User Panel
User Panel
User Panel
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 7:33:43 AM EDT
[#1]
I would have to agree with this.
There are many among us that would merely be useless mouths to feed if forced to be productive by themselves. Find yourself some useful hobbies. I am an amatuer blacksmith...that hobby has paid for several thousand dollars worth of tools, and a few firearms as well! |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 7:40:15 AM EDT
[#2]
As Red Green says:
"If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy!" [smash] |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 7:40:21 AM EDT
[#3]
My neighbors asked where I got the electronic keypad for my garage door. I told them Home Depot, about $30.
They asked "how much installed?" I said "it's only 2 screws" They asked "how much installed?" I said "it's only 2 screws" They said "you don't understand, WE don't do that kind of thing" They think I'm a miracle worker for changing my own oil. They always ask things like "how do you know how to do that". Don't even ask about brake work and stuff, that's like NASA rocket science to them. Now, multiply that couple by the 134 townhouses in the neighborhood, and you get an idea how bad it's gotten. Almost nobody cleans their house, they have mobile auto service fix the car, car detailers come out for the wash and wax, painters, gutter cleaners, wall paperers, blind & window dressing installers, etc.... You could make a small fortune being a handiman in my neighborhood. And it's not like we're in a rich neighborhood, we're only in $200~ish townhouses. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 7:42:55 AM EDT
[#4]
Quoted: My neighbors asked where I got the electronic keypad for my garage door. I told them Home Depot, about $30. They asked "how much installed?" I said "it's only 2 screws" They asked "how much installed?" I said "it's only 2 screws" They said "you don't understand, WE don't do that kind of thing" They think I'm a miracle worker for changing my own oil. They always ask things like "how do you know how to do that". Don't even ask about brake work and stuff, that's like NASA rocket science to them. Now, multiply that couple by the 134 townhouses in the neighborhood, and you get an idea how bad it's gotten. Almost nobody cleans their house, they have mobile auto service fix the car, car detailers come out for the wash and wax, painters, gutter cleaners, wall paperers, blind & window dressing installers, etc.... You could make a small fortune being a handiman in my neighborhood. And it's not like we're in a rich neighborhood, we're only in $200~ish townhouses. Yeah, geesh, fight4, I think I'd say "Special for you? Only $20." |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 7:44:57 AM EDT
[#5]
Quoted: My neighbors asked where I got the electronic keypad for my garage door. I told them Home Depot, about $30. They asked "how much installed?" I said "it's only 2 screws" They asked "how much installed?" I said "it's only 2 screws" They said "you don't understand, WE don't do that kind of thing" They think I'm a miracle worker for changing my own oil. They always ask things like "how do you know how to do that". Don't even ask about brake work and stuff, that's like NASA rocket science to them. Now, multiply that couple by the 134 townhouses in the neighborhood, and you get an idea how bad it's gotten. Almost nobody cleans their house, they have mobile auto service fix the car, car detailers come out for the wash and wax, painters, gutter cleaners, wall paperers, blind & window dressing installers, etc.... You could make a small fortune being a handiman in my neighborhood. And it's not like we're in a rich neighborhood, we're only in $200~ish townhouses. Exactly the mentality I'm talking about. When I lived in a Townhouse development my wife would sometimes mow the lawn. (yes the whole 30'X15' thing). Judging by the idignant stares of the "Ladies of Ashburn" you'd think I'd turned her out on 14th street. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 7:52:34 AM EDT
[#6]
I think our culture has promoted specialization to the extreme. Most folks think "my time is too valuable to do that. I'm better off hiring it done"
Well, that's true to an extent. Why not pay $10/hr to get the lawn mowed when you can go to work and earn $30/hr? But that presupposes that you can actually earn the $30/hr. Most of us don't get overtime, so we can't trade lawnmowing hours with work hours. Ultimately, it makes us a pretty weak people. As the scifi writer Heinlein says, "specialization is for insects" |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 7:59:22 AM EDT
[#7]
I'm only 24 and I see it all around me, most guys my age can't do shit, changing oil is too much for them. I can see it in a lot of the older ones too but the ones younger than me are even worse reliance is easier than...well doing anything. I'm an office worker too, doesn't mean I can't do stuff, I've dropped small-blocks and put together ARs from parts on lunch hour before. I've been talking the past week to another guy up here whose dad owns a lumber yard about buying some hardwood to build a bed, everybody else is like What?? how do you do that?? (you cut pieces the right size and put them together dumbass) why don't you just buy one? why do you need those assault weapons anyway we have police here ya know? I don't consider myself special for knowing how to do those things, THEY'RE FREAKING SIMPLE.
