Personal Changes You've Made - lighthearted ones..

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D_W

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kind of goes along with teh spouse thread (wish I could say I learned to accommodate the spouse and get along better, but we have kids and tight schedules sometimes so it seems like we're generally at odds!!).


But something that occurred to me the other day - when I was young, I never read instructions for anything. Results were often either poor or incomplete due to that, or assembled item in the case of assembling something with missing parts and function.

It was always the old joke that buttons and switches on machines were great, and signaled a great man toy, but instructions on how to use them - not so great.

I've come to realize that I am now the type of person who will read the manual that comes with everything. Whereas I "didn't have the time" to read instructions as a kid, I don't have the time to not read them now (generally not looking to use something 6 times before finding out the right way).

Some of this is by profession (standards make freelancing a no-no), and some is learned from doing minor and moderate work on my own cars (plus, two of those have been volkswagens, and sometimes there is no reasonable way to fix something, so guessing is a bad idea - no more volkswagens).

I just never thought I'd be the kind of person who read the manuals and followed instructions. My dad still won't. A friend of mine is a commercial pilot - he's also become a manual reader, now heckling anyone who says "what do you think the approach speed is for X".

"what does the manual say?"

But recall as a kid that my buddy and I would often joke when running across someone who was really uptight or having a public meltdown about something minor (food at a restaurant), "man, that guy is uptight. I'll bet he puts the seat down and reads assembly manuals, too".
 
Often I don't read the Manuel and the regret not having read the Manuel!

Cheers James
 
Curious of there are parallels to this. There are people who have the ability to organize, i'm not one of them, and they are big adherents once they do. Too much organizing in a non-employee area and I see it as organizing can soon replace doing.

Spouse is that way. I almost knew where some things were in the first iteration of organizing, but they have been moved. I know where none of them are, but to my lack of credit, the entire basement and garage is a huge mess. Even if it was organized, I would be forced to recognize that I could make 60% of the things that I want to make and get rid of the rest because it can't be organized well. The worst thing I can say in front of the mrs. is "oh, theres an ____. I though I lost that and already bought another ____. Now I have two !!"

Once in a great while, something will spontaneously spring from my junk piles (that the spouse needs), like being able to fabricate parts or get some kind of vinyl fence that has a purchase list of tools and I'll turn to the Mrs "I have all of these already...including the anchors...remember when you told me to get the small pack? For 12 years I have been waiting to use these anchors .HAAAAAAAAAAA! Imagine if you had a normal spouse who didn't keep all of this stuff!!"

"Yes, I'd have a spouse who made no messes and paid other people to do things...I'd rather have that".
 
D_W is you spouse related to mine and if German decent?!

Nothing is too organised for her! I guess it comes from her work - Dr, but still you feel like your living in an operating theatre sometimes!

Cheers James
 
If you've lost something, and really, really can't find it, then buy a new one. The lost item will immediately make its presence known.
Similar to if I ever lose the wife when we are out & about, I simply engage in conversation with the most attractive woman I can see & miraculously my wife will appear.
 
I'm a lot tidier than her in doors....always building cupboards and putting stuff away inc her's.....
I just love it when asked where such and such is......then go straight to it....
I;ve just sorted out her art work supplies...it all in one place now.....
must be sad.....
bought a load of industrial racking, have the plastic crates, pallets and f/lift just need the barn to get it all together....lol...
 
My ball and chain has a thing where she needs to put something somewhere safe…on one occasion we were about to pull off the drive to go on holiday when she remembered she had an additional set of house keys so dashed back in and “put them somewhere safe”…despite the quite thorough searches that were carried out upon our return, the keys managed to stay “somewhere safe” for the next 3 years as that’s how long it took us to find them!
 
My ball and chain has a thing where she needs to put something somewhere safe…on one occasion we were about to pull off the drive to go on holiday when she remembered she had an additional set of house keys so dashed back in and “put them somewhere safe”…despite the quite thorough searches that were carried out upon our return, the keys managed to stay “somewhere safe” for the next 3 years as that’s how long it took us to find them!
Where were they?!!!

Cheers James
 
D_W is you spouse related to mine and if German decent?!

Nothing is too organised for her! I guess it comes from her work - Dr, but still you feel like your living in an operating theatre sometimes!

Cheers James

she's 75% german, I'm 100% german and (german) swiss (save for an analysis that my sister had done - we're a little black and a little indian - like a very little, but nice to know we got around a little as a group).

She's 25% italian, so 75% constant organizing, 25% bad temper.

There's something wrong with my brain as far as organizing goes - seriously - it's agonizing even to do basic organizing - I think of things as groups, not as items in certain orders. But I have the 100% german and german swiss temperament of "that doesn't make sense" whenever the spouse does something that doesn't make sense or blows her stack. It's a surprisingly poor combination!!!

Because of my lack of organization and impatience, though, I've learned to follow instructions to avoid the inevitable 1 hour panic of fixing something that would've taken 5 minutes to do right.
 
Similar to if I ever lose the wife when we are out & about, I simply engage in conversation with the most attractive woman I can see & miraculously my wife will appear.
So you didn't read the "wife manual" then ;-)
 
Whenever herself puts something in a safe place, and I can't find it - It's usually in the freezer ! And yes, this does include the car keys !
 
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