Beautiful Day

December 13, 2018

In New York’s Central Park the forecast for today is a high of 39 degrees (F), with rain and snow.

In Anchorage, Alaska today’s forecast is a high of 22 degrees (F), with snow showers.

In Los Angeles, today will be 75 degrees (F) and sunny. A beautiful day. In the middle of December. No rain, no snow, no ice. No jacket.

And the reason millions of people live here.

watch what you say

I was in the supermarket, looking at the TV dinners. Next to me was an older lady. She pointed at the Hungry Man dinners, laughed, and said, "You know, they should rename those products. Hungry Man is no longer politically correct. It favors men and excludes women. They should rename it 'Hungry Person'.

I laughed and agreed. As she walked away, I had a creative thought.

I called out to the lady, "No, not Hungry Person. Hungry Human!"

She kept walking and, over her shoulder, gave me a thumbs up.

Then, when I thought about it, I realized that, to be politically correct, you can't use the word human anymore. Hu man. It contains the word "man". OMG, after millions of years, we have to find another word for our species! How about hu person?

The day of rest

Sunday. Sunday is the day of rest. Except I don’t have a regular job and don’t have/need regular weekends. I don't take days off. Going at my own pace, I keep busy, but not too busy, I prefer to be productive, doing the things I like to do. And avoiding the things I don't like to do. Today, Sunday, the day of rest, I have a lot of important things to do, important things like doing a laundry, taking a shower, getting a haircut, grocery shopping, copyrighting a book, building a website, and getting 2 new iphones.

And, because I got so little sleep, so little rest last night, I can’t do much of anything. I'm too tired to do anything. I hate to “waste” the day, to “sleep the day away”, it feels so “unproductive”. Perhaps I will compromise. I can take a nap THEN, if I feel up to it, I can do a few of the doable things. That may make me feel productive, ish.

A Fortune in Food

I saw something today I have never seen before. A supermarket shopping spree that broke records.

I was in my local supermarket in Burbank, California at 2 PM on a Wednesday, had finished shopping and was checking out, when a checker came over and told my check out person (the manager on duty) that a customer, at the checkout stand 2 aisles over, was buying a lot of groceries, so many groceries that the checker could not finish checking the guy out, because the system was full and would not ring up any more items. What? Can't check out because you're buying too many items!? In all my life, I had NEVER seen that! The checker told the manager that the customer was buying $3,000 worth of groceries. WOW! The manager asked the checker how the guy was paying and the checker said she didn't know but would find out. She went back to her checkout stand, a little shook up. The manager looked at me and said, "In my many many years here, I have never seen anyone buy anywhere near $3,000 worth of groceries in one shopping trip." Neither had I and I have been shopping there for 30 years.

I was obviously interested in why the guy was buying so many groceries. As I was leaving the store, I looked over and saw a line of full shopping carts. Maybe 5-6 full shopping carts. The carts had EVERYTHING in them; food items, household cleaning items, kids' cereals, everything. I looked over at the customer, a medium sized good looking black male, about 30 years old. He looked comfortable standing there in a black t-shirt and pants and waiting to be processed and to pay, like he bought thousands of dollars of groceries all the time. A rich, hungry guy in L.A. Huh, there's no shortage of those. I wondered why he was buying so much stuff. Big party? Stocking a huge house? Feeding a huge family? $3,000 worth of groceries is a LOT of groceries. I was very curious but did not want to intrude and ask him. No one else wanted to ask him either.

I left the store and walked to my vehicle. Speaking of vehicles, I wondered how the big spender was going to transport all the groceries. I looked around the parking lot and saw no convoy of SUVs or trucks. I assumed that he was going to have to have the supermarket deliver it all.

I drove away. As I drove away, I had another thought about the giant purchase, a fortune of food.

As I live in the middle of the Hollywood entertainment industry, among numerous major studios, it also occurred to me that such a large purchase might be part of a movie, TV or music production. A cast party? Props? There are always a lot of entertainment business productions going on nearby. In fact, the TV show, "Superstore", is produced right down the street from the supermarket. Though I had not seen the show, "Superstore" is about the goings on in a "hypermarket", a superstore that sells a ton of different products, including groceries. Aha! Maybe the show was restocking its shelves and needed to show real food and lots of real grocery items - and sent the guy to a real supermarket, the closest supermarket, to buy real stuff to film on the shelves on the fake TV store. Weird, but that makes a lot of sense.

And, until and if I learn the truth, I'm going to speculate that this was why someone spent a record $3,000 buying every imaginable type of grocery product in the supermarket. Welcome to Hollyweird. And a fortune of food.

UPDATE
The next time I went to the supermarket the checker who rang up that huge order confirmed to me that it was indeed the TV show, "Superstore", that made the $3,000 purchase of groceries.

Pool Boy

I started playing pool at age 10. At the YMCA. It took me months but I became good at it. I played for hours each Saturday. For years. It helped develop my mind, my brain, my eyesight and my confidence. Good things to develop at age 10.

