What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0204

10151.  We talk a lot in our culture about red flags when dating and that’s a good thing!  What we don’t talk enough about is: red flags don’t feel like red flags when they were once our familiar;
10152.  Many of us need to learn how to validate ourselves, how it’s okay to upset or disappoint people and how authentic relationships do not involve betraying ourselves to be loved or chosen;
10153.  If you’re always seeking external validation, you’ll lose the connection to your own voice, your own needs and your own power;
10154.  Apparently, Ingrid Michaelson has a “man-friend” (not a boyfriend);
10155.  Will Chase (i.e., “Luke Wheeler” from the television show, “Nashville,”) wants to be called a “man-friend” or partner;
10156.  I can say I’ve been to a concert at the (John F.) Kennedy (Memorial) Center (for the Performing Arts) with Will Chase;
10157.  Instead of setting an elusive standard for happiness, slow down to appreciate life’s little pleasures;
10158.  Relish the good.  Let the positive moments linger a little longer;
10159.  The way you perceive yourself makes a huge difference in the way your life turns out;
10160.  Elizabeth and Marlin think Charlie (Dog) would rather live with me;
10161.  Joe Snively is the first player from (the state of) Virginia to play for the (Washington) Capitals. . . . He’s from Herndon, Virginia, and was a player with the Washington Little Capitals program;
10162.  Adult male humans have the longest, thickest and most flexible penises of any living primate;
10163.  The unusual flared glans of the human penis forming the coronal ridge, combined with the repeated thrusting action characteristic of human intercourse, ranging anywhere from 10-500 thrusts per romantic interlude, creates a vacuum in the female's reproductive tract.  This vacuum pulls any previously deposited semen away from the ovum, thus, aiding the sperm about to be sent into action;
10164.  Despite all the bad press they get, men last far longer in the saddle than bonobos (i.e., 15 seconds), chimps (i.e., 7 seconds) or gorillas (i.e., 60 seconds) clocking in between 4-7 minutes on average;
10165.  A scrotum is like a spare refrigerator in the garage just for beer.  If you’ve got a spare beer fridge, you're probably the type who expects a party to break out at any moment.  A scrotum fulfills the same function.  By keeping the testicles a few degrees cooler than they would be inside the body, a scrotum allows chilled spermatozoa to accumulate and remain viable longer, available if needed;
10166.  A team of Australian researchers found that men who had ejaculated more than 5 times per week between the ages of 20 and 50 were one-third less likely to develop prostate cancer later in life;
10167.  Along with the fructose, potassium, zinc and other benign components of semen, trace amounts of carcinogens are often present so researchers hypothesize that the reduction in cancer rates may be due to the frequent flushing of the ducts;
10168.  A different team from Sydney University reported in late 2007 that daily ejaculation dramatically reduced DNA damage to men's sperm cells thereby increasing male fertility quite the opposite of the conventional wisdom;
10169.  After 42 men with damaged sperm were instructed to ejaculate daily for a week almost all showed less chromosomal damage than a control group who had abstained for 3 days;
10170.  A study conducted at the University of Bristol and Queen's University of Belfast found that men, who have 3 or more orgasms per week, are 50% less likely to die from coronary heart disease;
10171.  World Health Organization guidelines specify different sizes for various parts of the world: a 49-millimeter-width condom for Asia, a 52-millimeter width for North America and Europe and a 53-millimeter width for Africa (all condoms are longer than most men will ever need);
10172.  According to an article published in Nature, Japanese and Chinese men’s testicles tend to be smaller than those of Caucasian men on average;
10173.  Other researchers confirmed finding the average combined testes weights of 24 grams for Asians, 29-33 grams for Caucasians and 50 grams for Africans;
10174.  The Hamilton Beach Company of Racine, Wisconsin, patented the first home-use vibrator in 1902 thereby making it just the fifth electrical appliance approved for domestic use;
10175.  If a witch-hunter in the 1600s discovered a woman or girl with an unusually large clitoris, this “devil's teat” was sufficient to condemn her to death;
10176.  British primatologist Stuart Semple recorded more than 500 copulation calls from 7 different female baboons and analyzed their acoustic structure.  He found that these complex vocalizations contained information related to both the female’s reproductive state (i.e., the vocalizations were more complex when females were closer to ovulation) and to the status of the male “inspiring” any given vocalization (i.e., calls were longer and contained more distinct sonic units during mating with higher-ranked males);
10177.  Given all the other convergent evidence, it seems far more likely that in humans, female copulatory vocalization would serve to attract males to the ovulating, sexually receptive female, thus, promoting sperm competition with all its attendant benefits both reproductive and social;
10178.  My (maternal) grandmother’s godmother was Portuguese;
10179.  My mother’s godmother became a nun;
10180.  I never thought (that) I’d be “kissed” by a dog (on the back of my neck) when/while ringing in the New Year;
10181.  Jerry Buss (the former owner of the Los Angeles Lakers) used to own the (Los Angeles) Kings;
10182.  Taylor Hawkins was Alanis Morissette’s drummer before he joined the “Foo Fighters;”
10183.  According to the American Society of Plastic Surgery, 347,254 breast augmentation procedures were performed in the United States in 2007 making it the nation’s most commonly performed surgical procedure;
10184.  The ceilings are lower in Mexico;
10185.  There aren’t many Asians in Mexico;
10186.  You’re not supposed to flush toilet paper down the drain/toilet in Mexico;
10187.  I can say I’ve snuck into a (beach) club in Mexico;
10188.  I can say I’ve had a Corona (beer) in Mexico;
10189.  Apparently, Lukash is friends with (frosted-tips) “Harry Potter;”
10190.  I can say I’ve had tequila in Mexico;
10191.  I can say I’ve had a drink/shot with “Harry Potter” (in Mexico);
10192.  I can say I’ve had (late night, street) tacos in Mexico;
10193.  Bathrooms in Mexico don’t have tubs.  They only have showers.  The showers are next to the toilet set a little below sloping to a drain;
10194.  Prickly pear (fruit) has a lot of seeds;
10195.  Star fruit is very tart;
