What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0111

5501.  The lead singer of “Against Me!” (i.e., Laura Jane Grace) reminds me a little of Bret Michaels (the lead singer of “Poison”)/Johnny Rotten (the lead singer of the “Sex Pistols”);

5502.  Tré Cool (the drummer for “Green Day”) lived in Norfolk, Virginia;

5503.  Playing against your boyhood idols is surreal at first, but if you look at it as surreal all the time, you’re not going to rise to the occasion.  You have to think of yourself as equal; you have to think you’re better than a lot of guys;

5504.  No growth happens inside the comfort zone;

5505.  Sugar and processed foods have been shown to be eight times more addictive than cocaine;

5506.  The peanut butter curry ice cream at “Humphry Slocombe” (HumphrySlocombe.com) in San Francisco, California, is pretty tasty;

5507.  In big cities, it’s (perfectly) acceptable for adults to ride skateboards and scooters;

5508.  Apparently, Martin Yan (from the cooking show, “Yan Can Cook”) eats at “Hong Kong Flower Lounge” (Mayflower-Seafood.com/HKFL/) in Millbrae, California;

5509.  I’m taller than Martin Yan;

5510.  The mango pudding at “Hong Kong Flower Lounge” is really tasty;

5511.  I can now say I’ve walked on (a bed of) hot coals;

5512.  There are gorgeous girls at the University of Southern California;

5513.  The L(os )A(ngeles) Coliseum is right by the University of Southern California;

5514.  “Mondo Cozmo” (i.e., Josh Ostrander) is a Corona drinker;

5515.  At the end of the day, what you know is your greatest wealth.  And what you don’t know is your greatest risk.  But there is always risk, so learn to manage it instead of avoiding it;

5516.  A birthday party goes to another level when you hire your own bartender;

5517.  Everything depends on what you believe about yourself.  If you want to change your life, you have to change your self-concept.  If you want to move to a higher place, you need to change your belief about what is possible for you and elevate your beliefs about yourself;

5518.  Of all the beliefs that each one of us own, none is more important than the ones we have about ourselves.  Our beliefs about ourselves are the single most telling factors in determining our success and happiness in life;

5519.  The lack of love in a person’s life is the internal fear that he or she does not deserve love.  The absence of achievement is most often due to a genuine belief that one could never achieve at a high level.  The absence of happiness stems from the internal sentence that “Happiness is not my destiny;”

5520.  Japanese food and jazz is a strange combination.  I’m talking about you, Tomi Jazz, (TomiJazz.com) in New York (City);

5521.  I don’t get the ube ice cream craze;

5522.  You can get a great view of New York( City)’s skyline at 230 Fifth (230-Fifth.com) in Manhattan;

5523.  Don’t believe Guy Fieri.  The pizza at Don Antonio in New York (City) is fine, but not great;

5524.  A “pizze fritte” is like an unsweet doughnut;

5525.  Apparently, you can scoop gelato in the shape of a flower.  Who knew?

5526.  Everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die;

5527.  Many people will not start the journey until all the lights are green;

5528.  Too many people allow their excuses to get between them and the life they would love to live;

5529.  Most people are blinded by their own excuses.  They see what they are afraid of rather than what they want in life;

5530.  Success comes when you focus on your dream, not your fears;

5531.  We win by being the best version of ourselves in order to uniquely matter to someone else.  We can’t achieve that aim if we’re endlessly keeping score in relationship to the others who seek to matter.  If there’s a full accounting to be done, it should be within ourselves.  And we have to be unafraid to find what is wonderfully different and put it out there on full display.  That can feel uncomfortably daring.  And if it does, we are probably on the right track;

5532.  Here’s the thing about self-comparison: In addition to making you vacate your own experience, your own soul and your own life, in its extreme, it breeds resignation.  If we constantly feel that there is something more to be had – something that’s available to those with a certain advantage in life, but which remains out of reach for us – we come to feel helpless.  And the most toxic byproduct of this helpless resignation is cynicism – that terrible habit of mind and orientation of spirit in which, out of hopelessness for our own situation, we grow embittered about how things are and about what’s possible in the world.  Cynicism is a poverty of curiosity and imagination and ambition.  The best defense against it is vigorous, intelligent and sincere hope – not blind optimism, because that too is a form of resignation, to believe that everything will work out just fine and we need not apply ourselves.  I mean hope bolstered by critical thinking that is clearheaded in identifying what is lacking in ourselves or the world, but then envisions ways to create it and endeavors to do that;

5533.  If you are struggling to compete, don’t look to what others have done.  Discover what is missing in the world or incomplete within yourself and apply all your energy to the worthy endeavor of filling that unclaimed space better than anyone else ever could.  Find your difference and you will make a difference;