I loved playing pool. It is a game of logic, a game of math and geometry and angles and a game of skill. Like golf, or bowling, it is you, playing against yourself. I played pool throughout my youth. And beyond. I became good at it. Very good at it. I even impressed my dad, who saw me play and was so impressed, he bought me my own pool cue. I loved that pool stick. Nearly every day, during high school, after school I went to the local pool hall down the street from the school, and played for an hour or so, before I walked the several miles back home. It was a real pool hall. Darkish, green felt, two hanging lights over the tables, pool cue racks on the wall. I played straight pool and nine ball. I was able to beat nearly everybody in the pool hall and throughout my city. One day, the local "best player" challenged me to a game of straight pool. He was the 4th ranked pool player in the country. His name was Alan K. He was GOOD. I beat him. OK, he spotted me 10 balls to a game of 25; I only had to sink 15 balls while he had to sink 25, but I won! I beat the 4th best player in the United States! I was 18. Now, THAT was good for a young man's confidence!!!

I even seriously considered going pro, becoming a professional pool player, except they had only a few tournaments in those days and I would have had to travel the country and hustle pool. That can be dangerous, especially when a tough guy in some pool hall loses his money to you and gets angry. In the end, I decided to go to college instead, where I was the best pool player on campus.

As I aged, my eyesight was not as sharp as it needed to be in order to be a really good pool player. Yes, I wore glasses but it wasn't enough. I played occasionally for a few more years but I could no longer play up to my own high standards, due to eye-hand coordination and eyesight. I eventually gave up playing pool. But I can still play in my mind!

I give credit to playing pool for helping to give me a sharp quick mind, which I have had for an entire lifetime. Thank you, pocket billiards, I honor you as you honored me.

UPDATE: Lately, I have been playing pool using a pocket billiards app. It's fun. And I am still good enough to accumulate a lot of points; that's how they keep score on the app, by awarding points. So far, in a couple of months I have accumulated 170,000 points. Hey, maybe I can find an app or an online site where I can play pool for money. Then, I could easily (and safely) become a professional pool player. Sitting on my ass. And make another one of my teenage dreams come true. 

where are the butterflies?

Lately, here in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, I have not seen any butterflies. I used to see them around, all the time, now I see none. Where are the butterflies? Did they leave? Did they move to Texas, did they leave California, like many people have? Did the butterflies relocate to greener pastures? Were they driven away by humans? By drought? Are butterflies in my area extinct?

I miss seeing beautiful butterflies flapping their wings and perching on flowers. The butterflies were beautiful. Colorful. Heart lifting. Calming. Nature at its best. Where are they? Where are the butterflies?

And the same thing has happened to the ladybugs. They used to be here. And, sometimes, they would land on my hand, looking cute and colorful.



Message to butterflies and ladybugs: "Come back!"

Are you deficient?

You may be deficient.

Deficient in vitamins.

Vitamin deficiency can be a problem, a big problem. It's a silent epidemic. A silent epidemic that causes serious health problems worldwide. No, I am not a doctor. Or a health nut. I found out about vitamin deficiency epidemics the hard way, by being an unknowing victim, by being deficient, deficient in 2 major vitamins.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH): "Vitamin D deficiency is a global health problem. With all the medical advances of the century, vitamin D deficiency is still epidemic. Over a billion people worldwide are vitamin D deficient or insufficient. Yet no international health organization or governmental body has declared a health emergency to warn the public about the urgent need of achieving sufficient vitamin D blood levels.

Vitamin D3 deficiency can result in obesity, diabetes, hypertension, depression, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, osteoporosis and neuro-degenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease. Vitamin D deficiency may even contribute to the development of cancers, especially breast, prostate, and colon cancers." OMG!

Vitamin B12
According to The Pittsburgh Better Times, 2017, "A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that more than half of Americans take some form of dietary supplement for their overall health. Our friends and family taking multivitamins, fish oils and other vitamin supplements is nothing new and something we might all consider.

However, too few of us recognize a key vitamin we may be lacking—B12. Vitamin B12 deficiency has become a silent epidemic. Some of the most commonly mentioned side effects include fatigue, lack of energy, sluggishness and dizziness. And, in my case, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) . While there is a bucket full of other causes we might blame for such symptoms—such as lack of sleep, depression or even more serious health risks, such as anemia—the scary truth is that a deficiency in vitamin B12 could ultimately be behind many if not all of these issues mentioned here."

---

As for me, I was deficient in vitamin D3. AND vitamin B12. I was having symptoms, physical and mental symptoms which were decreasing my quality of life. I attributed the symptoms to aging. I had no idea that it may have been vitamin deficiency. It was. Throughout my adult lifetime, my doctors never checked my vitamin levels. I, the patient, upon doing my own research online, had to ask my doctor to test me for vitamin deficiency. When my doctor orders blood testing for me (1-2 times a year), among other things, the blood test normally includes potassium, calcium and protein. It does NOT normally include vitamins.

