What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0197

9801.  When you look back and think about what actually made you happy, it’ll be the people you spent your time with.  And those people will be responsible for how far you made it too;
9802.  You must determine where you have been in your life so that you can know where you are now;
9803.  You must determine where you have been in your life because otherwise you can’t get to where you’re going.  You can’t get from point A to point B unless you are already at point A and if you’re just “anywhere” the chances you are at point A are very small;
9804.  Say what you mean so that you can find out what you mean.  Act out what you say so you can find out what happens.  Then pay attention.  Note your errors.  Articulate them.  Strive to correct them;
9805.  I’m not close to my parents because I don’t (really) know them;
9806.  The more you try to appear “perfect” the less people will connect with you;
9807.  People don’t connect with you because you’re perfect.  They connect with you because of your flaws and your rough edges;
9808.  Apparently, my feet can double for dog pillows;
9809.  There’s a fine line between tyrant and king;
9810.  Paprika on roast chicken is great (specifically EveryPlate’s apricot Dijon chicken legs);
9811.  I really didn’t feel hungry on a juice cleanse, but I did have the urge to chew on something. . . . I also kept fantasizing about eating things (i.e., hamburger, chicken sandwich, chips, etc.);
9812.  A Wendy’s spicy chicken sandwich (probably) shouldn’t be your first solid food after a juice cleanse;
9813.  Winemaking accounts for 90% of grape cultivation;
9814.  Grapes are a natural diuretic;
9815.  Boneless, skinless chicken thighs will change your life.  (They’re) like chicken breasts, but tastier and cheaper;
9816.  If you want your clamshell/bagged (salad) greens to last longer, open the clamshell/bag and put a paper towel inside.  The paper towel will absorb excess moisture and keep your (salad) greens from getting slimy;
9817.  Apparently, to reduce/stop the flatulence/gas that can come with eating beans, you have to thoroughly rinse and drain them;
9818.  If you’re a go-getter, the answer isn’t to push yourself harder it’s to be gentler on yourself;
9819.  Allow yourself to make mistakes;
9820.  Allow yourself to be human;
9821.  If you grind your teeth at night, it’s probably because of anxiety;
9822.  Taking garlic pills (i.e., allicin) on an empty stomach can make you smell like garlic;
9823.  If you sign up for their rewards program, Krispy Kreme (Doughnuts) will give you a dozen, original glazed doughnuts for your birthday;
9824.  It can be (emotionally) painful losing a dozen, fresh(, Krispy Kreme) doughnuts to a (strong) gust of wind;
9825.  Apparently, dogs don’t like fireworks;
9826.  Be humble.  Be kind.  Be thankful;
9827.  Dogs shouldn’t have undiluted apple cider vinegar because of the acidity;
9828.  A person starts to live when s/he can live outside herself/himself.  Often, the best thing we can do for someone else is to recognize when s/he is in a time of need and being present for her/him;
