2101. I think love is being perfectly happy to be in someone else’s company. You’re just as comfortable talking or not talking. You’re just as content doing something or nothing at all. You enjoy spending time with her/him and being in her/his presence . . . and there’s (absolutely) nowhere else you’d rather be and no one else you’d rather be with;
2102. I think love is knowing s/he isn’t perfect and accepting her/his (and all of her/his faults) anyways;
2103. If you have a craving for chocolate covered pretzels, dipping pretzels in Nutella (i.e., hazelnut, chocolate spread) isn’t a bad substitute;
2104. The most common way we learn our dating habits is through modeling the behaviors of others. It starts with modeling our parents when we are children, then through watching our friends, movies, etc;
2105. We tend to be identical to one or a combination of our parents’ belief systems in regards to love and relationships. We must be careful about the lessons we internalize and hold as fact;
2106. Just because someone we love and look up to did something a certain way doesn’t make it the best/right way. Sadly, we learn these behaviors at such a young age, they are now autopilot responses. We do them automatically and have a blind spot to how they might be holding us back;
2107. Unless you have seen someone you consider successful in a loving, healthy relationship, be careful about modeling their behaviors, thought patterns, and actions;
2108. Be careful when you model someone that you don’t try to become that person;
2109. Don’t let unhealthy people pave the way for your thoughts. Surrounding yourself with healthy people will help you think, and behave, more healthily;
2110. If you want to attend a play, but don’t want to pay for it, try the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s free “ReDiscovery Series” (ShakespeareTheatre.org/info/support/special-giving-opportunities/rediscovery-readings). Several times a year, (professional) actors and actresses read a play aloud with a historical overview given beforehand and a discussion following afterwards;
2111. Every Wednesday from 5 o’clock to 7 o’clock, Whole Foods (Market) in (Old Town) Alexandria has “Winesday.” For $5.00, you get a wine glass (that you can keep) and you can sample five different wines paired with food. If you bring back the glass on another “Winesday,” you save $1.00 off the price;
2112. Some people can pass out while standing up;
2113. There were fourteen “(Wizard of )Oz” books;
2114. You can “cock block” yourself;
2115. If you thought eating peanut butter with Nutella would taste (just) like a peanut butter cup, it doesn’t. . . . But it’s still pretty good;
2116. In descending order (from most to least), there are a lot of Starbucks( coffee shops), McDonald’s( restaurants), CVS( pharmacie)s, Potbelly( Sandwich Shop)s, Pret A Manger( restaurant)s and Subway( restaurant)s in D.C.;
2117. I think love is being so comfortable with someone that you feel like you could tell her/him almost anything. You don’t feel self-conscious about doing things with her/him that you would normally feel around somebody else. . . . You don’t feel like you’re being judged. . . . You feel accepted for who you are, but, at the same time, you want to try and be a better person for her/him;
2118. Humans can detect over 300 smells, but only 4 (maybe 5) different tastes;
2119. One in four craft beers is an IPA (i.e., India Pale Ale);
2120. It isn’t beer without the hops;
2121. Tareq Salahi(, who notoriously crashed a White House state dinner in ’09,) looks thinner in person (than he does on TV) . . . and taller;
2122. Getting cutoff at DC101’s Kegs & Eggs at 10:30 in the morning, but not getting kicked out: Priceless;
2123. (Spicy) Cantonese dishes pair best with off-dry German Rieslings;
2124. The French Embassy in D.C. (i.e., La Maison Française) isn’t all that impressive;
2125. Canadian icewine is super sweet . . . and so are some Canadian whiskies;
2126. Apparently, Bastian Baker is the Swiss “Justin Bieber;”
2127. It’s kind of weird when it rains and snows at the same time;
2128. What makes a happy camper? The answer is: 1/3 ounce of Kahlua coffee liqueur, 1/3 ounce of Bailey’s Irish cream and a 1/3 ounce of Frangelico hazelnut liqueur . . . shaken with ice and strained into a glass filled a quarter with ice;
2129. It’s pretty stupid to get thrown in jail because you’re angry your credit card was declined over a $50.00 bar tab . . . especially when you called the cops on yourself;
2130. Go for respect first and popularity second. It’s easy to gain popularity. It’s brutal to earn back the respect that you gave away up front;
2131. Don’t give people any more respect than they earn;
2132. Shine by actions, not by words;
2133. People must earn your praise. Your praise is as rare as gold. You don’t hand it out unless people truly deserve it;
2134. You like, but don’t need other’s validation;
2135. Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation;
2136. Your time is precious. Don’t let people disrespect your time, yet expect you to respect theirs;
2137. If you can’t use OpenTable.com to make your restaurant reservation, try using CityEats.com;
2138. The rigatoni Bolognese (i.e., hand diced beef and pork ragout) at Palena (PalenaRestaurant.com) in D.C. maybe the best I’ve ever had. . . . It’s pricey (i.e., $17.00) and the portion is small, but it’s tasty;
2139. Quite a few places are closed on Saturday afternoons in Adams Morgan;
2140. What’s the quickest way to go to bed early? The answer is: Day drinking;
2141. I’m not very good at telling Bulgarian accents from Russian ones;
2142. I’ve watched a hockey game with (at the time) the world’s 10th ranked women’s tennis player and an Olympic bronze medalist (i.e., Alexander Ovechkin’s fiancée, Maria Kirilenko);
2143. We don’t get to choose who we love;
2144. Be wary of buying tickets to (basketball) games at the end of the season, especially when a really good team (like the Miami Heat) plays a (really) bad one (like the Washington Wizards). . . . The good team might not play their regular starters;
2145. Angel food cake (kind of) reminds me of cotton candy (texture-wise);
2146. Love is blindness;
2147. Missing your (dental) appointment because you’re stuck in (bumper-to-bumper) traffic will remind you why you (chose to) live close to work and how much D.C. traffic sucks;
2148. MacKenzie Schultz (i.e., Jeff Schultz’s wife) is rather attractive;
2149. If you (ever) need a bench stained, you can ask Mandy Alzner (i.e., Karl Alzner’s wife);
2150. The Alzners live in Alexandria . . . close to Del Ray;