The next time you have blood tests, ask your doctor to check your vitamin levels!!! Especially vitamin D and vitamin B12

Supplements
What about taking vitamin supplements to make sure you're getting enough vitamins? Good idea? Yes. And No. You may or may not be doing yourself good. I am not a doctor or a nutritionist, but the research I did reveals that the usual over the counter multivitamins are often not strong enough - or TOO strong. Even if you take daily supplements, do not assume you are getting enough of the essential vitamins if you happen to be deficient - and don't know it. Or, you may be taking too much of a vitamin you may not need and it could cause health problems. If possible, get tested. I do it via my doctor. I do not know how (or if) a nutritionist can test to determine nutritional and vitamin deficiencies, or if the testing is covered by health insurance. I looked online but it was not clearly revealed.

Miss Disco

I miss Disco. I miss the 1970's.

Disco was music you could dance to. Tap your feet to. Sing along with. Like rock & roll, disco had melody, words you could understand, and a good beat. It uplifted you, excited you. Maybe disco seemed so great because back then, baby boomers were young, in their 20's and 30's. Young and full of energy. And surging hormones.

And disco came along in the early-70's, during the age of free love. Free love? Oh, yeah. Women were sexually open, and often welcomed sex for sport, for fun. All you had to do was ask.

guy: "Wanna have sex?"

girl: "OK".

And sometimes a woman would walk up to a man, a man she maybe didn't even know, and ask him if he wanted to have sex. No date, no dinner, no verbal foreplay. Free. Free love. God, I miss the 70's! It had everything: good drugs, good music and good sex.

Let me put you in a 70's mood. From the smash movie, "Saturday Night Fever" (1977), here is the best disco song ever, "Stayin' Alive", by the Bee Gees. Play it and see if you don't nod your head, move your shoulders, tap your feet and feel GOOD. Or, you might get up and dance! Get up and boogie! Or ... strut!

And, if you want some more, here's more

Be A Smiley Face

by Andrew Lawrence

The Magic of a Smile

A genuine smile tells the world you are happy. And the world responds to a smile; people like you when you smile. And when people like you they are more apt to wish you well, to want to make good things happen for you. When you smile people are more attracted to you, you are more approachable, it’s easier to start a conversation and a smile makes other people feel good, it makes other people feel happier, which in turn makes YOU feel good, makes YOU feel happier. It doesn’t have to be a big smile, it can be a little smile … as long as it’s a genuine smile. A genuine smile can work wonders. Put a smile on your face. And if people ask you why you are smiling (and they will) just tell them, “I’m alive. That’s a good reason to smile“.

Make your soul happy
Your soul does not want money, a new car, new clothes, new shoes or a new handbag. Your soul does not want to be petty, vengeful, angry, sad, confused, tired or sick. Your soul does not want to be obese or anorexic, or watch more TV or send and receive more text messages. Your soul does not need a college education or a PhD or a better job or a hot stock or more credit cards. Your soul does not want to drink lots of beer or wine or scotch or rum or bourbon or gin or vodka. Your soul does not want to snort cocaine, shoot heroin, do methamphetamines or smoke marijuana. Your soul does not want to smoke cigars or cigarettes, Your soul does not want to binge on cheeseburgers, pizza, ice cream, potato chips or chocolate (though a little chocolate IS good for the soul).

The soul wants few things. The things a soul wants do not cost money. The things the soul wants are free. The soul wants Peace. It wants Harmony. It wants Nature. It wants Beauty. It wants Love. It wants to be Recognized. It wants to be Happy.

When strangers smile or nod at you, without speaking, that’s their soul recognizing your soul. Saying hello. I often smile or nod at perfect strangers and, if eye contact is made, rarely fail to get a nod or smile in return. That is my soul recognizing their soul and their soul returning the greeting. The recognition feels good. It’s good for the soul. It makes the soul happy. That recognition connects souls, connects people at a higher level, a spiritual level, a metaphysical level, the level of the soul. It makes you feel part of the human race, part of the universe. And also makes you feel that you are not alone.

Put a smile on your face. Be a smiley face.

Do this every day. Do it today. Now. Whenever you see someone, and they're looking your way, smile. Give them a genuine smile. And get one in return. It's 2 souls saying hello. Do it and see how good you feel ... and how much better your life is! Make it a habit.

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The above is an excerpt from my book, "The Happiness Transformation". If you want to be happy, now, and for the rest of your life, click here.

No chirping

The landlord is renovating my apartment complex. Among other things, they replaced the sliding door to my balcony with a new one that is highly energy efficient and provides better insulation. It will more efficiently keep the heat and air conditioning inside, saving me money on my electric bill.

What I did notice is that, inside my apartment, I also now hear almost no noise from outside. Normally, that's a good thing but now I no longer hear the birds chirping outside. That's not a good thing. I did enjoy hearing the birds' daily chirping in the early morning hours. Birds chirping. A sound of nature. A sound of life. Now gone.

