| How to navigate a wine festival successfully Posted: Attending wine festivals should be a lot of fun. However, the fun can be marred if you realize you have consumed too much alcohol, which is easy to do without proper and careful planning. Follow these steps to derive the most enjoyment from a wine festival, while being responsible, avoiding a hangover, and not being annoying. Steps Even chocolate is a snack! - Drink equal parts water and wine or, better yet, more water than wine. The easiest way to accomplish this is to carry your own water with you. While many booths will provide water, sometimes they run out, and you also don't want to hold up the line drinking water in addition to wine.
- Drinking a lot of water will probably mean that you end up taking several trips to the toilet, but doing this will keep you from getting dehydrated, especially if the weather is warm.
- Have a plan of attack. Stick with the following order and select only a few wines from within each range. Do not double back! The recommended order is:
Light white wine first please! - Take your time to smell the wine before trying it. This is an important part of the sampling experience. Try to guess the aromas coming from the wine in each glass.[2]
- Remember your wine tasting skills. Smell, swirl, see, sip. Follow this, and you will get the best of your wine. For more tips on how to taste the wine, see How to Taste Wine.
- Spit two or three of every five wines you sample if you can't spit them all. At least some of the tastings should be just that; mere tastings.
- Carry your own spit cup (spittoon). This gets around the problem of no such cups being available, although a good wine festival should account for this adequately. You can rinse the spit cup regularly with the water that is usually supplied. If not, nip into the bathroom and rinse it out periodically.
- Keep a record of your favorite wines rather than trying to quaff down more of them. If you find a wine you really like, write it down and stick the information in your pocket. Plan to buy it later to enjoy in the comfort and safety of your home.
- Have a designated driver or some plan to avoid driving. It is always safer to have a non-drinker in charge of the driving. Organize this in advance, or have a taxi or booze bus booked in advance.
Video In this video, get tips from Lakewood winemaker Chris Stamp on how to enjoy a wine festival. Tips - Alcohol is a toxin and for all its good, it still needs to be flushed out of your system.[3] For each drink you consume, drink twice the amount of water. Alcohol can cause dehydration; this is another reason to drink water, especially when you are consuming alcohol in the heat out of doors.
- Be sure to have a bag that will carry your personal items such as phone, wallet, diary, etc., without falling forward whenever you lean over the taste wines. You will only have enough hands for wines and nibbles!
Warnings - Avoid dehydration! Drink water continuously.
Things You'll Need - Carry a small bag to collect all the information and goodies you collect.
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| How to Understand Offsides in Soccer (Football) Posted: Despite being one of the shortest of the 17 Laws of football, the offside rule 11 is probably the most misunderstood rule in football, as well as being the one that raises much controversy owing to the subjective element of the referee's call. And yet, FIFA reassures us that it is actually one of the easiest rules to understand. [1] Whether you're always getting called for being offside, or you're a spectator without a clue as to what offside violations are all about, this article explains how to understand the rule. Steps - Learn a little history behind the offside rule. The offside rule originated in football's early days, in secondary school games; it was introduced to stop lazier players from simply hanging about the goal zone, waiting to take the ball and aim for an easy goal.[2] Under the rules of Eton College (1847), being offside was once known as "sneaking".[3] Over time, the offside rule has evolved to ensure a good balance of play (at one stage it was so tough that no goals were being scored!); by 1925 FIFA amended the rule so that only two players had to be between the attacker and the goal.[4] In 1990, the rule was amended to help the game flow more freely again, through permitting an attacking player to be level with the second-to-last defending player without being called offside.[5]
- Understand what offside means. The reasoning behind the offside rule remains fairly much the same as when it was introduced, namely, it is aimed at preventing an attacking player from waiting for the ball close to the goal.[6] In simple terms, being offside occurs when an attacking player goes behind the line of defenders before the ball has been kicked to them. In greater detail, being offside occurs when:
- the attacking player is in the opponent's half of the field
- fewer than two defenders(one of the defenders can include the goalkeeper) OR the ball are closer to the goal line than the attacking player
- the attacking player is involved in the play, either by playing the ball or interfering with a defender or goalkeeper
- When an offside is called, play is stopped and an indirect free kick (the ball must touch another player before a goal is scored) is awarded to the opposing team.
- Work out whether the attacking player is actually in an offside position. Here is how to determine the offside position:
- Keep an eye on the closest two defenders to the goal including the goalkeeper.
- If there are fewer than two defenders (including the goalkeeper) between the attacking player and the goal, and the attacking player does not have possession of the ball, then the attacking player is in an offside position.
Here, the blue forward to the left of this diagram is in an offside position - Note, however, that it isn't enough for a player to be in the "offside position" for it to be declared offside. The key element is "active play".
