As a self-identified feminst, I still have to remind myself about the role that men should play in my life. I sometimes find myself thinking "if only Tom were here to help" or "I could sure use a strong hot man to assist me with this". And then, of course, I remember that I'm perfectly capable of doing most things on my own, or with the help of a female friend. I just have to remind myself that I'm a strong, capable and generally awesome woman even without someone to help me carry my groceris. So, without further ado, I present to you the "things I don't need a man for!" list.

Right before I entered the Spring Thaw triathlon, I decided to invest in a road bike. Her name's Samantha, and she was only $20 from Edmonton Bicycle Commuters. Samantha's treated me well over the last month or so. I took her to a couple of maintenance workshops in order to learn how to return the favour. Samantha was in an unfortunate accident with ETS a few days ago (she fell off the rack) but fortunately it was only minor damage. As I walked her home (already wondering if Tom is around and if he'll help me fix her) I remembered that my roommate is awesome at all things bicycle related, and I'm not too terrible myself. Or at least, not completely mechanically incoherent.  Woo!!

This weekend I came home from a two hour bikeride to find that my (other) roommate had made a screen door. Yep. A door! Just like that. With only a saw, a hammer, and a few random things found in the garage, she was able to put the whole thing together and attach it to the frame in no time. It even has a spring so that it'll shut on its own.

Okay, I know what you're thinking. Can I really put this on my list if I didn't do it myself? Well. So I haven't made anything per se. It doesn't mean I couldn't. And in fact, I'm going to. As soon as I can think of something to make. Apparently we've got enough supplies just hanging around to make a door, so I'm thinking that whatever I come up with will be a breeze in comparison.  Er... right?

Planting a garden isn't something traditionally male, I know, but Tom grew up on a farm, so when we planted our first garden last year, he took charge in organizing and looking after it. This year I really still liked the idea of having a garden, so my roommate left me some space and I put some corn in. I also put some flowers by the shed, and am looking forward to seeing how they work out. Now, to be fair, most of the garden is taken care of by my roommates. So again, this list might be more accurately named "things my roommates can do!" but just wait until the corn comes up in the fall! It is absolutely spectacular.

Aha! Something I am awesome at! This may not seem like a big one, but as a woman who consistently dated tall men, it sure feels good to be able to get to all the cupboards. Oh, trusty stepstool... what would I do without you?

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not very good at walking in heels. Fortunately, when the bar is still ten blocks away and there is no man in sight, we can still work it out! All you need is a good friend with something to prove ("I swear I can carry you that far!"). Props to Jenn. She did it in heels.