The Worrying Increases

Today's Information Age lifestyle more people are worrying. I accept. It's okay. The feeling is normal. Scarcity is one reason to worry. There are too many people needing too few resources. There are too many people needing too few opportunities. There are too many people and there are too few *fill in the blank*. Demand outpaces supply.

Worry about failing. More people fail. Worry being unsuccessful. Worry about no money. Worry about worsening health problems. If there are no solutions, then worry. If there is no support, then worry. Time runs out. Worry is a normal emotional feeling when there are no answers to the too many unknowns.

Most people are on edge. Most people are living with high concerns we're one incident away from a catastrophe. People are raising shields. People are quieter. People are holding back. People are silent not sharing negative personal instances. Perhaps, we are being too honest by being silent. We should be communicating our worries without judgement. The listeners should be open and unembarrassed. Unfortunately, most of us feel unconfident people judge and people are embarrassed. The worriers are ashamed.

I'm not a professional psychologist. Times have changed. Cynicism is the comfort. Pessimism is heaven. The two are easy to live in today's Information Age. Doing our best is not good enough. Working hard may not reap the expected awards. The past--yes. The present--a weak maybe.

Update On A Past Blog

There are reasons people are quiet. I wrote some of the reasons on Another Perspective On Quiet People blog written on Feb 20, 2019. Some people treat their worries as secrets. Many people worrying is a daily habit. Worrying requires deep thought. Quiet people are thinking deeply.

The Democrats Are Unhappy They Won

Today's blog likely makes no sense to the reader. It's okay. I'm not a political scientist. I'm not an expert in government. I didn't take any classes on constitutional law. I write an unprofessional opinion on the US politics.

The Democrats won. The liberals won. The left side won. The victories happened decades ago. The best examples include The Affordable Care Act or Obamacare, legal abortion maintained, fewer racial discrimination or greater equality or DEI Diversity Equity Inclusion, LGBTQ+ rights acknowledged, and more people gaining wealth. More people earn incomes to live a comfortable life.

The victories were too victorious. The wins were too good. The Democrats are unhappy. The Democrats lost their motivation. Bring on the chaos by the Republicans. Bring on stirring the pot stew. Bring on the uncomfortability. Bring on the unprecedent firsts. Bring on the new laws. There are changes. President Donald Trump won the 2016 election against Hiliary Clinton and the 2024 election against Kamala Harris; although, some people say the Democrats lost the 2016 election and lost the 2024 election instead of the Republicans winning. Perhaps, the Democrats took for granted they win the 2016 election and the 2024 election. I digress. Abortion is unprotective on a federal level. Tariffs are back. Obamacare is changed on the federal level. Illegal immigrants are being deported. DEI setbacks. Federal health policies are changing.

There is no impeachment against Trump during his second term as of today. I read past news articles a congressman or a congresswoman began the impeachment process. Nothing happened thereafter. There were rallies hosted by the Democrats to convince the US citizens to oppose President Trump and the Republicans. Nothing happened thereafter.

Winners are supposed to be happy. Losers are supposed to be unhappy. Losers can be happy by learning from their mistakes. Winners can be unhappy with an irrational reason. The Democrats are unhappy.

Down And Out Both Are Never Permanent

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

I connect the dots from yesterday to today. The following moments were down and out. There were no permanent downs and outs. The following moments could be a catastrophe. Disasters were prevented. The following moments could be negative life changes. I'm fortunate these negative life changes were temporary. The following moments were potential failures. Failures became satisfactory successes. Life found a way to bounce me back up. The system worked at the end of the day. Destiny, intuition, karma, going with the flow, divine intervention, whatever. A bad luck moment was countered with a good luck moment plus more goodness.

Faith, good luck, and/or good choices saved me from a permanent down and out. Many of these moments were luck. Few of these moments were good decisions. I needed help from family, co-workers, and friends. All assistances were appreciated. Here are the moments from oldest to newest. I categorized the moments good luck or good decision. I want to tell the story. Some of these moments connect.

*Changed Majors (Fall Semester 1995). Good decision. I changed majors from Mathematics to Economics as an undergraduate at San Jose State University. The preparing, volunteering, reading, and the guidance to become a high school math teacher were falling apart. I couldn't pass my math classes. I lost my desire.

One could say the change in majors were killing two birds with one stone. The first was switching majors my grade point average went up every semester thereafter. The second was I'm not teaching in high school today. I graduated with a Bachelors Of Science in Economics and a minor in Mathematics. I didn't waste my lower division math classes.

*First Job (Jul 1998). Good luck. It took me six months to find my first job after graduating at San Jose State University. I was a Research Analyst in a commercial real estate company. My parents pressured me to find a job naturally. I thought about going back to San Jose State University to earn a master's degree.

