Blogger's Note: May is pic month. I'm catching up posting pics from my smart phone. Enjoy!
The gratuity debate continues indefinitely. Eye protection is important. I forgot the SD card broke pic for Apr 20, 2025. Life moves forward in heaven and in hell. People need to sleep more. Teamwork overrated? Smart phones at the restaurant table in 2014 and present. Coke is back at Costco. Support Pokemon books at the library.
Blogger's note 1: Today's blog is posted at both Innovating Common Knowledge and Finding Raymond Mar.
Blogger's note 2: Today's blog is edited minimally for grammar.
Christmas 2025 was a bad Christmas. No need for a detailed explanation. The one sentence explaining a bad 2025 Christmas was my family did a bad job being boring. Dec 25, 2025 changed my family's lives for better or for worse. Dec 25, 2025 initialized permanent changes. I write bullet points to share my thoughts and my feelings in no particular order.
*I played Portal 2 for the second time. I finished the video game in Sep 2025. I planned to play a second time. I choose to play the second time during the holiday.
*There was one lucky moment. The moment was small. I play Riichi or Japanese Mahjong on Riichi City. I paid $7.99 to support the video game paying for one out of four new characters guaranteed. The guaranteed new character was my first choice Toho Nagi.
*I read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. I ate like the French during the German occupation in World War II. Food was distributed with ration cards. I ate poor meals after Christmas. No appetite.
*I cleaned the house.
*I watched the beginning scenes from the movies Saving Private Ryan and The Godfather Part I.
*Eat intelligently regardless of proper meals or improper meals. No appetite. Still eat intelligently. There were some days I ate meals like I had the stomach flu.
*I didn't want to cook for the household. There were no reasons to eat well. On the other hand, I admit I completed tasks I delayed months ago with the free time. No cooking was another protest to express my anger Christmas was bad.
Did everyone feel Christmas was bad? My answer is most of us felt Christmas was bad. Nobody verbally expressed it.
*I trusted nobody with my thoughts and my feelings. The family was weak. The family was not strong enough to handle me.
*The world didn't come to an end.
*The cure is stay busy. Stay busy relieves the depression pain. Be active relieves the depression symptoms. Motivation is the key. Motivation is more important than knowledge. Motivation > Knowledge. Hope the depression is cured like taking medication for the common cold.
*There is no reason to be a jerk. There is no excuse to be impolite. Bad behavior is intolerable.
*The feelings and the thoughts no wants and no desires to do something, anything are valid. The feelings and the thoughts must be temporarily.
*The Christmas holiday was effortlessly boredom. There are people who live good boring lives with effort.
*I silently protested how my family celebrated Christmas 2025.
*There is work every day. Work can be a positive distraction to a negative feeling. Work is not necessarily financial or earned income. Household cooking, cleaning, and organizing are examples of work with zero pay.
Personal intelligence is also work. Reading, learning new skills, and doing personal maintenance are work.
*No sex desire. I understood better how depression repress the human sex drive.
*Choose the cure. Choose the distraction. Choose wisely.
*The human being is like an engine. All parts must function well to live a good life. Any parts go down or weaken a negative chain reaction starts. Other parts of the engine compensate. More stress. Life is harder to live.
The engine must be maintained. Sleep is important to rest the engine. Sometimes the engine needs upgrades. A tragedy can disable the engine. Hopefully, the engine can be repaired.
*Backups can be available. Complements, supplements, and substitutions must be effective to keep the human living his or her best.
*I ate one good meal during the depression. It was like the late Steve Jobs while he attended Reed College who said, "I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple." The one good meal was at Panda Express. I ordered fried rice, broccoli beef, and string bean chicken.
Outdoors can be good. I was out of the house. I was out of the bad boredom household. I understood better from decades ago I read an article about multi families staying in a single residence due to low income. Each family spent private time at a fast food restaurant.
*Depression time should be temporary. Depression passes.
*Must eat good meals to live a good life.
*Permanent changes happen afterwards due to self-discovery. Be aware to correct the ongoing mistakes.
*I read my personal bible. Click Inspiration Cheer Up File to download the .pdf file. Continue to live life finding what you want to do. Jobs said, "Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."
*I played my all-time favorite board game Puerto Rico solo. I played with four players being solo. I rolled dice to randomly determined the roles.
*I rearranged the PC and tech cables in the computer desk.
