Life Skills You Might Be Lacking In
Discussion
As much as I have not had any call to, I've never towed a trailer. Watching an episode of Clarkson's Farm, where Lisa learns to reverse a trailer into a spot, it felt like something I should be able to do by the age of 56. The reality is, I wouldn't have a clue where I am on the tow-a-trailer-ability scale until I try. Watching Oscar Piastri struggle also highlighted my lack of trailer competence but made me feel better that I could potentially share the podium with him on that front.
Other non-essential skills you should somehow have somewhere in your locker like lighting a fire without matches or a lighter, to sharpen a knife, tie a good knot or always know north. Then there are essential skills such as first aid and performing CPR.
What life skills do you feel you might be lacking in, or in powerfully built director style, are you the full package?
Other non-essential skills you should somehow have somewhere in your locker like lighting a fire without matches or a lighter, to sharpen a knife, tie a good knot or always know north. Then there are essential skills such as first aid and performing CPR.
What life skills do you feel you might be lacking in, or in powerfully built director style, are you the full package?
Edited by Glassman on Wednesday 24th June 09:36
Reversing a trailer can be an art form and those that do it well are well practised! I can reverse a fixed trailer, but not very well.
The trailer that Piastri was reversing was even harder as it had a dolly, so you've got two points where the trailer rotates about. Makes it much harder!
The trailer that Piastri was reversing was even harder as it had a dolly, so you've got two points where the trailer rotates about. Makes it much harder!
The only time I used to tow a trailer was when my kids were kart racing. On one occasion at Buckmore Park I painstakingly backed into a space in the paddock, sweating blood, and when I got out I realised a bunch of other dads had been watching me with relish and gave me a sarcastic round of applause.
As for things I think I regret not having mastered in this life, immediately springing to mind are riding a horse and playing a piano.
As for things I think I regret not having mastered in this life, immediately springing to mind are riding a horse and playing a piano.
Edited by Roofless Toothless on Wednesday 24th June 10:22
Never ridden a manual motorbike (for 4 years/28,000 odd miles my main transport was a twist and go Vespa but never had to deal with clutch lever / gear change pedal thingy..).
Was never much good at rope climbing at school (and can’t say I’ve tried since!).
Small-talk and chit-chat not an area of great strength either.
Was never much good at rope climbing at school (and can’t say I’ve tried since!).
Small-talk and chit-chat not an area of great strength either.
Reversing trailers is a funny one. I can reverse a full size car transporter trailer reasonably well but give me a little box tailer like you see folk going to the dump with etc and it's all over the place. Down mainly to the distance between the hitch and the wheels.
Musically, I've attempted guitar, keyboards, Northumbrian Pipes but never get past the initial stages. I can strum out a load of chords and pick out a tune on a piano (once but cannot repeat it a second time). Hope one day it might all click but I'm never going to perform at the RAH.
Musically, I've attempted guitar, keyboards, Northumbrian Pipes but never get past the initial stages. I can strum out a load of chords and pick out a tune on a piano (once but cannot repeat it a second time). Hope one day it might all click but I'm never going to perform at the RAH.
Trailer reversing is somewhat pointlessly one of my rare strengths.
Was a youthful banger racer back in the 70's which meant plenty of trailering, then 50 years artic driving which i still do on a part time basis and deliberately perform an awkward reverse, preferably blind side on mirrors alone, every workday.
Its only practice that perfects this and developing your own technique, use it or lose it and take a pride in it, others go for the easy option which often involves screwing trailers round scrubbing miles of tyre life out because they can't reverse well and they won't practice when safe then they wonder why they struggle when its a really tight spot where they end up taking chunks out of the scenery and damage vehicles already parked in parallel loading bays.
Thinking back i started trailer reversing practice with steerable toy cars as a nipper, then drove tractors and straw bale trailers when aged around 14 at harvest times.
Most other life skills about as much use as a cow with a gun, can't play a note or sing, my talking voice is best described as weird and definately not entering any beauty contests.
Home DIY skills are nothing short of abysmal, make a right pigs ear of most things hence cheaper overall and far better in the long run to pay a man that can whilst i worked a days overtime to pay him.
Was a youthful banger racer back in the 70's which meant plenty of trailering, then 50 years artic driving which i still do on a part time basis and deliberately perform an awkward reverse, preferably blind side on mirrors alone, every workday.
Its only practice that perfects this and developing your own technique, use it or lose it and take a pride in it, others go for the easy option which often involves screwing trailers round scrubbing miles of tyre life out because they can't reverse well and they won't practice when safe then they wonder why they struggle when its a really tight spot where they end up taking chunks out of the scenery and damage vehicles already parked in parallel loading bays.
Thinking back i started trailer reversing practice with steerable toy cars as a nipper, then drove tractors and straw bale trailers when aged around 14 at harvest times.
Most other life skills about as much use as a cow with a gun, can't play a note or sing, my talking voice is best described as weird and definately not entering any beauty contests.
Home DIY skills are nothing short of abysmal, make a right pigs ear of most things hence cheaper overall and far better in the long run to pay a man that can whilst i worked a days overtime to pay him.
johnpsanderson said:
Small-talk and chit-chat not an area of great strength either.