No more hearing birds chirping outside? What can I do about it? I could open the door and hear the birds chirping again. However, at 6 AM, even in warmer months, it's a bit too cold for that. When I get up early and have my coffee at my computer, I could blast the heat and open the door but that defeats the whole purpose of energy efficient doors/windows. What will I do? Give up hearing birds chirping outside? Delay hearing chirping birds until the day warms up enough to open the sliding door to the outside? Or, wait until I leave the apartment and go outside, and once outside, stand there like an idiot and listen to the birds chirping? Buy some birds and keep them in a cage in my apartment? I don't want to do that, birds should live outside and fly in the sky, free, the way nature made them.

What I need is indoor chirping, to replace the no longer available outside chirping.

What I need is a 24/7 "chirping channel" on my cable TV or online. Or a "chirping" app for my cell phone. Yes, that would be a creative chirping solution. Crazy, but creative.

Hoppy Birthday!

To everyone who is having a birthday

Hoppy Birthday!

poker millionaire

I am an online millionaire. An online poker millionaire. I play online poker.

I am a good online poker player. I play Texas Hold Em. Online. I play everyday, usually at lunchtime. In a relatively short amount of time, I have accumulated $5 million playing online poker. $5 million ... in play money. Play money? Why don't I play online poker for real money? There are two reasons. Firstly, as of this writing, it is still illegal to play real money online poker if you live in the U.S. Secondly, Texas Hold Em poker is not truly a game of skill, there is too much "luck" involved. I did a lot of research, research that revealed that Texas Hold Em poker is, in the end, often a matter of simply getting good cards. Sometimes, you get a streak of terrific winning hands. Sometimes you get all lousy hands. Yes, you can bluff but, in the end, if other players are getting good cards, they will beat you every time.

Based on my 6 months of intensive research, the best way to play Texas Hold Em poker is to play until you hit a streak of good/great cards. Then bet a lot - until your streak ends (which it will sooner or later). The problem with that is that, if you are playing for real money, you may hit a good streak right away, much later, or never. So you may need a great deal of real money to survive until/unless you do hit a good streak. Statistically, you could get a hundred bad hands - in a row. Or a thousand. Or a million! You would soon go broke playing bad cards. That's why I don't play poker for real money. It's a matter of streaks, good and bad. Meanwhile, I get mildly excited playing online poker for play money. And that's enough for me to keep playing. To gamble with REAL money, I play the lottery. It's only $2 a game. And it's exciting to imagine winning millions of REAL dollars! And I only need one $2 ticket to win a huge jackpot. Yes, the odds of winning the lottery jackpot are like 292 million to 1. So what? Somebody eventually alway wins. Why not me?

newmonia

YOU HAVE PNEUMONIA

Pneumonia. An infection of the lungs. A nasty disease. Plus, it's really hard to spell.

I have a better idea.

If you get pneumonia for the first time, it's a new ailment. Why don't we call it/spell it "newmonia", new monia.

If you already had newmonia and get it again, why don't we call it oldmonia? Or remonia?

What's YOUR life purpose?

What's your true purpose in life?

Find out here

Bore dumb

Sometimes my mind goes blank. My mind is empty, not a thought in sight. I don't have anything to do for the moment. And I can't think of anything to do. It's boredom. I am sitting here doing nothing, not thinking, not doing anything. It's both nice and scary. Nice in that it is relaxing. Scary because I am totally idle and afraid it will continue forever. I like to utilize my brain and for the last half-hour, it's not working, it's empty, idle, the off-switch activated. Will my brain start up again? When? Am I brain dead but alive, conscious and alert? Have I literally lost my mind?

Boredom. Boredom makes me feel dumb. Boredumb. Luckily, boredom is not permanent. Life restarts. Even though idleness and nothingness has taken over, sooner or later, life once again will require our attention. Good. Or bad. Either way, boredumb will end. And, after life and its busyness reigns again, I will long for boredumb to return.

pic words

Communication via images

aisle

bee

back

I'll be back.

Drinking too much

Here are some signs that you are drinking too much

From businessinsider.com

"Some signs that your drinking habits are turning unhealthy include gaining weight, being sick more often, your skin is suffering, taking more risks, forgetting things, trouble sleeping, feeling down and skipping out on responsibilities."

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I don't drink but those are the same signs I noticed as I was getting old!

McChicken sandwich with spider

From FoxNews

A McDonald’s customer was in for a not-so-tasty surprise when she bit into her McChicken Sandwich Monday afternoon.

Classical singer Ciara Harvie was eating at a McDonald’s in Edinburgh, Scotland, when she discovered a dead spider nestled between the shreds of lettuce in her sandwich.

---

Ewww. Is that going to be a new McDonald's offering, the McSpider?

Eating Linner

Because I get up early and eat breakfast and lunch early I am hungry again at like 4 PM. As a result I often eat an early dinner.

My dinner time is other people's late lunch time.

As a result of my schedule, and my age, I often eat an evening meal at late lunch/early dinner time. I eat my evening meal in the late afternoon/early evening. Is it a late lunch or an early dinner? It could be either one, depending on what you eat. It could also be both lunch and dinner. Late lunch/early dinner. It's called linner. Yes, according to the Urban Dictionary, it's an actual word. I eat linner. Yum.

