I'm a big fan of the Web site Fark. In case you've never read it, it's just a collection of random news or interesting articles from around the globe. I found the following link on it a little bit ago called 25 Skills Every Man Should Know, in which the following list is included. Let's go through this, shall we?
1. Patch a radiator hose
(I had to do this on a road trip to Florida once. I used our universal friend Mr. Duct Tape)
2. Protect your computer
(It's pretty secure. I just hope the ceiling tile above my desk doesn't start leaking anytime soon)
3. Rescue a boater who as capsized
(Eagle Scout here, hello! One of those things I learned in my Lifesaving merit badge class as a Boy Scout)
4. Frame a wall
(A friend of mine is in the construction business and I've helped him out on more jobs that I can count)
5. Retouch digital photos
(Ummm.... like, everyday. One of my job duties is photography)
6. Back up a trailer
(The last time I tried to do this, I bent the hitch connection on the trailer. I try to avoid this task)
7. Build a campfire
(See #3 -- although this wasn't part of Lifesaving class)
8. Fix a dead outlet
(See #4)
9. Navigate with a map and compass (Again, see #3)
10. Use a torque wrench
(Haven't had the need to yet...)
11. Sharpen a knife
(A guy I used to work with who likes to be called Chief is a Native American. He can put a pretty mean edge on a blade --- Again, see #3)
12. Perform CPR
(Thankfully, I've never had the opportunity -- here we get back to #3)
13. Fillet a fish
(Caught, cleaned, filleted, and cooked ---- mmm, mmm campfire cooked catfish is good eatin')
14. Maneuver a car out of a skid
(Following the first snowfall during which I had posession of a driver's license, my father woke me up that morning and said, "Get in the car, we're going driving." Went to a local parking lot, dad jerked the steering wheel, car started to skid, and he says "Now get us out of the skid.")
15. Get a car unstuck
(I had my first experience with this in 12th grade. I got my parents' car, a 4WD Subaru station wagon, stuck in a ditch while leaving a friend's house. Getting it out was a comedy of errors, involving 6 teenage guys trying to push it out, ankle deep in mud while I was trying to gas the car and in turn sprayed mud over everyone. A girl I had a crush on at the time happened to be leaving the gathering at the same time, so she turned her car to face mine with her car's headlights illuminating the scene. She locked her keys in her car. We both ended up having to call our fathers. Her father got there first. He jumps into the fray, with bedroom slippers on mind you, and yells "Alright boys, let's push". He proceeds to get muddy too. My father arrives. Then the father of the friend whose house we were at arrives. He gets his trusty 20 foot long, 6-ton chain, hooks it to his truck and pulls my car out. None of the fathers were amused, all though the crowd of teenagers were)
16. Back up data
(I do this on a regular basis. You never know when your computer might crash. I dropped my external hard drive on the floor a couple weeks ago. Luckily, everything had been backed up recently)
17. Paint a room
(Part of my Boy Scout Life rank service project was to paint the classrooms in my church's educational wing)
18. Mix concrete
(See #4)
19. Clean a bolt-action rifle
(I've never cleaned one, but I've fired several)
20. Change oil and filter
(This can be a very messy job -- but I've done it on a few occassions)
21. Hook up an HDTV
(Can't be that difficult. I've got the stereo, TV, two VCRs, cable box, and ATARI 2600 emulator in our living room all hooked together with relatively little confusion)
22. Bleed brakes
(One of the first car repairs I learned to do on my own was replace rotors and brake pads, along with bleeding the brakes. Jump make sure you pump the brake pedal several times after putting everything back together. I made the mistake of not doing that once. This is where the emergency brake comes into play)
23. Paddle a canoe
(*Sigh* -- see #3)
24. Fix a bike flat
(Do kids nowadays even ride bikes and have to worry about this? Oh yeah, the do they just wear those stupid looking helmets all over the place. When I was a kid, my friends would have laughed at me for wearing a bike helmet. We all EARNED our battle scars from our bravely performed bicycle accidents. I can't count how many bike flats my friends and I fixed)
25. Extend your wireless network
(I've been plugging away at computers since I laid my fingers on my first TRS-80 all the way back in 1982 when I was in 3rd grade. I have a pretty strong wireless connection at home right now with an encryption key that I guarantee will be challenging to pretty much anyone that tries to hack it. I'm not worried about extending the network right now though -- it does what I need it to)
So -- I dare say there are some more manly things that can be added to this. I don't quite think that some of the things on here are necessarily very manly, as opposed to semi-nerdy. But hey, we're all somewhat of a nerd in the various areas that pique our interests.
I think the opposite sex may have differing opinions on what constitutes a manly task also. Hence, the 25 Tasks a Man Should Know in the Bedroom list that we'll leave open for discussion at a later point.
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