A couple of frustrations here at work. Some days I think, “I wish I was getting more done.” Some days I think, “Why am I not just punching out and instead spending my time on my secret new super-nerdy hobby?”*
I was sufficiently despairing by the end of the day that I plopped down on the couch and watched American Idol. I know! It turned out to be a useful theological exercise, though, when it became clear that if the guy with the dreadlocks does not get voted off the show this week, there is no God.**
During AI, I saw an ad for a product called seasonique, which was supposed to be a contraceptive that “allows” (I’m not sure what the right verb is) women to have only four periods a year. I thought women on the pill could already control whether or when they menstruated just by continuing to take the normal pill rather than the placebo portion of the standard packet. Then again, I spent much of my time in the sex-ed portions of health class trying to ward off a seizure, so perhaps I misunderstood this. Anyway, I’m confused.
* A couple people asked me if I had gotten into Second Life. It’s interesting how people can read your blog for years and then reveal in a sentence that they don’t know you at all.
** Speaking of which, two recommendations I’ve been given recently for expanding my social circle here have been: (1) start going to church, (2) start going to cons. But I’m not religious! But I don’t like science fiction! I’ve been told they both operate on a kind of “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy if you fake it.
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re fn 1: If someone wants to go to church but is not religious, check out Unitarian-Universalist churches.
http://www.uua.org/
A significant fraction of UUers are avowed atheists. I think it would be fair to refer to the UU as the “church of reason.” (One of my friends calls it the “church of the liberal Democrat” but I think she means the same thing by that.)
A couple people asked me if I had gotten into Second Life.
My first thought reading this was: Huh? That’s so not him. So I guess I’ve learned something about you over the past 15 years. (I know, that’s not fair counting since we weren’t in touch for just about half of that.)
I’ve been told they both operate on a kind of “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy if you fake it.
And hey, imagine all the fun you’ll have with folks whom you met while faking your true interests. How appealing. Not.
I have a whole other recommendation for you: Stop declining invitations for social events.;-)
I am a Unitarian Universalist. Where I live, so many professors go to that church that it is often referred to as “Unitarian University.” And our choir director is an atheist.
Also, I take Seasonique. The difference between it and skipping the placebos is that Seasonique has a lower, constant dose of hormones. Regular pills have fluctuation in hormone levels throughout the month, which heightens the risk of breakthrough bleeding if you skip your period.
And I spent my fair share walking around exploring Second Life last summer. The novelty faded, but it was interesting.
I missed the part of the post about the pill. Anomie seems to address this, but yes, my understanding is the same as yours, Jeremy, one can skip periods by continuing to take the pill. I think it’s mainly about marketing. Most people don’t realize this is possible so it offers an opportunity for a whole new product (actually, I think there are several that brand themselves in this way).
I could see how at some point I may have enjoyed Second Life quite a bit (is it really *that* different from ISCA BBS per se?;), but it hasn’t grabbed me at this stage of my life. That may be explained in part by the slowness and awkwardness of the system.
I went to cons (gaming not sci-fi, to the extent that they are separable) for a number of years (and am going to one this year I think, Origins). I never found them good ways to meet people unless you already were tied into a strong network surrounding a particular thing - a game, a particular sci-fi series or whatnot. On the other hand, there are some great new cons that combine a number of nerdy endeavors that might be to your liking (e.g. Penguicon, an open-source and sci-fi con, for maximum nerding). I’d say before getting to the con scene, you’d need to join a more local nerd network, and use that as a springboard to the cons (although smaller, local cons may well be a place to enter that network).
Also, tangentially, why is 2nd life such a hot topic amongst academics? It seems like World of Warcraft is a more important phenomena (given the relative user bases, for example), but I almost never hear it discussed.
I realize that you’re not really asking for suggestions about what to do with your spare time, but volunteering with a museum is a nice way to meet people. All kinds of museums definitely need people to help out with public programs (lectures, films, etc.). You might have to do menial things (set up chairs, clean up tables after refreshments have been served, etc.) but the people you meet (fellow volunteers, museum visitors) will be the kind who enjoy learning new things. And you’ll be contributing in an indispensable way to the cultural life of your community. (It’s better for you - getting out of your apartment and meeting new people - than doing nerdy things on your computer. Having said that, we all enjoy one nerdy thing you do with your computer - blogging - so please don’t stop doing that).
my church doesn’t require that you believe in god. and it is close to my favorite pub. come on!
As long as the new hobby is not Disney’s toontown, I’m good. (though toon town is curiously addicting)
The pill thing might be a prescription/co-pay issue, since you normally only get enough active pills for 3 weeks out of 4.
Are there any cons for your secret new super-nerdy hobby?
Dan, regarding Second Life vs WoW, I suspect one significant difference is that SL gives the user tons of opportunities. It’s not a game (not that games can’t be very educational and helpful!), it’s an environment in which a lot of building and communicating can go on on just about any topic. It can be applied in to all realms of life, potentially. I know less about WoW, but it seems like it’s not quite as open in such terms.
I haved moved around the country a bit these last few years, and my friend keeps telling me to go to an AlAnon meeting. “A community just waiting for you” he says….
i’ve spent many years on seasonale, the precursor to seasonique. just to be all pedantic about it, when you take the pill continuously you’re not really “skipping a period” because when you’re on the pill you don’t actually have a period (ie, ovulation and all that goes along with it) - you’re just skipping the breakthrough bleeding most women on the pill call their period. this really only matters in conversations where people start hyperventilating about the unnaturalness of not having a period every month. eszter, you’re right that a lot of this is about marketing and a new product, but it’s amazing how much popular resistance there is to the idea of not bleeding every month. by the way, one very practical reason to continue regular bleeding even on the pill is you can tell more quickly when the pill has failed and you’re pregnant.
@9: I think you’re right, but yet I’ve heard of people getting married in WoW and I know a lot more people that spend all their time in WoW than people who spend all their time in SL. It’s interesting, isn’t it? But I don’t really want to study it. I find people who can’t get their head out of WoW tiresome. It feels too similar to people I’ve known who’ve become addicted to a drug.
Hey, the dreadlock kid was voted off. A sign?