The person in the video is not me, it's comedic actor, Bill Murray, who apparently was very hungry.

awareness dreaming

Often, at night, when I am sleeping and dreaming, I am aware that I am dreaming. I thought it was weird, that maybe something was wrong with my brain. It's kind of like daydreaming only you're asleep. Was this being caused by something in my diet? A medication? A brain tumor? Or was I just going insane? It kept happening, night after night.

What do I mean, being aware that I am dreaming? It's almost like I am monitoring my dream. I am both inside the dream and outside of the dream, observing and commenting to myself on what is happening in the dream. Here's an example. Let's say I'm sound asleep and dreaming that I am talking to a dog ... and the dog is talking to me. Yes, I'm having a two-way conversation with a dog. At the same time, maybe in another part of my brain, I am observing the dream and thinking, "What the heck? Dogs don't exactly speak English. How is the dog talking to me? WHY is the dog speaking to me? Where did this crazy dream come from?" I am asleep but aware that I'm dreaming.

This being aware that I'm dreaming is happening every night. I became concerned so I looked it up on the internet. I found it. It's called "lucid dreaming". It's weird, interesting and kind of fun. "Lucid dreaming" is a documented and normal fairly common thing. And it adds a new dimension to my dreams. Being aware that you are dreaming is kinda cool. "Hey, I'm dreaming". It also helps to know you're dreaming if you have an unpleasant dream or a nightmare; it makes the dream less frightening and allows you to possibly wake yourself up if things get too scary.

And often, while lucid dreaming, I am amused or pleased by my dream. Being aware that I am dreaming can be an interesting and fun phenomenon. Especially if I'm having a sexy dream! It's almost like the real thing. Maybe better. And sometimes I can even guide the action. Oh, yeah!

Lucid dreaming. Now that, dreamwise, I know I'm not ill or crazy, lucid dreaming is cool. And interesting. And enlightening. And often fun. There are no limits as to what I can dream and I can be aware of what I'm dreaming as I'm dreaming it. I now look forward to lucid dreaming, every night. Tonight maybe I'll dream I'm a superhero. Or a billionaire. Or a writer.

"To sleep, perchance to dream"
- William Shakespeare

no good deed

There is an old saying, "No good deed goes unpunished."

I can attest to that.

The other day I was going into my local supermarket and saw an older lady struggling to get a shopping cart out of the row of interlocked shopping carts. I stepped up and pulled the cart out for her. I then noticed that there was a large green piece of paper (food wrapper?) in the bottom of the cart. I asked the woman if she wanted the paper to remain in the bottom of the cart and she laughed and said no. I picked the paper up and went to throw it into a large nearby trash receptacle. When I did so, I banged my thumb on the side of the trash bin opening. I banged it hard. Ouch! Yes, I felt it. Yes, it hurt. Hours later I had a nice dark red bruise/hematoma on my skin where I banged it. The bruise was very ugly and very noticeable and over the next few days a number of people noticed it and commented on it, including a doctor's assistant.

It took like five days for the unsightly bruise to start going away. It looked a lot worse in the days before I took the above photo.

So I did a good deed and got a bad bruise for my efforts. Is that what I get for helping someone, for doing a good deed? No good deed goes unpunished?

Upon reflection, I would do it again, I would help someone who needed help. I am a good deed doer. Even if no good deed goes unpunished. Even if I get a bad bruise for my good deed. Because I am a nice person who wants to help others. That's who I am.

Pioneering

It can be scary to be a pioneer. To go where you have not gone before. To set foot in a new unknown experience. To embark on a journey, with no GPS, no roadmap, no trail. To put yourself in the mystical magical place of art. To be an artist.

An artist is a pioneer. Overcoming his or her fears or obstacles to visit a new fantasy, a new reality, a unique and special place of wonder and enchantment. To draw, to paint, to make music, to sing, to dance, to act. To write. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

Be an artist. Be a pioneer. In whatever you do.

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Tech Warning

I was not overly paranoid about technology, until today. Now, I am concerned, scared and outraged. Why? Here's why

I turned on my laptop today and saw a new icon on my taskbar. It was the amazon icon. I opened it and it was the Amazon Assistant. Huh? What was the Amazon Assistant? I had never seen or heard of it before and did not know what it was. I googled it and found out that it was an amazon app. "The Amazon Assistant is a free suite of software applications available for select browsers and operating systems that comes with features to help you compare products and prices while searching and shopping online." I did not want it, it did not came installed on my device when I bought my device, and worse, did not give permission for it to install on my device! The app installed itself on my laptop!!! WHAT??? A legitimate app should never do that, if it's not installed prior to device purchase a legit app should always get your permission and acceptance before it installs itself. This app didn't. Where did the app come from? Who installed the Amazon Assistant app on my computer?

I was outraged. And scared. Technology had taken over my device, without my permission, and installed an amazon app. Not possible? Now it is. It happened. No, I had not visited any bogus websites or opened any bogus emails. And, no, I have not gotten any updates recently.

