Q: Keeping on top of water-filter changes will prevent your gravel from collecting extra grime. Make a calendar reminder to help you remember to change it regularly. It can be helpful to let your new and old aquarium filters run in tandem for a couple days to keep from changing the ecosystem of your tank too rapidly. Clean your gravel every other week to maintain the health of your fish and your tank. Doing so more often is unnecessary and may remove beneficial bacteria from the environment. Most commercial cleaning solutions are toxic to fish. Always wash your gravel with plain, non-chlorinated water. If your gravel is so dirty that these methods are not cleaning it, buy new gravel rather than trying a stronger solution.
A: Change your aquarium filter per the manufacturer's directions. Clean your gravel every two weeks. Avoid using detergents or harsh cleaners.

Q: The palm of your right hand should apply continuous pressure to the thumb of your left hand. (If you're left-handed, the palm of your left hand should apply pressure to the thumb of your right hand.) Try keeping a tee between those contact points as you swing the club. Keep your right hand over your left hand on the grip during the downswing or, if you're left-handed, keep your left hand over your right hand. This will help you become aware of the grip pressure you should maintain, so that you don't change your grip during the swing and thereby hook the ball. Don't use your golf club for this exercise; all you need is the hula hoop. Put the hula hoop over your body so that it is behind the back of your head and in front of your upper thighs. Hold the hula hoop as if you are holding a golf club, and rotate your body back and forth the way you would swing the club. The motion of your swing will be held in check by the curvature of the hula hoop. For this drill, your arm will act as your prop. Without using your golf club, pretend you are making a backswing. Hold your lead arm against your chest with your trail arm. Bend your trail arm like you're curling a weight towards your heart, with your palm holding the upper part of your trail arm behind the elbow. Your lead arm should be pinned against your chest and your gloved hand does the swinging. Practice swinging. Your motion should rotate your body as if you're hitting the ball with the back of your gloved hand. This will give you the feeling of keeping your lead arm in sync with your body. If you're right-handed, your lead arm is your left arm and your trail arm is the right arm. If you're left-handed, it's the opposite.
A: Hold a golf tee in your grip. Practice your swing at home using a hula hoop. Pin one arm to your chest.

Q: You can use a microwave or a stove to heat the water up, or you can use hot water from the tap. The water should be very warm but not hot--don't let it get close to boiling! You should be able to comfortably put a finger in the water. Use a funnel to carefully pour the warm water into a spray bottle. Be sure to use a bottle made of sturdy plastic, metal, or even glass. Lightweight plastic can distort in warm water. Be sure not to spray the entire shirt--just the parts you want to shrink. This is usually the sleeves or neckline for most people. Spray the shirt enough to get it wet to the touch in the areas you want to shrink. You can also run the areas under a hot tap, but be careful not to wet the whole shirt. Put the shirt in a dryer on permanent press and let it run through the entire cycle. Some people like to take it out of the dryer and repeat the spraying every ten minutes or so, but this is optional. If the shirt doesn't fit right when you try it on, repeat the whole cycle. Since spot-shrinking uses cooler water than other methods, you'll probably need to do this at least twice.
A: Heat about 2 cups (0.47l) of water. Transfer the water to a spray bottle. Spray the parts of the shirt you want to shrink. Transfer to a hot dryer immediately. Repeat if necessary.

Q: The last thing you want is to add to your friend's negativity by being too critical or hostile. If you would like to tell your friend that you think he is seeing a situation more negatively than necessary, think about the best way to say this. Use "I"-statements rather than "you"-statements. For example, "Quit being so negative" is going to have less of a positive effect than "I feel like there's more to the situation than you're seeing." "I"-statements sound less judgmental, which can make the other person more open to hearing what you have to say. What you say isn't the only important factor. Tone and nonverbal cues are just as important. Yelling or throwing your hands up in defeat are going to increase negativity in the room rather than work to fight the fire effectively. Gentle eye contact and nodding along to what your friend is saying, if you agree, are great ways to create a positive interaction. Maintain an even tone of voice. Staying calm when your friend blows up may help her realize that there's more than one way to respond to a problem. Research shows that speaking slowly causes people to perceive you as "more caring and sympathetic." In order to communicate with a negative friend in a way that promotes positivity and keeps you from falling into the same negativity, pay attention to how fast you are speaking. You want to be compassionate and positive in your approach, but that's not the same thing as allowing yourself to be stepped on. Sometimes a negative friend may try to override your opinions. Maintain a firm stance when it comes to your freedom to express yourself and have a differing point of view. Assertiveness is about meeting the needs of everyone involved, not just one person. Clearly express your desires, wants, and needs. Use direct language that can't be contradicted. For example, say "The way that you're acting right now makes me uncomfortable. I'm going to leave, but we can talk later if you want." Include empathy. For example, "I understand that you want to keep talking about this, but I'm not comfortable with this conversation, so I'm going to leave." Set limits. For example, "I am happy to listen to your complaints for five minutes, but then I would like us to change the subject so we don't get too bogged down in negative feelings." If a friend is negatively ruminating on something, change the subject to something you know will cheer him up. Injecting positivity into a situation can be a lot easier and more effective than trying to fight negativity. For example, if your friend is complaining about a bad day at work, ask him if he wants to go bowling or see a movie. Offer to pay for his ticket.
A:
Think about your words. Be careful about delivery. Watch your pace. Assert yourself. Change the direction of the conversation.