common wisdom trust intuition or listen to your gut. Maybe my gut on Sat evening might be communicating a warning. I could be talking out of my ass. On the other hand, given today's current events in politics, economics, social problems, wars, COVID-19 global pandemic, and climate change, something negatively big is coming soon maximizing the effects on the global population. Be prepared.

Life Lessons And Life Reminders

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

Life lessons from the Special Forces Rangers and Deltas mission in Mogadishu, Somalia in Africa take nothing for granted and one moment can change the narrative. A reminder on ceiling fan rotating direction. A reminder on home prices going up year after year. A reminder on cooking pancakes. If I needed a reason for missing newspapers, then it's fewer pics for pic blogs.

2021 Year In Review

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

1. Black Friday 2021. I reminded myself wait to buy and stock up on bare necessities on Black Friday. Many of my bare necessities were at Black Friday sale prices. Buying on Black Friday was a good approach to minimize expenses.

2. Final Fantasy VII. I completed my second Final Fantasy video game.

3. Harry Potter. I reread Harry Potter two more times. The third time I read backwards from Year 7 to Year 1. Year 7 replaces Year 5 as my favorite Harry Potter book.

4. Job training. I combined Excel, Power Point, and dashboards in one day. I added R and R-Studio training on Sat mornings. I reduced the number of training days from six to five per week. The sixth day on Thurs is not necessarily a day off. The sixth day is life training outside job training.

5. Physical fitness. My physical fitness is four days a week consistently. Good health is maintained.

6. Summer Sabbatical in Oct. I corrected the 2007 Summer Sabbatical in Oct. I also corrected the retail rotation. I wrote a blog on Dec 13, 2021 titled I Corrected My Retail Rotation.

7. Wallstreet Bets. I learned more about Wall Street and financial investments in 2021 than in the past decades and the classes when I was a student at San Jose State University and De Anza College.

Explanation: No moment of the year for the small moments Black Friday 2021 and Final Fantasy VII. Final Fantasy VII is a revolutionary classic RPG all gamers must play. Rereading Harry Potter two more times was fantastic especially noting what I missed the first time I read it. I felt like I prepare myself for a trivia contest. Trivia was not a moment of the year. Solid recognitions to job training and physical fitness because I was consistent and productive. I also improved and changed learning new job skills and adding physical workouts. My longest daily jog is 4.5 miles as of the blog post. The Summer Sabbatical was a desperate break. I corrected how I should take a sabbatical and how I should prioritize my daily responsibilities. Wallstreet Bets caught my attention in Jan 2021. I could add financial education to the learning new job skills and adding physical workouts mentality.

What Won: Wallstreet Bets.

What Should Have Won: Wallstreet Bets.

My Thoughts On The Winning Moment: No brainer. All the financial education I learned in college was a joke. Regardless, all investors including professionals and amateurs must learn the basics. Thank you Google, Reddit, Yahoo Finance, and YouTube for providing sources to learn deeper.

2021 Letter Grade: B. Three consecutive good years 2019-2021. 2010-2012 was the last time I lived three consecutive good years. There was neither financial rewards nor employment income given I'm unemployed long-term. I hope the 2021 gains pay off in the future. The COVID-19 global pandemic survival mentality continues.

Past Moments Of The Years And Its Letter Grades

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

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog January 2022

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. 2022 started with the continued omicron surge. The surge eased at the end of the month. Headlines stated there is talk about the pandemic ending. Some experts agree normal life is coming soon. Some experts disagree people must continue to be vigilant. The Jan month was a welcome slow pace.

Sun Jan 2. The Holy Cross Health hospital in Fort Lauderdale, FL temporarily closed its Labor And Delivery Unit due to COVID-19 cases increasing and staff shortage.

The average cases in the US is 400,000 a day. Hospitalizations increased.

Mon Jan 3. Ran quick errands at the post office and Safeway. One customer wanted to ship a package Express Mail even though the package is mailed in the same city. The postal worker suggested Priority Mail. I purchased bread at Safeway.

The Food And Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Pfizer booster shot for children ages 12-15. The booster shot is administered as early as five months after their last shot.

