I’ve seen people do all kinds of things to relieve anxiety. Some have a glass of wine at dinner. Others shop or eat. But these are troubling times — with hurricanes, tsunamis, war, and acts of terrorism — and if drinking, eating, or hitting the mall is your way offending off anxiety over the state of the world, you should know that the bill will eventually come due. And I don’t mean just the credit card statement. Such coping methods do nothing to build your inner strength and resiliency. Fortunately, there are ways to nurture true inner peace when outer peace isn’t an option.
A few months ago, a woman I’ll call Nancy attended one of my seminars. Nancy had been through hard times: Three years earlier her house had burned down; then her husband’s National Guard unit shipped out to Iraq, and when he returned he was angry, depressed, and traumatized. The couple got therapy yet grew further apart until, finally, her husband asked for a divorce. Nancy realized she had a choice: She could drown in self-pity or move forward. After seeing how the trauma of war had torn up her husband, she wanted to make a difference with her life. So, at 35, she enrolled in nursing school.
I think even Nancy was surprised by her resilience. But her leap into a life of greater meaning came from a simple change in outlook. She shifted her focus from her own problems to the difficulties of others. And that one change brought her clarity and peace.
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If you learn two skew-cutting techniques and a scraping method, you’ll turn like a pro!
As I read through a variety of articles about using the skew chisel, I was struck by the significance, not only of what the authors were saying, but of who they were. Primarily they were oldguy production turners, noteworthy because there aren’t that many of them left today. They were good turners — great in most cases! They were great turners because that’s what they did for a living, day in and day out. Most likely you don’t do that, which is why you’re probably skew chisel-challenged.
So let’s begin with a simple premise: Anything you learn to do well, you do so by practicing. With just a few hours’ practice, you will begin to feel in control of the various cuts that can be made with a skew. When you learn two of them, plus one method of scraping, you’ll be well on your way!
One of the Old Guys
Years ago, I met one of the old-guy turners, Rude Osolnik. I was so stunned at his ability with turning that I probably didn’t learn much from his demonstration, except to clearly understand that his tools were an extension of his hands and that he used short-handle tools. The most amazing thing he did (and there were many amazing things!) happened when he finished turning a spindle: He didn’t shut off his lathe before he parted off the candleholder and inserted another piece of wood between centers! He must have retracted the quill of the tailstock, then retightened it — I don’t recall — but he must have, otherwise how else did the second, same-size piece of wood fit?
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By: Matt Goulding
Tune in to the right signals during a dinner date and you’ll satisfy more than just your palate. “Romantic meals allow for powerful courtship exchanges,” says Heather T. Remoff, Ph.D., author of Sexual Choice. “Women drop vital clues during a meal–read them right and dessert could be at her place.” Your guide:
SHE GIVES YOU HER UNDIVIDED ATTENTION
If she snags the seat facing the wall, odds are she’s there to focus on you. So give her something to look at. “Women are far more skilled at interpreting body language,” says David Givens, Ph.D., author of Love Signals. Display confidence and masculinity with open palms or steepled fingers, a “showcase of mastery and thoughtfulness,” says Givens. If she chooses to face the room instead, watch her eyes: Is she easily distracted?
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By: Chatzky, Jean, Money, Oct2006
How to cope with the “senior sandwich”–paying for retirement, your parents’ care and college–all at once
You know you’re officially part of a trend when someone gives you a catchy label, and there’s a new one out there: the 60-year-old kid. It means someone who is just short of retirement age and still has at least one parent who’s alive and kicking.
Cute, eh? Never have there been so many people in their golden years whose parents are still living, so the fact that the term is entering the lexicon is no surprise. But while the trend is a wonderful thing–we all want our parents to stay healthy and live to be 100–the fact that so many more are sticking around than in previous generations is putting unanticipated financial pressure on their adult children. Neal Cutler, a financial gerontologist (he studies the effect of aging on finances) who coined the term 60-year-old kid, says that at the beginning of the 20th century, between 4% and 7% of people in their sixties had at least one parent who was still alive. Today that percentage is close to 49% and rising.
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Seven things to remember when you’ve got birds working your spread
In my 20 or so years of chasing webbed feet, I’ve shot many a duck and have often enjoyed the company of duck callers far better than I. Here are seven things you should and shouldn’t do with a duck call.
DO: TAKE A LISTENING WALK Go to a local duck spot with some calls hanging around your neck. Don’t bring a gun; simply spend time listening to the birds. My favorite time for a listening walk is during the spring migration, when birds make a lot of noise and their jabber won’t be interrupted by hordes ‘of hunters. Head out in early morning when ducks are most vocal. Pay close attention to the birds’ distinctive enunciations and practice mimicking them. Intentionally spook birds to learn what their alarm calls sound like–that way you can avoid using such calls when hunting.
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