10196.  White guava is mushy and custardy;
10197.  The beach in Playa del Carmen (in Mexico) doesn’t have that strip of rocks/shells you have to walk over/through to get into the ocean;
10198.  I can say I’ve had a strawberry daiquiri on a tropical beach . . . and a Pina colada;
10199.  Apparently, I’m (really) good at recognizing movies by their soundtracks when I’m drunk;
10200.  They water down the (alcoholic) drinks in Mexico (especially at the all-inclusive resorts);

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0203

10101.  Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down;
10102.  Not how long, but how well you have lived is the main thing;
10103.  Change will not come if we wait for some other person or if we wait for some other time.  We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.  We are the change that we seek;
10104.  Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending;
10105.  Even if you cannot change all the people around you, you can change the people you choose to be around;
10106.  At the beginning of the 20^th century, life expectancy at birth was around 45 years.  It has risen to about 75 thanks to the advent of antibiotics and public health measures that allow people to survive or avoid infectious diseases.  Keep in mind that this dramatic increase is much more a reflection of increased infant survival than of adults living longer;
10107.  Many anthropologists agree it’s likely that a large portion of infant mortality once attributed to starvation and disease probably resulted from infanticide;
10108.  They argue that foraging societies limited the number of infants so they wouldn’t become a burden to the group or allow overly rapid population growth to strain food supplies;
10109.  Joseph Birdsell, one of the world’s greatest scholars of Australian Aboriginal culture, estimated that as many as ½ of all infants were intentionally destroyed;
10110.  Various surveys of contemporary pre-industrial societies conclude that anywhere from ½ to ¾ of them practice some form of direct infanticide;
10111.  Learn to enjoy your own company;
10112.  You are valuable regardless of your relationship status.  You don’t need someone else to validate your self-worth;
10113.  Give yourself credit for the effort you put in to transform your life for the better;
10114.  There’s a (very good) reason why you’re not allowed to use your phones during a Dave Chappelle show;
10115.  Dave Chappelle is friends with/knows a lot of celebrities;
10116.  I can say that I’ve seen Dave Chappelle live;
10117.  Apparently, no smoking indoors in public places (in D.C.) doesn’t apply to Dave Chappelle;
10118.  Dave Chappelle smokes a lot;
10119.  Dave Chappelle is a decent singer;
10120.  If you focus on what you have, you gain what you lack.  If you focus on what you lack, you lose what you have;
10121.  Societies that practice infanticide don’t consider newborn infants full human beings.  Rituals ranging from baptism to naming ceremonies are delayed until it is determined whether or not the child will be permitted to live.  If not, from this perspective, the child was never fully alive anyway;
10122.  The dramatic increases in world population that paralleled agricultural development don’t indicate increased health, but increased fertility: more people living to reproduce, but lower quality of life for those who do;
10123.  Cortisol, the hormone your body releases when under stress, is the strongest immunosuppressant known.  In other words, nothing weakens our defenses against disease quite like stress;
10124.  Sheldon Cohen and his colleagues studied the sleep habits of 153 healthy men and women for 2 weeks before putting them in quarantine and exposing them to rhinovirus, which causes the common cold.  Those who slept less than 7 hours per night were 3 times as likely to get sick;
10125.  Intermittent fasting was associated with more than a 40% reduction in heart disease risk in a study of 448 people published in the American Journal of Cardiology reporting that “most diseases, including cancer, diabetes and even neurodegenerative illnesses are forestalled” by caloric reduction;
10126.  The theory of testis size is simple: species that copulate more often need larger testes and species in which several males routinely copulate with one ovulating female need even bigger testes;
10127.  If a species has cojones grandes, you can bet that males have frequent ejaculations with females who sleep around.  Where the females save it for Mr. Right, the males have smaller testes relative to their overall body mass.  The correlation of slutty females with big balled males appears to apply not only to humans and other primates, but to many mammals as well as to birds, butterflies, reptiles and fish;
10128.  A human ejaculation typically consists of anywhere from 3 to 9 spurts.  Researchers who somehow managed to capture “split ejaculates” for analysis found that the first spurts contain chemicals that protect against various kinds of chemical attack.  Aside from leucocytes and antigens present in a woman’s reproductive tract, they protect the sperm from the chemicals in the latter spurts of other men’s ejaculate.  These final spurts contain a spermicidal substance that slows the advance of any latecomers;
10129.  Several researchers have demonstrated that a man’s sperm production increases significantly when he has not seen his partner for a few days regardless of whether or not he ejaculated during her absence;
10130.  When my mom moved to Texas for grad(uate) school, she didn’t like the Mexican food served in the school cafeterias/dining halls;
10131.  My dad used to drink a couple of (12-ounce) bottles of Coca-Cola at work every day;
10132.  You deserve respect and compassion . . . from yourself;
10133.  Hibiki Suntory Whiskey (Japanese Harmony) reminds me of (The) Macallan (Scotch);
10134.  As much as it is fun to start a new life with someone, you must realize that the reason they want to be with you in the first place was that you had an “interesting life.”  You don’t want to lose your “life” trying to start a new one with them.  Let them come and share the wonderful life you’ve built just as you go on to partake in theirs;
10135.  I can say I’ve had venison Rocky Mountain oysters;
10136.  Venison testicles are soft and mushy;
10137.  Let your memories be just memories.  Don’t allow them to influence your thoughts and behaviors;
10138.  Serena Williams’s hitting partner is a former University of Virginia tennis player (i.e., Jarmere Jenkins);
10139.  Apparently, Dennis Rodman has a flip phone;
10140.  I hear Charles Esten (i.e., “Deacon Claybourne” from the television show, “Nashville,”) likes to go barhopping when he’s in (Old) Town (Alexandria) for Thanksgiving;
