What I’ve learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0014

651.  Women still wear girdles;

652.  Be wary of dancing people holding their drinks in the air.  You never know where their drinks will land . . . perhaps on your head;

653.  Qin Shihuangdi was China’s first emperor.  He ruled from 221-210 B.C.;

654.  P.F. Chang’s (PFChangs.com) has a pretty good Happy Hour.  It runs from 3 o’clock to 6 o’clock every day with discounted food (i.e., appetizers) and drinks;

655.  It’s really annoying when you’re planning a trip and one of your party members makes a suggestion on what to do.  You take that person’s idea into consideration and alter your plans accordingly . . . only to have that person, who made the suggestion, back out at the last minute;

656.  You make reservations for “minibar by José Andrés” a month in advance for the day you call on.  They start taking them at 10:00 AM and are usually full by 10:15 AM;

657.  I think it’s selfish (and wasteful) when someone reserves a free ticket to a sold out concert or sporting event and (if there aren’t any extenuating circumstances) doesn’t go.  That person is only thinking about himself/herself and is depriving somebody else (who really wants to go) the opportunity to attend;

658.  I think most people don’t assign a lot of value to something that’s free, even if that something is expensive.  I think because it’s free, psychologically, it’s less important to that person and if s/he doesn’t use it or throws it away, there’s no real sense of loss.  There isn’t a sense of loss because there hasn’t been an investment (of some kind) by that person;

659.  (Pepperidge Farm) goldfish crackers make a pretty good substitute for croutons;

660.  Wayne Gretzky’s favorite TV show in 1988 was “Alf;”

661.  During the ’85-’86 season, Alan May (formerly of the Washington Capitals) played junior hockey for the New Westminster Bruins of the Western Hockey League with Mark Recchi;

662.  David Steckel’s most memorable hockey moment is winning the Calder Cup with the Hershey Bears (during the ’05-’06 season).  It would’ve been his overtime goal in game 6 of the second round of the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs (against the Pittsburgh Penguins) had the (Washington) Capitals won that series;

663.  Chances are waiting to be taken;

664.  Tomas Fleischmann (of the Washington Capitals) isn’t 6’ 1;”

665.  Prepare for bad times and you will only know good times;

666.  Some of the (Washington) Nationals hang out at RFD (after hockey games);

667.  If you want to change your life, begin by changing your words, and the best news of all is that words are free;

668.  Dreams are personal gifts from God, our personal stars in the sky, guiding us along our path through life;

669.  Take away a person’s dreams, and you take away their life;

670.  You may never reach the stars, but they will guide you on your path through life;

671.  The world treats you as you treat yourself;

672.  The more security you seek, the less freedom you have;

673.  Sam Cassell is an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards;

674.  It’s easier to clean a grill after it’s been heated;

675.  Snow can sting your eyes and blind you;

676.  The road to success is always under construction;

677.  When you’re trying to make a turn, ten feet high snowdrifts make it hard to check for oncoming traffic;

678.  Joe Theismann actually visits his eponymous restaurant. . . . He isn’t very tall;

679.  You know it’s serious when backhoe-loaders and dump trucks are used to haul away snow;

680.  If (metaphorically) home is where the heart is, can home be somewhere where you’ve never actually been?

681.  We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created the problem;

682.  When you leave school, your banker does not ask you for your report card.  Your banker does not care if you had good grades or bad grades.  All the banker wants to see is your financial statement, because your financial statement is your report card when you leave school;

683.  To be successful in life depends on how you define success. . . . Being successful doesn’t have to be about material wealth and money;

684.  We can change ourselves by changing the way we think and what we study;

685.  Rather than attempt to change people and history, it is better to change ourselves;

686.  Thomas Edison was one of the founders of General Electric;

687.  A dividend yield of five percent of the stock’s price is a great stock at a great price.  A dividend yield of less than three percent of the stock price means the stock is priced too high and will probably fall in value;

688.  Diversification is a protection against ignorance.  It makes very little sense for those who know what they’re doing;

689.  The problem with a diversified portfolio of mutual funds is that you are not really diversified, since all mutual funds are in the stock market—paper assets.  True diversification includes investing in all four asset classes, not just different types of one asset class;

690.  The National Press Club has a bar;

691.  Paul Solman (from the “PBS NewsHour”) is pretty funny;

692.  Real losers blame the people they love for their failures;

693.  The enthusiasm of the most rabid, diehard sports fan pales in comparison to the passion and fervor for your country’s national team.  Even the casual viewer can be caught up and enveloped in the swell of national pride;

694.  What we think of ourselves on the inside is reflected on our outside;

695.  Your most important job is to take negative thoughts about yourself and turn them into the seeds for positive growth;

696.  If you’re a “Muse” fan, you have to see them live. . . . They have a big, loud, pulsating sound that’s perfect for an arena.  And they have dazzling visuals packed with lasers, LED’s and smoke machines that seem to blend seamlessly with their music. . . . Matthew Bellamy (the lead singer and guitarist) is animated, captures your attention and likes to play classic rock riffs between songs;

697.  Female butt crack can be just as unappealing as male butt crack;

698.  I think people sabotage the good relationships in their lives because of a deep-rooted belief (i.e., low self-esteem) that they’re unworthy of love and happiness;

699.  The Russia House Restaurant & Lounge (RussiaHouseLounge.com) makes its own infused vodkas, including horseradish;

700.  Give what you want.  If you feel any kind of lack, for example, a lack of recognition, lack of love, lack of happiness, lack of money, it could be that you are not giving what you want;