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economist sunsuntribune diversions saturday nov 20 2004 33 toolgirl offers tips to wannabes heres some advice from the toolgirl herself mag ruffman take courses at home depot httpwwwhomede- potxa the stores offer free seminars that cover everything from laying tile to faux finish painting to fixing a toilet for a complete schedule consult the clinic board outside your neigh bourhood store join a habitat for humanity build httpwwwhabitatca you will learn plenty of valuable skills such as how to do framing or put in window trim best of all theres no pressure she says its so fun when going to the hardware store dont be afraid to take a polaroid photograph drawing or sketch so you know exactly what you are talking about and look ing for she has seen many a plumbing contractor in the hardware store with a drawing and a bunch of parts top three power tools cordless drill make sure it is reversible meaning it not only drills in but can drill out to take out a screw make sure it runs at variable speeds rather than just on and off every girl should have a drill its the most fun thing when you get your first drill ms ruffman said sander make sure it has a circular plate electric jigsaw it can be very versatile cutting either straight or curvy you can use it to cut wood for a dock or make alpha bet letters she said check out httpwwwhomeenyycom its written by five independent journalists with expertise in dif ferent areas of the home includ ing repair maintenance and gar dening ms ruffman is one of die columnists there are articles other links and a searchable database ms ruffman is adamant that the information is unbiased and not advertorial a 8 how can it tfioigirls fcvoiirile sr m tgife repoin end projects how hard can it be toolgirvs favourite repairs and projects by mag ruffman and pho tographed by daniel hunter is a collection of 50 toolgirl arti cles offering house and home doityourself repair remodel ling and renovation ideas husband motivates wife to do it herself from page 32 trical work such as replacing switches and plugs to installing shelving units many women today are confident in their abil ity to update and renovate mr perkin says the attitude is they will take on anything women are realizing the unfairness from the tradeoff of having their husband install a dimmer switch while they slave over a threecourse meal ms ruffman says theyre thinking i can put in a dimmer switch the ener gy exchange is unbalanced hed be done the dimmer switch in seven minutes to explain the increasing interest among women in home renovation ms ruffman points to high divorce rates which leave many women on their own she notes more than half 52 per cent of the money spent at home depot is spent by women just two years ago manufactur ers were speaking of women as a niche market she says it the market has built fast because women speak to each other she says for example they will swap strategies on the best way to install a dimmer switch while men are less likely to do this she said adding men are expected to know how to do this kind of task already at home depot stores do-it- yourself workshops are offered on topics such as installing faucets and tiles or how to fix drains the workshops are open to both genders but are mainly geared to women more women are also buying howtorenovate books says nadia neisha a cashier at the hwy 7 and yonge street home depot store in richmond hill women are more involved h 6ritfre mont want ancient some hardware products are also changing to meet the needs of women manufacturers have started going after them women these last 10 or 15 years theyre realiz ing they are missing half of the market mr perkin says black and decker for exam ple produces a fiveinch trim saw that is light and handy and is mostly for women but men have started using it too he sayssome drills are being made smaller pink tools offended electricstart snowblowers and lawn mowers that turn on using a key or a button have quickly become en vogue replacing gaspowered machines that often start by yanking a cord but when tools with pink handles were introduced many women were offended so they were yanked from store shelves ms ruffman says it was a line of screwdrivers and hammers designed for women that may have been ahead of its time she says manufacturers are making tools that are useful for smaller hands and people with weak hand grips she says some hitachi and black and decker products have been designed for more dainty hands she says tom boy tools a company founded to provide tools and home improvement techniques for women even encourage a type of tupperware party where tools rather than kitchen prod ucts are sold httpwwwtomboytoolscom ms ruffman says x womens interest in home renovations dates back to the second world war when women worked in manufacturing plants while men were away fighting as soldiers says mr perkin who ness since the 1960s home renovation tv pro grams have also influenced womens attitudes toward reno vating their homes he adds as mentioned theres ms ruffman but mr perkin also points to the influence of amy wynn pastor a carpenter on die popular tv showtrading spaces in which neighbours transform a room in each others homes michelle solomon is just one of the many women following ms pastors lead ms solomon who runs a maid service in richmond hill andthornhill has installed cup boards in her bathroom put up drywall and converted a base ment powder room into a full- fledged bathroom its a good feeling its a really good feeling she says her inspiration for this man ual labour her man i cannot wait for a man to do it he my husband says hes going to do it but when she tells the story of how a pipe in her home was dripping for four weeks until she finally fixed it herself meanwhile her husband was out fixing other peoples sinks and changing other peoples drywall ms ruffman has an opti mistic prediction for women she sees them expanding into higher sectors of the home reno vation market she predicts women will start their own electrician businesses while this is not nadia neishas goal she is determined she will one day be among the scores of women confident in their ability to use power tools to prepare for this the 27yearold markham woman has started to read how- torenovate books theres even how to do your own decking paving your own driveway she says her eyes great to see fullfigured gal as romantic lead from page 32 the family is still grappling with the loss of its father and these fun times in the park seem to be helping them live again mr barrie also finds relief from his dissolving marriage his friendship with family and the inspiration it provided for him to write peter pan is at the core here not anoth er hashing over of the peter pan story itself it is allegedly inspired by facts and i have to trust the screenwriter because i dont know much about mr barrie the local gossips are chattering about mr barries unconventional rela tionship with mrs davies and her brood a nod to modern film and tv genres but it only lasts a moment or two they choose to live out their imagi native silly and entertaining scenarios staging shows entering neverland and remainingwideeyed at the wonders of the world littie peter starts to come out of his shell when suddenly we are aware one person in their jolly bunch may be ill finding neverland is a candy- coloured nostalgic foray into a time we never knew when things seemed to be nicer finer and more civilized its sweetly emotional and if you dont watch out youll be sitting there tears streaming down your face one great moment occurs when on the opening night of peter pan dec 27 1904 mr barrie fills 25 seats with delighted orphans from a local home the usual firstnighters arent too pleased to have these commoners sharing their theatre but the play brings them together in joy and cele bration its not particularly a childrens film as some emotional scenes are pretty intense but older children and nearly everyone else should have a nice time watching so many wonderful performances mr depp julie christie as mrs davis meddling mother the astonishing little freddie highmore as peter mr hoff man and ms winslet ps its great to see ms winslet a fullfigured gal as a romantic lead 0 3 i k 0 i j looking to get back to work u we can help take advantage of our no cost services job search strategies resume cover letter preparation interviewing tips internet access fax photocopier services stouffville employment resource centre 28 sandiford drive 9056402856 communicate with impact dealing with difficult people nov 23 10 am3 pm understanding and working with people are major keys to job success attend our workshop and learn to identify and develop coping tools to effectively communicate with tanks snipers know it alls and many more assertiveness training nov 27 10 am3pm do you not ask for what you need feel people dont take you seriously overreact making difficult situations worse nm from conflict if your answer is yes to any of these statements join us to develop assertiveness skills to change the way you deal with these situations seating is limited call today to reserve your space i i j j i tl ih j 5 i u wv mm t i r tinnii fen 4 kw i t