” Curmudgeons are known for rejecting collaboration, and civility is not always their strong suit. At the same time, curmudgeons will at times build alliances with friends and allies on the side.  With their own unique flair and pizzazz, curmudgeons will occupy the center stage with humor or sarcasm. They prefer a heated debate or engaging in lengthy discussion before reaching any consensus with others (if they ever do). Curmudgeons sometimes style themselves as gadflies or whistle blowers who are willing to say things that other people dare not. Although this can make them very disliked, there  are times when they spot things that are real problems. Thus, while written off as cranks sometimes, they can at times offer valuable advice to an institution by playing the role of constant devil's advocate. Curmudgeons are the sort that constantly pokes at administrators or bosses. They don't naturally accept that people are right just because they have ascended to power.  Sometimes curmudgeons become such because they have become outcasts or don't belong to the internal network that produces leaders in an institution through “who you know.” They want to have a voice, and they think they have ideas to contribute, but they have no other way to make their voice heard. At times, leaders aren't doing a good job but everyone else fears confronting them. Curmudgeons are willing to call out problems that others look the other way on. The leaders may dismiss their complaints. If you want to be a curmudgeon who plays an important role versus one who is a negative whiner, you should make sure you ground your complaints in knowledge.  Have legitimate and rational concerns when you do express your opinions. Don't go to war over everything or people will start tuning you out. Take a stand when you think it really matters. Ground your complaints in evidence. If you back up what you say instead of just complaining all the time, you will be taken more seriously. Curmudgeons are not known for their joyous, happy or vibrant personalities. They are more likely to see the world through negative blinders.  There are young curmudgeons. They are the kind of people that others deem to be “old souls.” They seem to have a window into aspects of the world that others miss as they go about their happy ways. Even if curmudgeons do experience happiness and joy, they don't wear those emotions on their sleeves. They're introverted about sharing emotions, other than crabbiness or concern, although they periodically break that up with sarcastic humor. Curmudgeons stick to the rules, and they aren't afraid to hold people to them. In a world where sometimes it seems like “anything goes,” curmudgeons aren't afraid of hurting people's feelings.  A memo from a curmudgeon might explain that they expect to see no grammatical or typographical errors in your text. They will likely present a lengthy list of rules. In fact, they will use rules as their key weapon. They will know the rules better than anyone else does. They sometimes overplay their hands, though. Still, at a law firm, a curmudgeon might justify his (or her) sticking to the rules because it's important to win for a client. And you know what? They can be right.
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One-sentence summary -- Avoid collaboration and being part of “the group. Reject authority or at least don't buy into the notion that authority is always right. Make sure you pick your battles. Present a grumpy, or at least a serious vibe. Show that you have standards.


Make sure you fully understand the dress code, and ask an administrator for clarification if necessary. You don't want to buy something and then find out you can't wear it to school. You might also ask an administrator or teacher if there are any outdated or unenforced rules that you can ignore in the dress code guidelines. For example, your school’s dress code may say that it prohibits shoulders from being exposed, but doesn’t explicitly forbid tank tops. If this is the case, you could wear a cute tank top over a t-shirt. This way, your shoulders aren’t exposed and you can still wear the tank top.  You may be required to wear shirts that have collars and sleeves. While that certainly limits you, it doesn’t say anything about pockets vs no pockets or button fronts vs polo shirts. In this example, if you don't like polo shirts, get button fronts. Your dress code might also require black or brown shoes, but make no mention of the laces. In this case, you could lace your shoes up with funky colorful laces that display your personality. Be sure to keep some extra approved clothing in your locker in case the administration asks you to change. You don’t want to have to go all the way home to get some new clothes. It helps to go through your current wardrobe and organize your closet by what you are and aren't allowed to wear to school. This way, when you wake up in the morning, you don't have to shuffle through all the clothes you aren't allowed to wear in order to find what you need for school that day. Think about what you actually wear and what fits with the dress code. Keep the clothes that fit in both of these categories towards the front of your closet.
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One-sentence summary -- Get a copy of your school’s dress code and read it carefully. Look for loopholes in the dress code. Organize your wardrobe according to dress code guidelines.


One player lines up the cue ball behind the head string and aims at the rack. Knock the cue ball into the triangle of balls with force and precision. To execute a legal break shot, the breaker must either pocket a ball, or drive at least four numbered balls to the rail. When the breaker fails to execute a proper break, it is a foul. If the breaking player scratches on his or her shot, then the game has only partially begun. In the case of a foul, the incoming player has two options: accept the table as is and take the next shot, or re-rack the balls for a redo of the opening break. The incoming player gets to choose whether to personally break or to allow the original breaker to try again.  If a player scratches on a legal break shot:  All balls pocketed remain pocketed. The shot is a foul, meaning that it is now the other player's turn to shoot. The table is open, meaning that the first player to sink a ball without scratching chooses that ball type (stripes or solids) as his or her objective for the game.   If a player jumps a numbered ball off the table on the break shot, it is a foul. The incoming player has two options:  Accept the table in position. Take the next shot and continue the game. Take the cue ball in hand behind the head string. Shoot or break again, as necessary.   If the 8-ball is pocketed on the break, then the breaker may ask for a re-rack, or have the 8-ball spotted and continue shooting. If the breaker scratches while pocketing the 8-ball on the break, the incoming player has the option of a re-rack or having the 8-ball spotted and begin shooting with ball in hand behind the head string. Before groups are chosen, the table is "open." The first player to sink a numbered ball effectively chooses to aim for that group of balls throughout the rest of the game. If you are the breaking player, for instance, and you sink the striped 13-ball, then you are "stripes." Look around for other striped balls that are easy to strike. Your goal is to pocket all of the striped balls (and then the 8-ball) before your opponent pockets all of the solid balls and the 8-ball.  Make it clear who is who. If you make a stripe, call out, "I'm stripes!" If you make a solid, call out, "I'm solids!" If you are the first player to pocket a numbered ball, but you sink both a stripe and a solid at the same time: you have your pick between the two groups. Choose the group that looks the most immediately advantageous.
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One-sentence summary --
Break the rack. Know what to do in case of a scratch or foul. Choose groups.