2017 going on 2018

Things I've learned in the last year or so (in no particular order):

• If I blog on a vacation, I never get around to writing about the last day of the trip.
• My metabolism has officially given out, teaching me that loose shirts are a wonderful and flattering thing.
• Disneyland can help you recover from mild depressive episodes brought on by politics, news and/or celebrity death.
• Iceland is not always freezing, but it doesn't typically get hotter than 70 degrees F.
• Norway is full of trees, generally beautiful and has an amazingly long coastline.
• I should always read the price of a hotel room thoroughly. "Per person" is a nasty thing to find out later.
• Holding on tight to bad feelings, in the hopes of squashing them into nothing, will not make you feel better. Letting go is a much smarter option.
• Settlers of Catan is a fantastic game. So is Ticket to Ride, Stratego and Exploding Kittens (I'm still not sure about Bears vs Babies).
• As I get older, my body starts to feel worse in strange ways (numb/tingling limbs for one). Physical therapy is a life saver, but I need to maintain a strict practice of strength and flexibility training so I can extend my "good years" as long as possible.
• I am officially allergic to cold medicine (dextromethorphan) and even if I use alternative remedies to clear my stuffy nose, it will only make it worse over the course of the cold.
• Sudafed is my savior when I'm sick.
• I love my job. I love it so much that I find ways to do the same work in my personal life.
• Asking, "Why am I this way," is maybe the wrong question. "How can I be better?" is more forward thinking. The past got me here, but is not worth giving valuable "now" energy.
• Reading is so important. I read only two books this year and though I listened to many, many interesting audio books, there is nothing like reading to give you focus, open your mind, teach you new words, expand your imagination, distract you from yourself or general crap (Facebook, news, fake news, etc.)...
• For the fluffiest, yummiest scrambled eggs add salt to the raw eggs for 10 minutes before cooking, also add milk for creaminess and cook on a low/medium heat.
• It's the sugar in crepe batter that makes them brown up real nice.
• QVC is a lovely, mindless (yet entertaining) thing to leave on in the background and they stream three channels.
• Index Funds are a good thing to invest in.
• In my 20's, I generally hung out with my two closest male friends (affectionately known as "the boys"). In my 30's, most of them anyway, I spent a lot of time alone or trying to be alone with the occasional female friend here and there. Now that I'm rounding out my 30's, I'm spending a lot more time saying "yes" to friend-time and "yes" to being friends with women. I don't know what I'm learning from that yet, but it feels a lot more collaborative, supportive, soul quenching (does that sound right?).
• I enjoy Bordeaux or Cotes du Rhone.
• I enjoy gin gimlets on the rocks or straight up with lemon syrup and sage.
• You can have 40lb boxes of cat litter delivered to your house with free delivery (if you have Amazon Prime) and save your back the pain of lugging it around the store or in and out of your car.
• Cupping may leave bruises on your back that look like constellations, but it's worth it!
• Also worth it, spending $100 to fly to Portland, Seattle or LA to catch up with good/old friends for the weekend.
• I miss writing.
• I am a pretty good dancer, especially in the kitchen.
• Camping is great, when everybody splits ownership of meals and the weather is perfect.
• And finally -- I love talking to strangers. Hearing their life story in an hour or two. The highlights or low lights they chose to share. Love it!