Read Books To Become Smarter And Wiser

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

Long term temporarily signal lights aren't permanent. Read books to learn these wisdoms: head is prioritized over heart or intelligence prioritized over emotions; avoid controlling people because it's a sign of poor self-esteem; good self-esteem is attractive; don't believe experts all the time; and prostitutes have stories. A remembrance to old running shoes. Soda cans needs air. Breathe clean air in the mountains.

First Time Observation Pics To Remember

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

$9.88 for gas. I saw a fire insurance company fulfilling their obligations. Japanese Miffy bunnies and gashapons. Automotive maintenance pics to remember. There are many Star Wars novels. I got sick in Jul 2024 which was not COVID-19. A falling down pic to remember.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog April 2025

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. The slow Mar month increased speed to the fastest Apr month for 2025.

Wed Apr 2. The Food And Drug Administration (FDA) delayed full approval of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine. The FDA wanted more data. The Novavax vaccine is a protein-based vaccine under emergency authorization use since 2022.

Mon Apr 7. Errands at REI and Nob Hill.

Tue Apr 8. Errands at REI and Smart & Final.

Fri Apr 11. Santa Clara Country Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody retired today. Dr. Sarah Rudman is the acting health officer and director of public health. Cody and other Bay Area health officers issued the first stay-at-home orders when the pandemic began.

Tue Apr 15. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) recommended ending the recommendation for Americans to get vaccinated yearly. The CDC new recommendation is vaccination based on the individual risk of contracting COVID-19. The Advisory Committee On Immunization Practices makes the final decision for the CDC. The policy change study began on Nov 2024. The change recommendation is voted on Jun 2025.

The target recommendation people are adults age 65 years and older, people with an underlying health condition, people exposed to COVID-19 patients such as health care workers, and people who wants a vaccine shot.

The World Health Organization (WHO) doesn't recommend annual COVID-19 vaccines for healthy adults under 65 or healthy children. Likewise for the countries United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

Less than 25% of adults and less than 13% of children received a COVID-19 vaccine shot since winter 2024. The CDC said COVID-19 remains a dangerous disease causing hospitalizations and deaths.

Fri Apr 18. The Trump Administration replaced federal COVID-19 health information and testing websites with the theory the COVID-19 virus leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. The new website is titled, "Lab Leak: The True Origins Of COVID-19" published by the White House. The CIA issued a report with low confidence COVID-19 came from a lab leak in Jan 2025. The Energy Department and State Department reached similar conclusions. The WHO remains open to all hypotheses. Scientists believe the virus occurred naturally in animals which spread to humans in an outbreak at the Wuhan market.

Thur Apr 24. A friend with long COVID-19 shared her health status. She's the only person I know with long COVUID-19. Her symptoms are fatigue, headaches, inconsistent sleep schedules, dizziness, and aphantasia. Aphantasia is the inability to visual objects in a brain. She's sensitive to brightness. She lost most of her hair due to scalp psoriasis.

A resting MRI on her brain the results were negative for neurological damage. She needs a functional MRI on her brain to determine treatments.

Fri Apr 25. Shopped at Smart & Final and Costco.

Read Dr. Seuss Books

Today I read Dr. Seuss books I didn't read when I was a child. There were plenty of his books I didn't read. Any adult who read either too few Dr. Seuss books or never read Dr. Seuss books must devote three hours to read some of his classics. All parents must read these timeless classic Dr. Seuss books to their toddlers and young children.

Dr. Seuss was born as Theodor Seuss Geisel on Mar 2, 1904 in Massachusetts. Geisel created the Dr. Seuss name while studying at Dartmouth College and Lincoln College, Oxford. He received multiple awards including two Primetime Emmys and a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation.

Here are the books I read:

ABC. Toddlers can learn their ABC's.

And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street. Seuss's first book written in 1937. The book may awaken children's imaginations and comedian skills.

Are You My Mother? I corrected myself the crying bird is from The Best Nest. Written by P.D. Eastman.

Go, Dog. Go! The only book I read multiple times as a child. One reason was the signal lights. Written by P.D. Eastman.

Great Day For Up. The book may be written for the young parents. It's okay the great day for down.

Green Eggs And Ham. I praise the consistent writing. The child may learn consistency.

Hop On Pop. Good book on rhymes.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas! I watched the animated cartoon when I was a child. Read the book for the first time.

I'll Teach My Dog 100 Words. Teach verbs to children. Written by Michael Frith.

