10 Random Things I Learned in 2006

Kris Weberg | January 2, 2007
I saw this meme at a few other sites, and figured it might be fun at Tragic Comedy. Here goes:

1. If you're willing to lose a day or three, traveling by train is infinitely better than traveling by plane.

2. It is possible to quit smoking so thoroughly that one "why not?" drag from a bummed cigarette makes you never want to touch cigarettes again.

3. Chile produces at least one truly awesome Cabernet Sauvignon

4. Ordinary household chemicals can and will corrode away the enamel coating on things like washing machines given time.

5. Nobody who actually lives in New York City likes Times Square.

6. Now that I'm 27, staying up all night or almost all night isn't fun. It's somewhere between embarrassing and painful.

7. I have no desire to get cable TV or TiVo or even hook up a broadcast antenna. If I want to watch a TV show, YouTube and DVD sets are much, much more convenient to my lifestyle.

8. Batman: The Animated Series actually stands the test of time.

9. I no longer get into "the Christmas spirit" in December. It's just another, albeit more public, holiday to me now.

10. Everybody is a geek for something. Everyone is a collector of something.

Scott Hardie | January 2, 2007
1. If you don't mind the expense, flying there the afternoon or evening before your trip starts is so much more convenient than catching the 6am flight the morning of.

2. If the themed week is full of hard goos, save it until later in the round no matter how good you think it is. [As a result of learning this, Hawaii Week was a last-minute replacement for the somewhat harder Do-Over Week IV that I had planned.]

3. Your favorite restaurants will close and you will be told that you're silly to mourn them.

4. Avoiding spam isn't as effective when you have to belong to certain mailing lists and they get spam.

5. Watching the hanging of a genocidal monster named Saddam Hussein and still thinking it's wrong will re-cement your opposition to the death penalty.

6. You can't avoid Sopranos spoilers unless you watch every episode as it first airs, so you may as well embrace them.

7. Don't be a grinch in December. Nobody wants to hear it, even most of the people who agree.

8. Guided tours in a big city, especially with a friend along, are so much better than aimless wandering.

9. King's Hawaiian bread rules.

10. Nothing comes close to being as important as the people in your life.

Jackie Mason | January 3, 2007
[hidden by request]

Tony Peters | January 3, 2007
1) If you like traveling by air you better hope you don't mind losing luggage every once in a while...says he who sat in Rota/Cadiz Spain with exactly what he is wearing on his back after flying across the Mediterranean for 6 days with no luggage, got it back only to have Air France loose it for another week

2) the world is full of Dumb people (many are sadly american)

3) I actually prefer life outside the USA sometimes (and am plotting how to continue that in the future)

4) Getting old is a state of mind but taking care of the body that carries that mind is a full time job

5) the worst thing about New Years is being stuck in a foreign country without you family (If my wife was there it would have made a huge difference)

6) the new Ipod shuffle will actually run for close to 20 hours if it's set in the repeat mode instead of the shuffle mode (coming up with a 1GB Playlist so it doesn't get annoying is something different.

7) Airline food is actually good if the carrier isn't american (so is the wine)

8) Not understanding what is on TV is a good reson not to watch it and go for a walk instead

9) The Audi A4TDI station wagon is an incredible car and as it is my present rental car I have been thrashing it (sadly the USA is really anal about diesel cars because this one rules i want one)

10) winter doesn't mean cold or snow if you live on the east coast of the USA

Jackie Mason | January 3, 2007
[hidden by request]

Denise Sawicki | January 4, 2007
Well hopefully I'm not being "stalked" because one of these may seem personally offensive...

