What I’ve learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0013

601.  Shore excursions are cheaper in port;

602.  The liquor shops in port (in the Bahamas) are cheaper than the shops on the (cruise) ship;

603.  One U.S. dollar is worth one Bahamian dollar;

604.  Bahamians will try to hustle you;

605.  The ocean waters in the Bahamas are cool (at least in the wintertime);

606.  The world’s best burgers might be made by a woman at a little stand outside the cruise terminal in Freeport (in the Bahamas).  I think the combination of the charcoal grill, the fat from the beef and the woman’s secret family seasoning might make them taste so good;

607.  Ohio State fans are everywhere (including the middle of the ocean);

608.  Don’t room with people who snore and have smelly feet (especially on a cruise);

609.  Your happiness depends far more on the number of instances of positive feelings, what psychologists call “positive affect,” than on their intensity when they hit.  In other words, good news is good news first; how good matters rather little.  So to have a pleasant life you should spread these small “affects” across time as evenly as possible.  Plenty of mildly good news is preferable to one single lump of great news;

610.  Humans will believe anything you say provided you do not exhibit the smallest shadow of diffidence; like animals, the can detect the smallest crack in your confidence before you express it.  The trick is to be as smooth as possible in personal matters.  It is much easier to signal self-confidence if you are exceedingly polite and friendly; you can control people without having to offend their sensitivity.  The problem with business people is that if you act like a loser they will treat you as a loser—you set the yardstick yourself.  There is no absolute measure of good or bad.  It is not what you are telling people, it is how you are saying it;

611.  To understand successes and analyze what caused them, we need to study the traits present in failures;

612.  Just as we tend to underestimate the role of luck in life in general, we tend to overestimate it in games of chance;

613.  If you want a simple step to a higher form of life, as distant from the animal as you can get, then you may have to denarrate, that is, shut down the television set, minimize time spent reading newspapers, ignore the blogs.  Train your reasoning abilities to control your decisions; . . . . Train yourself to spot the difference between the sensational and the empirical.  This insulation from the toxicity of the world will have an additional benefit: it will improve your well-being.  Also, bear in mind how shallow we are with probability, the mother of all abstract notions.  You do not have to do much more in order to gain a deeper understanding of things around you.  Above all, learn to avoid “tunneling;”

614.  Prediction, not narration, is the real test of our understanding of the world;

615.  The more information you give someone, the more hypotheses they will formulate along the way, and the worse off they will be.  They see more random noise and mistake it for information.  The problem is that our ideas are sticky: once we produce a theory, we are not likely to change our minds–so those who delay developing their theories are better off.  When you develop your opinions on the basis of weak evidence, you will have difficulty interpreting subsequent information that contradicts these opinions, even if this new information is obviously more accurate;

616.  The problem with experts is that they do not know what they do not know.  Lack of knowledge and delusion about the quality of your knowledge come together–the same process that makes you know less also makes you satisfied with your knowledge;

617.  We humans are the victims of an asymmetry in the perception of random events.  We attribute our successes to our skills, and our failures to external events outside our control, namely to randomness.  We feel responsible for the good stuff, but not for the bad.  This causes us to think that we are better than others at whatever we do for a living;

618.  When flying, remember to bring ear/headphones;

619.  Many university stars, or “contributors to top journals,” are no better than the average New York Times reader or journalist in detecting changes in the world around them.  These sometimes overspecialized experts failed tests in their own specialties;

620.  Most important advances are the least predictable ones, those “lying out of the path of the imagination;”

621.  Red king crab has a lot of meat;

622.  Philosophers since Aristotle have taught us that we are deep-thinking animals, and that we can learn by reasoning.  It took a while longer to discover that we do effectively think, but that we more readily narrate backward in order to give ourselves the illusion of understanding, and give a cover to our past actions;

623.  Do not be narrow-minded.  The great discoverer Pasteur, who came up with the notion that chance favors the prepared, understood that you do not look for something particular every morning but work hard to let contingency enter your working life;

624.  Seize any opportunity, or anything that looks like opportunity. . . . Many people do not realize that they are getting a lucky break in life when they get it;

625.  The skin of (Cantonese) roasted pig is crackly and crisp, but the meat is juicy and tender;

626.  Chinese opera is loud and screechy;

627.  Being in a parade means a lot of standing around waiting for your time to perform;

628.  Prawn and fruit salad is pretty tasty;

629.  The Cheesecake Factory on the 8^th floor of the Macy’s building in downtown San Francisco has an amazing view of Union Square;

