Burning some XP or I don't like wearing shoes, but I do use them

So my blog post this time is a bit different. I figured I would just put what I've been doing recently, as well as what I plan on doing:

1. Japanese: I've been working with a group of friends online and in person for learning hiragana (so far). Mostly I can recognize 1/3 or so of the characters. My plan is to be able to write and recognize all of them by the end of October, as well as be able to pronounce/recognize some basic words and phrases. Our group is using this book: http://www.cheng-tsui.com/store/products/adventures_japanese
2. Braille: oddly enough, SEP (Software Engineering Professionals) has an interactive art project with a braille board. I've found that I've started to recognize a few of the letters when I go by it, so I've been trying to actively learn the patterns.
3. Reading The Passionate Programmer: It's a book about being enthusiastic and successful with your work. I'm finding it actually really interesting so far, and I've been trying to apply some of those lessons to my career, which brings me to...
4. Shoes: This is a GUI package for Ruby. I'm enjoying it so far, and I plan on dipping into it further. Should be nice and simple to learn (since I've never written any real UI before, all of my programs have been command line). More information at: http://shoesrb.com/
5. Exercise: I've been going to the YMCA recently, it's been one of my favorite decisions so far. I've been going at least once a week, and usually twice a week, as well as walking more often (I sometimes now walk home from work, it's about 2 miles).