Andrew Potter
Have you ever tried a cup of coffee from the small cafe in St. Mary’ followed by walking right into a small town soap-box derby, complete with kids riding down ramps hitting each other’s helmets with soft, foam bats while parents look on and a local priest tells jokes to some of the older members of the crowd?
This is just one of the many situations that I have found myself in, mind you, after jumping into my car and just driving out to a small town and wandering around.
This is also the way I was able to experience a growing police standoff in Rossville, followed by eating some delicious Silver Lake beef at a Chinese restaurant that is only open on Saturdays and Sundays.
Just how did I find myself in these predicaments, or rather, on these adventures? Simple. I avoid the natural urge to head home for the weekend.
While sitting in my classes, I overhear several conversations, most of which deal with what my fellow collegians did last weekend or what they plan on doing this weekend.
A large portion of these plans deal with going home, to either Manhattan or Lawrence or any other large city nearby, and eating homemade food or to take care of dirty laundry.
But is this really what college students should be doing? Isn’t this simply following in the footsteps of what we did in high school? It seems like the only difference is that we return to our hometowns with our teeth stained by pizza and ramen noodles.
As college students we should be exploring what the world around us offers. By going out and doing whatever comes to us, we are stepping outside of our comfort zones and breaking that homebound habit.
We could be sipping coffee in a small cafe in Eskridge, killing time before dinner at the barbecue restaurant in town. This could of course be followed by any number of random activities that spring up.
We should be out involving ourselves in city-wide garage sales, finding that perfect lamp that is shaped like a dog, or finding an extremely old Polaroid photo album.
We should be out finding small antique shops and purchasing green ladders, followed by free wine tastings at the local winery that just so happens to have a winemaker that knows quite a lot about his subject.
Could you experience any of these adventures by simply going on the same highway back home to visit your family for two days?
Go out and find a new coffee shop in a deserted corner of a semi-hidden town, and be sure to find as many instances as possible for free or cheap food.
Two weeks ago, Americus celebrated their Americus Days, and they offered free hot dogs. Did you hear me? Free!
Go forth and acquire amazing stories about our neighboring towns. They have so much to offer.
Andrew Potter
Updated manual worth the wait
Chicago Sun-Times February 16, 1992 | Les Hausner Since it first arrived in bookstores in 1973, Reader’s Digest’s popular Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual has sold 10.5 million copies. go to site how to install a dishwasher
This is the manual I normally check first when seeking help on a project around the house.
After 23 revisions, the book has been completely rewritten and illustrated and retitled New Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual. The cover price is $30 – actually a bargain for any homeowner interested in keeping the house or making improvements without having to call in a professional.
Of course, no manual ever deserves the word “complete” in its title, but this book comes close to achieving that end.
There are some new chapters, including emergency repairs, which offers immediate stopgap solutions for power outages, clogged drains and leaky roofs. “Your House” is a new chapter dealing with the house structure, hiring a contractor, building codes and financing repairs.
The book’s updating reflects our changing lifestyles. For example, the chapter on plumbing gives well-illustrated instructions for installing whirlpool baths. The electricity section tells us how to install home security systems, telephone wiring and smoke detectors.
The chapter on woodworking should be helpful to anyone trying to solve the mysteries of cutting joints, grooves and miters.
There is much that is new in New Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual, and the book is an excellent primer for one wanting to learn how to paint or wallpaper, repair and install floors, and make plumbing and electrical repairs and installations.
No doubt a revision of this manual already is in the planning stage. I have a suggestion for at least one addition: How to install a dishwasher. This should have accompanied the instructions on installing a garbage disposal. here how to install a dishwasher
About seven years ago, I installed a dishwasher in less than two hours and with the aid of simple tools after a craftsman quoted me a price of $210 for labor alone. I wonder what it would cost today?
I am not certain what Charles H. Self had in mind when he compiled Making Pet Houses, Carriers & Other Projects (Sterling Publishing, $9.95 paperback).
I presumed such a book would present a wide assortment of original plans for pet structures and would be accompanied by clear illustrations. That is what the do-it-yourself book trade is about.
Instead, I discovered that half the 128-page book is devoted to woodworking and refinishing techniques.
Many of the photos are of tools with the brand names prominently displayed. A snapshot of a bottle of (I won’t name the brand) hide glue does nothing to help anyone complete a proejct. The same goes for a photo of a set of chisels, which does not explain the particular use of any of them.
Plans for building two dog houses were obtained from the American Plywood Association, which also supplied color photos of their finished projects. We have to guess how the other products will look after completion.
Save your money. You can write to the American Plywood Association, Box 11700, Tacoma, Wash. 98411, for a free catalog of plywood products, including pet products.
There is a charge, probably $2, for an individual pattern. If you want a videotape explaining how to do it, the charge is $15.95.
Les Hausner
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