What I’ve learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0010

451.  There’s an actual inaugural parade after the presidential motorcade;

452.  There just might be hope for the world, when 1.8 million people can amass without incident;

453.  Thoroughly cleaning your home can give you a genuine sense of achievement;

454.  Ronnie Vannucci, Jr.’s hair is receding. . . . Brandon Flowers has especially good posture;

455.  Federal agencies are serious about monitoring personal Internet usage;

456.  Kayakers on ice look like beached whales;

457.  Pat McGee isn’t afraid of having a drink at Damon's Grill (on the campus of George Mason University) before performing;

458.  Minor celebrities will drink at chain restaurants;

459.  Dolce & Gabbana makes eyeglasses;

460.  Shooting a green laser at a little kid can be enormously gratifying (and entertaining);

461.  Television personalities drink at the District Chophouse & Brewery (DistrictChophouse.com) in D.C.;

462.  Joe Beninati (the television play-by-play announcer for the Washington Capitals) is about 5’ 4;”

463.  Mike Green (of the Washington Capitals) wears a scarf;

464.  Nicklas Backstrom is growing a hockey mullet. . . . He needs to get a haircut;

465.  Women throw themselves at 23 year-old, NHL defensemen making $5.25 million a year . . . 21 year-old, Swedish centers don’t do too badly either;

466.  Mike Green’s bicep is as big as my thigh;

467.  Brisket is the most popular cut of meat used for corned beef;

468.  If you want to get a front row seat to a televised debate hosted by the Miller Center of Public Affairs (MillerCenter.org) (and moderated by Margaret Warner of “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer”), it probably helps if you’re not underdressed;

469.  (Former Virginia Governor) Gerald Baliles looks like Bill Moyers;

470.  If we’re going to be what we want to be, we have to stop looking over our shoulders at what could’ve been;

471.  The U.S. Capitol Visitor Center and the Library of Congress are closed on Sundays;

472.  Neko Case sounds like a cross between Alison Krauss and 10,000 Maniacs (when Natalie Merchant was their lead singer). . . . Lesbians seem to like her music;

473.  George McPhee (the general manager of the Washington Capitals) won the Hobey Baker Award in 1982;

474.  Cute female ice hockey players do exist;

475.  Baseball home openers are exceptionally crowded (even for the Washington Nationals);

476.  Crowd intensity at the Verizon Center goes to a whole new level for the (Stanley Cup) playoffs;

477.  There’s more pressure on your back sitting than standing;

478.  Pressure on your nerves causes parts of your body to “fall asleep;”

479.  “Chevy” Chase has gained some weight. . . . He’s also a dedicated environmentalist like his (third) wife, Jayni, . . . however, she seems a bit more fanatical than he is;

480.  Steve Thomas (formerly the host of “This Old House”) is an environmentalist;

481.  Beer company representatives/spokeswomen can buy you beers, but they aren’t allowed to touch them. . . . They also get twenty bucks an hour for their time (and to schmooze);

482.  Scoring the game winning goal with 4:59 left in regulation of game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals (of the Stanley Cup Playoffs) at the Verizon Center: Sheer pandemonium while being tackled to the ice by the reigning league MVP;

483.  The chamber of the House of Representatives in the U.S. Capitol is kind of rundown . . . and it looks smaller in person;

484.  The bartenders at Busboys and Poets (BusboysandPoets.com) make a good “Bloody Mary;”

485.  It’s interesting that you can feel a sense of loss when something you thought you really didn’t want is taken away from you;

486.  Heineken on tap tastes better than Heineken in a can or bottle;

487.  If you have a craving for a lobster roll, you can quench it at Hank’s Oyster Bar (HanksDC.com);

488.  The words contestants have to spell during the final of the Scripps National Spelling Bee are absolutely ridiculous;

489.  I graduated from college with the guy who voices Donatello in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles;”

490.  People regret the chances they didn’t take, not the ones they took;

491.  The Smithsonian Folklife Festival (Festival.SI.edu) is in June;

492.  I don’t think the National Harbor in Potomac, Maryland, is attracting the type of crowd the developers had envisioned. . . . It attracts a mixed and eclectic crowd;

493.  Tiger Woods is bigger in person than on television;

494.  I can say I’ve walked down a golf fairway with Tiger Woods (specifically, the 16^th hole at Congressional Country Club);

495.  Bringing “roadies” with you to watch the fireworks on the 4^th of July really isn’t a good idea;

496.  Crystal City has an outdoor, summer, movie festival, where you can bring your own alcohol;

497.  Ray’s Hell Burger in Arlington may have the best burgers in the D.C. area, . . . but bring cash, credit cards aren’t accepted;

498.  When you order a “beer-sickle” at Rustico Restaurant and Bar, it’s served standing up in a large block of ice in a bucket. . . . You’re not supposed to remove the ice from the bucket;

499.  On July 20^th 1969, man first walked on the moon;

500.  Senator John Glenn was the first American to orbit the Earth;