Children hospitalizations increased. Most of the children were unvaccinated.

Tue Jan 4. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) recommended shortening intervals between the initial shot and the booster shot for the Pfizer vaccine from six months to five months. The Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines remain six months apart. The CDC recommended children ages 5-11 with weaken immune systems and who received the Pfizer vaccine be administered with a booster shot 28 days after the second shot.

The US reported 1,000,000 daily cases for the first time.

Wed Jan 5. The West Contra Costa Unified School District closed its schools because of COVID-19 cases increased. 28,000 students attended classes by remote. Schools were planned to be closed on Fri Jan 7 and Mon Jan 10 for classroom deep cleaning.

California extended the indoor mask mandate to Feb 15. The previous mandate was set to expire on Jan 15. Indoor mask mandate applies to all public space indoors and government offices serving the public.

The CDC endorsed the Pfizer booster shot for children ages 12-15.

Fri Jan 7. 503 teachers at the Oakland Unified School District called in sick--a sick out to protest poor COVID-19 safety. The teachers' concerns were poor masks and lack of testing for students. 12 schools closed.

Hayward Unified School District located 20 minutes south of Oakland announced all classes are taught online next week due to the COVID-19 surge.

Florida reported 800,000 to 1,000,000 unused and expired COVID-19 test kits. State officials said there was no demand for the testing kits.

Sat Jan 8. Indoor visitors in California senior care facilities must be fully vaccinated and boosted if eligible and tested negative within two days. Outdoor visitors a negative test is required.

California Governor Gavin Newsom activated the California National Guard to support COVID-19 testing sites.

Watched the first half of the Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles football game.

Sun Jan 9. Watched the San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams from the middle of the third quarter to overtime. Watched the Los Angeles Charges at Las Vegas Raiders from the fourth quarter to overtime.

Mon Jan 10. Some Bay Area hospitals delayed adult elective surgeries requiring overnight stay to free beds for COVID-19 patients.

Sonoma County issued a health order all indoor gatherings 50 or greater and outdoor gatherings 100 or greater are banned if people can't socially distance themselves. The health order is enforced from Wed Jan 12 to Tue Feb 15. Schools are excluded. The county positively rate was at an all-time high 16.5%.

Tue Jan 11. The City Of San Jose approved a COVID-19 booster mandate for city workers and attendees at city-owned indoor properties such as the SAP Center and convention center.

Wed Jan 12. Tire rotation and tire balance my car.

More businesses and services require an appointment for crowd control.

Newsom predicted an end to the pandemic in the near future. California set an all-time daily high 143,000 new cases.

The City Of Oakland required proof of vaccination at indoors spaces starting on Feb 1. The indoor spaces include restaurants, coffee houses, bars, and indoor events.

President Joe Biden announced 10M COVID-19 tests available to schools. Private insurers are required to reimburse their customers for tests. The federal government website to order four tests per household is online.

The FDA commissioner said omicron is like a natural disaster. Hospitals and essential services must be ready for the pandemic to get worse.

Thur Jan 13. Ran errands at the post office, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Walmart Neighborhood Market.

The Supreme Court struck down Biden's vaccine mandate for companies employing 100 workers or greater. The vaccine mandate is okay for health care workers. The majority ruled the Biden administration overstepped its authority giving the Occupational Safety And Health Administration (OSHA) the power to enforce the mandate. The minority ruled the court ignored health experts in making a lawful decision.

Sat Jan 15. Watched the second half of the Las Vegas Raiders at Cincinnati Bengals.

Sun Jan 16. Watched the second half of the San Francisco 49ers at Dallas Cowboys.

Mon Jan 17. Moderna and Pfizer/Bio N Tech are developing omicron vaccines. They expect the booster shots administered annually during the global pandemic.

Thur Jan 20. The City Of San Francisco reported declining cases. 2,164 average cases per day on Jan 9. 1,705 average cases per day on Jan 12.

Fri Jan 21. A federal judge blocked Biden's Executive Order requiring federal employees to be vaccinated.

The CDC reported the number of children with COVID-19 reached a pandemic high.