10141.  “Speck” is a type of cured, lightly smoked ham. . . . It’s very chewy;
10142.  “Pastirma” is Turkish pastrami;
10143.  You can only make helpful changes in your life if you focus on the things that are within your control;
10144.  No excuses about not being good at something.  We all have to start somewhere;
10145.  The single most important influence to our sense of self/self-worth comes from our relationships with parental figures;
10146.  Our parents’ interactions with us reflect back our sense of self.  We internalize their voice and it becomes our own inner voice . . . our identity;
10147.  If we had parents, who invalidated our emotions, denied our realities or disapproved of core parts of who we are, we felt this as children.  We developed beliefs that we are unworthy, unlovable and have a fear that something about us is broken.  This the mother/father wound;
10148.  When this happens, we search for love and validation in everyone we meet.  We become chronic people pleasers desperate to be “good enough” to be accepted;
10149.  Unconsciously, we recreate this parent-child dynamic with romantic partners.  We over extend ourselves, allow our boundaries to be crossed, allow people to betray us, place our self-worth in someone else’s hands and release our own needs in order to feel close to someone else;
10150.  External validation is the only way we can feel worthy.  Of course when someone doesn’t validate our worth, the blow feels crushing especially with romantic partners where we feel the original parental rejection all over again;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0202

10051.  Broccoli stems soften (and shrink) quite a bit when roasted (in the oven);
10052.  No, you’re not a hopeless loser.  Life is challenging.  It’s okay to feel sad or angry in response to whatever obstacle you’re facing;
10053.  Making just one positive change in your life will push you towards all the other things that are good for you;
10054.  I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination;
10055.  Life isn’t about getting and having, it’s about giving and being;
10056.  Happiness is not something ready-made.  It comes from your own actions;
10057.  You do not find the happy life.  You make it;
10058.  Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it;
10059.  If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way;
10060.  When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be;
10061.  Life isn’t about finding yourself.  Life is about creating yourself;
10062.  If you want unusual results, you can’t do the same things that everyone else does;
10063.  It is a common mistake to assume that evolution is a process of improvement, that evolving organisms are progressing toward some final, perfected state.  But they, and we, are not.  An evolving society or organism simply adapts over the generations to changing conditions.  While these modifications may be immediately beneficial, they are not really improvements because external conditions never stop shifting;
10064.  When children and adolescents don’t get adequate nutrition for as little as a week, growth slows in the long bones in their arms and legs.  When their nutritional intake recovers and the bones begin to grow again, the density of the new bone growth differs from the interruption.  X-rays reveal theses telltale lines in ancient bones know as Harris lines.  Periods of more prolonged malnutrition leave signs on the teeth known as hypoplasias – discolored bands and small pits in the enamel surface, which can still be seen many centuries later in fossilized remains.  Archaeologists find fewer Harris lines and dental hypoplasias in the remains of prehistoric hunters-gatherer populations than they do in the skeletons of settled populations who lived in villages dependent on cultivation for their food supply;
10065.  Approximately 800 skeletons from the Dickson Mounds in the lower Illinois Valley have been analyzed.  Archeologist George Armelagos and his colleagues reported that the farmers’ remains show a 50% increase in chronic malnutrition and 3 times the incidence of infectious diseases (indicated by bone lesions) compared with the foragers who preceded them.  Furthermore, they found evidence of increased infant mortality, delayed skeletal grow in adults and a fourfold increase in porotic hyperostosis indicating iron-deficiency anemia in more than half the population;
10066.  Throughout the world, the shift to agriculture accompanied a dramatic drop in the quality of most people’s diets and overall health;
10067.  Don’t waste your time and energy reinforcing a negative belief system;
10068.  Keep/use your old toothbrushes to clean/scrub the inside of your toilet (bowl) and then toss them;
10069.  Save the unused wet wipes/moist towelettes you get at restaurants.  They work great for cleaning the sides of your toilet;
10070.  The “PLNT burger” at “PLNT Burger” (PLNTBurger.com) is tasty. . . . So is the “spicy chik n’ funguy” (sandwich);
10071.  “PLNT Burger” is from Spike Mendelsohn (i.e., the former contestant on “Top Chef”);
10072.  I no longer judge myself for my past;
10073.  I look back kindly at my past self;
10074.  The quickest way to get your attention back to the present moment is to focus on your breath;
10075.  Sometimes what is most beneficial might be painful and what is toxic might be pleasurable;
10076.  Difficult as it may be for some to accept, skeletal evidence clearly shows that our ancestors didn’t experience widespread, chronic scarcity until the advent of agriculture.  Chronic food shortages and scarcity-based economies are artifacts of social systems that arose with farming;
10077.  Hunter-gatherers spent their abundant leisure time eating, drinking, playing and socializing – in short, doing the very things we associate with affluence;
10078.  For the vast majority of human generations that have ever lived, it would have been unthinkable to hoard food when those around you were hungry.  The hunter-gatherer represents uneconomic man;
10079.  John Fogerty has to dye his hair;
10080.  Hearing John Fogerty’s band play reminds me of listening to (live) music at “The Tobacco Company( Restaurant)” (TheTobaccoCompany.com) in Richmond;
10081.  John Fogerty wrote “Who’ll Stop the Rain” after coming back from playing (the) Woodstock (Music & Art Fair) in 1969;
10082.  John Fogerty’s two sons, Shane and Tyler, play in his band;
10083.  John Fogerty has a baseball bat-shaped guitar for playing “Centerfield;”
10084.  Shane Fogerty can really play( the guitar);
