tyche's :1. If you could be employed as a permanent student, what subject(s) would you study?
oh, what a glorious day that would be. :)
firstly, i would continue with the sociology and religious studies, of course. i'd love to give foreign languages another crack... i'm not very good at them, but i'm not sure i've ever really given them fair effort, either. top of the list would be German and Russian, i think, because i've had two years of both and i hate that i've lost most of my knowledge of both. i'd love to learn Arabic, because what little i've heard of it seems to be beautiful.
being able to study more history would be lovely, too. i've always thought i didn't like history, but i'm finding that i do, depending on how it's presented. my American history class this past summer bored me to tears (which takes talent in an online class) but we're learning a lot of history, just because of the nature of the beast, in my Religion and Politics class, and it's amazingly interesting. so maybe history needs to be contextual for me to enjoy it.
can i add a couple of years of culinary school onto the list? :)
Classical Literature 101, AKA, all the stuff i didn't get in school, would be something else i'd be interested in. also, taking microeconomics this past summer showed me that i really should have a better grasp on econ, so some more of that would be in order, too. i wouldn't mind getting in a class on meterology and earth science.
i could keep going, but that's at least a start. :) i love school and i love learning - even if i'm starting to get a little impatient with working on the Undergrad Degree That Would Not End, and ready to move on to the next thing - and if i could be employed taking a couple of classes a semester for the rest of my life, i'd have no problems finding stuff to take.
2. What attracts you to religious studies?
a lot of things... religion is one of those human universals that ties everything together. even in a fairly secular country like the United States, religion still influences everything from abortion laws, to when and where you can buy liquor, to how your neighbors treat you. even if you have no religion at all, it still affects your life, mostly from the legal and neighbor standpoints. so i think the interest in religious studies is mostly an extension of the interest in sociology - i like finding out what makes people tick, and why, and what that makes them do, and religion is a huge part of that ticking. take 50 people, erase their memories, stick them on a desert island somewhere, and in a couple of years, there will be a Thunder God, or a Rain God, or the God of the Supplies Left Mysteriously on the Beach.
religion sometimes causes very rational people to act in completely unrational ways. it's caused wars, ended love affairs, arranged marriages. it's a huge human force, even if you don't have it, and to me, it's fascinating to find out why. :)
3. You won $300000 to put towards a house. Where do you purchase it, urban, suburban, or rural? Why?
so not with the suburban. living in NC again has reminded me of all the disadvantages of suburban/small city life. everything is far enough away from anything to be a pain, unless you've very carefully picked your living spot, yet you don't have the advantages that you would have in a rural area.
i love love love cities. the public transit, the culture, the big libraries, things being open late at night, decent ethinic markets and restuarants... but i also love rural areas - the clean air, the land, the privacy, the outdoor activities - and at this point, i'd pick rural. which is the plan at this point. we can always go visit the cities, but right now, i want a big hunk of land, a decent little house, a huge garden, and not being able to see my neighbors.
the trade-off for this, of course, is that i really need to get off my butt and start pricing driving lessons. meh.
4. Hollywood is making a sitcom about your life. Give the TV Guide plot background.
Joyce, a young woman trying to right some of the things she screwed up in her early twenties, has found life, love, and long-term plans. Will she suceed in settling down, or will the adventures of her previous lives catch up to her in that Chinese curse kind of way? Starring an assortment of cranky classmates, sane and insane family members, and former lovers.
ok, so i'm really bad at writing stuff like this. :)
5. What is your favorite drink? Why?
well, when people say drink, i automatically think alcoholic, but i'm not sure if that's what you meant. :) so...
for hot drink, a good cup of hot tea. the favorites are Earl Grey (i long for the day when, like Picard, i can walk up to my wall and say "one cup of Earl Grey, hot") and pu-erh, a Chinese black tea.
for cold, it's diet Coke. i can't drink leaded Coke, it's too sweet for me (which is amusing, sicne i have the sweet tooth from hell.)
for alcoholic... if someone else is buying, Maker's Mark and coke is right up there. :) or Bailey's and anything. or port. or wines from the Duplin Winery down east. or just plain rum and coke. yea, i like my booze. :)
anyone else want to be interviewed? i think i've gotten everyone who already asked.