Sometimes I get sick of reading fiction and feel the need for something more substantive. Non-fiction, but non-fiction of a pure nature, not some philosophical schmeal or political argument, something raw and challenging for my brain. So a few years ago, I got a calculus book. So a couple years ago, I read through the Peterson's Guide to the Eastern Forest.

This year I think I may go Chinese. In the early part of this winter I was involved with a very beautiful Chinese woman. She decided she wasn't interested after a couple of months, but that plus Steven Pinker's "Language Instinct", which I read last year, have me in the mood to learn something. Maybe not become fluent, but just become familiar with the basics of the language and its structure. Also, I have a sister who is fluent in Chinese. It was either that or Farsi (the language of Iran), but I think Chinese would probably be more useful.