What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0189

9401.  Everybody ends up someplace in life.  A few people end up somewhere on purpose;
9402.  The traits we don’t want to acknowledge in ourselves, we project onto others;
9403.  Notice what you see in others and how you speak about them.  The things you see the most in others are parts of you waiting to be witnessed waiting to be integrated;
9404.  When you see something “positive” in someone that you “wish” you had, you already do.  That’s why you can see it.  Say to yourself, “That’s in me too;”
9405.  When you see something “negative” in someone you attempt to judge, see this part of yourself too that’s waiting to be loved.  Say to yourself, “That’s in me too.”  The ego will put up a fight.  The soul will take a deep breath as you release self-judgment;
9406.  Money won’t solve all of your problems.  Money will solve your money problems;
9407.  All self-improvement (in 1 post): 1.  Breathe and be in the moment; 2.  Always respond with love and compassion; 3.  When you fail at 1 or 2, reflect on what pulled you off course; 4.  If it’s about someone or something else and not about you, repeat step 3; and 5.  Work on that part of you;
9408.  If hard work is the answer to wealth, we’d have a lot more rich people in the world;
9409.  You may not be responsible for your past, but you are responsible for your future;
9410.  You don’t get paid for hard work.  You get paid for the value you provide;
9411.  Easy money and hard money are worth the exact same amount;
9412.  Time and money are not related;
9413.  Hard work is not sustainable (long-term).  Even if it works for a while, it will likely stop working because you’ll burn out;
9414.  Hard work is one way to make good money, but it’s not the only way;
9415.  Become efficient in the effective;
9416.  I am not my past.  I am not my mistakes.  I am not my failures.  I am who I decide to become.  I am who I commit to become.  I commit to become the best I can be.  I forgive.  I move on.  I look forward to the new me.  My best is yet to come;
9417.  Don’t let dogs eat any of the salt or the snow (especially the slushy snow) that has been treated with an ice melt.  It can upset their stomachs causing vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration;
9418.  Check your carryout order before you leave;
9419.  I think the lobster rolls at Hank’s Oyster Bar are better than the ones at Vola’s Dockside Grill (VolasDockside.com).  I still think they have the best lobster rolls in the D.C. (metropolitan) area;
9420.  Self-sabotage looks like: 1.  Rejecting praise and compliments; 2.  Not asking for help; 3.  Pushing people away when they start to get close; 4.  Opening up and attaching others prematurely; 5.  Refusing to do something unless you can do it perfectly; 6.  Procrastinating on important projects; 7.  Putting everyone else’s needs before your own; 8.  Constantly criticizing yourself; and 9.  Isolating when you are hurting;
9421.  Perfection is the death of all progress;
9422.  Perfection doesn’t exist . . . not in writing . . . not in business . . . not even in nature;
9423.  Understand that good enough is good enough.  Put your work into the world and make it better later.  Let the world tell you what needs to be improved instead of trying to get it all right on the first try;
9424.  My parents are people too.  They aren’t perfect.  They have their own problems/traumas that they’re dealing with (too);
9425.  Armin van Buuren is a Christmas baby;
9426.  Stop waiting for Friday . . . for summer . . . for someone to do something for you . . . for life.  Happiness is achieved when you stop waiting for it and make the most of the moment you are in now;
9427.  You need to wait a month before testing for post-traumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”);
9428.  There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving.  And that’s your own self;
9429.  When someone tells you you’re making a terrible mistake, a lot of times what they really mean is, “That’s not what I’d choose for my life;”
9430.  It’s not a good sign when the baggage scanner takes your backpack and/or carryon out of the conveyor belt line. . . . You (probably) forgot something at the bottom of your bag and/or pocket;
9431.  Before packing for a flight, check your backpack and/or carryon for corkscrews and/or pocket knives.  You’ll either have to toss it/them or (pay to) check your backpack and/or carryon;
9432.  Apparently, airlines will stop checking bags before a flight . . . for American (Airlines) it’s about a ½ hour before (the flight);
9433.  If it’s mentionable then it’s manageable;
9434.  Cock squatting . . . check;
9435.  Elizabeth likes getting spanked with a (leather) belt;
9436.  Getting a blowjob after blowing your load in her . . . check;
9437.  Havana 1957 (Havana1957.com) has a (pretty) good Cubano/Cuban sandwich. . . . It’s huge;
9438.  Whoever invented the Cubano/Cuban sandwich was a genius;
9439.  The best Cubano/Cuban sandwich I’ve had in Miami is at the Colada Cuban Café & Grill (ColadaCubanCafe.com) (in the lobby of YVE Hotel Miami). . . . The (roasted) pork is succulent . . . and the sandwich is huge;
9440.  Elizabeth likes her clit sucked;
9441.  I can say I’ve had (Florida) stone crab. . . . It’s all right . . . , but I (still) like (Chesapeake) blue crab better/more.  (I think) it has better flavor;
9442.  Some women Facetune the shit out of their photos;
9443.  (According to Richard Biegel,) the deepest, most meaningful and long-lasting happiness comes from relationships.  These relationships are almost universally from family and based on empathy and compassion;
9444.  (According to Richard Biegel,) comparison is the thief of happiness;
9445.  (According to Richard Biegel,) fulfillment comes from following your bliss not the almighty dollar;
9446.  The pursuit matters just as much as the goal;
9447.  The purpose of a goal is not to get it.  The purpose of a goal is who you become in pursuit of it;
9448.  If you grow in the process of achieving your goal then that is success;
9449.  Set a goal with the right scope in mind;
9450.  Most people overestimate what they’re going to do in a year and they underestimate what they can do in a decade or two or three or four;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0188

