10 Classes to Fix My Life
Not that I want to take any more classes than I already am, but Melissa from A Penny Closer tagged me to tell 5-10 classes that would (hopefully) fix my life:
- Although this wasn’t the first one I thought of, I think it’s the most important: ANGER MANAGEMENT. I seriously need help, and actually, this might be the one class I would pay for since it would have an immediate effect on my life.
- Personally, I think I’m perfect the way I am, but I’ve been told by, well, ALL of my coworkers that I need SINGING LESSONS. They keep saying they hear howling dogs when I start singing “Unbreak My Heart” by Toni Braxton. Don’t ask.
- Although I’ve gotten many compliments on my self-designed Clever Dude logo, I really have no idea HOW TO CREATE GRAPHICS. If I had to create that logo again, I’m not sure if I would remember how!
- Back in college when I went through about 25 (literally) job interviews with no offers, and I seriously considered trying out COOKING SCHOOL. I really don’t cook anymore, but I could make some mean chocolate refried bean casserole if I tried! Maybe!
- I don’t have the urge to build a bookshelf or a guillotine, but I would like to know some BASIC CARPENTRY skills. However, if I had to pick any instructor, I would choose my father-in-law…or Norm Abram. However, my FIL is more of a do-it-himself type of worker and might be a difficult teacher.
- You may notice that I only have 1 investing-oriented blog on my Reader List (can
you figure out which one?). It’s because I don’t like math and all those numbers and graphs make my head spin. But, if I was stuck in an INVESTING 101 class, then I would probably pay a little more attention. For now, though, I think I’ll just continue buying stocks based on 10 minutes of cursory research. - I like to think that I’m half-decent at capturing (or noticing) good picture moments. However, the camera doesn’t always match the image in my head, so perhaps a DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY course would be handy.
- HISTORY, HISTORY, HISTORY. I’m not a big history buff in the academic sense, but I love hearing a good historical story. If I didn’t have to write any papers, I think my world history course back in college would have been my favorite. A good storyteller can make history come alive!
- I know how important touch is to people, so I think learning BASIC AND INTERMEDIATE MASSAGE would be a killer skill (with my wife that is). We’ll save Advanced for later.
- I couldn’t think of a good #10, so I asked Stacie. Her response was “HOW TO GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR EMOTIONAL SIDE“. Apparently the only emotions I show are angry and sleepy.
- UPDATED: Thanks to some commenters, I realized I left out some major classes that I’ve actually considered taking within the last year or two: DANCE LESSONS, SPANISH LESSONS, and GUITAR LESSONS. Thanks readers!
Although this was a good exercise and looking inward and seeing what I’m actually interested in, I won’t tag anyone else. However, feel free to create this list for yourself. Who knows, maybe you’ll even decide to sign up for something while you’re at it!
The anger management class might be good for me too. I’ve learned a lot about controlling it, but it’s not perfect (d*** red line delays for 2 weeks). If you want to take the massage lessons, there are actually couples’ massage classes out there if you know where to look. If I had more money, I think that’d be worth investing in. Great returns in relieving stress and bonding.
If not, I’ve found the Astroglide warming lube makes an excellent massage lotion.
I’d probably enjoy giving and getting a massage more if I was able to handle my anger and stress a little better. Perhaps I do need to sign up for anger management courses. Where do they even offer those.
Oh, and I realize I forgot a big class I want to take: Guitar Lessons.
Clever Dude,
How about dancing lessons and foreign languages?
Probably not for you since you’re married, but it’s one of the few physical activities out there where girls greatly outnumber men. Also, most girls appreciate men who can dance (and I’m not talking about club dancing).
Foreign Languages are more important these days than ever, especially Spanish and a few of the Asian ones. Stay away from traditional ones like French though..no one speaks it.
-Raymond
Here are a few classes that I could really benefit from:
Graphic Design – I do quite a bit of web development, and I’m great at the programming part of things, but not so much when it comes to graphic design.
Intermediate/Advanced Digital Photography – I’ve really gotten into digital photography, and have a lot of the basics down pretty well, but could really benefit from learning some more advanced techniques.
Cooking – After the recent birth of my son, my wife and I have really been trying to cook more of our meals from scratch, as opposed to buying pre-packaged meals. Doing this is both cheaper, and (in theory) tastes better, although we’re still working on that 2nd part…
– Brandon
MBB: Dang, yet another 2 classes I’ve seriously thought about over the last year or more. My wife would enjoy dancing lessons, and we both would benefit from taking Spanish considering the high Hispanic population in the D.C. area.
The wife and I have been taking ballroom dancing classes. It’s great for a number of reasons. First, it’s physical activity, and second, it’s time we’re spending together without other distractions.
Dance lessons can be pretty expensive if you go to a dance studio, but they can also be pretty cheap. Our city parks and recreations department offers group dance lessons throughout the year. I think I paid 140 for both of us for 10 lessons. You don’t get as much individual attention with the group classes, but it’s much more economical, and it’s a great way to meet other people.
I would love to take a “Spanish for the Healthcare professional” class–I know they have books on the subject, but it would benefit me greatly (and save SO much time) if I could just speak about nutrition in Spanish (I took classes in school but don’t remember enough of it to converse well).
Oh, and I would love to take an ethnic cooking class–to make Ethiopian food at home would earn me points with the CleverDude…
Clever Dudette, my alma mater (not in the area) offers “Spanish for the Healthcare Professional” as an alternative to 201. They have a big nursing program, so maybe other local schools with lots of nursing do so. Georgetown? CUA?
I’m surprised by the popularity of anger management. Everyone seems so calm. Personally, i’m pretty good at anger managment. I don’t get phased by much. People rarely upset me. Funny considering, I used to have a terrible temper as kid. I’m quite mellow these days.
I wouldn’t mind taking basic car maintenance class. If I had a garage I’d probably try to handle some fixes myself. As it is now, I’m an easy mark for the mechanics…
I know I would definitely be well served to take a basic cooking class. I’m eating dry Fruity-Pebbles and a flat Mello Yellow for breakfast. (the joys of college life)