8:01 PM 4/7/2019

Weekly roundup.

So this week went by really fast. I’m basically done with my tax filings and such. As an article editor I sometimes forget that it’s a good idea to get away from the desk and paperwork and hustle and bustle of it all and that life’s not all about spending time in front of the computer crouched or huddled in front of a screen. I spend too much time at the office and don’t always realize that it takes a big toll out of my happiness and well being. But sometimes you have to feel a bit of discomfort in order to want to have a better life or change something in your life. If you are always comfortable then you never want to change and never want to seek to better yourself.

So my first point for the week:

• Get a bit uncomfortable so you know what you really want and refocus.

Okay, so a few things at my 9-5 involve trying to fix procedures that we have at the office. But I’m just a cog in the wheel. Sometimes you can give suggestions but not always. So…

• Sometimes it’s a good idea to solicit for feedback on how to improve a new procedure
• Let someone know that you’re onboard with an idea so they don’t get defensive
• Ask someone what you can do to improve the process and not fight it, but also consider areas that may cause difficulty
• Realize that human errors may happen and bound to happen but there are ways to reduce errors
• Volunteer to help people get better if needed in some cases. This was suggested to me as sometimes you have to be like the people in the military and help your teammate so they aren’t lagging behind so your whole group can do better
• Realize that no matter what you try to suggest that sometimes you don’t always get what you want and have to do what you are given. Sometimes you can voice your opinion but a procedure may be set and you just have to do the best
• Business and human common sense don’t have to be completely at odds with each other.

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I like eating and trying different kinds of foods. I even enjoy spending time going out to restaurants every few weeks. Lately it’s been going the way of choosing healthier foods, though because I have to watch my heart.

The other day I had a nice steak meal but didn’t realize it was 720 calories. And then I was eating peanuts and a drink and buttered rolls. People tend to overeat at restaurants and it’s no wonder there’s obesity and other heart issues because restaurants tend to add a lot of sodium and fats to make the dish more palatable but at the cost of your waistline. Your eyes also perceive that you have this big dish and deep inside your soul you know it’s probably a good idea to doggybag your dish to go, but then inside your head you hear a voice that it’s not gonna taste the same if you have to reheat it or if you can’t get back to it in a few hours it may spoil.

I know there’s salt substitutes that are made with potassium but it can also be dangerous so the best thing is just to eliminate salt from the diet as much as possible in general.

So I had this terrific meal and then had to get up and move. That’s usually my habit is to eat and then move around for at least half an hour but it doesn’t always work out that way especially during the work week where I normally eat right in front my my workstation and then after lunch go back to working although I try to get up every 2 hours to get moving for 15 minutes. A human body is not really designed to be stationary for long periods of time and even lying in bed which is the most relaxing thing usually can be tedious. The other day I also started to have a scare because my heart felt like a nerve had discomfort or just in general had pressure. That’s when I’m realizing I need to seriously cut back on my sodium and crackers. At work I had been trying this thing where I pack my lunch and using saltine crackers as the basis of a few meals, but I’m going to have to modify my grains source so that I get more fiber and less sodium. And need to be moving more. My obsession with MRE’s and survival food isn’t always the most healthiest habit since some of the survival food is laden with calories and preservatives and sugar. A few months ago I had told myself to cut out salty things like ramen and chips but every now and then fall back into a habit where I eat some other food that’s just as unhealthy. Today I was researching nutritional and brewer’s yeast for instance including Vegemite and Marmite which all have a tad bit of protein and certain vitamins and sometimes B vitamins. But whereas the latter Vegemite and Marmite have salt, the nutritional yeasts are more like cheesy Parmesan flakes in a sense that are supposed to have a nutty cheese like flavor without any addition of salt and possibly good for use on popcorn.

In order to compensate I got in an hour walk and some yard work moving branches and leaves and logs and also did some treadmill for half an hour this weekend. I might have been able to also do some mowing had I had the disposition to do so.