Once again I'm going to blame baby-boomers, reliant, weak "entitled" dumbshits who've never had to do a g.d. thing in their lives except amassing the right brands of posessions and have passed this along to their children and f#cked up our whole country. At least most of them will die off crying "why doesn't somebody DO something FOR ME?" if you guys's mythical s really did htf. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 8:01:43 AM EDT
[#8]
If you are conspiracy minded, I think it's all part of the feminization of our culture, plus it promotes a dependency on the authorities.
My aforementioned neighbors own a pistol. I'm all too certain they would gladly turn it in at the back of the FEMA truck to get their rations when the time comes. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 8:04:07 AM EDT
[#9]
Quoted: [url]http://love.msn.com/men/article1.asp[/url] I've seen articles on this before and can't help but think how it applies to some of my friends. I'm also constantly suprised by the number of guys around me that can't fix or build ANYTHING. If something doesn't work like it should, they just stare blankly and haven't a clue. I too work in an office and never break a sweat at work, but I'm not completely clueless like a lot of guys I'm aquainted with. I'm no trained mechanic, but I can at least change oil, brakepads, etc. I keep up a Truck, 2 Harleys and do some maintence on a light plane I have an interest in. I'm also no carpenter, but I could build a decent outbuilding, deck or do basic home repairs or improvements. To me, these are basic skills all men should possess. I seems like a lot of males today are not learning any really productive skills and are indeed pre-occupied with preening. I can honestly say the only things I have ever had to have done by a "professional" were things I couldn't justify the cost of the tools I would need to do it with one exception. IE. a Lift would be nice, but I don't work on as many cars as I used to just my own. A tire machine would be fantastic. buy why when the guy down the road charges me $5 a piece to mount and balance. The exception being next time we need a roof, you wont see me up there doing it. If you get me up there good luck getting me down.. I am not a ladder person. hights are not a problem, but ladders I dont like. If I gut one of thos big cherry pickers I would go up there but not justifyable since I will only use it a few times... but all in all there isn't a whole lot that I can't do. Including raise my 3 1/2 year old son. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 8:08:44 AM EDT
[#10]
I'll offer an opposing view. I work about 50-60 hours a week at my job and maybe another 10 or, more during the pre-election months, doing political consulting and charity work. All told that accounts for about 12 hours of my day, nearly EVERY day. Assuming that I can get by on six hours of sleep a night, that leaves me about six hours per day to do everything else - errands, chores, time with my fiance and her family and a little relaxtion.
Last week all the leaves came down from the trees at my fiance's townhouse. I told her I would handle it. After getting into the office at 8:00, coming home at 7:00, I spent two hours doing the backyard and two hours the next night doing the front. Four hours to rake the leaves, four hours I did not have to do anything else - go to the range, read, spend time with Shelby, play with my dog or a few extra hours consulting before today's elections (which pays anywhere from $25-$75 and hour depending upon the client and/or the race). I could have hired the neighbor's kid to do it for $20. Yup, did it myself, and I was foolish to do so. I could change my own oil, but it isn't worth the mess or the time. I can change a tire, but if I'm in a business suit believe me I'm calling AAA. I can't do brakes, and to be honest, I don't want to. Although given the amount of money I've spent on brakes in the past 10 years on my car maybe I should. I am also not an exterminator, and when the yellow jackets in our attic chewed through the ceiling this summer and there were more than a thousand of them in one of the bedrooms, I called an exterminator. I can still take care of myself. I know basic agriculture, can hunt and fish, know how to build emergency shelters as well as long term shelter, know basic field medicine, can keep most of my firearms running - although I don't trust myself to make alterations to the original design. As adults are forced to work longer hours to get ahead or even keep their jobs, I can't begrudge somebody who wants to spend what little time they have out of the workplace pursuing other things. Besides, our decision to hire others is the backbone of our economy. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 8:08:49 AM EDT
[#11]
'Cause we like the underwear???!!![whacko] (It's so soft and SILKY!!!)
