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PAST ISSUES
A metaphorical encyclopedia of simple know-hows
by Abbie Tumbleson
Exchange Staff
In a recent series of articles and studies, that I had to read for my course, conducted by the Readership Institute, questioned methods to gain readership from the "younger generations." As college students we are all members of the younger generation and need to pay homage to the technology and privileges that we have. Our parents did not have computers. Our grandparents did not have indoor plumbing. The Sears catalog had a completely different use than looking up fancy gadgets to put under the Christmas tress, or an excuse to get another present on St. Patrick's Day. But, I do not want to discuss extraneous gifting or the glory that has become the "Hallmark Holiday."
I want to hypothesize how we can apply tactics and practices from our older generations into our daily lives and acquire a metaphorical encyclopedia of information to pass on to the ever- rekindling future.
This thought of everyday tasks and the "constant struggle" is to get through daily life really struck me the other morning at 4:00 a.m.. My roommates and I were casually sitting in the living room of our tower, some were drifting off to sleep, and several stragglers from the evening's festivities were floating out of our doors and into another realm of events. It was a great night until the toilet did not flush and proceeded to overflow into the bedrooms. Luckily, my roommate is a bit of a handywoman, and she worked some magic with a coat hanger and her menagerie of tools to get the water to stop seeping out of the commode. In my opinion, this is a life skill that we all need. I called Facilities on Sunday afternoon to come and solve the problem and was twice asked, "Why didn't you just turn off the water valve?" There was no water valve and we had thought of that from the get go.
Several helpful tasks I can think of include knowing how to change a flat tire, check the tire pressure, how to check your oil and multiple fluids if you are an automobile owner, and knowing how to pump your own gas, especially if you are from New Jersey. I have gotten several flat tires over my five years of driving and luckily knew the basics. I had my old car overheat and successfully changed the coolant in the radiator. I have had my empty gas light flash on and filled up the tank.
Another tough situation can result from not knowing how to wash laundry. I learned before I came to college, but some people come with clean clothes, wait several months, and then visit home for some magical being to wash their soiled goods for them. The instructions are on the machines, so read, take some notes, hit the "bright color setting," add some detergent, and you are on your way.
I am also an advocate of being health conscious to some degree and I believe that everyone should know how to make spaghetti. It is a cheap, easy, and bulky food, which can sustain multiple people for several days. And, by simply putting water in a pot and boiling it, adding noodles, and waiting about ten minutes results in a delicious meal. Sauces come in many jars at the grocery store and it can be poured right on top of the drained noodles.
Lastly, making your life a little greener could help decrease your eco footprint, as well as saving you some money.
How to be more green:
- Using reusable shopping bags, or tote bags around the house
- Using plastic bags, if you have them, as garbage bags. This reduces waste and prevents you from spending additional money on garbage bags.
- Using a Brita filter instead of buying bottled water
- Refilling your old plastic bottles
- Reusing plastic containers instead of buying Tupperware
I have found these
tidbits of knowledge to help me out in obtuse and tough situations. They
may and hopefully will help you as we all enter into the adult generation.
And, I am still waiting for the water valve for my toilet, so please cross
your fingers.
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