Monday, March 9, 2026

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0249

12401.  Adding black sesame seeds to Rice Krispies treats gives them a nice Asian flavor/twist;

12402.  “Boys Noize” (i.e., Alexander Ridha) is German and Iraqi;

12403.  “Boys Noize” co-wrote Lady Gaga’s hit, “Rain on Me;”

12404.  Trent Reznor (of “Nine Inch Nails”) is 60. . . . He was born on May 17, 1965;

12405.  Nine Inch Nails is (essentially) EDM rock;

12406.  Trent Reznor says he doesn’t like talking in front of a lot of people/public speaking;

12407.  Trent Reznor has 6 children/kids;

12408.  Apparently, Schmidt likes to eat roses;

12409.  Roses are not poisonous to cats;

12410.  Bad news always gets worse with time;

12411.  George Washington was a surveyor.  He completed over 200 surveys in his lifetime including (surveying) Alexandria, Virginia;

12412.  Alexandria, Virginia, had an earlier name of Belhaven;

12413.  The moment in front of you is not bothering you, you’re bothering yourself about the moment in front of you;

12414.  I have my (own) back.  Even if I suck, I love myself anyways;

12415.  It’s not failure; it’s feedback;

12416.  Forgiving means letting go of the protective armor of blame and/or hatred that encases your heart;

12417.  Forgiving means never putting anyone, including yourself, out of your heart;

12418.  Forgiveness is the compassion that arises when we’ve brought full presence to the suffering of hurt and wounds;

12419.  Forgiveness is a process that unfolds over time;

12419.  Forgiveness is giving up all hope of a better past.  We cannot move forward if we’re still holding onto the pain of that past and wishing it was something else;

12420.  Forgiving does not mean we should deny or suppress our anger, fear, hurt or grief;

12421.  Forgiving is not condoning harmful behavior nor does it mean passivity or inaction;

12422.  When we forgive, we are in no way saying what you did is okay or that we’ll allow the behavior to continue;

12423.  While the energy of anger may catalyze us, it can’t sustain us in the long run.  We need forgiveness to go hand in hand with a deep dedication to social activism;

12424.  Forgiveness does not have to be done on our own;

12425.  Forgiving is rarely a one-shot or quick process;