9351.  Helpful criticism is about making the world a better place.  Unhelpful criticism is about making yourself feel better;
9352.  From a young age, many of us learn unconsciously that being critical of other people is an effective strategy for feeling better about ourselves;
9353.  Criticism of others is often a distraction, a form of procrastination that lets you focus on other people’s problems instead of doing the hard work of looking at your own issues;
9354.  When you ignore your own insecurities by pointing out other people’s flaws, it temporarily feels good, but that only allows your insecurities to grow.  As they grow, they become more and more painful, which means you need to use criticism more and more in order to temporarily feel better;
9355.  When you ignore your own insecurities, you get addicted to criticism as a shallow strategy for feeling better;
9356.  Ignoring your feelings often leads to relief in the moment, but, in the long run, it’s a setup for emotional insecurity and poor resilience;
9357.  Just because something feels bad doesn’t mean it is bad;
9358.  Many of the most important things in life require feeling bad initially in order to feel much better later;
9359.  If you habitually avoid things that feel bad, you miss out on the opportunity to feel much better in the future.  This is true of finances, health, relationships and your own emotions;
9360.  If you habitually avoid anxiety and nervousness, you miss out on the opportunity to grow and take advantage of new opportunities;
9361.  If you habitually avoid sadness, it’s very hard to connect empathetically with important people in your life;
9362.  If you habitually avoid anger and frustration, it’s very hard to become assertive and decisive;
9363.  Dwelling on past mistakes or losses gives us the illusion of control(, which is why we get addicted to it);
9364.  Even though dwelling on past mistakes makes us feel excessively guilty or sad or ashamed, it also makes us feel in control.  If, deep down, the bigger fear is lack of control and helplessness then accepting a lot of sadness and chronic guilt might be a worthwhile tradeoff if it lets you avoid an even more painful feeling like helplessness;
9365.  If you want to let go of past mistakes and failures and get on with your life, you must be willing to confront and accept your helplessness and lack of control;
9366.  The last thing you want (to see) is a puppy/dog leaping at your penis/cock after getting out of the shower (naked);
9367.  A puppy/dog has hit my bare/naked penis/cock with its nose and face;
9368.  Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there;
9369.  Charlie (Dog) likes sand;
9370.  Dreams don’t work unless you do;
9371.  The butter chicken pizza at Chicago’s Pizza With-A-Twist (ChicagosPizzaTwist.com) in Arlington is pretty tasty. . . . So is the chicken curry (pizza);
9372.  Don’t try 7 stouts in a row (specifically The Virginia Beer Company’s Evil Santa spiced milk stout, Three Notch’d Brewing’s Biggie S’mores imperial stout, Angry Chair Brewing’s Loaded French Toast imperial stout, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery’s gingerbread stout & Christmas Pancakes imperial mild stout, Old Bust Head Brewing Company’s Peppermint Caramel Macchiato stout & Hi-Wire Brewing’s 10W-40 imperial stout) . . . just don’t . . . it’s too much;
9373.  Treat others the way they want to be treated;
9374.  In a recent study published in the journal The Cochrane Library, researchers from the United Kingdom conducted an elaborate review of data from nearly 100 studies and they found that people consistently consume more food and drink (i.e., more calories) when offered larger-sized portions, packages and tableware compared to when smaller-sized portions are offered;
9375.  The researchers found that adults, on average, consume about 15% more or about 250 calories, when offered larger serving sizes.  An excess of that magnitude could equate to upwards of a 10-pound weight gain over the course of a year;
9376.  (In 1838, 272) slaves were sold by the (Maryland) Jesuits to help pay for the debts of Georgetown University (then Georgetown College);
9377.  Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy and change ordinary opportunities into blessings;
9378.  The filet mignon at Bobby Van’s Steakhouse is big . . . and so good. . . . The sautéed mushrooms are pretty tasty too;
9379.  The Capital Wheel in National Harbor is (kind of) a disappointment. . . . There’s (really) not much to see;
9380.  The Winery at Bull Run (WineryAtBullRun.com) is (literally) next door to the (Bull Run) battlefield;
9381.  Dogs shouldn’t eat almonds.  They aren’t as toxic as some nuts, but it’s one of the food’s dogs can’t digest as easily as humans;
9382.  Apparently, pecans, walnuts and macadamia nuts are toxic to dogs;
9383.  Cinnamon toast tastes like Cinnamon Toast Crunch (cereal) . . . shocker;
9384.  It’s usually not the criticism from outsiders that holds you back.  More often, it’s your own mind worrying about what other people are going to think;
9385.  We often procrastinate not because of hurtful comments from others, but rather from our own fears about what others are going to think;
9386.  Internal fears and (internal) criticism/dialogue often hold us back from achieving our goals and many times they stop us from even getting started;
9387.  It can take a lifetime to learn that just because people criticize you it doesn’t mean they actually care about your choice to do something different;
9388.  Haters often criticize and move on so that means you can safely ignore them and continue doing your thing;
9389.  Criticism is almost always in your head;
9390.  The tendency to hold onto negative criticism is natural for most people;
9391.  According to researchers at Florida State University, we remember negative emotions (much) more strongly and in more vivid detail;
9392.  Even happy people remember more negative events than positive ones;
9393.  Scientists say that it takes about five positive events to make up for one negative one;
9394.  “Don’t look at the wall.  Your car goes where your eyes go;”
9395.  Criticism and negativity from difficult people are like a wall.  If you focus on them then you’ll run right into them.  You’ll get blocked by negative emotions, anger and self-doubt.  Your mind will go where your attention is fixed.  Criticism and negativity don’t prevent you from reaching the finish line, but they certainly can distract you from it;
9396.  If you focus on the road in front of you and on moving forward then you can safely speed past the walls and barriers that are nearby.  If you’re dealing with criticism then don’t let the wall keep you from seeing the road.  Focus on the path ahead.  Ignore the boos (they usually come from the cheap seats);
9397.  Don’t be the hater.  Don’t be the person who tears down someone else’s hard work.  The world needs more people who contribute their gifts and share their work and ideas.  Working up the courage to do that can be tough.  Support the people who display that courage;
9398.  Arkansas is the biggest producer of rice in the U.S.;
9399.  Sake is (Japanese) rice wine;
9400.  Charlie (Dog) likes to play with onions;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0187

