Worker, Chef, Writer, Trainer

If today had a theme, it would be Time. My ability to keep track of it was tested, both in work and at home, and while I failed miserably in the shop, I managed to not kill everyone at home.

See, as part of the changes happening in the shop, we have to return a lot of old stock. I was left to the kids' section today, with a twenty page list and a pile of empty boxes. My four-hour shift usually drags by, and while I did check the time on a couple of occasions, I failed to truly keep track of things. Five minutes after my shift had ended, I was still plucking books from the shelves.

Oops?

Thankfully, I had access to a clock later in the day when, by circumstance, I was left to put the dinner in the oven. Lots of different types of chicken (you know, thighs, wings, drumsticks), any of which could have killed us if not cooked properly.

But I'm a good boy. I put the food in the oven at the right time, and everything turned out nicely.

Today also marked the beginning of two things: the work on my poetry and prose blog, and a nostalgic game-playing experience.

I began the blog-work by putting together the banner and getting the blog a name. I've opted to use Wordpress. While Blogger is good, I find it's a lot more difficult for other people using it to find posts. Wordpress at least lets people use tags that actually work within Wordpress.com to find posts with that tag. (Yes, I know, Blogger tags are for Google's benefit...)

I have a list of things I need to do to finalise the work before the launch (I'm hoping Friday, with a flash story), and I'm going to draw up a list of different projects to keep me going on the site. Fun, right?

As for the nostalgia... well, someone mentioned Pokémon on Facebook earlier, and now I'm playing Pokémon Yellow online. It was the second - and last - Pokémon game I owned. I could have picked a more modern one - even just more recent than Yellow - but I couldn't resist the idea of having my own little Pikachu following my character around on screen.

It brings back fun memories of playing the game as a child. I still have the Gameboy I played it on, though I couldn't tell you where the games have all disappeared to. It's a pity, really. We probably gave them to a cousin, or something.

Still, I have my Pokémon game to play, now, I have a new blog to work on, I have a lot of work to do in the shop, and I didn't give the family food poisoning on account of my ability to look at a clock. I call that a good day.

Real Life Induction?

Today, talk off post-primary school induction became a Thing. It's no longer just this far off idea; we've actually been given the information we need to participate in the workshops that serve as induction, towards becoming Real Teachers. It's not as terrifying as I would have thought. Essentially, in the year that I plan to work during to build up my finances for a Masters Degree, I can do all of these workshops that I will need to complete my registration as a teacher. Then, when I actually go job-hunting for a teaching position, I'll be able to get paid. That's always a bonus, right?

It got me thinking, though: what about "real life"? As far as I'm concerned, there are some basic skills for survival in a Capitalist society that are necessary. This includes being able to read a contract, applying for a mortgage, paying taxes, and finding a home. Nevermind the additional extras like knowing how to cook your own meals, knowing how to drive (and knowing your way around an engine!), meeting new people, proposing (either for marriage or for living together... let's just call it Big Steps in a Relationship), or raising a family. What sort of preparation do we have for "real life", even after eighteen years of continuous education?

Surprisingly, this does't really terrify me. How about that? Yes, the idea of stepping out into the world without someone scheduling my September-June for me (yet) is frightening, but the rest of it? I don't know. Yes, it will be weird when I eventually move out of my parents' house. I don't plan on overstaying my welcome (which is why I'm working on various projects to help radically alter my lifestyle towards such big changes), but it's not fear of moving out that's the problem. It's actually just that I can't afford to.