[b][size=1]Don Out[/size=1][/b] [b][size=4][red]AIRBORNE! 2/505 PIR H-MINUS[/red][/size=4][/b] [i]You might be Airborne if... you Stand up and Yell "Sound off for equipment check" after the stewardess finishes giving seat belt operating instructions on a commercial flight. - Michael A. Andrascik III[/i] |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 8:11:32 AM EDT
[#12]
I've been talking the past week to another guy up here whose dad owns a lumber yard about buying some hardwood to build a bed, everybody else is like What?? how do you do that?? (you cut pieces the right size and put them together dumbass) why don't you just buy one? why do you need those assault weapons anyway we have police here ya know? I don't consider myself special for knowing how to do those things, THEY'RE FREAKING SIMPLE. The problem is that people don't even know how to cut them out or put them together. You tell them, yeah, I built a cherry wood hope chest for my girlfriend and then inlaid walnut in the lid, they look at you like you turned coal into diamonds. Those of us that do it aren't supprised, but the ones that have never done it are totally clueless. Maybe its time for them to quit whining about our guns and learn a trade of their own. Ice |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 8:12:33 AM EDT
[#13]
A smart person once said if you want to blend in ride the bus. Commonsense is worth more now than ever. Be a rifleman not a cook.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 8:26:26 AM EDT
[#14]
Quoted: I'll offer an opposing view. I work about 50-60 hours .... I can't do brakes, and to be honest, I don't want to. Although given the amount of money I've spent on brakes in the past 10 years on my car maybe I should. I am also not an exterminator, and when the yellow jackets in our attic chewed through the ceiling this summer and there were more than a thousand of them in one of the bedrooms, I called an exterminator. I can still take care of myself. I know basic agriculture, can hunt and fish, know how to build emergency shelters as well as long term shelter, know basic field medicine, can keep most of my firearms running - although I don't trust myself to make alterations to the original design. As adults are forced to work longer hours to get ahead or even keep their jobs, I can't begrudge somebody who wants to spend what little time they have out of the workplace pursuing other things. Besides, our decision to hire others is the backbone of our economy. Points taken, and I don't argue that you should always take on every task yourself. I too often choose to pay someone for these types of tasks, both because I value my free time, and as someone else pointed out, sometimes the tools needed for even for tasks we'd like to do make it cost prohibitive to handle ourselves. (I can think of some gun related things that fall into this category.) What I am really talking about is the complete cluelessness and the pre-occupation with gym built physiques, facial products and hair care. It seems a lot of men today have more in common with women of the 50's, than with men of previous generations. How the hell do you even hire someone to do a job if you have no idea how it should be done? |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 8:38:56 AM EDT
[#15]
I don't know - maybe you can help....
[url]http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?id=67601[/url] |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 8:42:31 AM EDT
[#16]
How about the people who buy monstrous 4x4 sport utility vehicles and then won't use them to haul cargo because they don't want to get them dirty?
|
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 8:46:23 AM EDT
[#17]
Quoted: How about the people who buy monstrous 4x4 sport utility vehicles and then won't use them to haul cargo because they don't want to get them dirty? Worse yet... a pickup truck with a bed liner... we have a few of those around here, they won't haul a sheet of plywood in the thing... |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 8:57:52 AM EDT
[#18]
I can't blame anyone for not doing involved engine work. These days they make cars such that you can't work on it yourself unless you've got a few thousand dollars worth of tools, not to mention classroom training.
