Monday, July 2, 2018

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0134

6651.  (I don’t like cauliflower, but) the buffalo cauliflower (with spicy tahini) at Yard House (YardHouse.com) is (pretty) tasty . . . probably because it doesn’t taste like cauliflower;
6652.  The poke nachos (i.e., marinated raw ahi tuna, avocado, cilantro, serrano peppers, green onions, nori, sesame seeds, sweet soy sauce, sriracha aioli & white truffle sauce over crispy wontons) (at Yard House) are good too;
6653.  When nobody else celebrates you, learn to celebrate yourself.  When nobody else compliments you, then compliment yourself.  It’s not up to other people to keep you encouraged.  It’s up to you.  Encouragement should come from the inside;
6654.  I can say I’ve been to a championship parade/rally (specifically for the Washington Capitals winning the Stanley Cup);
6655.  If you don’t want to look like a lobster after going to a championship parade/rally, wear sunblock;
6656.  What is now proved was once only imagined.  Allow yourself to contemplate this.  As this one line of great wisdom sinks into your consciousness, your imagination will then begin to take over;
6657.  Everything that you can experience with your senses was once in someone’s imagination;
6658.  If one advances confidently in the direction of her/his dreams and endeavors to live the life which s/he has imagined, s/he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours;
6659.  Your imagination is yours and yours alone.  You have the inborn capacity to use it in any way that you choose.  No one else is responsible for your imagination.  Anything placed in your imagination and held there ultimately becomes your reality;
6660.  Begin noticing and being careful about keeping your imagination free of thoughts that you do not wish to materialize.  Instead, initiate a practice of filling your creative thoughts to overflow with ideas and wishes that you fully intend to manifest.  Honor your imaginings regardless of others seeing them as crazy or impossible;
6661.  From (all of) the players selected in the 2004 NHL Draft, Alexander Ovechkin has played the most (regular season) games (i.e., 1,003), scored the most points (i.e., 1,122) and scored the most goals (i.e., 607);
6662.  From (all of) the defensemen selected in the 2004 NHL Draft, Mike Green has played the most (regular season) games (i.e., 787), scored the most points (i.e., 464) and scored the most goals (i.e., 142);
6663.  From (all of) the players selected in the 2006 NHL Draft, Nicklas Backstrom has scored the most points (i.e., 799) and registered the most assists (i.e., 590);
6664.  From (all of) the defensemen selected in the 2007 NHL Draft, Karl Alzner has played the most (regular season) games (i.e., 673);
6665.  From (all of) the goalies selected in the 2008 NHL Draft, Braden Holtby has played the most (regular season) games (i.e., 361) and won the most games (i.e., 225);
6666.  The (Las) Vegas pool parties really gouge you on drinks and sunscreen (i.e., $33.00/bottle) (specifically Encore Beach Club);
6667.  I can say I’ve ridden in (the backseat of) a Porsche (911 Carrera S);
6668.  (It seems like) the backseat of a Porsche 911 Carrera S was designed/made for a 12 year-old. . . . It is not comfortable;
6669.  It’s weird having the skin under your eyebrows peel (because of a sunburn);
6670.  It’s not a (Las) Vegas wedding until there’s been fire dancers;
6671.  It’s (also) weird having the skin by your ear canal peel (because of a sunburn);
6672.  Imagine yourself to be the ideal you dream of and desire.  Remain attentive to this imagined state and as fast as you completely feel that you are already this ideal it will manifest itself as reality in your world;
6673.  Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life;
