What I’ve learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0009

401.  Rustico Restaurant is the Alexandria version of the Brickskeller Dining House and Down Home Saloon;

402.  Taking a ghost tour in Alexandria will help get you in the mood for Halloween;

403.  Every day, Thomas Jefferson rose at dawn to wash his feet with cold water;

404.  Haydee’s Restaurant in Washington, D.C. has the best tortilla chips I’ve ever tasted (at least when I was drunk);

405.  There have only been a few people in my life that as long as they lived in the same place as I did (city-wise), that place felt like home, but when they moved away I lost that sense of home . . . that sense of attachment . . . and that city felt like any other city . . . like there wasn’t anything special about it anymore;

406.  Virtues are lost in self-interest as rivers are lost in the sea;

407.  Elisha Gray filed papers with the patent office on February 14, 1876, for his telephone device – just a couple of hours after Alexander Graham Bell filed his;

408.  Capitonyms are words that change meaning according to whether they start with a capital letter.  Some examples are Herb and herb and Polish and polish;

409.  It’s not every day when you see a woman in a miniskirt with only one leg;

410.  There are a lot of fun hiking trails in Great Falls, Maryland;

411.  The Georgia spinach salad (i.e., candied walnuts, dried cranberries, sliced chicken tenders and spinach with a mango chutney vinaigrette) at the Tombs (Tombs.com) is tasty;

412.  Abraham Lincoln is the only president to be granted a patent.  It was for a device to lift boats over levees;

413.  Elephant copulation lasts twenty seconds;

414.  The opposite of déjà vu is jamais vu.  It’s a false unfamiliarity with a situation, such as when you walk into your apartment and feel like you’ve never been there before;

415.  Charles Lindbergh was the first pilot on what would become American Airlines;

416.  Aluminum in Britain is called “aluminium;”

417.  Chef “Spike” Mendelsohn from season four of “Top Chef” doesn’t always wear a hat;

418.  The mango mayonnaise at Good Stuff Eatery (GoodStuffEatery.com) is great;

419.  After the age of twenty, humans lose 50,000 brain cells a day to atrophy;

420.  Back when coins were made of metals like gold and silver, petty thieves would shave off the edges and melt down the valuable slivers.  To stop this, mints began putting serrated edges on coins;

421.  The ancient Egyptians used olive oil as a lubricant for moving heavy building materials;

422.  Oysters can change sex according to the temperature of the water;

423.  Swedish centers (specifically Nicklas Backstrom of the Washington Capitals) can chug beer;

424.  The curry chicken salad sandwich (i.e., coconut curry sauce, diced chicken breast, fresh baby spinach and raisins) at Zuppa’s (Zuppa.org) is tasty;

425.  A raccoon washes its food before eating;

426.  Botanically speaking, a fruit is anything with seeds and a berry has a single ovary with lots of seeds.  Blackberries, raspberries and strawberries are actually aggregate fruits;

427.  Kokura was the original target for the second atomic bomb, but when the B-29 bomber couldn’t sight its target it proceeded to its secondary target of Nagasaki;

428.  The White House was originally called the President’s Palace, but the name was changed to Executive Mansion because “palace” was considered too royal.  The building didn’t officially become known as the White House until 1902, under Teddy Roosevelt;

429.  You should always say yes to adventures or you’ll lead a very dull life;

430.  The Mitsitam Native Foods Café in the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI.SI.edu) has some interesting and eclectic foods;

431.  Brussels sprouts are like miniature cabbages;

432.  There’s so much hype and build up to Christmas that once the day actually comes, it’s rather anticlimactic;

433.  It’s amazing how well your vehicle accelerates and brakes when your tires are properly inflated;

434.  McCormick and Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant (McCormickAndSchmicks.com) has a great Happy Hour food menu with items starting at $1.95;

435.  New Year’s Eve in Times Square is absolutely insane.  It‘s a million people herded into “human” cattle pens in subfreezing temperatures with at least five policemen on every corner;

436.  An hour into the New Year, there’s no one left in Times Square;

437.  It’s important to read bus schedules very carefully (especially when waiting in twenty degree weather);

438.  New England clam chowder is cream based, while Manhattan clam chowder is tomato based;

439.  If you don’t want to deal with the hordes of people during a presidential inauguration, but you’re interested in witnessing what goes on, you can watch the dress rehearsal the weekend before;

440.  The sound of a cannon can set off a car alarm;

441.  Kirk Hammett’s hair is graying, James Hetfield has acne scars and Lars Ulrich’s hair is receding;

442.  You know it’s freezing outside when you don’t wear gloves and your hands hurt (and tingle) from the cold in less than five minutes;

443.  Jamie Foxx does a good impersonation of Barack Obama;

444.  Garth Brooks brings a lot of energy to his performances;

445.  The Reflecting Pool on the National Mall does freeze;

446.  The exterior of a building can be deceiving;

447.  “The Gibson” is a distinctive place to have drinks in D.C. . . . just make reservations in advance;

448.  When splitting a bar tab with credit cards, make sure the receipt you sign is yours;

449.  What do you get when a U.S. senator collapses, during a post-inaugural luncheon, from a seizure caused by fatigue from brain cancer?  The correct answer is: An hour in subfreezing temperatures;

450.  I have been 50 feet from the leader of the free world (I just didn’t know it at the time).  I have also been 50 feet from the President of the Senate;

What I’ve learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0008

351.  Planters by the Smithsonian make good urinals;
352.  Wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.  You’ve got to find your treasure, so that everything you have learned along the way can make sense;
353.  Love never keeps a man from pursuing his Personal Legend.  If he abandons that pursuit, it’s because it wasn’t true love . . . the love that speaks the Language of the World;
354.  One is loved because one is loved.  No reason is needed for loving;
355.  You will never be able to escape from your heart.  So it’s better to listen to what it has to say.  That way, you’ll never have to fear an unanticipated blow;
356.  People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don’t deserve them, or that they’ll be unable to achieve them;
357.  The fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.  And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity;
358.  All people who are happy have God within them;
359.  Most people see the world as a threatening place, and, because they do, the world turns out, indeed, to be a threatening place;
360.  When you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed;
361.  When something evolves, everything around that thing evolves as well;
362.  There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure;
363.  When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too;
364.  When we love, we always strive to become better than we are;
365.  Three presidents have filed for bankruptcy: Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant;
366.  Not many people think of the law as a high-risk profession, but the facts are that lawyers suffer from alcoholism and depression–and die from suicide–at significantly higher rates than the general population;
367.  Dominique Wilkin’s uncle is a gangster (or so he claims);
368.  It’s rather sad and pitiful when your only sense of identity, self-worth and accomplishment is whom you’re related to and whom you know;
369.  Robbie likes the water;
370.  A “rum runner” is tasty, but potent;
371.  Rabbit seems to be a cross between chicken and pork.  It has the texture of chicken, but the taste reminds me of pork . . . kind of like pheasant;
372.  Featured deejays spin late at Ibiza (IbizaDC.com);
373.  If you were born on January 13^th 1975, your Chinese zodiac animal would be a tiger;
374.  It’s amazing how brushing your teeth, shaving and showering can make you feel better (albeit only for a little while), when you’re sick;
375.  At least one in every four hundred sets of fraternal twins has different fathers;
376.  If you sleep stomach side down on a hard surface, when you’re sick, you might wake up feeling like you’ve been punched in the ribs;
377.  Worldwide, it has been calculated from studies of blood groups that about 10 percent of children are in fact not sired by the men who think they are the fathers;
378.  The chances of a child from a poor family dying before reproducing are double those of a child from a rich family;
379.  A woman is less likely to use contraception when she has sex with somebody other than her partner;
380.  A woman retains 50 to 90 percent of sperm if she has a climax during intercourse, compared with 0 to 50 percent if she does not;
381.  McCain-Palin supporters will put their signs anywhere (including your courtyard);
382.  It’s not a good idea to use an unknown bike for a 2-mile ride, when you haven’t been on one in at least 15 years;
383.  You can get saddle pain from a bike;
384.  Macallan spends $25 million a year on oak casks;
385.  A five year-old, oak cask used to make Spanish sherry costs about $1,000.00, while a one year-old, oak cask used to make Kentucky bourbon costs about $80.00;
386.  Macallan’s Scotch whiskey is very smooth;
387.  Syrah and Shiraz are the same type of wine grape;
388.  Encyclopaedia Britannica’s contributors have included Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud and Harry Houdini;
389.  Lightning goes up.  It shoots right up from the ground and into a cloud;
390.  If you like sushi, eat at Todai Restaurant (Todai.com).  It’s an all you can eat seafood and sushi buffet (i.e., $15.95 for lunch, Monday-Friday; $17.95 for lunch, Saturday and Sunday; $25.95 for dinner, Monday-Thursday; and $27.95 for dinner, Friday-Sunday);
391.  During football games, security at FedEx Field only searches you above the waist;
392.  It seems like FedEx Field was designed to cram as many people in the smallest amount of space possible;
393.  It’s amazing how much, as a society, our hopes and dreams can rise (and fall) with the success (or failure) of a local (or college) sports team.  The team symbolizes us and the game symbolizes our lives.  When the team wins, we’re victorious in life . . . when the team loses, we fail in life. . . . It’s amazing how, at least for a moment, when our team triumphs, we feel like we’ve succeeded.  We feel like we’ve accomplished something, when in reality, it doesn’t affect our daily lives either way;
394.  It’s intriguing how, when your team wins, other fans are friends and comrades. . . . During the celebration, arguments are forgotten and swept aside.  When your team loses, the slightest disagreement can be magnified and all semblance of civility lost . . . insignificant disputes lead to fights and tiny distractions lead to accidents;
395.  The bouncers at Rock It Grill will kick you out when your (drunken) friend tries to pickup every girl in sight;
396.  Coriander is the British word for cilantro;
397.  Life is desperately, insanely and absurdly unfair, but there’s nothing to be done about it, so enjoy what you can. . . . Take pleasure in the small things;
398.  A chocolate lover would feel at home at Co Co. Sala Chocolate Boutique (CoCoSala.com);
399.  Rustico Restaurant and Bar (RusticoRestaurant.com) in Alexandria hosts an Oktoberfest in late September/early October;
400.  Hot chocolate with a little whiskey, butterscotch schnapps, Goldschlager and may be Jagermeister is tasty;

