DIY Life

I was so proud of my perennial garden this year. Not only did all of the plants actually come up, but when I planted new ones, the blooms complimented one another perfectly. Then that furry little critter appeared....

Contrary to popular belief, it is not cute to have a resident rabbit. First, our little friend ate my mystery plant -- the one it ate last year, and now it's been so long I can't remember what it is (other than delicious, apparently).

Next, it systematically broke off each stem of my apricot-colored yarrow, to nibble at the blooms. Frustration began to set in....

Have you ever had an electrical problem with your appliances, car, boat, or motorcycle and thought, "Hey, I'm handy; I do mechanical work on my ride all the time. I can handle this." So you grab your book of wiring diagrams and unfold the page.

And then it sinks in. It's a totally foreign language and looks suspiciously like the spaghetti you had for dinner last night. Wiring diagrams can be tricky to trace through when troubleshooting an electrical circuit.

Don't despair; it takes a process and a bit of knowledge about electrical symbols. This Temperature Control Division site will guide you through the process of tracking down the problem. It makes the "overwhelm factor" a bit more manageable and gets you started on the road to electrical recovery.

I have a secret fear of winning some great lottery and not being able to claim the prize because I can't figure out the skill testing question. Math is a topic of high anxiety for many adults and children. I didn't like math as an elementary, high school, or college student. Last semester I took a statistics class and fought the urge weekly to storm out of the room in tears screaming "math is dumb!". OK, it might not be as extreme for some of you, others may even enjoy math (my husband is sick like you), but the ability to quickly solve math equations is something that a great number of people simply don't have.

I'm all for tricks when it comes to this stuff. Check out the video here, courtesy of glad2teach. It's truly amazing how quickly you can solve these math problems using the method they show. there are secrets to fast math. Check out their site for some other videos. Unless you still in school and you'll loose marks for not showing your work, these little tools are a great way to get you mind moving quickly and efficiently through complex math problems.

I don't know that the math in this video is the sort of math you would use on a daily basis, but it would make a great party trick! Have a friend ask you complicated multiplication questions and show off you mad math skills - after all, chicks dig guys with skills.