Tell me something...
Hey, random blog-reader... tell me something that you're passionate about. It doesn't matter what it is, it doesn't matter why you love it, and it doesn't matter if you don't want to attach your name to the comment... I just want to hear about something that gets your blood pumping (be it political cause, hobby, place, person, etc., etc.)
I'll throw in my two cents a bit later, but first I want to hear what the rest of you have to say.
posted by Ryan @ 3:33 p.m.
9 comments
9 Comments:
It may sound ridiculous, but I go cuckoo-for-cocoa puffs about baseball. The strategies, the history, the predictive power of statistics, the secret communication, the possibilities... granted, most of this goes on below the surface, so to the casual viewer it's all spitting and scratching. But lemme tell ya, sometimes it's just too much mental action for me to handle.
(Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in 17 days. Wheee!)
Many things, actually, but if I had to pin one thing down it's anything to do with cooking, baking, food, and, by extension, cookbooks and kitchen gadgets/appliances. Culinary school has only made me covet the best of these things, and I can spend a lot of time oohing and ahing over stainless steel fridges and gas stoves in The Bay, and a lot of time perusing a menu at a good restaurant. I cannot grocery shop quickly. And you don't even want to allow me anywhere near a kitchen store.
I get passionate about my vibrator at least 3 times a week.
JTL: I can understand the appreciation of something that goes beneath the surface. There's something very appealing to having a unique perspective that only evolves with time and dedication. What's the best game you've ever seen?
Wandering Coyote: It sounds like you're going into the right career. Have you always felt this way about the culinary arts? Or did it just strike you one day that this is what you want to do? I really enjoy cooking, but it started for me when I began hosting company out at the family cottage. Up until then, I was following a strict diet of hamburger helper and meat from the Foreman grill.
Sofi: Could you come up with something less obvious? Next you're going to be telling us that you're passionate about oxygen.
On TV: I was fortunate enough to catch Game 7 of the 1991 World Series... ten innings, Jack Morris of the Twins going the distance and shutting out John Smoltz and the Braves, 1-0. Some consider it the best World Series game ever.
In person: Last June, Roger Clemens came to Detroit to try to win his 300th game. Comerica Park was absolutely jammed; the place was electric. It was back-and-forth; tied 8-8 after 7, and went into extra innings. In the top of the 17th, the Yankees scored 2; in the bottom, the Tigers rallied for 1 but fell short. Freakin' crazy.
I feel a strong passion for many of the old traditions that have fallen by the wayside over the years. Smoking a pipe, enjoying a glass of scotch, keeping cigars, wearing a three-piece suit to dinner, writing with a fountain pen, reading poetry... the list goes on.
There's a couple of reasons for this. I find the rituals associated with these interests very soothing. You don't just apply fire to a pipe and start smoking. You need to clean it, pack it, light it, smoke it, stir it... this is not something you do outside when you have five minutes to kill. This is a time commitment.
There's also the connection that they bring to the past. When I was in Scotland, I meant a distiller by the name of William who'd been making scotch for over 30 years. The youngest bottle they produce is twelve years old. The oldest is over twenty-five. He's been around since they used to bounce a wooden ball off the stills and judge the sound to determine whether or not the fire was hot enough.
And they are, if nothing else, points for occasional conversation. I suppose I take pride in being atypical. I like sitting down and having a conversation about cigars with someone who knows nothing about them. It's a good feeling when I receive word from my cousin in Russia, telling me how much he appreciated getting a hand-written letter. I like being able to offer a glass of scotch to a friend.
The one danger with hobbies like this is seeming pretentious. But I think almost everyone who takes the time to get to know me realizes that these are not things that I do because I think that they look good (well, aside from the suits), but because I genuinely enjoy and appreciate them.
Anyways, that's my two cents. What about the rest of you? Post anonymously if you have to... I'm still curious. I'd like to have a few new ideas for potential interests by the time this post has run its course.
My mother taught me to bake when I was like five, and she actually baked everything in our house - breads, cookies, cakes, you name it - before she went back to school when I was 12. She was an excellent cook as well, and I learned a lot from her. I am a writer by nature; I have a degree in writing from UVic, but for reasons I may go into another time on my own blog, I never really made a go of it. I still write, I still want to make a living doing that, but there came a point when I'd really exhausted all my options with the old degree in Ottawa, so I decided I would have to retrain. While in Ottawa, I did a lot of entertaining and was particularly interested in desserts. In fact, I'm infamous in my circle of friends for making desserts and taking pictures of them. About a year and a half ago, I saw a program on the Food Network and decided that pastry was the way to go. So here I am.
Believe me, that's the short story!
Hm. Something that I am passionate about....
This is harder than I thought it would be, but I guess it would be along the lines of helping others (despite my selfish nature and dislike of people). Also, the hill at Tara (Ireland) has been calling to me for years, along with the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. So maybe one of these days I'll make it across to Ireland and also visit Scotland. There's just something about those places that draws me there. Or I guess anything with a sense of mystery, history, and mythology that just.... clicks (for lack of a better description).
I'm sure I could come up with something better another time.
Kelly: I can understand that. I feel very passionate about traveling as well. There's something about seeing new places, meeting new places, and getting drunk in new bars that never fails to shake something up inside me.
Post a Comment
<< Home