9301.  Others know they can’t prevent bad things from happening, but they wonder and worry about them anyway.  Their worries ultimately waste their time and energy because worrying doesn’t do any good;
9302.  Focus on your influence.  You can influence people and circumstances, but you can’t force things to go your way.  In other words, you have control over your actions and behaviors, but you can’t control the outcome; concentrate on what counts;
9303.  Identify your fears.  Ask yourself what you are afraid will happen.  Usually, the worst-case scenario isn’t as tragic as you might envision.  There’s a good chance you’re stronger than you think;
9304.  Differentiate between ruminating and problem solving.  Ask yourself whether your thinking is productive.  If you are actively solving a problem, keep working on solutions.  If you’re wasting your time ruminating, change the channel in your brain;
9305.  In seeking truth, you have to get both sides of a story;
9306.  Grapes/raisins/wine are poisonous to French bulldogs;
9307.  Apparently, French bulldogs love cantaloupe;
9308.  You shouldn’t feed lemons or limes to French bulldogs.  The psoralen compounds and aromatic oils can upset their stomachs;
9309.  French bulldogs should not eat tomatoes.  Tomato plants (i.e., their stems and leaves) contain a substance called solanine that can be dangerous if dogs eat it in large quantities.  As tomatoes ripen, the solanine metabolizes meaning the toxicity is removed;
9310.  The brick oven pizza (specifically the primavera with grilled corn and sun gold tomatoes) at Palette 22 (Palette22.com) in Shirlington is pretty tasty;
9311.  Apparently, Elizabeth is friends with Dan Humphrey’s (i.e., Penn Badgley) wife/baby mama (i.e., Domino Kirke);
9312.  The person who starts out simply with the idea of getting rich won’t succeed.  You must have a larger ambition;
9313.  Our DNA differs from that of chimps and bonobos by roughly 1.6%, making us closer to them than a dog is to a fox, a white-handed gibbon to a white-cheeked crested gibbon, an Indian elephant to an African elephant or a red-eyed vireo to a white-eyed vireo;
9314.  DNA evidence indicates that the last common ancestor for apes and monkeys lived about 30 million years ago;
9315.  Anthropologist Marvin Harris argues that bonobos get a “reproductive payoff that compensates theme for their wasteful approach to hitting the ovulatory target.”  The payoff is “a more intense form of social cooperating between males and females” leading to “a more intensely cooperative social group, a more secure milieu for rearing infants and hence a higher degree of reproductive success for sexier males and females.”  The bonobo’s promiscuity confers significant evolutionary benefits on the apes;
9316.  Monogamy is not found in any social, group-living primate except us;
9317.  I am not my thoughts.  My thoughts are not a prison that I can’t escape.  Once I notice them, I can either let them go or change them.  The same goes for my beliefs.  They don’t define me;
9318.  Blaming other people is a futile exercise that doesn’t solve anything.  It creates anger and resentment and it does nothing to push you forward;
9319.  If someone wronged you, work on letting go of those bitter feelings.  Forgive.  Move on.  Focus on your actions instead;
9320.  When you start taking action, you take more responsibility for what happens in your life;
9321.  While there’s an infinite number of things you can worry about, there are only a handful of things you can control starting with your attitude, actions and behaviors
9322.  You can’t change what others say or think and you can’t decide the actions other people take.  What you can do is decide what your next step is;
9323.  There are few things more disappointing than when someone makes a promise and never delivers.  Eventually, the person’s words lose their meaning and the person herself/himself becomes devoid of trust;
9324.  If you want to help someone, think carefully about what that entails before offering to do so;
9325.  The people that speak the loudest often end up doing the least;
9326.  The next time you want to do something, take initiative and help out.  Let the results speak for themselves;
9327.  Chimps are reported to be power-mad, jealous, quick to violence, devious and aggressive.  Murder, organized warfare between groups, rape and infanticide are prominent in accounts of their behavior;
9328.  Many scientists have assumed chimpanzees are what humans would be like with just a bit less self-discipline;
9329.  Bonobo: Egalitarian and peaceful, bonobo communities are maintained primarily through social bonding between females although females bond with males as well.  Male status derives from the mother.  Bonds between son and mother are lifelong.  Multi-male-multi-female mating
9330.  Chimpanzee: The bonds between males are strongest and lead to constantly shifting male coalitions.  Females move through overlapping ranges within territory patrolled by males, but don’t form strong bonds with other females or any particular male.  Multi-male-multi-female mating;
9331.  Human: By far the most diverse social species among the primates, there is plentiful evidence of all types of socio-sexual bonding, cooperation and competition among contemporary humans.  Multi-male-multi-female mating;
9332.  Gorilla: Generally a single dominant male (the so-called “Silverback”) occupies a range for his family unit composed of several females and young.  Adolescent males are forced out of the group as they reach sexual maturity.  Strongest social bonds are between the male and adult females.  Polygynous mating;
9333.  Orangutan: Orangutans are solitary and show little bonding of any kind.  Male orangutans do not tolerate each other’s presence.  An adult male establishes a large territory where several females live.  Each has her own range.  Mating is dispersed, infrequent and often violent;
9334.  Gibbon: Gibbons establish nuclear family units; each couple maintains a territory from which other pairs are excluded.  Mating is monogamous;
9335.  Primatologist Craig Stanford found that while the chimps at Gombe are “utterly nepotistic and Machiavellian” about meat distribution, the chimps at Tai share the meat among every individual in the hunting group, whether friend or foe, close relative or relative stranger;
9336.  While data from the chimps studied by Jane Goodall and others at Gombe appear to support the idea that a ruthless and calculating selfishness is typical of chimpanzee behavior, information from other study sites may contradict or undermine this finding;
9337.  Cultural historian Morris Berman explains that if we “change things such as food supplies, population densities and the possibilities for spontaneous group formation and dissolution, . . . all hell breaks loose – no less for apes than for humans;”
9338.  Recent findings in comparative primate intelligence have led researchers Vanessa Woods and Brian Hare to wonder whether an impulse toward cooperation might actually be the key to our species-defining intelligence.  They write, “Instead of getting a jump start with the most intelligent hominids surviving to produce the next generation, as is often suggested, it may have been the more social hominids (because they were better at solving problems together) who achieved a higher level of fitness and allowed selection to favor more sophisticated problem-solving over time.”  Humans got smart, they hypothesize, because our ancestors learned to cooperate;
9339.  Though bonobos surpass even chimps in the frequency of their sexual behavior, females of both species engage in multiple mating sessions in quick succession with different males;
9340.  Among chimpanzees, ovulating females mate, on average, from 6-8 times per day and they are often eager to respond to the mating invitations of any and all males in the group;
9341.  Describing the behavior of female chimps she monitored, primatologist Anne Pusey notes, “Each, after mating within her natal community, visited the other community while sexually receptive.  They eagerly approached and mated with males from the new community;”
9342.  I was disappointed with Safeway’s “Signature Café” firecracker chicken sandwich;
9343.  The brick oven pan pizza at Mia’s Italian Kitchen (MiasItalian.com) in (Old Town) Alexandria is pretty tasty. . . . I think it’s the same crust at Palette 22. . . . They’re both owned by the same restaurant group (i.e., Alexandria Restaurant Partners);
9344.  For bonobos, female status is more important than male hierarchy, but even female rank is flexible and not binding;
9345.  Bonobos have no formalized rituals of dominance and submission like the status displays common to chimps, gorillas and other primates;
9346.  Although status is not completely absent, primatologist Takayoshi Kano, who has collected the most detailed information on bonobo behavior in the wild, prefers to use the term, “influential,” rather than “high-ranking,” when describing female bonobos.  He believes that females are respected out of affection rather than because of rank;
9347.  Joe Biden is (a Roman) Catholic;
9348.  Time offers opportunity but demands a sense of urgency;
9349.  You only struggle because you’re ready to grow, but aren’t willing to let go;
9350.  You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0186