I decided to contact amazon and find out how this incredible and totally unacceptable invasion of privacy took place. I contacted amazon via chat and this is what transpired:

"Hello, my name is Sasi. I'm here to help you today. How may I help you?

Me: Amazon Assistant app was installed on my laptop yesterday/last night without my permission

Sasi: I'm sorry to hear about the issue you have with the Amazon Assistant app. Please give me a moment.

Thanks for waiting, Andrew. Just to be sure, do you want to uninstall the app?

Me: Installing an app on someone's device - without their permission - is a HUGE issue

Sasi: I can understand your concern, Andrew.

Me: how DARE amazon do that! I have been a loyal customer for many years. Now, amazon invades my privacy and takes over my computer?!

Sasi: I apologize for any inconvenience, Andrew. Let me transfer this chat to the concern team. I'll take only a few moment.

Sandy:Hello, my name is Sandy. I'm sorry for the multiple transfers. Please allow me a moment while I review your previous chat correspondence to assist you in a much better way.

Me: Just so I understand, the Amazon Assistant app was installed on my device without permission?

Sandy:Thank you for staying connected. Andrew, there is no option for us to install any app over customers device. Please check with your family members someone might have accessed your PC.

Me: Nobody else uses my laptop. Ever.

Sandy:As the app needs to be installed manually, there is no way for us to access or install the app on anyone's device.

Me: the app was not installed manually, not by me or anyone else. This is a BIG problem

Sandy:Andrew, have you accessed any website where it requires to install any app on your PC.

Me: Is there a third party that could have installed the app?

Sandy:There could be, if you accessed any website where it states you need to install this app or this app will be installed automatically.

Me: I have installed no new apps. I would have been aware of any website that required downloading/installing an app. Is it possible that Chrome (google) installed the app?

Sandy:Andrew, until and unless someone clicked on the option to install, the app doesn't get installed not only amazon assistant any app. It needs to be installed manually.

Me:Apparently not. This app was installed without my permission, without me clicking on any option.

Sandy:Then this needs to be reported to our technical department and I'm sorry for any inconvenience caused to you. Please update your passwords to be on a safer side if anyone has remote access to your PC.

Me: I believe that amazon would be the only party to benefit from having this app on a device, I am holding amazon responsible.

Sandy:Andrew, as I have mentioned we don't get an option to install apps on customers PC. If it's a fire tablet or ereader, it'll might be installed if there's any new update rolled out, other than that we never access customers devices.

Me: btw, I have uninstalled the app.  My device is a Windows 10 Lenovo laptop with Chrome browser

Sandy:Thank you for providing the device details. I'll update my resources about this issue. Is there anything else I can assist you with today?

Me: No. Thank you. Bye."

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Amazon denied their Amazon Assistant app could have been installed without my permission. Yet it was. Could google Chrome have done it? No doubt they would deny it too. Could Microsoft have done it? No doubt they would deny it too. How about Facebook? No doubt they would deny it. No doubt EVERYBODY would deny it. However, somebody installed the Amazon Assistant app on my electronic device -- and it wasn't me! And no one else had access to or used my device.

The invasion of your device without your knowledge or permission and installing a legitimate app is scary. Really scary. And outrageous. SOMEBODY installed the Amazon Assistant app on my device without my knowledge or permission. These days, I am becoming paranoid about ALL technology. With good reason.

Beware of technology, it can take over our lives. If it hasn't already.  I wrote this in 2018

skate to the hospital

Skateboarding

skateboarding can be hazardous to your kid's health

From CBS News

A study, published in the journal, Pediatrics, tracked the number of injuries involving traditional skateboards. During a 2-year time period (2015-2016), skateboard injuries sent 121,398 kids under age 18 to the Emergency Room. Three-quarters of them were boys.

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An average of 60,000 kids per year? Injured? Because of skateboarding? It seems that skateboarding is a dangerous injurious activity. Maybe that's why very few of us adults skateboard!

Email spam scam

We all get email spam. Garbage. Junk. Emails we did not ask for and do not want. Occasionally, the email spam is an obvious scam. Like this Nigerian/Attorney General/FBI spam scam I received:

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
441 4th Street NW, Suite 1145S
Washington, DC 2018

Attention To You,

We have received instruction from the Police Department, Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) here in the United States of America to prosecute you over allegations of money laundering and terrorism of ($25 million usd) related activities in which there is over whelming evidence of your involvement. Note a copy of this email has been forwarded to the UNITED STATE OF AMERICA POLICE / AUTHORITIES and will be ordered for your immediate arrest.

The need for your urgent prosecution arose from your inability to secure the mandatory Clearance Certificate from the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) NIGERIA in-spite of several opportunities given to you by the Police Department, Homeland Security, FBI and IRS of this country.

In view of the indicting report submitted to the Police Department, Homeland Security, IRS and FBI by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Police Department, Homeland Security and FBI has recommended for your immediate prosecution. You just have to obtain the required Certificate from EFCC- CHAIRMAN, MR. IBRAHIM MAGU Email: ibrahim_magu22@yahoo.com and the Certificate will cost you $135 only. So you must contact him now and send him the required $135 immediately with his secretary's name below.

