Welcome to The "How-To" Month!

It's January, and that means that it's time for me to undertake another adventure.  My first was in 2012, when I celebrated a holiday every day according to when they happened throughout the year.  Those adventures can be found at theholidaymonth.blogspot.com.  Last year, I tried something new everyday that I had never done before.  Those adventures can be found at thespiceoflifemonth.blogspot.com.  Both of these projects helped me to appreciate every day and to find a way to bust of out of my daily routine, which is why I wanted to continue with the tradition in 2014.


The great comedian, Louis C.K., has a bit where he talks about his daughters and their smart phones.  I'm paraphrasing here, but the gist of it is that the time between them not knowing something and them knowing something is non-existent.  If they have a question, they simply have to Google it on their phone or look it up on Wikipedia, and they find the answer instantly.  It's a marvel of technology (it's basically like having your own Data from The Next Generation hanging around you all of the time), and of course it is incredibly convenient.  How many sleepless nights have been prevented by being able to answer the nagging questions that come up during the course of a typical day? Like what was Val Kilmer's call sign in Top Gun or how many Doctors have piloted the TARDIS? ("Iceman" and 12, respectively)

Is this really learning though?  Louis C.K. doesn't think so, and in fact he says that this kind of instant gratification takes away the wonder of figuring something out.  There is a reward to learning something, to asking a question and figuring out the answer through research or practice.  And it's something that is lost when all you have to do is press a button and get an answer.

I am guilty of this need for instant gratification in learning, and I want to take a break from it.  So, for the month of January, I will start learning the old fashioned way.  Each day, I will have someone teach me a skill or task.  From learning how to throw a curve ball to perfecting the art of putting on make up, I will take the time to learn.  I will investigate, I will research, and I will revel in the joy of the search for knowledge. I will seek out a master and take on the role of an apprentice.  It's a system that has worked for countless professions, including Jedi Knights, so hopefully it will work for me as well.

Each day will consist of me learning a different skill, but it will also cover things that I researched without the aid of my smartphone or Wikipedia.  Follow along with me as I learn how to do...well, everything!