With Alicorn's permission, I'm resurrecting this thread.
I am beginning to suspect that it is surprisingly common for intelligent, competent adults to somehow make it through the world for a few decades while missing some ordinary skill, like mailing a physical letter, folding a fitted sheet, depositing a check, or reading a bus schedule. Since these tasks are often presented atomically - or, worse, embedded implicitly into other instructions - and it is often possible to get around the need for them, this ignorance is not self-correcting. One can Google "how to deposit a check" and similar phrases, but the sorts of instructions that crop up are often misleading, rely on entangled and potentially similarly-deficient knowledge to be understandable, or are not so much instructions as they are tips and tricks and warnings for people who already know the basic procedure. Asking other people is more effective because they can respond to requests for clarification (and physically pointing at stuff is useful too), but embarrassing, since lacking these skills as an adult is stigmatized. (They are rarely even considered skills by people who have had them for a while.)
This seems like a bad situation. And - if I am correct and gaps like these are common - then it is something of a collective action problem to handle gap-filling without undue social drama. Supposedly, we're good at collective action problems, us rationalists, right? So I propose a thread for the purpose here, with the stipulation that all replies to gap announcements are to be constructive attempts at conveying the relevant procedural knowledge. No asking "how did you manage to be X years old without knowing that?" - if the gap-haver wishes to volunteer the information, that is fine, but asking is to be considered poor form.
I'll start off with one of my own: What kinds of exercise can I do at home (I do have 5- and 20-pound weights), and what are good ways to get motivation to do so regularly?
Yeah, I'm still figuring out what I want....
Uuuuuummm... admittedly, I often don't pay attention, unless it's at a restaurant, but even then I'll probably just get the standard burger, because I don't like to spend much time going over a menu. I tend to eat the same meals over and over, usually never for pleasure. Some style of eggs in the morning, maybe a bit of this granola / peanut butter mix the parents buy. and I just sort of stare into the fridge for lunch, or give up and go for fast food. I think I've been eating too much fast food. Eventually the three of us will come to some sort of agreement about dinner, usually throwing something into the oven until it's done.
It doesn't feel too healthy or well considered, but I apparently don't gain weight. I don't know what other health benefits to expect from improving my diet. More energy? Less... bad, ill considered diet consequences?
I think the two parents follow different purchasing plans. One buys for bulk, potential for leftovers, and taste, however they do query me for healthy-looking things, like fruit and yogurt. The other buys for cheapness and taste, how filling it may be, and simplicity. The only fruit they buy seems to be bananas, and maybe apples?
So, very little effort is put into the meals. I don't know how to cook and often have little time or patience for it, and the one who does know how to cook has no time for it. The third buys the very simple meals that can be popped into the oven or microwave and require little intervention, but also has me prepare them. The simplicity is enough for my lack of cooking skills.
It's nutritional value that seems to be falling to the wayside, and I was wanting to do better. I have grown used to the large meals that are only eaten thrice a day, but it'll also definitely be easier for me to switch than for the other two to do so. If anything, I could buy groceries for myself.
I feel like I've completely failed to answer your question. Should I get a cookbook?
I'd recommend against getting (buying) a cookbook, as you can find recipes and food ideas for free on the internet. It sounds like you don't mind eating more or less the same things every day (more power to you!), but want to pay more attention to diet and health? Other than eating a variety of food groups, it's hard to give specific advice through the internet. This does sound like an issue best solved by finding someone knowledgable about food and learning from them, as Alicorn points out. It's also a good way to familiarize yourself with the basics of cooking, which is something that recipes tend to assume you have already.