10085.  Warfare is more likely in advanced horticultural and agrarian societies than it is in hunting-and-gathering and simple horticultural societies.  When sociologist, Patrick Nolan, limited his analysis only to hunter-gatherer and agrarian societies, he found that above-average population density was the best predictor of war;
10086.  Ecologist Peter Turchin and anthropologist Andrey Korotayev looked at data from English, Chinese and Roman history finding strong statistical correlations between increases in population density and warfare.  Their suggests population growth could account for as much as 90% of the variation between historical periods of war and peace;
10087.  Freedom (from war) is just another word for nothing to lose or gain;
10088.  After conducting a comprehensive review of prehistoric skeletal evidence, anthropologist Brian Ferguson concluded that apart from one particular site in modern-day Sudan, “only about a dozen homo sapiens skeletons 10,000 years ago or older, out of hundreds of similar antiquity examined to date, show clear indication of interpersonal violence.”  Ferguson continues, “If warfare were prevalent in early prehistoric times, the abundant materials in the archaeological record would be rich with evidence of warfare.  But the signs are not there;”
10089.  Let go of the past.  Don’t spend your energy on something that no longer exists;
10090.  (George Mumford’s) 4 “A”s: 1.  Awareness; 2.  Acceptance; 3.  Action; and 4.  Assessment;
10091.  Strive for a healthy balance between doing the best you can and then letting go;
10092.  I can say that I’ve seen Genesis (with Phil Collins) in concert;
10093.  Phil Collins walks with a cane;
10094.  Phil Collins doesn’t play drums (in concert) anymore;
10095.  Nic(holas) Collins, Phil’s son, plays (the) drums for Genesis . . . and he’s really good;
10096.  Take a minute to focus on things that are going right for you;
10097.  Problems in relationships occur because each person is concentrating on what is missing in the other person;
10098.  If your love for another person doesn’t include loving yourself then your love is incomplete;
10099.   You can love them, forgive them and want good things for them, but still move on without them;
10100.  Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0201

10001.  Apparently, you shouldn’t have a big steak dinner (specifically at Voltaggio Brothers Steak House in MGM National Harbor) before playing a concert;
10002.  Apparently, Tom DeLonge likes (red) wine;
10003.  “Blink-182” wouldn’t exist if Tom DeLonge hadn’t been expelled from (Poway) High School;
10004.  I can say I heard “Angels & Airwaves” play “Losing My Mind” (live) for the second time ever;
10005.  Ilan Rubin, the drummer for “Angels & Airwaves” is also the drummer for “Nine Inch Nails;”
10006.  If you have a craving for kettle corn, buy yourself a bag of O Organics “Sweet & Salty Organic Kettle Corn” from Safeway;
10007.  Set aside some time to talk and to think about the illness or other crisis and how it should be managed every day.  Do not talk or think about it otherwise.  If you do not limit its effect, you will become exhausted and everything will spiral into the ground;
10008.  When worries associated with the crisis arise at other times, remind yourself that you will think them through during the scheduled period;
10009.  The parts of your brain that generate anxiety are more interested in the fact that there is a plan than in the details of the plan;
10010.  Don’t schedule your time to think in the evening or at night.  You won’t be able to sleep.  If you can’t sleep then everything will go rapidly downhill;
10011.  Aim high like Pinocchio’s Geppetto.  Wish upon a star and then act properly in accordance with that aim.  Once you are aligned with the heavens, you can concentrate on the day.  Be careful.  Put the things you can control in order.  Repair what is in disorder and make what is already good better.  It is possible that you can manage if you are careful;
10012.  People can survive through much pain and loss.  But to persevere they must see the good in being.   If they lose that they are truly lost;
10013.  Every day, the prayers of desperate people go unanswered.  But maybe this is because the questions they contain are not reasonable to ask god to break the rules of physics every time we fall by the wayside or make a serious error.  Perhaps in such times you can’t put the cart before the horse and simply wish for your problem to be solved in some magical manner.  Perhaps you could ask, instead, what you might have to do right now to increase your resolve, buttress your character and find the strength to go on.  Perhaps you could instead ask to see the truth;
10014.  What had we each done to contribute to the situation we were arguing about?  How was I wrong?  The problem with asking yourself such a question is that you must truly want the answer.  And the problem with doing that is that you won’t like the answer.  When you are arguing with someone, you want to be right and you want the other person to be wrong.  Then it’s her/him that has to sacrifice something and change not you and that’s much preferable.  If it’s you that’s wrong and you that must change then you have to reconsider yourself – your memories of the past, your manner of being in the present and your plans for the future.  Then you must resolve to improve and figure out how to do that.  Then you actually have to do it.  That’s exhausting.  It takes repeated practice to instantiate the new perceptions and make the new actions habitual.  It’s much easier just not to realize, admit and engage.  It’s much easier to turn your attention away from the truth and remain willfully blind;
10015.  You must decide whether you want to be right or you want to have peace;
10016.  You must decide whether to insist upon the absolute correctness of your view or to listen and negotiate;
10017.  You don’t get peace by being right.  You just get to be right while your partner gets to be wrong – defeated and wrong;
10018.  More than 50% of the surface of the brain is devoted to processing visual information.  Closing our eyes frees up the energy associated with that 50% and allowing our brains much needed recovery.  We can tap into the unconscious processes that help us connect with our innovative ideas and solve problems more efficiently simply by decreasing visual input;
10019.  The adult brain, a mere 2% of body weight, is responsible for around 20% of oxygen consumption;
10020.  An Atkins “caramel chocolate nut roll bar” tastes like a “Baby Ruth”( candy bar);
10021.  To seek peace, you have to decide that you want the answer more than you want to be right.  That’s the way out of the prison of your stubborn preconceptions;
10022.  Perhaps true prayer is the question, “What have I done wrong and what can I do now to set things at least a little bit more right?”
