Is This My Life?

Blogger's note: I initially wrote the blog for my personal blog Finding Raymond Mar. An event which happened on Tue Dec 4 changed my mind. I choose to post today's blog at Innovating Common Knowledge titled First Time I Saw A Restaurant Close On Tuesdays and at Finding Raymond Mar titled Is This My Life? Today's blog is minimally edited for grammar.

2018 is over. I wanted to try a restaurant in another city for the first time. I was in the area on Tue Dec 4. The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays. Are you serious? The event summed my recent life. Bad luck. Bad timing. Misfortunes. Missed chances. Missed opportunities. Slipped through the cracks. Just one away. Every good moment there is an asterisk or fine print ruining the good moment; in other words, there is a "but" ruining the good. The world didn't come to an end when I get a sore throat, lose my computer data, minor back pain, miss a sale, or don't get the job. My life can't get worse spiritually speaking. I have shelter, I'm in good health, I have a desktop with internet access, and I live with minimal expenses. On the other hand, my life can get worse such as a car accident, cancer, a devastating earthquake, or being lost in the woods. I'm done with 2018. I'm frustrated what I can't control. Bad results happen. I'm frustrated what I can control I receive small rewards. I'm done controlling everything I can control. Life is unfair. I'm the unfortunate more bad moments than good moments.

2018 is the same as 2016 and 2017. All three are dull years. Ironically, 2018 is the fastest year. 2016 and 2017 were fast years, too. 2014 and 2015 were slower years for which they were better than 2016, 2017, and 2018.

Life itself takes over in 2019. I respond what life gives me. I go with the flow. I'm going back to the past when life controlled me. I follow life, destiny, fate, karma, and Act of God. I maintain being a good person--the same life I have been living hoping for the best. I continue self-responsibility. I experienced more good calendar years than bad calendar years when life controlled me. I have done everything I can do in my control. I have done everything life given me. I react. I try to be proactive if the situation calls. It's a judgment call.

It's not bullshit. It's the truth. It's reality. I receive feedback I'm not doing enough. I'm open to opinions. I receive any communication I'm not doing enough, I'm not focus, I'm not working hard enough, and/or I'm making bad choices. I'm past the clique advice. I'm past the common knowledge. I continue to be open. Tell me something new. I welcome new ideas. I ignore communications making the other person feel better taking advantage of my current depressed life.

2018 is the same as 2016 and 2017. I'm 99.99% confident there are other people living my similar life situation.

Living Solo Is Temporary

I take my chances living alone compared to being with people to avoid loneliness. Most of the people I said goodbye in past years dragged me down. There was no joy. There was no happiness. I felt routine being with these people. I was the lowest common denominator. One goal after I earned freedom is create new circle of friends to share life. We help each other live better lives. We help each other keep our life fresh.

Positives Wed Nov 7-Fri Dec 7, 2018

*Watched The Wolf Of Wall Street and Terms Of Endearment movies.

*Created a paracord bracelet for the first time

*Ate Costco chicken bake and Costco artisan bread for the first time.

*Cleaned the house.

*Black Friday 2018. I purchased Nike SB Bruin Max Vapor shoes, Castrol motor oil, Philips Norelco Multigroom 7000, Samsung 28" LED monitor U28E590D, Cheerios Maple flavor, Earth Therapeutics foot creams, and a Faberware parking knife. I also purchased Head & Shoulders shampoo.

*Finished reading Eric by Terry Pratchett.

*Auto maintenance: changed the oil, replaced air filter, replaced cabin air filter, and tire rotation & tire balance.

*Watched The Shield Season 3 episodes 1-7.

My Life Is Like Norma Rae

I thought about my life today. My life is like the characters from the movie Norma Rae (1979). The movie is based on the true story of Norma Rae unionizing the textile mill she worked. The lead actress Sally Field won an Academy Award for Best Actress. The movie is also about blue collar workers living life with no purpose. They live life just breathing doing mostly mindless activities. Almost all of them have poor intelligence, weak motivation, and dull lifestyles. Almost all of them cherish quick leisure to forget their almost depressing life.