*Second Job (Feb 1999). Good luck. The manager who hired me at my first job hired me for my second job. Same job title in the same industry. I was a Research Analyst in commercial real estate. The second company was better than the first company. A total of five employees quit from my first company to work at the second company. Moreover, the second company saved me from the first company because I thought about quitting the first company.

*My Second Boss Was Fired (Sep 2002). Good luck. My first boss who hired me at my first job and my second job moved to Australia. My second boss was nothing. Officially, she found another job. Unofficially, she was fired.

I warned the office manager she was ineffective. I waited two years for her release.

*Full Metal Alchemist Midnight Marathon (May 2004). Good decision. A Fanime Con 2004 anime convention event was a midnight marathon showing the anime series Full Metal Alchemist. I watched 17 episodes from midnight to 7am. I stayed awake. The end of episode eight I said, "I'm going to cosplay Edward Elric." Edward Elric was the main character. I thank my mom for making my Edward Elric cosplay.

I contemplated retiring from anime for the remainder of 2004 because I talked to a friend much younger than me. He retired from anime. Watching the marathon delayed my retirement for nine years and four months. I officially retired in Sep 2013.

*Third Job (Mar 2007). Good luck. The second company started going downhill in late 2006. People began quitting. My third job was my first tech job. The company was the largest employer in San Jose, CA. I belong working in the tech industry.

*Grow Up (Oct 2008). Good decision. I remember the day for the rest of my life. I was lost in Aug-Sep 2008. I was weak. I realized I must grow up. My life changed forever. The life changes were immediate. I built a new Gaming PC, I started to read fiction books, I wore new clothes, I purchased my first fine watch, and I slept on a new mattress. I found new hobbies which included hiking, ballroom dancing, and listening to classic jazz. I started following new gym workout plans.

I include going back to school earning an Associate Of Arts degree in Accounting at De Anza College and vacationing in the state of Washington and visiting Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

*First Job In A Start Up (Nov 2013). Good luck. I was a data entry and bookkeeper in a retail start up selling high end beer, wine, and sake at a discount price. Timing was good because I needed a distraction.

*Another Tech Job (Nov 2014). Good luck. My contract job at the start up company was satisfied. I found another contract job supporting an engineer at a networking server company.

*O'Connor Hospital (Apr 2017). Good decision and good luck. I experienced stomach pains since Mar 2017. The pain was too severe. My parents took me to the emergency room. The wait time was minimal. I was admitted as an in-patient requiring two surgeries. The hospital was not busy. The hospital was quiet. I was the only patient in a double occupancy room for three out of the four nights. The first surgery was Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio Pancreatography which removed gallstones. The second surgery was Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy which removed my gallbladder. The doctors diagnosed me with Acute Gallstone Pancreatitis.

The moment was the first time I was an in-patient and first time doctors performed surgery.

*Safe At Home Plate, 50 Years Old At The Age Of 45, or Self Trained Genius (Aug-Sep 2019). Good luck. I can't choose a title for the Aug-Sep 2019 moment. I include any of the three. Choose any one.

I began hiking again devoting one day per month. I hiked the Montara Mountain Trail in Pacifica, CA for the first time on Labor Day weekend. I started to read Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. I watched The Shawshank Redemption for the first time. My soul was saved. I became a genuine adult at the age of 45. I began training to become a self trained genius.

A Song And A Genius On The Uncontrolled Life

Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you; When you think everything's okay and everything's going right; And life has a funny way of helping you out when; You think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up; In your face. --Ironic, Alanis Morissette

You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something--your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life. --Steve Jobs

Update On A Past Blog

The Top Ten Saves blog written on Apr 25, 2020 mentioned four moments from above: my second boss was fired at number ten, number seven mentioned The Shawshank Redemption, number four was the Fanime Con 2004 Full Metal Alchemist midnight marathon, number two was O'Connor Hospital, and number one was growing up.

Three high school saves happened in my sophomore year. I took Geometry after my sophomore year in summer school to take Algebra II in my junior year. I played chess during the lunch hour. I played softball in Physical Education.

Another moment in Fall Semester 1995 which was a save. A shoutout to my Physics 61 laboratory partner who majored in General Engineering. He saved my ass.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog March 2025

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. Five years ago the world shut down. The media reported the five year anniversary with minimal headline coverage. The COVID-19 Mar 2025 blog is the shortest blog. Another slow month from the first day to the last day.

Wed Mar 12. Shopped at Costco and O'Reilly. Got gas at Chevron.

Sun Mar 16. Five years ago to the day it was the last day before CA shut down due to the global pandemic.

Mon Mar 17. Five years ago to the day CA shut down due to the global pandemic. It was 1,826 days ago. Lives changed forever.

Wed Mar 19. Ran errands at the post office and Costco.

