To fester and form pus. Yes, it is nasty. Yes, the pus can be symbolic. No, you do not want to confuse "supperating" with "suppurating." One is about enjoying food; the other may cause you to lose your lunch.
Kristin StewartCrazyThree sides whiteLight and darkYup, still doing the websiteThat's fair?
A couple months ago, I was talking with a friend at work about home projects. He's far handier than I am, but we both are unafraid of DIY projects, even ones beyond our immediate skill level. Both of us attribute that to growing up watching This Old House.
This Old House will turn 40 this year. (Take that, Simpsons!) There have been countless imitators over the years, but they're still the king of these shows. The reason? At it's heart, This Old House wants you to do the work yourself, not watch their contractors doing fancy work. Everything this show does is built around helping you understand, gain confidence, and go to work.
This starts with contractors/hosts that can explain things clearly. Listen to how carefully Tom Silva explains why he takes every measurement while replacing this window:
For my money, the best at this is the plumbing expert Richard Trethewey. This segment is one of my favorites (and one that my friend remembered from just a description) partly because Richard has to figure out the problem, isn't able to fix the problem on the show, and then builds a model and explains it perfectly in the shop:
These videos are all from Ask This Old House, the half-hour segment where they go on the road to viewers' houses to solve problems. It's the better of the two segments. The flagship is excellent when viewed as a season, but (as with most similar shows) the feeling that money and tools are no object undercuts the usefulness for the average viewer. Ask This Old House shows that these guys have the chops to tackle everyday issues too. They're much more translatable than the full-redo projects.
The program has adapted to modern times—the "What Is It" segments and mini-overviews like this one about mowing your lawn properly seem more designed for YouTube—but the core is the same: measure twice, cut once, show your work, and do it right. That's the same on both halves of the show. This is a faster edit than the other videos, but watch how much of this project is shown (both the individual steps and the entire process):
I'm sure some of our readers have home projects in the new year; start by watching a This Old House video. And then go do it. Even if it takes you far longer than it does them, you'll get better. And you'll be able to pass on that knowledge to the next person you work alongside, just as they have for forty years.
TVThis Old HouseHappy New YearForty YearsShow Your WorkSelf-sealing membrane with stone dust and a Bahstahn accent?