10023.  There is no enlightened one.  There is only the one who is seeking further enlightenment;
10024.  Proper being is process not a state; a journey not a destination.  It’s the continual transformation of what you know through encounter with what you don’t know rather than the desperate clinging to the certainty that is eternally insufficient in any case;
10025.  Always place your becoming above your current being;
10026.  Remember those who have nothing and strive to be grateful;
10027.  You may be blocked in your progress not because you lack opportunity, but because you have been too arrogant to make full use of what already lies in front of you;
10028.  He who has many material things may be described as rich, but he who knows he has enough and is at one with the Tao might have enough of material things and have self-being as well;
10029.  To give is to do what you can to make things better;
10030.  If we put ourselves in order perhaps we will do the same for the world;
10031.  Strength in the face of adversity is very different from the wish for a life free of trouble;
10032.  When everything has become chaotic and uncertain, all that remains to guide you might be the character you constructed previously by aiming up and concentrating on the moment at hand.  If you have failed in that you will fail in the moment of crisis and then god help you;
10033.  The best way to fix the world is to fix yourself;
10034.  Failure to make the proper sacrifices, failure to reveal yourself, failure to live and tell the truth – all that weakens you;
10035.  The terrible suffering of unfortunate souls becomes attributable, by their own judgment, to mistakes they made knowingly in the past: act of betrayal, deception, cruelty, carelessness, cowardice and, most commonly of all, willful blindness;
10036.  To suffer terribly and to know yourself as the cause: that is hell.  And once in hell it is very easy to curse being itself;
10037.  Lay’s “Magic Masala” chips are tasty;
10038.  There are a lot of burger places in Toronto;
10039.  Chip bags in Canada seem to use less packaging;
10040.  There are black squirrels in Toronto;
10041.  Billy Bishop (Toronto City) Airport is right next/within walking distance to CN Tower;
10042.  Dr. Clive Hamilton, a visiting scholar at Cambridge University, set out to study the “suffering rich” and found that 4 of every 10 people earning $80,000.00 at the time felt “deprived;”
10043.  Another recent survey in the United States found that 45% of those with a net worth (excluding their home) over $1 million were worried about running out of money before they died.  Over one third of those with more than $5 million had the same concern;
10044.  He is richest who is content with least for contentment is the wealth of nature;
10045.  When communities grow beyond the point where every individual has at least a passing acquaintance with everyone else, our behavior changes, our choices shift and our sense of the possible and of the acceptable grows ever more abstract;
10046.  Community ownership doesn’t work in large-scale societies where people operate in anonymity;
10047.  The size of human societies and cultures matters because larger societies will naturally have more concentrated social power.  Larger societies will be less democratic than smaller societies and they will have an unequal distribution of risks and rewards;
10048.  Human nature functions one way in the context of intimate, interdependent societies, but, set loose in anonymity, we become a different creature.  Neither beast is more nor less human;
10049.  Apparently, Norfolk(, Virginia,) had a techno scene . . . until all of the illegal Europeans were deported;
10050.  Apparently, Dan Deacon (the deejay) hangs out at “The Auld Shebeen( Irish Pub & Restaurant)” in (Old Town) Fairfax on Wednesday nights for “Transit Party;”

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0200

9951.  According to Jack Antonoff, the concert at The Anthem (in D.C.) on (Friday,) September 24, 2021 is the largest “Bleacher’s” concert ever played or scheduled;
9952.  “Rollercoaster” was the first song Jack Antonoff wrote for “Bleachers;”
9953.  There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so;
9954.  Relationships require more than just love. . . . It takes time, patience, loyalty, respect, communication, forgiveness and selflessness. . . . Maintaining a healthy relationship isn’t easy.  It takes hard work. . . . To receive you must give, mutually, equally and not more than the other and vice versa. . . . Relationships are important.  You need them to grow.  You need these special, rare and beautiful interactions with people. . . . Love is so very important, but it also takes so much more than you think;
9955.  A regular-sized hip flask holds 8 ounces so a little over 5 shots;
9956.  Charlie (Dog) likes carrots;
9957.  Don’t doubt your worth just because someone couldn’t see it;
9958.  The habits that you develop now will determine the way you’ll feel about yourself in the future;
9959.  Don’t force yourself to be happy or productive every day;
9960.  You’re doing your best with what you’re given.  Go easy on yourself;
9961.  Move on and don’t let memories of past mistakes weigh you down for the rest of your life;
9962.  Don’t wait to feel grateful and happy for your life;
9963.  Apparently, fundraisers love/target donors who give annually (over many years) across multiple areas/categories;
9964.  Ultimately, it’s you who has to live with the consequences not them.  Choose what’s right for you;
9965.  If you’re thinking about an ex, you’re usually not (actually) missing her/him, but you’re missing something you got from her/him (e.g., comfort, love, closeness, etc.);
9966.  Other people’s reactions to you are usually not about you, it’s about what’s going on inside of them.  If someone blows up on you, that’s more about the triggering going on inside of them and it really has nothing to do with you;