Tue Mar 25. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) took back $11.4 billion in funds for COVID-19. The funds were supposed to fund state health departments, community health departments, nongovernment organizations, and international organizations. The Department Of Health And Human Services said the COVID-19 pandemic is over. The $11.4 billion is transferred to President Donald Trump's Make America Healthy Again.

The federal public health emergency ended May 11, 2023. 1.2 million people died in the United States from COVID-19. Hundreds of people die every week from COVID-19. Long COVID-19 symptoms continue.

Fri Mar 28. Shopped at Safeway first thing in the morning.

Update On A Past Blog

I wrote my first shelter in-place blog Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog 1 written on Jun 2, 2020. All shelter in-place blogs thereafter are monthly blogs.

Mother Nature Demands Payment

The wildfires in Southern CA started on Tue Jan 7, 2025. The biggest current fires in Los Angeles County as of the blog posting: Palisades burned 23,448 acres, Eaton burned 14,021 acres, and Hughes burned 10,396 acres. The Border 2 Fire in San Diego County burned 600 acres. The Palisades and Eaton started on Tue Jan 7. The Hughes started on Wed Jan 22. The Border 2 started earlier on Thur Jan 23.

The record breaking winter snow storm along the Gulf Coast started on Tue Jan 21. The storm stretched 1,500 miles from the Texas Gulf Coast to the Carolinas along the Atlantic Coast. Snow fell in Houston, TX; New Orleans, LA; Mobile, AL; Pensacola, FL, and Myrtle Beach, SC. Airports closed. Flights cancelled. Road closures. Schools and college classes cancelled.

The Northern CA Bay Area weather is unseasonable warm in the daytime and cold temperatures between the upper 20s to upper 30s in the nighttime. No rain storms in weeks. There is talk about droughts for Summer 2025.

Mother nature assesses penalties to humankind. My household gives partial payments by consuming less. I shave with cold water since Jul 2022. I have been taking cold showers to save water. My mom shops less.

Consumption, destruction, production, reproduction, and expansion for humankind. Mother nature wants payback for all of them. Mother nature wants its share of humankind progress. Mother nature can end the present humankind in minutes. Two million years later another humankind life cycle starts over.

Update On A Past Blog

Here is another forgotten memory for the Top Ten Forgotten Moments written on Feb 15, 2020. There was a Santa Barbara, CA and Los Angeles mini vacation during the 2002 Thanksgiving weekend. I rode with my uncle, aunt, and grandfather. My family drove separately arriving later. I purchased a jacket at a thrift store for which I wear indoors every winter. The jacket still fits. My dad built a desktop PC when we stayed over in Los Angeles. I forgot my portable CD player containing my Spirited Away anime soundtrack. I retrieved the CD player and soundtrack attending a wedding in Los Angeles in Jul 2003.

Top Ten Plus Four Equals Top Fourteen Problems Solved Are Impossible

Life is unfair. It's a common wisdom. The world is not perfect. It's another common wisdom. There are always problems every minute. Think about the history of humans. Some of these problems existed since the ancient history. Some of these problems existed since the dawn of the human. These fourteen problems finding permanent solutions for every human being on Earth are improbable. If a person solves one of the fourteen problems below permanently, then the person is a god. I write with 99.9% confidence even though I'm not a professional in their respective fields. Here are the top ten plus four equals top fourteen problems solved are impossible.

14. Too Big To Fail. The global big name companies. The top Fortune 500 companies. The top of the top can't fail. These companies are built to last doing everything legal, border line legal, border line illegal, anything. AT&T, Wal-Mart, NFL, Cisco, Bank Of America, Chase, Google or Alphabet, banks, tech, finance, governments, manufacturing, etc. If any of the above fail, then the impact affects many people in many countries. Bailouts, mergers, and interventions can prevent failure.

13. World Wars. There is always conflicts between at least two countries leading to war.

12. Natural Resources And Energy Shortages. There are not enough water, electricity, and natural gas. The population increases require natural resources and energy for life. Expect prices to increase indefinitely.

11. US Democracy. The US government democratic system consists of two parties which are Democratics and Republicans.

10. Mass Shooting. The violent crime deserves its own entry. More people die from criminals shooting multiple victims.

9. Divorce. A book can be written by one hundred top marriage counselors. There are always divorces at a divorce rate around 50%. People always change. Couples always change. Families always change.

8. Mental Depression. More people become depressed for whatever reasons such as the current COVID-19 global pandemic, loneliness, loss, and financial problems. More people have poor social skills. More people feel isolated. Today's Information Age living increases anxiety. There is too much screen time on phones and computers. Other common mental illnesses anxiety, fear, drug use, and alcoholics are included.

7. Illiteracy. Adults and children can sneak through the cracks during their education nobody taught them to read for whatever reasons.

