| How to Wait for an Exciting Event Posted: 26 Mar 2018 01:00 AM PDT It's always fun to have an event to look forward to, but it can be hard to stay patient when you have to wait for something you're excited for. The more you focus on the future event, the more you want it to happen right away. Fortunately, if you keep a busy schedule, try new things, and focus on the present, time will go by before you know it. EditStaying Busy - Get some exercise. Besides being healthy, exercise can be a very effective way to distract yourself. It forces you to be present in your body instead of dwelling on what's in your mind. Try a yoga class, go for a run, or just take a few minutes to stretch.[1]
- Meet up with some friends. Going out and socializing can help take your mind off of the event you're waiting for. Talk to your friends about what's new in their lives or interests you have in common, but avoid bringing up the event that you're excited about, even if they're waiting for it too.[2]
- Tackle a project you've been putting off. Have you been meaning to organize your closet for months? Do you have a pile of old t-shirts you've been wanting to make into a quilt? Now is a great time to throw yourself into a project, whether it's practical or just for fun. It will take your mind off of what you're waiting for, and you'll get the satisfaction of finally accomplishing something you've been putting off.[3]
- Volunteer for a cause you believe in. Focusing on others can help take your minds off of things that are going on in your own life, so volunteering is an ideal distraction from waiting for your event. Think about some good causes that you care about and see if there are any charities or organizations that address them in your area. Odds are they would love to have a volunteer.[4]
- Local churches, soup kitchens, and animal shelters are usually looking for volunteers.
- Learn a new skill. Taking up a new hobby will occupy your mind and fill up your schedule so you'll have less time to think about the event you're waiting for. Try something you've never done before, or try several different things and see what you like best.[5]
- Drawing, writing, and music are great creative outlets, or you may want to try something physical like dance or martial arts.
- Get a part-time job to fill up your free time. Even if you already have a job, you may want to add a little more work to your schedule to stay busy while you're waiting for your exciting event. It will keep you occupied, and you'll be earning money at the same time. Look for something that fits with your schedule and will still leave you a little free time just to relax.
EditDistracting Yourself - Read a good book. A nice dose of fiction can be just the thing to take your mind off the event you're anticipating. Choose something that seems interesting or exciting and will hold your attention easily.[6]
- Comic books and graphic novels can also be very engaging ways to occupy your mind.
- Spend some time in nature. Slowing down and putting yourself in a peaceful environment can often help you feel more patient. Find a nice, quiet park or just hang out in your backyard. Focus on little details like bugs moving through the grass and wind in the trees.[7]
- Watch a gripping TV show. Television can be a great way to distract yourself when you're trying not to think about something, especially when you're watching something very exciting or intense. Find a series that interests you and turn it on when you need to distract yourself.[8]
- Take some time for self-care. When you can't stop thinking about something fun in the future, it helps to have fun in the present. Have a spa day where you pamper yourself with a bubble bath or get a massage. Or spend a day curled up in bed with a good book or TV show.[9]
- Go to a public place and people-watch. Shopping malls, public parks, and town squares are all great places to just sit and observe other people. Bring a picnic and ask a friend to join you if you want. Focus on watching other people and pay attention to what they say, how they dress, where they're going, and anything else you can learn by observing them.[10]
EditLiving in the Moment - Try something new. Most people tend to engage their minds more fully when they're having new experiences, so if you really want to stop thinking about the event you're waiting for, just try something new. Take a class, visit a new place, or spend some time with people you don't usually hang out with.[11]
- Avoid keeping track of time. It can be tempting to count the days (or hours, or minutes) until your exciting event occurs, but it will actually make waiting even harder. Do your best to refrain from calculating how much time you have left to wait, or compromise and only allow yourself to count every few days or weeks.[12]
- Enjoy the anticipation. Waiting is hard, but it doesn't have to be a bad thing. Waiting for something you're excited about can be fun. If you change the way you think about having to wait, you may find you can actually appreciate the experience.[13]
- Practice mindfulness. Learning to slow down and be present can make waiting easier. Practice observing your thoughts without judgment, and notice how often you think about the event you're waiting for. Try focusing on small, simple details like your breathing or the sounds you hear when you're silent. Immersing yourself in your present surroundings will make it easier not to think about the future.[14]
- Keep the big picture in mind. It may seem like this exciting event is the only thing that matters, but you can remind yourself that it's only going to be one experience in your life and one day it'll just be one of many memories. There will be plenty of other exciting events on the horizon after this one. Taking the focus off of this particular event can make it easier to wait until it comes around.[15]
- No matter how excited you are, try to have realistic expectations, or no expectations at all -- that way you can just appreciate the event for what it is.
