What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0199

9901.  The Dyson Ball vacuum works pretty well;
9902.  Mung bean(s) (sprouts) are bean/soybean sprouts;
9903.  Charlie (Dog) likes (teriyaki) salmon;
9904.  Onion is toxic to dogs . . . and so is garlic;
9905.  Charlie (Dog) is still enemies with the vacuum( cleaner);
9906.  (Barack) Obama had a( black,) Kenyan father (i.e., Barack Hussein Obama, Sr.) and a white(, American) mom/mother (i.e., Ann Dunham) from Kansas;
9907.  (Barack) Obama attended Occidental College (in Los Angeles, California) before transferring to Columbia (University);
9908.  (Barack) Obama was the first black president/editor-in-chief of the Harvard Law Review;
9909.  (Big surprise . . . .) “Coca-Cola with Coffee” tastes like a Coke with coffee;
9910.  Hot Lola’s (chicken) (HotLolas.com) is pretty good . . . and pretty hot (specifically the O.G. hot);
9911.  Brandi Carlile is from Seattle;
9912.  Brandi Carlile is a lesbian;
9913.  Brandi Carlile(‘s voice) reminds me of Chrissie Hynde (the lead singer of “The Pretenders”);
9914.  If you see your girlfriend or female friend crying, you should ask her if she’s okay and/or give her a hug or touch of support;
9915.  Apparently, there’s a Potomac primary consisting of the states of Maryland and Virginia and( the) D(istrict of )C(olumbia);
9916.  “Eating her out” after she cums . . . check;
9917.  (A plumber told me,) you should buy your plumbing supplies and fixtures from a plumbing supply store (instead of a hardware store).  Manufacturers provide better hardware to plumbers than they do to retail shoppers for the (exact) same fixtures/models;
9918.  A plumber told me to use “Glug” drain opener to unclog drains;
9919.  A plumber told me to (periodically) put (distilled, white) vinegar into my toilet tank to get rid of/remove the mineral build in the (bowl) drain holes;
9920.  Charlie (Dog) likes pinto beans;
9921.  Pinto beans are good for dogs.  They’re a great source of plant-based protein and cholesterol-lowering fiber, which helps your dog feel fuller and aids in digestion.  Pinto beans are also rich in magnesium, which helps your pet process and use vitamin C;
9922.  New Amsterdam Pink Lemonade (vodka) and soda tastes like (watered-down) Sprite;
9923.  Your fist is about 1 cup;
9924.  1 scooped handful (from the tip of your fingers to the base of the palm) is about a ½ cup;
9925.  A palm full is about a ¼ cup;
9926.  One thumb is about 1 tablespoon;
9927.  Your palm is about 4 ounces;
9928.  You can only connect with people as deeply as you’ve connected with yourself;
9929.  The pork barbeque at “The Fishin’ Pig” (FishinPig.com) (in Farmville/Norfolk/Waynesboro, Virginia) is (pretty) good;
9930.  According to our server, I’m the first person to ever order an Aperol spritz at the Biltmore (TheBiltmoreCville.com) in Charlottesville, Virginia;
9931.  Charlie (Dog) likes hard boiled eggs;
9932.  Don’t pressure yourself to make sense of every experience.  Just be;
9933.  We have a mental image of another person, project it onto someone who happens to get our hormones fluttering and happens to be available (ideally) and then fall in love with this image of our own creation.  In effect, we fall in love with someone that we don’t particularly know: a semi-stranger;
9934.  It’s often rather hard to get to know this person because every time we’re with them we start hallucinating . . . hallucinating that we’re in the presence of someone whose every word and deed is transcendently perfect;
9935.  The hallucinations don’t last forever.  In time, we start to get to know the real person hidden beneath our mental image of them and occasionally, if we’re lucky, we come to love that person too;
9936.  This next-level love is often the more genuine, less delusional form of love;
9937.  Love is a temporary madness.  It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides.  And when it subsides you have to make a decision.  You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.  Because this is what love is.  Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion.  That is just being “in love” which any of us can convince ourselves we are.  Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away and this is both an art and a fortunate accident;
9938.  Changing your habits is about creating a difference in the way you approach each day;
9939.  Uncomfortable conversations are an important part of healthy relationships;
9940.  Whatever you are worried about probably won’t happen;
9941.  Do not undermine your ability to make things better;
9942.  Mambo/mumbo sauce is (pretty) tasty. . . . It (tastes) like a sweeter and slightly sour barbeque sauce;
9943.  If it were easy, you would not achieve personal growth;
9944.  Let go of any narratives that don’t serve your end goal;
9945.  When you envy others, you disrespect the life you have worked so hard to create;
9946.  Just because you are struggling now doesn’t mean that you always will;
9947.  A typhoon and a hurricane are the same thing (i.e., a mature tropical cyclone).  Typhoon is used in the northwest Pacific, while hurricane is used in the northeast Pacific and northern Atlantic;
9948.  Keep your mind open to finding happiness around you;
9949.  If you can make yourself miserable with all the negative self-talk, you also have the power to make yourself happy;
9950.  I can say that I’ve been at the largest “Bleacher’s” concert;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0198