- Understand what the referee does. The referee is in the position of calling an offside. Either the referee (linesman) or the referee's assistant, will raise his flag when he considers that a player is offside.
- The assistant referee will raise his flag straight in the air to indicate there has been an offside infraction. The referee will make the call to stop play, or he can overrule the assistant referee.
- The referee will indicate an indirect free kick is awarded to the opponent team by holding one arm in the air (before and after the restart) until the ball has touched another player on the pitch.
Possession of the ball means no offside despite being in front of all but one defender - A player cannot be offside on the defending half of the field. The furthest point that you must retreat to avoid an offside call is the halfway line.
- A player cannot be offside directly from a throw-in.
- A player cannot be offside directly from a corner-kick.
- A player cannot be offside directly from a goal-kick.
- The latter three points are easy to remember if you equate them with the ball leaving the field of play. The above three points are the restarts for the ball leaving play and therefore there is not offside on the following restart.
- Note when offside ceases to apply. Offside only applies at the time that the ball was passed to the attacking player, not after the kick. Once a teammate passes a ball to the attacking player, he can legally sprint past the last defender to receive the kick because has possession of the ball.
Video Tips - The offside rule is subject to frequent revision - and such revisions can have major impacts on the way the game is played.[7] [8]
- It is helpful to watch the offside rule in action. Two reliable sources are (you will need to choose your streaming option):
- The offside rule can apply to any player. It is not restricted to the forward line.
- The restart for an offside infraction (it is not a foul) is an indirect kick for the defending team.
- In some minor soccer games with younger kids, offsides may not be called by the referee.
Warnings - Never argue with the referee, they will not reverse a call because you disagree.
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| How to Plant Squash in Hills Posted: Are you wondering how people get those nice, thick squash plants that produce heavily? Planting squash in hills can give your squash first rate drainage, helping them to grow well. Here are a few easy tricks to getting your squash patch up and rivaling your neighbors. Note: Most squash are planted in hills instead of rows. Steps - Till your garden deeply by hand or by rototiller. See wikiHow's article on how to double dig a garden for instructions.
- Mark the placement of the hills. Hills of bushy summer squashes can be placed 2-3 feet apart, while hills of vine squashes (Acorn, Hubbard, Buttercup, Pumpkin, etc.) will need to be placed 8-10 feet apart to allow for spreading and to prevent hybridization when vines cross and meld.
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Make a hole at each hill location. -
About a tablespoon per hill. -
A very welcome addition to the garden! - Cover the mound of fertilizer and manure with dirt to form a mound approximately 2 feet in diameter and 6-8 inches high.
- Smooth the top of the hill.
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Space the seeds evenly; 6-8 per hill is plenty, and 3 per hill is okay too. - Poke the seeds down into the hill approximately one inch (down close to the compost).
- Cover the seeds with dirt.
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Pat it down to prevent washing it away with a too strong hose. - Water gently at least every other day.
- Thin out seedlings to three per hill once they are established.[1]
- Reapply fertilizer every 10 days.
Video Tips Soaker hose set up by this author.
Warnings - Squash bugs, cucumber beetles and borers can attack squash. Keep an eye out for them.
Things You'll Need - Rototiller
- Spade
- Hoe
- Fertilizer
- Manure
- Compost
- Watering supplies
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| How to Confront Someone Who's Giving You the Silent Treatment Posted: Are you getting the cold shoulder, but you don't know why? Is someone who's normally eager to speak to you now keeping your conversations to the bare minimum? This can be hurtful, frustrating, and confusing. Here's how to confront the person who's ignoring you without making things worse. Steps - Make sure you're not just being paranoid. Sometimes, it's not about you at all. Perhaps he or she is being quiet because someone in his or her family is ill, or is having personal problems. In this case, you shouldn't take it personally. Perhaps back off a little and leave some space. Or not: withdrawing from friends can be a feature of depression, so reaching out may be exactly what your friend needs. But, if you notice that this person is only acting quietly towards you, and not towards others, for an extended period of time, then you may have reason to be concerned.
- Test the waters with a sense of humor. If the person is just in a bad mood (maybe because of something you did, maybe not) you might be able to lighten the mood with a little bit of playfulness.
- Examine if this is a pattern. Has this person done this before? Does s/he try to control or "punish" you in other ways? If so, ask yourself whether this is a relationship you want to maintain. See How to Recognize a Manipulative or Controlling Relationship.
- Question your own behavior. When did the silent treatment start? What happened that day, or in the days just before the behavior changed? Could you have done or said something insensitive? Did something change? Try to understand what could set off the silence. Narrow it down to a few possibilities and try to think of ways you can fix the situation.
