If you're going to wear a tie, wear it properly. Get a good tie and the following conditions need to be met: full windsor knot, all the way up, on straight, appropriately long, and your shirt collar needs to be crisply folded over. Then, tuck the shirt in and wear a belt. You'd be amazed how many of my classmates show up to job interviews failing to live up to most of these.
I'd like to add, that if you wear a suit, and it's the only suit you own, it looks worse when it doesn't fit, than not wearing a suit at all. You can still by a suit off the rack, just have it hemmed or taken in as necessary. I've interviewed many applicants whose interview was over the second they walked into the conference room. If your suit is too big for you, you look ridiculous.
Either you back in, or you back out. No avoiding going in reverse at some point. The question is should you be driving in reverse into a narrow space with cars on either side of you, or into a big, roomy lane?
You know, there's a bunch of situations where backing in is superior to driving in (largely because it's better to drive out than back out, but I digress). But frankly, if you're the kind of guy who considers maneuvering his vehicle in between two other stationary vehicles to be particularly difficult or taxing, you're probably not the kind of guy whose advice I am going to ask as to how I should operate my vehicle.
I don't differentiate... either you can drive your fucking vehicle or you can't. And for that matter, I'd rather have good visibility when pulling out (forward) in to a "big roomy lane" where fuckwit drivers might be moving... it's amazing how many don't stop or give way to people backing up with minimal visibility, because "they had the right of way". It's right up there with the pedestrians that walk out in front of cars at intersections and get hit, with the defence of "I had the right of way". Yeah, but you just got hit by a 3,000 lbs car, you fucking moron.
One is easy, and the other is just easier. There's no points for difficulty. And, at least if you're backing out, the people you might get into a wreck with are fuckwits who deserve to have their day ruined, rather than people who aren't even in their cars. This guy is a fucking moron and it's obvious why he teaches at a toilet law school. He goes on and on about how you should never ever ever under any circumstances talk to a cop, and then in the same lecture, talks to a cop. There's plenty of times you should talk to cops. If you call them, talk to them. If you're a witness to a crime, talk to them. If you're caught breaking into your own home, talk to them (unless you're going to talk about their mommas).
I see where you're coming from, but my main reason for backing in is so that I can protect myself from other people's stupidity. I'd rather not get in a wreck at all, as it'll fuck up my day along with theirs. I have more control of the situation if I back in and pull out forward, especially with my truck with the canopy. I've lost any faith I may have had in other people having common sense. backing out of a space in this can be a bit of a blind faith exercise.
Fuck that shit, I drive a full 4 door long box diesel Chevy (about a half a foot longer then Nett's truck) and the majority of the time I HAVE to back into a spot, or Im not parking at all. When you're reversing you have such a better turning radius then if you pull straight in.
I think this thread has outed the unaware assholes. ...Or bank robbers. This came from a band director, not a father, but it's still good advice to pass along: Practice does not make perfect. Practice makes permanent. Only perfect practice makes perfect.
Hey hey hey. Just because I happen to rob banks doesn't mean that I can't make an objective case for backing into a parking spot. And you never know when you're going to need to throw a lot of, uh, ballast to add weight over the rear wheels in an extremely time efficient manner. <a class="postlink" href="http://www.fancyparking.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.fancyparking.com/</a>
In other news, I hang my toilet paper facing the wall. Now back to your currently scheduled program. Focus: Dad was short on advice. Come to think of it, he was short on example as well. Maybe the most useful advice he gave me was "Don't fuck with the guy in the other car. For all you know, he has a gun." That and "Hand me the OTHER fucking wrench. What 's wrong with you?" just about sum it up.
My dad is known for having great one-liners and sage wisdom. For example, if he's complaining about a fat woman he'll say something like, "She's big enough to burn diesel and pull her own trailer." Accordingly, it's his voice I hear in my head during times of stress. These pearls are what always come to mind when I think of my father's advice. It's strange, because these are not very profound and he has most definitely given some profound support, but what can you do? It's what sticks in my brain: When narrowly avoiding a deer on the highway: "Never worry about the first deer. It's the three that are running behind the first one that you have to worry about." When cleaning out my truck, about to throw away some small lengths of rope: "Little bits of rope are handy." So now, whenever a deer runs into the road, my dad's voice booms into my head, "DON'T LOOK AT IT LOOK BEHIND IT FOR THE REST!" And when I found a dog running up the middle of the road in November, that little bit of rope behind the seat of my truck came in handy as a leash.
I've been getting a lot of comments on this and I want to make something clear. These were the rules when I first started having sex. I've only had to deal with one guy who gave me shit about having to wear a condom. He didn't last long. Although, I stand by letting a guy know what you like. If he is doing something that makes me physically uncomfortable, I reserve the right to tell him to stop. I understand where the term "finger-blasting" comes from, and I will not stand for a scratched up vagina again.
This is not advice passed on from my father but rather from the 1001 Rules for my Unborn Son site as well as other various "be a man" lists: Men Never Wear Sandals. The fuck? Obviously there is a time and a place, and I agree you shouldn't have only sandals on hand (the good example he listed was in the case of a flat tire), but what the hell am I supposed to wear to the beach? The pool? Playing intoxicated whiffle ball? Mid-summer cookouts? I will never pass this advice along, to my sons or anyone else. Tell me that none of you heathens subscribe to this way of thinking, unless you're one of those "no shorts, ever" guys, in which case I don't give a fuck what you have to say.