Things I've Learned: 2008
1) If someone gives you a good opportunity, they’ll be happy for you if you leave them for a better one.
2) Chance and luck account for a lot in this world, but so do skills and smarts.
3) The Walkmen, Bon Iver, Vampire Weekend, and Fleet Foxes make good music.
4) Despite what his Sun-Times writing may indicate, Rick Telander is a marvelous writer. Read Heaven is a Playground, then read it again.
5) Sometimes, things just don’t work out the way you’d envisioned.
6) Riding CTA trains, despite their delays and crowds, is sometimes the best 25 minutes of my day.
7) Jon Bois is wickedly funny, but he’s equally creative and equally good at writing, too.
8) Stick to your morals, values, and belief system, even if you’re the only one that feels that way. You’ll sleep better at night.
9) Look out for No. 1.
10) They give bloggers book deals.
11) Having a job you enjoy and a good roommate makes life a whole lot more tolerable.
12) If you’re interested, she’s probably got something wrong with her.
13) Losing weight is simple. Just eat better. And run.
14) Running a half-marathon in the fall makes running a 5K on Thanksgiving morning seem like a 400-meter dash.
15) Rock Band is far better than Guitar Hero. (Though, Guitar Hero: World Tour is pretty much the same thing as Rock Band.)
16) Be brief and simple in your writing. Write too much or too complex, and you’ll lose a reader.