- Rehearse what you're going to say. You want to have one conversation and then feel like you said what you needed to say, so plan it ahead of time. It's easy to get nervous and/or defensive, or to come off the wrong way, if you aren't prepared. Close your eyes and imagine you're alone with this person and say out loud what you want to say. Listen to the way you make your statement, and adjust your tone if need be.
- Speak in private. Speak to the person when you're alone and are unlikely to be interrupted.
- Begin by apologizing if you believe you did something to offend or hurt the person, even if you're not sure what it is. Say something like "I'm so sorry if I've done or said something stupid to you."
- Say that you value the friendship. E.g. "I've really enjoyed spending time/working with you." or "Please help me out here, because I appreciate your friendship so much."
- Honestly express how this makes you feel. The cold shoulder is painful to the recipient (you). Let this person know that you do sincerely want to work things through, but if that's not going to happen in the near future, you may not continue "volunteering" to be frozen out. Example: "It really hurts that you're shutting me out, and I wish you would talk to me so we could put this behind us. The reality is that I think about this so much that I can't study or even sleep, so if this continues much longer, I'm going to need to stop waiting and just assume that you do not want to be friends anymore. I don't want to do that, which is why I'm telling you now."
- Be open to whatever s/he has to say. Let him or her know that if there's a problem, you're all ears. It's important to know why s/he is giving you the silent treatment, and s/he probably feels that you deserve this treatment. Moreover, people want to know you understand what you are apologizing for. Paraphrase, make educated guesses: "and that made you feel sad?", and use stories to reach mutual understanding.
- Offer to walk away. After all, a silent treatment indicates that he or she no longer wants to speak with you for whatever reason. If you have tried to discover the problem, but s/he won't share or discuss the reason, there's not much else you can do. At this point, ask directly, "So you just don't want to work this out? You don't want to talk to me or be friends any more?" If the answer is yes, s/he wants you to leave him or her alone, then do so. If s/he says no, or not really, or I'm not sure, then say something like "Okay, well, since you're not ready yet, take some more time. I'm here whenever you feel ready to talk again. I really like being friends and hope we can work this out, but I'll leave it to you to reach out when you're ready to be friends again. I'll be there." Leave the burden of calling or initiating contact to them, so that they can have the space and time that they need.
- Pay attention to your tone. If you did do something to start this, you want to make sure your tone doesn't indicate that you think s/he is being overly sensitive or is acting stupidly. S/he, after all, may feel hurt in some way, and a snide or patronizing tone will only make things worse between you.
- Try only once. This can be the hardest part - after you have apologized and attempted to understand what is going on, you have done your part. Now, it is up to the other person to step up and begin communicating with you. If s/he does not, that is his/her decision. You cannot fix this without cooperation from him/her.
- Pat yourself on the back. Confronting someone takes courage, and you've handled it as best and as maturely as you could! No matter what the final outcome is, you faced up to a problem squarely, made your best effort to resolve it, and accepted the result.
Tips - Your objective should not be to accuse him/her, or even to defend yourself - rather, it should be to let the person know that (1) you didn't mean to offend or insult, (2) you've tried to understand his or her point of view, (3) if there is a need to address something with you, you agree to hear him or her out fully, and (4) if s/he wants to keep the reasons to him or herself, and end your friendship, you'll respect his or her wishes.
- If you make the person feel pressured to tell you what's on his or her mind, or if you offer guilt or more coldness in return, you might reinforce the behavior and miss a chance to save the relationship.
- Keep in mind that no one can be obligated to speak to you. Everyone has the right not to speak to anyone they like. If someone else has made that choice and chooses not to reconsider, your role becomes finding a way to accept that. At some point, it's no longer about the other person. It's now about you finding the maturity to let it be.
- If you're not sure whether it's the silent treatment, try asking more generically, "You've been a bit quiet lately. Is anything wrong?"
Warnings - Don't feel guilty for failing as a mind reader. You can do your best to understand why this person no longer wants to associate with you, but for him or her to clam up and expect you to figure things out on your own is unrealistic, and exhibits poor communication skills. If s/he keeps giving you the silent treatment every time your relationship hits a bump in the road, and you've made it clear that you're receptive to hearing his/her perspective, then maybe the relationship is better off silent. One who seems to relish nursing a grudge makes for a difficult friend; in the end, friendships are supposed to be a refuge from the storms of life. If this friend is causing storms in your life on a fairly regular basis, it's not something you should "get used to" or put up with. It's something you should nip in the bud early, or accept the fact that you may just need to find friends who are supportive, kind, and communicative instead.
- If this is happening on a regular basis, it can be a form of emotional abuse. In an abusive relationship, even if you do everything "right," you will never be able to stop the abuse completely.
- Consult with friends to confirm your perception about this, and ask them if they feel it might just be paranoia on your part.
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