On Monday, I sent an email to the local amateur radio club, asking about their classes. That evening, I get a response: "Your timing is impeccable. The next class starts tomorrow evening."
I spent Tuesday signing up for other classes I want to take. These include a Skywarn training this weekend and a Master Gardener class through my local land grant university extension in the fall. Then we got some BIG STORMS, which convinces me I'm on the right track, at least.
Anyway, follow along if you want:
American Radio Relay League: Licensing, Education and Training
KB6NU's Study Guides
SKYWARN
Find Skywarn training in your state
MSU Extension Master Gardener Program (these exist in other states too)
My inner child is squealing with delight. The radio and weather stuff I've wanted to do since I was a kid. The closest I got was having a lot of rescue training in my 20s, which my mother tolerated because it kept me from doing drugs or getting pregnant.
Mom is...still not thrilled with the idea of me getting a ham radio license. I told her about my plans a few weeks ago. She said, "Oh, you can pass that. It's not hard."
Sounds like support, eh? Nah. She said it in the somewhat scornful tone she uses for people and activities she thinks are beneath her (and therefore me). She said it the exact same way she told 12-year-old me that a Mariah Carey album I wanted was more appropriate for my cousin.
I don't remember her exact words, but to this day, I remember how she managed to insult both me and my cousin in one sentence: me for wanting a pop music album and my cousin for being so dumb she thought pop music was worth listening to.
To be sure this was what my mom was getting at, I casually mentioned they don't make you learn Morse Code anymore to pass that test. She seemed surprised to learn the test once required Morse Code. As if it never occurred to her that amateur radio hobbyists needed skills. Sure, Jan.
The Master Gardener stuff I expect to be largely review for me. But the credential lets me work on extension projects, which excites me greatly. It also lets me teach some of this stuff, which is very cool.
Anyway, my advice for this week: Go find something you always wanted to do and try it. Or something related to it. It's FUN and EXCITING and FANTASTIC.
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