Sit on the floor with both legs extended straight out in front of you. Lean forward and reach for your toes with your arms outstretched all the way. Stretch only until you feel a minor burn in your leg muscles, and then hold it for 30 seconds. If you are new to stretching, start slowly; take your time. Do this stretch every day. Kneel with both knees on the ground, but don't sit back. Extend your right leg forward until it is completely straight in front of you, with your heel on the ground. Lean down and place your fingers on the floor to either side of you. If this burns, hold this position. If not, scoot your heel forward until it does, and then hold. Repeat with the other leg. Perform this stretch every day until your legs are both flat on the floor and you are sitting comfortably. But please do not push yourself while doing the splits, as you may injure yourself. Allow yourself several weeks to reach a split. Go slowly and carefully to avoid a pulled muscle. Go into a right split with your right leg forward and your left leg back. Place one pillow beneath your right foot. Once the burn fades away, place a second pillow underneath it and hold. Remove both pillows and repeat for your back foot. Switch legs and repeat.

Summary: Start stretching. Stretch for the split. Push your flexibility further.

Move any furniture off the carpet and out of the room, if possible. Give yourself plenty of room to maneuver and reach stains in tight spaces. Work around furniture you can't move. Move the carpet cleaner around carefully to avoid leaving marks or scratches on the furniture. Pretreat the carpet with your regular carpet vacuum. Make a few passes to remove as much dirt as possible. This prevents the dirt from being worked further into the carpeting later. You can find bottles of carpet shampoo at any general store. Target areas that handle a lot of foot traffic as well as any deep stains you find. The shampoo is either sprayed onto the carpet directly or blotted on with a wet paper towel. You usually need to let the soap soak in for about 3 minutes before operating the carpet cleaner. Using only a carpet cleaner sometimes isn't enough to clean these areas, so a carpet shampoo can help lead to a spotless carpet. Read the instructions on the back of the bottle to find out how to use the shampoo.

Summary: Clear the area of any furniture. Vacuum the carpet thoroughly to remove dirt. Treat heavily stained areas with a carpet shampoo (optional).

Your first appearance in court is usually your arraignment or bail hearing. It is also your opportunity to ask for a court-appointed attorney. If you are in custody, jail officials will escort you to the hearing. If you have already been released on bail, you are responsible for attending the hearing on time. The judge will ask you whether you are represented by an attorney. When you answer "no," the judge will ask whether you would like the court to appoint an attorney to represent you. Say yes. At this point, the judge may appoint a lawyer immediately. That lawyer, who will already be present in the courtroom, will represent you and assist you through the rest of the hearing. In some cases, the judge will delay the rest of your hearing in order to review your financial circumstances before appointing an attorney to represent you. Answer any questions the judge has, and follow any instructions he or she gives you. Depending upon your county and the circumstances of your case, you may receive a panel attorney instead of a public defender. The difference is that public defenders work for the public defender's office, which is a government agency; while panel attorneys are private defense attorneys who accept court-appointed defense work in addition to their private practice cases. Some counties do not have a public defender's office and rely entirely upon panel attorneys. There are two other common situations where you might receive a panel attorney. The first is when you have a co-defendant, he or she is represented by a public defender, and it would be a conflict of interest for the public defender's office to represent you both. The second situation is where the victim of the crime was previously represented by the public defender in another case. Make sure to write down the name and phone number of your appointed attorney. If you are in jail, your attorney will meet with you. If you have been released on bail, be sure to return your attorney's calls promptly. Your attorney will ask you for contact information for any witnesses, and may ask you to create a timeline of events or draw a picture of the crime scene. All of your communications with your appointed attorney are protected by attorney-client privilege, with some very narrow exceptions. If you have any questions about confidentiality, ask your attorney to explain the confidentiality rules that govern your relationship. Your eligibility for free or reduced-cost legal assistance is contingent upon your financial status. If your financial situation changes, you need to let the court know. Ask your attorney how you can report your changed circumstances to the court. If your financial situation improves and you fail to disclose it to the court, you may be penalized. In some rare circumstances, an appointed attorney will do a poor job that warrants you asking for a new attorney. Such requests are rarely granted, but if you can demonstrate that communication between you and your attorney has broken down, you may be able to get a substitution. Ask your attorney to voluntarily withdraw first. Your attorney may be willing to honor your request for a new attorney. If this is the case, the attorney will ask the judge for a substitution, and the judge may grant it. File a Motion for Substitution of Attorney if your attorney will not consent. Ask the court clerk for forms you need to file a motion requesting a new attorney. Or you can simply ask the judge at your next court appearance. Judges are unlikely to grant such requests when the trial date is near since a new attorney will have to request an extension of the trial date in order to get caught up.

Summary: Attend the arraignment. Request a court-appointed attorney. Understand the difference between a public defender and a panel attorney. Communicate with your attorney. Report any changes in your financial status. Change attorneys if necessary.

Downshifting helps regulate the speed of the truck and is useful if the traffic slows down in. To downshift, press down on the clutch while engaging the brake and put your truck in the next lowest gear. Once it's in gear, let off the clutch and press down on the gas to maintain your speed. You never really have to downshift into first gear because second gear doesn't require high RPM. Unless you want to stall out, you need to put the truck into neutral whenever you want to come to a complete stop. To do this, press down on the clutch while letting off of the gas and push the stick into the center. Then, once the truck has been put in neutral, you can stop and start the truck's momentum without stalling out. Pressing on the gas pedal in reverse can feel jerky and fast. Instead of pressing down on the gas in reverse, use the disengaged clutch and brake to control your truck. Slowly lift off the clutch with your left foot and tap on the brake with your right foot to control the truck. This trick will work unless you're on a steep hill, in which case you may need to apply the gas pedal.
Summary: Downshift when you need to slow down. Put the stick shift into neutral when you stop. Use the brake instead of the gas when reversing.