6. Drunk Driving. Call it brain fart. Call it stupidity. Call it taking life for granted. People drive over the legal alcohol limit for whatever reasons. Some can escape. Some are arrested. Some kill people.

5. Cancer. Humans and life mutate. It's life. It's evolution. Also, there's no cure for the common cold.

4. Crimes. I include violent crimes such as domestic violence, murders, robberies, homicides, and burglary. I also include white-collar crimes such as fraud, money laundering, and embezzlement.

3. Homelessness. More people are going to be homeless globally. There are not enough resources to help them. There are not enough resources to slow down the homelessness rate. The cost of living increases. In addition, the job market is tight indefinitely. More people can't find work. Homelessness leads to number two . . .

2. Income Inequality. Social economic barriers. The rich gets richer because of the laws, the economic system, and the finance system. There is always poverty.

1. Discrimination And Racism. There is preferential treatment. Racism, discrimination, and prejudice existed in the past. Racism, discrimination, and prejudice are present. Racism, discrimination, and prejudice exist tomorrow. They continue throughout humankind.

The Perfect Error

Republican Donald Trump defeated Democrat Kamala Harris in a historic 2024 US Presidential Election. The Electoral College is 295 for Trump and 226 for Harris as of the blog entry. 270 is needed to win. The Popular Vote is 72,623,882 for Trump and 67,927,989 for Harris as of the blog entry. AP News is the source. The race wasn't close. I want to share my takeaways. I want to share my feelings. I'm not a political science expert. More information is released to the public from the winning side and the losing side. My personal life lesson is Harris committed the perfect error.

A top reason why Trump won the election is the struggling people and struggling families. I use a father, mother, and two children family as a typical example. The father and/or mother are unemployed. No income. Money is running out. The parents' worries are not abortion, the economy, the Middle East war, climate change, crime, Russia, and education. The parents' worries are food on the table, paying the rent or the mortgage, insurance, clothing, and bare necessities. All other worries are secondary. Moreover, the parents' pride, self-worth, self-confidence, and dignity are weakened. There is jealously neighbor Bob is providing for his family. There is jealously neighbor Dave is providing gifts for his family. The parents voted for Trump because if the struggling family goes down, then the country goes down with them. The parents don't believe Harris provides food, rent or mortgage, insurance, clothing, and bare necessities.

Who's Harris?

The people didn't know Harris. The people needed Harris' personal information. The people needed a bio on Harris. A top strategy was attacking Trump's character, Trump appointed three Supreme Court justices which factored to overturn Roe V. Wade, and Trump behaving bizarro. Everybody knows Trump. The Trump story is the same. Trump told the truth. His truth was a strength. Harris should have told more truths.

The people wanted to know Harris' agenda. There was no need to protect President Joe Biden. There was no need to support Biden. Biden leaves the White House on Jan 20, 2025. Harris must support herself. The people wanted to know what she wants to do as president. How does Harris lead the country.

Biden deserves blame for Harris' loss. The Democratic National Committee also deserves blame for Harris' loss. The Democratic party failed to convince the 81-year old Biden and his ego not to run for the 2024 election. Biden was forced to drop out. Biden's approval ratings hovered around 40% for most of the four years up to Tue Nov 5, 2024 was a negative. Harris did her best to convince the American people to vote for her in 107 days. Harris needed at least a year to run an effective campaign.

The Democrats lost human connection with working-class people, women, minorities, people under 30, and suburban people. They couldn't decrease Republican influence in rural areas. Harris received bad advice. I anticipate the Harris campaign and the Democratic National Committee fire strategists, senior staffers, consultants, and top committee members. The Democrats need better candidates for 2028.

I watched the Saturday Night Live skit with Maya Rudolph earlier today. If I watched the skit before Election Day, then I said, "The election is over before the votes are casted. Trump wins." Click link to watch 2024 Pre-Election Cold Open - SNL.

The people have spoken. The United States Of America is not ready for a female to become the President. The United States Of America is not ready for a female to become the most powerful person on planet Earth.

The Electoral College

The Electoral College is the group of presidential electors to vote for the president and vice president every four years. The number of electoral votes is equal to each state and the District Of Columbia congressional delegation consisting of two Senators plus the number of House Of Representatives. The total number of electors is 538. A majority of electoral votes 270 or more is required to elect the president and vice president. If there is no majority, then the House Of Representatives elects the president and the Senate elects the vice president.

Update On A Past Blog

I want to correct the bullet point from the blog United States Of America Today Is Election Day 2024 written on Nov 5, 2024 and from the blog Instant Bullet 2020 United States Presidential Election Version written on Jan 20, 2021. The incorrect bullet point below:

*There are 46 Presidents Of The United States. These 46 Presidents are out of all the people who live or lived as naturalized born United States Citizen age 35 or over. 46 dreams came true. It's unfortunate few people accomplish their dreams completely.