9251.  Dating is like gambling.  You’re expected to lose way more than you win;
9252.  Try not to become a man of success; rather a man of value;
9253.  Acting out of love (or for the right reason) doesn’t (necessarily) mean it’ll be easy or fun;
9254.  Karl Popper wrote, “In order to maintain a tolerant society, the society must be intolerant of intolerance. . . . I do not imply for instance, that we should always suppress the utterance of intolerant philosophies; as long as we can counter them by rational argument and keep them in check by public opinion, suppression would be most unwise.  But we should claim the right to suppress them if necessary even by force;”
9255.  It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed;
9256.  According to U.S. News & World Report, “Americans spend more money at strip clubs than at Broadway, off-Broadway, regional and nonprofit theaters, the opera, the ballet and jazz and classical music performances combined;”
9257.  Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves and spend without fear of bankruptcy;
9258.  When porkstrami gets a little caramelized, it tastes like bacon;
9259.  Using a (glass) cigar tube as a sex toy . . . check;
9260.  We have a tendency to focus on the negative.  Instead of reflecting on all our successes and the countless votes of support and encouragement, we tend to think about that one negative voice.  Block that out and instead highlight the bright spots;
9261.  When we view everyone with a different viewpoint as a naysayer, we’re selling ourselves (and them) short.  Constructive criticism is tremendously important for personal and professional growth and, sometimes, the people who tell us what we need to hear(, but don’t want to hear) are the folks who care about us most;
9262.  You may think that haters will go away if you apologize, but that’s like adding fuel to a fire.  To them, apologizing means they win and, not only they don’t deserve that, it also means they’re likely to heat up even more;
9263.  Judge people by their questions rather than by their answers;
9264.  What trips up the scientists is the same cognitive failing we all share: it’s hard to be certain about what we think we know, but don’t really;
9265.  Having misread the map, we’re sure we know where we are;
9266.  In the face of evidence to the contrary most of us tend to go with our gut, but the gut can be an unreliable guide;
9267.  The Food and Drug Administration tells its inspectors to ignore insect parts in black pepper unless they find more than 475 of them per 50 grams on average;
9268.  Some estimates suggest that Americans unknowingly eat anywhere from 1 to 2 pounds of insects per year;
9269.  Something feels natural or unnatural doesn’t mean it is;
9270.  Hendrick’s (gin) is really smooth;
9271.  Charlie (Dog) likes limes;
9272.  If you’re trying to get better at anything it’s almost never going to be a straight shot.  You’ll have to deal with the mess and b(ull)s(hit) that comes with it.  But once you start to expect the messiness and realize pretty much every journey has its ups and downs and that perfection doesn’t exist, you’ll have a much better chance of getting where you’re trying to go. . . . And you’ll feel a lot better about yourself along the way;
9273.  Go faster by using a successful person’s hindsight as your foresight;
9274.  Orange wine is a thing. . . . It has nothing to do with (actual) oranges;
9275.  How something “feels” is far from a reliable guide to distinguishing biological truth from cultural influence;
9276.  It’s important to understand that evolution is not a process of improvement.  Natural selection simply asserts that species change as they adapt to ever-changing environments;
9277.  One of the chronic mistakes made by would-be social Darwinists is to assume that evolution is a process by which human beings or societies become better.  It is not;
9278.  Those organisms best able to survive in a challenging, shifting environment live to reproduce.  As survivors, their genetic code likely contains information advantageous to their offspring in that particular environment.  But the environment can change at any moment, thus, neutralizing the advantage;
9279.  Despite repeated assurances that women aren’t’ particularly sexual creatures, in cultures around the world men have gone to extraordinary lengths to control female libido: female genital mutilation, head-to-toe chadors, medieval witch burnings, chastity belts, suffocating corsets, muttered insults about “insatiable” whores, pathologizing, paternalistic medical diagnoses of nymphomania or hysteria, the debilitating scorn heaped on any female who chooses to be generous with her sexuality are all parts of a worldwide campaign to keep the supposedly low-key female libido under control;
9280.  The central premise of sexual selection is that in most mammals, the female has a much higher investment in offspring than does the male.  She’s stuck with gestation, lactation and extended nurturing of the young;
9281.  Mating is rarely indiscriminate in multimale-multifemale primate groups.  A variety of factors including kinship ties, social rank, sexual attractiveness and individual sexual preferences might influence mate choice in both sexes.  It is, therefore, incorrect to label such mating systems as promiscuous;
9282.  If promiscuity suggests a number of ongoing, nonexclusive sexual relationships, then yes, our ancestors were far more promiscuous than all but the randiest among us.  On the other hand, if we understand promiscuity to refer to a lack of discrimination in choosing partners or having sex with random strangers then our ancestors were likely far less promiscuous than many modern humans;
9283.  The standard model posits that sexual exclusivity is crucial because in evolutionary times this was a man’s only way of ensuring his paternity;
9284.  Helen Fisher’s “sex contract:” men offer goods and services (in prehistoric environments, primarily meat, shelter, protection and status) in exchange for exclusive, relatively consistent sexual access;
9285.  Cucumbers on (in particular turkey) sandwiches are (pretty) tasty. . . . They also give a nice crunch (to your sandwich);
9286.  We can’t selectively numb (ourselves).  When we choose to numb our painful feelings, we’re unconsciously choosing to numb our good feelings too;
9287.  Evolutionary psychologist, David Buss, writes “Women’s reproductive resources are precious and finite and ancestral women did not squander them on just any random man.  Obviously, women don’t consciously think that sperm are cheap and eggs are expensive, but women in the past who failed to exercise acumen before consenting to sex were left in the evolutionary dust; our ancestral mothers used emotional wisdom to screen out losers.”  Buss doesn’t explain why there are still so many “losers” in the gene pool today if their ancestors were subject to such careful screening for thousands of generations;
9288.  Apparently, dogs can get (yeast) infections in their ears. . . . Who knew?
9289.  Various studies have demonstrated that women are more likely to cheat on their husbands (i.e., to have extra-pair copulations or “EPCs”) when they are ovulating and less likely to use birth control than they are when not fertile;
9290.  Women are likely to wear more perfume and jewelry when ovulating than at other points in their menstrual cycle and to be attracted to more macho-looking men (i.e., those with physical markers of more vigorous genes);
9291.  The vast majority of other female mammals advertise when they are fertile and are decidedly not interested in sex at other times;
9292.  Among primates, the female capacity and willingness to have sex any time and any place is characteristic only of bonobos and humans;
9293.  “Extended receptivity” is just a scientific way of saying that women can be sexually active throughout their menstrual cycle whereas most mammals have sex only when it “matters” when pregnancy can occur;
9294.  What anthropologist Helen Fisher has called “the classic explanation” goes like this: both concealed ovulation and extended (or, more accurately, constant) sexual receptivity evolved among early human females as a way of developing and cementing the pair bond by holding the attention of a constantly horny male mate.  This capacity supposedly worked in two ways.  First, because she was always available for sex, even when not ovulating, there was no reason for him to seek other females for sexual pleasure.  Second, because her fertility was hidden, he would be motivated to stick around all the time to maximize his own probability of impregnating her and to ensure that no other males mated with her at any time and not just during a brief estrus phase;
9295.  Anthropologist Sarah Blaffer Hrdy suggests that concealed ovulation and extended receptivity in early hominids may have evolved not to reassure males, but to confuse them.  Having noted the tendency of newly enthroned, alpha male baboons to kill all the babies of the previous patriarch, Hrdy hypothesized that this aspect of female sexuality may have developed as a way of confusing paternity among various males.  The female would have sex with several males so that none of them could be certain of paternity and, thus, reducing the likelihood that the next alpha male would kill offspring who could be his;
9296.  Control what you can (i.e., your attitude, actions and effort).  Cope with what you can’t.  Concentrate on what counts;
9297.  As humans, we tend not to consider change until not changing feels too painful to endure.  When the pain of not changing exceeds the pain of changing;
9298.  Focusing on those things that you can control can help you feel calmer and more capable of carrying on;
9299.  Even though there’s a lot you can control, there’s a brutal truth in life that can be very difficult for some people to accept: You have no control over many of the things that happen in your life;
9300.  If you resist this truth, you risk becoming a control freak, micromanaging, refusing to delegate and trying to force others to change.  This type of person thinks that if s/he gains enough control over people and situations, they can prevent bad things from happening;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0185