9967.  Even successful people feel lost, sad and lonely at times.  These are normal emotions that everyone feels no matter how good your life is . . . and it’s okay and normal to feel this way;
9968.  Be gentler on yourself. . . . Pushing yourself to always be perfect and to live up to unrealistic standards is not a fun way to go through life.  Having a little more compassion for your inner child and allowing yourself to make mistakes can do wonders for you;
9969.  Bad things and good things can happen simultaneously in your life.  Choose which one you want to focus on more;
9970.  Agreeable, compassionate, empathic, conflict-averse people (all those traits group together) let people walk on them and they get bitter.  They sacrifice themselves for others, sometimes excessively, and cannot comprehend why that is not reciprocated;
9971.  Agreeable people are compliant and this robs them of their independence;
9972.  Agreeable people will go along with whoever makes a suggestion instead of insisting, at least sometimes, on their own way.  So they lose their way and become indecisive and too easily swayed;
9973.  The Oedipal mother makes a pact with herself, her children and the devil himself.  The deal is: “Above all never leave me.  In return, I will do everything for you.  As you age without maturing you will become worthless and bitter, but you will never have to take any responsibility and everything you do that’s wrong will always be someone else’s fault;”
9974.  Your pain and your struggles are real, but you don’t have to succumb to them;
9975.  You can find life rich and valuable without following society’s definition of success;
9976.  If they’re healthy, women don’t want boys.  They want men.  They want someone to contend with; someone to grapple with.  If they’re tough, they want someone tougher.  If they’re smart, they want someone smarter.  They desire someone who brings to the table something they can’t already provide;
9977.  It’s hard for tough, smart and attractive women to find mates.  There just aren’t that many men around who can outclass them enough to be considered desirable (who are higher, as one research publication put it, in “income, education, self-confidence, intelligence, dominance as social position”);
9978.  Apparently, (some) congressman (specifically Doug Lamborn) have a(n official) scheduler (specifically Meghan Selip);
9979.  (To me,) NEEDTOBREATHE’s music is (very) hopeful/joyful;
9980.  What can be truly loved about a person is inseparable from their limitations;
9981.  Being of any reasonable sort appears to require limitations;
9982.  Being requires becoming as well as mere static existence and to become is to become something more or at least something different.  That is only possible for something limited;
9983.  What is an exercise in futility?  The answer is: Trying to please everyone;
9984.  Don’t let negativity be the only available response to things you are experiencing;
9985.  Failure is more common than success.  It isn’t personal though we still manage to take it that way.  (The first step is to) stop taking failure personally;
9986.  You should actively anticipate failure and prepare for it, so that when it (might) come, you’re ready.  This is not to say you should be negative-minded;
9987.  Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts;
9988.  The way your parents spoke to you, treated you or dealt with their own emotions is a reflection of their own childhood trauma not a reflection of who you are;
9989.  Awakening or becoming conscious will bring up lots of pain and unresolved trauma.  As you heal, you’ll realize that you are a powerful alchemist able to turn your pain into wisdom;
9990.  The desire to produce suffering for the sake of suffering is the very essence of evil;
9991.  When existence reveals itself as existentially intolerable, thinking collapses in on itself.  In such situations, in the depths, it’s noticing (i.e., feeling) not thinking that does the trick;
9992.  You shouldn’t stop trying to make life better or let suffering just be, but there appear to be limits on the path to improvement beyond which we might not want to go lest we sacrifice our humanity itself;
9993.  Apparently, I issued Google’s MapReduce patent;
9994.  The fat from grass-fed beef (does) taste(s) different than (the) fat from corn-fed beef;
9995.  Grass-fed beef does taste gamier than corn-fed beef;
9996.  Apparently, you don’t need to cook grass-fed beef as long as corn-fed beef (because of the lower fat content);
9997.  I just realized that Arlington National Cemetery is right next to the Pentagon( and only separated by George Washington Memorial Highway);
9998.  I can say that I saw “1990nowhere” on their first tour;
9999.  Opening for “Angels & Airwaves’” “Lifeforms Tour 2021” is the first time “Bad Sun” has played live/toured in 2 years;
10000.  Tom DeLonge (the lead singer and guitarist for “Angels & Airwaves” and formerly of “Blink-182”) likes cheese;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0199

9901.  The Dyson Ball vacuum works pretty well;
9902.  Mung bean(s) (sprouts) are bean/soybean sprouts;
9903.  Charlie (Dog) likes (teriyaki) salmon;
9904.  Onion is toxic to dogs . . . and so is garlic;
9905.  Charlie (Dog) is still enemies with the vacuum( cleaner);
9906.  (Barack) Obama had a( black,) Kenyan father (i.e., Barack Hussein Obama, Sr.) and a white(, American) mom/mother (i.e., Ann Dunham) from Kansas;
9907.  (Barack) Obama attended Occidental College (in Los Angeles, California) before transferring to Columbia (University);
9908.  (Barack) Obama was the first black president/editor-in-chief of the Harvard Law Review;
9909.  (Big surprise . . . .) “Coca-Cola with Coffee” tastes like a Coke with coffee;
9910.  Hot Lola’s (chicken) (HotLolas.com) is pretty good . . . and pretty hot (specifically the O.G. hot);
9911.  Brandi Carlile is from Seattle;
9912.  Brandi Carlile is a lesbian;
9913.  Brandi Carlile(‘s voice) reminds me of Chrissie Hynde (the lead singer of “The Pretenders”);