630.  Seize any opportunity, or anything that looks like opportunity. . . . Many people do not realize that they are getting a lucky break in life when they get it;

631.  The probabilities of very rare events are not computable; the effect of an event on us is considerably easier to ascertain (the rarer the event, the fuzzier the odds).  We can have a clear idea of the consequences of an event, even if we do not know how likely it is to occur;

632.  Of the five hundred largest U.S. companies in 1957, only seventy-four were still part of that select group, the Standard and Poor’s 500, forty years later.  Only a few had disappeared in mergers; the rest either shrank or went bust;

633.  Don’t reheat (i.e., microwave and/or refry) fried yucca. . . . It’ll explode (so I’ve been told);

634.  The Columbia Firehouse Restaurant in (Old Town) Alexandria serves absinthe;

635.  An ad hominem attack against an intellectual, not against an idea, is highly flattering.  It indicates that the person does not have anything intelligent to say about your message;

636.  Not matching the idea of success others expect from you is only painful if that’s what you are seeking.  You stand above the rat race and the pecking order, not outside of it, if you do so by choice;

637.  It’s not a good idea to try to go to Wal-Mart in a Chevy Aveo during a snowstorm;

638.  Not all fire alarms are false alarms;

639.  The steps of the George Washington Masonic Memorial in (Old Town) Alexandria are a great place to go sledding;

640.  Cardboard wrapped in a garbage bag is a pretty good makeshift sled;

641.  It doesn’t seem as cold if you keep your ears warm;

642.  Random (strange) women will offer (and give) you a bite of their hot dog at Washington Redskins games;

643.  People do buy cars as Christmas presents (at least professional hockey players do);

644.  The Club Level at FedEx Field reminds me of an airport;

645.  The Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins played each other for the 100^th time (including the playoffs) on Monday, December 27, 2009;

646.  The Washington Capitals’ practices at Kettler Capitals Iceplex are free and open to the public.  On game days, they start at 10:00 AM, on non-game days, practices start at 10:30 AM and on days after a game, they start at 11:00 AM;

647.  It’s rather surreal watching a player practice in the morning and then finding out s/he was traded (i.e., Chris Clark and Milan Jurcina) a few hours later and then realizing that that would be the last time you’d see her/him play for that team;

648.  Check your viewing options on your TV during HD broadcasts (especially hockey games).  You may be able to get a wider picture on your screen;

649.  If you thought going door to door was annoying, Jehovah’s Witnesses will send mail, specifically addressed to you, to try to solicit you to convert;

650.  “Chou Chou” from the “Imperial Palms Orchestra” claims she’s 56;

What I’ve learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0012

551.  Ocean kayaks have holes (i.e., scuppers) in them;

552.  It’s fascinating that when we’ve never met a particular person and then we see a picture of that person, we form an impression of what s/he should sound like.  However, when we actually hear that person’s voice, the majority of the time, it sounds nothing like what we expected it to be.  I think it’s the same when we hear a person’s voice before actually seeing that particular person;

553.  It’s amazing how some pieces of technology have quickly become integrated into everyday living that it’s hard to remember life without them;

554.  Global positioning system navigation devices are wonderful things;

555.  The locks on portable toilets aren’t very strong;

556.  What do you get when you mix blackcurrant cordial with a pint of cider?  The answer is: A “Cider & Black;”

557.  The Pentagon reconstruction/renovation is L.E.E.D. certified. . . . It costs $1.1 million a month to heat/cool it after the reconstruction/renovation.  It cost $1.9 million a month before;

558.  The 63^rd Inspector General of the Army, Lieutenant General R. Steven Whitcomb, is a University of Virginia graduate.  He was also on the football team with Al Groh;

559.  The train platforms at Union Station have a historical, old world feel to them;

560.  The Edge plays the piano;

561.  “U2” should be experienced live. . . . The visuals are amazing . . . the vocals have more depth and feeling . . . and the guitar chords have more soul and resonance;

562.  I’m neighbors with a professional hockey player and former first round draft pick;

563.  The Japanese read from back to front and from right to left, starting in the upper-right hand corner;

564.  The Old Town Alexandria Food & Wine Festival is in early October.  Tickets are cheaper if you get them in advance;

565.  BlackFinn American Saloon (BlackFinnDC.com) has $2.00 Miller Lites and $3.00 well drinks during Happy Hour (i.e., from 4 o’clock to 7 o’clock);
566.  Customer service representatives don’t like it when you swear over the telephone (even when it’s not directed towards them personally);