The correction is there are 45 Presidents Of The United States on Jan 20, 2025. Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms 1884-1888 and 1892-1896. Donald Trump is going to serve two non-consecutive terms 2016-2020 and 2024-2028 beginning on Jan 20, 2025. The correct bullet point below starting on Jan 20, 2025:

*There are 45 Presidents Of The United States. These 45 Presidents are out of all the people who live or lived as naturalized born United States Citizen age 35 or over. 45 dreams came true. It's unfortunate few people accomplish their dreams completely.

I wrote advice to Trump from the blog An Opinion Letter To Trump And An Opinion Letter To Biden written on Nov 15, 2020. I said to Trump, "All is not lost. Election 2024 is four years away. Begin today. . . . Learn from your mistakes. . . . Take advantage being out of a job to prepare for Election 2024." He learned. He prepared. He wasn't sincere. He wasn't graceful. Everybody remembers Jan 6, 2021.

Worried Or Not Worried

I share current events concerns and personal concerns. The concerns are in alphabetical order. Am I worried or am I not worried?

*2024 Presidential election: not worried. The US people speaks on Tue Nov 5. We vote for the correct president.

*Children and teens: worried. Small sample size. I read stories the children of Generation Alpha and teens of Generation Z intelligence are underdeveloped. They're learning few life skills. They're social skills are poor for which it's hard to interact with other people.

*Climate change: worried. The temperatures are increasing. I include the demand for natural resources and demand for utilities increasing. I also include droughts causing lower water supply.

*COVID-19: worried. The unvaccinated must listen to the experts. Get vaccinated. Stop the spread. The virus is smart. The virus mutates. I continue to wear my mask.

*Economy: worried. The economy has been in a recession during COVID-19 and after the COVID-19 inflation. The US can't sustain the record debt. The economy can't kick the can down the road forever. The road must end.

*Food supply: not worried. The experts say there's plenty of food. The problem is the food distribution. However, it seems more people are malnourished.

*Garbage: worried. There is too much trash. The municipal recycling system is confusing. I include too much consumption.

*Guns: not worried. A gun itself doesn't kill. A gun on a person's hand kills.

*Health care: worried. There are too many people. There are not enough resources to satisfy the demand. I include the justice system and the education system.

*Homelessness: worried. The local government homelessness programs can work. The homelessness is reduced significantly by eliminating the drug addiction by 20%. Mental illness is more challenging than drug addiction; although, drug addiction and mental illness overlap for some homeless people.

*Jobs for everyone: worried. The job market has been tough before COVID-19, during COVID-19, and today. There are not enough jobs for the growing number of people looking for work. Artificial intelligence is a factor.

*Loneliness: worried. People must never give up being strong. Strong people attract other people. Unfortunately, more people are giving up their lives repelling potential friends.

*My life long term: worried. Living a life with minimal income is unsustainable. See Jobs for everyone.

*My life short term: not worried. My current life is stable. I read books, exercise, self job train, and take care of the household. No complaints.

*My physical health: not worried. I workout four days a week to minimize health problems. I minimize eating processed foods. I'm the healthiest I've ever been.

*My money: not worried. Keep the discretionary spending in check. Make the best of what I can afford. Stay busy with what I own.

*Nuclear missiles: not worried. No country takes the initiative to launch nuclear missiles. Watch the movie War Games.

*Population decline: not worried. There are plenty of people on planet Earth.

*Population physical health: worried. Too much time on non-physical activities. Too little time on physical activities.

*Racism: worried. Racism and discrimination existed yesterday. Racism and discrimination exist today. Racism and discrimination exist tomorrow. Today's youth can change my mind.

*Sleep: worried. Too many people are sleep deprived. If the busy people spend 20% more time sleeping, then the world is less stressed.

*Smart phones: worried. Self-explanatory. There is too much time spent on smart phones.

*Sports betting: worried. The games are rigged. Otherwise, Las Vegas and the sports betting industry are out of business.

*Stock market: not worried. I admit I'm ironic. I worry about the economy. I don't worry about the stock market. Stocks only go up. Stocks go down when the otherwise happens.

*Successful people and unsuccessful people: worried. There are more people unsuccessful through no fault of their own. There are not enough opportunities for the people working on success. See Jobs for everyone.

*Taxes: worried. I'm 100% pro people pay their fair taxes. People must pay for the government to run the country. The government doesn't run for free.

*Television: worried. There is too much TV to watch. There's no logical reason to watch all the shows.

*Video game addiction: worried. There's nothing wrong with playing video games. I'm worried about the player's life outside the keyboard and/or controller.

*World War III: worried. I don't follow international politics closely. A country or countries lose in the Middle East war. Another answer to the question is another terrorist attack succeeds on the US soil.

