21st Century Thoughts

Documents for dual-citizenship will be signed and sent this week. How exciting to see it all come together which is a great feeling. Musk will turn Twitter into something that it always should be: for the users. The notion that the blue checkmark "journalists" bring anyone to the platform is nonsense. Return the power to users and make social media enjoyable again, if possible. Weather changes mean gloominess and overall feelings of negativity. Get outside and find productive ways to spend time inside (workouts, reading, painting, etc.) That's all for now. Want to dive into tech for productivity vs tech for mindless scrolling later this week as there is a shift occurring and has been occurring for years by society...

Currently reading three books: 1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (in French) 2. From Zero to One (in Italian) 3. Fessler's 5 Proofs of God (in English but have been lazy with this one) It is incredible to see how translations and other languages force different thoughts. It is very placebo to say "learn a language to get different perspectives!" as if that means Europe, Asia, and Africa are all so different than the US. There is great variability among each country but that does not mean that everyplace is a hut and the US is a royal palace.  Other languages mean different words and interpretations that force your brain to think different and construct concepts in weird ways to adapt to the language. Three of the greatest failures of the US Education system is these things: 1. Inability to teach a second or third language to kids. Could be Spanish, French, Mandarin, or Arabic, at this point who cares. It is the lack of ability during 12 years of school (not including college) to te...

If Republicans win, what changes? Honest question. Early points are simple: 1. Border is secure! 2. Inflation falls due to less spending! 3. Crime decreases! 4. School transparency! 5. Overall economic environment improvement! But will it happen...? Either way, a divided Congress means stronger stocks hopefully and some rebound is needed. In other news, I am proud of where my Italian (fluent and bordering on very advanced understanding) and French (conversational) skills are. Next up is to finalize my dual citizenship application and send the files to Europe, and start my LLC to buy my first rental property. Not a bad time as the weather turns for Winter.

What is one event you wish you could have seen live? Anything or anyone, you have a time machine that doesn't effect the timeline (i.e. no butterfly effect). What do you pick? The catch is that no one is aware you saw this event. So even if you see Jesus, the creation of the universe, Julius Caesar, or Attila the Hun, no one is influenced one way or the other. Does that change what you pick? One chance remember so choose wisely.

Saw an interesting YouTube series addressing 100 skills or hobbies or trips to embark on before dying. Very interesting concept and wonder what a "normal" list would look like. Everyone has different tastes and interests but you have to think that there is a general consensus of what HAS to be done. Some that come to mind: 1. Visit "insert" historic landmark (Mayan Temples, Colosseum, Great Wall of China, Mecca / Medina, Taj Mahal, etc.) 2. Try certain foods or drinks native to foreign countries 3. Certain concerts or entertainment events (Woodstock-esc) 4. Learn a skill (instrument, party trick, etc.) 5. Listen to certain songs or music (Queen, Andrea Bocelli, Mozart, Stevie Wonder, etc.) This was a 5 minute list and didn't even talk about books, movies, speeches, and other media avenues. What would your list be? Is it better to achieve them all quickly or spread it out? I think I will be making my list at year end once I review goals hit and achieved this year...

Controversial and misrepresented like everything else. As an Italian-American and soon to be dual citizen, this holiday has a special purpose for me. To see the "Twitter Scholars" post and debate is laughable considering it is coming from legitimate idiots that "think" they are intelligent because of a podcast, spending $150k for some garbage degree, or reposting a meme they saw on another thread.  Let's establish one thing: Italians do not look at Columbus as a Christ-figure because he isn't. He was an explorer who somehow took a paper map and sailed thousands of miles with no knowledge or another part of the world. Atrocities included, it gave birth to the Western World as we know it. I am not debating the benefits and negatives but it is important to understand the context of 1492. Now, this leads us to Columbus Day. This holiday is meant to celebrate ITALIAN-AMERICAN CONTRIBUTIONS to America. Italians until the 1970's were the lowest "white...

Work trips should be the barometer for how an employee performs, along with value added to the company. Do you go and treat it as a vacation? Act like a college kid on spring break? Do you make yourself appear invaluable to co-workers you don't see often? Age is irrelevant in work; older workers are just as likely to be a problem as younger ones once alcohol, nice dinners, and travel are involved. How well can you do the job and how mature are you overall, not just for your age, should be the merits for your career. Regardless, NY is a great place to visit for 2-3 days but beyond that is pushing it. Chicago is better as far as I am concerned but I am biased... In other news, midterms in 4 weeks and the weather is reflecting what a gloomy winter this may be regardless of election results. Sports are picking up again where the best time (end of October) sees MLB. NBA, Tennis, NFL, and NHL share time, along with the World Cup being closer and closer. Let's enjoy what little of 202...