9201.  We’re all driven by fear to care about something because caring about something is the only thing that distracts us from the reality and inevitability of our own death.  To truly not care is to achieve a quasi-spiritual state of embracing the impermanence of one’s own existence.  In that state, one is far less likely to get caught up in various forms of entitlement;
9202.  People’s immortality projects are actually the problem not the solution; rather than attempting to implement, often through lethal force, their conceptual self across the world, people should question their conceptual self and become more comfortable with the reality of their own death;
9203.  While death is bad it is inevitable.  We should not avoid this realization, but rather come to terms with it as best we can.  Because once we become comfortable with the fact of our own death, the root terror, the underlying anxiety motivating all of life’s frivolous ambitions, we can then choose our values more freely, unrestrained by the illogical quest for immortality and freed from dangerous dogmatic views;
9204.  The fear of death follows from the fear of life.  A wo/man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time;
9205.  The only way to be comfortable with death is to understand and see yourself as something bigger than yourself; to choose values that stretch beyond serving yourself, that are simple, immediate, controllable and tolerant of the chaotic world around you.  This is the basic root of all happiness;
9206.  Happiness comes from the same thing: caring about something greater than yourself, believing that you are a contributing component in some much larger entity and that your life is but a mere side process of some great unintelligible production; this fleeting sense of being part of something greater and more unknowable than themselves;
9207.  The gravity of entitlement sucks all attention inward, toward ourselves, causing us to feel as though we are at the center of all of the problems in the universe, we are the one suffering all of the injustices and we are the ones who deserve greatness over all others;
9208.  Entitle isolates us.  Our curiosity and excitement for the world turns in upon itself and reflects our own biases and projections onto every person we meet and every event we experience;
9209.  We are so materially well off yet so psychologically tormented in so many low-level and shallow ways;
9210.  People relinquish all responsibility demanding that society cater to their feelings and sensibilities;
9211.  People hold on to arbitrary certainties and try to enforce them on others often violently in the name of some made-up righteous cause;
9212.  People high on a sense of false superiority fall into inaction and lethargy for fear of trying something worthwhile and failing at it;
9213.  The pampering of the modern mind has resulted in a population that feels deserving of something without earning that something, a population that feels they have a right to something without sacrificing for it;
9214.  People declare themselves experts, entrepreneurs, inventors, innovators, mavericks and coaches without any real-life experience.  They do this not because they actually think they are greater than everybody else; they do it because they feel that they need to be great to be accepted in a world that broadcasts only the extraordinary;
9215.  Our culture today confuses great attention and great success assuming them to be the same thing, but they are not;
9216.  You are already great.  Whether you realize it or not.  Whether anybody realizes it or not.  It’s not because you launched an iPhone app, finished school early or bought yourself a sweet boat.  These things do not define greatness.  You are already great because in the face of endless confusion and certain death, you continue to choose what to care about and what not to.  This mere fact, this simple optioning for your own values in life, already makes you beautiful, already makes you successful and already makes you loved;
9217.  The man who insists upon seeing with perfect clearness before he decides never decides;
9218.  If we believe that we are “not enough” just the way that we are then we will constantly be trying to fill that hole or compensate for that sense of inadequacy.  Maybe with material things.  Maybe with achievements.  Maybe by pleasing others . . . there are lots of ways we do this all of which are doomed to failure because unless we heal that fundamental wound no matter what strategies we use to compensate for it, they will never be enough;
9219.  The belief in “not enough” just begets more not enough;
9220.  Some ways feeling “not enough” can show up: 1.  You feel like no matter what you do, it’s never quite good enough; 2.  You’re on a constant treadmill of working or striving to improve yourself without stopping to smell the roses; 3.  You bend over backwards to please people; 4.  You give and give, but find it hard to receive; 5.  You feel less than okay about your body or find it hard to accept the way you look; 6.  You say sorry a lot or, conversely, maybe you feel irritable a lot of the time; and 7.  You get some relief from these feelings by shopping, drinking, eating, working, watching television, sleeping or maybe even exercising, but the relief doesn’t last;
9221.  Peace isn’t something that you ultimately receive when you slow down the pace of your life.  Peace is what you’re capable of being and bringing to every encounter and event in the waking moments of your life.  Most of us are waging a nonstop internal mental skirmish with everyone we encounter.  Being peaceful is an inner attitude that you can enjoy when you’ve learned to silence your incessant, inner dialogue.  Being peaceful isn’t dependent on what your surroundings look like.  It seldom has anything to do with what the people around you think, say or do.  A noiseless environment isn’t a requirement;
9222.  Apparently, there are salivary/spit glands under your tongue;
9223.  The opposite of happiness is hopelessness and endless grey horizon of resignation and indifference;
9224.  Chronic anxiety is a crisis of hope.  It is the fear of a failed future;
9225.  Depression is a crisis of hope.  It is the belief in a meaningless future;
9226.  When people prattle about needing to find their “life’s purpose” what they really mean is that it’s no longer clear to them what matters, what is a worthy use of their limited time here on earth, in short, what to hope for;
9227.  The most tender fried (chicken) wings I’ve ever had are the confit wings at Bastille (Restaurant & Wine Bar) in (Old Town) Alexandria . . . and the espelette (dipping) sauce is great;
9228.  I can still say I’ve never had a bad dessert at Bastille (Restaurant & Wine Bar);
9229.  I’m not afraid of storms for I’m learning how to sail my ship;
9230.  Getting a blowjob for (buying )a(n expensive )purse . . . check (. . . yes, it’s very cliché ). . . coming in her mouth . . . (double) check;
9231.  You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want;
9232.  There may be some things in life you can’t control, but you are in control of what you choose to believe;
9233.  John Thompson, Jr. was the first African-American/black head coach to win a NCAA men’s basketball national championship;
9234.  Making out and “traumatizing” an 11-year old . . . check;
9235.  Apparently, I know John Thompson III’s cousin (i.e., his mom’s sister’s daughter);
9236.  Cheerwine . . . a sweeter version of Cherry Coke;
9237.  “Poppas pork belly B.L.T.” (i.e., crispy tender pork belly with bacon, Airlie fresh tomatoes, lettuce & fried onion straws) from PoppaDukes BBQ (PoppaDukesBBQ.com) is pretty tasty . . . bacon topped with bacon . . . yum;
9238.  There are 2 ½ glasses (of wine) in one (375 mL) can of wine;
9239.  (Attempted) “munching” in a hotel pool . . . check;
9240.  The “Berkshire pulled pork Sammy” (with “Sweet & Sassy BBQ” sauce) from PoppaDukes BBQ is great. . . . The partially caramelized sauce on the pulled pork adds so much flavor;
9241.  (I can say) I’ve gone to a wedding during COVID-19.  It’s (definitely) different.  There were separate RSVPs for the (wedding) ceremony, cocktail hour and the reception.  Tables were spread out (both) at cocktail and the reception and people wore masks;
9242.  Going to a wedding with the girlfriend . . . check;
9243.  The Italian cream wedding cake (i.e., almond coconut cake, almond cream & caramel buttercream filling & vanilla buttercream frosting) at Becky & Kevin’s wedding maybe the best wedding cake I’ve ever had;
9244.  Apparently, there are girls’ bikes;
9245.  Elizabeth likes riding bikes;
9246.  Work-life balance is a cultural myth.  It’s a fundamentally flawed and unachievable concept.  The notion of a work-life balance suggests that we should have this perfect balance between our personal and professional responsibilities at any given time.  Life is seasonal.  There may be seasons when the scales tip in favor of our professional responsibilities and aspirations and there may be seasons when our personal lives take priority.  It’s not all or nothing; it’s just not necessarily 50-50.  What works for one person, may not work for you.  And what works for you today, may not work for you down the road.  The seasons of life can also extend to your spirituality, relationships, health, fitness and other aspects of life;
9247.  It’s not about how much time; it’s about being intentional with your time;
9248.  We all get the same 365 days.  The only difference is what we do with them;
9249.  We all get the same 24 hours.  Are you living intentionally with yours?  Are you present when you’re with your family?  Are you zeroed in on the opportunity at hand?  Or are you distracted by everything else you could be doing?
9250.  Quit aiming for someone else’s idea of balance and focus your target on living intentionally;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0184

