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With the weather getting colder, the time for jumping into a deep, refreshing lake (possibly off a small cliff and/or waterfall) has long since passed.

So chances are, if you’re about to take a plunge off a waterfall these days, it’s accidental. Or you’re at some exotic location on vacation. If that’s the case, why didn’t you bring me? Jerk.

Anyhow, it’s best to be prepared. So here’s how you survive a trip over a waterfall, thanks to the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht.

Photo by Kasper Sorensen

With the Fall season upon us, it’s hard for me not to think about blustery Autumn afternoons fishing with my uncles in New Jersey.

When the leaves started to change, that meant putting on thick awkward fishing vests and standing patiently along the shorelines of various lakes. Sometimes, it meant casting fly fishing lines across rippling streams, the bait dancing over the water. We always had fishing poles though, and seldom found ourselves in a situation where we’d need a makeshift net like this.

But hey, now I know how to make one. And so do you, thanks to the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel. Read on for some helpful tips from Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht. Because it’s always good to prepare for the worst.

Or just date someone who is a combination of both. 

Like many Hollywood monsters often do, Worst-Case Wednesday has returned.

Today we’ve got an excerpt from the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Paranormal. David Borgenicht and Ben H. Winters dish out sage wisdom on how to handle a love triangle with a werewolf and a vampire. If the worlds of Twilight, True Blood, and/or Underworld ever come to be, this might be an issue you’ll have to deal with.

Because damn, those vampires and werewolves are handsome.

Photo via Archie4oz

Today we will delve into The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Work, to find the solution to a common problem for anyone who has ever been an assistant. The cubicle.

1. Select a good location: Opt for a cube away from main hallways, bathrooms, supply rooms, and other high-traffic areas, if you have the choice. Avoid cubes within the boss’s line of sight.

2. Use comfort devices: Requisition a more comfortable chair, or select one from an empty cubicle or office (some styles of chairs may be assigned to employees above a certain level, so be careful about what you borrow). Alternatively, obtain a doctor’s note stating that you require a comfortable chair for medical reasons—your employer will be obligated to provide you with one. A back pillow and footrest will also make cube life more comfortable and relaxed. Do not attempt to fit in recliners, love seats, or hammocks.

3. Install convenience items: A wireless telephone headset will give you increased freedom of movement. Noise-cancelling headphones (with an extra-long cord) will eliminate outside distractions. A small fan is effective in filtering out annoying noises such as typing and phone conversations. (The fan will also make it more difficult for co-workers to eavesdrop on your conversations.) Small refrigerators, hair dryers, televisions, VCRs, and blenders should not be easily visible.

4. Personalize your space: Decorate your cubicle with your family photographs and drawings, as well as other pictures and cartoons you like, giving your cube a homey touch. Avoid hanging too many items or you risk a cubicle that looks like a dorm room or refrigerator door.

5. Build upward: There is usually no limit to the amount of vertical space you can occupy. Stack in/out trays high atop elevated surfaces for additional room. Staplers, tape dispensers, card files, and other items that traditionally occupy valuable space on top of a desk can be suspended from the ceiling to create a more spacious environment below.

6. Use mirrors: Hang a large mirror on the cubicle wall to create the illusion of spaciousness.

Be Aware

• Health and safety codes dictate that cubes may not have roofs. Do not attempt to construct a fully enclosed cubicle for privacy.

• Adding a small, stick-on, wide-angle mirror to the edge of your monitor allows you to see if someone is peering into your cubicle from behind.

• Notify your supervisor that you would like to sit in a “double-wide” cubicle if one becomes available. Standard cubes are 8 by 8 feet and 4 to 6 feet high—double-wides offer twice the floor space of standard units, plus an L- or U-shaped desk. The double-wide cubicle does carry some risk: If office space gets tight, you may find yourself with a cube-mate, a particularly undesirable situation.

Photo by Fevi Yu

As the mercury rises, something about the heat seems to make tempers flare just a little bit quicker.

Summer is mostly about fun and games, though in the case of golf, it can be a fine line that divides a nice afternoon from a frustrating one. Whether you’re on vacation to relax or playing a game with business in mind, you’ll have to keep your cool in more ways than one.

The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Golf by Joshua Piven, David Borgenicht, and James Grace has the protocol for keeping things calm, cool, and collected – and maybe even a better score.

Okay, that’s a little extreme.

The kids have been out of school for a while now, so I thought I would do the parents a favor and give them some advice from The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Parenting.

If you are experiencing headaches, dark thoughts, and are beginning to feel like your parents whenever you ask your child keep the noise down to a dull roar, then read on.