In a town of lifelong learners, we have the perfect post-holiday free event on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 65 Things at 65 Witherspoon will offer you a chance to learn something new. Now, we’re not talking about closed and exact differential forms in multivariable calculus or the influence of Gongora’s “Soledades” on the poetry of the Latin American Vanguard. We’re skewing toward the practical here.
So what exactly are some of these 65 Things? A full list is available at princetonlibrary.org/65things. To get a sense of the variety of instruction on offer in multiple locations on all three floors, consider the First Floor Fireplace Area, where I’ll be the MC for half-hour sessions.
At 10 a.m, Kerry Kay will teach us how to get started with mediation. Marion Munk will follow at 10:30 demonstrating how to prepare a simple, healthful granola without a recipe. At 11, Bruce Wallman will give practical pointers on how to perform maintenance on an older car, including what to do when you see the dreaded Check Engine light (don’t panic). This will be followed by a basket-weaving demonstration by Helen Schwartz and a noontime session with Mohamed Flites on creating a memory book.
Someone from Sustainable Princeton will be here at 12:30 p.m. to show you how to use a Kill-A-Watt meter to lower your energy bills. (You can borrow a Kill-A-Watt here.) The 1 o’clock hour will feature Alta Malberg teaching us how to sing and Camille Powers demonstrating how to make jewelry. Our very own Susan Conlon will wrap things up at the Fireplace Area with a primer on backgammon at 2:30.
Susan won’t be the only staff member doing a demo; about a dozen of us will be sharing talents as varied as knitting, de-seeding a pomegranate and organizing the files on your computer. So there you have it: a lot to learn in a short time and all in one place. Sounds like the perfect antitode to the post-holiday blahs.