Thanks to the generosity of my friend Jenn (who married a lucky guy known here as The Nephew), I will soon be in possession of the latest Creative Suite from Adobe. This means I'll have Flash, Illustrator, Photoshop, Fireworks, Dreamweaver and other toys to play with.Now I just have to learn how to use them.
I've worked in Photoshop and Dreamweaver before but the others are strangers of mine. So I'm taking online classes. So far, the hardest one is Illustrator, with Flash coming in a close second.
Why am I doing this?
Hell, why not?
This is on top of my daily Italian, which is slow going, time on the guitar, this novel (also slow going) and work, which eats up an unreasonable amount of time.
All of this frantic learning stuff reminds me of Gulliver's Travels. In one of his adventures he hears about a race of people who live forever. What a joy, he thinks. He would spend one lifetime learning music, one art, one devoted to science, etc. Then he finds out that the people indeed live forever, but they never stop aging, eventually becoming wrinkled lumps of barely sentient flesh living their eternity in jars. That Swift had one wicked sense of humor.
So, as I approach my 59th birthday, I'm trying to cram in as much information as I can before my brain activity is reduced to complaints about my health; the senior discount at Denny's; and buying one banana at the grocery store, with an expired coupon, counting out exact change while the line stacks up behind me.
They say learning new stuff is a way to stay young. If I keep going at this pace, I'll go through puberty again. And believe me, no one wants that.
If you could learn something new, what would it be? And what is it that's stopping you?
6 comments:
I want to learn to fly. What's stopping me is the cost.
I agree with the flying. Got about ten hours in fifteen years ago and then had to stop when I realized I was running up my credit card.
ALmost had a midair collision in hour eight that scared the you-know-what out of my instructor and me, so that was also a factor...
To play the piano. I don't have a piano to practice on.
Jeff, you can pick up an electronic keyboard for around 100 bucks. It's no Steinway, but it works.
There are also instructional CDs and DVDs you can buy that will ou get you started. Go to Homespun Tapes on line and check it out.
I want to sky dive... but my wife promises to leave me if I do.
I don;t get it... I am well insured. One would think she would ENCOURAGE my mid-life crisis...:D
EagleEye,
I encourage you. It's a terrific experience jumping out of a plane. Hoo-uh.
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