Tuesday, June 10, 2008

It's A Long Post

I stumbled upon this and thought it was interesting. Hope I know how to do them all.

50 Things Everyone Should Know How To Do

Self-reliance is a vital key to living a healthy, productive life. To be self-reliant one must master a basic set of skills, more or less making them a jack of all trades. Contrary to what you may have learned in school, a jack of all trades is far more equipped to deal with life than a specialized master of only one.

While not totally comprehensive, here is a list of 50 things everyone should know how to do.

1. Build a Fire – Fire produces heat and light, two basic necessities for living. At some point in your life this knowledge may be vital. SORT OF CHECK

2. Operate a Computer – Fundamental computer knowledge is essential these days. Please, help those in need. MOSTLY CHECK

3. Use Google Effectively – Google knows everything. If you’re having trouble finding something with Google, it’s you that needs help. I'M JUST STARTING TO REALIZE I KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT GOOGLE BEYOND THE SEARCH ENGINE. GOOGLE REALLY DOES DO EVERYTHING.

4. Perform CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver – Someday it may be your wife, husband, son or daughter that needs help. USED-TA-COULD - 15:2, IS THAT THE RIGHT RATIO?

5. Drive a Manual Transmission Vehicle – There will come a time when you’ll be stuck without this knowledge. CHECK!

6. Do Basic Cooking – If you can’t cook your own steak and eggs, you probably aren’t going to make it. VERY BASIC, YES... BUT A CHECK NONE THE LESS!

7. Tell a Story that Captivates People’s Attention – If you can’t captivate their attention, you should probably just save your breath. HMMM...

8. Win or Avoid a Fistfight – Either way, you win. DO VIDEO GAMES COUNT? IF THEY DO, I STILL LOSE.

9. Deliver Bad News – Somebody has got to do it. Unfortunately, someday that person will be you. CHECK. I REALLY DO THIS PRETTY WELL, IN A BUSINESS SENSE ANYWAY.

10. Change a Tire – Because tires have air in them, and things with air in them eventually pop. YIKES, NO CHECK THERE

11. Handle a Job Interview – I promise, sweating yourself into a nervous panic won’t land you the job. OOOH, CHECK!

12. Manage Time – Not doing so is called wasting time, which is okay sometimes, but not all the time. WAHOO! CHECK AGAIN!

13. Speed Read – Sometimes you just need the basic gist, and you needed it 5 minutes ago. NOT SO MUCH, WHO REALLY NEEDS THIS THOUGH? IS TIME REALLY SO EXTINCT THESE DAYS THAT I HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING SO FAST? EVEN READING?

14. Remember Names – Do you like when someone tries to get your attention by screaming “hey you”? CHECK CHECK!!

15. Relocate Living Spaces – Relocating is always a little tougher than you originaly imagined. TRIPLE CHECK!!!

16. Travel Light – Bring only the necessities. It’s the cheaper, easier, smarter thing to do. HALF CHECK?

17. Handle the Police – Because jail isn’t fun… and neither is Bubba. JAIL, PUHLEASE! IT'S TRAFFIC TICKETS I CAN TALK MY WAY OUT OF, CHECK!

18. Give Driving Directions – Nobody likes driving around in circles. Get this one right the first time. DEFINITELY CHECK!

19. Perform Basic First Aid – You don’t have to be a doctor, or genius, to properly dress a wound. THANK YOU DAD AND GIRLS CAMP, CHECK!

20. Swim – 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. Learning to swim might be a good idea. CHECK!

21. Parallel Park – Parallel parking is a requirement on most standard driver’s license driving tests, yet so many people have no clue how to do it. How could this be? DO YOU HAVE AN HOUR? BUT, CHECK!

22. Recognize Personal Alcohol Limits – Otherwise you may wind up like this charming fellow. I DO RECOGNIZE MY LIMIT. CHECK!

23. Select Good Produce – Rotten fruits and vegetables can be an evil tease and an awful surprise. "HOW CAN YOU TELL IF FRUIT IS RIPE? YOU SEE PEOPLE ROLLING MELONS DOWN THE ISLE- OH NO, THAT ONE'S DRIFTING A LITTLE TOO THE RIGHT..." SURE, I GUESS MY FRUIT IS ALWAYS PRETTY RIPE... CHECK!