1. Friends will always ask to move in with you, so you and your famliy must not make any friends if you're not 100% sure you want to live with new people. This happened several times over the course of the year.
2. I learned that I really like Indian food (I thought I didn't but I think it was the fact that I was a bit stressed out and bored of talking about physics, the other time I tried it)
3. My husband can cook restaurant-quality Chinese food.
4. You can get a deep fryer at KMart for about $25 and enjoy deliciously greasy fried foods without leaving the house.
5. Animal Crossing is a fun and relaxing game.
6. I like British comedy shows such as The Office and Alan Partridge (though I'm fairly neutral to most of the ones on PBS)
7. It is possible to teach your dog to read.
8. Coming back from vacation can be more stressful than not going on vacation in the first place.
9. Dogs will eat anything, including the wall, and they think it's funny to run through barbed wire and slice their leg open.
10. I learned too well where the emergency vet clinic is and what it's like in there. ugh. But the puppy was not seriously hurt :-)

Adrianne Rodgers | January 8, 2007
Here's what I learned, shallow though it seems:

10. Bree from Desperate Housewives totally rules my world. (" If you think I'm going to discuss the dissolution of my marriage in a place where the restrooms are labeled 'Chicks' and 'Dudes', you're mistaken!")

9. Sometimes, you can get a better hamburger at good 'ol McDoogle's than a gourmet restaurant. ("Then, of course, our premiere burger, with Gruyere and goat cheese and carmelized onions.")

8. I AM the only person in the world who understands that Landover Baptist is a spoof site. ("You people are horrible, you should be arrested, what the hell is your problem yada yada yada.")

7. Flavor Flav is the original good time that was had by all. ( "I'm really feelin' you. I'm also feelin' Krazy. The two of you, man, I'm feelin' romantic about both of you.")

6. Reality TV shows have supernatural powers. They suck you in just like in Poltergeist, but you still hate them. ("Yeah, I'll be right over just as soon as I-
"Will Amanda and Michelle please step forward?"
"Um, actually, I'm kind of in the middle of something. See you in half an hour.")


5. The only substitute for good manners is fast reflexes. ( My best dance move is a little thing I like to call the Mad Dash To Save A Ming Vase)

4. The only time the world beats a path to your door is when you're in the bathroom. (How many freaking times do such a massive amount of people obliviously stumble through public restrooms while you happen to be using them, causing everyone and their mother to walk in on you while your ass is hovering over the Purple Lagoon?)

3. Don't judge a book by it's movie. [ The Shipping News, Ella Enchanted, 1984, The Grinch, Harry Potter, The Haunting, The Final Programme, Minority Report, Dracula, Time Machine, Tarzan The Ape Man, Lord of the Flies, The Wizard of Oz (for making a bad book seem like a good one)Series of Unfortunate Events, the whole freaking 101 Dalmations franchise (Those were my favorite books when I was a kid. Would it have killed them to first, be a little more faithful to the first book, and second, to maybe follow up on the author's sequel rather than pull one out of their asses?) Anne of Green Gables, I could go on forever. ]

2. If at first you don't succeed, parascending is probably not for you. (A cross between hang-gliding and suicide!)

1. Never try to out-stubborn a cat. ("Adrianne, did you slash your wrists in a fit of despondency, or lose a wrestling match with a rosebush or something?")

Anna Gregoline | January 8, 2007
1. It's fun and exciting and essential to try new things, even if those things are scary and/or illegal.

2. Never, EVER get a pet on a whim. Especially a cat someone is trying to get rid of within a weekend. And if you have another cat you've had for over 5 years, forget the idea even faster.

3. I took a CPR class so I've improved my lifesaving abilities.

4. Moving is a pain in the butt but sometimes it's a total blessing. Our new home is smaller, more efficient, and like a freaking zen garden compared to our last place. New surroundings spawn new ideas and new art.

5. I am an artist, primarily a visual one. Some of my friends might say, "Duh, Anna," but honestly, this is the first time I feel like I'm completely on the right track with my art and direction for life. I've never felt better.

6. Lying on a nude beach nude, with the ocean rushing around your hair is one of the best feelings imaginable.

7. Debt consolidation isn't as scary as it sounds. We are finally relaxed from bill stress and saving money every day.

8. Ruining sacred cows (like my wedding dress) with fake blood and being a zombie for a night is far more fun than one can imagine.