To Read Or Not To Read

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

I'm too young to read books. I question more if I have stronger reading skills. I waste time eating potato chips increasing in price. I need therapy to stop mental declining. My therapist said read more books.

Routine oil changes are required for a car driving hundreds of thousands of miles as long as the car owner possesses the necessary tools. Don't use new towels when changing oil. New towels are unfounded at evicted tenant's residences.

A Second Look At 2022

It's the time I look back at my 2022 blogs to give myself feedback. The goals delaying one year are relearning from my mistakes, reinforcing my lessons, reminding myself my moments, refreshing acquired knowledge, rediscovering new wisdom, correcting errant blogs, and sharing changes. The ten blogs are also the 2022 best blogs.

1. Can I Be Overqualified?
Date: Mon Jan 10
Summary: My college educations, past experiences, and current job training disqualifies me for job openings.
Feedback: All jobs except my second company on the job training was required. The training included the commercial real estate market, SAP, Salesforce, and a proprietary online sales transaction system.

Some hiring managers and recruiters ignore me because they anticipate I master the job in six months. I become bored afterwards. I think back to my past jobs. I mastered the basics in six months. I fully mastered the job in one year. I became Wally from the Dilbert comics.

Almost all career counselors, professional career consultants, and college job placement centers their information is outdated. The best source for job information is job searching. Read the job descriptions. Read the job requirements.

My job training is currently in the endgame; in other words, there's nothing more to learn. New skills to learn are planned.

2. Boring Can Save Your Ass
Date: Wed Jan 12
Summary: Complete the boring responsibilities.
Feedback: Patience is required to complete the long assignments. The work can be tedious. The job is completed. Goals accomplished.

The person or people connects the dots backwards. Reverse engineer the process. They're not boring thinking back. The boring process wasn't boring. The formula is pressure and time.

3. Life Is Good Because It's Predictable And Certain
Date: Thur Jan 20
Summary: People are relaxed and secured because the knowns are clear and present.
Feedback: Bombshells were fired. It has been a long time since the bombs were launched. Most bombshells were planned. 2023 was good bombshells fired and bad bombshells fired for family members and friends. Personally, the safeties on my bombshell devices are removed. I don't know when the bombshells explode.

4. Accuse Slackers Accurately Because You Also Waste Time
Date: Sat Jan 29
Summary: Everyone is slacking off. Everyone.
Feedback: It takes another distraction to disengage the present distraction to go back to work. For instance, I'm on my phone watching a random YouTube video. Somebody walks in the room. I disengage watching a random YouTube video. I go back to my responsibility. Negate a distraction with another distraction.

The Information Age is also the Distraction Age.

5. Stop And Smell The Roses And Read Your Receipt
Date: Thur Feb 3
Summary: Slow down.
Feedback: I remember the moment when I shop at a grocery store from time to time. I also remember the moment when I feel rushed. I say to myself, "Hold on. One at a time." I realize the older I age, the more I say the sentence to myself.

6. I've Been Doing Everything Correct Mostly
Date: Thur Apr 12
Summary: I realized decades later I was mostly correct.
Feedback: I reiterate the sentences, "Nobody told me I have been walking the correct paths. I have stronger confidence I'm earning my successes correctly. I tell myself everything has been well. I tell myself I'm correct."

Nobody told me my path to success is correct. Nobody taught me a system. I self-discovered my system. The system is common knowledge and common wisdom: eat healthy, exercise, read books, sleep well, never stop learning, learn from mistakes, always meet new people, minimize watching TV, and ignore anything toxic. I hope timing, luck, chance, and opportunity favors me. Don't be a nice person. Be a good person.

7. Dear Abby Advice On Blind Love, Guilt Trip, And Truce On Wedding Day
Date: Fri Apr 22
Summary: Dear Abby hits the home run on three advice for an abusive girlfriend, a physically dependent boyfriend, and an alcoholic soon-to-be daughter in-law.
Feedback: I add one comment for both abusive girlfriend and daughter in-law. Give it time. Be patient. The chances the couples stay together are slim. Life returns to normal in time. Life returns to a relaxing state soon. Furthermore, there is a tolerance limit for his fiancee's drinking problem.

8. I Got Stuff Done Because I Didn't Play Video Games
Date: Wed Jun 29
Summary: A rare day I become bored because I caught up.
Feedback: The blog title and the blog content don't make sense. The first paragraph is being bored because I completed all responsibilities. The second paragraph is playing video games. I was confusing the first paragraph and the second paragraph. I take the blog back.

The full disclosure is I played another classic video game Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo all night on Jun 28, 2022 and Jun 29, 2022. I slept in the early morning. It was a miracle I finished all priorities and responsibilities. I stopped playing Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo on Jul 2, 2022. The priorities and responsibilities continue to motivate me minimizing playing video games.

