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A 101 skills update: I now have a list!
Dec. 15th, 2010 05:03 pmA few weeks back I told you about my newfound ambition to become more well-rounded, and to make myself useful as well as decorative, by learning 101 life skills in 1001 days. The first skill I should've put on the list was "learn to finish writing lists," because it took an unholy long time to do this. In any event, I've finally compiled a list to begin with, and I'm sharing it here in the hopes that you will all peer-pressure me into staying on top of it. It also sounds like I've inspired a few people to take on similar projects of their own (including my roommate, who ever time I mention one of the goals I'm taking on says, "I want to learn that too!"), which is freaking awesome. If you're doing something similar, or even just learning a few new things, I hope you'll comment (or blog about it and then comment to point to your blog, or whatever). I'm really stoked about this project and I've gotten started already, which is why I'm setting the official start date for my project as December 4th, when I actually crossed the first task off my (non-existent) list. That makes my deadline Saturday, August 31, 2013.
As I continue to tackle the list, I'll blog about my exploits and tag them all with 101 skills so you can keep on top of it a little easier, if you're interested.
In any event, here's the actual list. I don't have 101 items on here at the moment, as I'm leaving room for things that just come up later on in the project; I expect to have much more to add as I go along.
Learn to...
1. Make eye splices in yacht rope (to make my own lead ropes)
2. Tie a rope halter
3.Snowshoe
4.Cross-country ski
5.Skijor with my dog
6. Build one basic piece of furniture
7. Build one more complicated piece of furniture
8. Do a balanced trim of my horse's feet
9. Drive a manual transmission
10. Throw pottery
11. Safely handle and shoot both a rifle and a handgun
12. Change a tire
13. Pitch a tent
14. Tie ten different knots that are useful for horsemen
15. Put on snow chains
16. Harvest firewood (from standing tree to stacked and finished wood)
17. Dance (in at least a very basic fashion)
18. Darn socks
19. Sew or create some sort of article of clothing
20.Develop knife skills for cooking
21. Carve wood and/or antler
22. Paint on fabrics
23. Build a campfire in an actual wilderness situation
24. Recognize poisonous and edible plants in my area (learn at least 5 of each)
25. Repair a bike (at least how to patch/replace tires and chains)
26. Learn another sort of knitting stitch and how to use it (learn to make something other than scarves!)
27. Change the oil in my truck
28. Change out the lights in the instrument panel of my truck (they are dying! so sad!)
29. Start a plant from seed
30. Hem clothes, and any other basic sewing that seems handy
31. Help build a house with Habitat for Humanity
32. Crochet
33. Use 5 new kinds of tools
34. Refresher on orienteering, map and compass reading, and figuring out where the #@$! I am when in the wilderness
35. Do three new sorts of crafts of any kind (making candles, Christmas ornaments, stuff with old horseshoes... whatever)
36. Do basic wiring for home repair (wire a new plug to a lamp, wire a lighting fixture into an existing box, etc) and how to safely work with wiring/electronics without electrocuting myself
37. Tread water
38. Change spark plugs
39. Catch, clean, and cook a fish
40. Canoe and/or raft
41. Properly use polo, standing, and other leg wraps for horses, and learn when to use which wrap
42. Do three different kinds of braids for horse manes or tails
43. Carve, burn, sew and otherwise work with leather
44. Fold fitted bedsheets so they're flat (seriously, that takes major skill)
45. Juggle (not necessarily a useful skill, but you never know...)
I'm still taking suggestions on things I should learn, so if you've got a great idea, pipe up! I'd also recommend for those who are doing something similar to look for classes in your local area, and talk to the folks around you to see who's got some skills they could teach you. I've crossed off my first two items, learning to cross-country ski (which was awesome!) and learning to skijor with my dog (well, we've learned, but I'm not a good enough skier to have jored yet), thanks to free workshops from my local nordic ski club, and I've already had offers from coworkers to teach me to snowshoe, operate a chainsaw, and build furniture. Hopefully I'll emerge from all of these projects with all of my limbs intact... I think I'm off to a good start, since I only fell down on my skis like four times. :D
As I continue to tackle the list, I'll blog about my exploits and tag them all with 101 skills so you can keep on top of it a little easier, if you're interested.
In any event, here's the actual list. I don't have 101 items on here at the moment, as I'm leaving room for things that just come up later on in the project; I expect to have much more to add as I go along.
Learn to...
1. Make eye splices in yacht rope (to make my own lead ropes)
2. Tie a rope halter
3.
4.
5.
6. Build one basic piece of furniture
7. Build one more complicated piece of furniture
8. Do a balanced trim of my horse's feet
9. Drive a manual transmission
10. Throw pottery
11. Safely handle and shoot both a rifle and a handgun
12. Change a tire
13. Pitch a tent
14. Tie ten different knots that are useful for horsemen
15. Put on snow chains
16. Harvest firewood (from standing tree to stacked and finished wood)
17. Dance (in at least a very basic fashion)
18. Darn socks
19. Sew or create some sort of article of clothing
20.
21. Carve wood and/or antler
22. Paint on fabrics
23. Build a campfire in an actual wilderness situation
24. Recognize poisonous and edible plants in my area (learn at least 5 of each)
25. Repair a bike (at least how to patch/replace tires and chains)
26. Learn another sort of knitting stitch and how to use it (learn to make something other than scarves!)
27. Change the oil in my truck
28. Change out the lights in the instrument panel of my truck (they are dying! so sad!)
29. Start a plant from seed
30. Hem clothes, and any other basic sewing that seems handy
31. Help build a house with Habitat for Humanity
32. Crochet
33. Use 5 new kinds of tools
34. Refresher on orienteering, map and compass reading, and figuring out where the #@$! I am when in the wilderness
35. Do three new sorts of crafts of any kind (making candles, Christmas ornaments, stuff with old horseshoes... whatever)
36. Do basic wiring for home repair (wire a new plug to a lamp, wire a lighting fixture into an existing box, etc) and how to safely work with wiring/electronics without electrocuting myself
37. Tread water
38. Change spark plugs
39. Catch, clean, and cook a fish
40. Canoe and/or raft
41. Properly use polo, standing, and other leg wraps for horses, and learn when to use which wrap
42. Do three different kinds of braids for horse manes or tails
43. Carve, burn, sew and otherwise work with leather
44. Fold fitted bedsheets so they're flat (seriously, that takes major skill)
45. Juggle (not necessarily a useful skill, but you never know...)
I'm still taking suggestions on things I should learn, so if you've got a great idea, pipe up! I'd also recommend for those who are doing something similar to look for classes in your local area, and talk to the folks around you to see who's got some skills they could teach you. I've crossed off my first two items, learning to cross-country ski (which was awesome!) and learning to skijor with my dog (well, we've learned, but I'm not a good enough skier to have jored yet), thanks to free workshops from my local nordic ski club, and I've already had offers from coworkers to teach me to snowshoe, operate a chainsaw, and build furniture. Hopefully I'll emerge from all of these projects with all of my limbs intact... I think I'm off to a good start, since I only fell down on my skis like four times. :D