Gauge Your Manliness
Tuesday, October 07, 2008 | Author: Mad Typist

Per my friend Mark, here is a list of the 80 Things Every Man Should Know How To Do from Popular Mechanics. I've list in bold font the ones I can actually accomplish, with at least 80% probability.

Automotive
1. Handle a blowout
2. Drive in snow

3. Check trouble codes
4. Replace fan belt
5. Wax a car
6. Conquer an off-road obstacle
7. Use a stick welder
8. Hitch up a trailer (I assume this means you have the hitch already attached and whatnot)
9. Jump start a car

Handling Emergencies
10. Perform the Heimlich
11. Reverse hypothermia

12. Perform hands-only CPR

13. Escape a sinking car


Home
14. Carve a turkey
15. Use a sewing machine
16. Put out a fire
17. Home brew beer
18. Remove bloodstains from fabric
19. Move heavy stuff
20. Grow food
21. Read an electric meter
22. Shovel the right way
23. Solder wire
24. Tape drywall
25. Split firewood
26. Replace a faucet washer
27. Mix concrete
28. Paint a straight line
29. Use a French knife
30. Prune bushes and small trees
31. Iron a shirt

32. Fix a toilet tank flapper
33. Change a single-pole switch
34. Fell a tree
35. Replace a broken windowpane
36. Set up a ladder, safely
37. Fix a faucet cartridge
38. Sweat copper tubing
39. Change a diaper
40. Grill with charcoal

41. Sew a button on a shirt

42. Fold a flag


Medical Myths
43. Treat frostbite
44. Treat a burn

45. Help a seizure victim
46. Treat a snakebite

47. Remove a tick


Military Know-How (duh, as a former military person, these are no-brainers)
48. Shine shoes
49. Make a drum-tight bed

50. Drop and give the perfect pushup


Outdoors
51. Run rapids in a canoe
52. Hang food in the wild
53. Skipper a boat
54. Shoot straight
55. Tackle steep drops on a mountain bike
56. Escape a rip current

Primitive Skills
57. Build a fire in the wilderness
58. Build a shelter

59. Find potable water

Surviving Extremes
60. Floods
61. Tornados

62. Cold

63. Heat

64. Lightning


Teach Your Kids
65. Cast a line
66. Lend a hand

67. Change a tire

68. Throw a spiral

69. Fly a stunt kite
70. Drive a stick shift
71. Parallel park

72. Tie a bowline
73. Tie a necktie
74. Whittle
75. Ride a bike

Technology
76. Install a graphics card
77. Take the perfect portrait

78. Calibrate HDTV settings
79. Shoot a home movie

80. Ditch your hard drive


Overall, didn't do too badly, scoring 54. Mind you, I grew up in the country and was in the military, so I just happened to have the life experience in some of these things. We had a huge woodpile that we actually used in our wood-burning stove to heat our house, so it sort of necessitated learning how to split wood. I am proud, however, of my excellent form when doing push-ups.

Consider this an open challenge - post your score on your blog, or just list your score in my comments section.
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2 comments:

On 12:40 PM , Beers said...

Yep. I knew it.

 
On 1:04 PM , anonymous said...

*laughs* I get 16/80. In other words, I am only 20% manly. This pleases me.