Concrete habits of smart people

 1. Writing down your thoughts and ideas sometimes

2. Reading

3. Doing mental exercises to shake up your thinking, such as purposely drawing an ugly picture or purposely wasting 5 minutes

4. Studying foreign languages

5. Sitting quietly doing nothing sometimes

6. Intentionally going on adventures, either physically, mentally, spiritually, or emotionally

7. Seeking out mostly high quality information, such as New York Times or Wall Street Journal over National Enquirer

8. Occasionally looking at low quality information as well just for perspective

The person who starts a book isn't always the same as the person who finishes it.

 You can try really hard to stay true to the original author, or you can come up with something of your own... something great.

Arms race, much like what happens amongst superpowers, continues

 In the Pacific, the U.S. is arming a few islands as a show of solidarity to allies and a rallying point for continued attention from foes and friends. It will likely dissipate as forces ebb and flow and turn to other issues. 

This has been an edition of Boring News. We Unsensationalize News.

You can't put a limit on my Unlimited Sip Club!

 I know I like to think that I'm immune to the stuff, closer to the truth I say I can't get enough, I'm gonna have to face it I'm addicted to soda. I drank about 8 cans a day, plus two cups of coffee. I read Allen Carr's The Easy Way to Quit Caffeine, but I was treatment resistant. I talked to therapists, psychiatrists, family, friends, healers, and AA members. I was one of those unfortunate souls.

Then, I found the answer in the Unlimited Sip Club. They have a deal where you get Unlimited free soda and coffee for $10.99 a month. I signed up and saved 18 dollars a day, or about $328,000 dollars over my lifespan.

They don't like me too much over there, but I stuck it to the man.

Thinking inc.

Comment a thought of yours. I will think about it for at least 5 minutes undistractedly. I won't offer any advice, but I will process it in my mind.

What happened when I switched from soda and coffee to coffee alone

 I used to drink 8 diet cokes a day and 6 cups of coffee a day. I went cold turkey on the soda while keeping the coffee. I usually drink coffee black, so it's fairly healthy. Here is the breakdown of effects:

Day 0: I felt great, and my mood improved.

Day 1: I slept well last night.. I felt increased energy at noon. I'm a better conversationalist, and I'm content. I have slight withdrawal in the form of tiredness, mental fog, low motivation, and irritability now. That is coming from the absence of artificial sweeteners.

Day 2: I woke up and my mom offered me tea, perhaps because I didn't drink all of her sodas recently. My dad too was nice. I woke up at 7:30 AM instead of the usual 11 AM when I'm off from teaching. That's good because for someone like me who is completely insane, sleep hygiene is important. I drank another black coffee today, studied Yiddish and Spanish, meditated, and texted my fiancé. It's 9:18 AM.

Don't watch the clock as a teacher

 Set an alarm telling you when class is almost over, and if you glance at the clock that's OK. Being overeager as a speaker makes you nervous. Focus on the content and thoroughness  more than time.