# Are you trying to get better at something as an adult? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 12, 2022, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-trying-to-get-better-at-something-as-an-adult/959371 "2022-02-12T16:40:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-trying-to-get-better-at-something-as-an-adult/959371/21 "2022-02-13T14:39:00Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I intended to start reading French news sites, but my French is still not good enough to be able to really follow them with ease and without looking up many words… Exactly what I do - see you over at [Sud Ouest, edition Périgueux](https://www.sudouest.fr/dordogne/perigueux/)! I read that edition because I know the area\*, which adds interest to the local news - eg the long-running controversy of the _contournement de Beynac_. If you drive down the hill through the town, the left turn onto the main road is a royal pain in the ass even in late September. But man, put some traffic lights there, don’t ruin the valley with an elevated bypass! I assume you must know that you can get free browser add-ons which allow you to hover over/click on a word for an on-screen translation box? That helps enormously. Even with all that - being invested, easy translation tools, a fecking global pandemic that left me with soooo much time on my hands - I’ve been struggling to keep going. And there’s more free stuff to help - TV5 Monde have [a huge learning section with hundreds of teaching videos](https://apprendre.tv5monde.com/fr). More free tools - and still I struggle. Pathetic. (It doesn’t help that I’m still stuck at the lowest level - I just find French spoken at full speed very hard to follow. It’s dispiriting.) (Hi @panache45 - you might find these resources useful as well.) j \* - Actually, being English, by international law I have priority access to all things Dordogne; and indeed Dordogneshire. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-trying-to-get-better-at-something-as-an-adult/959371/22 "2022-02-13T14:45:06Z")
I’ve been studying Spanish and French for decades, and can speak them fairly well, but still have room to improve. I’ve been dabbling in Arabic for a few years, but haven’t gotten far. I play chess against my phone. It tells me that I’m about a 1200. Obviously, a lot of room to improve there as well. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-trying-to-get-better-at-something-as-an-adult/959371/23 "2022-02-13T14:55:39Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I know vin blanc, comment allez-vous, oui, and Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?. Very useful for discussing classic Labelle records in a bar, I’m sure. 😉 Here’s a phrase I love: _entre chien et loup_. It’s easier to understand in a longer form, like _à l’heure entre chien et loup_. Meaning: literally, _at the hour between dog and wolf_; used to mean: _twilight_. j ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-trying-to-get-better-at-something-as-an-adult/959371/24 "2022-02-13T15:31:01Z")
I’ve been trying to get better at both bridge and chess. More successfully at bridge than chess so far. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-trying-to-get-better-at-something-as-an-adult/959371/25 "2022-02-13T16:26:36Z")
This has been on my bucket list for decades now. I make the occasional riccota cheese but would really like to learn more about cheese making. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-trying-to-get-better-at-something-as-an-adult/959371/26 "2022-02-13T16:29:52Z")
``` I would like to become a better writer. I take it up several times a year but I always get discouraged. Everything I do and study relies on my writing and communication skills. Reading very well written posts has been one of my main attractions to The Straight Dope. ``` ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-trying-to-get-better-at-something-as-an-adult/959371/27 "2022-02-13T17:42:18Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > entre chien et loup Thanks for this, I’m adding it to my French vocabulary. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-trying-to-get-better-at-something-as-an-adult/959371/28 "2022-02-13T18:41:01Z")
_Il m’a posé un lapin!_ He stood me up. (Literally: “He has put a rabbit in front of me!”) Come to think of it, the English expression is just as odd… ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-trying-to-get-better-at-something-as-an-adult/959371/29 "2022-02-13T18:49:32Z")
Start now because you are going to run out of time. Last night I opened a wonderful 2 year old Caerphilly. It had a lovely color, a nice rind, crumbly texture and delightful bouquet. Tomorrow I’ll start another one\* and let it go for 5 years. I don’t have enough time left in my life to consider aging cheeses for longer than 20 years though. \*I print off a copy of the recipe I’m using and write down everything that happens during the cooking process so that now, two years later, I know what I did and what to do or not to do next time. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-trying-to-get-better-at-something-as-an-adult/959371/30 "2022-02-13T19:28:30Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > My personal tip - don’t sweat aiming at 30-60 minutes. Good idea. And that’s really what I do. I have rearranged some things in the house so I have a bit more space to practice. We have a perfect room for it. Just pick it up every day is my goal, but it often turns into a longer time then I intended. My Wife is one of those that must pace when on a long phone call to friends, so I’m gonna go practice right now. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-trying-to-get-better-at-something-as-an-adult/959371/31 "2022-02-13T22:49:54Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Trying to get up to conversational level in French. But lacking the discipline. I should start taking in the news in French more. I did French immersion [a while back](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-accepted-to-french-immersion/657443) and haven’t used it since. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-trying-to-get-better-at-something-as-an-adult/959371/32 "2022-02-13T22:54:16Z")
