COVID-19

Three years from now, there will be a movie called Covid Spring. it will star an actor like Channing Tatum, and it will be a box office blockbuster.

Ford Stock will have tripled (or higher; 15+), and I will have missed that wave, because money is not my god.

We will get through this pandemic, because the CDC will have adopted mandatory face mask wear, unlike the currently voluntary requirement that exists. This will first be preceded by the Defense Production Act producing enough supplies to sustain the Healthcare industry. There will be exceptions; for those who medically can’t, and the sovereign citizens among us who think they are invincible. Not that the mask will save you. That’s just what they will tell you.

Trust, but verify. That’s a saying that goes for most situations, I think. Jesus trusted that His people weren’t making a den of thieves of His house, but then went and discovered it – does His anger announce surprise? I think it has more to do with the fact that God intentionally forgets our sins.

All of these things happening now may seem silly in the years ahead, but there is something very striking about this age that I think is different from the past – there is so much information. So. Much.

“History is told by the victors” is a famous quote in history class. If Nazi Germany had succeeded in their cause for the Aryan race, what kind of world would we be in? If the Khan dynasty continued to grow and held its mark, what kind of world would we be in? What do you do when history is being told by the guy sitting at Starbucks who’s lost his job, but is making ends meet by writing columns for a popular newspaper with an agenda bent on profit and fear?

Better question, more prevalent today: what kind of world will we live in, if China continues to desecrate its people under an order seen as less than democracy? There’s already talk of the fallout of the virus and its effect on our world, strictly because of China.

Today, Trump paused the World Health Organization funds from the US – I imagine in the future, this will be the starting timeline for a chain link of events leading to the fall, changeover or widespread acknowledgement that China and US Imperialism/Nationalism are Yin and Yang, but this action related to the Coronavirus has disrupted the balance. What a world we will live in…

Speaking of Trump – he could be a lot better at what he does. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like him, and saying that doesn’t necessarily mean that I do. As a former Airman, a current employee, a husband and a father – I know that I don’t always call the shots. I can warn, advise, plan and develop alternatives, but there is one thing that very few people have right now in a crisis – experience. Trump has experience, being President. A good one? Eh, not really. But, if I’m hiring a new person for the most difficult job, against another person (intentionally gender-neutral) who has experience and didn’t burn the place down, and there’s a time crunch and they won’t be there forever and the only other choice is another thief, waffling, socialist, naive politician – I’ll take my chances. He is at least surrounding himself with people who are very knowledgeable. And as long as he listens to them, or the cohort of governors making things happen in a bipartisan matter, we’ll be okay. Speaking of which, Trump will probably be reelected. There will probably be an uproar; or the beginning of a new age of resentment and the downfall (opposite of a stock rally) of the US government. Not that I want it that way. But how many times can you do the same thing over and over, and expect the American public to forget? Watch the movie Bloodshot. Even if you program that in, you’re bound to slip up. Surprise, that guise you call the economy that the government has blinded us all for the last several decades with, the thing that seems to be slipping currently (maybe not just because it has to), is revealing the statue of control behind the veil.

There isn’t a government like ours, in every way. We aren’t perfect, and there is a lot of good that we do. We just have to work together through that. The saddest thing about modern democracy is that we still don’t understand that our rights as people clash – your right to blow up fireworks until 2am on the 4th of July (if you call that a right), interferes with many people’s right to health, wellness and sleep. Think of the old people, children and dogs.

Can we accept that sometimes there is no answer? What does a programmer tell an autonomous car to do, given this situation: autonomous vehicle with a sleeping driver driving on a one lane road on a mountain, and a child is in the middle of the road; at speed the car cannot stop before impacting the child, as the road takes up the lane of travel, and the only other choice is to slam into the guardrail, and hope it doesn’t break, sending the passenger to their death. Who dies?

Love your neighbor as yourself. There isn’t a right answer here. We can agree to disagree, but we must also give way to one another, and be mindful of our give and take. We must take stock of what we’ve taken, and give away the excess. Is it a surprise then that God commands us to do so? And that He empowers us in the core of our being to do so. Amazing.

Stay Sharp. Be Brave.