My 2018 Thanksgiving holiday is similar to Norma Rae. I have no stories to share. I have boring stories to share if anyone is interested. I have routine stories to share if anyone is interested. I have no purpose on Earth. I have no people to help live better lives. I have no people to help me live a better life. Everything I have been doing are mindless including Black Friday shopping for which 50% of my purchases are bare necessities, dinner with family for which most of the conversations lack intelligence or how the conversation is poor, and nothing new. The brief exception is teaching Hong Kong Mahjong for two hours. I'm tired living the same routine dull life since 2015.

Maybe I feel better when the Thanksgiving holiday is over. On the other hand, maybe I feel the same Norma Rae. My weekdays are job searching, cooking, working out at the gym, learning new job skills, reviewing existing job skills, reading books, and sleeping eight hours a night. I consider myself good intelligence, good motivation, and doing my best to keep my lifestyle active. It's difficult working hard for a fresh life without a job, a small circle of friends, bad luck, bad timing, too many distractions, and few opportunities.

Positives Sat Oct 13-Tue Nov 6, 2018

*Watched The Sum Of All Fears, Magnolia (1999), The Last Starfighter, Contagion, and IT (1990) mini-series movies.

*Finished Introducing Microsoft Power BI by Marco Russo and Albert Ferrari satisfactory.

*Ate Belgian Brothers Waffle Crisps for the first time.

*I voted.

*Showered with Old Spice Body Wash for the first time.

*Spot cleaned the house including moping the kitchen and entrance.

*Finished reading Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett and City Of Thieves by David Benioff.

*Flashlight, first-aid kit, and smoke detector checked.

I Was Good I Wasn't Great

I'm backing up my past Innovating Common Knowledgeblogs between Aug 2005 and Mar 2011. I realized scanning the early blogs I was a good person. I was an average good person. I wasn't great. I was the person who's likely you--the reader. I was the person who's waiting at the checkout line in a retail store. I was the person who's riding a public transit. I was the person working in a white collar job cubicle completing responsibilities.

Why did I not raise from average good to average great? I added the word "average" because highly likely we are the same. Almost all of us are average. Let's be honest. If we're great or if we're excellent, then we see our names in the newspapers. The answer to the question is I didn't get better. I didn't innovate infinitely. Today I'm innovating infinitely. I'm learning new job skills. I'm expanding my interests. I'm going back to 2008 months after I realized I must grow up on Sat Oct 4, 2008. There were rewards in 2009 when I became good. Unfortunately, there are no rewards currently. Not yet. The rewards are coming. I trust life helps me. I trust life rewards me soon.

Positives Fri Sep 21-Fri Oct 12, 2018

*Watched The Exorcist and Cop Land movies.

*Phone interviewed Data Analyst position in Mountain View, CA.

*Cleaned the house.

*Ate Chef's Cut Real Jerky Co. and El Monterey Signature burrito for the first time.

*Hiked at Joaquin Miller Park for the first time. It was also the first time I visited the Oakland Hills.

*Installed a timer for the front door light.

Positives Sun Sep 2-Thur Sep 20, 2018

*Watched I'm Gonna Git Your Sucka, Don't Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking your Juice In The Hood, and The Gambler (1980) movies.

*Spot cleaned vacuuming downstairs, moping downstairs, and some rooms upstairs.

*Finished reading The Beach House by Jane Green and Men At Arms by Terry Pratchett.

*Ate at Pho Saigon Noodle House and Burger Barn restaurants for the first time.

*Ate Stubb's Original BBQ Sauce for the first time.

*Replaced my car's timing belt and water pump. Also, a radiator flush.

*Sold items on eBay.

*Applied headlight coating on my car's headlights. I purchased the coating at Winchester Auto Parts shopping for the first time.

Positives Wed Aug 15-Sat Sep 1, 2018

*Interviewed for a contract Data Analyst position in Campbell, CA.

*Purchased a new pair of shoes for cardio at the gym.

*Watched Earth vs. The Flying Saucers, Saturday Night Fever, and Labyrinth (1986) movies.

*Visited Playland Not-By-The-Beach museum and Hello Kitty Cafe.

*Finished reading The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey for the second time.

*Watched Oakland A's vs. Seattle Mariners at Oakland Coliseum. I watched a fireworks show on the field afterwards. It was the first time I walked on a MLB field.

