What have I always wanted to learn?

[cjsmith]

What a GREAT question! Stolen from the Friday Five (my answers are here), and modified just a little:

What are some things you've always wanted to learn but haven't yet?

Always wanted to learn. So I can't count voluntarily dilating my irises, a thing I just thought up a few minutes ago but now really really wish I could do.

How to play: guitar, harp, dulcimer, hammer dulcimer.
How to speak, read, and write: Arabic, Swedish and/or Norwegian, German (improve), Russian (relearn), Japanese, Hindi, Basque, Latin.
Understanding: myself and others. Why I do what I do. Why I fall for the people I fall for. Why I can at times be so immobilized by anxiety or stress. Why the Brandenburg concertos or Yosemite have the effect on me that they do. Why people park across two parking spaces, or deliberately get in the wrong lane, or push away the very people who care most. Why why why!
Skills: Chess (improve), the craft of writing, the ability to make a room look nice, the ability to be at home in widely varied social situations, physical self-defense, physical grace. There are lots more in this category that don't really count as "I've always wanted to learn". Flying stuff, for example.
Weird body stuff: How to make my eyes diverge. I have been trying this since I was in grade school and I can't do it yet.
Supernatural stuff: If this sort of thing could be learned, I'd enroll in classes for: out-of-body experience, levitation, telekinesis, clairvoyance, and healing by the laying on of hands.

The scary part is I'm sure this list isn't exhaustive. ExhaustING maybe... :-)

Comments

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Weird body stuff: How to make my eyes diverge. I have been trying this since I was in grade school and I can't do it yet.

If I could teach this... I wear a particular type of glasses in order to prevent the headaches caused by this (although, actually, it is so slight as to not be visible). ;-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I can certainly understand that doing it involuntarily would be bad! I'm glad it's slight; that probably makes the glasses thinner and lighter...

[ambar.livejournal.com]

If you have time, I can loan you a playable dulcimer. There is only one condition: it must be played. If it's going to sit around and get dusty, I would prefer it keep doing that in its current position on my living room wall. :-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Great offer! I've got a playable dulcimer, though... and all I've ever managed to make myself sit down and learn is one folk song, plucked, not strummed. Pathetic!

[ambar.livejournal.com]

Huh. I think plucking is harder than strumming, myself. Do we need to create a dulcimer jam session? :-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

What we do need to do is lunch! You've asked me twice and I've dropped the ball. (At least I didn't drop a dulcimer.) It's probably too late to ask about today, and tomorrow isn't good, but you said Thursday through Sunday -- is that in general? How does the coming Thursday or Friday look?

[ambar.livejournal.com]

Well, that was before my schedule was changed, which I found out about on Friday afternoon (for a Saturday implementation).

I am now working 1230-2100, Thursday-Monday. Which makes, um, Friday-Monday good days, although my need to be at the airport by noon means this is more like a non-lazy brunch than like lunch. (There is also the possibility of getting together past 9pm for a couple of hours, if that would be preferable. An evening get-together is good Thursday-Sunday.)

Part of me wants to apologize for the impossible schedule, even though the alternatives within my control (ie, quitting) all suck worse. :-/ Sorry!

(On my days off, ie, Tuesday and Wednesday, I am generally velcro'd to my ranch, at least metaphorically speaking, and while I'd welcome visitors, I don't expect 'em.)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you have some local crash space. Hmm, I hope you get a chance for a snack some time during that shift, or you're going to be wanting some eNORmous breakfasts. How about The Original Pancake House, on a Friday morning so's it's not insanely crowded?

[ambar.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a plan -- how's 10am? (I figure I should leave there ~11:30.)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Great! Let's meet there at 10. Er, which one? There's one on De Anza by 85 and one on San Antonio in Los Altos.

[ambar.livejournal.com]

I figured you meant 85 & De Anza, and that's more convenient for me. 'Kay?

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Great - see you there at ten tomorrow!