*I stored the Christmas tree on Sun Jan 4, 2026. I initially wanted to keep the tree displayed for months as a reminder for a bad Christmas. I changed my mind which was the correct choice. Out of sight, out of mind.
Update On A Past Blog
There were blogs I mentioned my personal bible I didn't include the link to download the Inspiration Cheer Up File. I posted the link again. The blogs were Top 50 Most Memorable Moments written on Sep 18, 2024, The Green Steno Notebook 8 written on Apr 22, 2023, Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog 1 written on Jun 2, 2020, Top 40 Most Memorable Moments written on Sep 27, 2016, My Spirituality Discovery written on Jan 11, 2015, and Exercise Your Body From Head To Toe Inside And Outside written on Jan 6, 2015.
My regular dental cleaning was in Dec 2024. The dentist said I needed five resins costing $1,300. The resins are a generic term. Specifically, the dentist fills in gaps between the teeth to minimize debris stuck between the teeth and gums, and minimize decay. $1,300 or $260 per tooth is expensive; on the other hand, the alternative is future gum surgery which costs higher and more inconvenience.
I went shopping afterwards. The first two retail locations were two high class malls. I thought about $1,300 dental work and $1,300 for X object(s) many stores sell. The chances of X object(s) are useless for practical uses. A $100 jacket is good as a $1,300 jacket. Almost nobody cares for a $1,300 pretty decoration on a table. I thought "a who cares he or she has it (them)" item(s) for sale in the two malls.
Consumerism at its best. Consumerism creates jobs. We don't complain on televisions, movies, clothes, toys, automobiles, and tech gadgets. We complain on food, insurance, utilities, and dental work. Some people need to re-evaluate their budgets and their priorities. A smile can earn more than $1,300 in money. Nobody wants his or her partner with bad dental hygiene during sex.
All prices increase. Higher costs. Spend wisely. It's the 2025 advice of the year.
Update On A Past Blog
Here is additional information on the blog Homeless Encampment Eviction Day Real Story written on Mar 23, 2024. The media doesn't report the real story.
Many legal homeless people receive government support such as Social Security, disabled veterans pensions, food stamps, and Medi-Cal. Some homeless people don't meet the rules for government support.
Some homeless people refuse shelters by choice. Women feels unsafe. Pets are prohibited. Must be sober. Strict curfews; for instance, homeless people with jobs and/or visit family members conflicts with the curfew. Couples must be married to be admitted together.
I dreamed last night I attended a neighborhood car race. I watched at a designed attendees section inside the race track. All sections composed of people and their vehicles. I came as one person with no vehicle.
The car race was part of the Professional Racing Neighborhood Driver League or PRNDL. All cars included modern cars today and classic cars as far back as the 1970s. All cars could be thought of Hot Wheels racing cars brought to life. All cars raced inside the streets of a neighborhood consisting of homes, apartments, stores, and parks. All barriers, safety equipment, and streets repairs were involved.
The final lap of the PRNDL race I suggested to a family of three to move their inoperative car to the center of the road. My dream didn't make sense. Follow my lead. The father of the family moved the car to the center of the road. The road was blocked. The race stopped. All cars stopped. The racers were angry. All cars which avoided the roadblock beforehand crossed the finishing line.
A PRNDL official told me to follow him. I was escorted to a table where the Operations Director issued a fine for which my dad signed off. My uncle was present, too. The fine was $400 million. I woke up.
I didn't like the ending. I went back to sleep half conscious. I changed the ending. I dreamed I carried a concealed Glock 19 gun on my rear waist. I reached around my rear waist with my right hand. I grabbed the gun. I shot the director in the head. Then I shot myself in the head. There were two police officers behind me. I was too quick for them to react.
The dream continued. The murder and my suicide made headline news for days. Many sports commentaries said the $400 million was an inappropriate fine. The PRNDL Board Of Directors eliminated the bylaw fine imposed for anyone interfering with the face. Many law commentaries said my parents could sue PRNDL in civil court for wrongful death. They predicted a settlement out of court.
Not Perfect. Still Good Enough.
The dream may convince many sports fans why people who interrupt live professional sports games are charged trespassing misdemeanors instead of felonies if law enforcement arrests the perpetrators. The punishment matches the committed crime. $10,000 fine is too high. Six months jail time is too cruel. $400 million fine is beyond outrageous.