9851.  Liquor stores aren’t open on Sundays in South Carolina;
9852.  Liquor stores aren’t open on Sundays in North Carolina (either);
9853.  You can buy Everclear in North Carolina;
9854.  Charlie (Dog) has (now) been to the beach;
9855.  Apparently, McDonald’s doesn’t use onion powder in their food;
9856.  Charlie (Dog) likes apples;
9857.  Your whole life is a kind of apprenticeship.  Everything that happens to you is a form of instruction if you pay attention;
9858.  People too often make the mistake of thinking there is an end point for the need to learn, practice or improve;
9859.  Most students of any discipline inevitably stop learning at some point and flatter themselves that they know everything they need to know;
9860.  Sooner or later we reach a point in our studies or careers when things start to feel easier;
9861.  If things stay easy for too long, motivation evaporates and we lose enthusiasm for our work;
9862.  In a world mostly driven by profit and praise, creativity usually comes a distant second to productivity;
9863.  To stay engaged with your craft, you must continually strive to improve.  Stagnation will lead to dissatisfaction on a long enough timeframe;
9864.  Between too easy and too hard, there is the “Goldilocks” zone where the level of challenge is just a little beyond what you know you’re capable of.  Continually look for that sweet spot and you will find greater joy in your work and reach a deeper understanding of your field than you knew existed;
9865.  Charlie (Dog) has eaten gator (tail);
9866.  REEF (brand) sandals (REEF.com) are (really( comfortable;
9867.  Apparently, Elizabeth’s cousin’s (i.e., Amanda’s) husband is the CFO of Sazerac Company (i.e., the makers of Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, Goldschlager & Pappy Van Winkle among others);
9868.  I can say I’ve blown a double bubble . . . and a triple bubble (too);
9869.  Beach house (on Pawleys Island) . . . check;
9870.  Kayaks are heavy;
9871.  People can actually catch something surf fishing (specifically blacktip sharks);
9872.  I can say I’ve gone kayaking on Pawleys Island;
9873.  Marlin’s grandfathers died/passed on the same day (i.e., August 6^th) a year apart . . . strange/weird;
9874.  (If something goes wrong,) just be a goldfish (i.e., have a short memory) and move on;
9875.  Helping others feels good.  There is some evidence to suggest that when you help others, it can promote physiological changes in the brain linked with happiness.  This heightened sense of well-being might be the byproduct of being more physically active as a result of volunteering or because it makes us more socially active;
9876.  Helping others can help us to make new friends and connect with our community.  Face-to-face activities such as volunteering at a food bank can also help reduce loneliness and isolation;
9877.  Studies show that volunteering enhances an individual’s overall sense of purpose and identity.  This is because helping others can make you feel rewarded, fulfilled and empowered;
9878.  Giving helps keep things in perspective.  Helping others, especially those who are less fortunate than yourself, can help to put things into perspective and make you feel more positive about your own circumstances;
9879.  One study found that people are more likely to perform feats of generosity after observing another do the same.  This effect can ripple throughout the community inspiring dozens of individuals to make a difference;
9880.  Regular volunteering can improve your ability to manage stress and stave off disease as well as increase your sense of life satisfaction.  This might be because volunteering alleviates loneliness and enhances our social lives;
9881.  Helping others can teach you to help yourself.  If you’ve been through a tough experience or just have a case of the blues, the “activism cure” is a great way to get back to feeling like yourself;