I'm Wasting Air

I'm a white collar worker living a blue collar life like the textile factory characters from the movie Norma Rae. The exception is self job training. I live a life with no reason. I live a life with no purpose. There is nobody to live for. I'm not working to make a manger look good. I'm a human being wasting another human being's breathable air. I'm unemployed. I live with my parents. I job search six days a week. I job train five days a week. I workout at the gym four days a week. I complete my daily house chores including cooking, laundry, and cleaning. I take care of my body on the outside shaving and showering. I grew out most of my friends-- natural separation. My circle of friends is tiny. I have a little fun on the weekends. There is no stress. I stay out of trouble. No money worries.

The Glue Keeping Me Together

Some people break living a similar life. I know there are people living a similar situation. What's keeping me together is being a good guy. Don't take out my frustrations on other people. Don't be a jerk. Be professional. Stay strong. Be brave. My quiet life is an understatement. I live a boring life. I fight my struggles. I continue living life finding what I want to do. Most days I trust gut, life, and karma I earn an opportunity to achieve freedom. There are a few days life tells me to forget it because I'm a loser. There are winners and losers in life. The reader must acknowledge it.

Positives Tue Jul 31-Tue Aug 14, 2018

*Finished reading M Is For (Data) Monkey by Ken Puls and Miguel Escobar satisfactory. I also finished reading Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer.

*Enrolled as a Basementeer at Sports Basement.

*Purchased Light My Fire Of Sweden FireSteel 2.0 and a Sea To Summit Lightweight Dry Sack. I also purchased an REI LTWT stuff stack at the REI Garage Sale shopping for the first time.

*Cleaned the house.

*Watched Blade, The War Of The Worlds (1953), and Big Trouble In Little China movies.

*Shaved with Nivea Cooling Shaving Gel for the first time.

*Updated my webpage Innovate Infinitely.

*Ate at Corner Bakery Cafe for the first time.

Positives Sat Jun 30-Mon Jul 30, 2018

*Drank a Roy Rogers for the first time.

*Ate at Dunken Donuts and East Ocean Seafood Restaurant for the first time.

*Finished reading Thief Of Time by Terry Pratchett, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, and A Hat Full Of Sky by Pratchett.

*Phone interviewed a Business Analyst III position in San Jose, CA.

*Replaced a faulty fuel cap for my car.

*For Mahjong Riichi players, I got my first Yakuman hand which was Ryusio.

There Is A Reason For Everything In My Life

I have been unemployed for 1,170 days as of Sun Jul 15, 2018. Everything happens for a reason. Life has an explanation for everything. Maybe there is a reason for the four digit days unemployed. I'm catching up what I missed in my past before I realized I must grow up on Sat Oct 4, 2008. I continue catching up. I correct mistakes. I gain strength. I acquire intelligence. I experience wisdom. I'm paying back being naive before Sat Oct 4, 2008. I took life for granted. Life shut all my doors for 1,170 days. Can life shut all my doors permanently? Yes. Some people died living unfortunate lives. Life is unfair. People die everyday. If I die tomorrow, then I die working hard to open doors.

Trust life. Life tells me when I'm ready. Life flows with me. Life shows me the path. Life opens the doors. There are future days I connect the dots backwards telling my there were reasons I lived my past doors closed. My future answers my past. Life tells me the answer in time. Time is the ultimate judge.

Positives Tue May 29-Fri Jun 29, 2018

*I voted.

*Made lemonade from scratch for the first time.

*Congratulations to the Golden State Warriors winning the 2018 NBA Finals.

*Ate Don Miguel mini tacos from Costco for the first time.

*Helped family friends paint inside their homes.

*Installed an LED light bulb in my bedroom for the first time.

*Finished reading Pyramids by Terry Pratchett and Practical SQL by Anthony DeBarros satisfactory.

*Watched History Of The World Part 1, Wayne's World, and Sicario.

*Cleaned bathroom, kitchen, entrance, and spot vacuumed downstairs.

*Visited the Japanese Garden in the City Of San Mateo for the first time.

Desperate For More Positives

I'm desperate for more positives. I'm desperate for new positives. I want to earn positives beyond movies, books, cleaning the house, and eating new foods for the first time. I want to earn new positives both quantitative and qualitative wise. My life currently sucks. My life is on pause. I'm experiencing more bad luck. I'm living a cursed life. My past years have been bad. I'm walking on the loser life line.

