Given the frequency with which we discuss it, and the extent to which we debate it, I'd say it's safe to say that pretty much every one who logs into the BookTalk forums on a regular basis is interested, or at least concerned about, the impact of religion on the modern world. But what are your other interests?
Me, I like ancient Greece and Medieval Europe. I think they're both fascinating cultures, and I'm almost always reading a book on one subject or another. Part of what interests me is the ways in which some guiding ideal shines through in the construction of their respective societies -- loyalty in the Middle Ages, liberty and virtue in ancient Greece. The dark side of that is the ways in which those ideals go awry, and the social structure meant to embody as often end up perverting them. It encourages both my idealism and my humility, and is a never-ending source of ideas.
I used to play tennis a lot as well, but I haven't played in a while for lack of time, energy and an enthusiastic partner. It's one of those games that engages the player fully. At most, you have a partner to rely on, but most of the time it's you vs. your limitations, with no team to take up the slack. Playing partners adds the dynamic of interacting to work towards a goal, but does so more gradually than you would if you had four other teammates (as with basketball, which I also played back in the day), or nine (baseball, ditto).
I like chess, but again, I play it catch as catch can. It's hard to find regular chess partners, and I hate that I don't get as much practive as I'd like.
I always complain that I don't get to write as much as I'd like to, but lately I've been making a lot of headway, and I'm pleased about that. Giving more vent to my penchant for humor has been part of that. (Yes, I do have a sense of humor, believe it or not.) With any luck I'll be soliciting some material to lit. mags in the near future.
I'm a big fan of movies, with an academic background in film studies, but I'm also very much a social movie-goer, so if I don't have a co-conspirator, I'm prone to miss out on new releases for months at a time. I just caught up on a lot of movie-watching while I was recovering from wisdom tooth surgery, and I'm planning on catching the third Bourne movie tomorrow, if my conspirator escapes from work early enough.
There's a bird's eye view of my other interests. What about you guys?
Me, I like ancient Greece and Medieval Europe. I think they're both fascinating cultures, and I'm almost always reading a book on one subject or another. Part of what interests me is the ways in which some guiding ideal shines through in the construction of their respective societies -- loyalty in the Middle Ages, liberty and virtue in ancient Greece. The dark side of that is the ways in which those ideals go awry, and the social structure meant to embody as often end up perverting them. It encourages both my idealism and my humility, and is a never-ending source of ideas.
I used to play tennis a lot as well, but I haven't played in a while for lack of time, energy and an enthusiastic partner. It's one of those games that engages the player fully. At most, you have a partner to rely on, but most of the time it's you vs. your limitations, with no team to take up the slack. Playing partners adds the dynamic of interacting to work towards a goal, but does so more gradually than you would if you had four other teammates (as with basketball, which I also played back in the day), or nine (baseball, ditto).
I like chess, but again, I play it catch as catch can. It's hard to find regular chess partners, and I hate that I don't get as much practive as I'd like.
I always complain that I don't get to write as much as I'd like to, but lately I've been making a lot of headway, and I'm pleased about that. Giving more vent to my penchant for humor has been part of that. (Yes, I do have a sense of humor, believe it or not.) With any luck I'll be soliciting some material to lit. mags in the near future.
I'm a big fan of movies, with an academic background in film studies, but I'm also very much a social movie-goer, so if I don't have a co-conspirator, I'm prone to miss out on new releases for months at a time. I just caught up on a lot of movie-watching while I was recovering from wisdom tooth surgery, and I'm planning on catching the third Bourne movie tomorrow, if my conspirator escapes from work early enough.
There's a bird's eye view of my other interests. What about you guys?
If I could just win a few million...