9151.  To value something, we must reject what is not that something;
9152.  We are defined by what we choose to reject.  If we reject nothing (perhaps in fear of being rejected by something ourselves), we essentially have no identity at all;
9153.  Honesty is a natural human craving, but part of having honesty in our lives is becoming comfortable with saying and hearing the word “no;”
9154.  Romantic love is kind of like cocaine.  It’s frighteningly similar to cocaine.  It stimulates the exact same parts of the brain as cocaine.  It get you high and makes you feel good for a while, but also creates as many problems as it solves as does cocaine;
9155.  There are healthy forms of love and unhealthy forms of love.  Unhealthy love is based on 2 people trying to escape their problems through their emotions for each other.  They’re using each other as an escape.  Healthy love is based on 2 people acknowledging and addressing their own problems with each other’s support;
9156.  The difference between a healthy and an unhealthy relationship comes down to 2 things: 1) how well each person in the relationship accepts responsibility; and 2) the willingness of each person to both reject and be rejected by their partner;
9157.  Anywhere there is an unhealthy or toxic relationship, there will be a poor and porous sense of responsibility on both sides and there will be an inability to give and/or receive rejection;
9158.  Wherever there is a healthy and loving relationship, there will be clear boundaries between the 2 people and their values and there will be an open avenue of giving and receiving rejection when necessary;
9159.  People in a healthy relationship with strong boundaries will take responsibility for their own values and problems and not take responsibility for their partner’s values and problems;
9160.  What do poor boundaries look like?  “You can’t go out with your friends without me.  You know how jealous I get.  You have to stay home with me.”  “My coworkers are idiots; they always make me late to meetings because I have to tell them how to do their jobs.”  “I can’t believe you made me feel so stupid in front of my own sister.  Never disagree with me in front of her again!”  “I’d love to take that job in Milwaukee, but my mother would never forgive me for moving so far away.”  “I can date you, but can you not tell my friend Cindy?  She gets really insecure when I have a boyfriend and she doesn’t.”
9161.  When you have murky areas of responsibility for your emotions and actions (i.e., areas where it’s unclear who is responsible for what, whose fault is what, why you’re doing what you’re doing), you never develop strong values for yourself.  You only value becomes making your partner happy.  Or your only value becomes your partner making you happy;
9162.  People can’t solve your problems for you.  They shouldn’t try because that won’t make you happy.  You can’t solve other people’s problems for them either because that likewise won’t make them happy;
9163.  The mark of an unhealthy relationship is 2 people who try to solve each other’s problems in order to feel good about themselves;
9164.  A healthy relationship is when 2 people solve their own problems in order to feel good about each other;
9165.  The setting of proper boundaries doesn’t mean you can’t help or support your partner or be helped and supported yourself.  You both should support each other, but only because you choose to support and be supported not because you feel obligated or entitled;
9166.  Entitled people who blame others for their own emotions and actions do so because they believe that if they constantly paint themselves as victims eventually someone will come along and save them and they will receive the love they’ve always wanted;
9167.  Entitled people who take the blame for other people’s emotions and actions do so because they believe that if they “fix” their partner and save her/him, they will receive the love and appreciation they’ve always wanted;
9168.  The victim creates more and more problems to solve not because additional real problem exist, but because it gets her/him the attention and affection s/he craves.  The saver solves and solves not because s/he actually cares about the problems, but because s/he believes s/he must fix others’ problems in order to deserve attention and affection for herself/himself;
9169.  Victims and savers both use each other to achieve emotional highs.  It’s like an addiction they fulfill in one another.  When presented with emotionally healthy people to date, they usually feel bored or lack “chemistry” with them.  They pass on emotionally healthy, secure individuals because the secure partner’s solid boundaries don’t feel “exciting” enough to stimulate the constant highs necessary in the entitled person;
9170.  If you make a sacrifice for someone you care about, it needs to be because you want to not because you feel obligated or because you fear the consequences of not doing so.  If your partner is going to make a sacrifice for you, it needs to be because s/he genuinely want to not because you’ve manipulated the sacrifice through anger or guilt;
9171.  Acts of love are valid only if they’re performed without conditions or expectations;
9172.  It can be difficult for people to recognize the difference between doing something out of obligation and doing it voluntarily.  So here’ the litmus test: Ask yourself, “If I refused how would the relationship change?”  Similarly ask, “If my partner refused something I wanted, how would the relationship change?”
