13
Sep
Imp0rtant Skilz
Popular Mechanics: 25 Skills Every Man Should Know
1. Patch a radiator hose
2. Protect your computer
3. Rescue a boater who as capsized
4. Frame a wall
5. Retouch digital photos
6. Back up a trailer
7. Build a campfire
8. Fix a dead outlet
9. Navigate with a map and compass
10. Use a torque wrench
11. Sharpen a knife
12. Perform CPR
13. Fillet a fish
14. Maneuver a car out of a skid
15. Get a car unstuck
16. Back up data
17. Paint a room
18. Mix concrete
19. Clean a bolt-action rifle
20. Change oil and filter
21. Hook up an HDTV
22. Bleed brakes
23. Paddle a canoe
24. Fix a bike flat
25. Extend your wireless network
I’m probably better off waiting for Scientific American or Pez Weekly to come out with their lists before I get all down on myself about this (”12. Fix a candy jam”). As it is, I know I can do most of these.
There are problematic entries, though. For instance, “21. Hook up an HDTV”–I’ve never had an HDTV, so I don’t know if I can hook it up, but how hard can it be? Probably not hard; maybe I should count that one. As far as “19. Clean a bolt-action rifle” is concerned… why, every man should know how to do that! That goes without even listing! I hate it when my bolt-action rifles get all dirty. Varmints and curs go un-shot when that happens.
I haven’t “13. Fillet a fish” ‘d since my days as a cub scout, but I’m sure I could worry some calories out of a fish carcass if I were called upon to do so now. But “4. Frame a wall”? I don’t even know what that means. It’s never appeared on my to-do list. “8:30: stack a block. 10:15: frame a wall.”
I’m pretty sure I’ll muddle through my life somehow without ever having framed a wall.
Paddle a canoe? Rescue a boater who has capsized? Yeah, like I’m ever gonna need to know how to do that.
September 13th, 2007 at 9:59 pm