The paragraph above has some truth. I could be dumb. I could be weak. I could have chronic health problems. I could live a worse life. However, I count my blessings. I appreciate what I have. I make the best living in the present.

Have I thought about my fears? Yes. Have I thought about my fears being realized? Yes. My fears are living with my parents for the rest of my life, being unemployed, being lonely, not knowing what I'm going to do with my life and becoming a bad person. My fears are reality. My fears affect my life to the day I die. There are winners and losers. I'm with the losers.

Positives Tue May 8-Mon May 28, 2018

*Purchased an Anker flashlight for my car.

*Watched The Rainmaker (1997), Gridlock'd, Heavy Metal (1981), and Running Scared (1986) movies.

*Cleaned the house.

*Cooked pancakes for the first time. The pancakes are Kodiak I ate for the first time.

Positives Sat Apr 21-Mon May 7, 2018

*Purchased a rain jacket and backup hiking sandals.

*Drank La Croix sparking water for the first time.

*Applied Vanilla Bean Burt's Bees lip balm for the first time. Vanilla!

*Watched Out Of Africa (1985) and Mary Poppins movies.

*Purchased a Corsair MM300 gaming mouse pad and a Kensington Pro Fit wireless mouse.

*Finishedreading A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.

*Ate at Peking Delight restaurant for the first time.

Positives Mon Mar 26-Fri Apr 20, 2018

*Phone interviewed for a Data Analyst position at a medical start-up.

*Ate at Smashburger for the first time.

*Watched Clash Of The Titans (1981), Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi, Footloose (1984) movies.

*Cleaned the house.

*Ate Oroweat Country Sweet Hawaiian bread for the first time.

*Flashlight and first-aid kit check.

What Is The Feeling For 2018? Good Or Bad Year

The end of each year I have a feeling which predicts the next year good or bad. The accuracy is good. Here is a table of past years which includes the outcomes as accurate and brief comments.

Year	Feeling Next Year	Accurate?	Comment
2000	2001 Good	Yes	An event in San Francisco brought all my friends closer together a few more years. The idea "Innovate Infinitely" was created. Both happened in Sep 2000.
2002	2003 Good	Yes	My manager was fired for incompetence. I created an eBay account. I learned the importance of financial education. These three events happened in Fall 2002.
2003	2004 Bad	No	Initially, 2004 was a bad year. I realized 2004 was a good year blogged here.
2004	2005 Good	Yes	The Las Vegas trip in Dec 2004 was the moment which set up two more good years.
2005	2006 Good	Yes	2005 was a year of many firsts which included a trip to Canada, a trip to Oregon, my first laptop, and an appreciation for classic rock.
2006	2007 Bad	Yes	Staff started to leave my company. No leadership. 2007 is the second worse year of my life; however, I have been questioning the degree of how bad.
2008	2009 Good	Yes	My life changed on Sat Oct 4, 2008 when I realized I must grow up.
2009	2010 Bad	No	2010 was the second of four consecutive good years. Everyone was tired at the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010. The economy was in the Great Recession. 2010 was a slow start for many people.
2012	2013 Bad	Yes	My life began getting bad after the San Francisco Giants won the 2012 World Series.
2014	2015 Good	Yes	Going back to a white collar job in Nov 2014 opened my eyes how important reviewing existing job skills and learning new job skills continuously are important.
2017	2018 Bad	?	I say with high confidence I felt no good feelings for 2018. As of the blog entry, I have been experiencing setbacks going backwards; for instance, I got sick for two weeks in Jan 2018.

We think about great successes are an accumulation of intelligent hard work. We think about catastrophes are an accumulation of many mistakes. Sometimes one positive discovery or one mistake can change a person's life. The events, the initiators, the beginnings, and the momentum starters are valid to start the new year on a good note or a bad note. A disaster may happen ruining a good year. Recovering from a bad start may or may not happen.

Continuing the 2017 and 2018 predicting a bad year, there is a chance 2018 is a good year. I changed my 2004 opinion from a bad year to a good year. I have been thinking about changing my 2007 opinion from a bad year to a good year because 2007 may have more good moments than bad moments. 2007 included a new job, my first car, and an introduction to tabletop gaming outside old school board games such as Monopoly and UNO. There were no events, initiators, beginnings, and momentum starters at the end of 2017. Time will tell how 2018 turns out.