9829.  To foster great relationships, you have to want more for people than you want from them;
9830.  It’s not (actually that) attractive to a woman if you’re trying to impress her by being perfect;
9831.  What’s more attractive (to a woman) is a guy who knows he has flaws and is working to be a better man;
9832.  Apparently, the pits, stems and leave of cherries contain cyanide. . . . Who knew?
9833.  Of the (delivered) meal kits I’ve tried, Blue Apron seems to be the best.  Their instructions are clear.  They’re easy enough to make.  And they tend to use some exotic ingredient(s) that make(s) the meal feel extravagant;
9834.  We can all wish we were taller, richer, better looking, JFK’s son, etc., but eventually you’ve got to play the cards you’re holding and things are rarely perfect for anyone;
9835.  You’ve got to be willing to be imperfect and play the fool to grow;
9836.  When everything hits the fan, the answer is to adapt;
9837.  What money will do for you: 1.  Make your life more enjoyable; 2.  Relieve a lot of your stress; and 3.  Give you freedom;
9838.  What money won’t do for you: 1.  Get rid of all of your problems; 2.  Make you happy; and 3.  Fill the hole in your soul;
9839.  Money is great. . . . And it can be life changing . . . ,but, if you have unrealistic expectations for what it will do for you, you’re going to be disappointed;
9840.  Kohlrabi is also called German turnip;
9841.  Kohlrabi is a wild cabbage.  It’s related to broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, collard greens and gai lan/Chinese kale;
9842.  I never thought I’d have my feelings hurt by a dog;
9843.  (Apparently,) t-shirts with holes in them aren’t a good look;
9844.  On a (brand) new(, Tempur-Pedic) bed/mattress . . . check;
9845.  The most powerful law of attraction is that we attract who we are;
9846.  The things we procrastinate on are generally not difficult in themselves.  It’s our stories about them that make them difficult;
9847.  Don’t let the fear of failure/striking out keep you from playing the game.  It happens to everyone.  Just smile and move on;
9848.  Apparently, if you haven’t heard from someone for a while and you can’t get ahold of her/him, you can call the police to do a wellness/welfare/safe and well check on her/him;
9849.  Just worry about being a better person than you were yesterday . . . and it will sort itself out;
9850.  Elizabeth dated a (former) University of Virginia men’s basketball player (specifically Tunji Soroye) . . . and so did her sister (Grace) previously and unknowingly in another city/state;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0196

9751.  Dogs can sneeze;
9752.  Dog snot is a thing;
9753.  Wendy’s spicy nuggets are pretty spicy. . . . They have a residual kick to them;
9754.  Wendy’s “S’Awesome” sauce is tasty. . . . It reminds me of Chick-fil-A sauce;
9755.  Charlie likes cold, white rice;
9756.  Deepthroated . . . check;
9757.  Apparently, I still shut down emotionally (at least on the outside) when I’m upset;
9758.  I think Elizabeth and I just broke up;
9759.  In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few;
9760.  No one likes a know-it-all, but what happens when the know-it-all lives in your head?
9761.  When people think they know all there is to know on a subject, they prove to be more closed-minded (. . . and less enjoyable to be around);
9762.  The question becomes: How can you embrace more of a beginner’s mindset, which reflects humility with respect to life experiences and the world?
9763.  The Zen Buddhist term, Shoshin, means “beginner’s mind” and holds that, only when you are a true beginner, can you really learn anything;
9764.  The beginner’s mindset refers to maintaining the open attitude of a beginner no matter how advanced your knowledge becomes on a topic;
9765.  A wise place to start would be to embrace more openness with regard to your judgments.  And really, everything is a judgment – from your opinion about someone else’s beliefs, to the system of yoga or religion you follow, to the “facts” that you consider absolutely unwavering.  After all, at a certain time in history, it was a fact that the world was flat!
9766.  When considering anything, try taking on the viewpoint of “Yes, No, Maybe” rather than choosing just one perspective (e.g., Should a person eat meat?  Yes, no, maybe.  Is your method of disciplining your children the best choice?  Yes, no, maybe.  Should you really wait 30 minutes after a meal before swimming?  Yes, no, maybe.);
9767.  The qualification is to not be wishy-washy, but instead to consider that few things in life are black and white.  The universe is basically comprised of all shades of gray;
9768.  Southern Grove (i.e., ALDI) cocoa almonds are really tasty. . . . Who knew?
9769.  The great naturalist, Rachel Carson, said in her book, The Sense of Wonder, “A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement.  It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood.  If I had influence with the good fairy, who is supposed to preside over all children, I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life;”
9770.  Rather than trying to figure these things out, practice being at peace with the state of not knowing;
9771.  You learn to relax into the moments when faced with a challenge or a conundrum and have no idea what will happen.  Faith in the unknown brings about inner peace;
9772.  Beginner’s mind asks you to see things as they actually are as opposed to the illusions with which you may so often identify.  It is your past experiences, assumptions and judgments that send you into a cycle of storytelling and unnecessary suffering (e.g., a person being 5 minutes late to your lunch meeting may just mean that that person is running behind not that s/he devalues you and your time so much that you feel disrespected and resentful);
9773.  It is far easier to jump to conclusions than to assume everyone’s innocence – at least at first.  With time, it gets easier to treat each person you meet with openness and without expectation;
9774.  Treat every day like it’s your birthday.  You know how you wake up on your birthday and every experience is heightened and special?  What would happen if you treated every day like that?  Each meal would become really magical because it would be exactly what you chose to eat on your special day.  You would walk down the street with light in your heart and pep in your step because you know that this day is an auspicious one in your life.  You would look around and see everything as a sign or a good omen that this will be your best year yet;
9775.  Approaching the world with a sense of authentic curiosity is one of the keystones of openness and the beginner’s mind;
9776.  If the whole world was blind, how many people would you impress?
9777.  There is no shame in making mistakes while trying to figure things out.  The goal is to live a fulfilling life not a perfect one;