6674.  Deejays (specifically Paul van Dyk) are like us.  They like memes too!
6675.  You can get in way more trouble with a good idea than a bad idea because you forget that the good idea has limits;
6676.  When ego and not competence drives what we undertake, we have blind spots.  If you know what you understand, you know where you have an edge over others.  When you are honest about where your knowledge is lacking you know where you are vulnerable and where you can improve;
6677.  We should not attribute to malice that which is more easily explained by stupidity.  In a complex world, using this model helps us avoid paranoia and ideology.  By not generally assuming that bad results are the fault of a bad actor, we look for options instead of missing opportunities.  This model reminds us that people do make mistakes.  It demands that we ask if there is another reasonable explanation for the events that have occurred.  The explanation most likely to be right is the one that contains the least amount of intent;
6678.  China has zipcodes;
6679.  China has very long (and convoluted) mailing/shipping addresses;
6380.  Internal anal . . . check;
6681.  I am always doing my best.  And, in any given situation, my best is all I can give.  It may not be perfect.  I may have more to learn.  I may want to grow into more mastery, but right now, in this moment, all I can do is my best.  And right now, in this moment, my best is good enough.  I am good enough;
6682.  A powerful way to start healing the wound of “not enough” is to practice letting go of judgment . . . of ourselves and others;
6683.  When it comes to letting go of judgment of others, try to remind yourself that “everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about;”
6684.  When letting go of judgment of yourself, try to remember that you took on a lot of my beliefs when you were really young and, at that time, you didn’t have a way of deciding if the things you were choosing to believe were going to be helpful to you in the long term;
6685.  Your subconscious beliefs drive most of your behavior.  So judging yourself for carrying limiting or faulty beliefs is like blaming the patient for being unwell.  It doesn’t help.  What does help is to focus on healing your deep, inner wounds and (your) limiting beliefs;
6686.  It’s expensive to mail/ship packages to China (i.e., $49.00-162.00);
6687.  Apparently, all members of the (U.S. Army) Special Forces have foreign language training;
6688.  What does standing in line in a parking garage for 5 ½ hours get you?  The answer is: A green, raffle ticket that may or may not let you get a picture with the Stanley Cup (sometime in the future);
6689.  The more we shift the focus from our desires to wanting more for others, the richer we become;
6690.  When we make the transformation to a being of sharing, the question of how to become inspired will disappear.  So whenever we find ourselves “wanting more,” the solution is to do more for society, for humanity or for the environment.  Any act of sharing as a response to our wants leads to feeling inspired.  The fact is it just feels good to do something for others;
6691.  Understand that it isn’t necessarily about giving our possessions or money away; rather, it’s about living in the same energy and attracting that energy in each other.  It’s about thinking of others before ourselves and offering the love we feel for all of life, first in our thoughts and then in our actions and that’s how we make a connection to inspiration;
6692.  All stressful thoughts represent a form of resistance you wish to eradicate.  Change those thoughts by monitoring your feelings and opting for joy rather than anxiety and you’ll access the power of intention;
6693.  The shape and quantity of your thoughts determine the amount of resistance.  Thoughts that generate bad feelings are resistant thoughts.  Any thought that puts a barrier between what you would like to have and your ability to attract it into your life is resistance.  Your intention is to live a tranquil life free of stress and anxiety.  You know that stress doesn’t exist in the world and that there are only people thinking stressful thoughts.  Stressful thoughts all by themselves are a form of resistance.  You don’t want stressful, resistant thoughts to be your habitual way of reacting to your world.  By practicing thoughts of minimal resistance, you’ll train yourself to make this your natural way of reacting and eventually you’ll become the tranquil person you desire to be, a stress-free person free of the “dis-ease” that stress brings to the body.  Stressful thoughts all by themselves are the resistance that you construct that impedes your connection to the power of intention;
6694.  Believe that you shall receive and you shall receive;
6695.  You came here with music to play.  You don’t want to ultimately realize that you didn’t fulfill your own dharma because you tried to please someone else’s mental picture of what you should be doing;
6696.  By becoming more loving toward yourself, you will attract more of the higher, faster energies and begin to change what’s inside of you.  In your thoughts, cultivate an inner voice and attitude that’s 100 percent of the time for you.  Imagine an aspect of yourself that only supports and loves you.  You might schedule a certain time of the day when that’s the only thought that you allow yourself to pay attention to.  Gradually this attitude will extend to other people even if you can only do it for a minute or two.  You’ll begin to receive this energy back and ultimately be able to send thoughts of love and joy to everyone and everything in your world;
6697.  The universe responds with the same energy that we send out.  If you attract a lot of people who wish to take advantage of you, you need to consider what you’re doing to attract victimizers into your life.  If you run into anger a lot, explore the angry thoughts you have inside you.  If your consciousness is a “Give me!  Give me!  Give me!” energy, you’ll attract all manner of demanding energies into your life.  You’ll know if this is true by the number of deadlines not being met, demanding bosses or customers you encounter and the feeling of being a victim.  Send out “Give me!  Give me!  Give me!” energy to the universe and it will do the same in return;
6698.  If what you give is self-respect and self-love, the universe will return the love and respect you’ve been radiating.  It’s really so simple.  You can’t give away what you don’t have;
6699.  We must learn to make a conscious choice to say “no” to anything that takes us away from an inspired life.  We can start by turning down requests that involve actions that don’t correspond with our inner knowing about why we’re here;
6700.  We can simplify life by cutting down on the busywork that keeps us off purpose;

Sunday, June 24, 2018

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0133

6601.  Your imagination is the source of all that has yet to manifest for you.  By staying only with what your senses tell you is your reality, you place a barrier to letting your imagination create all that you wish, all that you desire.  Your imagination is unlimited.  What is today, is restricted by just that: what is today;
6602.  Logic will get you from A to B.  Imagination will take you everywhere.  Your logic, that is, the facts that you’ve accepted as true, have gotten you to point B.  Now you’re going to reprogram your imagination to take you everywhere, everywhere that you are brave enough to envision for yourself;
6603.  Elizabeth likes to be kissed/licked/bit/touched on her lower back;
6604.  Jon Bon Jovi has very white teeth;
6605.  Bon Jovi had a lot of hits;
6606.  The average employee attends 62 meetings per month;
6607.  An executive spends 23 hours per week (on average) in meetings;
6608.  An executive spends 34 percent of his/her time in poorly run meetings.  That equals 2 months of productivity down the drain;
6609.  Failure is an illusion.  No one ever fails at anything.  Everything you do produces a result.  If you’re trying to learn how to catch a football and someone throws it to you and you drop it, you haven’t failed.  You simply produced a result.  The real question is what you do with the results that you produce.  Do you leave and moan about being a football failure or do you say, “Throw it again,” until ultimately you’re catching footballs?
