things i do more or less on a daily basis and still my skill at them plateaued years ago

• taking photographs
• observing birds, flora, clouds, etc.
• cooking (also: plating food and tasting ingredients)
• being social in social situations that require one to be social
• viewing architecture

it seems like doing something every day would be a killer way to improve one’s skill set. yet in three years of living by myself i know four recipes (two of which are chowders), frame all my photos exactly the same (don’t put the good stuff in the middle), can distinguish among three birds (cardinal, bluejay, and other), and can tell you what style of greek column is supporting (or fake supporting) your ugly hometown courthouse.

one of my fourteen and a half summer projects will be to change this—the effort to reward ratio seems very high and any hedge fund manager would tell you to seize the opportunity, especially in these tough economic times.