Are We Doing Too Much?

Time is unchanged since time was discovered. There are 60 minutes in one hour. There are 24 hours in one day. There are seven days a week. What is changed? We do more per day. There is more to do. There is too much to do.

Add everything up. We see the results. We experience the results. We witness other people's results. Stress. Overwhelm. Frustration. Mental health is affected such as memory problems and confusion. Physical health is affected such as fatigue and increased sickness. Emotional health is affected such as impatience, more haste, and rudeness. Spiritual health is affected such as less sleep. Financial health is affected spending more money to solve more problems which could have been prevented.

Welcome to today's Information Age life. We are expected to do more with less. We must complete responsibility one. We must complete responsibility two. We must complete responsibility three. We must complete responsibility n. There is a fear of missing out. There is a fear of falling back. There is a fear of being behind. There is a fear of missed opportunities.

There is no right or wrong. Be prepared to accept the sacrifices doing too much. Be prepared to reject the alternatives doing too much. More people are doing too much the bad way. Few people are doing too much the good way.

A Reminder

We forget maintenance. We forget personal checkups. We forget self-care. We forget priorities for which some responsibilities assigned a priority is not a priority. We forget ourselves.

Here is a reminder for those who forgot. Sleep. Eat healthy--avoid the processed foods. Read a book. Breathe. Clean the residence. Listen to music. There is no need to accomplish these every day except meals, breathe, and sleep. These reminders are old school which still works.

Update On A Past Blog

Everyone did everything correctly. Dot the i's. Cross the t's. Triple checked. Support staff proofread. Passed the trials. Unsuccessful at the end. The 2021 Los Angeles Dodgers did everything correctly. The 2021 San Francisco Giants did everything correctly. The start of the second half of the 2021 Major League Baseball season the Dodgers were one game behind the Giants for first place in the National League West Division. The second place Dodgers went 48-21 (.696). The first place San Francisco Giants went 49-22 (.690). The Dodgers gained zero games against the Giants. The Giants prevented the Dodgers from being tied or becoming the second place team winning one more game than the Dodgers. The Dodgers were 100% successful. The Giants were 100% successful. I could switch the order mentioning the Giants first and the Dodgers second. The switch or the reverse is logically correct. I elaborate the teams on Oct 16, 2021 in the blog The 2021 San Francisco Giants 107 Wins Plus 2 Equals 109 Wins. I also mention a counterintuitive decision Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts started a weaker pitcher instead of a stronger pitcher for Game 5 in the National League Division Series because if the Dodgers gave up runs to the Giants, then it's better to give up runs earlier in the game instead of later in the game. There are more innings for the Dodgers to catch up.

Kick The Can Down The Road

There are problems in government. Local government. State government. Federal government. Problems are nothing new. There were problems yesterday. There are problems today. There are problems tomorrow. There are economic problems. There is too much cash in the world economy. Feel free to criticize. All concerns of a global recession or a global inflation are valid. Is the economy in a recession or is the economy in an inflation presently speaking? The question is debatable.

The feelings many of today's leaders are the following: not my problem, move along, not now, do it another day, and live the present. They're concern for themselves now. They're concern for themselves today. Earn the easy wins. Ignore the hard problems. Hope the hard problems solve themselves. Sometimes ignoring works. Sometimes ignoring doesn't work. The late Steve Jobs ignored his health problems. The costs were his life.

Be careful criticizing and complaining other people kicking the can down the road. You may be kicking your cans down multiple roads. Are you ignoring your problems? I ignored my problems decades ago. I'm paying the price today. Don't overstress. Solve personal problems one at a time.

Power Outage For 14 Hours

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

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

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

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

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

Life Wisdom From A Laptop Key Replacement Mistake

I made a mistake. I purchased the wrong Page Up key which is the pg up key for my HP Spectre x360 15 laptop. Replacing a broken laptop key is like replacing an air filter, a battery, an oil filter, spark plugs, windshield wipers, and breaks for an automobile. Different automobiles. Different parts. Different laptops. Different parts. In particular, different parts for different Camrys even though Camrys are made by Toyota.

I found out there are different models for the HP Spectre x360 15s. Different parts for different models. Different replacement keys. I thought the HP Spectre x360 brand the keys are the same. Incorrect. Not all keys are the same type. The mistake cost me $9.83. I remember the lesson learned at a cheap price. I remember one of the first questions asked for parts is, "Are there different parts for different models?"

