First of all, I apologize for such a long, long gap between journal entries. My mood has been...random lately, but I'm still around. I figured I'd enlighten y'all with a few of the things I've learned (often the hard way) in my 27 or so years of life. (I'm not saying I'm smarter than anyone else, just that I've had some...interesting experiences in my life...) I'm also adding in some random sayings I think are wise...or not.

-No matter how good an idea it seems, DO NOT put regular dish soap in the dishwasher. (Unless you like bubbles...a LOT.) If you do, 3-4 tablespoons of vegetable shortening, some vinegar, and a couple dozen towels can suddenly be your best friend. (This happened late yesterday.)

-Make sure to read ALL the instructions BEFORE you start something. And when in doubt, read the bloody manual.

-If you get athlete's foot, treat it quickly. If it makes it to the underside of your toenail(s), you will regret it for years.

-No matter how old I get, it never fails to amaze me how awful poo smells. (My own, anyway. Only a vague idea of what other people's smells like.)

-Being lucky is better than being good. You only have to be lucky once; you have to be good all the time.

-There is no such thing as too much information. There are, however, some things I would give my right nut to forget. (Most of them are even less appropriate than the previous sentence.)

-In multiplayer first-person-shooters (i.e. Doom, HALO, etc,) do not stand in the doorway to reload. (Unless you want to be nice to the other team.)

-You don't actually have to be nice to EVERYBODY you meet in life, but at least be civil. Unless they're violent, in which case, the rules are more...difficult.

-A little bit of pain, applied properly, can motivate almost anybody. It may not motivate them to do what you wanted, though.

I'd keep going, but it's late, and I keep loosing my train of thought. I hope to write sooner, next time.