I was also able to play a cool little magnetic board game this week and also build an outdoor fire. Rarely do I have a day where I’m not on a cellphone, computer or electronic device and it was good to get up stretch my neck and enjoy a day with good whether.

While researching all this I also came across an article about why buffets weren’t as popular as they used to be and also found a separate article about “fried rice syndrome”. I did a little bit more research and have been using this information to try to modify some behavior. I like my breads and crackers as much as anyone but sometimes like pasta and rice because they go well for big dishes that let you mix vegetables and sauces that you can’t do with breads and crackers. And I found that it’s a really smart idea to remember a few things if you eat this type of food often which I will elaborate below.

-Put away the rice.
A few months ago I had been eating a lot of rice and growing up it got to be common practice to leave things out possibly due to not enough refrigerator space, or someone’s sheer laziness but I always knew that it was a bad idea. Well it’s confirmed here and several other links around the web:
http://omgfacts.com/leftover-rice-can-give-you-food-poisoning-if-you-do-this/
If you leave out rice you could make yourself sick later and that’s what I suspected for months when I ate rice and certain other grains. When I was growing up my parents just gradually started leaving some soups and dishes in a covered pot thinking that it wouldn’t be dangerous but certain foods can still spoil and you have to be careful about that. And I also learned to pick up after. That’s another thing:

-Don’t assume someone else is going to do something. You have to take the initiative sometimes.
There’s a psychology study that someone assaulted in broad day light or kidnapped and everyone was thinking someone else would help. Well, news flash, there’s no Batman or Superman who’s going to swoop down and save you from your food poisoning and toilet problems. Better put that food away and refrigerate it yourself even if you still have roommates or live with a significant other or some other living situation. You can’t depend on others.

• Rule #5: You can’t depend on others.
  Yes, I just picked an arbitrary number but even during creation of this news site among other things if you’re a small business owner you’re the one that has to schlep the dung out of the field in pails, and you have to sometimes literally do that if you’re the owner. If you are lucky, you will find someone to delegate to, but you have to be good enough to have the vision, resources, chutzpah and skills to get someone on board if at all.
• Rule #6: Delegate if you can.
  One thing at my day job is that I have to sometimes do things I think will get the job done, but often someone may try to micromanage certain details. Unless you have some really drastically bad work it’s only of my opinion to set goals and direction and then do a laissez-faire / hands off approach to delegation like you would to a contractor who is already trained but just needs some guidance here and there. There’s a reason there’s a lot of workers. It’s so a single CEO doesn’t have to get on a stool and type out a manuscript themselves.

So this week I also watched a few clips from Casino Royale. I thought that was a great movie especially the AED poison scene as that just shows the humanity and seriousness of brief circumstances in life. I will admit it, life is what you make of it. It can be short in one perspective because you really only start realizing a lot of things in life after you’ve gone through between 1/5th to 1/3rd of it. Most of the time you’re sleeping though the other third of it, so there’s really only a few years that you’re useful.
I mean if you live to 70 or 80 and spend about a third sleeping that’s about 23 and 1/3rd to 26 and 2/3rds of your life sleeping. which leaves you around another 50 years but you’re working a good 30 to 40 years of it away and that only leaves you another 10 maybe 15 years to enjoy it if your body is still able to do those things. So that’s why it’s so important to do some of the things NOW. A few people I’ve heard from over the years also realize this. They reasoned that they would take a vacation or go travel the world when they had more money or with a spouse or were secure in retirement. Or they think they have to pay off all their debt before taking some time off for vacation or themselves. But what happens is that you forgetting that sometimes time is not always on your side. Maybe a spouse doesn’t stick around. Maybe your health fails. Maybe something injures you or some other life happenings occur. So what I am starting to learn is this:

