What should I learn?

actionscript, Spanish and how to change a tire.

Well, if you plan to learn about Mozart’s art of composing, I suggest you allocate more than a week…perhaps a lifetime?

Learn how to make a Fluther app for the iPhone. Apparently it only takes a week or two.

@creativejuices I already speak spanish. :)

Learn to sew. You never know when it might come in handy.

Learn Czech. It’s probably one of the easier languages to learn. No really any trick spelling.

Candle-making.
The art of roasting a chicken (Cook’s Illustrated is good for this.)
Croissant making (CI is good for this too)
To hem your own pants (a sewing machine turns this into a fast week)
To sew something from a pattern (try an apron—they are great to start with and useful for later projects.)
Beer making (how old are you?)
Jewelry making (useful for dating)
Cheese making
Making a really good pot of tea

Microsoft Access

Canning and preserving! (wait until summer)
Choose a kitchen genre for each weekend of a month and learn to make a great meal in that genre.
Laundry by hand.
To knit.
Darning socks.
Test-taking. (Hey, it’s useful)
Python (I suggest How to Think Like a Computer Scientist—it’s online for free and amazing. RichardHenry originally suggested it elsewhere)
Spreadsheet-fu in Excel

How to replace a light switch in the wall.

Oh! Mr. M is SO right! How to fix drains, hook stuff up, and other house-related things. So important!!

Learn how to properly read maps. Cartography is actually really cool, and if you want, you can even get into topography. Yesterday I got lost, and it was a good thing I had my iPhone with a GPS. Seriously, read maps.

Buy a canvas board, four brushes on clearance, and four acrylic paints. Just try it. :)

Shouldn’t run you more than $25.

Learn how to play chess if you don’t already know.

And then next week you can master bridge. Elumas; I do admire your enterprise but learning most things does take more than a week, even baking bread. After a lifetime of trying, I still turn out heavy bricks that I could use as doorstops. (Skfinkel bakes beautiful bread and I bet it took even her longer than a week.)

Why not pick one thing and dig in?

being as awesome and sexy as eponymoushipster is.

it’ll leave you with a couple of days for a vacation at the end of the week. double win!

Modesty also adds to eh’s charm, I would add.

Learn how to knit!

@eponymoushipster, It takes less than a week to learn how awesome and sexy you are? Not entirely impressive, I’m afraid. ;)

@omfgTALIjustIMDu well, it’s a progressive state of mind. the lead up is under a week…

learn a dead language… like aramaic or… windows :p (i’m gonna catch hell for that)

The art of lovemaking. You’re young enough for it to all soak in.

Learn sign language – I’ve always wanted to, but I haven’t gotten there yet…

@essieness that is BY FAR the best answer i’ve read in… EVER.
Mad lurve.

@Dr_C Hahaha! Thanks! So many men don’t know what they’re doing. They should be taught.

Learn how to paint your girlfriend’s toenails. You have no idea how much your future pregnant wife will appreciate this.

Morse code
How to change a washer in a faucet
how to cut tile
how to start a fire without matches
how to change oil in a car
how to toss pizza dough in the air
How to juggle
boolean searches
How to use the Library of Congress system

@AlfredaPrufrock I mourn the loss of Morse Code. Didn’t those people watch the movie Independence Day? Our planet may need that someday.

@AlfredaPrufrock: Aha! I can throw dough in the air. The only good thing that came from working at Dominos. :)

That’s an awesome trick to learn.

Learn art appreciation and art history. It will enhance your life in ways you never expected.

- . – . – - . – – . – . – - . – – . – . – - . -

Stained glass

The supplies are cheap and it is fun. And in the end you have Christmas gifts.

How to compose a decent photograph
How to apologize
How to write a resume
Since you know Spanish, what about French, Portuguese or Gallego?
How to balance a check book
How to create a budget
HTML
How to play the guitar, banjo or mandolin
How to unplug a toilet
How to “cut in” before painting the walls without using tape
How to hang wallpaper
How to fix a bicycle
How to change spark plugs

There are ever so many more things you can learn.

Don’t forget to pick up new words along the way. A well rounded vocabulary is always helpful.

learn how to divide and transplant perennials, that’s something everyone should know.
Become a Master Gardener, that always looks good on a resume.

@Darwin: awesome list!

just what is “cut in” so you don’t need paint to tape ???

@creativejuices – Cutting in “is what you do when you want to keep the paint off the abutting surface, i.e.: ceilings, casings, moldings or… window mullions and sashes.”

In other words, you want to paint the wall blue but leave the ceiling and door trim white. Instead of running painter’s tape along all the edges to make sure the blue paint stays where you want it, you learn how to lay a straight line of paint along the edges of the to-be-painted area without slopping any over onto the bits you want left white. It saves a huge amount of time, and makes the difference between a professional quality job and a sloppy one. Thus, it also saves money since you can do it yourself.

I learned how to do it when I was working as a curator in a small museum and everyone got involved when a big new exhibit was to be installed.

mandarin

how to iron

how to change a doorknob

how to stick out your tongue (hahaha just kidding!)

some chuck norris jokes

how to small talk (i love you!)

how to paint me a masterpiece

how to not be such a flirt ; )

how to play a micheal jackson song on the piano/guitar

how to play the ukulele

@Darwin Can one actually learn to cut in? I’m thinking this might be one of those skills people are born with or not, like being a musician. I mean, I know how to do it, but I suuuuck at it! I guess I just don’t have the steady hand required.

@augustlan – It helps a lot if you have the right brush. I could never do it until I spent about $15.00 on a good brush for cutting in.

There also a few ways to help yourself out, such as making a portable paint shield.

You should make a tutorial! I’d totally watch that.

Learning Mandarin will take longer than understanding Mozart’s art. However, you are young, @Elumas, so you’d better get cracking.

I just came across this and this by the brilliant Scott Adams. Maybe you could try to become an “expert” in something new every week.