6610.  Failure is a judgment.  It’s just an opinion.  It comes from your fears, which can be eliminated by love, love for yourself, love for what you do, love for others and love for your planet.  When you have love within you, fear cannot survive;
6611.  When you love and respect yourself, someone’s disapproval is not something you fear and avoid;
6612.  Amazon lets you bring your dog to work;
6613.  Intellectual Ventures wrote “Modernist Cuisine: The Art & Science of Cooking;”
6614.  Moz lets you bring your dog to work too;
6615.  Candy walls at work are a thing.  (Just) ask Moz and Zillow (Group);
6616.  Merchant’s CafĂ© (& Saloon) (MerchantsCafeAndSaloon.com) is Seattle’s oldest bar/saloon;
6617.  Glass containing manganese will (eventually) turn purple after being exposed to enough sunlight (i.e., ultraviolet light);
6618.  At one point, brothels accounted for 87% of Seattle’s (city) revenue over a nine-year period;
6619.  Back in the day, prostitutes in Seattle had to pay a $10.00 monthly “entertainment tax” at a time when the average lumberjack made $20.00 a month and the average prostitute made $400.00 a month;
6620.  They give out free bananas (to anyone) at Amazon’s “Community Banana Stand” at their headquarters in Seattle;
6621.  Apparently, seagulls eat/like French fries (specifically the seagulls by “Ivar’s Fish Bar” on the waterfront in Downtown Seattle);
6622.  Buying items at an “Amazon Go” store (kind of) feels like shoplifting;
6623.  Sous vide steak is very flavorful and tasty;
6624.  The (sous vide, )flat iron steak (with salsa Verde, asparagus & potatoes) at “Amazon Go” is really good;
6625.  The spicy goat taco at Mezcaleria Oaxaca in Seattle reminds me of an Arby’s roast beef (sandwich);
6626.  The Mole’ Negro (i.e., black mole’ with pork ribs, chicken or skirt steak served with white rice & corn tortillas) at Mezcaleria Oaxaca (in Seattle) is really tasty;
6627.  Only in Seattle, will a (perfect) stranger, walking down the street, offer you to try her ice cream (and spoon-feed you too);
6628.  The Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Seattle maybe the nicest Starbucks in the world;
6629.  Starbucks’s “Nitro Milk” (actually) doesn’t upset my stomach;
6630.  Apparently, it takes about 3 hours for an edible to kick in;
6631.  Food is more pronounced while “under the influence;”
6632.  I hate time dilation;
6633.  I had the longest 30-minute dinner at Poppy (PoppySeattle.com) (in Seattle);
6634.  I don’t understand the appeal of marijuana;
6635.  The color in scallops is affected by gender.  Male scallops are grayish white, while female scallops can take on a rosy coral hue when spawning. . . . Who knew?