9778.  Will what I’m about to do bring me closer to or take me further away from my goals?
9779.  Is this behavior, activity or attitude bringing me closer to or further from the person I want to be?
9780.  Bold Rock’s (seasonal) watermelon (cider) is (really) tasty. . . . It could be dangerous.  You can’t taste the alcohol at all;
9781.  Hummingbirds can fly forward, backward and (even) upside down;
9782.  Hummingbirds have a high metabolism and must eat all day long.  They consume about half their body weight in bugs and nectar, feeding every 10-15 minutes and visiting 1,000-2,000 flowers throughout the day;
9783.  Hummingbirds are the smallest of all bird species;
9784.  Only female hummingbirds build nests and they only lay 2 eggs;
9785.  Male hummingbirds are no involved in raising young and will often find another mate after the young are hatched;
9786.  Praying mantis can kill hummingbirds;
9787.  Lobster/lobsta on pizza?  Yes, please;
9788.  Red Lobster’s lobster and langoustine pizza is pretty good;
9789.  While you are failing to define success (and thereby rendering it impossible) you are also refusing to define failure to yourself so that if and when you fail you won’t notice and it won’t hurt;
9790.  What is terrible in actuality often pales in significance compared to what is terrible in imagination;
9791.  Often what cannot be confronted because of its horror in imagination can in fact be confronted when reduced to its still-admittedly-terrible actuality;
9792.  If you shirk the responsibility of confronting the unexpected, even when it appears in manageable doses, reality itself will become unsustainably disorganized and chaotic.  Then it will grow bigger and swallow all order, all sense and all predictability;
9793.  You can’t compare yourself to others.  You have to run your own race.  Because there’s always someone that’s going to be better than you (i.e., richer, stronger, better looking, etc.).  That’s a game you’ll never win.  And that’s why you have to keep focusing on your progress;
9794. Release yourself form the need for validation;
9795.  You don’t need the approval, “likes,” attention, admiration, texts, comments or any other reaction from any other human being in order to feel good about yourself;
9796.  Practice telling yourself that whatever someone else says (or does not say) about you is of no consequence to how you feel;
9797.  Change can be joyous if we can let go of the resistance;
9798.  Anchovies aren’t half bad;
9799.  The roasted mushrooms (with soy, sherry, olive oil, egg yolk, smoked salt, pimento & warm bread) tapas at BARCA Pier & Wine Bar (BarcaAlx.com) in (Old Town) Alexandria is (pretty) tasty;

9800.  F(riends )W(ith )B(enefits) . . . check;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0195

9701.  It is reasonable to do what other people have always done unless we have a very good reason not to;
9702.  It is reasonable to become educated and work and find love and have a family;
9703.  It is necessary to aim at your target, however traditional, with your eyes wide open;
9704.  You have a direction, but it might be wrong.  You have a plan, but it might be ill-formed.  You may have been led astray by your own ignorance and worse by your own unrevealed corruption;
9705.  You must make friends, therefore, with what you don’t know instead of what you know;
9706.  You must remain awake to catch yourself in the act;
9707.  You must remove the beam in your own eye before you concern yourself with the mote in your brother’s;
9708.  You are by no means only what you already know.  You are also all that which you could know if you only would;
9709.  Every bit of learning is a little death.  Every bit of new information challenges a previous conception forcing it to dissolve into chaos before it can be reborn as something better;
9710.  Set your ambitions even if you are uncertain about what they should be;
9711.  The better ambitions have to do with the development of character and ability rather than status and power;
9712.  Status you can lose;
9713.  You carry character with you wherever you go and it allows you to prevail against adversity;
9714.  If you bend everything totally blindly and willfully towards the attainment of a goal and only that goal you will never be able to discover if another goal would serve you and the world better;
9715.  If you allow yourself to be informed by the reality manifesting itself, as you struggle forward, your notions of what is important will change.  You will reorient yourself sometimes gradually and sometimes suddenly and radically;
9716.  Tell the truth.  Or, at least, don’t lie;
9717.  Memory is a tool;
9718.  Memory is the past’s guide to the future;
9719.  If you remember that something bad happened and you can figure out why then you can try to avoid that bad thing happening again.  That’s the purpose of memory.  It’s not “to remember the past.”  It’s to stop the same damn thing from happening over and over;
9720.  Elizabeth likes escargots;
9721.  Charlie (Dog) likes strawberries;
9722.  Making a (New York-style) cheesecake (from scratch) is rather time-consuming. . . . A large part (of it) is letting it cool and set;
9723.  Charlie (Dog) likes cheesecake;
9724.  People think they think, but it’s not true;
9725.  It’s mostly self-criticism that passes for thinking;
9726.  True thinking is rare just like true listening;
9727.  Thinking is listening to yourself;
9728.  To think, you have to be at least two people at the same time.  Then you have to let those people disagree.  Thinking is an internal dialogue between two or more different views of the world.  Viewpoint one is an avatar in a simulated world.  It has its own representations of past, present and future and its own ideas about how to act.  So do viewpoints two, three and four.  Thinking is the process by which these internal avatars imagine and articulate their worlds to one another;
