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Location: Upstate, South Carolina, United States

I think that the Meredith Brooks' song, "Bitch," summarizes me rather nicely. Or, if you prefer, X. dell says I'm a life-smart literary scholar with a low BS tolerance...that also works!

Sunday, July 08, 2007

There is nowhere to run nor hide

I can't hide from being a geek. I'm female, which bucks against the trend, but oh well! I had been talking to a friend, Amy, and telling her about my most favorite computer game ever: Baldur's Gate. Afterwards, I wanted to play it again. Alex loaded it up on my computer, and I spent around five hours today playing on it while sipping wine. That's how I spend my kid free time. I bet none of you can say the same!

Amy has been coming over every Saturday for several weeks now. Well, except last Sat. when she had us and some other of her friends over at her house. I'm not even sure how this arrangement happened. I'm usually lousy at communicating with friends and inviting them to do anything. Somehow it became a standing date. She continues to write down the names of cheeses and wines that I serve. I can't even tell you how much that flatters me. I can babble on and on about wine, and she listens (and is interested!). Wow. The best part is that babbling to her reinforces my learning, so it's very good for me to be "allowed" to do it.

But that brings me to my current musing: how on Earth do we get the interests that we love? Everybody is different in what they enjoy doing in their free time. I realize that some of it may be environment, but the rest has to be genetics. Is there anything that you like to do with your free time that makes you aware that most folks don't share that same passion? For me it's definitely that wine subject. Yesterday, I sat down and read for an hour on the different pinot noir clones used in Burgundy, and it excited me. What the hell is wrong with me? And then today, as I mentioned, I spent about five hours on a fantasy computer game that came out like 8 yrs ago. There was nothing I'd rather do. Any time you read another blog, you can see what energy drives that blogger. Sometimes you understand it as it matches your own; sometimes you stare at it and ponder because it's nothing you'd ever care about. How does that happen?

I feel like as an English teacher, I should always be concerned about literature. But--although I love really great books and short stories that manage to inspire me--my main focus is anything I can consume or anything that takes me to another world. Food and wine drive me; fantasy and science fiction spark my creativity. These elements have always been a part of what makes Kira Kira. Sometimes I get other interests, but those are more understandable. For instance, I spent my entire (unexpected) pregnancy with Ariana reading about pregnancy, infants, and toddlers. I just wanted more information on what I was getting myself into! That makes sense. But why does X. dell have such a facination with conspiracies? Or Grant on Japanese culture? Or Amanda on seafood, specifically shrimp? Or Angie on certain educational theorists? I am truly interested in what makes us love what we love. I am painfully aware that some of my friends would find my fantasy books, my obscene 70 recipe books collection, and my wine lore interests boring even if they love me. What makes some people fixate on geometry proofs, James Joyce, or gorgeous designer handbags? How do we end up with the very detailed interests we have?

12 Comments:

Blogger Amanda said...

I went to a wine tasting Saturday night. I learned a lot. It also reinforced my love of shiraz.

I'm impressed with your continuing fascination with wine. Though not nearly as much so as your interest in licking...y'all are my special friends!!;) And there is nothing obscene about a collection of cookbooks!

9:31 PM  
Blogger Joseph H. Vilas said...

Kira, what I want to know: How much All-Clad do you have? ;) It's been a while since I made an All-Clad joke, so why the hell not.

12:07 AM  
Blogger NWJR said...

Wasn't "Baldur's Gate" just named one of the top video games of all time? I think I read something on Slashdot.

I dunno what makes things capture our attention, but I love to hang around people that know more than me (not that it's hard to do!) about specific subjects. I pick their brains and always learn something. Guess that's why I love cruising blogs.

6:20 AM  
Blogger OldHorsetailSnake said...

I would like some explain. about how come I have a fixation for dung beetles. I wonder if there is an electronic game about dung beetles. I KNOW there isn't one FOR dung beetles.

11:16 AM  
Blogger Foilwoman said...

Well, now I have to get to know Amanda, because she shares my love of shiraz.

I worry about people who don't have interests other than watching TV or shopping. My parents spent a lot of time when I was young taking my sisters and me to museums, concerts, parks, skating rinks, ski slopes, whatever, and reading to us, and playing chess, and signing us up for music and swimming and other lessons. I remember thinking as a kid "Why don't we just go to the amusement park" (or whatever), but now I see clearly what they were attempting, and it is the same program I am following with TigerGrrl: develop potential interests, throw them out there, see what sticks. Obviously, some of it is hardwired, some of it is nurture, and some of it is what's available -- only someone in this or the end of the last century could have the electronic game interest. Scifi conventions are pretty new. My deep and abiding obsession with Buffy the Vampire Slayer is pretty date-specific. Who knows? It's nice to have specific things to do that are enjoyable, give comfort, and aren't completely inert.

7:46 PM  
Blogger X. Dell said...

Personally, my interests didn't develop from pregnancy. Still, that's an applicable analogy.

8:02 PM  
Blogger April said...

You said that food and wine drive you and fantasy and science fiction spark your creativity...I think you answered your question. They're things that make our brains grasp onto something rather than keep our minds in a stationary position. Does that make sense?

Reading bores me therefore it isn't an interest of mine. But making and listening to music sparks my emotions. Scrapbooking entices my creativity. Therefore those are things that interest me. Why those things and not others, I don't know. But I agree with foilwoman, it's those who don't have interests who concern me.

1:39 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think it must come mostly from experience; I think genetically, there are probably certain inclinations that we have - like maybe that we are more creative thinkers because one of our parents gave us that genetic code. But the way that we cultivate that genetic code just depends on the things that happen to us, IMHO. For me, the interest in education definitely didn't come from anyone in my family, but there are other things that did - like a love of nature and animals or a love of driving Mustangs or definitely a love of music. Then, we get other things from our culture too, although something, maybe both nature at nurture at the same time, makes us selective about what we adapt.

2:47 PM  
Blogger Canoes under my shoes said...

During my free time, I listen to iTunes or music on YouTube and play Spider Solitaire. I'm all about emptying my mind when I don't have little people clammoring for my attention.

1:19 AM  
Blogger Uneasy Rider said...

Hey... I'm really worried about Laura.. Looks like her blog got canned. I don't really care about the blog, but Laura has been an ifriend for a few years, now, and it's not like her to just pull the plug like that without warning.

I understand you may not be able to reply publicly. I tried e-mailing Laura (I have the addy), and still no reply.

Could someone please access my site (Madam Tinkertoy's) and shoot me an e-mail as to wtf is going on?

Is she OK?

Anything I/we can do?

7:37 AM  
Blogger Foilwoman said...

I'm with Uneasy Rider here. Laurita, are you okay?

5:36 PM  
Blogger Valerie - Still Riding Forward said...

I hope you find out what happened with your friend.

I have loved and done so much, then gone on to something else that I don't have any abiding passion I see, except music and life itself.

I love the people here, all the different things they do. They way they see the world surprises me.

I like surprises.

I love sci-fi and fantasy and reading and writing and singing and contemplating.

I think I would like to learn to dance better. I might try that next.

I need to learn to follow where I am lead! (a joke, sort of)

9:52 AM  

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