50 Things Everyone Should Know

[SeaWolf]

4. Perform CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver – Someday it may be your wife, husband, son or daughter that needs help.

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

13. Speed Read – Sometimes you just need the basic gist, and you needed it 5 minutes ago.

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

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.

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.

36. Take Useful Notes – Because useless notes are useless, and not taking notes is a recipe for failure.

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

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

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.

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

4) I've taken the classes but never had to use. Hopefully I wouldn't chock under pressure.

5) To get going from a stop is a major pain. Once I'm moving I'm good.

13) Read? Let alone speed read?

20) I don't look good but I manage.

33) In a group, no way.

35) Flirt? I'm married. No need to flirt.

36) I'm the worst note taker there ever was.

40) Isn't that why I'm married?

42) I can type faster with 3 fingers than most can using all of them.

46) What's a date?

50) Never had to.

[The Artful Dodger]

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

I CAN, but have little practice. I could get it started and in gear with less than two stalls. After that point I should be fine as long as there isn't a trailer or anything involved.

It usually takes a while. When I was learning how to drive manual in high school, I used a friend's Honda hatchback, which are fairly good for learning how to use shiftsticks. For some reason, the Accords are lousy for shifting from a dead stop as they stall one too many times for my liking.

Driving a manual is a lot of fun though, but it seems to me that American roads are geared more for automatic cars. Driving in Europe really gives you the kind of appreciation for manual cars that you might not get here. Plus, how can you have fun racing without a manual when most domestic and import supercars are powered by manual transmissions.

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%.

25% is a very large number.

I can speak very little Spanish, but other than that, no. It is something I wish I was better at though.

I'm fluent in Spanish but it's just not a robust, natural fluency as some non-native Spanish speakers I've seen. My father's Catalan and when I was young he wanted to teach me Catalan but my mother was against it for the most part, knowing that it's just a regional language that didn't have a massive bearing on how I'd deal with people later on. I try to learn on occasion, as I can understand bits and pieces when it's heard, but I have a little trouble stringing sentences completely. It would be kind of embarrassing if I didn't know Spanish at least in my view, but I get by fine.

I always had an interest in French language when I was younger and so I would pick things up off of instructional French programs. By the time I reached high school when I took proper French classes, I was a level or two ahead of the class and so, as it were, I skipped a level and straight to the AP course. I lived in France for a while, even had a French girlfriend, but I found that because most everyone I knew was comfortable speaking English, I spoke English for about 60-70% for the time I was there. I'm a bit rusty with my French though unfortunately, but I'd like to take it back up again.

There was a time I tried to learn Japanese (about 12 or 13 at the time) but found the transition harder and so I just ditched it altogether.

[spodog]

51. Unhook a bra clasp with only the left hand

[Dan Lambskin]

51. Unhook a bra clasp with only the left hand

meh...i say just lift up the cups so they get the point and take it off themselves

[houstonherdfan]

I can do all but speak a second language. I understand a little spanish if spoken slowly.

But really don't need the 2nd language. The only place I really want to see outside the states is Aussieland and they speak a form of english. NOTE: I spent 4 years in the Navy, been to many other countries. There's not a one I would care to go back to.

[LT Blue Colt]

I can't do any of them . . . ! ! !