567.  Yahoo! Sports streams selected hockey games for free over the Internet;

568.  The Bentzen Ball (BentzenBall.com), D.C.’s biggest comedy festival, is in October;

569.  Mary Lynn Rajskub, who plays Chloe O’Brian on “24,” is a comedienne;

570.  If you talk to Vivion Smith of “Juniper Lane” after a concert, she’ll try to get you to sign up for her band’s mailing list (not that that’s a bad thing);

571.  It’s strange that you can feel like you stick out when you’re the only person not dressed like a mad person;

572.  When we're dejected, it's better to look back on the good and to focus on the positives instead of the negatives.  Little things can give us joy and a sense that things may not be so bad. . . . Admittedly, that’s a lot easier said than done;

573.  In the early morning, when the sun shines into my eyes, it gives me a feeling of peace and tranquility like everything is going to be all right and that brighter things are to come;

574.  You can conclude that something in life is a certain way and all of a sudden life throws you for a loop and turns your thinking upside down. . . . It doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing;

575.  On Monday nights, Pizzeria Venti has $1.00 beers with any food purchase;

576.  It can be very therapeutic to write down your thoughts and fears;

577.  Apparently, Jeong “Rain” Ji-hoon, the star of “Ninja Assassin,” is a big pop star in Asia.  He has fans of various nationalities and races. . . . His English is pretty good, but he does have an accent;

578.  Duck leg confit is rather fatty, but fall off the bone tender;

579.  Robbie ordered the blackened catfish sandwich. . . . Robbie likes cats . . . coincidence?

580.  Cruise ships have low ceilings and they remind me of Vegas casinos . . . all flash and show with very little refinement and sophistication;

581.  The food on cruise ships (at least Carnival cruise ships) is better than hotel food, but not quite fine dining;

582.  Cruise ships have thin walls and low water pressure;

583.  We, members of the human variety of primates, have a hunger for rules because we need to reduce the dimensions of matters so they can get into our heads.  Or, rather, sadly, so we can squeeze them into our heads.  The more random information is, the greater the dimensionality, and thus the more difficult to summarize.  The more you summarize, the more order you put in, the less randomness.  Hence the same condition that makes us simplify pushes us to think that the world is less random than it actually is;

584.  Memory is more of a self-serving dynamic revision machine; you remember the last time you remembered the event and, without realizing it, change the story at every subsequent remembrance.  So we pull memories along causative lines, revising them involuntarily and unconsciously.  We continuously renarrate past events in the light of what appears to make what we think of as logical sense after these events occur;

585.  Patients who spend fifteen minutes every day writing an account of their daily troubles feel indeed better about what has befallen them.  You feel less guilty for not having avoided certain events; you feel less responsible for it.  Things appear as if they were bound to happen;

586.  Empirically, sex, social class, and profession seem to be better predictors of someone’s behavior than nationality (a male from Sweden resembles a male from Togo more than a female from Sweden; a philosopher from Peru resembles a philosopher from Scotland more than a janitor from Peru; and so son);

587.  People are more likely to pay for terrorism insurance than for plain insurance (which covers, among other things, terrorism);

588.  People overreact to low-probability outcomes when you discuss the event with them, when you make them aware of it.  However, in insurance patterns, neglect of these highly improbable events in people’s insurance purchase.  They call it the “preference for insuring against probably small losses”—at the expense of the less probable but larger impact ones;

589.  Terrorism kills, but the biggest killer remains the environment, responsible for close to 13 million deaths annually.  But terrorism causes outrage, which makes us overestimate the likelihood of a potential terrorist attack—and react more violently to one when it happens.  We feel the sting of man-made damage far more than that caused by nature;

590.  The way to avoid the ills of the narrative fallacy is to favor experimentation over storytelling, experience over history, and clinical knowledge over theories;

591.  When you go on a cruise, pack a collared shirt and dress pants (or at the very least khakis);

592.  When on a cruise, (at least initially) take motion sickness pills, even if you usually don’t get seasick;

593.  You can always order seconds on a cruise;

594.  At the Cocoa Beach pier, you can get a lobster roll for $8.99 at the Boardwalk Bar;

595.  You’re allowed to drink alcohol on Cocoa Beach;

596.  Crabs can jump;

597.  Seagulls wash themselves in the ocean;

598.  On a cruise ship, almost everywhere you go, there are food smells;

599.  In the Bahamas, the ocean waters are clear and light blue;

600.  You can parallel park a cruise ship;

What I’ve learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0011

501.  Surprisingly, having been born in 1930, General Michael Collins, Colonel “Buzz” Aldrin and Neil Armstrong are all very sharp mentally;