We’ve all heard it. The proverbial “family emergency” invariably leads to tons of missed work. Maybe you’ve called out of work a time or two because of a “family emergency”.

For those of you that do in fact experience a true family emergency, my prayers are out you and your family, and I wish you well through those difficult times. Invariably, every one will experience one a time or two; or seven.

But, there are lots of things that don’t constitute family emergencies under most circumstances. They include, but are not certainly limited to:

  • •Forgetting to do your homework
  • •Forgetting to put gas in your car
  • •Not wanting to get out of bed in the morning
  • •Not having your clothes ready for work
  • •Wanting to play video games with your friends
  • •Your sibling told you to stay with them for the day for any other reason other than they are needing your complete care (feeding, clothing, watching over their medical needs).
  • •Your cousins birthday is the same day
  • •Your brother’s girlfriend’s mom’s dog is at the vet, and you need to provide emotional support
  • …
  • …
  • •{insert non-adulting reason}

WHERE MY MILLENNIALS AT??

The truth is, you’re making us all look bad.

I’m a millennial. I grew up knowing that I had to work hard in this life to get anywhere I wanted to go. I’ve worked tirelessly for where I’ve found myself, and I’ll continue to be thankful for the blessings that I’ve encountered along the way. But you will never see me slacking off, or providing an excuse for something that I’m not willing to own up to. There are plenty of times that I’ve thought about joining the club of milennials that think it’s okay to skip work because they just don’t want to go. That’s a really unfortunate look at life. I truly feel that this feeling permeates all relationships, and not just the ones that they’ve intended it to be relegated to.

Please remember that we’re all in this together. We all want the same thing, and in order for you to get where you want to go, you must play the game. You can’t sit on the sidelines of life and read my posts (shameless plug) while not engaging in your interests. Perhaps your interests include slacking off… I’m not sure I can help you there, because if you engage in the above, you’ve got it down pat, and you’re exactly where you’ve desired to be. So, congratulations to you – you’ve achieved the american dream – the dream to follow our dreams, and achieve them. That, I can be jealous about; though, we don’t share the same dream.

Please though, consider the other people around you, and the things that you’re doing to them, with your inaction. That’s right, you are causing harm to another living, breathing human by failing to do the things you’ve signed up to do. Some of us, want to go further than our couch. Some of us, want to succeed, and make a difference. But the reality is that we can’t do it without you. I can’t do it without you. We need you. I need you.

Next time you consider stabbing the “snooze” button a few more dozen times, remember to be brave, and be open, and recognize that you are not just in this life for yourself. You can be like the plenty of selfish people who are either at the top looking out for themselves, or remain at the bottom looking out for themselves. Was that #shocking?

You can be a better you, if you let yourself be. If you let yourself believe that God gave you a purpose for this life, and that purpose was to help and serve others. I serve lots of people. In fact, that’s all I do. I rarely have the opportunity to focus on myself, and I prefer it that way. There is much more to life than self, and you will find yourself, when you give yourself to others in service. Go to church, volunteer, join a club. Stumble through Mix and find your purpose.

Google Hacking

Hasn’t there been enough articles on “Google Hacking”? Hasn’t Wikipedia and websites like Exploit Database provided enough information to really keep things moving?

Yea, probably. So I won’t bother explaining it to you, but I’ll allow you to do your own research.

I’ve done my fair share of ethical hacking; well, more than the average person – we’ll go with that. (Yo, people of the dark web, I’m not picking a fight with you – please leave my website alone)

But why is this not something common sense? Why does it have to be labeled “hacking”? Sure, it can be cool and dangerous (simultaneously, even) if you’re doing things for the wrong reasons. But, if you’re doing it for the right reasons, and keeping your nose out of people’s open digital flies, you could get recruited by the big guys to do the right thing with them. Google’s algorithm identified my account as a potential interest in their recruitment efforts a while back (Credit to The Hustle, for capturing a screenshot of their own; I didn’t think of it at the time, as I was looking for Headless Chrome information for Puppeteer through Node.js).

Just don’t do bad, mm’kay?

