It is Thursday Three time again! Terry wants to know what self-improvement efforts are important to each of us. So go read his thoughts, read my responses and feel free to leave some comments in the comments box. As always, I'll add some links to this post later on today.

1) What one language would you most like to learn to speak, or at least understand?
        Spanish, I suppose, since my community has a significant hispanic population and I would like to be able to communicate clearly with the people that are part of my neighborhood. I do believe that immigrants need to learn to communicate in the local language, no matter what language they bring with them from home, but I also recognize the necessity of being able to communicate with those that don't speak English. Its just a realistic fact of life and I would like to be able to share in the richness of my neighborhood by understanding more of what is said around me. Since I don't intend to immigrate to any other country where English isn't the native language, I don't see any need to learn French or Russian or Swahili.

2) What one skill would you most like to learn?
        I'd like to be able to play music on a mountain dulcimer. I have no musical skills beyond operating most of the controls on my car stereo. I was once upon a time able to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on my brother Tim's violin. He took lessons in school, I learned from him. After that bit of musical prowess and the usual recorder training in grade school, my skills are restricted to getting the wrapper off of an occasional CD purchase. Pathetic, I know. But I really like the sound of the mountain dulcimer and I would like nothing better than to be able to play old-time gospel tunes on a dulcimer of my own. I like hammer dulcimer music too but I wish I could learn the laptop, stringed dulcimer. Here's a picture of a woman playing a dulcimer. I suppose if I were to learn to play the hammer dulcimer, I could qualify to wear this shirt since I've been to to get hammered in the past.

3) What one character flaw would you most like to rid yourself of?
        Character flaw? Get real!

        I don't tolerate fools well and I don't spend much time worrying about what other people are thinking or saying about me. People tend to think I am aloof or rude when in fact, most of the time I'm just distracted by tasks and deadlines and schoolwork planning. So maybe I can learn to relax and smile at more folks.

posted by Nate @ 9:26 AM