502.  From 1971-1978, General Collins was director of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM.SI.edu).  During that time, he oversaw its construction on the National Mall;

503.  During the summer, it’s hot in Canada;

504.  Canada has a lot of farms (especially British Columbia);

505.  The ocean waters in Canada are very blue;

506.  During the summer time in Canada, the sun doesn’t set until 10 o’clock;

507.  “The Sunken Garden” in Butchart Gardens (ButchartGardens.com) is stunning;

508.  Canadians are friendlier than Americans;

509.  Jellyfish is chewy and doesn’t really taste like anything;

510.  Fish stomach is chewy and slightly sour;

511.  Canadian women are hot;

512.  Canadians aren’t nearly as obese as Americans;

513.  What would you get if you merged Wisconsin with Montana in an alternate universe?  The answer is: British Columbia;

514.  There are a lot of Asians in (certain parts of) Canada;

515.  Instead of bridges, Canada has a lot of ferries;

516.  It’s strange hearing an Asian with a Canadian accent;

517.  Canadians like to spend their free time outdoors, mainly camping;

518.  Squab tastes like a cross between chicken and duck and looks like duck;

519.  Shark fin doesn’t really taste like anything;

520.  Whole abalone (to me) looks like a scoop of ice cream and has the taste and texture of a mushroom;

521.  Sea cucumber (to me) also has the taste and texture of a mushroom;

522.  Starbucks’s headquarters in Seattle is in the original Sears, Roebuck and Company catalog building;

523.  Washington, D.C. gets more rain than Seattle. . . . Seattle doesn’t get a lot of heavy rain, but it does drizzle a lot;

524.  Mount Rainier is taller than K2;

525.  Huckleberry tastes like blueberry (to me);

526.  Fadó in Seattle is bigger than the one in D.C.;

527.  Kobe beef hot dogs have a sweeter taste than regular beef hot dogs;

528.  There aren’t many tall buildings around Grauman’s Chinese Theatre . . . and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is filmed across the street;

529.  Most of my relatives play mahjong;

530.  What’s worse than D.C. traffic?  The answer is: L.A. traffic;

531.  Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California, is only a few blocks long;

532.  The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens (Huntington.org) is next to the California Institute of Technology (i.e., CalTech) in Pasadena, California.  Entrance is free the first Thursday of the month, but you have to get tickets in advance;

533.  Fatburger is better than In-N-Out Burger (In-N-Out.com);

534.  The auditorium of the Walt Disney Concert Hall looks smaller in person;

535.  Melrose Avenue has a lot of tattoo parlors;

536.  The Sunset Strip is a hodgepodge of bars, clubs, restaurants and shops that might run for a mile that’s kind of rundown;

537.  The first Hot Dog on a Stick (www.HotDogOnAStick.com) opened on Muscle Beach in Santa Monica, California;

538.  The W Washington, D.C. (formerly the Hotel Washington) has a great view of the White House from the POV Roof Terrace;

539.  It irks me when first run theatres play trailers for movies that are already out.  It also irks me when theatres have posters up for movies they aren’t showing anymore;

540.  Rock climbers are ripped;

541.  When you’re climbing up an indoor rock wall, you don’t realize how high up you are.  You’re too busy trying to figure out which holds to use next;

542.  When scaling an indoor rock climbing wall, try to use your legs instead of your arms.  You won’t tire as fast;

543.  For some reason, the bar at Modern (Modern-DC.com) reminds me of the Mos Eisley Cantina in “Star Wars: A New Hope;”

544.  Flavor Flav is a pretty good climber . . . and a pretty good drummer too;

545.  Richard Branson actually goes to his Virgin Mobile Festivals;

546.  There’s not a lot of training to jump out of an airplane. . . . I think that’s a little strange considering you could seriously hurt yourself (or even die) doing it;

547.  As bizarre as it sounds, it’s actually pretty calm plummeting 120 miles an hour straight to the ground;

548.  When skydiving, the parachute ride is worse than the freefall;

549.  Motion sickness from skydiving is a lot like having a hangover;

550.  During football games, the Austin Grill (AustinGrill.com) has $2.00 beers (i.e., Corona Extra, Corona Light and Miller Lite);

What I’ve learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0010

451.  There’s an actual inaugural parade after the presidential motorcade;

452.  There just might be hope for the world, when 1.8 million people can amass without incident;

453.  Thoroughly cleaning your home can give you a genuine sense of achievement;

454.  Ronnie Vannucci, Jr.’s hair is receding. . . . Brandon Flowers has especially good posture;

455.  Federal agencies are serious about monitoring personal Internet usage;

456.  Kayakers on ice look like beached whales;

457.  Pat McGee isn’t afraid of having a drink at Damon's Grill (on the campus of George Mason University) before performing;