Google hacking as it’s called, is actually quite useful for research purposes. Very helpful, when you’re looking for more detailed information for say, your thesis or dissertation, and you’re looking for reputable sources, and you’re not sure which websites to trust. Knowing your way around a computer and how unusual it is for someone to make a .pdf file, searching through google, – erhm – “Google Hacking”, you can search for .pdf files using the construct filetype:pdf within the google search bar of whatever you’re looking for. You can also use this for other file types, like .doc, .docx, .ppt, etc.

Changed. Your. Life.

Okay. Maybe not. But, it’s extremely helpful. Just try searching for training material on a website by also adding the site: construct to your search, and boom! You’re in business. Well, the searching/researching one, anyway.

Why can’t it just be called “advanced google searching techniques”? Well, because it’s difficult. And people don’t know much about it, and it’s on a computer, so clearly, you’re hacking. Google Hacking, that is. P.S., don’t tell any of your friends, because they’ll ask you to help them research lots of things. No matter how cool you think you are, you won’t be getting the things that they really think you can do. And even if you could, you shouldn’t, because that’s illegal.

Okay, so, I started this post by saying I wasn’t going to tell you about how to utilize those “google hacking” techniques, but it all begins with something. Use those techniques to find the information you’re looking for – and dig around to see what you can find. This is a useful technique when trying to find reputable sources.

You could even give your skills a try on AGoogleADay.com

Unmistakable

I grew up in a small town called Graham, Washington. Seemed like pretty much in the middle of nowhere. And it was at the time. I moved there when I was 8 years old, and I remember all those memories as if they were yesterday.

I grew up knowing that I would do something with my life and make a difference. In some respects, I have already, but I know that my story is not done either. I know that there is a whole lot of life ahead of me.

I was a smart kid that worked hard and played hard. I loved school, and I think all my teachers liked me. I didn’t want to be the “teacher’s pet,” but I also wasn’t going to sit by and let the rebels control everything. Funny thing about that, is that the polarity of those two axioms leads you to a fairly lonely middle. I felt alone as a kid on my soap box, fiercely loyal to the denotative meaning and difference between right and wrong. People can be really unfair sometimes, you know? I learned quickly though that I maybe wouldn’t make that many friends in the popular crowd. I wasn’t that guy. I prided myself in having or knowing where to get the answers. Funny thing though, the more I learned, the more I realized that I actually didn’t know much. Life can be pretty brutal in that way of explaining things. Or sometimes there just is no explanation.

I’m not a fan of banners. Except maybe the American flag. Just because of what it’s supposed to stand for. Because of the people that I know who serve that flag, and the sacrifices they’re willing to make for it. I grew up believing that I would too, serve that flag one day, and even though that wasn’t possible to the extent that I had planned because God had and has other plans for me, that’s okay. Do not be mistaken though, the flag deserves respect, where “one nation under God” rings in the halls of our leaders.

I will stand up for the national anthem, and hold my hand over my heart, even though that same flag has been placed and done things that I am not proud of. Even though in some places in the world, wearing a flag on my shoulder would mean a death sentence. But that’s not something that I’m unfamiliar with, being a Christian. So I’ll wear my american flags and salute it with respect – it’s not my God, and if you want to burn the flag in front of me, feel free to do so as that’s your right. But don’t ask me to stand behind you, because I won’t anymore than you will change my mind by using disparaging terms about Jesus. It’s okay. I can handle it. The real question is, can you?

Because at the end of the day, we all bleed the same blood. That is unmistakable. More people need to remember that, so that our humanity can return. So that we can stand up together and work together through the hard things that push us together, or apart.

Unchanged

Life is crazy, right?

I have three kids. They are everything to me. I grew up wanting to some day have kids. That’s something I thought that I could be proud of, and share my life with and all the adventures that comes with.

There are obviously hard days. Days that you wish you could just come home and lie down, and not think of anything else than just pull some Z’s. Kids are amazing, wonderful and perfect gifts that come wrapped up in imperfect bodies with a tendency to break things and resemble terrorists. But really, they’re great!

Especially nights like this one, where you’ve had a long day, and those Z’s are so compelling and having a little ice cream sounds delicious just before bed, but that’s not possible until they’re pulling the Z’s first, and you draw them close to you and feel their warmth as they draw in a big yawn and fall asleep in your arms.

I live for moments like that. That’s unchanged.

