26 thoughts on “Compulsory

  • 1/2/2007 at 10:28 am
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    I overheard your conversation which inspired this post, and agree that people don’t seem to be as esoterically super-involved as they used to be back in the day. A lot more poeple becoming engineers and lawyers and doctors these days, and a lot less dedicating their lives to digging up dinosaurs, living with gorillas, or studying the mating patterns of the tsetse fly.

    As for me, I think that (ignoring the obvious (gobble gobble gobble)) my passion is probably driving. If my other passion wasn’t money, I’d definitely quit my job and go pursue a racing career of some kind. I considered it heavily as WPI slowly beat my will to live into the pavement.

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  • 1/2/2007 at 1:41 pm
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    I’m so glad I transferred out of WPI…

    Probably the best move I’ve made so far.

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  • 1/2/2007 at 1:55 pm
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    Singing, bar none.

    If I couldn’t sing, I’d probably die. I don’t even mean singing in front of people, which I will admit, I do whole-heartedly enjoy. I mean just singing. In choir at church, by my self in the car, along with the radio, or just making up little tunes as I engage in any other activity. I would sing constantly if it wouldn’t make me an outcast of society.

    And, like Sander, if my other passion wasn’t money (or more accurately, nice things that you can only get by paying for them with money), I would quit my job and pursue a singing career. But even as a secondary thing to my primary job, singing is still my life blood and possibly more important to my well-being than breathing.

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  • 1/2/2007 at 3:25 pm
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    I also enjoy singing. This is a good thing to be passionate about. Kudos.

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  • 1/2/2007 at 3:58 pm
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    Me too…

    we should so form a club

    The “I survived WPI by getting my ass out of there asap and as a result am still awesome club”

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  • 1/2/2007 at 4:47 pm
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    Competitive Strategic/Combat Robotics. Since 1998, I’ve competed in 7 years of FIRST for high schoolers on 2 different teams, mentored 3 seasons of FIRST Lego League in 2 towns, competed on a television show, and helped out with several battle bots. It’s my true love and passion and can’t see myself quitting anytime soon.

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  • 1/2/2007 at 9:09 pm
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    The first answer that comes to mind is orienteering, but I think I’m going to zoom out another level and just say “maps” in general. This should come as a surprise to no one….

    From 2000 to 2004, it was giving campus tours. I absolutely loved that.

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  • 1/2/2007 at 11:34 pm
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    Teaching students basic stength of materials properties using chocolate chip granola bars or more formally… Inspiring more diversity in technical fields through the improvment of K-12 Science and Technology Curriculums….. at least thats what my grad schools essays say.

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  • 1/3/2007 at 8:22 am
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    This is a tough one for me. Shauna and I have talked about this several times…and it really is a difficult topic. I mean there are alot of things that I truly enjoy and that I consider hobbies, but nothing that I’m truly hobbies. Like recently I’ve been into collecting board games.

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  • 1/3/2007 at 8:49 am
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    Board games are awesome. I have lately surpassed the holding capacity for my board game cupboard, however, so I am not sure where I will put my two new Christmas board games or my new birthday board game (which has been sitting lonely on the coffee table since November…)

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  • 1/3/2007 at 9:00 am
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    yeah…I think shauna is getting a little tired of me buying them. I have filled up our two boardgame drawers, there are three sitting on the floor and we purchased a corner cupboard for our appt, which we immediately filled the bottom cupboards with games.

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  • 1/3/2007 at 9:13 am
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    Knitting!! And other crafty endeavors.

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  • 1/3/2007 at 9:52 am
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    This took me a while. I have a lot of hobbies that I’m good at and spend a lot of time doing, pottery, knitting, triathlons, orinteering, I think the top thing that I feel most strongly about is food and cooking. You eat every day and that gives you an oppurtunity every time you eat to make yourself happy by eating something that you will enjoy.

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  • 1/3/2007 at 10:45 am
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    My parents house had them taking up most of a closet in the spare bedroom (that’s where all the “kids” games lived) and also the top shelf of the coat closet that wasn’t already full of Beatles albums (for the “adult” games like the National Geographic map game – which I loved, by the way, even when I was a kid). I guess I was doomed from birth. I don’t even have kids and I’m approaching their numbers in games. Or their former numbers… I think most of the kids games finally made it to tag sale recently, though I cannot be sure, what with my mom’s constant “so when you gonna have kids?” comments…

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  • 1/3/2007 at 10:48 am
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    Moving under my own power. I know, it sounds lame, but two of my favorite things are running and biking. And that’s about all that they have in common. The feeling of accomplishment after long, intense (possibly technically challenging as well) physical exertion is pretty tough to beat.

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  • 1/3/2007 at 11:24 am
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    Music, reading, writing, singing, farm animals, stars(the ones in the sky, not on the television), family, theater.

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  • 1/4/2007 at 3:43 pm
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    My parents have a pretty large closet in the rec room, and at least half is full of games, going as far back as my dad’s childhood!

    Toss Across anyone??

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  • 1/4/2007 at 3:52 pm
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    Hmmm…as others have pointed out, there are a lot of hobbies and activities I thoroughly enjoy, but which of those are truly passions?? This might be kind of a cheap response because it’s so general, but I keep coming back to it as I think about this. Love and finding a connection with people is high on my list. To really get to know a person and see God in them, and all of the unique gifts they have, is fabulous.

    More specific and tangible: music, singing, family, being active (esp playing ultimate), nature, and math.

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  • 1/5/2007 at 7:31 am
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    I wish I had more games. I have four board games total, two of which are children’s games. My husband hates board games. I grew up playing them and I love them, but if I want to play, I have to play by myself or with the kids. The kids aren’t very good, and I spend most of my time explaining and helping. :(

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  • 1/5/2007 at 9:49 am
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    There was a thread in the SomethingAwful forums the other day about this guy’s dad who owned 100s of boardgames. Like, they were piled up in the attic to waist height. I’ll find the link later when I get home.

    I love boardgames too, but at the moment the only ones I actually own are Star Wars Monopoly (the original, ltd edition version) and Star Wars Trivial Pursuit (too easy for me, too hard to everyone else). I could really do with some more quality games.

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  • 1/7/2007 at 3:58 pm
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    Me too. I love music in general and singing in specific. Dinane, what you said reminds me of a story my Mom told me from her college days:

    The theater professor was slamming the American musical as being unrealistic, and asked his students “When was the last time you walked down the street singing for no reason?” And Mom said “This morning, on the way to class.” She wasn’t just being a smart ass either. Everyone in my family sings.

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  • 1/7/2007 at 4:04 pm
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    Music, reading, writing, SCA, love, day-dreaming, religion, prophecies of doom, Jane Austen, history. I loved theater but I haven’t done it in so long I’m not sure it counts. Though the SCA is kind of like theater. I’m also really quite fond of movies. And I’m extremely picky about language. I am also passionate about editing my sister’s AWESOME fan fic.

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