INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Tailors, seamstresses, clothiers, and other garment makers generally use tape measures to get the correct measurements of a person when fitting for clothes or altering items. These portable, flexible tools are your best friend when it comes to measuring your pants. When measuring with a tape measure, pull the tape taut, but don't stretch it. Clothing tape measures are often made of a soft synthetic material that can distort if stretched, resulting in inaccurate measurements. You can also use a plastic measuring tape that you might find in your toolkit. This type of tape measure isn't as easy to use, but it will still bend, allowing you to measure curves. If you're measuring your pants to figure out which style and size is right for you, it's best to use a pair of pants that fit you properly. Ideally these pants will not be too worn out or stretched. The legs of the pants should also extend roughly to your ankle bone, or a little lower depending on preference. Not all types of pants will have the same measurements. Grab a few different kinds of pants that fit you well. Dress pants will be slightly different than chinos, or jeans. The easiest way to measure pants is to lay the pants on a flat surface. If you try to measure a pair of pants that you are wearing, you may not get the right measurements as you shift your body to see the measurements. Your pants shouldn't be too worn in so that you can get a realistic measurement. If the pants you are measuring are wrinkled, quickly smooth the fabric out with an iron. Measuring your pants is mostly the same for both men and women. However, sizing for men is typically represented by the length of the measurement in inches, whereas women's sizes are typically represented by another number.

SUMMARY: Use a measuring tape. Use a pair of pants that fit you well. Lay your pants flat on the floor.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: For a bucket trap, you'll need a large plastic bucket, something that will work as a ramp, a flat piece of wood that will work as a trigger, and a thin stick to hold the trigger. You'll also need some bait, such as birdseed. For the ramp, find something long, flat, and sturdy, like a piece of wood. Something around one to two feet long will work. For the trigger, you'll need a piece of wood no longer than the diameter of the bucket. Locate your trapping spot. Look for signs of chipmunk around your property. See if you can find a chipmunk hole. If you have a patio you should look on the border of it. If you have a deck, you should check under it. If you can't find any signs of chipmunks, this method works just as well on squirrels. You'll want to place your bucket in the area around the chipmunk hole, or the area where you've seen chipmunks. Place the stick across the top of the bucket. Then place the trigger on the bucket, with one end resting on the edge of the bucket, and the other end hanging over the stick in the middle. Then, adjust the stick and trigger so that the slightest amount of pressure on the end of the trigger will cause it to tip over. It's okay if it's not perfectly balanced. Just use your best judgment to determine whether the weight of a chipmunk on the unsecured end of the trigger will cause the trigger to tip over. Take the longer piece of wood or other material you're using as a ramp and lay it so that one end rests on the bucket, near the top. It should sit on one of the outer lips of the bucket, as close to the trigger as possible without disturbing the trigger. Put some of your bait at the entrance of the ramp, and even more bait on the unstable end of the trigger. You may need to adjust the trigger and the stick more if the bait causes the trigger to tip over. Then all you have to do is wait for a chipmunk to fall for your trap. Check it regularly throughout the day. Optionally, you can place a trail of bait up the ramp as well. Use peanut butter to make the bait stick to the ramp without sliding down.

SUMMARY: Gather your materials. Locate your trapping spot. Set up the trigger. Place the ramp. Place the bait and then wait.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If people try to get a rise out of you, don't take the bait. Don't pay for promotional service or advice guides without first checking to see whether the resource you need is available elsewhere for free.

SUMMARY: Refrain from criticising your reviewers. Remain above the trolls. Check for free promotions and resources.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Some people are better at reading maps than others, and these people tend to also do better when given directions that are the verbal equivalent of looking at a map called "survey perspective." These are the kind of people who are good at "getting their bearings" and telling which way north is without a compass, and have a good "feel" for estimating that they just drove for two miles. In this case, your directions will sound like the following: "Drive north on Hamilton for a little over 3 miles (4.8km), then head east on Church Street" Include units of distance in every step of your directions. For example, specify how many miles or kilometers the person will stay on a specific road before turning or getting to their destination. City blocks and highway exits are also an acceptable unit of distance to use, even though the exact distance between them varies: "Go two blocks north, then get on the freeway and head west to the fourth exit" A rough estimate is better than not giving any sense of the distance from one point to another. While it's always a good idea to mention whether something is on the right or left, you should also provide cardinal directions (north, south, east, and west) when you explain a route to someone in survey perspective. And even people who do better with route perspective (following landmarks) often have a vehicle or smartphone equipped with a digital compass, and many road signs (like U.S. interstates) indicate a cardinal direction. So: "Turn right at the the light onto 5th street and go south for half a mile, then merge onto route 35 South" If you're having trouble verbally communicating directions to someone who understands directions better in map format, just sketch out the route for them. A map will allow the person to visualize where they're going. You'll also be able to include details, such as the location of landmarks, on your map. In addition, the map will give the person something to hold on to so they don't forget your directions. The rudimentary map doesn't need to be to scale, but you should write in general mileages and use a general map orientation (that is, with north to the top).

SUMMARY:
Create a mental map of the route, and share it. Specify distance from point to point. Refer to the cardinal directions. Draw a map.