Social interaction as a whole is the big one for me. I put it down to being mercilessly bullied through my whole educational life so I never learned how to do anything other than keep myself to myself. Held me back my whole life to a massive degree and still does. aterribleusername said:
johnpsanderson said:
Small-talk and chit-chat not an area of great strength either.
Social interaction as a whole is the big one for me. I put it down to being mercilessly bullied through my whole educational life so I never learned how to do anything other than keep myself to myself. Held me back my whole life to a massive degree and still does. Have a
on me.aterribleusername said:
johnpsanderson said:
Small-talk and chit-chat not an area of great strength either.
Social interaction as a whole is the big one for me. I put it down to being mercilessly bullied through my whole educational life so I never learned how to do anything other than keep myself to myself. Held me back my whole life to a massive degree and still does. ...but for me that's the bigger one that I still don't get - "Networking"! Why the f
k would I want to pally-up to some random person I've got nothing (bar chosen career in some cases) in common with just because they might be of use to me in the future? And how the fk do I do that without seeming like some weirdo?!?Glassman said:
As much as I have not had any call to, I've never towed a trailer. Watching an episode of Clarkson's Farm, where Lisa learns to reverse a trailer into a spot, it felt like something I should be able to do by the age of 56. The reality is, I wouldn't have a clue where I am on the tow-a-trailer-ability scale until I try. Watching Oscar Piastri struggle also highlighted my lack of trailer competence but made me feel better that I could potentially share the podium with him on that front.
Other non-essential skills you should somehow have somewhere in your locker like lighting a fire without matches or a lighter, to sharpen a knife, tie a good knot or always know north. Then there are essential skills such as first aid and performing CPR.
What life skills do you feel you might be lacking in, or in powerfully built director style, are you the full package?
I learned to reverse a trailer as a teenager. It is much easier with a tractor and a long trailer than it is with a car and a short single axled trailer.Other non-essential skills you should somehow have somewhere in your locker like lighting a fire without matches or a lighter, to sharpen a knife, tie a good knot or always know north. Then there are essential skills such as first aid and performing CPR.
What life skills do you feel you might be lacking in, or in powerfully built director style, are you the full package?
I have the other skills that you mention and quite a few other outdoor/practical skills.
I can make small talk and enjoy meeting interesting people.
I'm not a true PHer, though:
I'm lean with reasonable all-round fitness, not "powerfully built", and I am not a company director.
chrisman said:
Learning a foreign language , I've tried a number of times , but nothing ever sticks. It's a source of shame every time I visit another country.
Unless you live with someone who speaks the language you're trying to learn, or you spend a lot of time in the respective country, it's always going to be difficult. For example, I have learned quite a bit of Polish from being around Polish people. I've been to a couple of weddings in Poland and generally, I feel comfortable in the environment. My vocabulary is improving all the time and it impresses a lot of natives. But, I have zero fluency. I'll only get that from being in that environment every day. Still, it's good fun and I find it interesting and - at times - an impossible language to learn. I don't mind that I get it wrong sometimes: drinking Bocian (stork) labelled vodka was fun but when I was in the deli with my friends shopping, my friend ordered some boczek (pork belly/belly pork) which is pronounced boh-check and to me, it sounded just like the vodka brand, pronounced boh-chan. Thinking I was quite the clever clogs I commented that I'd never tried stork before.
Being drunk is pi-ach-kah and a common mushroom is a pia-char-kah. I got that wrong too, 'Maretski is a mushroom?' I goofed. There's now a bunch of Poles in the city of Kalisz who don't get drunk, they get mushroomed. I've left my mark on them.
I can reverse a trailer with a tractor no problem but I have never tried one with a dolly and that looks like it might take a bit of practise. I made fire with the drill method a few times, ride a motorbike anyway and like learning new skills I think are neat, although admittedly mostly useless.
BUT, there are a load of things that remain a complete mystery, electricity, plumbing, musical instruments and finance are all basically wizardry to me and much as I enjoy messing about with woodwork I am completely shart and my creations are not even worth putting on the bonfire.
BUT, there are a load of things that remain a complete mystery, electricity, plumbing, musical instruments and finance are all basically wizardry to me and much as I enjoy messing about with woodwork I am completely shart and my creations are not even worth putting on the bonfire.
I know the theory of reversing a trailer, but putting that theory in practice is more difficult.
I'm trained in first aid, frec3, cpr etc as a CRO member, but the first time I ever put that in practice was on a cyclist who was hit by a van. My initial thoughts were, ooh I hope someone can take the lead, and of the 50 or so in the crowd, no-one could. So I grabbed my bag and went to work on him. It was nerve wracking with everyone watching, but I thought to keep calm and speak softly. And it worked! I think I fooled everyone into thinking I knew what I was doing
and got a compliment from the Paramedic crew on the quality of my bandaging!
I'm trained in first aid, frec3, cpr etc as a CRO member, but the first time I ever put that in practice was on a cyclist who was hit by a van. My initial thoughts were, ooh I hope someone can take the lead, and of the 50 or so in the crowd, no-one could. So I grabbed my bag and went to work on him. It was nerve wracking with everyone watching, but I thought to keep calm and speak softly. And it worked! I think I fooled everyone into thinking I knew what I was doing
and got a compliment from the Paramedic crew on the quality of my bandaging!Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff