Things I've learned the hard way . . .(Part 2)

[dudemar]

This was probably mentioned a couple times, but I feel it bears repeating:

If it's too good to be true, it probably is.

I was about to sell a grand's worth of stuff in an online ad today, but the guy who was interested backed out on me.:mad::sigh::sick:

 

[Diesel_Bomber]

If you accidentally lock yourself out of the house and you have to re-enter through a front window, your neighbors will assume there's a burglary in progress and will take appropriate action. :eek:

It's even worse when you're house sitting for friends who're on vacation and the house you've locked yourself out of and are breaking back into isn't even yours!

That took some explaining.

:buddies:

 

[TorchBoy]

when boogie boarding in real waves, always ensure you have the ankle strap on...

Interesting - body boards here have wrist straps. More practical, surely?

 

[TigerhawkT3]

Fire is still hot - very hot, in fact.

Don't ignite a flammable object and then immediately pick it up. :ohgeez:

If you're holding on to something in case it falls, hold on tight, and don't be surprised if (when) it actually does fall.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

Don't take an inflatable kayak out onto ocean waves. It was in Oceanside, Ca. I paddled out of the harbor in my $60 Coleman inflatable kayak. I was pretty tired paddling alone by the time I got around the jetti and started heading back through the waves. It didn't take me long to realize that my kayak had no ropes or edges to hang on to while riding waves. I rode three four to six foot waves before I lost my balance and fell out. If I had a hard kayak, it wouldn't have floated more than a wave away. Since this was an inflatable kayak, it launched hundreds of feet to shore in under five seconds. I had to swim to shore carrying the paddle. The next wave smacked the paddle into my foot and cut it open, leaving blood in the water. I'm glad I made it to shore before I attracted any sharks.

 

[AlphaTea]

Never buy a cell phone that looks just like the one your inquisitive 3 yr old nephew has. You will have one heck of a bill the next month. Not only will you have the roaming charge (because you were visiting fom out of state), you will have charges for calls to Peekskill NY, East Perth WESTERN AUSTRALIA, Boulder Co, Poway Ca. About 20 or so calls. The AT&T folk laughed. I did not. Still working on resolution...

 

[PhotonWrangler]

Ask for directions already! :poke: :laughing: Got lost this morning after assuming that I knew the right direction.

 

[xevious]

• Always have a spare key to get into your house. Hide it in an inconspicuous place around the house grounds or in your car. You will appreciate this the first time you come back to your house late at night and realize that you accidentally left your keys in the house when you left that morning.
• If you can, keep a spare key to your car at work, in your computer bag hidden in a deep compartment, or a thin valet key inside your wallet. Many cars these days will not lock without you using a key or fob in your hand outside the car, but some still do not. There's nothing worse than accidentally locking your keys in the car at an inconvenient moment.
• Always have a cell phone charger on hand--at work, in the car, at home, and in your travel bag. Also, get a USB phone charger if you use a computer often. Chargers are not very expensive if you shop around--buy a bunch at once to save on shipping. It's worth it.
• Cheap is expensive, especially if two of the cheap item exceeds the cost of the expensive one. You are usually better off paying a little more to get better quality, as replacing the broken cheap one is not only cost ineffective but wastes valuable time.
• "You won!" coming from ANYTHING that you did not explicitly submit a ticket or application for is untrue and to be avoided.
• Be aware that many people in the USA think there is a "litigation lottery", and when the timing is right, they will sue you if they think there's an easy chance to get money from you. So exercise prudence when called for. Shovel your walk way and side walks. Keep a safe distance from cars in front of you, so you reduce the chances of a rear-end collision.
• If you see something you like and it is not expensive, buy two. You will probably want another at a later date and chaos will find a way to make the item unavailable when you want it again.
• Don't accumulate things. Identify a "tolerance level" of item ownership. When you buy something new, think of what you can get rid of. Otherwise, things accumulate and before you know it, you've got a ton of stuff that at some point you'll have to expend a lot of time and effort unloading. And usually when you have to unload, you will get less for it than if you sold it earlier.
• Life is indeed short and "time goes by quickly". You can't relate to this when you are young, because everything feels young to you and time stretches on to infinity. You have to have a good imagination to appreciate it and act accordingly. Live each year as if you've only got a few left. (Each day as your last is too extreme!). It is far better to reach 60 and feel like you've sucked the marrow out of the bones of life, rather than feel like you missed all the boats.
• Eating until you are full is folly. Eat until you are no longer hungry. Have a little more if you wish, but save the rest for later. If you eat until you are full, your stomach gets used to it and that becomes the pattern. And then you tend to overeat, which causes excess weight.
• People are more important than things. A man with many toys but no real friends to share them with is lonely. A man with little but many friends is wealthy beyond compare. Being with other people is what life is all about. Surround yourself with those who you can share a solid connection with.
• Networking is a necessary part of being successful. Knowing people helps you making things happen. You never know what can come out of a relationship. You lose a job, but someone in your network knows of a job opportunity that you wouldn't have found otherwise. People = Possibilities.