That said, knowing how to change a flat, change oil, brakes, filters (oil,fuel,air), and understanding the basic operation of an engine are things that you should know about. Heck, its fun! Whether or not you pay someone else to do it is another issue. We all must learn how to allocate our resources effectively. If you have more money than time you may be better off paying for a new table rather than spending a few days laboring in the garage making your own. Theres also the cost of tools - why would I spend $100 on tools alone when I can just buy an already preassembled table for half the price? |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 9:00:55 AM EDT
[#19]
Quoted: Worse yet... a pickup truck with a bed liner... we have a few of those around here, they won't haul a sheet of plywood in the thing... Guy in my office is like that, leased a 2001 F-250 4x4 with a V10, extended cab, yada yada. He had the dealer put in a bedliner _and_ a tonneau cover, if he actually puts anything in there its usually wrapped in a movers pad to boot... He's an IT tech that lives in an apartment, only hobby is computers. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 9:10:29 AM EDT
[#20]
Quoted: That said, knowing how to change a flat, change oil, brakes, filters (oil,fuel,air), and understanding the basic operation of an engine are things that you should know about. Heck, its fun! Some places where people live, they cannot work on cars. It is against the rules of their community. This is yet another reason why people don't work on their cars anymore. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 9:28:23 AM EDT
[#21]
Society in itself is changing. The elitisim of the wealthy is filtering down the social ladder. It's simply an extension of the same reason that many white collar workers feel superior to blue collar. Many feel that it's beneath their dignity to do such jobs, and they are willing to spend some disposable income to that end.
I make very good money, yet I do most of my own auto work and handyman chores. Why (in order of importance)? 1. I get to control the quality of materials 2. I get to control the quality of the job 3. It's cheaper 4. Even though it may be work, it's still valuable life experience With the exception of a few people I know, most who claim "no time" really mean "don't want to put in the effort". In fact the only one I know that actually has "no time" is Black Fox. I'm not talking about Hiramranger here, just the people I personally know in real life. Most people who appreciate (not just like) firearms are resourceful people as a character trait. Unless it is not feasable to do a task by what we consider a valid reason, that very attribute will cause most of us to do the task ourselves. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 9:57:27 AM EDT
[#22]
I have a Chilton manual and do most of my own auto repairs that are within my means. This past weekend I performed the 60,000 miles service on my Olds Cutlass. I replace all of the filters, changed the spark plugs, changed the oil and filter and replaced the serpentine belt. Next weeked I hope to flush the radiator and changed the tranny filter and fluid. My wife is so happy because of all the money we save from having the dealer do it and we know that it is done right the first time!
I think that most people don't want to spend the money for tools, then they are afraid of messing something up and having it cost more in the long run. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 9:59:24 AM EDT
[#23]
Quoted: I can change a tire, but if I'm in a business suit believe me I'm calling AAA. I have. In a rush for the airport to make a flight. I think I changed the tire on the rental car in about 3.5 minutes flat. My neighbors call AAA to our neighborhood to change a tire. I rotate my own in the driveway. It's a tough choice at times. I tried replacing my rotors last time. Usually an easy job, but they were so frozen it took the shop hours of drilling to replace them. Money well spent. I do prefer to try and do things myself for all the reasons Driftpunch articulated. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 10:29:54 AM EDT
[#24]
Sounds right, I have a few friends that probably can't or won't change a tire without calling AAA. There is a new HBO series called "Curb your enthusiasm", staring Larry David. He's the real "George" behind the TV series "Seinfeld". In a recent episode, he gets a flat on his Mercedes and is to much of an DORK to change the tire by himself. The funny part was that he ended up all grubby from the road grime and couldn't get anyone to help him out. He even chased a few people with money trying to get someone to help. The complete lack of concern from strangers passing by was hilarious. They all had that look on their faces = What the hell is wrong you? Are you retarded or something?
I just installed mud flaps, a grill guard and side steps on my Jeep. Why pay someone $100 an hour to do something that only requires a drill and a couple wrenches. I had to remove the tires and I retorqued all the lugs to the proper foot pounds and pattern. I am not a carpenter either but I have built a entire 2 story garage with my dad from the ground up with electricity, a shingled roof and a roll up door. It was up to code and passed inspection with flying colors. We over built it a bit. It's sad when you see some of your friends call in the Apartment complex handyman just to install a set of shelves or hang a plant. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 10:40:28 AM EDT
[#25]
Quoted: I don't know - maybe you can help.... [url]http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?id=67601[/url] Sorry, I can help if you have any problems with your Evo top end though. Perhaps if you spent the money for a service manual for you vehicle, it would address these types of specifics. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 11:11:51 AM EDT
[#26]
It's called the "Dumbing down of America".
A good example is the majority of my posts.[:D] |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 11:12:13 AM EDT
[#27]
I've seen a prime example of this on the Kel-Tec mailing list. On one of their models, the hole drilled in the recoil spring catch is simply too large. Twice, I've had the recoil spring get stuck between the guide and the catch, causing a hard to clear stoppage. I posted asking for help fabricating a new catch. I got several responses of this "don't fix it yourself" type. One was, "Is this a joke?" OK, making a replacement part that works better than the misdesigned factory part is a joke. Or, "Who do you think you are kidding?" Stating that I'm trying to fix something myself must be an obvious deception? Or, "just get the range officer to fix it when it happens." OK, so if I have this happen in a self-defense situation, I'll just ask the bad guy to wait while I go find someone to help me. Or, "I don't understand why you persist in trying to diagnose/repair/rebuild." Because I can't afford to buy another pistol, and even if I did, I wouldn't buy another simply because of one small problem.
To make it one step worse, the guys on the list keep suggesting calling someone named Carolyn at Kel-Tec. I've talked to her three times, and I haven't made it past the "when you are trying to fire the gun, are you sure there is a round in the chamber" type of questions. Doesn't anybody fix anything anymore?z |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 11:14:43 AM EDT
[#28]
Being mechanically inclined has its pluses and minuses.
On the positive side, my wife appreciates me more when she talks to her friends and coworkers. Some of their husbands don't know the working end of a monkey wrench. She brags on me, which kinda makes me feel good. [:)] On the negative side, sometimes she overestimates my capabilities. I can do anything with the older cars but the newer cars need special tools and diagnostic equipment. I know my limitations. In those cases, I'm the one who takes the car to a mechanic because I know enough not to get screwed over. Then there's the "honeydoos." Next on my "honey do" list is to sand and refinish a computer desk in the garage. I have an incentive though, because I can't stand the one we're using now. If I'm a good boy and do that maybe Santa will be nice to me this year. [:)] |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 11:22:45 AM EDT
[#29]
Quoted: Perhaps if you spent the money for a service manual for you vehicle, it would address these types of specifics. What R U??? A dufus??? A schmegma??? (obscure SNL reference) REAL men don't get "directions." Haven't U been payin' attention to this whole thread??? Readin' the stinkin' directions is fer girly-men. [}:D] [:D] |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 11:34:10 AM EDT
[#30]
If you have been drinking milk, eating ice cream, eating pizzas with double tops and 8 kindsa cheese...you have been ingesting female hormones....yes thats right...
Bovine growth hormone...aka rBGH r BST...a female hormone..bathing your endocrine system in it..and changing your physiology...girls these days are maturing much earlier one of the culprits may very well be rBGH...as well as other (udder) additives...these taken at an earlier age may very well change boys into somewhat less of the men God had intended them to be...may also be responsible to increases of several types of cancer including testicular as well as prostate..If secondary sex charateristics are changed one could extrapolate and imagine that psycho-sexual behaviours and cognitions could also be effected..twenty or thirty years of ingesting female hormones I cant say this is a fact ..but there is evidence to suggest it...solution..look for the non rBGH and rBST labels on milk and dairy products...do a google search on rBGH check it out for yourself...my .02 |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 11:40:12 AM EDT
[#31]
Why? Its the freaking feminists and the schools. They are spewing this lovey dovey crap.
Anyway, I do stuff myself. I don't know alot about cars, but I got a Haynes book for mine, an taught myself how to keep up the maintianence on it. My hobby is computers. I put em togther, fix em, etc. In fact, this week I fixed the sound on my iBook- I broke off a coil, so I soldered a new one back on. I was doing this at college in my student government office, and everybody was looking at me strange. But the plus side was a woman said she was impressed. And I've been pining for her lately. [:D] |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 11:49:10 AM EDT
[#32]
liberty of 76:
get the woman. post pics |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 12:50:02 PM EDT
[#33]
Ah, yes, I am a true renassance man...
