I've been learning metal machining after getting a small metal lathe last fall. I'd been shopping for one for a while because I kept doing projects where I needed to make or customize things more precisely than I could do with hand tools. It has been one of those skills where the onramp is not super steep (a plethora of YouTube videos helps) but there are endless details and efficiencies to learn that keep it really interesting.

I took apart an old truck and am very slowly putting it all back together. So far it mostly works better than it did before, which ill count as a win.

I'm learning how not to kill houseplants. It's...a process. Each plant is like a puzzle. How much water? Light? One's starting turning yellow; what does that mean? But like another hobby I picked up later in life, photography, it's about slowing down, being present, and paying attention more than anything else.

I've been working on my digital photo editing skills, and have finally gotten a handle on dodging & burning. It's amazing how much impact even small adjustments in light have on a photograph.

Learning Japanese. Yes, on the bird app. But I repeat what it tells me aloud, and am curious enough to look up and read about phonology/syntax on my own and even practice writing, so I find it’s a great ingredient in learning. I’ve learned both kana systems and probably know 200 words. Not great yet, but learning a ton.

I'm taking up woodworking. Okay, it's future tense as the lessons start next week, but I've already made the decision / paid for the course. I've always wanted to be able to make / fix furniture and things for my house, and I've got to start somewhere. My grandfather owned a wood flooring company and was a farmer who could build just about anything he needed around the farm. My great-grandfather and uncle were carpenters, too. I'd like to carry on my small part of the family tradition.

I learned the routine/protocol for visiting the public bath ~3 blocks away in the new neighborhood I moved into - they open at 3PM, it costs ¥550 (plus ¥150 for a coffee milk drink post-bathe), I can stick my shoes in the locker outside, valuables/coat in the locker inside, and winter clothing (to not take up space in the locker) in the wicker-ish baskets. Gotta bring my own towel/shampoo/body soap (they sell a variety of brands/kits too), the lined-up low showers have low pressure to match and there's no lukewarm/cold mizu-buro, it's just the 42ºC bath as the main event - toasty!

Trying to learn to play the harmonica. Found one in a box recently.

Hilariously my dog howls every time I practice!

I've been taking woodworking classes for the last few years. It's mostly been furniture-making classes, but I'm currently taking a marquetry class. Marquetry is when you take veneers (very thin sheets of wood) and cut them into shapes using a scroll saw to make a picture. It's a totally new thing for me and it's a challenge but I'm digging it!

I bought a spinning wheel three months ago, and I can finally spin a fairly fine-gauge yarn that is good enough to use in knitting a gift for someone, not just myself. It's easy to get in plenty of practice when the rhythmic treadling and gentle vibration of the machine are so soothing, and the hand motions require just the right level of attention where I can hold a conversation or listen to a show, or I can just get lost in the wool for an hour or two at a time.

I love this. I only came here to say you're all an inspiration, and I'm absolutely loving the energy Aaron has brought this week. Thank you.

There are a lot of inspiring examples of cool things here and I’m almost embarrassed to list this alongside them. But I decided to learn the rules of a Star Trek Tabletop Roleplaying Game and run a game with my friends. The rules can be insanely complicated sometimes, and the first time we played was definitely a little rocky, but has been getting better since. It’s really satisfying learning new rules I kind of forgot or ignored earlier on that add depth to the game. And also just like coming with a cool idea for a TNG story and seeing my friends play through and discover the mystery as if they are in an episode.

Weaving. What a rabbit hole.

I've started playing Magic: the Gathering at a game store near me. I've been going on Fridays pretty consistently for the past 6 months. The same people tend to show up every Friday so I've made some new grown-up friends, which I've needed. I was building decks like "this one is all hobbits" or "this one is all spiders" and getting stomped pretty consistently but my new friends make good suggestions and the internet is full of good deckbuilding advice. I have some decks now that perform pretty well. It's been nice to get out of the house.

I taught myself how to crochet using YouTube videos. Mostly I tear out rows of work but I did manage to make a scarf for next winter.

My favorite quote on this topic is from Jason Segel (the actor) about playing the piano. He says, "I'm willing to be bad for as long as it takes, until I'm good... I don't have a sense of shame. I just don't. ...I don't really have a the thing of, "Oh, I've embarrassed myself." I just don't understand why I would stop trying to play piano even though I'm not good at it. I want to be good at it. So why wouldn't I keep playing?"

I've been knitting for years, but in the last year I finally learned to make my nemesis: a sweater.

I started taking piano lessons right after the new year and I couldn't have predicted how fulfilling and fun it is.

I love this question because, well, I try to learn something new each year and that outlook is something I don't see that much in my physical community. This year, I learned how to eat right. I have been a healthy eater for many years. following the 7 word rule, I thought most of the time. One year ago this week I realized I really needed to stop telling myself I was doing well and stop listening to others who said I was doing everything right and just go back to the fundamentals. The changes were not complicated, in fact, far less so than any other strategy I tried to employ in the last 30 years to improve my health. I feel better than I can ever remember, weigh 40lbs less, have less stress and have significantly improved my stamina.

I've gotten considerably better at Inkscape ( a graphic design tool) and have started learning some 3D modeling in TinkerCAD. I designed and 3D printed some lens holders for a solar viewer I am making for the upcoming eclipse on April 8th.

Local public library has a fantastic makerspace for projects like this.

I have finally started learning Scottish Country Dancing. It has been a long wait of around 14 years (because of fear of failure!), but I signed up for a class in November and have not looked back since. It has turned out to be even more enjoyable and sociable than I had hoped for. The community is incredibly welcoming, and the dances are challenging, but a lot of fun. I get to dance with partners of all ages, from 8-year-olds to 91-year-olds, which is a delight. I am thoroughly enjoying every moment of it so far!

I remember Tony Danza (!) in an interview talking about learning to play an instrument (piano, maybe?) and how even though he started so far into adulthood, in 10-15 years, he'd be able to say he'd been playing for… 10-15 years! I think of that every time I'm nervous to start something. (I guess he is the boss! [I'm so sorry.])

I agree with you Aaron and Kelly above that it's good to be learning something new every year, or any time really! There's a joy to being bad at something because you've never done it before, and then the subsequent improvements as you get further into it. I've been learning how to be on time by being early, which actually translates to sometimes I am perfectly on time and sometimes I am early and when I'm early I'm working on being chill in that space of waiting.

I’m in England, and have been watching cricket for years, but it’s a complex game and I’ve never really taken on all the rules (known as the ‘laws of cricket’), so this year I have bought myself a membership at the local cricket ground (I’m fortunate enough to live very close to a really special one: Trent Bridge). I’m buying the official book of the rules/laws, and I’m going to try to learn more of them. I won’t manage to understand them all this year, but I hope to learn a lot more about the game, which I think will in turn make it even more interesting to watch.

I developed a problem with my foot/ankle that means I need to limit my steps (after a lifetime of maximizing them, I can't describe to you what a big change that is) so I'm learning how to use a rowing machine. There's a whole world of rowers out there I knew nothing about. It's very technical but also really challenging and somehow rewarding. Who knew?