OUR LEAST-FAVORITE CHORES _ In the warmer months, the average American does 53 hours of manual labor around the house and yard every month. Nearly a full day every month (21 hours) is devoted just to home-related tasks, while even more (32 hours) goes into keeping the yard looking fresh. Our most disliked chores, in order:
- Pulling weeds
- Cleaning the bathroom
- Edging the lawn
- Laying mulch
- Mowing the lawn
- Washing dishes
- Laundry
- Tending to the garden
- Vacuuming
- Outdoor cleaning (yard/patio)
TOILET TEST TIME _ ‘Tis the season to test toilets — at NFL and major college football stadiums, where operators are gearing up to handle the ultimate halftime rush. While annual pre-season prep typically involves facility crews systematically inspecting water pressure, sensors, and valves zone-by-zone, the real spectacle happens before a venue opens for the very first time. New arenas host a synchronized “Super Flush,” recruiting hundreds of volunteers to flush thousands of toilets simultaneously to stress-test the building’s main plumbing lines. Born out of infamous past halftime sewage disasters, these epic trial runs ensure the system can survive tens of thousands of fans flushing at the exact same moment.
WHAT AGE MEN AND WOMEN CONSIDER THEMSELVES AN ADULT _ A survey asked people to pinpoint the age at which they felt they fully became a grown-up: men said age 26; women about three years earlier. Having a budget is the number one sign someone’s reached adulthood, with 55 percent noting that keeping track of their finances this way signifies adult life. After having a budget, the survey found these to be the rest of the top signs of adulting: buying a house (54 percent); filing your own taxes (52 percent); understanding and monitoring your credit score (48 percent); investing in your 401(k) (46 percent); doing your own laundry (43 percent); scheduling regular doctor’s appointments (38 percent); making a list to take when going to the grocery store (35 percent); and cooking dinner most of the week (33 percent).