9914.  If you see your girlfriend or female friend crying, you should ask her if she’s okay and/or give her a hug or touch of support;
9915.  Apparently, there’s a Potomac primary consisting of the states of Maryland and Virginia and( the) D(istrict of )C(olumbia);
9916.  “Eating her out” after she cums . . . check;
9917.  (A plumber told me,) you should buy your plumbing supplies and fixtures from a plumbing supply store (instead of a hardware store).  Manufacturers provide better hardware to plumbers than they do to retail shoppers for the (exact) same fixtures/models;
9918.  A plumber told me to use “Glug” drain opener to unclog drains;
9919.  A plumber told me to (periodically) put (distilled, white) vinegar into my toilet tank to get rid of/remove the mineral build in the (bowl) drain holes;
9920.  Charlie (Dog) likes pinto beans;
9921.  Pinto beans are good for dogs.  They’re a great source of plant-based protein and cholesterol-lowering fiber, which helps your dog feel fuller and aids in digestion.  Pinto beans are also rich in magnesium, which helps your pet process and use vitamin C;
9922.  New Amsterdam Pink Lemonade (vodka) and soda tastes like (watered-down) Sprite;
9923.  Your fist is about 1 cup;
9924.  1 scooped handful (from the tip of your fingers to the base of the palm) is about a ½ cup;
9925.  A palm full is about a ¼ cup;
9926.  One thumb is about 1 tablespoon;
9927.  Your palm is about 4 ounces;
9928.  You can only connect with people as deeply as you’ve connected with yourself;
9929.  The pork barbeque at “The Fishin’ Pig” (FishinPig.com) (in Farmville/Norfolk/Waynesboro, Virginia) is (pretty) good;
9930.  According to our server, I’m the first person to ever order an Aperol spritz at the Biltmore (TheBiltmoreCville.com) in Charlottesville, Virginia;
9931.  Charlie (Dog) likes hard boiled eggs;
9932.  Don’t pressure yourself to make sense of every experience.  Just be;
9933.  We have a mental image of another person, project it onto someone who happens to get our hormones fluttering and happens to be available (ideally) and then fall in love with this image of our own creation.  In effect, we fall in love with someone that we don’t particularly know: a semi-stranger;
9934.  It’s often rather hard to get to know this person because every time we’re with them we start hallucinating . . . hallucinating that we’re in the presence of someone whose every word and deed is transcendently perfect;
9935.  The hallucinations don’t last forever.  In time, we start to get to know the real person hidden beneath our mental image of them and occasionally, if we’re lucky, we come to love that person too;
9936.  This next-level love is often the more genuine, less delusional form of love;
9937.  Love is a temporary madness.  It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides.  And when it subsides you have to make a decision.  You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.  Because this is what love is.  Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion.  That is just being “in love” which any of us can convince ourselves we are.  Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away and this is both an art and a fortunate accident;
9938.  Changing your habits is about creating a difference in the way you approach each day;
9939.  Uncomfortable conversations are an important part of healthy relationships;
9940.  Whatever you are worried about probably won’t happen;
9941.  Do not undermine your ability to make things better;
9942.  Mambo/mumbo sauce is (pretty) tasty. . . . It (tastes) like a sweeter and slightly sour barbeque sauce;
9943.  If it were easy, you would not achieve personal growth;
9944.  Let go of any narratives that don’t serve your end goal;
9945.  When you envy others, you disrespect the life you have worked so hard to create;
9946.  Just because you are struggling now doesn’t mean that you always will;
9947.  A typhoon and a hurricane are the same thing (i.e., a mature tropical cyclone).  Typhoon is used in the northwest Pacific, while hurricane is used in the northeast Pacific and northern Atlantic;
9948.  Keep your mind open to finding happiness around you;
9949.  If you can make yourself miserable with all the negative self-talk, you also have the power to make yourself happy;
9950.  I can say that I’ve been at the largest “Bleacher’s” concert;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0198

9851.  Liquor stores aren’t open on Sundays in South Carolina;
9852.  Liquor stores aren’t open on Sundays in North Carolina (either);
9853.  You can buy Everclear in North Carolina;
9854.  Charlie (Dog) has (now) been to the beach;
9855.  Apparently, McDonald’s doesn’t use onion powder in their food;
9856.  Charlie (Dog) likes apples;
9857.  Your whole life is a kind of apprenticeship.  Everything that happens to you is a form of instruction if you pay attention;
9858.  People too often make the mistake of thinking there is an end point for the need to learn, practice or improve;
9859.  Most students of any discipline inevitably stop learning at some point and flatter themselves that they know everything they need to know;
9860.  Sooner or later we reach a point in our studies or careers when things start to feel easier;
9861.  If things stay easy for too long, motivation evaporates and we lose enthusiasm for our work;
9862.  In a world mostly driven by profit and praise, creativity usually comes a distant second to productivity;
9863.  To stay engaged with your craft, you must continually strive to improve.  Stagnation will lead to dissatisfaction on a long enough timeframe;
9864.  Between too easy and too hard, there is the “Goldilocks” zone where the level of challenge is just a little beyond what you know you’re capable of.  Continually look for that sweet spot and you will find greater joy in your work and reach a deeper understanding of your field than you knew existed;
9865.  Charlie (Dog) has eaten gator (tail);
9866.  REEF (brand) sandals (REEF.com) are (really( comfortable;