6636.  Pat Sajak has been a (Washington) Capitals season ticket holder for thirteen years/seasons;
6637.  I can say I’ve been to a Stanley Cup Finals game;
6638.  I’ve watched a hockey game with “Wonder Woman” (i.e., Lynda Carter);
6639.  I’ve watched a hockey game with Bradley Beal (of the Washington Wizards) too;
6640.  I can say I was at the (Washington) Capitals’ first home win ever in the Stanley Cup Finals;
6641.  Apparently, you can apply wax with a paint roller. . . . Who knew?
6642.  Your beliefs create your reality.  What you believe plays out in your outer reality;
6643.  Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate;
6644.  I can (finally) say I’ve watched the (Washington) Capitals win a Stanley Cup (championship);
6645.  (As of June 8th, 2018,) the (Washington) Capitals have played 3,701 games(, including the regular season and the playoffs,) in franchise history;
6646.  (Since joining the NHL in 1974-75,) the (Washington) Capitals have played 3,701 games(, including the regular season and the playoffs,) in franchise history;
6647.  You should say “thank you” when someone cooks you dinner;
6648.  You should (also) say it’s (i.e., dinner) “good” (when it is);
6649.  Alexander Ovechkin is (now) the second-oldest player on the (Washington) Capitals(‘ roster) behind (defenseman) Brooks Orpik;
6650.  Jay Beagle (of the Washington Capitals) is the only player to win a championship in the ECHL, AHL and NHL;

Monday, May 7, 2018

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0132

6551.  Oral sex in a (public) restroom (specifically Murphy’s Irish Pub) . . . check . . . sex in a (public) restroom . . . (double) check;
6552.  Walt Whitman wrote letters during the Civil War at the (Smithsonian National) Portrait Gallery;
6553.  There have only been five (U.S.) presidential elections where the winner didn’t win the popular vote (i.e., John Quincy Adams in 1824; Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876; Benjamin Harrison in 1888; George W. Bush in 2000; and Donald Trump in 2016);
6554.  Porcelain is the only ceramic that’s translucent;
6555.  Marge Margulies (MargeMarguliesPottery.com) is one of Elizabeth’s favorite potters;
6556.  A sign of a good potter is how thin s/he can get the clay;
6557.  Elizabeth made out with Michael Trotter (the actor) in grade school;
6558.  The “Cereal Milk” soft serve (ice cream) at Milk Bar (MilkBarStore.com) is tasty . . . and so is the chocolate malt cake (i.e., chocolate cake, malted fudge, malted milk crumbs, charred marshmallows & malted chocolate frosting);
6559.  Making out in the backroom of a hotel (specifically the Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C.) . . . check . . . getting caught by a hotel employee . . . (double) check;
6560.  Apparently, if a woman tells you she does/uses cocaine, she’ll sleep with you (for cocaine). . . . Who knew?
6561.  Making out at the Tidal Basin . . . check;
6562.  Collar . . . check;
6563.  Our cognitive ability does not remain the same throughout the day;
6564.  How we perform depends on what we are doing;
6565.  For most of us, our (cognitive) peak is in the morning and, for night owls, it’s later in the day;
6566.  Our (cognitive) peak is where we are most vigilant (i.e., able to bat away distractions) and the best time for analytical work;
6567.  Standardized test scores for students go down in the afternoon and the number of auto(mobile) accidents increase;
6568.  Once you control for cars on the road, the most dangerous time to drive is between 4 o’clock and 6 o’clock in the morning with the second most dangerous time (to drive) between 2 o’clock and 4 o’clock in the afternoon;
6569.  During our midday (cognitive) trough, we should be doing more of our administrative work (i.e., batching & answering routine e-mails, filling out testing procedure specification reports, filling out expense reports, etc.);
6570.  During our (cognitive) recovery period, we have an elevated mood.  Our mood is better than it is during the trough, but we’re less vigilant than we are during the peak.  This is a good time for brainstorming and insight work;
6571.  We should be moving our analytical work to the peak, our administrative work to the trough and our insight and creative work to the recovery (period);
6572.  Time of day explains about 20 percent of the variance in how people perform on cognitive tasks;
6573.  The reason people hate it when you change is because the ways they used to manipulate you stop working;
6574.  Avocados (will) last a long time if you store them in the crisper (drawer) in your (re)frig(erator);
6575.  Elizabeth’s birthday is on Cinco de Mayo;
6576.  Your calf can cramp (up) during sex. . . . Who knew?
6577.  Cock face slap . . . check;
6578.  (Mini) remote control egg . . . check;
6579.  Breakfast (e.g., tacos, huevos rancheros & breakfast burritos) is served all day at District Taco (DistrictTaco.com);
6580.  Apparently, I’m the most sexual person Elizabeth has ever met;
6581.  In 60% of cases where a family’s fortune is blown, it’s usually exhausted in one generation by the children of the person who created the wealth;
6582.  In 90% of the cases where a fortune is blown, it’s gone by the second generation, by the time the grandchildren die;
6583.  (Getting) a cordless, hand vacuum is worth it too;
6584.  Ego says, “Once everything falls into place, I’ll feel peace.”  Spirit says, “Find your peace and then everything will fall into place;”
6585.  Note to self: Make sure the penis/cock is in;
6586.  Apparently, I’m the best lover Elizabeth has ever had;
6587.  Oral sex at work . . . check . . . diving at work . . . (double) check . . . sex at work . . . (triple) check;
6588.  Chemically speaking, there’s no difference between humans and rocks, trees, orangutans or distant stars.  Grind them all up and their chemical composition isn’t what distinguishes one from the other.  Our physical presence is a spiritually directed conglomeration of a hodgepodge of chemicals and the end result is that we’re beings made up of the same stuff that makes up the stars.  We’re made up of stardust.  That’s right, the stuff of dreams; twinkling, magical, beautiful and light-filled stardust!
