Blow the Dust off

Once you seal up all the leaks in the house, you will no longer need the services of dust bunnies. (Say what you want about those things, but as they waft gently across the floor, they do make excellent draft detectors.) It only makes sense, then, to get your furnace tuned up and blow the dust out of your ducts. But, while you’re doing that, consider blowing the dust off your mind by taking a course. Maybe it’s time to pick up a new language. Beginning in January, the University of Calgary’s Continuing Education offers courses in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Russian, among others. Russian—the mother tongue of a wintry nation—has a certain logic. But if you want to take another tack, study a language that cannot be spoken while wearing mittens: Sign Language 101 (American Sign Language) begins Jan. 17. Those who are of a more artistic bent might want to check out the Alberta College of Art + Design. The college’s continuing-education offerings include (beginning Nov. 26, just in time for Christmas) a new course that teaches participants how to make giftwrap, but gives no advice on what to wrap up for your Uncle Phil. ACAD also has a wealth of courses beginning in the new year covering such skills as drawing, children’s book illustration and glassblowing.

Mount Royal University and Bow Valley College also offer courses (many online) that will help you make this winter a productive one. MRU gives classes in everything from accounting to yoga therapy. Bow Valley’s varied offerings include Feng Shui Foundations and (just in time for our suspicious times) Introduction to Private Investigation.