What I’ve learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0007

301.  Eddie Vedder (the lead singer of “Pearl Jam”) smokes and drinks (beer);

302.  Médoc is a wine from the Left Bank of the Gironde estuary in the Bordeaux region of southwestern France;

303.  The Smithwick’s Mini-Burgers at Fadó (FadoIrishPub.com) are tasty, but watch out for the dripping grease;

304.  To win at Brainstormer Pub Quiz, it helps if the bar staff aids you and a team member is willing to spy on other players;

305.  You can rent sailboats at Belle Haven Marina (SailDC.com) on George Washington Parkway;

306.  The Cuban sandwich at Café Salsa is a poor substitute for Kuba Kuba’s (KubaKuba.info);

307.  People, who drive Rolls-Royces, shop at Wal-Mart too;

308.  La Tasca’s (LaTascaUSA.com) “Sangria Blanca” has a distinct (but pleasant) cinnamon flavor;

309.  Robbie likes vampire novels;

310.  When the bars and clubs close late Saturday night/early Sunday morning, Julia’s Empanadas (JuliasEmpanadas.com) is packed;

311.  There’s nothing like a warm, crisp, golden-brown, chorizo empanada (Spanish sausage with rice and black beans) after a long night of drinking by Dupont Circle;

312.  Tilex Soap Scum Remover works pretty well;

313.  The name, “Gypsy Rose,” doesn’t always refer to the famous, burlesque dancer;

314.  The drink of choice by some bartenders: Jameson’s (scotch) whiskey;

315.  In public policy, it matters less who has the best arguments and more who gets heard – and by whom;

316.  When taxes are examined overall–including state and local income, sales and property taxes–America has something close to a flat tax.  The top fifth of Americans pays just a penny more out of a dollar in taxes overall than the poorest fifth, 19 cents versus 18 cents;

317.  Whole Foods Market’s mashed potatoes are phenomenal;

318.  The Library of Congress (LoC.gov) was the first public building in D.C. to be illuminated by electricity;

319.  Only congressmen/women can check out books from the Library of Congress;

320.  Thomas Jefferson didn’t write in his books;

321.  In his personal library, Thomas Jefferson had books written in seventeen, different languages;

322.  On Saturdays, Tortilla Coast (TortillaCoast.com) has all you can eat chicken fajitas for $9.95, all day long;

323.  The Arts Club of Washington (ArtsClubofWashington.org) is in James Monroe’s old house;

324.  World TeamTennis (WTT.com) is somewhere between college and professional tennis;

325.  Some clues that a restaurant is about to go under: The menu’s been altered and slashed . . . Happy Hour goes from 4 o’clock to 9 o’clock, 6 days a week . . . the few people, who are actually there, are drinking instead of eating . . . and what passes as food sucks;