In A People House. Good vocabulary book.

Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! Geisel used the book as a satire for the Watergate scandal in the United States from 1972-1974. Mooney was Richard Nixon.

Oh, The Places You'll Go. A number one must read for grade school children.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. Introduce the young children on randomness.

Put Me In The Zoo. I remember the book in my room never read for a long time. I might have been an older child I read the book for the first time. Written by Robert Lopshire.

Ten Apples Up On Top! An action book and comedy book.

The Best Nest. The book with the crying bird. Written by P.D. Eastman.

The Cat In The Hat. Read the book for the second time. I needed to be reminded Thing 1 and Thing 2.

The Foot Book. I didn't read when I was a child.

The Lorax. Written in 1971. The book aged well.

The Shape Of Me And Other Stuff. An okay book.

There's A Wocket In My Pocket. I laughed at each page I read. Parents can learn how to communicate silly rhymes to their children.

Wacky Wednesday. My brother's favorite book. My least favorite book. I was a squared child. The incorrectness made me uncomfortable. The wisdom was wackiness must come to an end.

Update On A Past Blog

I Read When I Was Five Years Old blog written on Apr 22, 2024 included the Dr. Seuss books. I remember reading Go, Dog. Go! on my desk multiple times.

Throwback Blog: Washington Canada Trip Part 4 of 7

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 Washington Canada Trip Part 4 of 7 written on Sep 24, 2005. The fourth day visiting Washington and Canda in Aug 2005 was Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Who knew I visited Vancouver for a business trip in Mar 2007. The Aug 2005 visited made Vancouver not a strange place in Mar 2007.

Half way there. Thanks for reading!

Tuesday August 30, 2005 at 9:00 A.M. Driving the Canadian Freeways

We woke up around 8:00 A.M. without eating breakfast. We choose to eat breakfast along the road. We needed to take a ferry to travel from Victoria to Vancouver. We drove on Highway 17 from downtown to Swartz Bay where the ferry is located. Steve kept a close watch of the speed because Canada uses the metric system and the speed signs are in km/h or kilometers per hour and the speeds changed many times. The maximum speed he drove was 50 miles per hour. And it was raining.

We stopped at McDonalds for breakfast in Saanichton. The McDonalds is the nicest and cleanest McDonalds we ever saw. The common areas has street light posts that acted as indoor lighting, indoor plants and TREES, a huge indoor playground for the kids, and the décor to simply explain is like a middle class home's living room. I should have visited the bathrooms. It's probably better than my bathrooms at home. I ordered the Sausage McGriddle and Steve ordered the pancakes.

Tuesday August 30, 2005 at 11:00 A.M. Entering the BCFerries

Before I go on, I forgot to mention all times are in Pacific Timezone. I didn't experience any jetlag or adjustments.

I purchased the ferry ticket at the BCFerries ticket booth. BCFerries is the company that runs the ferry system in British Columbia. The ticket booth is like a toll booth--drive up to an open ticket booth lane that issues tickets for Vancouver. After purchasing the ferry ticket, we lined up on the road along with the other cars waiting for the ferry to arrive. The destination from Victoria to Vancouver is from Swartz Bay on the Vancouver Island to Tsawwassen on the British Columbia mainland.

The ferry Steve and I rode is huge, huge, huge!!! There are three levels for automobiles, trucks, and buses, and people are allowed to stay in their cars if they choose. We parked in Deck 4 which is the upper level for automobiles. The common areas are two floors which included a cafeteria, three arcade areas, gift shop, workstations, play areas for children, and a formal buffet. I even looked at the Ferry schedule. Some destinations take 15 hours!!! My goodness. The cafeteria is big and busy. We could have eaten breakfast on the ferry.

The trip time is 1 hour and 35 minutes. The name of the BCFerries Steve and I rode is named "M.V. Spirit of Vancouver Island." I wonder what "M.V." stands for? I did the same activities and walk-arounds on the M.V. Coho Ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria: I walked around the entire ferry and took pictures of the outside scenery; unfortunately, the rain affected the ferry trip such that I really limited my time outside the ferry and the rain clouds and fog limited picture taking. Steve mostly read his book on Feudal Japan. In the gift shop, I purchased magnets and maps for souvenirs. The Canadians are really friendly. In one instance, I maneuvered around the magazine section, and I needed to say "Excuse Me" to pass by a worker. When I said "Excuse Me", six people around me moved. Talk about politeness. Doesn't happen in San Jose =__=

After getting off the ferry we drove on Highway 99. Parts of Highway 99 are sophisticated. One stretch of the road there are lane signals. Lane signals tell drivers which lanes are open and which lanes are closed. It appears during commute times, Highway 99 opens extra lanes to move traffic faster for commute traffic and close extra lanes for reverse commute traffic. The maximum speed Steve drove was 90 km/h or 55mph.