Moreover, in an NFL game for example, the referee stops the game clock and play clock for security to remove the trespasser(s). Game continues afterwards. The PRNDL could stop the race temporarily by removing me and the car blocking the race track. The race continued afterwards.
The laws work. The laws protect people. The justice system is not perfect. The laws being enforced is good enough. The justice system convicting guilty felons and releasing innocent suspects is good enough.
I hand washed and hand waxed my car for the first time on Sun Sep 24, 2023. I was in sixth grade the last time I hand washed a car. My dad told my brother and I we don't wash the family car anymore because he didn't want to take us to Chuck E. Cheese as a reward.
I played a video game and watched a movie in the evening. The job was completed. I earned the leisure. I didn't earn the leisure to play video games in Oct-Nov 2007. I helped my dad and his friend install a new roof for the friend's house every Sat. I didn't want to help. My attitude was uncooperative. I assisted with some effort. I thought about playing video games many times throughout the day. I played video games without feeling guilty for a poor effort on Sat's nights.
The roofing installation might have been completed sooner if I gave it 100% effort.
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.
Here are the 9 top pictures I took in 2021. They’re sorted from the start of the year to the end of the year. 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. Enjoy!
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.
Blogger's Note: Throwback blogs are blogs from my past. I start posting past blogs reflecting what I wrote. It's like my "A Second Look" blogs for which I give myself feedback.
Today's throwback blog is titled Third Blog Entry: Breaking Rule Number written on Jan 7, 2006. The third blog out of three blogs on the day talked about my second job after I graduated from San Jose State University. My job sucked. I started searching for a job in Jan 2007. I couldn't explain the logic for the one year delay. The company went downhill at the end of 2006. My life was great outside the workplace which made me forget my job.
I choose the criticisms I respond decades later. Today's blog is another example time heals all wounds. Wisdom is acquired as we get older. Lessons are learned. No mistakes are repeated. I connect the dots backwards.
*Like many jobs that suck, my job sucks. What makes my job suck? I work in the Research Department. The department has two workers: me and my co-worker. The department supports 70+ brokers in the local office . . . The office I worked was an outlier. A typical commercial real estate company has an ample support staff to help the brokers. Most of the 70+ brokers were self-sufficient for which they required minimal support staff. Most of the 70+ brokers were trained beyond commercial real estate and salesperson skills. Moreover, I wrote the rant in a Jan month. Jan was the busiest month in a calendar year because of the previous year's annual report and annual conference the Research Dept. was involved. Otherwise, the Feb-Dec months were normal with the exception of the quarterly reports which took significantly less time compared with the annual report.
*My co-worker is an idiot. Should have been fired a long time ago. Somehow, when he fucks up, he gets away with it. Nothing lasts forever. My co-worker was never going to be fired. One reason was two people worked in the Research Dept. supporting 70+ brokers. Another reason was the managing partner and my co-worker had a close relationship. For instance, my co-worker worked on Sat. The managing partner emailed my co-worker for research statistics on Sat. My co-worker completed the request hours later.
My co-worker's fuck up was discovered on Jul 2007. He was transferred to another brokerage house instead of being fired. I don't know why he wasn't fired. I don't know how the two brokerage houses negotiated the transfer. I should have said "never say never" instead of "Nothing lasts forever."
*Also, the managing partner in charge of the office is not a managing partner; rather a major pain. The guy has shit in his brains. The answer was simple. The managing partner ran the office by the sales numbers. His job security was strong as long as the sales numbers were good. Winning disguised problems.
*My feelings are I'm lonely. When I started the company, there was nobody to be my mentor. Heck, I never had a mentor in my life. There was nobody to show me around. The lonely feeling was incorrect. I realized years later the brokers got my back. If I spoke up, then management responded because of the brokers. Management couldn't fire me. Also, one magical day I spoke up at a workplace outing. The Administration Dept and the Graphics Dept talked to me. There was a new permanent connection.
No mentor in my life was true. 95% of all my problems I solved myself by learning from my mistakes, acquiring wisdom at the right place at the right time, and growing up. I'm lucky my life today is my best life. I'm the strongest, smartest, wisest, and healthiest ever. Ironically, I'm George Costanza being unemployed and living with my parents.
