The Aged Male

Looking for a really nice way to get some exercise while having a pleasant day in the fresh air and strolling across some rolling green hills with friends, family, or colleagues? Perhaps you are retired and looking for a fitness routine a little more your pace and you want to have a leisurely way to get your weekly exercise while having some nice conversation. If either of these situations is the case, then it sounds like you may possibly enjoy a nice game of Golf.

While you have surely seen golf being played on television, or have seen it being played in person, or played it yourself at a golf course, have you ever thought it might be a good way to set up a weekly exercise routine? Golf is certainly a decently motivating excuse to get out in the sunshine and enjoy a beautiful day. While it is exercise, you still won’t be pushing yourself to hard and it is really up to the player how intense the game will be. Playing for fun is wiser if you are not physically fit as pushing yourself too hard is foolish and will possibly make you less likely to play again soon. It is really up to you to gauge the intensity of your swings and so on.

If you choose to use a golf cart to traverse the golf course then obviously you will be missing out on a big opportunity for some pleasant and healthy walking along the course. Strolling on the course is one of the best parts of golf on a nice day and you should really enjoy it to its fullest if at all possible. It presents an opportunity to have a good conversation with your friends, family, or colleagues and is also a good opportunity to have discussions about business and so on. You may feel that walking is too stressful if you don’t have a caddy or a wheel cart for your golf bag, so in that case a golf cart may be necessary. Do take care and make sure not to carry your golf bag on your shoulder if you find it heavy. It is not a smart way to impress your friends as it is an unnatural and imbalanced weight and it would be silly to overexert yourself playing a game. Keep it at a comfortable pace and you will be sure to be back on the course again soon.

The one thing that many people seem to overlook with the game of golf is its potential impact on nature. Remember to consider nature in your golfing hobby. It seems ironic considering that it is usually played outdoors with elaborate gardens and so on being placed throughout the course. Golf is certainly not one of the most sustainable sports around. Although it has a very green playing field, it is not necessarily so green for the planet. There are courses that are starting to address this concern and those courses are the ones that should be sought out whenever possible. Contact your local courses and ask them what they are doing to balance their environmental impact and make the game of golf a more sustainable one that can be enjoyed in a more harmonious way with the natural world it actually glorifies.

Going to work is something that most people have to do to afford all of life’s necessities.  If you’re lucky, you have a job doing something you love to do.  But sometimes even when you are doing your dream job, you may not be doing it with your dream coworkers.

With so many personalities in one office there is bound to be some conflict, at some point, with somebody.  There is really no way around it.  Fortunately, there are some things that you can do to minimize how much of the conflict you have to be a part of.  Sticking to a few of the golden rules can shield you from the aftermath of whatever inner office war that happens to have started at any given point during the work week.  But there is nothing that can fully protect you from the office drama queen; especially if she is the queen bee in charge.

This drama queen, slash office manager, is usually the jack of all trades when it comes to running a small office or department.  In some ways she is invaluable to the real manager, or owner of the business.  But in other ways, she is a major liability to the business, but is too good at what she does to go too far in obvious ways.  She knows how far she can go, and is always flirting dangerously with the very edge.

What makes this major drama queen, a major pain, is her never ending complaints and gossip.  To most of the people who work closely with her, it doesn’t look like she gets very much work done.  Not in the efficient quality way that she could if she were not so busy causing trouble.

One of the popular pastimes of the office drama queen is playing one coworker against the other.  She will be very convincing in her anger and outrage against the other person.  She will try to tell you all about how their many sins, but whatever you do, do not ever give your attention to this conversation.  Look away, change the subject, or simply talk about the person in a positive way.  This could shut her up and make her go to somebody else who will listen.

Another of her favorites is exaggerating, or adding to, a comment that the boss has made in order to make it sound as though he has an issue with somebody, or everybody in the office.  If you give your attention to this, she will drive you crazy with curiosity over what the boss is upset about.  Looking to her like she has valuable information will only add fuel to her drama fire and usually everybody gets burned in the end.  Ignore it and put it out of your head.  If the boss had something that important to say, he would say it to whoever needed to know.

The best way to stay drama free as well as saving your energy and sanity is to stay on task, and talk as little as possible, about personal matters or feelings, with this person.  Limit the amount of time you spend at her desk.  Do not go to lunch with her.  Do not do things outside of work with her.  And above all else, never become the unwitting co-star in her drama because it will never have a happy ending.