I can do most anything around the house, and like most guys here, tend to attempt to balance my own value against the possible cost of having someone else do it. Of course that gets into an area where I also have to put some sort of value on the "impression" factor. How much will doing this impress the wife. Cars have gotten a bit much lately though... I'm starting to get old, and slow down a bit, but there are still things I can do that my wife says "how did you know what to do?" Of course, I was fortunate enough to have a father that did a lot of this kind of stuff, I am mechanically inclined, and really don't mind making a mess of things - expecially if I learn how to do it next time (even if there moght not be a next time). Of course it shows, I don't have a degree either, and yet I earn a really good living (better than a lot of my 4 year degreed friends) - why? Because I work at it, and don't take failure as an ending - I look at it as a beginning. Which brings us around to the meat of this question. Yes, America has become "feminized". The American male is so far gone (for the most part) that he's afraid to fail at anything - it shows him to be weak. BS! I say - even the founding fathers failed at their first attempt to create a country! Having learned from that, they built the foundation of the greatest nation on the face of the earth! BTW, anyone here recall the song by The New Colony 6 - "Dandy, Handy Man?" - my wife says it reminds her of me :) |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 12:58:12 PM EDT
[#34]
[s]Cave[/s] Condo dwellers are the worst, followed by townhouse monkeys. Homeowners are better...unless they rent, then they are worse than [s]Cave[/s] Condo dwellers.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 1:01:01 PM EDT
[#35]
Call me a good old sexest pig, but the only thing I would like to change about my appearance is that I would like to appear on top of a cute horny red-headed woman. And guess what ladies, I'm still single!
|
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 1:01:10 PM EDT
[#36]
Quoted: Quoted: Perhaps if you spent the money for a service manual for you vehicle, it would address these types of specifics. What R U??? A dufus??? A schmegma??? (obscure SNL reference) REAL men don't get "directions." Haven't U been payin' attention to this whole thread??? Readin' the stinkin' directions is fer girly-men. [}:D] [:D] Hey, I resemble that remark. I said BUY the book I didn't say crap about readin' it. That's why I had to take my Harley apart and reassemble it 3 freakin' times just to change the tanks and fenders! If I'd read the damn service manual, I'd have known that tab "A" has to go in to slot "B" first or widget #32 will never go back on. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 1:10:33 PM EDT
[#37]
Not this MAN! Lets see, I do every thing. Fix my car? You bet. Even though its German, I can speak the language all the way down to the electronics. I have all the tools and the electronic gizmo that enables my laptop to communicate with the car's computer only cost $200.00. The laptop is 8 years old yet it sports a homemade NiMH pack that is nearly three times the original capacity. 10 hour runtime on a laptop? You bet!
On the homeside, I just repaired a support column on my porch that was rotten on the bottom. I did it with only a $3.00 bag of ready mix concrete. Oh yes, the forms were hastily cut with a chainsaw, sealed with duct tape and the pour came out perfect! A similar yet unusable pedastal at the local home improvement store retailed for $4.75. I prepare my own food and the only shortcut would be my bread machine. My bread machine is fed a receipe that I have long committed to memory. No premixes there! Thank G-d hunting season is here. I much rather hunt, kill, process and cook wild game than buy contaminated meats from a store. My lawn? 30 minutes of my time plus a good aerobic work-out. Membership in a gym would be at least $50 a month so I figure I am saving at least the membership. For a better workout, I just split the wood I use in the winter to stay warm. Wedges and a maul. Ronald Reagen style. You name it, I can do it. Surgery? Well, if you count docking sheep, cutting hogs and dehorning cattle, yes I've done it. When I am old and grey, I can say I lived life for the art, not the money. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 1:28:51 PM EDT
[#38]
My darling hubby is 50 years old, a prime Baby Boomer. He can fix anything, and fix it right. He is a master auto mechanic by trade.