Positives Sat Mar 10-Sun Mar 25, 2018

*Ate fried Hostess Twinkies and CupCakes for the first time. I also ate Chobani yogurt for the first time.

*Watched The Bridges Of Madison County, Julie & Julia, and City Slickers movies.

*Finished reading The Man In The High Castle by Philip K. Dick.

*Purchased a new pair of shoes for the gym.

*Ate at April 8 Cafe for the first time.

Positives Mon Feb 12-Fri Mar 9, 2018

*Cleaned the house.

*Finished reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland and Through The Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll.

*Watched Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle, The Devil Wears Prada, Sophie's Choice, and Kramer vs. Kramer movies.

*Updated my webpage Innovate Infinitely.

*Ate Belvita Vanilla Oat for the first time.

*Phone interviewed for a Business Analyst position.

Positives Sun Jan 15-Sun Feb 11, 2018

*Watched Catch-22, Spies Like Us, Boiler Room, Carrie (1976), and Moonlight (2016) movies.

*Finished reading The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling and rereading Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.

*Super Bowl LII.

My Past History Indicates From Worse To Better

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

The late Steve Jobs said, "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." There are sayings regarding a person living a bad life. It can't get worse; it can only get better. Everyone must experience hell before heaven. Frustrations, mistakes, and pain are part of growing up. Be prepared for failures before success. Everyone has bad years and everyone has good years. You win some and you lose some. Sometimes bad years are nobody's fault--it's life. The bottom line is everything we do today affects tomorrow; in particular, if life is bad today, then do something for a good life tomorrow. Trust hard work intelligently, good luck, and favorable timing everything goes well soon. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Hope for the best.

I share my past bad years which became future good years. I hope my past history dictates what happens for the rest of 2017 and beyond because I'm unemployed and I live with my parents.

2000. The Y2K catastrophe never happened. My company moved to a new building for which everyone settled in slowly. The dot-com stock market crashed creating a recession. Most people didn't know how to handle the uncertainty beginning a new millennium which included myself. Fanime Con 2000 which took place at a convention center and held for four days both for the first time was bad. Anime Expo 2000 which took place at Disneyland could be considered one of the worse big anime conventions in anime convention history.

An event in San Francisco brought all my friends closer together a few more years. I created Innovate Infinitely which became my personal webpage innovateinfinitely.com in May 1, 2004. These two happened in Sep.

2002. 2002 was a year of mistakes I corrected years later. It was like 2001: The Sequel which flopped. My manager was fired for incompetence. I learned one lesson: have nothing, do nothing, get nothing, be nothing, and people treat you like nothing. Never be a nobody. Working at my company became comfortable up to late 2006. Two small events affecting me today were I created an eBay account and I discovered the importance of financial education.

2004. Wait. Why is 2004 on the list? 2004 Was [Actually] A Good Year. I admit I made a mistake. The anime conventions I attended were bad thereby 2004 was a bad year. The blog link tells otherwise. For instance, I wore a costume to an anime convention for the first time which delayed anime retirement to Sep 2014. I met lots of new people, made new friends, and created memories.

2007. The second worse year in my life. The year started sad because my grandfather died. The permanent downfall started in late May. I took life for granted. I said to myself 2007 was going to be a good year no matter what because I started to wear braces in Jan, started a new job in Mar, and purchased my first car in May. On the one hand, I have a new smile when my braces were removed in Aug 2009 and my car is still in good condition. On the other hand, my job was terminated in Nov 2008 because of the financial real estate bubble.

I was introduced to Japanese MahJong or Riichi in Aug. I quit because it was too hard. A friend challenged me to relearn Riichi in one week on Oct 2009. I play Riichi today. Also, I was introduced to social live chatting at AOL's AIM. I created social networking accounts Facebook in Apr 2009 and Twitter in Nov 2009.

I played The Settlers of Catan board game for the first time. The game reintroduced me to board games as a top hobby. Click Top Ten Favorite Board Games to read my all-time favorites which includes Puerto Rico, Chess, and Dominion.

I played Team Fortress 2 (TF2) video game from Oct to 2011. TF2 was the first time I played online with other people. Side note: I played Starcraft offline and with people on a local network.

2007 was a foolish year I acquired life wisdom. Don't take life for granted. Don't take life too easy. I didn't take responsibility seriously. I didn't earn my successes sincerely and honestly.