9. Work hard on what you love and you will accomplish much.

10. Take more road trips.

Aaron Shurtleff | January 8, 2007
1. Although you may be opinionated, that doesn't mean you have the ability to give honest criticism.

2. It's better to get over things rather than hold on to them. (OK, I haven't learned this yet, but it's on my list of things I should have learned!)

3. Friends are hard to find, and even harder to lose track of!

4. House is a really good show, even though I don't have time to watch it.

5. People make the same mistakes over and over, and they usually never know they are doing it, even if you point it out.

6. There is no normal. Anyone who tells you there is is probably after something.

7. It's not the end of the world to see a therapist, although some days are better than others.

8. It's harder to post in a blog than it is to write in a personal journal, but the strain on the hands is much less.

9. No one is going to do it for you, so you might as well get started on it yourself. (This has so many applications!!)

and

10. Sushi still tastes gross to me, but I never fail to try a new type/place, and I never fail to regret it. Seriously! Is there a limit on stupid, and why can't I stop myself for once?!

Michael Paul Cote | January 12, 2007
1. Theater of any type (even bad) is a positive outlet.

2. Karaoke falls into that realm also.

3. Be careful what you wish for because you might get it. (It's an old statement, but I learned how true it is.)

4. A nowhere job is better than no job.

5. The love of a child and the love for a child brings new enlightenment on a daily basis.

6. Even for an even tempered person, it is possible to go from having no feelings about someone to really despising them.

7. People are an unending source of surprise and amusement. (Knew this already but had it reinforced way too often to leave it off the list.)

8. Cats rule, dogs drool but guinea pigs love unconditionally.

9. Divorce doesn't have to end a friendship.

10. Good friends are still the best thing in the world. (Again, I knew this, but it was reinforced many times.)

Adrianne Rodgers | January 15, 2007
Cats rule, dogs drool but guinea pigs love unconditionally.

Man.....I'm stealing that one and making a bumper sticker out of it.

Kerry Odell | January 23, 2007
I. Integrity, character and other such virtues cannot be taught with words, but must me modeled in all situations, whether you think your kids are watching or not.

II. There is no substitute for helping someone unexpectedly. I found a wallet with $150 cash and several credit cards. I called the guy and returned it in tact, money and all, and made his day. Pretty cool.

III. Dogs rescued from shelters always come with issues and mine is no exception.

IV. After totalling 2 cars in 2 years through no fault of my own, I have received no money other than having both vehicles paid off. Sucks for sure, but coming out of both with little/no injuries is priceless.

V. Don't pour too much money into your vehicle...see IV.

VI. Sony makes a great head unit as mine still works after 2 wrecks.

VII. Children are a fast forward button for your life....pay attention.

VIII. Time is the best thing to spend lavishally on your family.

IX. How you treat people - strangers, friends and family - will come back to you in the same manner.

X. I can install car audio equipment as well as any teen working for best buy and for a whole lot less money - with the right resources! http://www.crutchfield.com

After thought: Half my list is taken up with my vehicle woes and I'm sure it looks like I'm obsessed, but after surviving this accident almost 2 years to the month from my previous one, I have a 2 year timer counting down in my head. By my calculations between Sep and Nov of 2008, I should be T boned. Plan for the worst, hope for the best!

Joe Ball | February 25, 2007
1. I can't let my wishbone be a replacement for my backbone.
2. Hope is not a strategy.
3. If I WANT something done -- jI'd better just do it myself.
4. After you get what you want, it's seldom what you expected...
5. The more things I put on my "to do" list the more things I will end up getting done--even though I never get all of them completed.
6. The most important things in life aren't things (but friends and family).
7. I will never hate winter as much as I do right now (until next year).
8. It is SO much easier to AVOID a mistake than to try to correct one.
9. If you can't laugh at YOURSELF leave the rest of us alone.
10. Smiling and knodding is often the BEST defense and/or offense.
*ok i DID cheat a little cuz most of these have taken much longer than just the year of 2006 to learn, but they have really hit home the last year.