Lessons learned in 2008

That last cheese post reminded me that I started a list of things I learned in 2008. Here is part one:

• Don’t panic when you get tumbled in the surf. Focus on holding your breath and relaxing until the churn dies down and you can calmly swim to the surface. Panicking will quickly lead to exhaustion and much prayer.
• Heat threshold (tolerance to spiciness) is something you acquire. Trying to get anyone in Bangkok to give an American a really hot dish is next to impossible.
• Whole house audio is hard. Running audio and video through a new house will take five times longer than what a newbie would expect.
• Swimming is hard. Especially in open water.
• Jack Russells are designed exclusively to find holes in fences.
• Traveling to a foreign country (with a distinct cuisine) during the first trimester of a woman’s pregnancy will instill a lingering food aversion.
• Cheese, especially strong ones, will give you strange dreams.
• I (and most people) sleep in 90 minute cycles. If I set my alarm for 6, 7.5, or 9 hours, waking up is so much easier.
• When camping, sleep in the same tent as the sleep talker. The payoff is huge.
• Clean your air filter on your furnace regularly.
• Hire out drywall work. You can DIY it, but it is not worth it if it’s anything bigger than one 8 x 4 sheet.
• Sometimes going the furthest from civilization is more work than it’s worth. And sometimes it’s definitely worth it.
• I need to travel to Japan.
• Burnt garlic is a no go. Start over.
• Don’t marinade beef for too long. Sometimes plain salt is best. Flip once. Let rest for at least 5 minutes, 10 would be better. A pat of butter on top before serving makes a world the difference.
• When starting to running regime, the first two miles are the hardest. “Runner’s high” is real but elusive.
• There are advantages to reproducing.

Stay tuned for part two….