How I wish I knew these (and believed them) when I graduated college!

 

[gadget_lover]

Before you buy the new toy, picture, TV, tool , etc, ask yourself "Where will I put this?" and "Will I use this immediately?" and "Do I need this?" before you plunk down the cash.

9 tape measures, 3 laser levels, 4 cordless drills later I still have not seemed to have learned that.

But you should see the new kick-a** Li-Ion cordless drill set I got last month. :)

Daniel

 

[TigerhawkT3]

Firing lots of big rounds makes a rifle really hot.

Especially the metal parts.


(That's my forearm.)

I remember this lesson even today:

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

Don't leave steaks cooking on an open grill unattended by the beach. Sea gulls have no problem swooping down and snatching a steak off the grill.

 

[TorchBoy]

And similarly, don't leave an air compressor unattended while its inflating a bike tyre, even if "it'll only be for a moment."

 

[Burgess]

:)


I've been nearby when that has happened. :poof:



Amazing, what an incredibly LOUD noise a bicycle tire can produce. :wow:



One can only wonder about a Truck tire !

:whistle:
_

 

[orbital]

+

While finishing a project on a pier, I used some Gorilla Glue in a pinch.
In the process I used a bit more than necessary and had to wipe some off with my fingers & got some on my hands.

Point of story,..Don't try to wash off Gorilla Glue with water.

Duhhh!

 

[Flashlight Aficionado]

To use the dip-stick when adding oil.

My first car and the oil light turned on. I bought a quart of oil and poured it into the hole labeled "Oil" Well that oil just disappeared! Boy! I must be really low. So I added another. Damn! That disappeared just as fast. Got another and another until finally the oil didn't disappear. Wow! That oil light is SERIOUS, it took 6 quarts to fill it up!

A block later smoke is coming out of my car. I pull into a gas station and ask for help. I tell him what happened and the guy laughed while calling me an idiot. Later he told me my car had oil coming out of the tailpipe.

:ohgeez: :shakehead :eek: :stupid:

 

[Burgess]

Can you tell us, specifically, just what you did wrong ? ? ?


Cuz' i've been pouring motor oil into the round "cap" marked OIL for years and years.


:confused:


Edited to Add:
Oh, i get it.
You didn't wipe off the dipstick, and re-check yer' oil level
after adding the first can !

Geee, i've just gotta' say it:

You Dipstick ! ! ! :nana:


(just kidding)

EndEdit
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[PhotonWrangler]

I think we've all got one of those "first car" stories. Mine involved an old chevy impala, a flat front tire, a bumper jack, and a slight slope to the ground. You know the rest...
:ohgeez::stupid: :laughing:

 

[Flashlight Aficionado]

Oh, i get it.
You didn't wipe off the dipstick, and re-check yer' oil level
after adding the first can !

Actually, I didn't know what a dipstick was and what it was used for. :banghead:
(I knew "dipstick" as an insult though)

 

[gadget_lover]

Ah yes.... Cars are good places to learn.

A)
If you ever have a leaking brake cylinder, it wall cause one (just one) tire to lock up. When that one is a front tire, you will change lanes quickly. You might even do so when you want to.

B)
If you can't drive your car because the brakes are locking up, do NOT 'fix' it by disconnecting the brake line from the bad wheel.

C)
Emergency brakes will not stop your car in an emergency.

D)
The dumpster will.

Daniel

 

[Burgess]

:)
_