9173.  People with strong boundaries are not afraid of a temper tantrum, an argument or getting hurt.  People with weak boundaries are terrified of those things and will constantly mold their own behavior to fit the highs and lows of their relational emotional roller coaster;
9174.  People with strong boundaries understand that it’s unreasonable to expect 2 people to accommodate each other 100 percent and fulfill every need the other has;
9175.  People with strong boundaries understand that they may hurt someone’s feelings sometimes, but ultimately they can’t determine how other people feel;
9176.  People with strong boundaries understand that a healthy relationship is not about controlling one another’s emotions, but rather about each partner supporting the other in their individual growth and in solving their own problems;
9177.  It’s not about caring about everything your partner cares about; it’s about caring about your partner regardless of what s/he cares about;
9178.  Without conflict, there can be no trust.  Conflict exists to show us who is there for us unconditionally and who is just there for the benefits.  No one trusts a “yes”-person;
9179.  For a relationship to be healthy both people must be willing and able to both say “no” and hear “no;”
9180.  Without that negation, without that occasional rejection, boundaries break down and one person’s problems and values come to dominate the other’s.  Conflict is not only normal then; it’s absolutely necessary for the maintenance of a healthy relationship.  If 2 people who are close are not able to hash out their differences openly and vocally then the relationship is based on manipulation and misrepresentation and it will slowly become toxic;
9181.  When we’re overloaded with opportunities and options, we suffer from what psychologists refer to as the paradox of choice.  Basically, the more options we’re given, the less satisfied we become with whatever we choose because we’re aware of all the other options we’re potentially forfeiting;
9182.  While investing deeply in one person, one place, one job or one activity might deny us the breadth of experience we’d like, pursuing a breadth of experience denies us the opportunity to experience rewards of depth of experience;
9183.  There are some experiences that you can have only when you’ve lived in the same place for 5 years, when you’ve been with the same person for over a decade or when you’ve been working on the same skill or craft for half your lifetime;
9184.  The older you get, the more experienced you get, the less significantly each new experience affects you;
9185.  Commitment gives you freedom because you’re no longer distracted by the unimportant and frivolous;
9186.  Commitment gives you freedom because it hones your attention and focus directing them toward what is most efficient at making you healthy and happy;
9187.  Commitment makes decision-making easier and removes any fear of missing out; knowing that what you already have is good enough, why would you ever stress about chasing more again?
9188.  Commitment allows you to focus intently on a few highly important goals and achieve a greater degree of success than you otherwise would;
9189.  The rejection of alternatives liberates us (e.g., rejection of what does not align with our most important values, with our chosen metrics, rejection of the constant pursuit of breadth without depth);
9190.  Breadth of experience is likely necessary and desirable when you’re young.  You have to go out there and discover what seems worth investing yourself in, but depth is where the gold is buried.  You have to stay committed to something and go deep to dig it up.  That’s true in relationships, in a career, in building a great lifestyle and in everything;
9191.  Getting a bruise on your chest because your girlfriend bit you (too hard) . . . check;
9192.  You must stick to your conviction, but be ready to abandon your assumptions;
9193.  Popeyes’s spicy chicken sandwich is better than their regular chicken sandwich. . . . I might like it more than Chick-fil-A’s chicken sandwich . . . sacrilege;
9194.  If there really is no reason to do anything then there is also no reason to not do anything; that in the face of the inevitability of death, there is no reason to ever give in to one’s fear, embarrassment or shame since it’s all just a bunch of nothing anyway; and by spending the majority of your short life avoiding what was painful and uncomfortable you have essentially been avoiding being alive;
9195.  Death scares us and, because it scares us, we avoid thinking, talking and sometimes even acknowledging it even when it’s happening to someone close to us;
9196.  In a bizarre, backwards way, death is the light by which the shadow of all of life’s meaning is measured.  Without death, everything would feel inconsequential, all experience arbitrary and all metrics and values suddenly zero;
9197.  In order to compensate for our fear of the inevitable loss of our physical self, we try to construct a conceptual self that will live forever.  This is why people try so hard to put their names on buildings, statues and on the spines of books;
9198.  I’ve spent $156.35 on a (woman’s) purse( . . . that is after the 50% off discount);
9199.  Smoked paprika is great on devilled eggs;
9200.  Our immortality projects are our values.  They are the barometers of meaning and worth in our lives and when our values fail so do we psychologically speaking;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0183