There may be some things that all women share in common, but the truth still remains, no two are exactly alike.  But for all their similarities and differences, they are still worlds apart from the opposite sex.

Despite the fact that all women are not created equal, their similarities give them the ability to understand each other, and on some points, agree.  Men have been trying to figure out how to decode the mind of women forever.  But they are no closer to doing it, than they were hundreds of years ago.  The only way to really know the inner workings of a woman’s mind is to pay attention when one speaks.  Women really give up all the answers, to every question any man could ever have.  The problem is that the answers are not in a language men can understand.  But men really should not feel too badly, women sometimes have trouble understanding why they feel the way they do, themselves.

It’s probably for the best that men don’t know every thought that goes through a woman’s head.  It would probably scare them away so fast that it could easily cause the end of the human race.

In some ways the communication barrier keeps a sense of mystery going, and that may be why men and women can be together at all.  This may also be why after all the years of trying, the mystery goes on.  But it never hurts to give the other side a few pieces of inside information.

So many things make women happy, that sometimes it’s easier to list some that they do not appreciate so much.

The parrot: This is the guy who pretends to think the same exact way his girl does.  He seems to be completely in sync with her, like he really gets her.  What he really looks like is a kiss ass.

The cool guy: This is the guy who has no idea who he is.  He is a follower, copying other people’s styles, and every trend, even the ones that are so over.  The worst part is that he truly believes he’s cool.

The clinger: Women are sensitive and caring, and they do want a sensitive man, they just don’t want him to express it the same way she does.  With so many ways to show love in a manly way, these guys really should give their feminine side a rest.

The fake: This guy tries way too hard, so hard that none of what he does seems sincere.

The father figure: Men have the right idea here, but a lot of them miss the mark completely.  Women do appreciate a strong man, but they don’t want to be so suppressed that they are tempted to sneak out their bedroom window.

The best thing a man can do is just be himself.  This makes a woman feel like she knows who she is dealing with, and it makes her comfortable enough to be herself around him.

Did you know that according to the National Safety Council, more than three quarters of all automobile accidents are due to driver error?  If you learn to drive defensively, you’ll be safer on the road, and you may help other people to avoid having a car accident as well.

If you’re interested in learning more about these practices, there are several commercial defensive driving courses available.  If you’re ticketed you might find yourself required to attend one.  However, you don’t have to wait until you’re ticketed to attend such a course, and doing so might actually lower your auto insurance rates.

But if attending a course isn’t appropriate for you right now, take some time to think about the following common driving practices and make a conscious effort to improve your driving.

About 40% of all accidents involve rear-end collisions.  Make sure you’re leaving a safe amount of distance between your car and the car in front of you.  The faster you’re going, the larger that gap should be.  The best way to judge is to choose a physical landmark on the side of the road – when the car in front of you passes it, begin counting.  You should be able to count at least two seconds before you reach that landmark.  Three seconds is better, and you should shoot for four or more seconds when it’s raining or visibility is poor.

Make it a habit to stay alert in the car, and always scan the road ahead for possible hazards.  Watch for vehicles approaching from the side, and be especially wary near pedestrian traffic or in areas where children or animals are present.  If a driver in front of you is behaving erratically, back off.

You should also make it a habit to always look for an escape route.  Check your side and rear mirrors.  Know where the other cars are, and know your options for maneuvering around a car, should it stop suddenly or another hazard develops.  If you see no good options, increase the distance between you and the other cars to give yourself more time to stop.

And perhaps most importantly, never drive distracted.  This means no cell phones while driving, no iPod headphones, and certainly no text messaging.  Keep the music level inside the car down so that you can hear warning sirens.  Don’t become overly involved in conversation with the occupants of the car and allow yourself to become distracted.  Avoid eating and drinking, and certainly never change clothes, shave, or apply makeup while driving.

When changing lanes, look over your shoulder to check your car’s blind spot.  Don’t rely just on your mirrors, as there are certain areas that can’t be seen by mirrors alone.  And always use your turn signals when turning or changing lanes.

Be considerate of other drivers, but be wary.  Don’t assume that another driver will behave as you expect.  Never take the right of way, but yield it when necessary – it’s far better to be safe than right.

And finally, always, always, always wear your seat belt.  Wear your seat belt properly across your chest and down low across your pelvis.  If your seat belt doesn’t fit, see if the manufacturer makes an extension.  Always see that any children in your vehicle are properly fastened into a secure, approved car seat.  Doing so will help you – and the other drivers around you – to get safely to your destination.