I also have the world’s most amazing wife – she takes care of the kids during the day, and she’s a saint, because I don’t know how she does it, couped up in the house all day. She is amazing at what she does, and I’m lucky to have her in my life.

What has changed though?

Putting things into perspective, which is a definite must; not much really. I love my family, my kids, my life. We all have things that we wish we could do, and things we regret, but I think it would be difficult for me to say that I would do it any differently. I do wish that I’d met my wife sooner – that’s something I would definitely say I could wish. And not because I think she will read this. (Though, brownie points, hun?)

My self-talk is mostly positive. I do find it hard to find moments to express myself though, which is the reason that I wanted to start this blog. There’s a lot of things I’d like to talk about – I’m just not certain how or when I will do all of that. Some day.

Maybe you’ll join me?

If not, that’s okay too.

For now, I want you to know that Jesus loves you.

Unconventional

That’s a good word to describe myself. I struggle with the word “No” or “impossible”. I don’t believe in defined constraints – at least the ones that humans set for ourselves. There is more to this world than just what we think it is — people thought the world was flat not too long ago (in the grand scheme of things). And yes, there are still people who think the world is flat. I’ve met one. He was very convincing.

What is this website about? Good question. Queue my old resume….

  • Profile
    • Graduate Applicant | Office Assistant | Customer Service Rep

    • Hard-working, dedicated recent graduate from University of Washington, Seattle, with strong interpersonal skills, team-minded, energetic and willing to work nights and weekends. Graduate applicant with strong background in social sciences, customer service, and academics.

  •  
  • Education
  •  
  • Honors
  •  
  • Work Experience
    • Staffpro, The Event Staffing Professionals
      • 800 Occidental Ave. S. #100, Seattle, WA 98134, (206) 381-7597
      • Customer Service Specialist – Bag Checks, Crowd Control, Customer Relations
      • Aug ’11 to Present
    • University of Washington Libraries, Suzzallo/Allen Information Services
      • Box 352900, Seattle, WA 98195-2900, (206) 543-0242
      • Student Technician – Patron Assistance
      • Apr ‘10 to Dec ‘11
    • University of Washington Libraries, Phys/Astro Reading Room Circulation
      • Box 352900, Seattle, WA 98195-2900, (206) 543-2988
      • Student Technician ¬– Patron Assistance, Circulation
      • Sep ’10 to Dec ‘11
    • Northwest LP, Carl’s Jr.
      • 10417 Gravelly Lake Dr. SW #B, Lakewood, WA 98499-5016
      • Cashier, Customer Service, Maintenance, Drive-Thru
      • Sep ’09 to Jan ‘10
  •  
  • Skills / Licenses / Certificates
    • Spanish, 6 years, Intermediate; 3 years Formal Schooling
    • Food Handlers, 2 years; Carl’s Jr. and Jack in the Box
    • Coding, 6 years, Intermediate; HTML/CSS, JavaScript, PHP, Java, Visual Basic
    • American Academy of CPR and First Aid, Inc. Certificates:
      • BLS CPR (Adult / Child / Infant) – Expires 11/01/13
      • First Aid Course – Expires 11/01/13
      • Bloodborne Pathogens – Expires 11/01/13
      • Adult CPR – Expires 11/01/13
    • Motorcycle Endorsement, 1 year, Washington Motorcycle Safety Program
    • Concealed Weapon Permit – Expires 08/15/16
    • Honorable Discharge, United States Air Force, USAFA, CO, 1 year
    • Combat Survival Training, ECAC Level 1, USAFA, CO, 2009
    • Photography, Expert; 5 years
  •  
  • Volunteer Service
  •  
  • More questions? Personal portfolio website at JeremiRoss.com

That was my old resume, cerca 2012ish. Quite a bit has changed since then, but I will leave most of that a mystery for the time being. For those that are truly curious, it would not be that difficult to find more about me. But, this space is meant to be more of an opportunity of some musings that come across my mind. Not meant to be overly official or superfluous — maybe somewhere in the middle.

I may cover some things that I have an opinion about that you may not agree with. That’s okay. I’m open to your feelings, but I’m unmoved by any desire to please everyone. I’ve learned that’s not possible – you should too; or maybe you do already.