6589.  (Eating) pizza (tends to) make(s) me feel tired and lethargic;
6590.  Blue Chair Bay coconut, spiced rum is tasty;
6591.  (I can say) I’ve gone boat fishing . . . although I didn’t (actually) catch any fish;
6592.  The most common misuse of imagination is stressing what you don’t want for yourself;
6593.  Highly functioning self-actualized people simply never imagine what it is that they don’t wish to have as their reality;
6594.  Never place into your imagination any thought that you would not want to materialize;
6595.  Never allow your imagination to be contaminated by ideas about how your life used to be.  You need faith in your power to make the nonexistent your reality.  Just because you haven’t experienced the magic of the nonexistent appearing in your daily life is no reason to poison your imagination with the thoughts that got you where you are now or have been for most of your life;
6596.  Your imagination is yours and yours alone.  It is a vast, unbounded realm within you that no one else has access to.  No one can peer into your imagination and place things in there that they prefer for you, nor can they extract any ideas that are percolating in that grand imagination of yours.  Your imagination is your own fertile field for growing any seedlings that you choose to plant for a future harvest;
6597.  Never allow someone else’s ideas about what is possible or impossible for you, how you should be thinking, who you should be or anything else to occupy your imagination;
6598.  The viewpoints of other people regarding how you should occupy your imagination generally involve their own self-interest;
6599.  Do not let your imagination be restricted to the current conditions of your life.  Your imagination is unlimited and, if you’ve opted for an ordinary level of living, it is tempting to stay in “what is” rather than what you unabashedly intend to manifest for yourself.  Keep reminding yourself that everything that you’ve believed has gotten you to precisely the point where you are now;
6600.  If you want to elevate your life and become a manifester then you have to change what you’ve believed to be true about yourself that has landed you where you are;

Monday, April 30, 2018

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0131

6501.  Designate two blocks of the day to respond to e-mails.  Odds are, your inbox is getting blasted all day.  Answering e-mails in a one-off fashion is inefficient and will disrupt your focus on other tasks.  So set aside two blocks during the day to answer e-mails, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon.  It can be a game-changer;
6502.  When we don’t want to face what’s holding us back, our minds can even trick us into thinking that the avoidance impulse(, which is really based in fear) is actually a spiritual message from above.  Mistakenly thinking that all of our impulses are higher intuitive guidance.  So how do we know which impulses to follow?  Often we don’t.  Some humility is called for.  It’s useful to stop expecting our higher self to be able to communicate with us with absolute clarity, like a bell, every time;
6503.  Unless you’re already an enlightened being then not all of your impulses are going to come from your higher self, intuitive guidance system.  Some of your feeling based impulses are going to be coming from your lower level blockages: your fears, limiting beliefs, old wounds, emotional baggage triggers and karmic patterns;
6504.  When we really face our blockages with honesty and humility, thank them for the service they’ve performed for us (because our blockages were initially designed to protect even if they’re no longer appropriate and they’ve definitely taught us something) then the blockage has permission to dissolve;
6505.  If we choose not to face ourselves in that moment, that’s okay.  The universe will patiently keep knocking on that door over and over again with new situations that give us the same opportunity to face our shadow(, the unacknowledged and disowned parts of ourselves,) until we’re ready to finally answer the door and really look ourselves in the eyes;
6506.  Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate;
6507.  Elizabeth likes sour beer;
6508.  The “lotus spinach chaat” at Urban Tandoor (UTandoorVA.com) (in Ballston) is (pretty) tasty;
6509.  Elizabeth likes (chicken) wings;
6510.  Apparently, I’m easy to talk to;
6511.  Nipple clamps . . . check . . . anal beads . . . (double) check;
6512.  How to cook pork chops: 1.  Place oil in a large skillet and heat until medium hot; 2.  Place chops in the skillet, placing them so they don’t touch; 3.  Cook each side for 4 minutes; and 4.  Cover the skillet, turn off the heat and let the chops sit for 8-10 minutes (depending on the thickness of the chops);
6513.  (Not surprisingly, )the chicken and double-smoked bacon sandwich (i.e., herbed chicken on toasted, apple brioche with double-smoked bacon & maple mustard) at Starbucks is (pretty) tasty . . . (after all, )it does have bacon on it;
6514.  Apparently, churches will hire professional singers to join their (church) choirs for major religious celebrations (i.e., Christmas & Easter) to try to get more/larger donations;
6515.  Sofa . . . check;
6516.  The greater danger is not that your hopes are too high and you fail to reach them; it’s that they’re too low and you do;
6517.  A mind that’s open to everything means being peaceful, radiating love, practicing forgiveness, being generous, respecting all life and, most important, visualizing yourself as capable of doing anything that you can conceive of in your mind and heart;
