Learn Something New Every Day

I'm a firm believer in this philosophy. Not only that you do learn something new every day, but that you should actively try to learn new things. Maybe it's just me and my ridiculous obsession with seemingly mundane details. Or maybe it has something to do with my job, where I actually get paid to figure out how fast buffalo run (up to 34 mph) or whether the correct pronunciation of that delicious confection is 'karəməl or 'kärməl. Either way, learning new things is the bee's knees.

It is for this reason that I've decided to learn a new language. Okay, maybe that's a bit of an overstatement. I've decided to try to learn a new language.

I recently discovered that the libraries around here have a partnership with an online language-learning company. If you have an account with one of the participating libraries, you can sign up for free* and get access to language courses ranging from Arabic to Vietnamese (and tons of stuff in between).

At first, I was thinking Spanish because of its practicality. But then my eyes fell upon Pirate, and I knew what I had to do. Belay yer carousin' and haul wind smartly! Then again, it was lacking in the usefulness category, so I went back to Spanish. After completing the first two lessons, I decided to switch over to Italian. Why not, right?

Buonasera signora! Come stai?
Sto bene, grazie. 
Marco!
Polo.

I'm not exactly ready to go to Mexico or Italy or...the high seas, but maybe if I stick with it, I'll actually get somewhere. Now I just need to pick a language. I'm taking suggestions, folks!

*Do you really need to know any more? Check it.