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| How to Search Military Records Posted: 25 Mar 2018 05:00 PM PDT If you want to find military records, there are several ways in which you can do so. Keep in mind that limited military records are available to the public, so specific veteran records will only be released to the veteran or their next of kin. EditIn a Hurry? If you're looking for general military information, such as casualties of war, you can use an online site to find military records. For more specific information, like a personnel file for a U.S. veteran, you can request the records from the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Provide the veteran's full name, date and place of birth, service number, social security number, branch of service, and dates of service. To learn how to request these records, read on! EditFinding Records - Use an online site to find general information. If you're looking for the casualties of a specific war or want to find out if a specific person served in the military, you can likely find this information online. Do an online search for military records to find applicable websites.
- Gather the veteran's personal information if you need specific records. To access a specific veteran's records, you'll need to know their:[1]
- Full name
- Date and place of birth
- Service number
- Social security number
- Branch of service
- Dates of service
- Request specific records through the National Personnel Records Center. If you want to view the records for a specific military veteran, you can submit a request to the National Personnel Records Center. They will provide you with copies of the personnel records for the veteran in question.[2]
- Depending on your relation to the veteran, you can either send the request online, via fax, or by mail.
- Expect to receive limited information if you are not the next of kin. If you are not the spouse, parent, child, or sibling of the veteran in question, you will not be able to access their full military record. Instead, you will only be provided with basic information, such as the veteran's name, assignments, and service awards.[3]
EditRequesting Records - Order the records online if you are the veteran or next of kin. If you are a military veteran who wants your own records, or if you are related to the person whose records you want to view, you can do so online using the eVetRecs system.[4]
- Fill out Standard Form 180 if you are not the veteran or next of kin. If you want records for a person that you are not related to, you'll need to fill out Standard Form 180 and submit it to the National Personnel Records Center.[5]
- Write a letter to request the records if you prefer. If you can't or don't want to access Standard Form 180, you can write a letter requesting the records. Include your name, your relation to the veteran (if any), and the reason you are requesting the records. Provide the veteran's full name, date and place of birth, service number, social security number, branch of service, and dates of service. Fax the letter to 314-801-9195 or send it to:[6]
- National Personnel Records Center
1 Archives Drive
St. Louis, MO 63138 - Visit the National Archives if you want to view the original record. If you want to see an original record instead of receiving copies, you can visit the National Archives in the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. You must schedule an appointment for the specific research room in which the records are located.[7]
- If the records are from before 1956, call 314-801-0850 to schedule an appointment.[8]
- If the records are from after 1956, call 314-801-0775 to schedule an appointment.[9]
- Pay a fee for archival records. Generally, you won't have to pay to access military records, especially if you are the veteran or next of kin. However, if the records you want to view are from 1956 or earlier, you will have to pay a fee to obtain copies of them.[10]
- The fee for 5 pages or less is $25. The fee for more than 5 pages is $70.
- Expect the receive the records within 6 months. In many cases, the National Personnel Records Center can respond to a request for separation records within 10 days. If you haven't heard back after 90 days, you can send a follow-up request. Keep in mind that some requests, such as those for archived records, can take up to 6 months to complete.[11]
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| How to Compare Handwriting Samples Posted: 25 Mar 2018 09:00 AM PDT Handwriting analysis is both an art and a science. Whether you want to compare handwriting samples for fun or for legal or forensic purposes, you'll need a sharp eye. The first step is to obtain samples, which typically include a sample in question and several documents you know someone actually wrote. Examine each document individually, and look for formal, formatting, and stylistic quirks. Determine if samples share any of these subtle characteristics, and form a conclusion about the documents' authorship based on your findings. EditObtaining Suitable Samples - Ask for samples if you're comparing handwriting for fun. If you just want to practice comparing handwriting, ask friends or family members to write samples. Have a few people write 2 or 3 notes each, and ask them to mix the notes up before giving them to you. Then see if you can tell which notes were written by the same person.
- You could also ask each person for a sample that you know they wrote and try to match the notes to the right person.
- Consult an attorney if you need to compare samples for a legal matter. If your issue is much more serious, a judge can order someone to provide handwriting samples for comparison. An attorney can help you figure out your options and recommend a professional forensic analyst.[1]
- Compare original documents instead of photocopies. The devil is in the details! Whenever possible, examine original documents, which reveal more detail than photocopies. Line weight, subtle retouches, and other tiny details might not be visible in copied samples.[2]
- Typically, you'll compare a known sample with a questioned sample. A known sample is a document that you're reasonably sure a writer composed. A questioned sample may or may not have been composed by that writer.
- If original samples aren't available, you can still form conclusions based on letter shape, stylistic idiosyncrasies, arrangement, and other qualities visible in copied documents.