9867.  Apparently, Elizabeth’s cousin’s (i.e., Amanda’s) husband is the CFO of Sazerac Company (i.e., the makers of Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, Goldschlager & Pappy Van Winkle among others);
9868.  I can say I’ve blown a double bubble . . . and a triple bubble (too);
9869.  Beach house (on Pawleys Island) . . . check;
9870.  Kayaks are heavy;
9871.  People can actually catch something surf fishing (specifically blacktip sharks);
9872.  I can say I’ve gone kayaking on Pawleys Island;
9873.  Marlin’s grandfathers died/passed on the same day (i.e., August 6^th) a year apart . . . strange/weird;
9874.  (If something goes wrong,) just be a goldfish (i.e., have a short memory) and move on;
9875.  Helping others feels good.  There is some evidence to suggest that when you help others, it can promote physiological changes in the brain linked with happiness.  This heightened sense of well-being might be the byproduct of being more physically active as a result of volunteering or because it makes us more socially active;
9876.  Helping others can help us to make new friends and connect with our community.  Face-to-face activities such as volunteering at a food bank can also help reduce loneliness and isolation;
9877.  Studies show that volunteering enhances an individual’s overall sense of purpose and identity.  This is because helping others can make you feel rewarded, fulfilled and empowered;
9878.  Giving helps keep things in perspective.  Helping others, especially those who are less fortunate than yourself, can help to put things into perspective and make you feel more positive about your own circumstances;
9879.  One study found that people are more likely to perform feats of generosity after observing another do the same.  This effect can ripple throughout the community inspiring dozens of individuals to make a difference;
9880.  Regular volunteering can improve your ability to manage stress and stave off disease as well as increase your sense of life satisfaction.  This might be because volunteering alleviates loneliness and enhances our social lives;
9881.  Helping others can teach you to help yourself.  If you’ve been through a tough experience or just have a case of the blues, the “activism cure” is a great way to get back to feeling like yourself;
9882.  People who volunteer have been found to have higher self-esteem and overall well-being.  The benefits of volunteering also depend on your consistency.  So, the more regularly you volunteer, the more confidence you’ll gain;
9883.  When you help others, you give off positive vibes, which can rub off on peers and improve your friendships.  Being a force for good in a friend’s life can help build a lasting bond;
9884.  Having a positive impact on someone else could help you change your own outlook and attitude.  Experts say that performing acts of kindness boosts your mood and ultimately makes you more optimistic and positive;
9885.  Everybody just wants to be heard.  What every child wants to know is: “Do your eyes light up when I enter the room?  Did you hear me and did what I say mean anything to you?”  That’s all they’re looking for.  That’s what everybody is looking for;
9886.  Every single person you will ever meet shares the desire for validation.  They want to know: “Do you see me?  Do you hear me?  Does what I say mean anything to you?”  Try it with your children, your husband, your wife, your boss and your friends.  Validate them.  “I see you.  I hear you.  And what you say matters to me;”
9887.  When taking your parents’ advice, observe if they have the life, relationships and emotional wellness you’d want for yourself;
9888.  (A plumber told me,) you should use your garbage disposal at least once a month. . . . Fill up the (garbage) disposal with ice (cubes) and turn it on until you can’t hear it grinding anymore.  The grinding keeps the blades clean and sharpens them (as well);
9889.  (A plumber told me,) you should plug up your (kitchen) sink with a sink stopper, fill it up with water and then unplug it at least once a month.  The water pressure helps to push debris down your pipes;
9890.  (A plumber told me,) you should use “Bio-Clean” (i.e., a special combination of natural bacteria and enzymes that digests dead organic waste found in plumbing) in your (kitchen) sink at least once a month to keep it from clogging;
9891.  Aretha Franklin knew Martin Luther King(, Jr.);
9892.  Aretha Franklin was heavily involved in the civil rights movement;
9893.  Elizabeth likes Aretha Franklin;
9894.  Integrating abandonment trauma and learning how to self-regulate while that trauma gets triggered is necessary for healthy, conscious, loving relationships with others and yourself;
9895.  You can heal abandonment trauma to a great extent by releasing many trapped emotions from the body connected with feeling abandoned;
9896.  Releasing the trapped emotions helps rewire the nervous system back to balance;
9897.  Causes of abandonment trauma: 1.  Family instability due to parental disputes or separation due to divorce; 2.  Death of parents or caregivers who the child depended on to feel safe and loved; 3.  Emotionally unavailable family or a parent who is only sporadically engaged with the child; and 4.  Childhood neglect due to mental health issues (such as depression in the parent) or substance abuse (such as alcoholism or drug abuse);
9898.  Signs a person is living with abandonment trauma: 1.  Broken relationships or friendships, separation from lover/partner, feeling unattached or emotionally unavailable to connect; 2.  Fear of loneliness or being abandoned; 3.  Giving too much or being overly eager to please; 4.  Jealousy in your relationship or of others; and 5.  Having difficulty in feeling intimate emotionally;
9899.  Other people’s insecurities about your success, your money or your happiness are just that . . . their insecurities.  Nobody benefits if you “play small” just to appease them;
9900.  Charlie (Dog) likes graham crackers;