He grew up on a farm, and knows well the old adage of "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." I expect a man to have some basic skills: a) Either be able to fix my damned car, or at least diagnose the trouble correctly b) Be able to read a tape measure and use power tools c) Have some basic knowledge of electronics, construction trades, game butchering, reading a map, plumbing, fence building, warrior philosophy, astronavigation, engineering, and chivalry. Hubby has never failed me for 30 years, and I am still in awe of this truly modern renaissance man. Directed to the person who blames all this on the Boomers: Hey kid, when we were in high school, they still offered classes in auto mechanics, carpentry, and welding. Our guys may have grown their hair long for a while back then, but they sure as hell were NOT feminine. The "Back to the Land" movement in the early 70s made good use of their skills and abilities, and you may still find a lot of our menfolk who are not afraid to get their hands dirty, and try fixing stuff. It was our *kids* that had it too easy, and refused to even try. They were too busy playing video games to work on their cars, or try building something. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 1:43:27 PM EDT
[#39]
Quoted: The laptop is 8 years old yet it sports a homemade NiMH pack that is nearly three times the original capacity. 10 hour runtime on a laptop? You bet! Ahh, that takes me back. About 10 years ago we used to solder together our own battery packs for RC Cars, now I wonder if they still sell the stuff seperately... |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 2:31:13 PM EDT
[#40]
Chaingun -
Let me tell you this - DO NOT bash all of us who rent homes! YOU try buying a house in Silicon Valley sometime... My landlord comes around my house all the time - he wants to see what I fixed month by month. I have improved the house for him while we have been here, and he has learned a few things from me... To date, I have: Replaced the water heater Added electrical circuits in the garage Repaired electrical and telephone wiring Installed Cat5 Network Cabling (in progress) Reinforced the kitchen floor Installed all new faucets Repairs all exterior water spigots Built a new garage door Improved the shelving in the garage Decked the joists in the garage overhead for storage purposes Laid a wood parquet entry floor Renewed worn exterior lighting fixtures Installed MUCH purpose-built storage in various rooms And that's just the big stuff... I also keep up a set of three Jeep Cherokees (87-89,) a 1993 Sable, and a 1996 Neon. Work for the Neon is shifting to my younger son - it's his car anyway... He is learning the adage "power cars are built, not bought," as he is planning his new engine and we are re-engineering the stock suspension for better handling and cornering at speed. I have built every desktop computer in the house (can't buy parts for laptops easily...) and when I needed new workbenches in the garage, I built them as well. Pay for the tools? Some of my neighbours have seen my workbenches and bought sets from me (paid for the tools.) All this, and I rent too. At least, as long as we remian in KSSR - only a couple more years now...... FFZ |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 2:52:51 PM EDT
[#41]
Quoted: Directed to the person who blames all this on the Boomers: Hey kid, when we were in high school, they still offered classes in auto mechanics, carpentry, and welding. Our guys may have grown their hair long for a while back then, but they sure as hell were NOT feminine. I didn't say all y'all, just most, hell 90% of the people on this board are probably boomers. It's the CHILDREN of the boomers who are the worst feminine little skinny dorks though, thirty-something FDCGHs. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 3:01:23 PM EDT
[#42]
Agreed, Sancho, thanks for clarifying that.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 3:07:19 PM EDT
[#43]
[b]Apartment living is no excuse[/b]
I live in an apartment complex, in a small 2 bedroom apartment. I converted one bedroom into a gun/work room, complete with a 6' bench/bookshelf assembly and tool pegboard that I built for myself. I change all of my truck fluids,tires, plugs and filters,as well as those of my wife's car. I do my own butchering of game, thank you very much. I refinish gunstocks, reload ammo, install shelving, and do some drywall and painting. My ony regret is that I don't have the tools,time and hands-on know how to do more on my vehicle [V] I'm 24 and know many "men" who are useless. My friends, on the whole, are hardworking and versatile. Statements I hear from the guys who do their job and don't attempt to learn other trades remind me of Heinlein's statement to the effect that "specialization is for insects" and men should be able to perform myriad tasks. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 3:10:34 PM EDT
[#44]
Remember, NOT all boomer children are
"Candy Asses." [marines] |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 3:43:54 PM EDT
[#45]