6518.  What you think about expands.  If your thoughts are filled with doubt and you have a closed mind, you will out of necessity act upon those closed-minded doubts and you’ll see evidence of your thinking virtually everywhere you are.  On the other hand, should you decide (make no mistake about this, it is a choice) to have a mind that’s open to everything, then you’ll act upon that inner energy and you’ll be the creator as well as the recipient of miracles wherever you are;
6519.  Overt instruction works to lead people, yet influence makes the strongest impact.  The best leaders lead not only by instruction, they lead by example;
6520.  Leaders become great not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others.  If you’re a leader or a parent, know that some skills and attitudes are impossible for those under you to learn by instruction alone;
6521.  In one study, children tasked with writing an essay delivered longer, higher-quality essays when writing by hand.  In another study, children were asked to write, trace or type various letters.  They were then shown the letters while researchers performed fMRI scans.  When shown letters they had written, parts of the brain associated with reading lit up with activity.  This response was dampened when traced letters were shown.  Letters that had been typed elicited the smallest response;
6522.  When a group of preschool students was divided into two groups, one training in handwriting and the other on a keyboard for sixteen sessions, the handwriting group outperformed their peers not only in writing, but also in reading assessments.  The typing group did not excel beyond their peers in any field tested;
6523.  In a 2014 study, researchers confirmed that students learn better when they take notes on paper.  They reason that the slower speed of handwriting forces students to consolidate and reword lectures, helping them to process and retain new information.  When students who used laptops were asked to consolidate information in their notetaking, they still used more words and did not reap the benefits of the handwriting group;
6524.  A positive emotion (i.e. compassion) wears off relatively quickly, researchers find that when they give someone a negative feeling (i.e. anger) to concentrate in, the physiological effects last over 5 hours;
6525.  We tend to think group performance depends on measurable abilities like intelligence, skill and experience and not on a subtle pattern of small behaviors of making the group feel safer;
6526.  Little moments of social interaction that can help make a team: 1.  Close proximity, often in circles; 2.  Profuse amounts of eye contact; 3.  Humor and laughter; 4.  Physical touch (i.e., handshakes, fist bumps & hugs); 5.  Intensive, active listening; 6.  Lots of short, energetic exchanges (i.e., no long speeches); and 7.  High levels of mixing, where everyone talks to everyone;
6527.  RosĂ©(, hard) cider can be (very) dry;
6528.  When you introduce a new idea/product to the world: SW2 + WC = MO (i.e., Some Will love it, Some Won’t + Who Cares = Move On);
6529.  When acid is added to milk, the drop in pH causes the milk’s casein proteins to bond together in tight clusters.  Why?  In the presence of acid, the proteins lose their negative charge, which normally keeps them apart.  Once those charges are gone, the proteins clump, forming curds;
6530.  When the cell walls of certain fruits and vegetables like avocados, apples, artichokes and potatoes are cut or crushed, enzymes in their flesh are exposed to air.  Those enzymes react with compounds called polyphenols, producing black- or brown-colored pigments.  Acids (and citric and ascorbic acids in particular) slow the rate of this oxidation, which is why we often use lemon or lime juice to inhibit browning in recipes like classic guacamole and roasted artichokes;
6531.  Acidic ingredients, such as citrus juice, buttermilk, yogurt and even chocolate, molasses, brown sugar and non-Dutched cocoa, react with alkaline baking soda to produce carbon dioxide gas.  Baking powder, on the other hand, is a complete leavening system.  It’s a combination of baking soda and crystallized acid.  When baking powder is added to liquid ingredients, it dissolves almost immediately and carbon dioxide begins to form;
6532.  In the popular South American dish called ceviche, seafood is “cooked” via a soak in an acidic marinade.  The acid causes proteins to denature and coagulate eventually giving it the opaque appearance and firm texture of “cooked” fish or shellfish;
6533.  (I can say) I’ve eaten beef from halfway around the world (i.e., Australian, grass-fed beef from Whole Foods Market);
6534.  Whippets . . . nothing, nada, zilch;
6535.  Sex on a balcony/sex outside . . . check;
6536.  Elizabeth’s skin tastes salty;
6537.  (I can say) I’ve eaten brownies for breakfast;
6538.  Three things you can’t recover in life; the words after they’re said, the moment after it’s missed and the time after it’s gone;
6539.  Kevin (Dwyer) and I have the same birthday;
6540.  Everything I need comes to me in the perfect time and space sequence;
6541.  I forgive everyone in my past for all perceived wrongs;
6542.  I bless and prosper everyone in my world and everyone in my world blesses and prospers me;
6543.  (I can say) I’ve licked champagne off a porn star’s leg (specifically Adria Rae);
6544.  (I can also say) I’ve had a porn star lick my face;