So, thinking this through: what induction do we receive for "real life"? In my school, we studied Maths and Business as part of our Junior Cert. These helped us work out taxes and family finances and all that jazz. So, that's something, right? Except what if you fall into one of two categories: you didn't study these areas, either because of the level you studied at, or the subjects you studied, or you just forget how to some, or all, of it? I fall into the latter category. Proper financial planning for a household isn't currently up there in the Important Things I Can Do. In saying that, I don't currently have a need to know this sort of stuff. I earn enough money to: get to and from college every day, buy lunch a couple of  times a week, buy my writing magazines once per month, buy my comic books every week, go to the cinema every week, and still be able to afford the occasional night out, thanks to additional hours that pop up in work every now and then (thank you Bank Holidays!). I know how much I can spend each week extra, and how much it costs me to do it all. It's just, a "household budget" tends to include a few more things than these very basic things, like regular bills and all the things I don't have to consider while still living in my parents' house.

But that doesn't mean I don't have to know how to do it before I move out. Induction for this sort of thing shouldn't happen at the age of fifteen, and then never again. I need to know how much I would need per month to pay bills (rent/mortgage, gas, electricity, Internet/phone/television, food), on whatever basis for earning I'm actually on (monthly or weekly). My biggest worry here is that I leave something out, or fundamentally mis-calculate and end up in financial trouble right away. (Let's let future Paul worry about that one.)

Thankfully, I know how to do a couple of things: I can make Excel keep up with costs and income for me (yay basic skills in Microsoft Office!) and I can read up on tax rates. This is especially important if I'm to earn money from writing and  not get into trouble with the Revenue Commissioner. Because that would suck.

However, I still think people need to be made aware of this sort of stuff, somehow. I suppose, if I could make it sound like I wasn't planning on moving out on less-than-the-Dole-per-week, I could ask my dad for help in figuring out basic costs. He's good with this sort of stuff. Not everyone is so lucky, but that's one big part of Real Life Induction sorted for me, right?

But what about a mortgage? That's pretty damn scary, and it seems like a massive amount of money for me to consider. I'm fairly sure the minimum amount given on loan for a mortgage is more money than I have ever earned in my entire life. So that's fun. And contracts? Because, you know, books and work and, well, mortgages. All the fun!

What about the additional parts? Those are less frightening in one way. Cooking I can pick up. I can probably force my mum to help me with that this summer, since I'll have much less to do than I'm used to. I'm looking forward to that, anyway. But driving? Um... I don't even own a bicycle. I haven't been responsible for my own safety on the road in eight years. Plus, that's a whole other set of bills. Can I avoid that one for a while? That'll be less scary. The last thing I need is a stack of bills to add to the already insurmountabl pile of imaginay expenses that don't even include keeping up with my basic hobbies.

Do I have to get into the  proposal and raising a family parts? Given my status of Forever Alone, I don't think so, but I think it's worth pointing out that a lot of stuff, from the cooking to the babies tends to be covered in Home Economics over here. I think. I wouldn't know, because it wasn't offered in my school. But there's an opportunity for learning for people, to prepare themselves for "real life".

I don't know what to say for the rest of us. There's an awful lot that needs to be known that I don't believe is taught to people before they leave home. I think a lot of people, present company included, are nearly expected to just land on their feet and figure it out as they go along with their business. That sort of thinking makes me want to hide under my covers. I'd prefer to be prepared for something, even just a little bit, before it actually happens. I think this is where my Real Life Induction begins.

Crap. Now I have to be an adult.

Life's Everlasting Learning

I've always liked school. Weird, right? I mean, I hated most of the work. A lot of that was mainly that I liked doing other things, and there was a lot of it. I get why we had it, though. It's all part of learning, and because of the way school works these days we had to get a lot of homework just to get everything done. But this isn't about school. This is about learning, which is precisely why I liked school.

See, I'm all about learning new things. I like picking up information and being able to use it. It makes my days so much better to be able to learn something in them.

So, even though college is over for the summer, I'm still learning. Admittedly, I'm not doing my research for my paper, but that can be done at another time. Right now, this is all about learning stuff for myself.

Brendon Burchard, this one guy who knows stuff (Google him!), advises people to set out each month of the year to learn something new. This month, I've been learning business stuff. Vague description, I know. I'm a writer don't you know! Specifically, I've read a book on marketing and a book on strategy, but I have books on other topics and I've been watching videos. I'm focusing on what might be of use as a writer, which subsequently included just about everything Burchard teaches on his different programs. Since I'm not exactly wealthy, I've been going with his free information in his videos and I bought two of his books. I'm still waiting for them to arrive.

