Plug the power washer in, connect it to a water source, and turn on the machine using the switch. Hold the end of the power washer 3–4 inches (7.6–10.2 cm) from the surface of the concrete and pull the trigger to shoot out water. Use back and forth strokes to clean all of the concrete completely. Focus on areas where concrete is loose or deteriorating.  Look for a power washer with a fan tip that reaches 3500 PSI to clean your concrete slabs. If you don’t have access to a power washer, you can get an attachment for your garden hose. Cleaning your concrete makes the resurfacer adhere better. Give the concrete 1-2 hours to dry after power washing it. When the surface of the concrete is dry to the touch, you can move on. Once the concrete is dry again, sweep the rest of the dust and residue off with a push broom. Work in small areas at a time to clean off the area entirely before moving on. Resurface your concrete on the same day you clean it, or else dirt and dust will start to form again. Remove the backing from peel-and-stick foam weather stripping. Push the weather stripping into the cracks between your concrete slabs so the resurfacer doesn’t fill them in.  Weather stripping can be purchased at your local hardware store. The expansion joints between slabs cannot be filled since they allow the slabs to shift naturally without cracking.
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One-sentence summary -- Use a power washer to remove dirt and loose concrete. Let the concrete dry completely. Sweep off the concrete with a stiff-bristled push broom. Cover control and expansion joints with weather stripping.


To get that rich Kahlua flavor, you'll want a good-quality base. And it should be strong, too – a weak coffee won't transport the flavors into the final product. Once brewed, prepare to use the coffee immediately. If you're not so great at brewing a decent pot of coffee (it is definitely harder than it looks), you may wish to have a coffee aficionado do this for you. It can make a world of difference. Once the pot has seen its final drips, transport it over to a large bowl. Then, add in 4 cups of granulated sugar and mix in until the little granules are all dissolved. Again, you could use brown sugar or raw sugar if you like. Just know that each little change will affect the flavor and it may or may not be to your liking. Once the sugar has dissolved and the coffee isn't warm anymore, add the vodka, stirring to combine. Some bartenders believe in a combination of vodka and rum, or even different types of vodka or different types of rum within the same recipe to give it a fuller flavor. If you have the end of a few bottles laying around, try combining them – it may not hurt. Three 12 oz bottles will work well, but one large bottle works, too. Cut the vanilla bean into thirds and drop one piece into each bottle. After that, put the cap on. Your Kahlua is made. At this point, you could also add in a cinnamon stick, cocoa nibs (about a tablespoon), or orange peel, if you like. This will give it a more signature, dynamic flavor. The vanilla needs this much time to infuse and the flavors need to settle into the coffee to give it that rich, liqueur flavor. Once the time is up, strain it beforehand and then rebottle. The basement or cellar is good for this stuff, but a closed box in a dark room (or under the bed) will work just as well. Just make sure it has a label on it in case you forget what that mysterious dark bottle is in six months' time.
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One-sentence summary -- Brew a pot of strong, good quality coffee. Add 4 cups of sugar to the fresh, hot coffee and stir until dissolved. Add the vodka once the coffee mixture has cooled to room temperature. Add the vanilla and pour the mixture into bottles. Store in a cool, dry place for 2-3 weeks.


There is no way around the fact that this is going to hurt the other person. It's just like ripping off a bandage — if you rip it off all in one go, the pain will be over quickly, but if you do it slowly, it will hurt for longer. You can help minimize the heartbreak in a couple of ways:  Don't be distant. Even if you don't really feel like it, offer hugs and other appropriate signs of affection if your ex looks like she needs it. Be reassuring, not selfish. Find the right time to break up. Obviously, there's never a perfect time. But right before a celebration, test, or vacation is a bad time to do it. Give yourself enough time, and try to do it when she doesn't have anything else significant going on afterward. Resist the urge to argue. When someone is being broken up with, there's a good chance they're going to be angry. Don't feed her anger by provoking, debating, or belittling her. Ex-lovers often say very hurtful things when they argue. When you finally break up, you have to be prepared for anything. It could be sadness, anger, or even a lack of emotion. It's okay to feel any and all of these emotions during a breakup. If you feel like showing emotion, don't hold back. If the emotion isn't there, for whatever reason, don't force it. It's the least that she deserves. If you can't come up with a legitimate reason for why you're no longer interested in the relationship, try thinking it over; talk with a friend. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it should be legitimate. You owe it to her.  Show her that you've given it some thought, and offer her some facts to back it up. Don't be aggressive or combative. When explaining the reasons for a breakup, don't talk about other relationships. Your relationship is your own, and breaking up isn't about comparing your relationship to anyone else's. Stay there for as long as she needs an explanation. Don't run out the door as soon as you've said the words "let's break up." Stay with her while she's processing the information, answering any follow-up questions she may have. If you keep returning to the same questions over and over again, tell her that you think that's happening. If it's appropriate, let her know why you think that she'll make an excellent girlfriend for someone else sometime down the road. Talk about the aspects of her personality that attracted you to her in the beginning, and the traits of hers that stayed strong during the relationship. This way, she won't feel as horrible; it could do something good for her confidence, which will probably be shaken by the breakup. Unless you've decided that it's absolutely the best to not talk after the breakup, give her the option of discussing things when the situation is a little more calm. This will give you both time to think, and may help her feel like she is also given a chance to get things off her chest.
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One-sentence summary --
Try to minimize the heartache. Be prepared for a range of emotions. Give her a truthful explanation. Be reassuring. Offer to talk with her at a later time if she has any questions.