Yes, I Can

In a bit of a fog after a night of heavy drinking. Apparently I ended up posting a missed connection on craigslist trying to apologize to a guy that I attemped to talk to but ended up just making an ass of myself. So I decided to make an ass of myself again by writing a weird an rambling apology on craigslist. I deleted it this morning, so hopefully only other drunks read it last night.

On the upside, Megan and I went dancing, which I haven't done in ages. That's the real reason I was drunk, not the wedding. I drank at the wedding, but I like to think that I kept it reasonable. But I had to get really drunk in order to dance. Dancing is just one of the many things I sort of enjoy doing (or would enjoy doing if I could do it with some competency), that I usually avoid for fear of looking stupid. The problem with this kind of attitude is that I am almost 30 years old and I don't really know how to do much of anything because I've been too frustrated with my initial fumbling attempts. I'm not happy about this, and I think it has made me rather a dull person, so I'm going to try to put a stop to it. I'm going to try to learn to do things. If practice doesn't make perfect, then I will practice until I can at least say I gave it my best. And then I can quit and never speak of it again, I guess, but maybe I'll feel like less of a coward at least.

So here's a preliminary list of things I can't do that I might, potentially, like to be able to do:
1. Ride a Bike -- I know, I know -- I actually used to be able to do this, but forgot when I was about 11. It's very embarassing to try to re-learn as an adult, which explains why I've only tried about twice for five minutes apiece
2. Salsa Dance --When Megan and I went out dancing last night, a salsa song came on and my dance partner said to me, "So, you don't like dance?" Suggesting I guess that anyone who liked to dance would be better at it.
3. Roller Skate -- This would have been a useful skill to have when I was in grade school and kept being invited to roller skating parties. I always went and I always fell on my ass four or five times, and then spent the rest of the evening clinging to the wall. This will not come naturally to me, I know that. And it's not a skill I could show off often, but I'm okay with that.
4. Bake Bread -- I know I'm gluten-intolerant, but bread is still the one food I most want to make
5. Knit -- Again, I've tried this a few times and found it very frustrating. But everyone loves scarves, and all hippies must knit so this is non-negotiable.
6. Use a Sewing Machine -- Same as above. Also, I want to make my own clothes because I hate clothing stores and don't want to spend any time in them ever again.
7. Do a Cartwheel
8. Juggle -- Ever since meeting a bunch of clowns, this totally makes sense to me. I'd want to ride a unicycle too, but I need to get two wheels down first.
9. Play Piano -- just a little would be fine
10. Play Guitar --for sing-a-long purposes
11. Sight-read Music
12. Play Tennis -- just well enough to not annoy players on neighboring courts
13. Speak Another Language at least marginally well
14. Talk about Art without feeling dumb
15. Climb a Tree

I don't have a plan yet for accomplishing any of these things yet, but I thought a list would help. I was considering picking one item per week and working it for the length of that week, but obviously many of these things could take more than a week to conquer. Also none of them seem like the thing that I want to start with. It's too hot right now to think about knitting or baking. I will have access to a guitar this next week though, so I guess I will start with that one. #10. I'm also open to further suggestions in case there's anything anyone else might feel I lack as a human being.... obviously constructive criticisms are fine, but let's keep things friendly, shall we?