5534.  Ask yourself, “What’s the worst that could happen if I fail?”  Almost always, the consequences aren’t as dire as you fear.  Then ask yourself, “What’s the best that could happen?”  Stop focusing on the fear and instead train your sights on the potential, on the exciting achievements that are possible when you reach outside your comfort zone;

5535.  With the growth mindset, mistakes just allow you to learn and grow.  You’re not afraid of failure because you know that’s how you grow, that’s how you get better;

5536.  For the fixed mindset, you’re as good as you’re going to get at the start.  For the growth mindset, who you are now is just the starting point.  It’s exciting because you don’t know how far you’ll be able to grow;

5537.  Struggle isn’t a sign that you’re attempting something you shouldn’t.  Struggle is an opportunity to grow your abilities and sharpen your smarts;

5538.  If your reaction to admitting that you don’t know something is defensiveness or paralyzing fear, you’re never going to grow;

5539.  I think the main reason that superhero movies are so popular is because most people have a fixed mindset (i.e., meaning that they think their strengths and weaknesses are set in stone, that they’re born with or without certain talents and that skills can’t be gained and learnt over time) and they feel that they're not enough.  People imagine that they’re the hero/ine and that they too have hidden, innate abilities that makes them unique and special and, ultimately, worthy of being loved;

5540.  Because of the way your brain works, the pursuit of gratitude and compassion will make you happier than the pursuit of happiness itself;

5541.  Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world.  Today I am wise, so I am changing myself;

5542.  The mind is like a parachute.  It only works when it’s open;

5543.  Are you “letting go” or are you afraid?  When people say things like “It just doesn’t feel right,” “I’m being guided to walk away,” “If it was meant to be then it wouldn’t be this hard” or “It just isn’t flowing” and then they use it as a rationale to give up, walk away or abandon someone (or something) that has real value in their lives.  They’ll usually label this act as “letting go.”  They’ll speak as if challenging circumstances are an indicator from the universe that the thing they’re pursuing is “not for me,” when maybe what’s really going on is that they’re afraid, doubting themselves or something has triggered an old wound that they’d rather not look at;

5544.  Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate;

5545.  Vulnerability leads to authentic connection and it helps us build compassion and empathy.  It heals.  It builds bridges.  When we’re able to be vulnerable, it helps us understand ourselves better.  And in deepening our own inner experiences we deepen our ability to empathize with the experiences of others.  Basically, it expands our capacity for love and humanity;

5546.  Most of us have been hurt in love.  Whether it’s romantic love, in friendship or with family.  Usually it’s about some expectation of ours not being met.  Sometimes it can be because someone disappoints us with their actions.  Sometimes it can be because our feelings (or expectations) are not reciprocated.  Or there’s not enough respect or equality in the relationship.  Or because their actions don’t match the promises we think were made.  All of that can feel really painful.  It can be hard to open up again once you’ve felt stung, especially if the sting was very deep;

5547.  We’re wired to learn from bad experiences.  We learn to avoid them like touching a hot stove.  We’ve all done it once, maybe twice, but we soon learned that it’s something best avoided.  What happens when we start to avoid love?  Avoiding a physical burn is a pretty straight forward choice.  There’s not much downside to it.  We’re not missing out on something precious by not touching that hot stove, but closing down our hearts so that we can avoid getting emotionally hurt.  That’s a trickier choice because love is part of what makes life worth living.  It may even be the thing that makes life worth living;

5548.  Most stress in our lives results from hanging on to beliefs that keep us striving for more because ego stubbornly believes we need it.  When we make the shift away from attachment, the influence of our ego fades.  We replace attachment with contentment.  Chasing and striving – and then becoming attached to what we chased after – is a source of anxiety that feeds ambition, but it won’t satisfy the need for meaning at our soul level;

5549.  The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention;

5550.  We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0110

5451.  Olive oil is produced by crushing olives and then putting them through a press to squeeze out the oil.  The crushed olives can be pressed many times.  The first pressing creates what is known as extra virgin olive oil and it is the only type you should consume because it has the most benefits;

5452.  The unique feature of olive oil is the powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients it contains called polyphenols;

5453.  Just 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil per day has significant anti-inflammatory effects;

5454.  Olive oil helps prevent platelets from clumping together excessively, therefore, protecting against blood clots;

5455.  The oleic acid content of olive oil helps to improve your cholesterol profile, raising the HDL, lowering the LDL and improving the particle size and the overall LDL to HDL ratio;

5456.  Recent research shows that the oleic acid found in olive oil can help lower blood pressure.  The olive oil works its way into your cell membranes and changes the ways your cells communicate leading to lower blood pressure;

5457.  Olive oil and its polyphenols lower blood levels of C-reactive protein, therefore, lowering inflammation, a risk factor in heart disease;

5458.  Studies on cancer of the stomach and small intestine found lower rates of cancer in people who used olive oil on a regular basis.  The anticancer benefits likely come from the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of polyphenols in olive oil;