Here is the information for you to send the $135 through Western Union, Money Gram Or Ria Transfer today:

Receiver Name: -------- ONYEKWENNE NNEKA TINA
Country: ------------- Republic OF NIGERIA
City: ----------------- DELTA
Amount: --------- $135
Sender Name: --------
MTCN: -------

We are giving you notice that after the completion of seven days and you are not able to obtain the Certificate to clear yourself before the Police Department, Homeland Security and FBI, Legal prosecution will begin immediately.

Justice delayed is justice denied.

Yours in service,
Attorney General
Mr. Jefferson B. Sessions III

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Too funny. Imagine that, I can avoid being arrested and get "un"indicted for only $135. Really? If a person actually was involved in laundering money and terrorism I doubt if the U.S. Attorney General would send an email telling the person in advance he will be arrested and indicted. And I doubt if a person can avoid being indicted and going to jail by sending in $135. lol. No, I can assure you that this email is a spam scam. And a bad one at that. And, no, I did not respond to the email. Like the other 100 spam emails I get daily, I deleted it.

What are the odds?

I play the odds. The odds are in my favor, in your favor. Here's why

The published odds of winning the jackpot in the major lotteries is 1 in more than 250 million. In my life, that's not true. My odds of winning the jackpot in the major lotteries is 1 in 2. 50%. I have a 50% chance of winning the lottery jackpot. Because, in the end, either I WILL win or I WON'T win. A 50% chance of winning. Odds = 1 out of 2.

Statistics and odds are deceiving. The way I see it, the real odds for most things happening are more like 1 out of 2. A 50% chance. Either it will happen or it won't.

You have a 50% chance of getting a good night's sleep. Either you will or you won't.

If you live in a major city, you have a 50% chance of being in a traffic jam. Either you will or you won't be in a traffic jam. In Los Angeles, however, the odds are 100% that you will be in a traffic jam!

You have a 50/50 chance of putting down your cell phone and being part of the real and natural world. Either you will put your cell phone down or you won't. If you don't, you will be missing out on some wonderful things and some wonderful people.

You have a 1 in 2 chance of meeting the beautiful woman or handsome man across the room. Either you will or you won't. To increase the odds, go over and say hello.

Not all odds are in our favor. Take death, for instance. We have a 100% chance of being visited by the Grim Reaper. The question is not if, but when. In the meantime, live your life, live it well - you have a 50% chance of being totally happy!

Take The Hobby Poll

Hobbies are very popular. What's your hobby?



My favorite hobby? Napping.

Girl Scout cookies

The Girl Scouts have been selling cookies outside my local supermarket. I noticed that it was not easy or comfortable for them. Sales is not easy. I decided to help them. There were 2 girl scouts standing there selling cookies. They were about 11-years-old. I asked the moms of the 2 girl scouts if I could show the girls how to sell more cookies. They were delighted and said Yes. I addressed the 2 girls and told them, "Be more enthusiastic. Use over-the-top enthusiasm. You will sell more cookies. In fact, you will probably outsell all the other Girl Scouts." I told them to look at the incoming shoppers and, with lots of honest enthusiasm, loudly say, "HI! Would you like to buy some Girl Scout cookies?!" I demonstrated. The moms laughed. The girls did not, they were busy paying attention. They were getting their minds around the new and improved method of selling their cookies.

I showed them how to do it again. I verbally addressed some incoming shoppers with an over-the-top enthusiastic, "HI! Would you like to buy some Girl Scout cookies?!" Several shoppers stopped and considered buying some cookies. The girls saw that the over-the-top honest enthusiasm worked, and even worked for a non-girl-scout old guy.

I walked away happily. I had helped some youngsters. I had taught 2 young people a priceless secret of life. A lifelong secret of success. Enthusiasm. Honest enthusiasm. Honest enthusiasm is infectious. It invites and involves others. It uplifts people. It uplifts the person being enthusiastic. And it influences others in a positive way. People naturally respond to honest enthusiasm.

Whoever you are, you will sell more stuff, a lot more stuff, including yourself - and also attract other "good stuff" - when you are honestly enthusiastic.

Be honestly enthusiastic! Generate MORE enthusiasm! Be MORE enthusiastic! And reap the benefits every day - for the rest of your life.

Drink and live longer

From US New and World Report

The 90+ Study, started in 2003, focuses on the fastest growing age group in America – the "oldest-old" – to determine what habits lead to quantity and quality of life, according to its website. This year, researchers at the Clinic for Aging Research and Education in Laguna Woods, California, focused on what food, activities and lifestyles are commonly featured among those living longer.

Analyzing more than 1,600 nonagenarians (90-99 years old), the study results showed that people who drank two glasses of beer or wine a day improved their odds of living longer than those who abstained by about 18 percent.

“I have no explanation for it, but I do firmly believe that modest drinking improves longevity,” Dr. Claudia Kawas, a neurology specialist and head of the 90+ Study at the University of California, said in her keynote address.

