The "Fifty Things" List

No.

This is not the 50 Shades of Grey post.

Rather, it's a reflection on the list recently released into the Interwebs that listed Fifty Things that everyone should know how to do. I tallied them up - I can do 36 of the list. Some of them very well - I can jump start a car very well - my dad taught me to do that.

Oh. My dad has been visiting me. He's leaving tomorrow. I'm in the midst of a couple of pretty intense weeks with three trips and three sets of visiting relatives.

I can also:

• Hold a baby - duh
• Remove a stain - again, duh
• Type
• Sew a Button on to Clothing
• Navigate with a Map - the compass part, not so much
• Flirt - yes, I can do this one.
• Smile for the Camera
• Do Push Ups and Sit Ups properly
• Handle a Hammer, Axe or Saw
• Parallel park - I once parallel parked my 15 passenger van in New York City - oh, yes, I did
• Select Good Produce
• Relocate
• Give Driving Directions - I ROCK at this
• Speed Read
• Do Basic Cooking
• Drive a Manual Transmission
• Operate a Computer
• Use Google
• Build a Fire

The areas in which I am deficient - note that I'm only talking about the areas on this list, and not my entire life:

• Recite Basic Geography - I'm none so good at this.
• Negotiate
• Paint a Room  - I can do it, but not as neatly as my husband would like
• Speak at Least Two Languages
• Travel Light - because, no, just no

Things I can do but not well:

• Create a Budget
• Swim
• Handle the Police
• Win or Avoid a Fistfight
• Perform the Heimlich and CPR
• Tell a Story that Captivates Peoples Attention
• Deliver Bad News
• Handle a Job Interview
• Manage Time

What about you??

 

Comments

[Piperparadise.wordpress.com]

Build a fire
Operate a computer
Use google
Perform CPR
Drive a stick shift
Basic cooking
Deliver bad news
Handle a job interview
Speed read
Remember names
Relocate living spaces
Handle the police (think Downtown Minneapolis in 2002 where the cops released 2 very drunk men to me after some VERY rowdy behavior at a country concert – the Neon Circus with Brooks and Dunn – fond memories, I tell ya!! At least no one was booked and taken in – I call that handling the police!!!)
Give driving directions
Perform first aid
Recognize personal alcohol limits – it’s 1 by the way
Select good produce
Handle a hammer, axe or handsaw. I am a construction major after all!!
Make a simple budget
Do push ups and situps properly
Give a compliment
Listen carefully
Recite basic geography
Paint a room (Daddy Piper loves white walls – I do not so I had to learn to paint rooms)
Smile for the camera
Flirt-harmlessly of course!!
Take useful notes (years of going college at night taught me to take useful notes)
Be a respectful house guest. I have learned this as an adult. Valuable!!!!
Sew a button (And aprons – lots of aprons !!)
Hook up a home theater system
Type
Protect personal identity information
Implement computer security best practices
Remove a stain
Keep a clean house
Hold a baby

[Megan]

I can do most of those things but many not very well. I can't jump start a car. And while I've had CPR training, I highly doubt I'd be the best person in a crowd of 20 or even 50 to attempt it.

Please teach your sons how to sew on buttons. I dated a guy who was in his mid-20's and still brought his shirts home to Mom. It wasn't attractive.

[Shannon]

Never saw this list before. Might be a good way for me to get back into blogging. Because I've been oh so lame...

[Katie Fleck]

Woohoo on the parallel parking! I've parallel parked my 12 passenger van in DC several times and on the left side of a one way street. Honestly I think the big vans have better turning radius than some of the mini-vans I've drive in the past.

I kinda think I can do all 50 except "win or avoid a fistfight", I've never been in one so maybe I've avoided them all successfully? Oh I can't do the "hook-up home theatre", my last guy shook his head had the crappy job I did with my TV, cable box, Wii, and dvd player. (And fixed it for me, lol)

[Sonja Holzman]

Are you sure you and I weren't separated at birth? Because other than the looks part, in that we look nothing alike, we are SO much alike!

[Lisa@All That and a Box of Rocks]

What a great list! I'm surprised at how much I know. I can't speak two languages, though. Unless, of course, I et=gay o-tay ount-cay ig-pay atin-lay. Heh heh heh

[Nobody]

Lets see...
Fly a plane (currently teaching my 12 y/o daughter to do this)
Jump out of said plane (she'll have to wait a few more years for this one)
SCUBA dive (She'll be learning this for Christmas)
Drive like a skilled maniac
Sail a boat in the ocean
Get into and out of fights (although now that I'm older I prefer to avoid them)
Saved a life with CPR (really cool feeling)
Speak a few languages (although I have to work on it a whole heck of a lot)
Build furniture
Solder electronic gadgets
Shoot
Sew
Hack a computer
Teach others

Now the things I can't do very well, and I'd love to learn how to do the first four:
Play the guitar
Sing
Dance
Relax
Talk on the phone
Twitter (not at all)
Facebook (not at all)
Blog (mostly just to read)