9729.  Training a dog is harder/more complicated than I thought;
9730.  Apparently, you can 3D print (dental) crowns (now);
9731.  Charlie (Dog) likes ricotta cheese;
9732.  Stop the discussion for a moment and institute this rule: Each person can speak up for herself/himself only after s/he has first restated the ideas and feelings of the previous speaker accurately and to that speaker’s satisfaction;
9733.  I think people (and, by extension, society) are more of what have you done for me lately versus what have you done for me in totality/cumulatively . . . we can be very myopic/shortsighted;
9734.  If you blame someone else, there is no end to the blame;
9735.  True words aren’t eloquent; eloquent words aren’t true;
9736.  Wise men don’t need to prove their point; men who need to prove their point aren’t wise;
9737.  Before a problem can be solved it must be formulated precisely;
9738.  Women are often intent on formulating the problem when they are discussing something and they need to be listened to even questioned to help ensure clarity in the formulation;
9739.  Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t;
9740.  The pulled pork at HammerDown Barbeque (HammerDownBbq.com) in Aldie, Virginia, is tasty. . . . The spicy sauce has a residual kick to it;
9741.  There are (red) foxes in (Old Town) Alexandria;
9742.  Escargots can (actually) be tender (in particular the escargots persillade at Bastille Restaurant & Wine Bar in Old Town Alexandria). . . . Who knew?
9743.  Apparently, Muammar Gaddafi had a crush on Condoleezza Rice;
9744.  How you treat yourself is how you treat others;
9745.  If you’re critical of yourself or you demand perfection of yourself, you’ll do the same to others;
9746.  You can’t have good relationships with others until you have a good relationship with yourself;
9747.  The University of Virginia’s men’s basketball team won the last NCAA tournament consolation game against Louisiana State University in 1981;
9748.  It’s (actually) really easy to make “pigs in a blanket;”
9749.  The cinnamon crunch bagel at Panera Bread is (pretty) tasty. . . . It’s more like dessert than (it’s) a bagel;
9750.  Chocolate chip bagels (specifically Panera Bread’s) are tasty, but I’d still rather have a chocolate croissant;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0194

9651.  People create their worlds with the tools they have directly at hand.  Faulty tools produce faulty results.  Repeated use of the same faulty tools produces the same faulty results.  It is in this manner that those who fail to learn from the past doom themselves to repeat it.  It’s partly fate.  It’s partly inability.  It’s partly unwillingness to learn?  Refusal to learn?  Motivated refusal to learn?
9652.  Not everyone who is failing is a victim and not everyone at the bottom wishes to rise, although many do, and many manage it;
9653.  People will often accept or even amplify their own suffering as well as that of others if they can brandish it as evidence of the world’s injustice;
9654.  The attempt to rescue someone is often fueled by vanity and narcissism;
9655.  Your attachments are the source of all your problems.  The need to be right, to possess someone or something, to win at all costs, to be viewed by others as superior – these are all attachments.  The open mind resists these attachments and consequently experiences inner peace and success;
9656.  To release attachments, you have to make a shift in how you view yourself.  If your primary identification is with your body and your possessions, your ego is the dominant force in your life.  If you can tame your ego sufficiently, you’ll call upon your spirit to be the guiding force in your life.  As a spiritual being, you can observe your body and be a compassionate witness to your existence.  Your spiritual aspect sees the folly of attachments because your spiritual self is an infinite soul.  Nothing can make you happy or successful.  These are inner constructs that you bring to your world, rather than what you receive from it;
9657.  If your life is not going well perhaps it is your current knowledge that insufficient not life itself.  Perhaps your value structure needs some serious retooling.  Perhaps what you want is blinding you to what else could be.  Perhaps you are holding on to your desires, in the present, so tightly that you cannot see anything else even what you truly need;
9658.  To journey happily may well be better than to arrive successfully;
9659.  Compare yourself to who you were yesterday not to who someone else is today;
9660.  The more you like yourself the less you’ll need others to;
9661.  Negative emotions, for all their unpleasantness, protect us.  We feel hurt, scared, ashamed and disgusted so we can avoid damage;
9662.  Pain is more potent than pleasure and anxiety more than hope;
9663.  Children would not have such a lengthy period of natural development, prior to maturity, if their behavior did not have to be shaped;
9664.  If a child has not been taught to behave properly by the age of four, it will forever be difficult for her/him to make friends.  The research literature is quite clear on this.  This matters because peers are the primary source of socialization after the age of four.  Rejected children cease to develop because they are alienated from their peers.  They fall further and further behind as the other children continue to progress.  Thus, the friendless child too often becomes the lonely, antisocial or depressed teenager and adult;