9. Grading My Past Years On A Curve
Date: Sun Jul 17
Summary: I raised the letter grades from 1998 to 2021.
Feedback: I forgot about the blog. Good. There should be no curve grading in real life. I take the blog back.

10. No Mulligan, No Do-Over, No Second Chance Going Back To San Jose State University
Date: Sat Nov 19
Summary: I didn't want a mulligan when I attended San Jose State University.
Feedback: I take the title back. Yes Mulligan, Yes Do-Over, Yes Second Chance Going Back To San Jose State University. There is one simple reason. The semesters, the classes, the majors, the student services, and the extracurricular activities are irrelevant. The do-over is grow up; in other words, earn it. I take the blog back.

The following blogs are honorable mentions: We Make The Same Mistakes Twice and Too Much Distractions.

Richard Nixon And Watergate Previews Donald Trump And The 2020 Election

Former President Richard Nixon conspired to cover up a break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Office Building in Washington, D.C. on Jun 17, 1972. The burglars intended to install wiretaps. 48 of the 69 people indicted were convicted. Nixon's Watergate scandal was a Mickey Mouse juvenile crime compared to former President Donald Trump's 2020 Election interference.

Here are five YouTube videos on Watergate. These videos may be considered previews, foreshadowing, forecasting, and predicting Trump's future being indicted four times as of Aug 14, 2023.

President Nixon's First Watergate Speech (April 30, 1973)

From the CBS News Archive: Roger Mudd Watergate Special Report

Richard Nixon's resignation speech

John Ehrlichman: The 60 Minutes Watergate Interview (1973)

From the archives: Nixon officials found guilty in 1975 Watergate cover-up trial

Ten Random Blogs Apr 2023

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Update On A Past Blog

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

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

Some People Don't Change

Today I said the title for the first time in my life. I said, "Some people don't change" for the first time in my life. I can't explain why. I don't have a reason. Perhaps, I'm too optimistic people can change for the better. Perhaps, I'm too naive there is good in people they can change for the better. I'm not talking about people changing due to unfortunate circumstances such as a car accident, death in a family, a natural disaster, or a lawsuit. I'm not talking about people changing outside their control such as a heart attack, an end of a relationship, a job loss, or a rejection. I'm talking a person with personal problems affecting daily life.

The person himself or herself makes the choice to change. Nobody can convince the other person to change. Why do some alcoholics remain alcoholics? Why do some drug addicts remain drug addicts? Why do some unemployed remain unemployed for which they don't job search? Why do lazy people remain lazy? Why do some abusers remain abusers? Why does a person refuse to change? My guesses are weakness, cowardice, denial, poor self-esteem, lack of motivation, no support, not follow the rules, despair, and/or money problems. Another guess is some people are changing for which they go nowhere. Life somehow moves these people backwards beyond their control resulting in quitting. Change is impossible. Life is over.

Update On A Past Blog

There was a day I felt no change in my life after I realized I must grow up on Sat Oct 4, 2008. I wrote Change Says No To Raymond Mar on Oct 18, 2017. I was still unemployed and living with my parents like the loser George Costanza from Seinfeld. No freedom was the reason change said no.

On the other hand, I wrote blogs I changed. These blogs were not the life changing freedom I desire. Some of the blogs are the following: Top Ten Daily Changes After O'Connor Hospital on Oct 21, 2017 after my two surgeries in Apr 2017, Top Ten Little Changes Since Oct 2013 on Jun 27, 2019 small changes making a big impact, The Correction To The Correct Growing Up Part 2 on Oct 7, 2020 reminding and updating I grew up on Sat Oct 4, 2008 and taking back the second time I grew up on Dec 2012, and Top Ten I Get It Now on Nov 21, 2020 past wisdom and knowledge I fully understand such as the late Steve Jobs "stay hungry, stay foolish", The Shawshank Redemption "geology is the study of pressure and time", Good Will Hunting "it's not your fault", and desire is more important than knowledge.

Choose The Best Fraudsters To Lose Your Money

I saw the pic meme above. You have $15. Place your bets. Choose the following people to lose the most amount of money. There is no rule not to bet on a person more than once. Here are the people explained below.

$5 left Sam "SBF" Bankman-Fried. Co-founder and CEO of FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange company.

$5 center Jeffrey Skilling. CEO of Enron, an energy service company.

$5 right Bernie Madoff. Asset manager who committed the largest investment Ponzi scheme in history worth $64.8 billion.

$4 left Martin Shkreli Co-founder and CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical company produced Daraprim and Vecamyl. Shkreli raised the price of Daraprim from $13.50 to $750.00. However, Shkreli was convicted of securities fraud unrelated to Turing Pharmaceuticals.

$4 center Do Kwon. Co-founder and CEO of Terraform Labs, a cryptocurrency company created TerraUSD and Luna. The two cryptocurrencies collapsed in May 2022.

