Useful skills and knowledge, part 2.

I should clarify my previous post: on every posting day, I'll add a few more skills, bits of knowledge, or what have you.  Why not every day?  Because I'm a lazy bastard.  Moving on!

Environmental awareness: I don't mean recycling; notice your surroundings.  That glint in the window?  You see it.  That rustling in the tree over there?  You hear it.  That nasty stench off to your left?  You smell it.  And you pay attention to each separate thing, no matter how unimportant it seems.  You can't afford to be blind, in any sense, to your surroundings, because missing just one thing, one detail, can kill you.  Pay attention.

General survival knowledge: knowing several low-tech ways of making a fire, what materials are best worn in which environments, what common plants are edible, and so on.  If you've already learned basic survival skills and knowledge, go over it again.  Meticulously.  You need to be able to remember these skills without even thinking about them.  It has to be reflexive, like playing the piano or driving a car, so you can concentrate on other things like whether that rustle in the bushes was just the wind... or something else.

General physical condition: stay fit.  Honestly, the general benefits should justify this without an explanation, but if you need encouragement, think of this: between a fit, healthy man and his overweight cousin, who has the better chance of escaping a zombie horde?  If you really need justification beyond that, I rate your chances of survival at less than three.  Out of nine thousand.

Combat skills: you knew this was coming!  Honestly, it's difficult to decide where this should go, but your life is almost certain to depend on this eventually.  Start with martial arts.  When you learn a basic technique, practice it until you can do it perfectly and reflexively.  If you can spar with classmates, do so.  Every edge you can get is one you should take.  Once you have a heavy grounding in martial arts, learn to use all manner of weaponry, from staves to wrenches.  The more weapons you can use, the better.  It gives you more options, and more options equal a better chance of making it out alive and uninfected.  And you want that, yes?