The End is Nigh-ish, The Beginning

I am a sensitive viewer.

There are several movies I never should have seen. Jaws. Contagion. Gremlins. And, very recently, The Road. They have all given me sleepless nights, nightmares and lots of daytime preoccupation. The Road, in particular has haunted me. And then there are the books. Justin Cronin's The Passage Trilogy, The Hunger Games and Veronica Roth's young adult trilogy, Divergent. All of these interpretations of how the world will end, be it aliens, zombies, virus or government intervention have made a serious impact on me.

So the end isn't really nigh, as in apocalypse, as in the civilization as we know is ending (I did love that little bit of graffiti as seen in 28 Days Later). But, it is always good to be prepared. I would feel better if I was prepared. I like to have skills.

I'm a 38 year old urban-dwelling writer who just lost 100 lbs. who could be better prepared, in general, for the end of civilization. I am not a survivalist or religious in any way. I don't think the signs are upon us. I just want to see what skills I can amass in the tri-state area (Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana) that would get me ready. I also need a way to structure my continued fitness and fill my free time. I live in an apartment in the middle of the city with my boyfriend and three cats. What can I learn without spending a lot of money, acting like a crazy person and within the confines of the area outlined (because this is where I will be when/if the apocalypse hits)? I will give myself two years to learn as much as I can (two years, because that is how long it took me to lose 100 lbs.) and I will write about all of my triumphs and failures equally. What do you say? Are you with me until the end?