Things I have learned

Today is the anniversary of my arrival on this planet. No, I'm not an alien (really). I'm just not that big on birthdays. (Mine, that is - others' are fine.)

Having said that, today has started well. At midnight, my sweetie presented me with my first ever digital camera, and it's a beauty! As I sit at work twiddling my thumbs (and blogging) in between projects, I'm eyeing up the glimpses of winter sunshine from my desk and thinking that I'd much rather be outside trying out my new toy. Who knows - my Project 365 might yet live to see another day now that I have my own camera to play with. I'm also planning a baking bonanza tonight - hummingbird cupcakes and caramel slice is on the menu.

Apparently you can learn something new every day. Some days we learn more than one thing, but what happens on days where nothing substantial is learned? Does it just get added to the collective pearls of wisdom acquired from previous days? Can you be in credit if you learn lots of things on one day but then nothing for a while afterwards? Or in debt, needing to catch up if you haven't learned anything all week? And what if what you have learned is, ultimately, totally useless? Does it matter? Hmm.

Anyway, here are a few of the gems I have learned during the past few decades. They're hardly lifelong lessons, but some I've learned the hard way:

• Cheap nail polish from the $2 Shop works just as well as expensively branded nail polish that costs 7-8 times the price, so long as you apply it over a good base coat and finish it with a top coat. 
• I could easily live without a phone (cell or otherwise), but a cheerful ring tone helps ensure that I smile when the darn thing rings.
• Being polite and pretending to be appreciative of certain types of presents only leads to me receiving more of them. Over the years, I have received and 'stored' more talcum powder, fancy soaps, alcohol, handbags, and hand cream than I care to think about.
• I need to have several books on the go at once, or at least two or three as a backup just in case I finish reading my current book too soon. The Classics app on my iPod touch has helped allay some of my fears (27 books on hand). In the past, I've resorted to reading instruction manuals and encyclopedia entries if I've been caught short without a book! It's just how I am.
• There is more to life than increasing its speed (Mahatma Ghandi). It's true.
• I'd rather listen to the music in my head, or no music at all, than bad music. This is not always easy, especially when others insist on sharing their lack of musical taste with you.
• Anything less than real coffee is not worth even acknowledging. Instant coffee is parallel to tinned spaghetti or cheese in a tube. (I haven't tried cheese in a tube, but I'm just saying.) Don't do it.
• Gardening is not my thing. I love flowers, though.
• Some things never change. (That's not always a bad thing.)

What have you learned in your lifetime? What gems do you have to share?