9665.  Parents have a duty to act as proxies for the real world – merciful proxies, caring proxies – but proxies nonetheless.  This obligation supersedes any responsibility to ensure happiness, foster creativity or boost self-esteem.  It is the primary duty of parents to make their children socially desirable.  That will provide the child with opportunity, self-regard and security.  It’s more important even than fostering individual identity;
9666.  A child, who pays attention, instead of drifting, can play, does not whine, is comical, but not annoying and is trustworthy – that child will have friends wherever s/he goes;
9667.  Clear rules make for secure children and calm, rational parents.  Clear principles of discipline and punishment balance mercy and justice so that social development and psychological maturity can be optimally promoted.  Clear rules and proper discipline help the child, the family and society establish, maintain and expand the order that is all that protects us from chaos and the terrors of the underworld, where everything is uncertain, anxiety-providing, hopeless and depressing;
9668.  Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world;
9669.  If the world you are seeing is not the world you want, it’s time to examine your values.  It’s time to rid yourself of your current presuppositions.  It’s time to let go.  It might even be time to sacrifice what you love best so that you can become who you might become instead of staying who you are;
9670.  Bread is of little use to the person who has betrayed her/his soul even is s/he is currently starving;
9671.  It is not only that humans desire power so that they will no longer suffer.  It is not only that they desire power so that they can overcome subjugation to want, disease and death.  Power also means the capacity to take vengeance, ensure submission and crush enemies;
9672.  If you are disciplined and privilege the future over the present you can change the structure of reality in your favor;
9673.  There are many problems that money does not solve and others that it makes worse;
9674.  There are some actions that are so intrinsically terrible that they run counter to the proper nature of human being.  To dehumanize a fellow being, to reduce her/him to the status of a parasite, to torture and to slaughter with no consideration of individual innocence or guilt, to make an art form of paint, that is wrong;
9675.  Suffering is real and the artful infliction of suffering on another, for its own sake, is wrong;
9676.  Aim up.  Pay attention.  Fix what you can fix.  Don’t be arrogant in your knowledge.  Strive for humility because totalitarian pride manifests itself in intolerance, oppression, torture and death.  Become aware of your own insufficiency, your cowardice, malevolence, resentment and hatred.  Consider the murderousness of your own spirit before you dare accuse others and before you attempt to repair the fabric of the world.  Maybe it’s you.  You’ve failed to make the mark.  You’ve missed the target.  You’ve fallen short of the glory of God.  You’ve sinned.  And all of that is your contribution to the insufficiency and evil of the world.  And, above all, don’t lie.  Don’t lie about anything ever.  Lying leads to hell.  It was the great and the small lies of the Nazi and Communist states that produced the deaths of millions of people;
9677.  Consider that the alleviation of unnecessary pain and suffering is a good;
9678.  To place the alleviation of unnecessary pain and suffering at the pinnacle of your hierarchy of value is to work to bring about the kingdom of God on Earth.  That’s a state and a state of mind at the same time;
9679.  To have meaning in your life is better than to have what you want because you may neither know what you want nor what you truly need.  Meaning is something that comes upon you of its own accord.  You can set up the preconditions, you can follow meaning when it manifests itself, but you cannot simply produce it as an act of will.  Meaning signifies that you are in the right place at the right time properly balanced between order and chaos, where everything lines up as best it can at that moment;
9680.  What is expedient works only for the moment.  It’s immediate, impulsive and limited.  What is meaningful by contrast is the organization of what would otherwise merely be expedient into a symphony of being.  Meaning is what is put forth more powerfully than mere words can express by Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” a triumphant bringing forth from the void of pattern after pattern upon beautiful pattern, every instrument playing its part, disciplined voices layered on top of that, spanning the entire breadth of human emotion from despair to exhilaration;
9681.  Meaning is the ultimate balance between, on the one hand, the chaos of transformation and possibility and, on the other, the discipline of pristine order, whose purpose is to produce out of the attendant chaos a new order that will be even more immaculate and capable of bringing forth a still more balanced and productive chaos and order.  Meaning is the way, the path of life more abundant, the place you live when you are guided by love and speaking truth and when nothing you want or could possibly want takes any precedence over precisely that;
9682.  Do what is meaningful not what is expedient;
9683.  Popeyes’s Cajun flounder sandwich is (pretty) tasty;
9684.  A shift into self-acceptance means letting yourself off the hook of perfectionism and not caring what other people think of you.  It means not making your self-acceptance conditional upon achieving a certain goal, looking a certain way or seeking approval from someone else;