$4 right Elizabeth Holmes. Founder and CEO of Theranos, a biotechnology company. Holmes was convicted of fraud for blood testing equipment which didn't work.

$3 left Caroline Ellison. CEO of Alameda Research, a hedge fund company.

$3 center Jordan "The Wolf Of Wall Street" Belfort. Stock broker convicted of stock market manipulation with penny stocks.

$3 right Billy McFarland. Co-founder of Fyre Festival, a luxury music festival to promote the Fyre app on Apr 2017 and May 2017. The festival was aborted because of problems with security, food, staff, logistics, accommodations, and talent relations. McFarland was convicted of wire fraud.

$2 left Trevor Milton. Founder, chairman, and CEO of Nikola, an electric vehicle manufacturer company. Milton was convicted of securities fraud and wire fraud.

$2 center Jim Cramer. Money manager and anchor of Mad Money, a CNBC television show on the stock market.

$2 right Adam Neumann. Co-founder and CEO of WeWork, a commercial real estate company providing companies to share commercial space.

$1 left Simon "The Tinder Swindler" Leviev. Thief and con man stealing women's money on Tinder.

$1 center Charles Ponzi. Businessman tricked investors their profits are earned from legitimate businesses. The profits are earned from newer investors giving money which are passed down to older investors. He defined the word Ponzi scheme. Investopedia definition: A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investing scam promising high rates of return with little risk to investors. A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investing scam which generates returns for earlier investors with money taken from later investors.

$1 right Carlos "Bitconeeeect" Matos. Presenter for the company Bitconnect, a cryptocurrency investment company. Founder Satish Kumbhani indicted on a $2.4 billion Ponzi scheme in Feb 2022. Watch the YouTube video Bitconnect Annual Ceremony High Lights ( Carlos Matos from N.Y. ).

Sensing Desperation And Feeling Desperation

My sophomore year in high school could be described in one word. The word was desperation. I sensed desperate. I felt desperate. I acted desperate. It wasn't urgency. I was desperate to keep my friends. I was desperate to get good grades. I was desperate to keep my sanity. Maybe I was lost. The desperation avoided losing myself in a negative way. I didn't have direction in tenth grade.

I wasn't desperate in my freshmen, junior, and senior years. My freshmen and junior years were too easy. I attended another high school in my senior year because my initial high school closed due to budget cuts. I went with the flow. Going with the flow should have been my adult lesson in twelfth grade. I digress.

Adult Desperation

Call it adult desperation. Call it 2022 desperation for government. Call it 2022 desperation for economics. Call it 2022 desperation for businesses. Call it 2022 desperation for long-term pandemic victims. Ironically, I'm long-term unemployed and live with my parents. I look out the window. I sense desperation is clear and present. I run errands outside. I feel desperation is clear and present. The fear of losing is intense. Acting desperate is rarely successful; for example, watching professional sports team losing towards the end of the game. The chances are low. If all parties behave desperately, then one party should win. Time will tell afterwards. There is indefinite time to evaluate afterwards.

Personally speaking, I keep my senses open when I feel desperate. I pause. I assess. I remain calm. There are exceptions such as a sense of emergency my life is in danger. I remember past moments I was desperate. I connected the dots backwards. Time told me the unsuccessful percentage was high.

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.

The Greatest Human Generation Doomed Their Grandchildren And The Future Thereafter

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

Update On A Past Blog

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

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

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

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

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.

Boring Can Save Your Ass

The other day I went to a tire service center to get my car's tires rotated and balanced. A fat middle aged man drove a Chrysler 300 caught my attention. He looked like he got up from bed. He wore lose fitting shirts and sweatpants. He might have the day off from work. Or he might have been laid off. The global pandemic continues. I asked myself, "Did he prepare for health problems? Does he have a family? If yes, then did he prepare if a tragedy happened? Is his family taken care financially? Is shelter provided? Are support services available?" The one question summary is, "Did he complete all the boring preparation?"

Some children tell their parents they're boring. The children tell other family members. The children tell their friends and classmates. The children's faces frown when they want to do something exciting with mom and dad. Mom and dad neither have the desire nor the time. Chances are the parents are doing the boring grown up responsibilities. The parents work to earn an income. The parents nurture you; although, nurturing should be fun for the children. The residence must be maintained such as cleaning, cooking, and laundry. Finances must be checked. Bills and taxes must be paid. Job training must be completed if necessary. Adults still go to school even if they don't learn in a classroom. Unfortunately, physical fitness is a luxury for some parents.

Nevertheless, the boring work must be done. The boring preparation must be completed. All the boring increase the chances for survival. Problems are minimized. Any negative effects, pain, suffering, and struggles are endured.

Top 2020 Pics

Here are the 11 top pictures I took in 2020. 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!