What I’ve learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0016

751.  There’s a subtle, clever intelligence behind “Larry the Cable Guy’s” (lewd) comedy;

752.  The turkey burger at Z-Burger (ZBurger.com) is pretty juicy and tender.  It’s also made from a piece of turkey breast instead of ground turkey;

753.  Fannie Mae and the (middle and upper campus of the) Sidwell Friends School (where Chelsea Clinton went and Sasha and Malia Obama currently attend school) are located in Tenleytown;

754.  If you walk from Tenleytown down Wisconsin Avenue, you’ll get to Georgetown. . . . And you’ll pass the (Washington) National Cathedral on your way;

755.  Wisconsin Avenue doesn’t run along the Metrorail’s Red Line;

756.  James Cameron claims he’s been an environmentalist for forty years (i.e., since he was fifteen);

757.  Some pretty impressive artists (i.e., John Legend and “Sting”) perform at the Earth Day celebration on the National Mall. . . . If you only want to hear the headlining act(s) (and avoid a lot of the prophesying), get there around 6 o’clock in the evening;

758.  Understanding money simply boils down to knowing that it’s not what you gross but what you net that counts.  You want to be able to enjoy a certain standard of living for yourself and your family during your working years and then be able to maintain that standard of living, or close to it, in your retirement years.  Just existing is what terrifies–that you will have money but can’t take those vacations you’ve always dreamed of with your wife, or give to your children the way you want to, because you’re fearful you many need that money for a rainy day.  It’s fear of not having enough money in retirement that keeps people awake at night or from enjoying their retirement years.  So, the bottom line is this: It’s always the net–what you keep–that counts;

759.  When the Metrorail stations close, the taxis leave;

760.  It’s rather surreal to watch two athletes play and a couple of weeks later have one of them slay the other. . . . It’s eerie to know you were one of the last few people ever to see that person compete;

761.  The greater the risk, the greater the reward.  Well, it works the other way, too: The greater the risk, the greater the penalty– if things go badly, you can wind up losing your head and your savings;

762.  You play the game when there is a game to be played, and you don’t when there isn’t.  That’s rule number one.  Rule number two is you buy what makes sense out there.  In other words, if it makes sense to buy income-producing investments, buy income.  If it doesn’t, then don’t.  Don’t go out and buy income just because you think you need income.  If it makes sense to be in the stock market and buying growth investments or buying international funds or whatever, then that is what you should be buying;

763.  The heart wants what the heart wants;

764.  What worked last year is no guarantee to be a home run again this year or the next. . . . There are statistical studies that have looked at what were the best-performing and the worst-performing asset classes every year for the past twenty years, and very seldom has there been a repeat performance; they go down as a whole;

765.  Don’t be stubborn.  By this they mean don’t get so enamored of owning a particular company’s stock, especially if you work for that company, that you can’t bring yourself to part with it even if the investment plan you have put together with your advisor calls for reducing your position at some point;

766.  Asset allocation is an important discipline in investing, but by itself it can only do so much . . . . The fact of the matter is that buying the best of a particular asset class is always going to get you further along than asset allocation alone;

767.  Keep your eye on what’s working or not working now, and what markets or sectors are showing relative improvement versus which are showing some deterioration.  It’s always much more important to avoid a loss than it is to try to hit a home–because there are not that many home runs out there to be had anymore;

768.  The north façade of the Rotunda at the University of Virginia used to have an annex;

769.  Dropping a metal pizza pan on your foot really hurts;

770.  I think there’s a perception that the things worth doing the most are the things that are the hardest.  I think humans have difficulty appreciating things that are easy because humans have a tendency to take things for granted.  I think people have a greater appreciation for something if there’s struggle and sacrifice involved.  After all, how can something be special if everybody can do it?

771.  One who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; one who does not ask a question remains a fool forever;

772.  Three Olives Cherry Vodka and Coke tastes just like Cherry Coke;

773.  It amazes me that some of the most juvenile people I knew growing up seem to be capable, mature adults who are raising kids of their own.  It also amazes me that some of the most academically-gifted people I knew had trouble finishing college (if they finished at all) and are now working various (and sometimes menial) jobs that are not particularly intellectually challenging.  Others are balding.  Others are overweight.  Of course, there are those people who turn out exactly as I’d imagined.  They pretty much look the same (except older), act the same (except may be a little bit more mature) and have a job doing what I’d expect them to be doing.  It goes to show you that life rarely follows the path you envision, but it tends to follow its own way.  I bet if you asked anyone whether s/he envisioned ten years ago that s/he’d be where s/he is right now, living where s/he is and working where s/he is, that that person would have to say, “No;”

774.  Fear and greed motivate people.  In fact, they can motivate normally sane people to do something that they might not ordinarily consider;

775.  The Stadium-Armory Metrorail station has a second entrance about a block further away that hardly anybody uses;

776.  Most people who sell stocks and funds overpay the tax on those sales.  That’s because they use the wrong cost for calculating their gain or loss: They neglect to add the amount of reinvested dividends to the cost of their investment. As a result, they pay tax twice on the same money.  Go back to prior tax returns and add up the amount of dividends you have reinvested in that stock or fund, then add that amount back to your original investment.  Use that cost to determine your true gain or loss;

777.  Sunscreen doesn’t just protect you from ultraviolet radiation.  It shields you from the sun’s heat as well;

778.  Let your beneficiaries know that if they inherit an IRA or other IRD (i.e., income in respect of a decedent) and the estate is also subject to federal estate tax, then they are entitled to a special income tax reduction for the federal estate tax paid on that IRA or other IRD;

779.  Action is the foundational key to all success;

780.  The ancient Greeks said that suffering arises from trying to control what is uncontrollable and from neglecting what is within our power to control;

781.  It’s pretty easy to cook corn on the cob.  You just peel it and place it in boiling water for four minutes;

782.  Denis Leary has a band he sings with during his comedy shows;

783.  The Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse doesn’t accept credit cards at the box office;

784.  The prime rib au jus at Shula’s Steak House is great;

785.  Red velvet cake is really a chocolate cake;

786.  You can bring alcohol into the lawn area of Wolf Trap;

787.  It irritates me when somebody says someone is perfect.  I don’t think anybody is truly perfect.  Everybody has flaws . . . insecurities . . . and quirks.  Everyone has something s/he could work on . . . something s/he could improve.  Everybody should strive to be better. . . . People can accept our faults . . . our weaknesses, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to be better;

788.  For it is only by understanding our past that we can truly know the present;

789.  Impressive is what you have to be when you can’t be interesting;

790.  Success isn’t about getting there, it’s doing the things you need to move closer to becoming that person you’d like to be;

791.  It can be daunting trying to control someone who is physically larger than you are;

792.  Some people walk pigeon-toed;

793.  The first drop on the Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion will give you tunnel vision;

794.  It’s really easy to cook a lobster tail.  You just steam it for ten minutes. . . . If you don’t want to cook it right away, simply place it in a bowl, surround it with ice and store it in your refrigerator;

795.  There are a lot of lobster roll recipes;

796.  Life doesn’t (if ever) go by plan;

797.  Trying to make sense of life is a foolish endeavor doomed to failure;

798.  A good way to reheat fried chicken is to microwave it for a minute on high and then put it in the oven at 315 for fifteen to twenty minutes;

799.  “Icing” has another meaning besides ice hockey and frosting;

800.  I thought the only reason that some bars (and clubs) had bathroom attendants was to hand me paper towels to dry my hands. . . . Apparently, they’re also there to keep things neat and clean and to discourage drug use (and sex);