ccw

INTERESTS

• Interests: language and linguistics, especially [1] the history and evolution of language (particularly Old and Middle English, how English can absorb so many foreign words and concepts, and how those words and concepts shape the collective Anglo-whatever world view[s]), and [2] the usage and "framing" of words (Google "George Lakoff"), particularly in matters of religion and religion-meets-society-meets-politics ............... faith-based liberal politics ............... off-the-beaten-track history and archaeology (wars and politics are such a bore - the nitty-gritty of everyday life and the oddball and little-known stuff are where it's at) ............... offbeat but real science, à la Mythbusters and the Annals of Improbable Research ............... the history of science (once again, with a preference for the oddball stuff - do you see a pattern developing here?) ............... the history of religion (here I can deal with the more mainstream stuff, although I consider myself a Freethinking Zen Christian Existentialist Agnostic) ............... classical music, especially [1] period-"authentic" performance of Classical-era and earlier repertoire (Renaissance and Baroque music rules the known universe!) and [2] choral music (which I've sung professionally), from Gregorian chant to the present day ............... I'm not big on the Romantic era, I generally don't care for art songs, and I flat-out dislike most opera, because I hate the voices ............... reading about such things as well as biography (especially autobiography and humorous biography/memoirs) ............... prose written by poets ............... "soft" science fiction that deals more with the social and cultural effects of science, technology, and meetings with alien societies than with science and technology itself or "space opera"............... I don't go for straight-ahead fantasy ("Oh no, not another world where magic works and science doesn't!" --Marion Zimmer Bradley) or techno-punk post-apocalyptic dystopian stuff ............... novels about politics, spy and other "thrillers," horror, and mysteries generally drive me straight up the wall ............... and don't even mention chick-lit, "inspirational," "heartwarming," and other mooshy-gooshy stuff! ............... hanging out, punning and otherwise making incredibly bad jokes with my equally demented friends ............... watching "geek TV" (PBS, History, Discovery, et al. - I wish the local cable offered the National Geographic and Science Channels) ............... OK, so I sound like an opinionated, arrogant, picky, elitist bitch. So sue me - you'll get about 69 cents out of it, and that includes legal fees ............... But to be honest, I really don't take myself as seriously as it appears. I get a kick out of The Simpsons and South Park =huge grin=, my sense of humor in general can get downright outrageous, WAY off-color, and even sacrilegious when I'm in the mood, and even at my most "uppity," part of me still has its tongue wedged firmly in cheek and is sitting back laughing its patoot off at my pretensions.
• Anything Else: www.talk2action.org/, www.bbc.co.uk/