*Problem number two is I trust nobody. Nobody has proven to me, nobody has earned my trust, nobody earned the right to know me, to listen to me sincerity. Nobody has my credibility if anyone wants to give me advice. As far as I'm concern, anyone who tells me anything is full of crap. Why should I believe you? Who are you? I don't know who the people are and people don't know who I am, and even if I tell them who I am, they probably don't give a shit. Been there, done that. I was full of shit. Don't waste time figuring out what I said. It was a cry for help. If I said the shit today, then I need professional help. I'm not the shit person today.
*When I go to work, the real me doesn't enter the building ;__; It's a stranger even I'm not comfortable being. Outside work, I'm very cheerful and always busy doing stuff like reading books, playing video games, watching anime, listening to CDs, going to the gym, cooking, researching stocks, and just being myself. That's the real me. I was not the real me inside work and outside work. It was true I was busy outside work doing the stuff above. I was not cheerful outside work.
Life advice and professional workplace advice. If you're not you going to work, then changes are warranted. Everybody is human. Nobody can tolerate being a different person in a workplace indefinitely. I'm not thinking what my life is today if I continued working at the company today.
*Side note: there were four people I don't respect specifically. Two of them are no longer in my office. Another workplace advice I should have learned years ago. Anytime a group of people resign in a short time period is a sign there's something happening to the company or to the department in a negative way. I was one of four people who found better jobs in the company in early 2007. Retail is the exception because the retail industry always has high turnover by nature.
In Dale Carnegie's book How To Win Friends and Influence People, rule number one is Don't Criticize, Condemn, or Complain. The third blog entry, however, I'm going to break the rule and rant. Rant, complain, let my stress out, let my anger out. It doesn't matter to me. I need to vent frustration regardless whether the reader thinks I'm complaining or not complaining. More important, the following is going to be unedited; in other words, [sic] or verbatim.
Like many jobs that suck, my job sucks. What makes my job suck? I work in the Research Department. The department has two workers: me and my co-worker. The department supports 70+ brokers in the local office and 10+ brokers in a satellite office north. 80+ brokers. Two people in the department. Hello, senior management. The department needs additional help. No need to research the facts. Furthermore, I'm not going to be working in the company forever.
My co-worker is an idiot. Should have been fired a long time ago. Somehow, when he fucks up, he gets away with it. Nothing lasts forever. One day you are going to mess up big and you are going to be fucked!!! What has he done and got away with? Start the list:
*In 1997, the server crashed and he didn't back up the research data.
*In 2002, he calculated absorption wrong for 12 years. I found the error in five minutes 0:-) Any national real estate firm needing a researcher with new ideas? I'm available for hire >.<
*I taught him how to calculate weighted averages. He never knew what a weighted average; moreover, he never calculated rents. Come on, researchers must know basic math.
*He is still using an 80s system to calculate statistics in the 21st century. One step further, he's an obsolete 80s robot because he acts like a robot.
*He makes careless mistakes, and it's getting worst.Lesson: if it acts like a duck, walks like a duck, talks like a duck, thinks like a duck, it's probably a duck {:V
Also, the managing partner in charge of the office is not a managing partner; rather a major pain. The guy has shit in his brains. I have been working in the company for seven years. Man, that's too long to work there. I can't think of one incident where he has taken an active role in, well, anything. Come to think of it, he's done nothing to the company to make it a better place to work. Nothing. Zip. Zilch. Jack shit. The chances of him leaving the company are next to nothing because the position requires a brokers or sales license to sign off completed deals.
As for me, personally, what are my feelings? My feelings are I'm lonely. When I started the company, there was nobody to be my mentor. Heck, I never had a mentor in my life. There was nobody to show me around. I learned almost everything about the company myself (which was really nothing to learn come to think of it). I can't trust anyone because nobody in the company earned my respect, my trust, my credibility. Respect, trust, and credibility must be earned whether he or she is the janitor, engineer, director, or senior vice president; likewise for parents . . . if you want sons and daughters to learn, to love, to be good sons and daughters, you must earn their trust, their love, and their bond; otherwise, they are not going to believe what you say to them. Perhaps, that's one reason why runaway kids leave their parents. Trust, love, bond, etc. are not automatic just because Mom and Dad are parents. All must be earned and demonstrated sincerely and without deception. The same goes with co-workers, management, and executives. Earn them (respect, trust, credibility, sincerity) or lose them (co-workers).
It's out in the air. I'm lonely. I should tell somebody. Problem number two is I trust nobody. Nobody has proven to me, nobody has earned my trust, nobody earned the right to know me, to listen to me sincerity. Nobody has my credibility if anyone wants to give me advice. As far as I'm concern, anyone who tells me anything is full of crap. Why should I believe you? Who are you? I don't know who the people are and people don't know who I am, and even if I tell them who I am, they probably don't give a shit. Been there, done that.