- Obtain both requested and collected known samples, if possible. Requested documents are samples someone prepares and submits for comparison. Collected samples, such as letters and signed forms, are documents that someone created without knowing they'd be used in a handwriting comparison. Both have advantages and disadvantages, so use both whenever possible.[3]
- You'll know beyond doubt that someone composed a requested document if you watch them write it. However, since they know it'll be used for comparison, they might try to disguise their handwriting.
- A collected document is less likely to be disguised, but you can't be absolutely certain that the writer actually composed it.
- Compare questioned samples with similar examples. Choose known documents that fit the same category as your questioned sample. For example, if you're trying to find out if someone wrote a full letter written with cursive, compare it with a letter you know that person wrote.[4]
- You'll have an easier time comparing 2 similar documents, and your results will be more reliable.
- Use known samples prepared around the same time as questioned samples. Handwriting changes over time due to a variety of factors. If your questioned sample is dated, try to compare it with collected samples written around that date. Requested documents are best if the unknown sample was composed recently.[5]
- Obtaining similarly dated samples is especially important when comparing samples written by children and the elderly. Handwriting changes as children mature and can deteriorate with advanced age or illness.
- Obtain 20 to 30 repetitions if you're comparing signature samples. People don't sign their signature the same exact way every time. If you have enough samples, you can get a feel for someone's natural variations and spot characteristics consistent throughout their signatures.[6]
- A precisely reproduced signature is a red flag for forgery.
EditExamining the Samples - Evaluate formal qualities, such as letters' shape, curves, and angles. Begin by looking closely at each document, and note the particular ways each sample's writer forms letters. Examine stroke direction and legibility, letter size, and whether loops are rounded or angled.[7]
- For example, check to see if the writer makes an "M" with 2 upward arches or with a pointed squiggle. See if they make an "8" with 2 individual circles or with 1 continuous stroke.
- Examine each sample's line weight and quality. See if lettering is heavy, as if the writer placed more pressure on the pen or pencil as they wrote. Is line weight consistent throughout a document, or are there places where lines are bold and others where lines are thin?[8]
- Additionally, figure out if line weights fade due to the pen running out of ink. Look for spots where ink might have thinned that the author traced over to form clear lettering.
- Inspect letters' arrangement, height, and relation to the baseline. Look for quirks such as capital letters that sit below their baseline or veer into the above baseline. Check for forward or backward slants, bunched or loose groupings, and other formatting quirks.[9]
- The baseline is the lower ruled or imaginary line on which all of the letters sit.
- Notice stylistic traits, such as capitalization and embellishment. For example, a writer might always use a capital "N," but otherwise uses capital lowercase letters appropriately. In a journal entry written in cursive, you might find exaggerated strokes at the end of each word, or dramatic loops throughout the sample. Alternatively, perhaps a cursive writer uses closed, angled marks for letters like "b," "f," and "p" instead of rounded, open loops.[10]
- Look for retouching, hesitations, and other signs of unnatural writing. Quivering lines, touch-ups, and other strange marks could indicate the writer was trying to disguise their handwriting or mimic someone else's style. Keep in mind unsure marks are a red flag, but aren't absolute proof of forgery. Wavering lines, for instance, could be due to the writer being cold or anxious.[11]
- Check for repeated spelling and grammar mistakes. While formal and stylistic characteristics are the most concrete forms of evidence, you can also glean information from a sample's content. Shared turns of phrase and repeated spelling and grammatical errors can indicate that 2 documents share an author. However, the marks themselves are more important than content.[12]
- Plenty of people spell the same words wrong or use the same slang. However, all handwriting is unique, so the marks themselves provide stronger evidence of a sample's authorship.
EditForming a Conclusion - Spot forged, precisely identical signatures. If you're comparing signatures, the easiest way to spot a forgery is to check for tracing or simulation. If 2 signatures are exactly the same, and you know 1 is authentic, it's almost certain that the other is a forgery.[13]
- Identical signatures are the most obvious example of forgery. Natural signatures always have slight variation.
- Find characteristics that prove the samples share a writer. After examining your samples, you should have a list of individual characteristics for each document or signature. Compare your notes and look for subtle consistencies that prove 2 documents share an author.[14]
- For example, you might find that there are inconsistencies in slant, letter size, and spacing between letters in 2 samples. However, despite these differences, "m" is always written as 2 upward arches, "I" always sits below its baseline, capital "R" is always used instead of lowercase "r," and cursive "s" always has a rounded top. If you don't see signs of tracing or mimicry, these characteristics are good evidence that the documents share an author.
- Decide if the samples do not share individual characteristics. Keep in mind there are always variations between handwriting samples written by the same person. However, if you find 1 document or signature includes at least 1 repeated trait not present in the other sample, you can reasonably conclude the documents do not share an author.[15]
- For instance, suppose the writer of 1 document always represents an "m" with a quick, natural squiggle stroke with 2 points, but the other document features only rounded arches. This would outweigh any similarities between the 2 samples.
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