I inherited the "fix-it" gene from both sides of my family. My mom's dad loved to take things apart and figure out how they worked. My dad grew up on a farm and then became a mechanical engineer. So I grew up in a culture of fixing things, taking things apart and building new stuff from old parts. In one of my mom's…

As someone who flys a lot, I also would add that it's nice to make sure that your kids understand that you're going to be crowded in with a bunch of people you don't know, possibly less than a foot away from someone who might not like kids. Reminding kids not to kick seats, asking them to speak quietly and trying to…

As a regular exerciser for a couple of years now, this article makes some great points. When I'm having an off day, I still get to the gym and do something. I tell myself that I can take it easy that day, and almost always end up doing the full workout at my normal intensity. Once I'm there and moving, I almost…

Can someone recommend reasonable priced, comfortable for long periods of time, noise cancelling headphones that work reasonable well?

I exercise because I want it to be easier to drag the ladder into the house to change the battery in the smoke detector when it starts beeping at 3am. Because I want to be able to haul my 49.5lb suitcase and 30+lb backpack around an airport including up the currently stationary escalator without having to stop to…

I second the idea of standing up in the back (or even on the side) of the room. A friend of mine said that this was an acceptable solution to sleepiness when he was in Air Force Officer Training School and I've found it to be very useful as well.

I reguarly get things free this way. Pizza Rolls and Soft Soap are the two that seem to keep coming up. The Kroger near me doubles and triples coupons. So, when I have a $0.35 off Soft Soap coupon, that gets tripled to $1.05 (they triple up to $0.39). When Soft Soap is 10 for $10 (or $1 each), I get free soap.

For my cardio work, especially when I'm working on speed or intervals, I like faster rock songs. There's almost always some Four Star Mary and something from the Top Gun Soundtrack (child of the 80's much? Why do yo ask?) on that playlist. When I'm going for endurance and when I'm doing weights, I usually prefer…

I've been using pint size jars, mostly from salsa and natural peanut butter, as drinking glasses for a long time. They're just the right size for me to have enough milk or water, but usually milk, with my meal and not have to refill the glass.

I lost 20 pounds last year basically and rarely felt deprived. Biggest change I made was pretty much cutting out soda (the regular kind. I don't like artificial sweeteners). I also ate a few less cookies and donuts (mostly at work) and substituted more fruits and veggies for processed foods (again, mostly at work).…

I started being more conscientious about eating less and getting to the gym more last year. The result was that there's 20lbs less of me this January 1 than last. People have asked me how I've lost the weight and my answer is always "less cookies and ice cream and more time at the gym". People are often amazed that…

Goof-Off is the only thing I've ever found to effectively get spray paint off of skin. It's harsh, but it works.

I have a friend who really enjoys cooking. I've put together a book of some of my favorite recipes. I've added some stories about where the recipe came from, how I've adapted it, etc. I printed the recipes out, slid each sheet into a sheet protector, stamped a cover (using my sister's rubber stamp sets) and "bound"…

So far, in many years of many multiple trips by air, I've never had a bag lost and only rarely had one delayed. I count myself lucky. My bags are very distinguishable (no all black upright roller suitcases that look like everyone else's roller suitcases). And I also rarely have to connect through anywhere. I think…

I've found that you can often get a better seat by checking the airline web site right about 24 hours before your scheduled departure time. For some reason, they seem to open up more empty seats, or move people around at that time.

Another option is to hold the nail between your fingers (I usually use index and middle but middle and ring work just as well), palm side up. Hurts a lot less when you hit the palm side if your hand than the back side of your hand.

There's a difference between straight A's and good grades. For getting a first job right out of college, a lot of companies (at least those recruiting on campuses) have a minimum GPA they require in order to even get an interview. What that number is depends on the field, school and company. When I was interviewing my…

I stayed about the same weight my first year in college, while growing about three quarters of an inch (can you say late bloomer?). So, based on my change in height, I lost weight at the start of college. I think that was mostly due to being more physically active. I walked everywhere when I was in school, through a…

I'm fond of cooking up a big batch of "Pot O' Food" every couple of months, feezing it in individual portion sizes (or enough for a couple of portions when I run out of small containers) and then eating that regularly.

I have a small case (think it's the same one shown here) for my digital camera and a slightly larger one for my iPod. I love them both. My camera has traveled the world with me in that case, spending time on mission trips in the pocket my my cargo pants (pour concrete, building houses, etc) with no issues to the…