Is 2007 the second worse year in my life? I wonder is 2007 actually a bad year?

2008. 2008 was one of three years which started bad and ended good. I realized I must grow up on Sat Oct 4. 2008 continued 2007 taking life for granted, living with too much fun, being irresponsible, and being dishonest. I made changes which impacted my life immediately. Some of the changes included new clothes, new desktop PC, new mattress, and new blog Finding Raymond Mar. I started to read fiction books. I found new hobbies such as hiking, ballroom dancing, and listening to classic jazz. Taking ballroom dancing class in college resulted in earning an AA degree in Accounting in Mar 2011. Almost all the changes and new interests positively influenced my life today.

2013. The second of three years which started bad and ended good. 2013 was too much fun. It was like I graduated from college to take a long vacation. Some memories were created. There was nothing to write home sharing those memories. I continued getting calls and interviews for jobs; unfortunately, no offers.

One mistake I made was job training at Accountemps' self-taught courses. Some of the courses I enrolled were business analyst, Excel, PowerPoint, and accounting. The courses were a waste of time. I learned nothing. However, I corrected the self-taught attitude by watching YouTube tutorial videos starting on Aug 2014. I have been learning new job skills such as Python, CSS, and JavaScript on YouTube today.

2013 ended good because I found a job working at a retail start-up which sold wine. I drank wine for the first time on my second day. I learned almost all wine sold at supermarkets and drug stores are terrible. I drink wine on special occasions only. Also, I wrote work blogs which continued at my next job on Nov 2014.

2014. The third of three years which started bad and ended good. The accounting degree I earned in 2011 helped me at my retail start-up such as purchase orders and accounts payable. The start-up went downhill in May. My contract was terminated in Sep. 2014 ended good because I worked at Palo Alto Networks in Nov learning SAP and Salesforce.

I retired from anime in Sep. The free time is devoted to new interests, new adventures, and new experiences. For instance, more time to read books, more time to workout at the gym, more time playing MahJong, and more time learning new job skills.

Two small events affecting me today were watching Breaking Bad and podcasts. I rarely watch TV. Breaking Bad sets my standards which TV series I watch. I listen to four podcasts which are Sex With Emily, CarTalk, Awesome Etiquette, and Freakonomics.

2016. It's too early to say how 2016 affects my life as of today. 2016 life continues today: job searching, learning new jobs skills, reviewing existing job skills, working out at the gym four to five days a week, reading books, minimizing eating processed foods, and writing blogs. Social life can be more active. 2016 is the worse year of my life because I'm not independent. I'm not giving up living independent.

Positives Sat Dec 16, 2017-Sun Jan 14, 2018

*Watched Bonnie And Clyde, Miracle On 34th Street (1947), Dunkirk, and 2001: A Space Odyssey movies.

*Ate Nonni's Almond Dark Chocolate Biscotti and Alfaro's Artesano bread for the first time.

*Sold Dec eBay auctions.

*Replaced outlet power strips with surge protectors.

*Cleaned the house.

*Cooked rice with Aroma Rice Cooker for the first time.

Explain A New First In 2016 And 2017

Jan 1, 2018 was the first time the years 2016 and 2017 were bad years from Jan 1 to Dec 31. It was expected. Nobody can avoid consecutive bad years in his or her life. 2013 and 2014 were bad years both ended well. 2015 was a good year. The last time I experienced a bad year from Jan 1 to Dec 31 was 2007. Is it possible 2018 brings three consecutive bad years? Yes. I hope not.

The new year starts over again. Super Bowl and Chinese New Year in Feb. Speaking of NFL football, the 2017-2018 NFL season went by fast. NBA Finals are in June, and the NBA season is close to the half way point. Outside sports, taxes in Apr, checkups, new bedsheets, routine maintenances, children's after school activates, new school years, etc. For me, I continue my weekday routines cooking, job searching, learning new job skills, exercising, reading books, brush my teeth, check emails, eat three healthy meals, and sleep. The best I can do is stay active, avoid boredom, and keep my eyes open for lucky opportunities. I'm not settling.

I speak on behalf of those down on their luck in 2016 and 2017: keep moving forward. It's the best we can do. Trust yourself. Trust life somehow finds a way to help you. Good luck!