326.  Even soft drink reps think (diet and regular) soda is bad for you;

327.  Frenchmen like Asian women;

328.  Robbie’s favorite country: Spain;

329.  The ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery is way too sweet . . . and runny;

330.  The picadillo (i.e., Kuban beef hash) empanadillas at Kuba Kuba are tasty;

331.  Goat’s milk cheesecake is airier and not as sweet as the cream cheese kind;

332.  The opening ceremony for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing was amazing;

333.  When taking the Metro to sporting events, make sure you have enough on your SmarTrip (or fare) card to get home.  The lines at the fare kiosks get pretty long;

334.  Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has A, B and C terminals.  AirTran Airways (formerly ValuJet Airlines) is in terminal A in the old, original building;

335.  If you take a flight from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, you get a great view of the Pentagon on the left;

336.  Frozen custard is richer, thicker and smoother than regular ice cream;

337.  It takes about 3 hours to drive across Wisconsin;

338.  The city of La Crosse, Wisconsin, is named after the sport;

339.  La Crosse has the world’s largest six-pack (of beer);

340.  Supposedly, La Crosse has the most bars (i.e., 360), per capita, than any city in the world;

341.  Wisconsin is famous for beer, bratwurst and cheese;

342.  Liz Phair still looks good;

343.  What every woman should carry in her purse: a can of Bud Light;

344.  The glue used for city car decals reeks;

345.  The daily specials at the Crystal City Sports Pub (CCSportsPub.com) are pretty good and their chefs know how to cook a respectable steak;

346.  The mere possibility of getting what we want fills the soul of the ordinary person with guilt.  We look around at all those who have failed to get what they want and feel that we do not deserve to get what we want either.  We forget about all the obstacles we overcame, all the suffering we endured, all the things we had to give up in order to get this far.  A lot of people who, when their personal calling was within their grasp, went on to commit a series of stupid mistakes and never reached their goal – when it was only a step away;

347.  People need not fear the unknown if they are capable of achieving what they need and want;

348.  If you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man;

349.  Life is the moment we’re living right now;

350.  Cognac is made from grapes;

What I’ve learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0006

251.  Other beings can, and do, co-create the exterior circumstances and events of the life you live in common, but the one thing that no one else can do is cause you to have an experience of anything you do not choose to experience;

252.  Everyone shops at Wal-Mart . . . even women with moustaches and overly sensitive Frenchmen;

253.  High definition television is awesome;

254.  Cooking cabbage stinks;

255.  I don’t think you can truly know someone until you see that person with people they’re totally comfortable around;

256.  “Big Jim’s Bar-B-Que” in Charlottesville has shut its doors for good;

257.  David McCullough (or at least someone who looks and sounds like David McCullough) has toured the Lawn at the University of Virginia;

258.  Research shows that social liars are more popular than those who continually tell the truth, even though we know the social liar is lying to us;

259.  Studies have shown that women are better liars than men;

260.  A woman’s outer genital lips are proportionately the same thickness to her facial lips;

261.  Be suspicious of so-called “freshly squeezed” lemonade at music festivals;

262.  People can be so narrow-minded that they think that whatever they do is the most important thing in the world and that everyone should be familiar with and care about it . . . be it music, politics, sports, etc.;

263.  I can say that I’ve drunk at a bar with Chevelle and Finger Eleven;

264.  It’s probably not the best place to make small talk (with James Black, the lead guitarist from Finger Eleven) when you’re standing in line waiting for the restroom;

265.  Fried cheesecake tastes a lot like cheese danish . . . just crispier;

266.  Gheorghe Muresan is really tall;

267.  If you go to the National Memorial Day Concert held on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, pack dinner;

268.  No other country spends as large a share of its economy on health care as the United States. . . . Roughly every sixth dollar in the American economy was spent on health care in 2007.  Our government has projected that by 2015 we will be devoting every fifth dollar to health care.  In most modern countries health care accounts for less than one-tenth of their economies;

269.  The uniquely American system of health-care-as-a-business results in some poor countries having better health outcomes than the United States.  America ranked thirty-sixth among nations in its rate of infant mortality in 2006.  The Central Intelligence Agency estimated American infant mortality at 643 deaths per 100,000 live births, slightly worse than Cuba at 622;