Tuesday August 30, 2005 at 1:00 P.M. City of Vancouver City Limits

We arrived at the city limits. The sky was grey and Vancouver rained during the drive and during the entire day. Steve played his James Bond Greatest Hits CD. Gas was never a problem because Steve filled up the gas tank at Port Angeles, and we were glad because it felt weird to get gas in liters . . . and Steve drove a Volkswagen Bug which has great gas mileage.

Our destination was Downtown Vancouver where the hotel is located. We needed to drive by Marpole, South Granville, Shaughnessy, and Fairview neighborhoods before reaching Downtown Vancouver. These areas are like Santa Barbara, California including the homes, neighborhoods, and the shopping districts; in addition, the area is diverse with many stores and restaurants representing different cultures and different sexual orientations (if you know what I mean *nudge, nudge*) The drive reminded me when I was 5 years old visiting my grandparents in Santa Barbara for which the surroundings, the grey skies, the homes, and neighborhoods were 100% authentic and represented my memory accurately.

When we crossed the Granville Street Bridge, I noticed a lot of development in Downtown Vancouver. It appears Vancouver is growing. Downtown Vancouver kinda reminded of Downtown San Jose; however, the buildings are unique--the looks of the buildings I never seen before. We checked in the hotel and choose to visit the Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park for the activity of the day and to eat lunch. And yes, the rain continued.

When we drove on Pacific Street and Beach Avenue and along English Bay and Sunset Beach to the Vancouver Aquarium, there are a lot small apartment buildings that looked like Santa Barbara again. The signal lights are simple like in Victoria.

Tuesday August 30, 2005 at 3:00 P.M. Vancouver Aquarium

Vancouver Aquarium is located in Stanley Park. We drove along the Stanley Park for 20 minutes. For me, it's the first time I drove around a park. The closest I drove in a park was Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, and me and my friends drove through just to get to Highway 1. No scenic tour. There is a public pool at Stanley Park, and there were people in the public pool despite the rain. I believe the pool is a wading pool where people just go to the pool to get wet and play around.

Vancouver Aquarium was really busy. I think the rain and that the kids' summer vacations being almost over were the reasons for the packed aquarium. Compared to the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California, Vancouver Aquarium is really small. We entered the aquarium, paid admission, and the first stop was getting lunch. I like to tell everyone I donated $2.00 to the aquarium and I got a S.O.S. sticker which stands for Save Our Seals. Hee, hee, hee.

The rain kept pouring as we ate lunch. We saw the Belugas exhibit and they were swimming as we ate lunch. I ordered a burger and Steve ordered pizza. After lunch, we walked around the entire aquarium. We started viewing the outside attractions including seeing the sea lions, sea otters, and a dolphin show. The dolphin show was packed with spectators and their umbrellas. I was fortunate I got a spot and was able to see most of the show. I had to stand on my toes to view some of the acts.

After viewing the outside activities, the rest of the time, Steve and I walked around inside. We saw sharks, giant fishes, alligators, jellyfish, sting rays, seahorns, and entered the Amazon Rainforest. Man, the rainforest is really humid. I felt awkward viewing the maps of Canada on the displays and animal explanations. I'm used to viewing the California map when I visit the Monterey Aquarium, SeaWorld-San Diego, Disneyland, and other amusement attractions in California. The final stop was viewing the dolphins at the lower level of the aquarium. There is the Clownfish Cove where kids can touch the smaller sea animals. Kids, make sure your parents stick with you ^_^

Tuesday August 30, 2005 at 5:30 P.M. Dinner Time

We ate dinner at a high class, fancy restaurant named "The Crime Lab." There was nobody there and the food came pretty fast. After dinner, we walked around parts of Downtown Vancouver. Downtown reminded me of Downtown San Jose--quiet during the evening time. We visited a few stores. Most of the shops closed at 7:00 P.M. (for which, in my opinion, most retail shops should close around 7:00 P.M. because everyone needs to have leisure time).

We arrived back at the hotel around 8:00 P.M. and we channel surf. We saw the catastrophic damage Hurricane Katrina caused to New Orleans and part of Mississippi and Alabama.