• It’s okay to delay gratification and have a goal and plan, but sometimes you have to figuratively “cash out” and check out for a bit and reset your mind and your routine.
  I’m not saying raid your 401k. But it’s okay to get a nice dress or clothing every so often or a nice meal or toy or a little getaway.
• Your earnings and money are meant for you to use and are a resource, a weapon, a supply to help your achieve your life’s dreams and goals. Money is not evil contrary to some overused saying. It is necessary, it is important and helps provide for your food and family and mental health and wellbeing.
• Checking out is sometimes one of the best things you can do. Close your laptop, go out running, get refreshed and invigorated. Spend time with family and friends. You can always make money, but you can’t make connections stronger without putting in the time and effort. And you can’t just throw money at strengthening a connection because that’s not really how it works. It’s not really one of the things you can buy. This is an important thing to note if you’re a YouTuber or blogger or vlogger. Maybe go out and blog or video create but every now and then shut off that laptop and phone or camera and just enjoy nature and no electronics and just enjoying living.
• Falling into a habit and routine is anti-productive if it becomes complacency. One of the worse things that you can do in your life is to go through life a 9-5 zombie. Sometimes routine is good and automating your day is fine. For example Einstein and Zuckerberg famously had a single type of outfit that they grabbed so they didn’t have to think too much because of some “emotional and mental investment of energy” to think about these trivial daily nuances. Even Anderson Cooper has a set routine of foods he eats. Some presidents also have implemented routines to minimize the amount of decisions that they have to make because it creates a negative balance if you have to use all this brain power to make tiny little decisions. That’s why some people isolate and delegate to only have to make bigger decisions.

Another thing with complacency is sometimes you have to shake up your routine or allow time for changes and unexpected things to happen. Life will never be completely plannable. They have this Six Sigma concept that makes business refinements able to be made while minimizing faults and errors.

Complacency is also bad when done around people because you start to resent and criticize people. So sometimes you need to vary the length of time and conversations, activities, and things you do around people. A lot of people get into a routine which is human nature and so you have to try to introduce some variety. That’s why some people say people act differently and then later they fall into a routine and it’s not the same. Life is short, but life is long and life’s what you make of it. Try something new. Like famous comedian George Carlin was once quoted, “What do you want to do, eat at Wendy’s for the rest of your life?” Take a chance, step outside your comfort zone and try something new. If that is an acting class, a dance lesson, going out on a blind date, or trying a new kind of restaurant or even going to a roller coaster, sky diving, or moving across the country and traveling, you have to sometimes make changes. Change is a part of life and you have to roll with the punches and accept different things in life.

This week I decided not to grab from my weekly comment bag and respond to the feedback, will get back to it later.

I tested out my Lumia 1020 and it gets some interesting shots. Although the focus is not perfect.
Things learned:

• You may have to hold down the button to get it to focus a certain way.
• Have to swipe up or down to zoom in or out.
• There’s a focus assist light that can be turned on or off.
• Yellow is a great color for this phone.
• There is software out there like Lightroom to help edit photos and do split color effects.
• DNG is sort of like a RAW format for photos but more open and less proprietary. Some photo programs can handle it but it definitely means that your pictures will bigger than JPEG.
• My pictures don’t seem to be 41 Megabytes even though it says 41 Megapixels. Seems to be 5 + 36 of high resolution secondary
• Seems to be able to do burst shots

Other miscellaneous thoughts

• Our family got some Papa John’s for the week, but I had already had eaten by the time the food arrived.
• Salted peanuts are tasty.
• One or two cups of coffee a week is all I need, but burning your throat on hot coffee sucks.

This week’s goals. Check on my stocks and 401k’s again. The economy is picking up. Palladium would have been a good investment for someone holding it a year ago. We’re close to breaching a record high in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA). DowDupont has split and has a separate Dow stock that is now part of the DJIA. Cryptocurrencies are starting to go up again. Will see what happens in the weeks ahead. Maybe April will be a good month.

Need to work on Analytics.

Need to add videos and sound and podcasts

Need to figure out mailing situation. Will ask around for recommendations.