6545.  Worrying is praying for what you don’t want;
6546.  Getting a blowjob on your birthday . . . check . . . blowing your load in her mouth . . . (double) check;
6547.  (According to Elizabeth,) I taste “healthy” . . . and (slightly) salty;
6548.  Joanna Krupa (i.e., model) and I have the same birthday too;
6549.  You can’t use up creativity, the more you use, the more you have;
6550.  Just because you can’t keep up doesn’t mean you can’t show up;

Monday, April 9, 2018

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0130

6451.  One might expect single people to be less risk-averse than their married counterparts, but the opposite is true.  Married people, for example, are more willing to make risky financial investments than single people.  The outcomes of success can also be seen in marriage studies with married men earning about twenty percent more than unmarried men;
6452.  4 rules for strategic givers: 1.  Don’t break the bank: The amount of money you spend doesn’t matter.  It’s what you spend it on.  Here are two words to guide your gifting: practical luxuries.  Most of your gift recipients are (more than likely) extremely high-powered.  They don’t need an $80.00 watch because they could afford to purchase an $8000.00 watch.  So if you have $80.00 to spend, gift something useful that the recipient might never buy for themselves.  Make it both practical and top-of-the-line.  Spend the $80.00 on a custom coffee mug.  Or on a pair of zebra wood headphones.  Or on an engraved cheese knife (i.e., American-made, guaranteed forever and sold by college students).  If your recipient says, “I would never buy this for myself, but I absolutely love it!” then you’re on the right track; 2.  Use the crucial ITY’s: A good gift shouldn’t live in isolation.  It can’t live in isolation.  Worthy recipients today are likely to be worthy recipients tomorrow, so set yourself up for success.  Not by putting your logo on everything, but by adhering your gifting to the three crucial ITY’s: A) Visibil-ITY gifts are things that’ll be seen by others.  Conversation starters.  Make your recipient look good and they will love you forever; B) Continu-ITY gifts are those you can buy in a series.  Today you send the leather belt, next month the leather travel bag and so on; and C) Qual-ITY gifts are things that last forever.  Nothing says, “You don’t really matter to me” like mediocre quality; 3.  Don’t be an ABC gifter:  ABC gifters limit their strategic giving to Anniversaries, Birthdays and Christmas.  Your goal is “surprise and delight,” you should know that ABC gifting thoroughly eliminates the “surprise” part of the equation.  Better to change your giving calendar to reflect those months, dates and days when your recipient least expects it.  “I was having the worst Tuesday and then I got your package in the mail!  Thank you!  Where did you find this thing?”  Shock and awe just isn’t the same without the shock; 4.  Follow up without attachment: You should follow-up and ask “How’d you like the gift?”  It doesn’t make you tactless.  The only way to become tactless is to make the follow-up about you.  “How’d you like the gift?  Great!  Hey, I was wondering if you could do me a favor;”
6453.  In 2011, as part of the Science of Generosity Initiative at the University of Notre Dame, W. Bradford Wilcox headed up a survey of 1,630 married couples designed to home in on a single factor in after-the-nuptials happiness: marital generosity.  In a 2013 article for the Journal of Marriage and Family, Wilcox and coauthor Jeffrey Dew define this generosity as “giving good things to [one’s spouse] freely and abundantly,” including “regularly engaging in small acts of kindness, expressing affection, expressing respect and forgiving one’s spouse;”
6454.  One of the worst feelings you can get is that feeling of stagnation.  When your life stagnates, it starts to affect other areas of your life.  You might feel uninspired, unmotivated, like you’re in a rut that you can’t get out of.  You feel bored . . . bored of everything;
6455.  (I can say) I witnessed Alexander Ovechkin’s 602nd (regular-season) NHL goal making him the 19th all-time NHL goal scorer (by surpassing Jari Kurri on the all-time list);
6456.  Morning sex . . . check . . . snow day . . . (double) check;
6457.  (Instant) oatmeal (specifically maple & brown sugar) made with (black) coffee is actually (pretty) good;
6458.  Dining room table . . . check . . . raw dog buggery . . . (double) check;
6459.  Making out in the car . . . check;
6460.  (Getting) a body trimmer is a worthwhile purchase;
6461.  New opportunities, new experiences are always found outside (of) your comfort zone;
6462.  The key to feeling good is to decide to stop feeling bad;
6463.  This day, I vow to myself to love myself, to treat myself as someone I love truly and deeply, in my thoughts, my actions, the choices I make, the experiences I have, each moment I am conscious, I make the decision I love myself;
6464.  Darkness is the absence of light.  Any negative thought is darkness.  How do you remove it?  Do you fight fear or worry?  Do you push or drown away sadness and pain?  Doesn’t work.  Instead, imagine you’re in a dark room and it’s bright outside.  Your job is to go to the window, pull out a rag and start cleaning.  Soon enough, light enters naturally taking the darkness away;
6465.  If you had a thought once, it has no power over you.  Repeat it again and again, especially with emotional intensity, feeling it, and over time, you’re creating the grooves, the mental river.  Then it controls you;
