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I don't know whether I suffer from a dearth of spare time or
just have too many hobbies, projects, and interests. Is there a
difference?
 | Music - Listening to the new stuff drives me nuts, but I
like oldies -- and I don't mean that schlock from the 80s and 90s,
either -- I mean stuff from the 40s, or the 20s, or earlier. I
play the piano once a month at a local retirement center, and have
been active as a pianist (both rehearsal and performance) in local
theater, including Boise Music Week productions of "42nd Street" and
"The Sound of Music". |
| Foreign Languages - I was born with a knack for symbol
manipulation, I guess, and every language I learn is a little easier
than the previous one. My favorites are the ancient languages --
what other people consider dead but what we cognoscenti
consider "lively ghosts". At one time long ago, I was a Classics
major, studying Greek and Latin, but they're nothing compared to
Sanskrit, my all-time fave. My prize student,
Ravi Gupta,
finished his D.Phil. in Hinduism at Oxford University and is now at
Centre College. His excellent dissertation is available
here. |
| History of Religions - Also known as "comparative
religions", this has been an obsession of mine for a long, long time.
I'll add more on this later. |
| Mathematics and Computer Science - How sad that these two
fields have been torn from each other, like a newborn babe snatched
from it's mother's sustaining bosom. OK, so maybe that's a
little overdramatic, but I regret that the kids majoring in CS today
don't have to study discrete mathematics or group theory. Their
loss. |
| Crossword Puzzles - Another addiction. On the 'net,
the one I find most convenient to work is the
The Puzzle Society Games
and Puzzles daily. Nice Java interface, which spoiled me
from being able to work the puzzle on the Washington Post site.
If I solve it in under seven minutes, I give myself a silver medal,
and under six earns a gold. |
| Teaching - It's in my blood. In my spare time I
substitute for the Boise School District
and I used to be a substitute and regular
volunteer tutor for Boise State University's
ESL program. |
| Writing Poetry - My Muse and I have an agreement --
whatever she says, I'll write down. Sometimes she's very nice to
me, sometimes I don't listen very well. In the works now are a
series of 26 love sonnets, and a growing collection of tanka (a
Japanese form similar to haiku but longer). |
| Woodworking - I have served
as president of the
Treasure
Valley Scrollers since 2002. |
| Public Speaking - I used to belong to a local chapter of
Toastmasters, an
international club for people who want to improve their public
speaking and leadership skills, and I highly recommend it. You can find a chapter close to
you
here. |
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