9882.  People who volunteer have been found to have higher self-esteem and overall well-being.  The benefits of volunteering also depend on your consistency.  So, the more regularly you volunteer, the more confidence you’ll gain;
9883.  When you help others, you give off positive vibes, which can rub off on peers and improve your friendships.  Being a force for good in a friend’s life can help build a lasting bond;
9884.  Having a positive impact on someone else could help you change your own outlook and attitude.  Experts say that performing acts of kindness boosts your mood and ultimately makes you more optimistic and positive;
9885.  Everybody just wants to be heard.  What every child wants to know is: “Do your eyes light up when I enter the room?  Did you hear me and did what I say mean anything to you?”  That’s all they’re looking for.  That’s what everybody is looking for;
9886.  Every single person you will ever meet shares the desire for validation.  They want to know: “Do you see me?  Do you hear me?  Does what I say mean anything to you?”  Try it with your children, your husband, your wife, your boss and your friends.  Validate them.  “I see you.  I hear you.  And what you say matters to me;”
9887.  When taking your parents’ advice, observe if they have the life, relationships and emotional wellness you’d want for yourself;
9888.  (A plumber told me,) you should use your garbage disposal at least once a month. . . . Fill up the (garbage) disposal with ice (cubes) and turn it on until you can’t hear it grinding anymore.  The grinding keeps the blades clean and sharpens them (as well);
9889.  (A plumber told me,) you should plug up your (kitchen) sink with a sink stopper, fill it up with water and then unplug it at least once a month.  The water pressure helps to push debris down your pipes;
9890.  (A plumber told me,) you should use “Bio-Clean” (i.e., a special combination of natural bacteria and enzymes that digests dead organic waste found in plumbing) in your (kitchen) sink at least once a month to keep it from clogging;
9891.  Aretha Franklin knew Martin Luther King(, Jr.);
9892.  Aretha Franklin was heavily involved in the civil rights movement;
9893.  Elizabeth likes Aretha Franklin;
9894.  Integrating abandonment trauma and learning how to self-regulate while that trauma gets triggered is necessary for healthy, conscious, loving relationships with others and yourself;
9895.  You can heal abandonment trauma to a great extent by releasing many trapped emotions from the body connected with feeling abandoned;
9896.  Releasing the trapped emotions helps rewire the nervous system back to balance;
9897.  Causes of abandonment trauma: 1.  Family instability due to parental disputes or separation due to divorce; 2.  Death of parents or caregivers who the child depended on to feel safe and loved; 3.  Emotionally unavailable family or a parent who is only sporadically engaged with the child; and 4.  Childhood neglect due to mental health issues (such as depression in the parent) or substance abuse (such as alcoholism or drug abuse);
9898.  Signs a person is living with abandonment trauma: 1.  Broken relationships or friendships, separation from lover/partner, feeling unattached or emotionally unavailable to connect; 2.  Fear of loneliness or being abandoned; 3.  Giving too much or being overly eager to please; 4.  Jealousy in your relationship or of others; and 5.  Having difficulty in feeling intimate emotionally;
9899.  Other people’s insecurities about your success, your money or your happiness are just that . . . their insecurities.  Nobody benefits if you “play small” just to appease them;
9900.  Charlie (Dog) likes graham crackers;

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;

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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;

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