Mandaris

34. Write a book review of the last book you couldn't put down.

I already wrote about the last book that I finished, but wanted to talk about the book that I’m currently working through which is How to calm your mind by Chris Bailey. I picked it up after listening to an interview that author was doing on the Mac Power Users podcast.

I’ve been feeling a little lost recently and I feel that having a sense of inner peace will definitely help me in the coming months and years.

This is an interesting question because I've heard of people saying that most people are single issue voters and we recently had an election where someone complained about the price of eggs being a key factor in how they voted.

33. What are five issues that have affected your political life?

1. Being a minority
   There are many things that are related to this and people have written many books and articles on this subject. It’s part of my identity.
2. Being unemployed at one point in my life
   I was a new father and having a no income really affected me. Who was I if I couldn’t do the things that I had set out to do? It was one of the lowest points in my life and it still affects me to this day.
3. Seeing some of the inequalities for women
   It’s kind of sickening on how people view women. It’s not enough to recognize that they are our mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters. They are human beings and should have the same standing.
4. Having the Columbie shooting happen when I was in high school I remember being in the hallway and being ushered into a class room for safety where the teacher had news broadcast discussing the event as it happened. I remember seeing the students running from the school. Sad to say, we haven’t done much to fix the situation since. Even sadder, I remember feeling a little relieved during the start of the lockdown for the COVID pandemic because I wouldn’t have to worry about a school shooting.
5. Access to things that make your life better I really appreciate being able to do things such as go to college, the library, and other public works. There are also programs available for you to find the help you desire to help you with various things. I have several posts where I list places you can go for help.

This was actually a pretty hard challenge for me and I appreciate the opportunity to write out some of my thoughts and feelings.

32. What is your perfect record album?

I feel that Off the Wall by Michael Jackson is the perfect record album. This is essentially the same answer for me as prompt 24.

31. Is there a particular country other than your own that fascinates you? Why?

Not Really.

I’m a homebody and ignorant of the outside world.

I think there was a point in my life that I looked at Brussels. I half remember it being a place that would welcome remote work, but I feel that was before the pandemic and a huge influx of people going over there and raising the cost of living.

This is a pretty big milestone when it comes to working through these prompts.

30. What is something you are passionate about and why?

It is an interesting time to think about this. What is passion? And am I passionate about anything right now? I feel that I could wheel out the standard answers - such as “family”, “giving back”, “movies”, etc. - but it doesn’t feel right at this moment in time. I think I’m just growing numb as so much has been happening in the last couple months/years. I love my family. I love writing on my blog. I love spending hours reading comic books. These things get me out of the bed in the morning and keep me awake at night. Are these examples of “passion”?

29. Can you make a list of 20 moments in your current or past life that you would classify as sublime?

I would say moments with my wife and children have been sublime. It's very rare that I feel that kind contentment with life.

I want to be get back into my writing.

28. Do you have an /Interests page on your blog? What is on it or what would you put on one if you made it?

No, I do not have anything other than an /about page on my blog. I sometimes have trouble writing about myself and leave something like this as a project for future me to do one day.

If I was to make one, it would have comics, music, and movies listed. The second draft would have my favorite musical performers (Michael Jackson, Jameroquai, Daft Punk). The third draft would include things about web development and accessibility. Followed by a fourth, where I’d write about writing and how it’s so important that I left it to the last part of my fourth draft.

27. What kind of decorations do you have in your workspace? What do they mean to you?

The place that I’m currently working has a “hoteling” requirement. This means that I’m required to book an appointment with a cubicle within an allotted set two (2) days a week. We can only book a cubicle 2 weeks in advance and we’re only required to be here two days, there is no guarantee that you’ll get the same cubicle. Also, if you do not book the time someone else can sit there. You can’t book a cubicle and not sit there.

So, it discourages us from taking the time to decorate the workspace.

They’ve tried to make it more “fun” by placing pictures up of excited places, but it’s roughly the same 8-10 pictures in a certain group of cubes.

It’s not all bad, I do have access to a cafeteria and a printer.

26. Are you retired or working? What are your plans for retirement?

I am currently working and having this constant dread that I'll probably have to do this until the day that I pass away.

Life has a lot of twist and turns. A lot of restarts and some plans that had not materialized.

So, I’ve moved all my available resources into making sure that my children have everything they need in order to succeed.

25. Is there a special food from your region or heritage that you a particular appreciation for?

I'm in California and there are a lot of different foods in our area that I get to sample. There are two foods that I find to be special and that I make for myself time to time.

The first is hot dogs and beans. I like to class it up a little bit by using lil smoky sausages that I pan fry before adding the Bush’s baked beans. Now, these are both processed foods and probably have the total amount of sugar for a whole week contained in one serving. I shouldn’t admit it but no one is going to read this and respond, but I eat the contents of both the package of sausages and can of beans in one seating.

The family finds out soon enough.

My second food is a pan fried baloney sandwich. There is definitely an overlap when it comes to the meat that I’m eating in this situation and I’m ok with that. I usually get the baloney from my local deli and then place a piece of cheese on top of the baloney.