Geek Pursuits

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I have just returned from farewell lunch in hall with my two of my oldest Oxford friends. They're great. They're the ones who first taught me to love or at least be open to geeks. (I have had many other teachers since then). They mentioned that one of our friends has become more seriously interested in twitching or bird-watching. (No, I didn't know what twitching meant til about an hour ago.) I asked them for ideas of geek pursuits for me to take up once the thesis is over with. Brian wasn't too pleased about twitching being called geeky, but, as I told him, to me it means a lovable obsession, just as most geeks are, I have come to realise, adorably obsessive. Here is the list:

1. Warhammer
   
2. Documenting lichens in the forest/bush
   
3. Battle re-enactments
4. Chess club
5. Coding
   

No. 2 has the most appeal at the moment, truly. I like the idea of being outside with a notebook. No. 5 is out as I need to vary my focal distance. Please send me some suggestions. I have a few months to decide and none of these is quite right.

Belly Dance Faves

Middle Eastern dance or belly dancing is my principal hobby here in Oxford. It's a wonderful form of female bonding and expression, exercise, stress-reduction and confidence-boosting. I connect more with its female-only origins (fertility and marriage rites) than its relatively recent connotations as a public spectacle for men and I have found that people 'in the industry', both female and male, experience and perceive it as something beautiful, graceful and playful rather than bawdy or even primarily erotic.

For me, belly dance is a lovely excuse to wear sequins, coins, bindis, layered skirts, mermaidesque outfits, eclectic jewelry, feathers, flowers, veils, and gold ballet slippers. The sensuality, vibrancy, and fellowship of belly dance are especially dear to me while I spend most of my time by myself in front of a computer screen analysing things.

Just in case you're thinking about taking it up but are nervous about your lack of dance background: I was not one of those jazz-hands or tight-hair bun-with-glitter gel-and-scrunchie kids and I have rarely felt frustrated by it. You really can start at any level of ability and experience. Belly dance fits around you!

Here are two of my favourite performers at the moment who represent two very different forms of dance ('traditional'/ sensual and Tribal):

Blanca




Samantha Hasthorpe