458.  Minor celebrities will drink at chain restaurants;

459.  Dolce & Gabbana makes eyeglasses;

460.  Shooting a green laser at a little kid can be enormously gratifying (and entertaining);

461.  Television personalities drink at the District Chophouse & Brewery (DistrictChophouse.com) in D.C.;

462.  Joe Beninati (the television play-by-play announcer for the Washington Capitals) is about 5’ 4;”

463.  Mike Green (of the Washington Capitals) wears a scarf;

464.  Nicklas Backstrom is growing a hockey mullet. . . . He needs to get a haircut;

465.  Women throw themselves at 23 year-old, NHL defensemen making $5.25 million a year . . . 21 year-old, Swedish centers don’t do too badly either;

466.  Mike Green’s bicep is as big as my thigh;

467.  Brisket is the most popular cut of meat used for corned beef;

468.  If you want to get a front row seat to a televised debate hosted by the Miller Center of Public Affairs (MillerCenter.org) (and moderated by Margaret Warner of “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer”), it probably helps if you’re not underdressed;

469.  (Former Virginia Governor) Gerald Baliles looks like Bill Moyers;

470.  If we’re going to be what we want to be, we have to stop looking over our shoulders at what could’ve been;

471.  The U.S. Capitol Visitor Center and the Library of Congress are closed on Sundays;

472.  Neko Case sounds like a cross between Alison Krauss and 10,000 Maniacs (when Natalie Merchant was their lead singer). . . . Lesbians seem to like her music;

473.  George McPhee (the general manager of the Washington Capitals) won the Hobey Baker Award in 1982;

474.  Cute female ice hockey players do exist;

475.  Baseball home openers are exceptionally crowded (even for the Washington Nationals);

476.  Crowd intensity at the Verizon Center goes to a whole new level for the (Stanley Cup) playoffs;

477.  There’s more pressure on your back sitting than standing;

478.  Pressure on your nerves causes parts of your body to “fall asleep;”

479.  “Chevy” Chase has gained some weight. . . . He’s also a dedicated environmentalist like his (third) wife, Jayni, . . . however, she seems a bit more fanatical than he is;

480.  Steve Thomas (formerly the host of “This Old House”) is an environmentalist;

481.  Beer company representatives/spokeswomen can buy you beers, but they aren’t allowed to touch them. . . . They also get twenty bucks an hour for their time (and to schmooze);

482.  Scoring the game winning goal with 4:59 left in regulation of game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals (of the Stanley Cup Playoffs) at the Verizon Center: Sheer pandemonium while being tackled to the ice by the reigning league MVP;

483.  The chamber of the House of Representatives in the U.S. Capitol is kind of rundown . . . and it looks smaller in person;

484.  The bartenders at Busboys and Poets (BusboysandPoets.com) make a good “Bloody Mary;”

485.  It’s interesting that you can feel a sense of loss when something you thought you really didn’t want is taken away from you;

486.  Heineken on tap tastes better than Heineken in a can or bottle;

487.  If you have a craving for a lobster roll, you can quench it at Hank’s Oyster Bar (HanksDC.com);

488.  The words contestants have to spell during the final of the Scripps National Spelling Bee are absolutely ridiculous;

489.  I graduated from college with the guy who voices Donatello in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles;”

490.  People regret the chances they didn’t take, not the ones they took;

491.  The Smithsonian Folklife Festival (Festival.SI.edu) is in June;

492.  I don’t think the National Harbor in Potomac, Maryland, is attracting the type of crowd the developers had envisioned. . . . It attracts a mixed and eclectic crowd;

493.  Tiger Woods is bigger in person than on television;

494.  I can say I’ve walked down a golf fairway with Tiger Woods (specifically, the 16^th hole at Congressional Country Club);

495.  Bringing “roadies” with you to watch the fireworks on the 4^th of July really isn’t a good idea;

496.  Crystal City has an outdoor, summer, movie festival, where you can bring your own alcohol;

497.  Ray’s Hell Burger in Arlington may have the best burgers in the D.C. area, . . . but bring cash, credit cards aren’t accepted;

498.  When you order a “beer-sickle” at Rustico Restaurant and Bar, it’s served standing up in a large block of ice in a bucket. . . . You’re not supposed to remove the ice from the bucket;

499.  On July 20^th 1969, man first walked on the moon;

500.  Senator John Glenn was the first American to orbit the Earth;