There are online vendors selling laptop replacement keys. There are three websites: Replacement Laptop Keys, QuickFix Laptop Keys, and Laptop Key.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog December 2022

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. The COVID-19 winter surge tripledemic which also includes the flu and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). A surge in China is clear and present. The last three weeks of the year starting Mon Dec 12 were the slowest weeks of the year. Dec was the slowest month of the year.

Thur Dec 1. Dentist appointment. I completed errands at Lucky's, Kohl's, and Walgreens.

Sat Dec 3. The China government eased COVID-19 restrictions reacting from protests. A negative test result no longer required for public transportation. A negative test no result no longer required to enter pharmacies, parks, and tourist attractions in other regions. A 48-hour negative test result is required to enter shopping malls in Beijing. The malls gradually reopened with restaurants and eateries providing take-out. Case numbers are at historic highs.

The protests started on Fri Nov 25 after an apartment fire in Urumqi killed ten people. There were questions either firefighters or victims trying to escape were blocked by locked doors due to the lockdown. The Chinese people held a piece of blank white paper which symbolized censorship.

Secretary Of Defense Lloyd Austin wanted to keep the military COVID-19 vaccine mandate in place. 20 governors sent a letter to President Joe Biden to remove the mandate. The reason was the mandate made recruiting troops difficult.

Tue Dec 6. Scientists at the University Of Texas found the omicron booster shot is weak against the BQ.1.1. People infected with COVID-19 and received the omicron booster is more protected than a non-infected person. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) said BQ.1.1 made up 32% of US infections. The omicron booster is weakest against the XBB.1 variant.

Santa Clara County announced an increase in COVID-19 levels detected in wastewater. Hospitalizations increased from 98 in Nov 1 to 218 on Dec 2.

Wed Dec 7. Hospital in-patient bed availability declined due to the tripledemic RSV, flu, and COVID-19. The flu arrived early. Some hospitals delayed elective surgeries. The CDC said flu-like illnesses tripled and hospitalizations doubled before the Thanksgiving week.

Thur Dec 8. The Food And Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the COVID-19 omicron vaccine for children as young as six months old. The omicron vaccine is the bivalent.

Fri Dec 9. Picked up my Black Friday and Cyber Monday purchases at Macys. More people wore masks.

My sister tested positive for COVID-19. It was the second time in two years.

Sun Dec 11. Watched most of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Francisco 49ers football game.

Mon Dec 12. US hospitalizations increased 30% during the last two weeks according to the CDC. Most of the increase was due to the older Americans and people with existing health problems. Daily hospital admissions for people age 70 and older increased from 8.8 per 100,000 people on Nov 15 to 12.1 per 100,000 on Dec 6.

Day 1,000 since CA shutdown due to the COVID-19 global pandemic on Tue Mar 17, 2020.

Tue Dec 13. FL Governor Ron De Santis petitioned the FL Supreme Court for a grand jury to investigate the COVID-19 vaccines for any illegal activity. Pharmaceutical companies didn't provide their COVID-19 vaccine research data to be verified by independent researchers.

Wed Dec 14. 2022 is expected the fewest deaths than the 2020 and 2021 COVID-19 global pandemic years. 2021 was the deadliest year in US history with 3.4 million deaths. 2022 is the first decline in deaths since 2009; however, 2022 is 13% higher than 2019. The CDC said a late Dec surge could change the expected total death number. 1,080,000 Americans died from COVID-19. The top three deaths each year from 2020 to 2022 were heart disease, cancer, and COVID-19.

Beijing experienced empty streets and deserted shopping centers like an economic shutdown because of another outbreak. No accurate COVID-19 case data from China. China rolled back testing requirements. China no longer included asymptomatic infections in its daily count.

Thur Dec 15. CAL-OSHA (California Occupational Safety And Health Administration) passed a rule employers no longer pay infected workers to stay home if they tested positive for COVID-19.

Fri Dec 16. Shopped at Costco. It was the slowest week in months.

Mon Dec 19. Never-coviders is a classification for people who didn't get COVID-19. The New York Times reported these people with natural immunities. There is no known explanation.

China reported two deaths since the government eased its Zero COVID-19 policy on Sat Dec 3.

Tue Dec 20. CVS and Walgreens placed limits on purchasing children's pain relief and fever reducing products. The reason was an early start to the flu season and RSV increasing demand. Johnson & Johnson ran production around the clock for Children's Tylenol.

Wed Dec 21. Purchased donuts at Happy Donuts. Ran errands at Safeway and Kohl's.

Thur Dec 22. The CDC published a report life expectancy decreased to 76.4 years which is down from the all-time high 78.8 years in 2019.