9101.  Do your best to spend at least as much energy expressing your positive feelings as you do the negative ones;

9102.  For any change to happen in your life, you must be wrong about something;

9103.  If you’re sitting there, miserable day after day then that means you’re already wrong about something major in your life and, until you’re able to question yourself to find it, nothing will change;

9104.  Many people are able to ask themselves if they’re wrong, but few are able to go the extra step and admit what it would mean if they were wrong;

9105.  The potential meaning behind our wrongness is often painful.  Not only does it call into question our values, but it forces us to consider what a different, contradictory value could potentially look and feel like;

9106.  Being able to look at and evaluate different values without necessarily adopting them is perhaps the central skill required in changing one’s own life in a meaningful way;

9107.  Would being wrong create a better or a worse problem than my current problem for both myself and others?

9108.  Beliefs are arbitrary; worse yet, they’re often made up after the fact to justify whatever values and metrics we’ve chosen for ourselves;

9109.  If it’s down to me being screwed up or everybody else being screwed up, it is far more likely that I’m the one who’s screwed up;

9110.  If it feels like it’s you versus the world, chances are it’s really just you versus yourself;

9111.  Failure is the way forward;

9112.  Failure itself is a relative concept;

9113.  Making money by itself is a lousy metric for yourself.  You could make plenty of money and be miserable just as you could be broke and be pretty happy;

9114.  Improvement at anything is based on thousands of tiny failures and the magnitude of your success is based on how many times you’ve failed at something;

9115.  If someone is better than you at something then it’s likely because s/he has failed at it more than you have.  If someone is worse than you it’s likely because s/he hasn’t been through all of the painful learning experiences you have;

9116.  We can be truly successful only at something we’re willing to fail at.  If we’re unwilling to fail then we’re unwilling to succeed;

9117.  A lot of this fear of failure comes from having chosen bad values;

9118.  Bad values involve intangible external goals outside of our control;

9119.  Better values are process-oriented;

9120.  If your metric for the value “success by worldly standards” is “buy a house and a nice care” and, you spend 20 years working to achieve it, once it’s achieved the metric has nothing left to give you;

9121.  For many of us, our proudest achievements come in the face of the greatest adversity.  Our pain often makes us stronger, more resilient and more grounded;

9122.  Fear, anxiety and sadness are not necessarily always undesirable or unhelpful states of mind; rather they are often representative of the necessity pain of psychological growth.  And to deny that pain is to deny our own potential;

9123.  Our most radical changes in perspective often happen at the tail end of our worst moments;

9124.  It’s only when we feel intense pain that we’re willing to look at our values and question why they seem to be failing us;

9125.  If you’re stuck on a problem, don’t sit there and think about it; just start working on it.  Even if you don’t know what you’re doing, the simple act of working on it will eventually cause the right ideas to show up in your head;

9126.  Action isn’t just the effect of motivation; it’s also the cause of it;

9127.  Action -> Inspiration -> Motivation;

9128.  When the standard of success becomes merely acting, when any result is regarded as progress and important, when inspiration is seen as a reward rather than a prerequisite, we propel ourselves ahead.  We feel free to fail and that failure moves us forward;

9129.  Attitude isn’t everything, but it is one thing that can make a tremendous difference in your life;

9130.  Your attitude is the paintbrush of your mind;

9131.  You cannot disconnect attitude from reality and expect success;

9132.  Your attitude can’t substitute for competence.  Some people confuse confidence, which is a function of attitude, with competence, which is a function of ability;

9133.  Your attitude can’t substitute for experience;

9134.  Your attitude cannot change the facts;

9135.  If you don’t like something, change it.  If you cannot change it, change your attitude.  Don’t complain;

9136.  Your attitude cannot substitute for personal growth;

9137.  Your attitude will not stay good automatically.  It’s easier to maintain an attitude than it is to regain an attitude;

9138.  Attitude alone isn’t going to cut it.  That doesn’t mean it isn’t really, really important;

9139.  Attitude is a key, powerful ingredient in the recipe for success, fulfillment and purpose;

9140.  While your attitude isn’t everything, it can do a whole lot for you; in many situations, it’s the difference-maker;

9141.  Your attitude makes a difference in your approach to life;

9142.  Your attitude makes a difference in your relationships with people.  It influences how we see others and it determines whether we lift others up or deflate them.  The right attitude allows us to learn from each person we meet, every one of which who has something to teach us;

9143.  Your attitude makes a difference in how you face challenges;

9144.  How do you go about changing your attitude: 1.  Evaluate your present attitude.  Mindfulness and awareness are key to improving an attitude that desperately needs changing; 2.  Have a desire to change.  No choice will determine the success of your attitude change more than desiring to change; 3.  Change your attitude by changing your thoughts.  Attitudes are nothing more than habits of thought; 4.  Manage your attitude daily.  Maintaining the right attitude is easier than regaining it.  As the great John Wooden said, “Things turn out the best for people who make the best of the way things turn out;” and 5.  Take responsibility for your attitude, which is totally in your control.  You can’t control the weather, but you can control the atmosphere of your mind;

9145.  The only way to achieve meaning and a sense of importance in one’s life is through a rejection of alternatives, a narrowing of freedom, a choice of commitment to one place, one belief or one person;

9146.  Travel is a fantastic self-development tool because it extricates you from the values of your culture and shows you that another society can live with entirely different values and still function and not hate themselves.  This exposure to different cultural values and metrics then forces you to reexamine what seems obvious in your own life and to consider that perhaps it’s not necessarily the best way to live;

9147.  We need to reject something otherwise we stand for nothing.  If nothing is better or more desirable than anything else then we are empty and our lives are meaningless.  We are without values and, therefore, live our life without any purpose;

9148.  The avoidance of rejection (both giving and receiving it) is often sold to us as a way to make ourselves feel better.  But avoiding rejection gives us short-term pleasure by making us rudderless and directionless in the long term;

9149.  In order to get a(n) accurate/good reading, you should put more than just the tip of the meat thermometer (probe) in (the meat);

9150.  The act of choosing a value for yourself requires rejecting alternative values;