When I started in 1999, the research department was pathetic. Terrible. An embarrassment. In one year, I provide new reports, accepted new responsibilities, increase turn-over rate to less than one business day for most requests, new ideas, etc. I proved that I can do a whole shit load for the company. What has the company proved to me? Nothing. It's the same company since 1999. No improvements, nothing new, nothing the latest and greatest (except computers of course), no innovating. Heck, my company doesn't have a CEO and a CFO. The CEO fucked up and the CFO resigned.
When I go to work, the real me doesn't enter the building ;__; It's a stranger even I'm not comfortable being. Outside work, I'm very cheerful and always busy doing stuff like reading books, playing video games, watching anime, listening to CDs, going to the gym, cooking, researching stocks, and just being myself. That's the real me. The guy who never stop innovating and wants to meet more people XD
I feel much better now and I'm going to get a good night's sleep (-,-)
Side note: there were four people I don't respect specifically. Two of them are no longer in my office. The first person was eliminated in August 2002. Officially, the position was eliminated. Unofficially, she was laid-off. The second person was transferred to the corporate office in January 2006. Her replacement started in January 2006. We shall see how the replacement does, and I'm going to have high expectations because she was promoted in my office.
Side note 2: there are a selected few co-workers I'm comfortable in a conversation; however, it's as far as the communication goes--casual conversation.
My regular readers know I'm a George Costanza. I'm unemployed and I live with my parents. However, I ask who are the real losers? Are the real losers people like me or people who are independent screwing it up?
I define the independent people with a life. They have a job. They have friends and/or family. They live in a residence with a roof. They own a car. Health is good. Finances are stable. They own a cell phone. Intelligence is solid. There are no felonies. They have the little things such as the ability to read, sleep on a mattress, showering, access to bare necessities, cooking meals, and browsing the internet.
There are a number of people self-destructing. There are a number of families imploding. These people and these families have all of the above. They're screwing it up. They take life for granted. There is too much fun. There is too much spending. There is too much junk. People are working too little to strengthen relationships. Too many hours of television is watched. Too many hours of video games are played. Too much alcohol is consumed. Too much complaining. Too little appreciation. There are problems for which many are ignored and few are solved. Time will tell whether all of the above remains or all of the above vanishes.
I'm angry. I'm pissed. People like me trade places with these independent people any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Life flows the independent people's way. These people fail to continue going with the flow. I ask the question, "Who are the real losers?" I'm not a loser today.
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.
Co-worker eats part of a cake in the break room. Never eat unpackaged foods or partial foods for health reasons.
Qwake Technologies. The companies makes C-Thru Ironman AR for Firefighters technology. Firefighters see through smoke fighting fires.
Esophageal Manometry. A friend experienced problems digesting foods. Esophageal Manometry is an outpatient test used to identify problems with movement and pressure in the esophagus that may lead to problems like heartburn. The esophagus is the "food pipe" leading from the mouth to the stomach. Manometry measures the strength and muscle coordination of your esophagus when you swallow.
Power to the Penis! With Dr. Edward Karpman. A podcast from Sex With Emily on the penis.
Greatest American Sports Moments of the Decade [2010-2019]. Sports YouTube video.
Aaron Gordon Dunks Over Tacko Fall - 2020 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Probably the best dunk in the 2020 NBA Dunk Contest.
feebly: In a way that lacks strength or force. In a way that fails to convince or impress.
Physicists Freeman Dyson past away at 96. ArsTechnica article.
Is it better to retire one year too early than one year too late?
Ceiling fans turn clockwise for cold days or counterclockwise for warm days.
plinth: A slab-like member beneath the base of a column or pier. A square base or a lower block, as of a pedestal.
What Monta Ellis told Steph Curry after trade from Warriors to Bucks. There's nothing to worry. The Warriors is your team. NBC Bay Area article.
Teachers, what's the darkest thing you've seen from a student? AskReddit post.
A legal prostitute in Nevada named Molly Sinn. AMA Reddit post.
A personality quiz to find fictional characters similar to you.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Major Kong survival kit contents check with his crew.
Survival prepper skills with pantyhose.
Life In A Northern Town by The Dream Academy. Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya.