5459.  Polyphenols in olive oil can help balance your gut flora and prevent the growth of bad bugs like helicobacter pylori, the bacterial responsible for ulcers and reflux;

5460.  A large French study found that older adults who used a lot of olive oil in cooking and in sauces and dressings improved their memory and verbal fluency;

5461.  In studies of animals deprived of oxygen, which caused brain injury, olive oil helped their brains heal and recover;

5462.  As little as one to two tablespoons a day of olive oil lowers the risk of many cancers including stomach, colon, breast and lung cancers;

5463.  Olive oil is easily damaged by exposure to light, air and too much heat;

5464.  If you buy a bottle of dark extra virgin olive oil and leave it on the counter, over time it will turn pale.  It means it has oxidized or turned rancid.  Buying better quality extra virgin olive oil and keeping it in a dark place inside the cupboard will prevent this from happening;

5465.  Only buy what says “extra virgin olive oil.”  If a label says “pure,” it usually means that it is a combination of refined and unrefined olive oils;

5466.  Much of the extra virgin olive oil sold in the United States is adulterated with other oils like soybean, rapeseed or canola oils;

5467.  One study found that 69 percent of imported olive oil labeled “extra virgin” did not meet the standard for that label;

5468.  For a list of extra virgin olive oils you can buy at your local grocery store, http://www.truthinoliveoil.com/2012/09/toms-supermarket-picks-quality-oils-good-prices;

5469.  Look for extra virgin olive oil sold in dark-tinted glass bottles as the packaging will help protect the oil from oxidation caused by exposure to light;

5470.  Olive oil should be used within one to two months to ensure its healthy phytonutrient profile remains intact;

5471.  Study after study has shown that increased nut consumption is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer and death;

5472.  Those who ate nuts every day reduced their risk of getting heart attacks by 30 percent – equal to or better than taking statin drugs;

5473.  In a study on weight loss, researchers compared a low-fat vegan diet with a high-fat vegan diet including nuts, avocados and olive oil.  The high-fat diet led to more weight loss and better cholesterol;

5474.  Subjects consuming nuts at least four times a week showed a 37 percent reduced risk of coronary heart disease compared to those who never or seldom ate nuts;

5475.  Each additional serving of nuts per week is associated with an average 8.3 percent reduced risk of coronary heart disease;

5476.  A twenty-eight-month study involving 8,865 adult men and women in Spain found that participants who ate nuts at least twice per week were 31 percent less likely to gain weight than participants who never or almost never ate nuts;

5477.  Avoid roasted or salted nuts as the high temperature used by commercial roasters damages the many delicate fats found in nuts and seeds.  If you like, you can lightly roast them yourself at a very low oven temperature (i.e., 250 degrees F);

5478.  It’s a good idea to soak your nuts and seeds to reduce lectins, phytates and enzyme inhibitors.  These are considered “anti-nutrients” that can block nutrient absorption, cause digestive distress and inhibit enzymes.  Simply soak raw nuts or seeds in warm salt water overnight or up to twenty-four hours.  Make sure there is enough warm water in the bowl to cover the nuts or seeds by an inch.  Add 1 tablespoon of sea salt to 4 cups of nuts or seeds.  When they’re done soaking, rinse them thoroughly so that the rinsing water runts clear.  Then it’s crucial to thoroughly dry them.  The best way to ensure they’ll dry all the way through is to spread them out in a single layer in a warm oven at the lowest possible setting – ideally not more than 120 degrees F;

5479.  Low-fat diets have been associated with dementia and higher-fat diets shown to prevent it;

5480.  Leading Alzheimer’s researchers are promoting a very high-fat (i.e., ketogenic) diet for the treatment of dementia;

5481.  There is an abundance of research showing that carbs cause brain aging and fat prevents it;

5482.  A study from the Mayo Clinic found that people who eat a ton of carbs quadruple their risk of getting pre-dementia known as mild cognitive impairment;

5483.  The same study showed that people who ate the healthiest fats had a 44 percent lower risk of early dementia and those who ate more good-quality protein from chicken, meat and fish had a 21 percent lower risk of early dementia;

5484.  A study of more than 8,000 people over the age of sixty-five found that 280 of them got dementia over the span of four years.  Those who ate the least brain healthy omega-3 fats had a 37 percent increased risk of dementia.  Those who ate the most fish had a 44 percent reduction in the risk of getting dementia.  Those who ate the most olive oil, walnuts and flaxseeds had a 60 percent reduction in the risk of getting dementia.  But they also found that those who ate the most omega-6 oils had twice the risk of dementia;

5485.  Your brain is 60 percent fat and much of it is made of omega-3 fats and cholesterol.  When you eat a low-fat diet, you are starving your brain;

