Ok, so here are the skills that I’m working on, broken into three categories: general, arty/creative, and sporty/fitness…
Think I’m missing something? Let me know!
| The General Life Skills | Goal | Method |
| Spontaneous thinking and speaking
Update: Mission accomplished! Graduated Improv 101 on 12/4/2010 |
Get more comfortable thinking and speaking spontaneously…and more comfortable making a fool out of myself. | Improv classes |
| Competing as team
Update: started on 8/10/10, on hold until after the holidays |
Get more comfortable being on a team that relies on you when the work has nothing to do with spreadsheets and strategic plans. | Roller derby team |
| Meditation
Update: Took class in September, but still not very good at meditating. Working on it. |
Learn how to truly chill out…even just for five minutes. | Meditation class |
| Cooking
Update: Started on 8/2/10 – made one pretty perfect fried egg, a really good pasta salad with a lemon vinaigrette, and some not bad risotto. Found someone to give me real cooking lessons… |
First step: fry nice eggs. Then cook some meat without massacring it. Learn to make a lot of basic dishes well, with a few signature go-to dishes. | Experimenting (and maybe some classes later) |
| Baking | Get better than now. Be consistent. Develop a group of signature recipes. | Experimenting (and maybe some classes later). |
| Mixology/Bartending* | I’m slightly obsessed with the whole speakeasy-style cocktail thing, but right now I’m limited in my skills to mixing about two ingredients. Rum and coke anyone?
Learn to make basic cocktails, along with a few signature drinks. |
Experimenting (and maybe a side job?) |
| Wine* | Seeing as I barely even know how to open a bottle of wine, I have a lot of learning to do.
Learn basic different types of wine and how to make basic judgments about the quality of wine; learn 2 to 3 wines in each category that you like. |
Wine tasting |
| Cheese
Update: Took an awesome Cheese 101 class in September at Andrew’s Cheese Shop. Definitely on my way to being a cheesepert. |
I know how to be cheesy, but I don’t know much about cheese. Learn about basic different cheeses; create a palate of cheeses to choose from. | Cheese tasting class |
*Disclosure for readers under 21: I’m 31. I’m legally allowed to drink. You aren’t. And even though I’m allowed to, I don’t drink that often. But since wine and cocktails are often part of the social situations I find myself in, it will be helpful if I can know enough to be able to order myself something a little fancier than a Shirley Temple. Although I do love Shirley Temples…
| Artistic/Creative Skills | Goal | Method |
| Hip hop dance | Get good enough to not look like an idiot. | Classes |
| Ballet | Get good enough to perform and go back on pointe | Classes |
| Jazz dance | Get good enough to not look like an idiot | Classes |
| Lindy Hop | Get good enough to perform | Classes |
| Guitar | Get good enough to play in front of someone | Classes |
| Voice | Get good enough to feel comfortable singing in front of someone | Classes |
| Drumming | Get enough rhythm so that I can tap out different beats with my feet and hands at the same time. | Classes |
This next list needs a little more stuff on it, but here’s the start:
| Fitness/Sporty Stuff | Goal | Method |
| Running
Accomplished Part 1 already! Can now run 3.5 miles. Now working on speed… |
Be able to run the 3.5 mile loop by my house without stopping; get speed on treadmill up to 5 mph | Um…running? |
| Flexibility | Splits in every direction! Cirque de Soleil here I come! | Um…stretching? |