9685.  The minute you come into self-acceptance and understand who you truly are, how much you’ve overcome and that you are always doing the best you can, you will feel more confident;
9686.  Self-acceptance doesn’t mean you give up, settle, become content or stop pursuing what you’re called to do.  It means you stop judging yourself and open your heart to where you stand today in this moment;
9687.  Self-acceptance also means that we have to learn to go beyond our feelings and negative thoughts and choose to do what is right and what we strongly believe in even if we feel scared;
9688.  Believe in yourself;
9689.  Train your mind to see the good in every situation;
9690.  Do it for you;
9691.  It’s just a bad day not a bad life;
9692.  Take the risk or lose the chance;
9693.  Be brave enough to suck at something new;
9694.  If you will not reveal yourself others, you cannot reveal yourself to yourself.  That does not only mean that you suppress who you are, although it also means that, it means that so much of what you could be will never be forced by necessity to come forward;
9695.  If you betray yourself, if you say untrue things, if you act out a lie, you weaken your character.  If you have a weak character then adversity will mow you down when it appears as it will inevitably.  You will hide, but there will be no place left to hide.  And then you will find yourself doing terrible things;
9696.  Error necessitates sacrifice to correct it and serious error necessitates serious sacrifice;
9697.  Lies warp the structure of being.  Untruth corrupts the soul and the state alike and one form of corruption feeds the other;
9698.  Milton believed that stubborn refusal to change in the face of error not only meant ejection from heave and subsequent degeneration into an ever-deepening hell, but the rejection of redemption itself;
9699.  We must make decisions, here and now, even though the best means and the best goals can never be discerned with certainty.  An aim, an ambition, provides the structure necessary for action.  An aim provides a destination, a point of contrast against the present and a framework within which all things can be evaluated.  An aim defines progress and makes such progress exciting.  AN aim reduces anxiety because if you have no aim everything can mean anything or nothing and neither of those two options makes for a tranquil spirt.  Thus, we have to think, plan, limit and posit in order to live at all;
9700.  Some reliance on tradition can help us establish aims;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0193

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0192

9551.  Bidets have some (serious) power;
9552.  The Maldives is 10 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time;
9553.  The ocean/water is turquoise blue in the Maldives;
9554.  Watch your head; seaplane doors are rather low;
9555.  I can say I’ve flown in a seaplane;
9556.  “Eating out” in an overwater villa (on Fesdu Island) in the Maldives . . . check . . . in an overwater villa . . . (double) check;
9557.  Apparently, the average income in the Maldives fell from $10,000.00 USD to $6,000.00 USD because of covid-19;
9558.  Tipping isn’t necessary in the Maldives. . . . A 10% service charge is added to everything, but, given the low salaries and the excellent service, it is a nice gesture to help the resort staff earn some extra money;
9559.  Islam is the predominant religion in the Maldives and, although dress is casual to very casual on the islands, beachwear is not acceptable in restaurants;
9560.  In the Maldives, alcohol is only available to foreigners in resorts;
9561.  Alcohol is expensive in the Maldives;
9562.  The nasi goreng at the Kitchen at the W Maldives is really tasty;
9563.  The sand in the Maldives is so fine . . . it’s like flour;
9564.  I can say I saw a swift-footed rock crab in the Maldives;
9565.  I can say I’ve been snorkeling in the Maldives;
9566.  I can say I’ve seen a pufferfish (while) snorkeling;
9567.  There are sea cucumbers in the Maldives;
9568.  I can say I’ve seen a giant clam (while) snorkeling;
9569.  The customer service at the W Maldives is outstanding;
9570.  A tablet of “Avomine 25” will knock me out;
9571.  In a (hotel) tub in the Maldives . . . check;
9572.  Almost all pufferfish contain tetrodotoxin, a substance that makes them foul tasting and often deadly to fish;
9573.  Tetrodotoxin is up to 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide;
9574.  There is enough toxin in one pufferfish to kill 30 adult humans;
9575.  There is no antidote to tetrodotoxin;
9576.  On a glass floor (window) . . . check;
9577.  On a sun lounger . . . check . . . in a cabana . . . (double) check;
9578.  Sambar is a vegetarian curry;
9579.  Apparently, the key to snorkeling is getting a good seal with your mask. . . . It should stick to your face;
9580.  I can say I’ve seen a conch (while) snorkeling;
9581.  Watch out for shell fragments in your swim shorts/trunks after snorkeling;
9582.  The percentage of our lives human beings spend thinking about, planning, having and remembering sex is incomparably greater than that of any other creature on the planet;
9583.  On a pool float(y) . . . check . . . in a private overwater plunge pool . . . (double) check;
9584.  “Eating out” on a sun lounger (facing the Arabian Sea/Indian Ocean) . . . check;
9585.  Even on the remote islands, there are bats in the Maldives;
9586.  I can get motion sick looking through a clear bottom kayak;
9587.  (Eating) mint helps with motion sickness;
9588.  (Deep fried chicken) wings battered with cereal and (sliced) almonds are (rather) tasty . . . who knew?
