Last weekend, I got to spend some time with my cousin. He’s studying at UW-Stevens Point in an environmental studies program. We went for a walk through some public-use land – a grassland – for fun on Saturday morning. My cousin knew almost every plant in the prairie, and for what he could use it. He ate a few random plants and flowers (I ate a flower, too), and he picked a few aromatic sprigs for later. He even pointed out some poison ivy (albeit after we had been walking through it).

The whole experience got me thinking. At one point, I knew a lot of trivia – specifically movie trivia. I was proud of my useless knowledge. But my cousin knows all sorts of things that seem useless but are actually applicable in certain situations (especially the kinds of situations he likes to make for himself – camping, hiking, and survival situations).

I wish I had his survival skills, and his near encyclopedic knowledge of nature. I also wish I knew more about cooking, about mechanics, and about carpentry.

About what area or thing would you love to have an encyclopedic knowledge?