Exercising regularly and partaking in a hobby for two hours a day were also associated with longer lives. Surprisingly, people who were overweight, but not obese, in their 70s lived longer than normal or underweight people did.

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Huh. Imagine that. Maybe I'll start drinking and buy some booze today. If I drink the whole bottle, and do that every day, will I live longer ... or be arrested for public intoxication or driving under the influence?

Plus, as I am not overweight, I'll have to eat more junk food - for my health.

Welcome to Hollywood

I looked out my window and saw a bunch of trucks full of movie equipment going by. I went outside on my balcony and this is what I saw

Apparently, they were going to shoot a TV show or a movie next door and were using the parking lot and other areas. Yes, this happens often in Los Angeles. Welcome to Hollywood!

I do not know what TV show or movie they are shooting. However, whichever it is, filming usually messes up local traffic and parking. I expect that to happen here, for as long as they are shooting in the vicinity. However, it's exciting and maybe I'll see or meet some Hollywood movie stars. Maybe the director will ask me to be in the show. And pay me. Or, maybe I'll get a free meal from the always excellent onsite catering service. Or, maybe I'll just be inconvenienced, day and night, until they leave.

Or maybe they're shooting a porn movie and I'll get to see, or meet, the female star(s). Oh, yeah! 

No Jacket January

In Los Angeles, it's the end of January. Today it was 73 degrees and sunny. At the end of January. I went outside during the day without a jacket. It felt good.

In Paris, it was 41 degrees F.

In Moscow, it was 21 degrees F.

In those places, and in most other places around the world, in late January you need a warm winter jacket. And gloves.

And, incredibly, tomorrow, in L.A. it will be 84 degrees. And sunny. And the next day it will be 85 degrees.

No jacket January. That's why I live here!

UPDATE: On Super Bowl Sunday (Feb 4, 2018) the forecasted temperature, at kickoff, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is 3 degrees F. In Los Angeles, at kickoff time, it will be 80 degrees. Final Weather Super Bowl score: Los Angeles: 80, Minneapolis: 3.

Marijuana Malls

Shopping malls are dead. According to the Wall St Journal: "Just when you think you have a handle on the brick-and-mortar retail crisis, the prognosis gets worse. More than 8,600 stores will close their doors in 2017, according to Credit Suisse analysts—a number that exceeds store closures during 2008, when America was in recession. One quarter of all shopping malls are expected to shutter in the next five years, according to the same report.

This downward spiral has severe economic implications, although some are less apocalyptic than they seem at first. In fact, there’s some evidence that automation and e-commerce actually create more—and better-paying—jobs than they destroy.

But there’s one issue that no one has figured out how to solve: what to do with all those vacant stores. "

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I have. I have figured out how to solve it. What to do with all those vacant stores and dead shopping malls? Turn them into "marijuana malls". Recreational marijuana is now legal in many states. The rest of the states will no doubt follow. If the dying and dead shopping malls are turned into marijuana malls, people can go there and buy weed and socialize, while getting stoned and feeding their munchies.

Stores in a marijuana mall might also include tattoo parlors, health food stores, a gym, a Virtual Reality arcade and, of course, an iPhone store.

Mall problem solved. Convert the dying and dead malls into marijuana malls: the evolution of brick-and-mortar mall stores. A cardinal rule of business? Give people what they want. And younger people don't want more "stuff", they want more experiences. And more weed.

Simple and Stupid

Once upon a time, I went to college. I was taking an economics course and having a difficult time understanding the stuff. In the economics course, the textbook used many unknown terms and language that I not only did not understand but, and when I looked up the definition of something, I could not understand that either.

I realized that economists were using their own language, a difficult language, so that normal people would not be able to understand the subject matter. Why? To make themselves elite, to make themselves more money. And to make it difficult for me (and everyone else) to learn.

For weeks I was frustrated at not being able to learn economics. And fearful of failing the course. One evening, as I was struggling with my economics homework, I looked up to the heavens and cried, "Why is this stuff so complicated??? Why didn't they explain economic theories by using "apples and oranges" instead of complicated math and language formulas??? Suddenly, a light bulb went off in my head. Apples and oranges? OK, let's see if that works. I applied simple apples and orange examples to economic formulae. It worked. Instead of the economic language used to explain the "Multiplier Effect" I made it into, "If you cut an apple into four parts and those four parts were cut into four more parts, etc. that's the Multiplier Effect." It worked! From that point on, I applied the simple (and stupid) "apples and oranges" concept to economics ... and got an A in the course!

From that point on, when faced with complicated stuff, I try to simplify it -- by applying my "apples and oranges" concept. "apples and oranges" is my own version of the old adage: "keep it simple, stupid". I keep it simple AND stupid. You can too.

Be a jerk

When someone calls you a jerk (or an asshole), tell them this:

"I assume you know that the meaning of the term you just used has changed. The term ________ is now used as a term of praise and respect. So, thank you for calling me a ________. And, in return, I just want to say, you're an even bigger _______."

Yes, I made that up. I thought it was funny. But, then again, maybe I'm a jerk.