24. Handle a Hammer, Axe or Handsaw – Carpenters are not the only ones who need tools. Everyone should have a basic understanding of basic hand tools. NOT A CHECK

25. Make a Simple Budget – Being in debt is not fun. A simple budget is the key. CHECK-ISH?

26. Speak at Least Two Common Languages – Only about 25% of the world’s population speaks English. It would be nice if you could communicate with at least some of the remaining 75%. ME LLAMO MELANIE, SOY ALTA, ESTOY DIVERTIDO, TENGO BENTE Y TRES ANOS.

27. Do Push-Ups and Sit-Ups Properly – Improper push-ups and sit-ups do nothing but hurt your body and waste your time. YEAH RIGHT

28. Give a Compliment – It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give someone, and it’s free. CHECK!

29. Negotiate – The better deal is only a question or two away. CHUH, ECK!

30. Listen Carefully to Others – The more you listen and the less you talk, the more you will learn and the less you will miss. DOES NOT SAYING CHECK ONLY MEAN I AM A POOR LISTENER? I THINK I AM SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN. C-H-E-C-K, I'M ABOUT AT THE 'E'

31. Recite Basic Geography – If you don’t know where anything is outside of your own little bubble, most people will assume (and they are probably correct) that you don’t know too much at all. YEAH, CHECK!

32. Paint a Room – The true cost of painting is 90% labor. For simple painting jobs it makes no sense to pay someone 9 times what it would cost you to do it yourself. THIS IS SOMETHING I WANT TO CHECK OFF SO BADLY, IT HURTS!

33. Make a Short, Informative Public Speech – At the next company meeting if your boss asks you to explain what you’ve been working on over the last month, a short, clear, informative response is surely your best bet. “Duhhh…” will not cut it. I'VE NEVER EVEN HAD THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THIS.

34. Smile for the Camera – People that absolutely refuse to smile for the camera suck! CHEESE AND CHECK!

35. Flirt Without Looking Ridiculous – There is a fine line between successful flirting and utter disaster. If you try too hard, you lose. If you don’t try hard enough, you lose. OH, FLIRTING, FUN. CHECK!

36. Take Useful Notes – Because useless notes are useless, and not taking notes is a recipe for failure. 7TH - 11TH GRADE WAS FULL OF USEFUL NOTE TAKING. CHECK!

37. Be a Respectful House Guest – Otherwise you will be staying in a lot of hotels over the years. I THINK SO, CHECK!

38. Make a Good First Impression – Aristotle once said, “well begun is half done.” SURE? CHECK?

39. Navigate with a Map and Compass – What happens when the GPS craps out and you’re in the middle of nowhere? CHECK!

40. Sew a Button onto Clothing – It sure is cheaper than buying a new shirt. CHECK!

41. Hook Up a Basic Home Theater System – This isn’t rocket science. Paying someone to do this shows sheer laziness. CHECK!

42. Type – Learning to type could save you days worth of time over the course of your lifetime. CHECK!

43. Protect Personal Identity Information – Personal identity theft is not fun unless you are the thief. Don’t be careless. THANKS MATT, CHECK!

44. Implement Basic Computer Security Best Practices – You don’t have to be a computer science major to understand the fundamentals of creating complex passwords and using firewalls. Doing so will surely save you a lot of grief someday.

45. Detect a Lie – People will lie to you. It’s a sad fact of life. CHECK!

46. End a Date Politely Without Making Promises – There is no excuse for making promises you do not intend to keep. There is also no reason why you should have to make a decision on the spot about someone you hardly know. ABSOLUTELY USED TO BE SO GOOD AT THIS, CHECK!

47. Remove a Stain – Once again, it’s far cheaper than buying a new one. A USEFUL TIP, AND ONE I'LL BE LOOKING INTO. BUT FOR NOW, NO CHECK

48. Keep a Clean House – A clean house is the foundation for a clean, organized lifestyle. CHECK!

49. Hold a Baby – Trust me, injuring a baby is not what you want to do. CHECK!

50. Jump Start a Car – It sure beats walking or paying for a tow truck. CHECK!

Written FYI By at

1 comment:

Tracy said...

And I always thought Mary Poppins said "Well begun is half done." You know, before they tidied up the nursery.

9:30 AM, June 11, 2008

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