What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0225

11201.  Your engaging conversations shouldn’t be a mere replica of someone else’s style.  Embrace your unique personality, quirks and perspectives.  Inject your own flair into every interaction and watch as people are drawn to your authentic self;

11202.  Whenever you make a mistake, own up to it;

11203.  The more you heal, the less you see attention as affection, attachment as connection, codependency as support, disagreement as an attack, enmeshment as intimacy, lack of boundaries as empathy, external validation as internal self-love and trauma bonding as healing;

11204.  There’s no advantage in college sports or minor league sports that don’t have a draft to lose/tank;

11205.  Erectile dysfunction can be an early sign/warning of current or future heart disease/problems;

11206.  Perfectionism is the response of anyone who’s had to work to be loved;

11207.  How do you tell what has special meaning to a person?  Focus on how much time and effort are normally involved in these decisions;

11208.  When you compliment things that reflect individual choices, your compliment can have quite an impact;

11209.  Other characteristics you can compliment people about are their manners, the way they phrase certain ideas, their opinions, their worldview and their perspective;

11210.  The converse would be complimenting someone on something they have zero control over, such as their height;

11211.  Your compliments have to zero in on something that provides a measure of validation.  For instance, an unusual hairstyle that makes them feel special and unique.  By directing your compliment there, you highlight their own self-perceived sense of how special they truly are;

11212.  If you truly want to maximize the effect and impact of your compliment, it all starts with being observant about other people.  Pay attention to how you think they want to be perceived because that will give you some insight into their insecurities and you can use your compliments to build their confidence in those areas.  If someone constantly goes to the gym and makes fitness a large part of their lifestyle, it’s pretty certain they want to be perceived as fit, active and invested in health.  Call that out with a compliment;

11213.  Compliments that target things the person has put great effort into will pay huge dividends;

11214.  Pay attention to other people and ask yourself what emotion they want to evoke.  Then give it to them.  Don’t take too long to reply, but being too quick isn’t advisable either.  This is all to make others feel that you are present and engaged;

11215.  If your mind goes blank, use a technique called free association to generate a response.  These are words that immediately come to mind upon hearing something;

11216.  Owen (Cook) said he helped get a (U.S.) president elected;

11217.  Apparently, Tony Hsieh (the former CEO of Zappos.com) was a friend and former client of Owen Cook;

11218.  Apparently, word free association/vomiting sounds like rapping;

11219.  Apparently, Owen (Cook) has friends in the State Department that told/warned him to take his (video) content down;

11220.  Owen (Cook) thinks A(rtificial )I(ntelligence) will be the “mark of the beast;”

11221.  Ken Burns (the documentarian) has ditched the beard;

11222.  Ken Burns’ idea of dressing up is still a blazer with jeans;

11223.  In the early 1800s, (it has been estimated that) there were about 30 million (American) buffalo roaming from the east coast to the Great Plains;

11224.  The (American) buffalo is the national mammal of the U.S.;

11225.  I can say that I’ve chatted with W. Richard West, Jr., (the founding director of the “National Museum of the American Indian”) and his wife, Mary.  I ran into them, after a(n) (WETA) event in Washington, D.C., as they were about to cross the street.  They were very kind and gracious;

11226.  Ken Burns is 70;

11227.  What you’re drawn to tells you who you are;

11228.  The truth is that things don’t really get solved.  They come together and fall apart.  They come together again and fall apart again.  It’s just like that.  The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for mystery, for joy;

11229.  U.S. citizens don’t need a visa to enter Colombia for a tourist or business stay of 90 days or less or cumulatively for stays of 180 days or less per calendar year.  Before your 90-day stay expires, you can request an extension of up to 90 additional days from the Colombian immigration authority (i.e., Migración Colombia);

11230.  When looking for (airline) flights, try Capital One Travel (CapitalOneTravel.com).  I found the same flight for a $110.00 less than what I found it for on Google Flights;

11231.  Kung Fu Tea (KungFuTea.com) uses Lactaid (lactose-free) milk;

11232.  Coca-Cola (Zero Sugar) Y3000 does have a (fake) tropical fruit flavor to it . . . (it) maybe coconut;

11233.  The “Hot Wawa Gobbler with stuffing & cranberry” is tasty, but, it’s not as good as Starbucks’ “holiday turkey and stuffing panini;”

11234.  I find it sad, the number of companies/people, who try to prey on/scam you, when you buy real estate( with home warrantees, insurance and up-charging for property deeds);

11235.  Fill out your immigration registration at CheckMig (apps.migracioncolombia.gov.co/pre-registro/en) anytime between 72 hours to an hour before you get to Colombia.  It’ll (significantly) speed up the immigration control process;

11236.  The taxi(cab) and Uber pickup is upstairs on the departure level at José María Córdova International Airport (MDE) in Medellin(, Colombia);

11237.  The Túnel de Oriente connecting Medellin with the José María Córdova International Airport is the second longest vehicular tunnel in Latin America.  It cuts the commute/travel time to the airport from 1 ½ hours to 30-45 minutes;

11238.  Medellin is very mountainous.  It sits in a valley;

11239.  Most of the roads in Medellin are two lanes with one lane going in each direction;

11240.  Residential buildings in Medellin have (metal) fences with barbed/razor wire or electrified fencing on top.  Most storefronts have garage doors;

11241.  You can drink the water in Colombia;

11242.  Most of the buildings in Medellin are made from red(, clay) bricks;

11243.  McDonald’s has (bone-in) fried chicken in Colombia;

11244.  Apparently, Colombia has very little coffee culture;

11245.  Colombians seem to like avocado, beans, (ham)burgers, fried chicken, fried potatoes, grilled meat, hot dogs/sausages, plantain and rice;

11246.  There is Burger King, Domino’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, Hooters, KFC, McDonald’s, Papa John’s, Pizza Hut and Starbucks in Medellin;

11247.  Apparently, only foreigners and people working out wear shorts in Medellin;

11248.  Colombians start decorating for Christmas in November;

11249.  Davivienda (Davivienda.com) (in Colombia) doesn’t charge a fee for taking out money from their ATMs;

11250.  Apparently, they’ll deliver party favors to your door in Medellin;