Sat Jan 22. Watched the Bengals at Tennessee Titans at the 13:00 in the fourth quarter. Watched the 49ers at Green Bay Packers at the 7:00 in the third quarter.

98% of all coronavirus cases are omicron.

Sun Jan 23 Watched the Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the 5:00 in the third quarter. Watched the Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs at the 12:00 in the fourth quarter.

Mon Jan 24. A new omicron variant was detected in 40 countries.

The deadline for all workers in high-risk settings must be fully vaccinated in Santa Clara County passed. These workers include health care, first responders, nursing facilities, jails, and shelters. Non-fully vaccinated workers must be reassigned to lower risk work environments. Wavers are accepted.

Wed Jan 26. CA hospitalizations down to 15,000 from 22,000 at the peak. The positivity rate down to 15% since the start of the month. 11 cases of the omicron variant detected.

Thur Jan 27. People in the City Of San Francisco can stop wearing masks indoors such as offices and gyms if everyone is fully vaccinated and boosted starting on Tue Feb 1.

Sun Jan 30. Watched the Bengals at Chiefs at the 8:44 in the fourth quarter. Watched the 49ers at Rams.

Mon Jan 31. The FDA fully approved the Moderna vaccine. Moderna markets their vaccine under the name Spikevax. 211M Americans are fully vaccinated. 86M are boosted.

Update On A Past Blog

One of my morning routine includes practicing Morse Code. I self-realized practicing Morse Code a morning mental exercise or a wake me up activity. I wrote a blog How I Learn Morse Code on Apr 28, 2021. In addition, I listen to either classical music or The Beatles while I eat breakfast.

I remind myself I need to stretch my body when I get up from bed.

Tom Brady NFL Success From Being Drafted To Retired And Beyond

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pic credit: ESPN Sportscenter.

Life Is Good Because It's Predictable And Certain

Predictability is good when you know with 99.9999...% accuracy it happens. Certainty is good when you know the person, the place, or the thing is present. There is relaxation. There is comfortability. We know what we have. We expect we have it. Reliable transportation. Nearby hospitals. Retail stores stock with goods. Plumbers ready to service. Utilities running. Phones communicating. Schools teaching. Chances are closest to 100% there is a tomorrow. Chances are closest to 100% the world didn't come to an end. Assurances. Paradise. Predictability. Routines. Life is good. It's too easy to take them all for granted. It's too hard to be reminded don't take them all for granted.

The bombshell can drop anytime. How big is the explosion? Life is bad when the boom happens. The security blanket is burned. No assurances. No paradise. No predictability. On the other hand, life is potentially good because the bombshell creates new opportunities. A new security blanket is created. New assurances. New paradises. New predictabilities. The bombshell drops test strength, courage, knowledge, motivation, and resilience. Prepare for future bombshells.

Update On A Past Blog

I thought about going back to school to earn a B.A. in Accounting at a nearby private university in 2009. My contract at Cisco was terminated in Nov 2008. I earned an A.A. in Accounting at De Anza College in 2011. I thought about taking a beginning class in Salesforce in 2015 or 2016. My contract at Palo Alto Networks was satisfied in May 2015. The one-week class cost $3,000 at the time.

The two thoughts reentered my mind. What if I went back to school to earn a B.A instead of a A.A. by attending a private university instead of a junior college during the Great Recession? What if I enrolled in a Salesforce class? Am I employed today? Maybe. Maybe not. The private university was an expensive gamble or bet. I intentionally choose the words "gamble" or "bet." $3,000 for a one-week official Salesforce class was an expensive gamble or bet.

The two thoughts reminded me the blog A Lesson Learned Tonight on Feb 2, 2010. Conan O'Brien hosted The Tonight Show on NBC for less than a year in 2009-2010. NBC brought back Jay Leno. The ratings for The Jay Leno Show and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien were low. I learned the lesson there are no guarantees in life. Having two college degrees is no guarantee a successful life. Taking a beginning class in Salesforce is no guarantee I'm an expert at Salesforce or enough experience to earn a job interview for a job opening requiring Salesforce.