5486.  Lack of fat in the diet has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases; mental disorders such as depression, suicide and aggressive behavior; ADD and autism; and trauma.  Supplementing the diet with omega-3 and other good fats has been linked to improvement in all these conditions;

5487.  Omega-3 fatty acids stimulate beneficial gene expression and boost the activity of your brain cells, increase connections between brain cells and even help the formation of new brain cells (i.e., neurogenesis);

5488.  Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce brain inflammation and improve cognitive function;

5489.  Omega-3 fatty acids aid depression and even recovery from brain injury;

5490.  Very high-fat ketogenic diets are used to control epilepsy and are now being used for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (“ALS”) and other neurological disorders including brain cancer;

5491.  You can store up to 2,000 calories of carbs as glycogen in your muscles, but the average lean athlete has about 40,000 calories of energy stored as fat;

5492.  Low-car (high-fat) diets are anti-inflammatory and so reduce oxidative stress during exercise, reduce lactic acid buildup and help the body recover faster between exercise sessions;

5493.  Omega-3 deficiency can cause dry, itchy, flaky even discolored skin.  It can also cause rough, bumpy chicken skin on the backs of your arms.  Your fingertips may crack and peel.  Your hair may be dry, stiff and tangled; you may have dandruff and hair loss.  Your fingernails might grow slowly or become brittle and chipped;

5494.  We eat an average of 146 pounds of flour and 152 pounds of sugar per person per year in America, which spikes insulin, driving the storage of belly fat, increasing estrogen in men (i.e., belly fat cells produce more estrogen) and sending testosterone levels plummeting.  This leads to low sex drive, sexual dysfunction, muscle loss, loss of body hair and man boobs;

5495.  Low-fat diets can cause women to stop menstruating or to experience irregular, heavy periods and infertility.  They can increase belly fat, raise testosterone levels and trigger acne, facial hair and hair loss on the head whereas high-fat, low-carb diets can reverse all that;

5496.  Characteristics of a healthy diet almost everyone agrees on: 1.  Ideally organic, local, fresh, whole foods; 2.  Very low glycemic load – low in sugar, flour and refined carbohydrates; 3.  Very high in vegetables and fruits – the deeper the colors, the more variety, the better (although the Paleo diet recommends sticking to lower-glycemic fruit such as berries); 4.  Low or no pesticides, antibiotics or hormones and no GMO foods; 5.  Very few to no chemicals, additives, preservatives, dyes, MSG, artificial sweeteners and other “Frankenchemicals;” 6.  Higher in good-quality fats from olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocados; 7.  Low in refined, processed vegetable oils; 8.  Moderate protein for appetite control and muscle synthesis especially in the elderly; 9.  Animal food – meets should be sustainably and humanely raised, grass-fed and antibiotic and hormone-free; and 10.  Fish – you should choose low-mercury and low-toxin fish such as sardines, herring, anchovies, wild salmon and other small fish and avoid tuna, swordfish and Chilean sea bass because of the high mercury load.  Fish should also either be from sustainable “organic” fisheries or sustainably caught in ways that do not deplete natural fisheries;

5497.  “Pegan” diet principles: 1.  Unlimited amounts of non-starchy vegetables (i.e., green and crunchy veggies), which should make up about 50 to 70 percent of your diet by volume; 2.  Moderate amounts of nuts and seeds including almonds, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and hemp and chia seeds; 3.  Moderate amounts of low-glycemic fruit; 4.  Sustainably farmed and low-mercury wild (i.e., sardines, mackerel, herring & wild salmon); 5.  Grass-fed beef, bison, lamb and organic poultry; 6.  Pasture-raised or organic eggs; 7.  Small quantities of gluten-free grains (i.e., brown or black rice, quinoa & buckwheat); 8.  Small quantities of beans, if tolerated; 9.  No dairy (except organic goat or sheep cheese or yogurt if tolerated and ghee or grass-fed butter); 10.  Plenty of good fats including avocados, extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil; 11.  Occasional treats of real sugar, maple syrup or honey; 12.  Moderate alcohol intake: Maximum 1 glass of wine at night or 1 ounce of hard liquor ideally fewer than 5 drinks a week.  Beer is a problem because of the sugar and gluten; 13.  Coffee or tea (i.e., 1 to 2 cups a day maximum); 14.  Minimal amounts of gluten (i.e., only in the form of whole grains such as steel-cut oats, whole-kernel rye bread & barley) and dairy (i.e., ideally goat or sheep and always organic), if tolerated; and 15.  What it doesn’t include: A) Processed foods; B) Artificial anything (especially sweeteners); C) Liquid sugar calories; and D) Juices except green juices;

5498.  Bad company corrupts good character;

5499.  Good habits lead to good outcomes;
5500.  Every good thing you want in life is on the other side of fear;