Star Wars Episodes IV-VI On Wait And Patience

Here are selected dialogue quotes from Star Wars IV, V, and VI with "wait" or "patience" from iMDB Internet Movie Database. A common life wisdom is patience. Star Wars can teach waiting.

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Darth Vader: [as Obi-Wan finds him and ignites lightsaber] I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner. Now I am the master.
Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi: Only a master of evil, Darth.
[fights Vader]
Darth Vader: Your powers are weak, old man.
Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi: You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.
[fights more]
Darth Vader: You should not have come back.
[fights more]
Luke: [Obi-Wan spots him and allows himself to be killed] NO!
[stormtroopers shoot at him]

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

[Luke has just encountered Yoda. Yoda is pretending to be senile to test Luke's patience; R2-D2 watches as Yoda plays with a little flashlight-like lamp. Already impatient, Luke tries to take the lamp away from Yoda]
Yoda: Mine! Or I'll help you not.
Luke: I don't want your help. I want my lamp back. I need it to get out of this slimy mudhole.
Yoda: [insulted; as he speaks, R2-D2 opens a side door and extends a pair of pinchers and grabs hold of the lamp and tries to pull the lamp away from Yoda] Mudhole? Slimy? MY home, is this!
Yoda: [startled] Wha?
Luke: [Yoda and R2-D2 start a tug-of-war with the lamp; R2 beeping and humming protestingly] R2, let him have it. [Yoda grabs his cane and starts whacking R2-D2 repeatedly with it]
Yoda: [as he is whacking R2] Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!
Luke: [firmly] *R2!* [R2 relents, sinking his pinchers into his metallic body. Yoda uses his cane to close the side door for R2-D2's pinchers]

Luke: How far away is Yoda? Will it take us long to get there?
Yoda: Not far. Yoda not far. Patience. Soon you will be with him.

Yoda: Why wish you become Jedi?
Luke: Well, mostly because of my father, I guess.
Yoda: Ahh . . . father. Powerful Jedi was he. Powerful Jedi.
Luke: [suspicious] Oh, come on! How can you know my father? You don't even know who I am. Oh, I don't even know what I'm doing here! We're wasting our time!
Yoda: [Looking away from Luke] I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience.
Obi-Wan: [voice-over] He will learn patience.
Yoda: Much anger in him . . . like his father.
Obi-Wan: [voice] Was I any different when you taught me?

Yoda: Stopped they must be; on this all depends. Only a fully trained Jedi Knight, with the Force as his ally, will conquer Vader and his Emperor. If you end your training now - if you choose the quick and easy path as Vader did - you will become an agent of evil.
Obi-Wan: Patience.
Luke: And sacrifice Han and Leia?
Yoda: If you honor what they fight for? Yes.
Obi-Wan: If you choose to face Vader, you will do it alone. I cannot interfere.
Luke: I understand. R2? Fire up the converters.
Obi-Wan: Luke! Don't give in to hate. That leads to the Dark Side.
Yoda: Strong is Vader. Mind what you have learned. Save you it can.
Luke: I will. And I'll return, I promise.

Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi

[Aboard the Death Star, The Emperor's shuttle is greeted by hundreds of Imperial troops and officers. As the last of six red-robed Royal Guards exit the shuttle, both Darth Vader and Moff Jerjerrod kneel in reverence at the foot of the boarding ramp as the Emperor himself emerges]
The Emperor: Rise, my friend.
Darth Vader: The Death Star will be completed on schedule.
The Emperor: You've done well, Lord Vader. And now I sense you wish to continue your search for young Skywalker.
Darth Vader: Yes, my Master.
The Emperor: Patience, my friend. In time, he will seek you out, and when he does, you must bring him before me. He has grown strong. Only together can we turn him to the Dark Side of the Force.
Darth Vader: As you wish.
The Emperor: Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen.

Secure The Source

Protect the headquarters. Strengthen the soul. Strengthen the foundation. Watch the root. Get to the center. Start at the beginning. Focus on the core. Find the origin. Who are the parents? Who is the president? Keep an eye at the highest level. Look for the problems at the above. The above is usually at fault. Solve them at the above or use them to solve related problems. Minimize the chances of trouble. The above is usually the start of trouble. Maintenance is required. Everything is at attention. All parties at the above must satisfy their subordinates to maintain peace. Common knowledge. Common wisdom. Nothing new to learn. A review on daily life.