Fri Dec 23. An internal estimate from China's top health official stated 250 million citizens may have COVID-19 after the government eliminated their Zero COVID-19 policy.

Sat Dec 24. India randomly tested international travelers because of increasing cases in China. The government urged the public to wear masks and social distance even though there are no mandates. India relaxed its COVID-19 restrictions earlier in the year after infection rates dropped.

The US Military lifted the COVID-19 vaccine mandate under a $858 billion defense spending bill signed into law. Military troops are encouraged to get vaccinated and boosted.

Tue Dec 27. China ended a COVID-19 quarantine requirement for international travelers starting on Jan 8, 2023. The quarantine was five days at a hotel and three days at home. A negative test 48 hours before departure is still required. Passengers must wear masks in the airplane.

Wed Dec 28. The CDC announced travelers from China arriving in the US must prove a negative COVID-19 test starting on Thur Jan 5, 2023. The reason was a surge in infections and a lack of information from the China government. Some scientists are worried of new variants due to the virus mutating. Tests must be administered up to two days before travel. Japan, India, Italy, South Korea, and Taiwan also require negative test before entry in their country.

The CDC reported the US reached 100 million COVID-19 cases which is 33% of the US population. The number is likely an undercount because asymptomatic people or people tested positive at home didn't report to their local health department. An estimate of actual positive cases is 200 million. About 400 people die of COVID-19 per day. About 5,000 people admitted to the hospital per day. About 3,000 people die of COVID-19 per day in Jan 2022. About 21,000 people admitted to the hospital per day in Jan 2022.

Thur Dec 29. The omicron variant XBB strain was found to be resistant to COVID-19 boosters. The XBB strain is dominate in the Northeast US centered in NJ, NY, and MA.

Fri Dec 30. Helped my brother's family pick up a new car in Sacramento, CA.

The CDC said the omicron XBB.1.5 represents 40.5% of new positive cases in the US. XBB.1.5 is overtaking omicron BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 which both dominated in the fall. It's too early to conclude XBB.1.5 is more severe than previous omicron mutations.

A Half Day Visit To Sacramento To Pick Up A New Car

My dad and I assisted my brother and his family to pick up a new car in Sacramento, CA. Sacramento is the capital of California. The request for help came at the last minute. My dad and I rushed to my brother's house.

The weather throughout the day was heavy rain. We drove an alternate route to Sacramento driving along the Sacramento River, passing by tiny towns, driving over multiple bridges, and seeing wetlands. The alternate route was new sights for me. We arrived at the car dealership one hour late from our appointment. The dealership was busy. Customer parking was difficult. There were problems with the paperwork as expected. We ate hamburgers for a late lunch. We drove the main freeways back home at the end of the day.

The purpose of the blog is the sights around the Sacramento Arden-Arcade neighborhood area. I'm reminded of the suburbs or rural areas when I visited Oregon and Washington. Moreover, the suburbs or rural areas are similar in other states such as Oklahoma, Ohio, Arkansas, and Texas intuitively speaking. There are no sidewalks, no drainage, and no streetlights in one residential area. Most of the homes were spread out with big yards. All residential streets and all traffic streets are narrower compared to the greater Bay Area. There are no three lane or four lane streets. The retail stores architecture are 1950s and 1960s intuitively speaking. If there are any suburbs or rural areas in the greater Bay Area, then either I don't know or they don't have the suburb or rural feeling in the air.

A Wisdom Reminder

If it doesn't matter a year from now, then forget about it.

Donuts And Harry Potter Christmas

I thought about two going back to the past moments for Christmas Day on Christmas Eve. The first moment was going back in time when my family and I visited my grandparent's house on my mom's side in Santa Barbara, CA. Grandfather purchased donuts at Winchell's Donuts House for his grandchildren. The second moment was Harry Potter. I read the series three times. Author J.K. Rowling included chapters taking place on Christmas Day. I accomplished the two moments on Christmas Day below.

I woke up at 7:30am to purchase donuts at a ma and pa donut shop one mile away. I purchased glaze, vanilla, chocolate, old fashion, and French Culler donuts. Each family member ate two donuts.

I read the Harry Potter Christmas Day chapters. The chapters are SS ch 12 The Mirror Of Erised, COS ch 12 The Polyjuice Potion, POA ch 11 The Firebolt, GOF ch 23 The Yule Ball, OOTP ch 23 Christmas On The Closed Ward, HPB ch 16 A Very Frosty Christmas, and DH ch 16 Godric's Hollow. I included a bonus chapter DH ch 17 Bathilda's Secret which happened on the same night. DH took place on Christmas Eve.