I've also signed up for information from a bunch of others in the field, though, and it's meant that I have a stream of lessons coming into my inbox every day or every other day from a few different people. I take notes, I learn, and when I get things get up properly I can begin sharing what I know to save people who don't have it the time I spent watching all those videos.

I'm still looking for more stuff to learn, of course. If you know of someone who produces videos and webinars that are free to watch, even if it means signing up to their website to get them, let me know. I'm always up for learning.

That's all well and good for this month, of course, but what about next month? July is rapidly approaching.

So, I figured I'd tackle something I've been meaning to do for a long time: I want to learn how to cook. I'm going to start basic, and a co-worker and friend of mine has advised a book. She's ordered it into the shop for me to see. I'm pretty excited about it, actually. The book looks amazing, and it'll be worth the investment if it means I can cook my own food for the first time in my life. So far, I'm limited to food that goes into the oven without preparation, sandwiches and things that go into the toaster. The microwave, too, but I don't use that unless I'm just heating something up Mother of Mine prepared earlier that day, usually vegetables.

I don't imagine I'm going to be the most amazing chef in the world, but that's not the point. I need the basic skills to actually learn to cook, and there are some baking recipes in the book, too. Did you know I have a sweet tooth?

So, that's July sorted. August, I'm still stumped for. I mean, I'll be working on my research paper independent of this learn-one-thing-a-month idea, so I guess I just need to find something new. Maybe, just maybe, I'll start learning how to drive. Theory test, initially, of course, but I figure this is a good step. So, I can start learning to drive. Obviously, I won't be able to drive a car by the end of the month. Far from it. But I can at least get myself started on the path towards learning. And if anyone knows me well enough, they know I'll put my mind to this fully. I won't be the best driver in the world, but I'm so damn cautious I'll stay out of trouble.

September... trickier to tell. I have teaching practice and college starts back up and I have something massive to organise, so there's no telling what will happen with the month. Or the months to follow, for that matter. Obviously I'll keep learning to cook and keep learning to drive, but there's only so much I can do on that before I'm breaking the rule of learning something new every month. Part of me would love to learn to play an instrument, but I think I need to go for something more future-specific to get by in this. Possibly I'll start learning a new language.

I've always had problems with this in the past, and it comes down to not applying myself to it. But I figure, even if I only do this half the month as a beginner, I wake up early enough to go to college to listen to audio for about an hour before anyone even gets a chance to talk to me. I can use that time effectively, and I really want to give this a shot.

October... public speaking. Has to be. I mean, I'm already working on it, but it's something I need to get better at. Not just for teaching, but for everything else I plan to do in life. I want to be more natural when I speak in front of people. I tend to stick to notes and all that jazz, though I hate reading them out so I ad lib. I wouldn't be a teacher if all I did was read from a page.

November, I think I want to get better at organising. That sounds too vague, so I'll be more specific. I suck at lesson plans. I suck at schemes of work. I have no proper filing system. I need to get better at that sort of stuff, especially with all the plans I have for the next few years of my life. So hey, there's something. I'm choosing November for this because then the information will be fresh enough in my head even if I get busy to help me prepare for teaching in January more effectively. Yep, strategy. I'm actually implementing it.

And December...? I have no idea. Critically thinking about what I need to do in my life hasn't gotten me that far. That's probably because I haven't written out a strategy for the year. But hey, I reckon what I've got so far is enough to keep the brain going. Odds are I'll probably be learning other things in the middle of everything. I don't see the months as being so strict as to have to stop learning about something because I'm too busy with something else. Heck, if that was the case the school system of Ireland would collapse.

Game on, I suppose. Back to learning from way too many things at once to be sane.

What do you want to learn this year? Leave your answer in the comments below.