I’m 61. My personal motto has been to never stop learning. By the time I was an adult, I was a pretty good baker, but I needed to learn how to cook well. I knew the basics, but I am a much better cook now, not just due to practice, but because I started trying to find out the best way to prepare foods and to trust my flavor memory. I also started canning and improvising my own jam flavors. When I hit about age 30, the gardening bug bit me so I’ve learned a lot about that too. I hate that I no longer have a real garden but I still play with combining flowers and vegetables in a pottery garden outside my door. With luck in weather and an understanding of microclimates, you can grow quite a number of plants not recommended for Zone 4, while living in Zone 4. You all have tried to get better at things as an adult, even without setting out personally to do so, because your jobs require it. Or because your children, spouse, house, car require it. Never stop learning. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-trying-to-get-better-at-something-as-an-adult/959371/33 "2022-02-14T02:53:20Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Good idea. And that’s really what I do. I have rearranged some things in the house so I have a bit more space to practice. We have a perfect room for it. Yeah - and get a stand or a wall hanger. Don’t keep it in its case. We’ve turned one room of our house into our music room. Really makes me feel RICH! My daughter calls it “The Conservatory!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-trying-to-get-better-at-something-as-an-adult/959371/34 "2022-02-14T03:27:41Z")
Since the pandemic started, I’ve learned to solve 3 varieties of Rubik’s cubes. (3x3, skewb, and megaminx. I could already do the pyraminx intuitively.). I not currently trying to get better, just trying to solve them often enough that I don’t forget how. I’ve also taken up recurve archery for target shooting. For a while, I was shooting 100 arrows per day to dial in the instinctive aiming. Now I do it more occasionally, but I still am trying to work on my form and improve. I have an ukulele, and I’ve worked on learning to play. I’ve tried and failed in the past at saxophone (in school) guitar, and bass (college). I made progress for a while, and really pushed to get better so I would get more out of a seminar I signed up for. But I wound up getting very sick and couldn’t go to the seminar. I got discouraged after that and I haven’t picked it up for awhile, but I think I’m getting the itch to start working on it again. I’m also constantly working on being a better parent and partner. Trying to listen better, not lose my temper, focus more on understanding than being understood. Communicating clearly what I want rather than being indirect or blaming. Therapy. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-trying-to-get-better-at-something-as-an-adult/959371/35 "2022-02-14T09:37:56Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > We’ve turned one room of our house into our music room. Really makes me feel RICH! My daughter calls it “The Conservatory!” 😃 We also have a “Conservatory”. In addition to my violin, viola and cello, add my husband’s keyboard. And assorted cat sounds. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-trying-to-get-better-at-something-as-an-adult/959371/36 "2022-02-14T13:06:55Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > We’ve turned one room of our house into our music room. Really makes me feel RICH! My daughter calls it “The Conservatory!” Ha, same here. Was my Wife’s office when she was working from home. Very sunny with a door to the outside, and another door into the house. If it’s a nice day, I can just step outside and annoy the wildlife with my ‘music’. Works very well. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-trying-to-get-better-at-something-as-an-adult/959371/37 "2022-02-14T14:33:29Z")
Ours was a brick addition. When we bought the house, it’s auxiliary heating system was broken and obsolete. So we used it as a 3-season room. During Covid, we installed a ductless heat pump/AC. We recently moved our piano down there. Out we usually have 1 of my uprights, at least 1 of my wife’s fiddles, my banjo, and an old Martin she restored. We bought enough music stands and lights so our quartet sets up very comfortably in one end of the room. The mix of hard and soft surfaces and a tray ceiling give the room INCREDIBLE acoustics. So not NEEDED - but so nice to have. ---
**Author:** ![krisolov](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/krisolov/32/3724_2.png) [@krisolov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/krisolov)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-trying-to-get-better-at-something-as-an-adult/959371/38 "2022-02-14T14:51:48Z")
About three years ago I took up martial arts, after about a thirty year gap in studying. I’m 57 and am well on my way to earning a black belt (brown belt now). I’ve lost 15 lbs, gotten lots more flexible and gained strength and balance. Obviously with belts as a means of measuring progress I have gotten better! One more thing I hope to get better at is woodworking. I have a bunch of tools, a plan to start simple: build a nice wooden box with a false bottom, and go from there. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-trying-to-get-better-at-something-as-an-adult/959371/39 "2022-02-14T16:11:26Z")
> [@krisolov](#): > > About three years ago I took up martial arts, after about a thirty year gap in studying. … Which MA? I had to stop my MA training in my 40s after too many injuries. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-trying-to-get-better-at-something-as-an-adult/959371/40 "2022-02-14T16:19:02Z")
Oh yeah, all kinds of stuff! Unfortunately, I’m using Professor Harold Hill’s “Think System”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-trying-to-get-better-at-something-as-an-adult/959371.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-trying-to-get-better-at-something-as-an-adult/959371.md?page=3)