9589.  Apparently, fish eat peanuts;
9590.  Masroshi (i.e., grilled chapati stuffed with smoked tuna and coconut) is tasty;
9591.  Elizabeth likes gulab jamun;
9592.  As Alfred Kinsey noted back in the 1950s, “Even in cultures which most rigorously attempt to control the female’s extramarital coitus, it is perfectly clear that such activity does occur and in many instances it occurs with considerable regularity;”
9593.  No group-living nonhuman primate is monogamous and adultery has been documents in every human culture studied including those in which fornicators are routinely stoned to death;
9594.  In the Maldives, you can get the reef fish to come to you by throwing (tiny) bits/pieces of bread in the water;
9595.  I might be allergic to outdoor furniture oil sealer/protectant;
9596.  Wear socks with your snorkel/swim fins; it’ll protect your feet from sand and chafing;
9597.  Cachaca is (basically) Brazilian rum;
9598.  Tuna on pizza is (actually) pretty good . . . who knew?
9599.  Rihaakuru is a sauce made as a by-product of processing tuna;
9600.  All of the bartending, cleaning/janitorial and serving staff at the W Maldives are male except for the hostesses;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0191

9501.  (Wayne) Gretzky led the league in assists in each of his first 13 seasons and 16 times overall (i.e., 80% of his seasons);
9502.  If you only counted (Wayne) Gretzky’s seasons after turning 30, he’d still rank 4^th all-time in points per game;
9503.  (Wayne) Gretzky could’ve ended his career with a 1,370-game pointless streak and still would’ve been a point-per-game player (i.e., he could go more than 16 years without a point and still average a point per game in his career);
9504.  Don’t store your fresh carrots, mushrooms and potatoes in the freezer. . . . The freezing (and thawing) make(s) them mushy;
9505.  For every obstacle there is a solution.  Persistence is the key.  The greatest mistake is giving up;
9506.  Charlie (Dog) loves (the) snow (especially eating it);
9507.  Apparently, (raw) pineapple (in small amounts) is an excellent dog snack;
9508.  If you’ve ordered a dessert for carryout/takeout, check to see if there’s ice cream with it . . . so it isn’t all melted by the time you (actually) eat it;
9509.  Sam Calagione (the founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery) sounds like a hippie stoner (to me);
9510.  The honey chipotle (chicken) wings at Whole Foods (Market) are tasty;
9511.  The “Johnny Seafood” oven-ready, breaded shrimp are the closest to restaurant quality fried shrimp I’ve ever had/made at home;
9512.  Charlie (Dog) likes white chocolate;
9513.  Charlie (Dog) (really) likes beer (in particularly Dogfish Head’s 60 Minute IPA);
9514.  Greatness exists on the other side of pain and fear.  It exists on the other side of failure;
9515.  It’s okay to get beaten, but it’s not okay to beat yourself;
9516.  The way we act determines how we feel way more often than the way we feel determines how we act;
9517.  Do what you love is for amateurs.  Love what you do is the mantra for professionals;
9518.  Anxiety is experiencing failure in advance;
9519.  Reassurance is futile because you never have enough of it;
9520.  Forgiving does not mean condoning or making it okay that something happens.  It means that you are for giving up trying to change the past and that you are for giving up experiencing the pain of the memory over and over again;