6466.  The chicken tender sub at Publix (Publix.com) is (pretty) tasty;
6467.  Calming meditation: 1.  Put on music . . . something soothing and gentle, preferably instrumental . . . a piece you have positive associations with; 2.  Sit with your back against a wall or window.  Cross your legs or stretch them out, whatever feels natural; 3.  Close your eyes.  Smile slowly.  Imagine a beam of light pouring into your head from above; 4.  Breathe in and say to yourself in your mind, “I love myself.”  Be gentle with yourself; 5.  Breathe out and along with it anything that arises . . . anything thoughts, emotions, feelings, memories, fears, hopes, desires or nothing.  Breathe it out.  There is no judgment or attachment to anything.  Be kind to yourself; 6.  Repeat steps 4 and 5 until the music ends.  When your attention wanders, notice it and smile.  Smile at it as if it’s a child doing what a child does.  With that smile, return to your breath.  Repeat steps 4 and 5; and 7.  When the music ends, open your eyes slowly.  Smile.  Do it from the inside out.  This is your time.  This is purely yours;
6468.  “I love myself” mediation: 1.  Set a timer for 5 minutes; 2.  Stand in front of a mirror with your nose a few inches away.  Relax.  Breathe; 3.  Look into your eyes.  It helps if you focus on one . . . your left eye.  Relax.  Breathe slowly and naturally until you develop a rhythm; 4.  Looking into your left eye say, “I love myself.”  Whether you believe it that moment or not isn’t important.  What’s important is saying it to yourself and looking into your eyes where there is no escape from the truth.  Ultimately, the truth is loving yourself; and 5.  Repeat, “I love myself,” gently, pausing occasionally to watch your eyes;
6469.  If a painful memory arises, don’t fight it or try to push it away.  Struggle reinforces pain.  Instead, go to love.  Love for yourself.  Feel it.  If you have to fake it, fine.  Feel the love for yourself as the memory ebbs and flows.  That will take the power away;
6470.  Fighting fear doesn’t work.  It just drags us in closer.  One has to focus on what is real . . . on the truth.  When in darkness, don’t fight it.  You can’t win.  Just find the nearest switch and turn on the light;
6471.  James Altucher talks about how he stops negative thoughts in their tracks with a simple mind trick.  “Not useful,” he tells himself.  It’s a switch, a breaker of sorts, it shifts the pattern of the fear;
6472.  When fear arises, remember that it is a hallucinated snake, that it’s not useful or that it’s not real.  There are many more.  As long as it works, it’s valid;
6473.  The key is, when in darkness, have a light switch you’ve chosen standing by;
6474.  It’s easy to wish for health when you’re sick.  When you’re doing well, you need just as much vigilance;
6475.  If I loved myself truly and deeply, what would I do?  The answer is: I’d fly . . . fly as high as I possibly can.  Then, I’d fly higher;
6476.  Often the price for not being present is pain;
6477.  Whenever you notice fear in your mind, instead of pushing it aside or using it as fuel, say to yourself, “It’s okay,” a gentle “yes” to yourself, to the moment and to what the mind is feeling;
6478.  Real growth comes through intense, difficult and challenging situations;
6479.  Fear strengthens the ego.  Love softens it;
6480.  The women you’ll see in the lobby of LIV (Nightclub) (LIVNightclub.com) in Miami is ridiculous;
6481.  What’s a great place to meet women in Miami?  The answer is: The lobby of LIV (Nightclub);
6482.  Apparently, you should put your Molly under your “junk;”
6483.  Putting your Molly in the waistband of your boxers works too;
6484.  Don’t take the 3rd pill . . . just don’t;
6485.  (The feeling of) too much Molly reminds me of lucid dreaming;
6486.  100/150 mg and then 100/50 mg 3-4 hours later is (probably) about right (for most people);
6487.  (I can say) I saw Swedish House Mafia play (at Ultra Music Festival) in Miami;
6488.  Apparently, Floyd Mayweather likes to go to LIV (Nightclub) in Miami;
6489.  Ice cream made with (liquid) nitrogen is very creamy;
6490.  The 10 minute rule: It’s really easy to put off tasks that seem daunting, but there’s something that works.  Promise yourself you’ll put just 10 minutes into the task.  Once you get in the flow, you’ll pick your head up two hours later with a large chunk done.  Getting started is the hardest part so don’t give yourself a choice;
6491.  How do you get 2,000 free (frequent flyer/airline) miles from American Airlines?  The answer is: Have a kid throw up on you on the plane. . . . It’ll also get you a free (alcoholic) drink and your dry cleaning paid for;
6492.  Babe Ruth was born in Baltimore;
6493.  Hospitals are cheap(er) places to park in the Inner Harbor (in Baltimore);
6494.  (I can say) I’ve been to Opening Day at (Oriole Park at) Camden Yards;
6495.  Apparently, I smell “salty;”
6496.  It seems (that) the kid’s dog (i.e., $1.50) is a better value than a regular hot dog (i.e., $5.00) at (Oriole Park at) Camden Yards. . . . You can buy three kid’s dogs for less than the price of one regular hot dog;
6497.  Going to a strip club with a girl you’re seeing . . . check . . . bonus, (in that) it was her idea;
6498.  Something you don’t see every day . . . (a woman with) a dog (i.e., Chihuahua) at a strip club;
6499.  Apparently, Elizabeth is “falling” for me;
6500.  If you don’t want to be mistaken for a(n) Lyft/Uber (driver) in D.C., don’t drive a gray (Toyota) Corolla;