270.  “Opiate for the Masses” looks and acts like they could be from “Rock Band;”

271.  Richard Patrick (the lead singer of “Filter”) is starting to show his age;

272.  Americans spend nearly 6 times the average of what 13 other modern countries do on health care, according to a study conducted by the McKinsey Global Institute in 2007.  The McKinsey study shows that 86 percent of this excess cost is in the part of American health care run as a business instead of a public service;

273.  Americans are less healthy even though we spend far more. . . . McKinsey compared 124 countries.  It found that our system’s inefficiencies and waste costs us an extra half trillion dollars a year.  This excess cost works out to $1.3 billion every day.  The study concluded that $75 billion of this was due solely to the fact that these other countries had public health systems.  Despite what we are spending, we live shorter lives than the Canadians and the Britons;

274.  You wouldn’t think mango and tandoori chicken on pizza would be good, but it is;

275.  Robbie likes country music;

276.  Societies in which the few deepen their pockets while the many see theirs grow lighter are not stable. . . . And when the growing income gap of America is compared to other countries, we look most like three nations whose societies most Americans would not find appealing-Brazil, Mexico, and Russia;

277.  A young life is a terrible thing to waste.  Most modern nations try to limit childhood poverty for reasons both moral and practical.  Better than one in six American children live in poverty, about 12.3 million children in 2005, the Census Bureau calculated.  Compared to other modern nations, many of them far less rich, the United States does poorly by its children.  In terms of material well-being, the United Nations ranked the United States seventeenth on a list of 20 modern countries, right below Portugal;

278.  If you enjoy fine dining, sign up for the Tastings Journal, Washington, D.C. (TastingsJournal.com).  Every month, they offer five-course, prix fixe dinners at upscale, D.C. area restaurants;

279.  B. Smith’s restaurant in Union Station serves tasty, southern-inspired cuisine;

280.  Fountains (at night) make good urinals;

281.  People enter and leave our lives on a daily basis.  Most people come and go in a blink of the eye . . . passing us on the street, never to be seen or heard from again.  Of the ones that stay with us longer, most of them really don’t affect our lives one way or the other.  It’s rare to meet someone who changes our lives in a positive and meaningful way;

282.  I think most people aren’t happy with their lives or with themselves (to a certain degree) and the only thing they do about it is complain or blame others for their situation. . . . Plain and simple, it’s just easier to do nothing, be negative and play the victim.  It’s so much harder to look in the (proverbial) mirror and work on yourself.  I think it’s rare to meet someone who is actually willing to do the hard work and take a proactive approach to try and change his/her life;

283.  Under the Virginia Code, an expired driver's license is not an acceptable form of identification to buy alcohol;

284.  Staring someone down when you’ve been drinking could get you into a fight;

285.  A potato’s skin doesn’t break down easily in digestion;

286.  The Method Daily Granite Spray (with the Method Daily Granite Microfiber Cloth) cleans stone surfaces really well;

287.  A "Madras" is a screwdriver adulterated with cranberry juice (or a vodka and cranberry adulterated with orange juice, whichever you prefer);

288.  As we go through life, I think we should strive to improve each and every day . . . to learn from our mistakes and to grow . . . to better ourselves little by little;

289.  Robbie does look like Soleil Moon Frye (the actress, who played Penelope “Punky” Brewster);

290.  If your sink isn’t big enough to easily cut a watermelon, try the tub, . . . but be careful not to nick it when carving;

291.  The Waterfront Festival (WaterfrontFestival.org) is in June (with all of the proceeds going to support the Alexandria Chapter of the American Red Cross);

292.  If you want to pour beer without a lot of “head,” you need to pull open the tap all the way;

293.  If you want to remove mineral buildup from water, use distilled, white vinegar;

294.  Apparently, . . . “drum machines have no soul;”

295.  There’s something seriously wrong with Eugene Hütz (the lead singer of “Gogol Bordello”);

296.  Alice Glass (the lead singer of “Crystal Castles”) is a train wreck waiting to happen;

297.  There’s truth to the “Philly” stereotype;

298.  At the Vienna Metrorail station, cops don’t like it when you blow through “Stop” signs;

299.  Play stupid . . . you might get out of a ticket;

300.  A decision to cut taxes on any group is also a decision to help them prosper either now or later.  A decision to raise taxes on any group is a decision to leave them with less to get by on now and less to save for the future;