9521.  All dates can change and so can you;
9522.  Most social stress is really anxiety about the future held in the body as tension;
9523.  Would you rather have a bad day doing something you love than a good day doing something you don’t love?
9524.  The jerk chicken sandwich at the Executive Diner (TheExecutiveDiner.com) in (Old Town) Alexandria is (pretty) tasty. . . . Their (French) fries are good too. . . . They have a nice flavor/seasoning;
9525.  Alaska was bought from Russia for about $.02/acre;
9526.  Don’t compare your actual self to a hypothetical self.  Don’t drown in a sea of “what if’s.”  Don’t clutter you mind by imagining other versions of you, in parallel universes, where you made different decisions;
9527.  The internet age encourages choice and comparison, but don’t do this to yourself.  Comparison is the thief of joy;
9528.  You are you.  The past is the past.  The only way to make a better life is from inside the present.  To focus on regret does nothing, but turn that very present into another thing you will wish you did differently;
9529.  Accept your own reality.  Be human enough not to dread the future.  Be human enough to be enough;
9530.  Accepting where you are in life makes it so much easier to be happy for other people without feeling terrible about yourself;
9531.  The Fuji apple salad with chicken at Panera Bread is tasty . . . and so is the toasted steak sandwich;
9532.  (Adding) basil on a sandwich is pretty good;
9533.  Everyone is playing the game of life according to an internal set of rules.  Just like a board game, those rules determine the game play and they determine whether the game is easy or hard, fun or frustrating;
9534.  For most people, their internal set of rules says things like: 1.  I have to work hard for my money; 2.  I have to do something to “deserve” success.  But what?  Often that is not clear; 3.  Money is easy come, easy go; 4.  More money, more problems; 5.  If I have more than I need that means I’m selfish or greedy; 6.  Money won’t make me happy; and 7.  In fact, money might even corrupt my soul;
9535.  A lot of people are playing the game of life by rules very similar to these.  And they’re not “winning.”  It’s really hard and frustrating for them.  They feel like losers.  So they have this experience of feeling like they’re failing at the game and they say to themselves: “I’m the problem.  I’m no good at this game of life.  I suck at it.  I should either try a lot harder even though I’m already so tired or I should give up and accept that I will never succeed at this game;”
9536.  They make the mistake of looking at other people who have wealth, success, freedom and ease in their lives and they say to themselves: “See, they’ve worked out how to win this game, so it must be possible.  It’s just me who sucks.”  That comparison makes them judge themselves as less than and a failure;
9537.  That’s not the problem at all.  No one could win at the game using the rules they’ve been playing by.  They don’t suck.  It’s the rules that suck;
9538.  The people, who they’re comparing themselves to, the ones who are “successful,” those people are not playing by the same set of rules;
9539.  The “winners” have an internal set of rules that are more like this: 1.  Success and wealth comes easily to me; 2.  My wealth grows and grows; 3.  Wealth and success help me to have freedom, choice, fun and ease in my life; 4.  Wealth and success facilitates my happiness; 5.  My money makes me more money without me having to do much more effort; and 6.  I’m okay and I’m worthy of love and happiness, no matter what my wealth and success status because my worth is not determined by that;
9540.  If you ever feel like the game of life is just too hard, too tiring or so frustrating that you want to scream then listen to me when I tell you: You do not suck at the game.  You are not the problem.  You have a unique gift inside of you, one that the world is waiting for and that only you can give.  You are amazing;
9541.  It’s time to change the rulebook you’re playing by so that the game can become easier, much more fun, you can stop feeling frustrated and constrained and you can finally shine to your full potential;
9542.  Apparently, a woman’s tears can reduce a man’s testosterone levels;
9543.  The toughest pill to swallow is accepting that people’s effort with you is a reflection of their interest;
9544.  The food on Qatar Airways is pretty good. . . . It’s the best airline food I’ve ever had;
9545.  Hamad International Airport (in Doha, Qatar) is the nicest airport I’ve (ever) been in;
9546.  Apparently, Hamad International Airport is (rated) the 3^rd best airport in the world;
9547.  Kombucha is (really) expensive (i.e., 30.00 QAR/$8.25 USD) in Doha, Qatar (at least in the Hamad International Airport);
9548.  They have Starbucks in Qatar;
9549.  I can say I’ve had a drink (specifically a “Million Dollar Baby” made with gin, rum, vodka, Cointreau, pineapple juice, rose syrup & lemon) in Doha, Qatar;
9550.  The boneless Buffalo chicken (wings) at Soprafino (Italian Fine Dining) in Doha, Qatar are really tasty;