[b]It's the CHILDREN of the boomers who are the worst feminine little skinny dorks though, thirty-something FDCGHs. [/b] Excuse me? I'm smack in that thirty-something crowd but I'm no boomer offspring. My parents both were Great Depression babies and grew up on farms. I can hold my own in the world, be it advanced or primitive. I also take offense at your snide comments on my ectomorphic body type. Its a result of prime conditioning and I mirror my grandfathers' body types. Don't make the assumption my lack of body fat hinders me in any way. I withstood the lake effect winters in snow deep enough to bury a 5 ton. I endured the heat of the Mojave. I weathered the humidity in the jungles of Central America. Yes, I served in The United States Army and continue to this day in my duty as "unorganized militia" as provided for in Title 10, Section 311 of the United States Code. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 4:01:17 PM EDT
[#46]
Quoted: Excuse me? I'm smack in that thirty-something crowd but I'm no boomer offspring. My parents both were Great Depression babies and grew up on farms. I can hold my own in the world, be it advanced or primitive. Okay we've established you're parents are older than boomers and you take offense easily at broad generalizations that you might only meet at less than 50%. Look around you at the people your age, THEY and THEIR PARENTS caused MOST ALL of the feminist-male pansy-boy problems we have today. I fit the profile of a baby-boomer-baby better than you do and I can say it without hurting my own pride. Once the younger baby-boomer-babies around my age come into power it's going to get a lot worse, mark my words. I also take offense at your snide comments on my ectomorphic body type. Its a result of prime conditioning and I mirror my grandfathers' body types. Don't make the assumption my lack of body fat hinders me in any way. MmmmHmmmm I like da way you talk too. You want some french-fried taters? I reckon. Skinny is more than just a lack of body fat, it's a lack of muscle and skeletal structure development, like all the 30 something goatee-head sitcom and computer-commercial actors. I doubt you'd call Arnold skiny to his face and he claims to be something like 6% body fat. I withstood the lake effect winters in snow deep enough to bury a 5 ton. I endured the heat of the Mojave. I weathered the humidity in the jungles of Central America. I've breathed the mountain-air man... Yes, I served in The United States Army I salute you for this sir, no lie. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 4:26:39 PM EDT
[#47]
One of my engineering profs. was explaining to me that the foreign students at my school "have never used a wrench or screwdriver" and so are at a total loss when fabricating engineering projects.
Thank God I grew up working on my own vehicles, guns, bicycles, furniture, & etc. Did I know how to do stuff? The answer was often "no." So, I bought the Chilton/Haines manual for it, rounded up all the wrenches, talked with Dad and went at the problem. "Learn by doing." I have replaced (successfully) timing belts, serpentine belts, all fluids, all filters, starters, alternators, radiators, water-pumps(d@mn that Honda), brakes, master-cylinders, clutches, fuses,wipers, tire-rotations, various gaskets, headliners, headlamps, brakelamps (starting to bum myself out--too much maintenance) But you get the idea. "Why don't you trust your truck to the mechanics?" Hell no, none that I have ever used have earned my trust. Everything I can do, I do. Can't figure it out--farm it out. [EDITED cause my ride doesn't have "breaks".] |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 4:47:24 PM EDT
[#48]
No....Its called the Pussifacation of America.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 5:01:41 PM EDT
[#49]
I'm sick of this its the feminism and schools that are making men like women... I read it for long enough and just felt compelled to respond..
Personally, I prefer a combo of brains AND brawn in my choice of men.. If they can turn a socket, sure I guess its cool, but if they can't intellectually stimulate me, then they aren't going to stimulate me in other ways either... Here's my question to all you men out there who uphold brawn over brains...Do you men have such small members that you feel you have to over compensate for it by showing how clever you are with a socket wrech.. Or is it that you feel inferior to the extremely well educated??? There are just as many idiots and jerks I have found in both ways of life involving men; in both the brains and brawn catagory.. only when there is a good mixture of both is there a truly satisfying man...(yes, that's my snake man..who can work on cars AND can hold some very thought provoking discussions..mmmm) Just my thought on things... I'm sure you are going to flame me just because I am a woman and all and this has mainly been men posting so far, but I don't care.. I'm sticking with my opinion... -Andrea |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/6/2001 5:03:59 PM EDT
[#50]
I still think you're McUzi.
|
|
|
Win a FREE Membership!
Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!
You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.
AR15.COM is the world's largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of all types.
From hunters and military members, to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiasts, we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm.
Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to receive firearm news, product discounts from your favorite Industry Partners, and more.
Copyright © 1996-2024 AR15.COM LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.
AR15.Com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate, commercial, or monetizable links, posted by users, with our own.
