LJ Interests meme results

baking:
Baking. I bake. I do it less now that I'm trying to actively lose weight, but I'm still fascinated by it. I'm a decent cook -- the stuff I make is tasty, if occasionally not all that attractive, but it's very much a sort of traditional "mom" cooking. I can combine things throughout my kitchen and come up with something that tastes good and isn't too bad for you. Baking, though... it's a whole different level of proficiency for me. It's just easier. Whereas I might fear attempting a complicated entree, give me the tools and set me free and I'll be making cheesecakes and pastries and whatnot. I sort of miss it, actually. I think I may have to try to do more of it this year, albeit in healthier ways.
choir:
I joined the chorus in college... choir being primarily for Music majors. I tried to get into the official choir a number of times, but my ear was never quite good enough. The director would play this last combination of notes and I'd always be off from replicating it... sigh. Probably would have helped if I'd ever had voice lessons, but that's neither here nor there. I love choral music, though. I spent 3 years in chorus, and it was the bright spot in my day every time.
cooking:
As explained under baking, I'm a competent cook. I don't get many complaints (my kids don't count), and I enjoy it, more or less. I'd lilke to get better at it, though. Part of this involves improving my kitchen, but that'll come in time.
decorating:
I am a long-time devotee to decorating shows on TLC, for example, and I have a couple of books in my house about decorating. Part of it is simply a fascination with having my own place to change as I wish -- an opportunity I basically wasted when I owned my own home and one I've devoutly dreamed of ever since. Focusing on what I'd want my place to look like got me through the time living with my mom, when I basically had nothing that was my own, and I'm finally getting to the point where I can start to put some of it into play.
firefly:
I really like the Firefly series. I'm not a rabid evangelist, but damn. I haven't been so attached to a show in ages. I bought the DVD set after seeing the first DVD (just like everyone else, it seems). I'm currently playing in an RPG game set in the Firefly setting, and I'm enjoying the hell out of it.
knitting:
I took this up because my cross-stitch was still at my mom's house and I felt like I really needed something to do with my hands. I missed creating things. As it turns out, I'm not exactly an expert, but I do enjoy it. I've yet to finish my first scarf (have to get another ball of yarn this weekend), but my son likes it, and since it's for him, that's all that matters. I'm interested in knitting, though -- I'm always fascinated by the things people can make, and how we manage to create lasting objects. Fascinating.
music:
I really love music, just as a whole. Specific genres, yes, but music transcends them. I can like just about anything if it's well done. (I was basically hooked the first time I got chills from a song I was hearing, and it can still transfix me, paralyze me, if it's done right.)I took piano lessons for 6 years and basically advanced to the limits of my natural competency. What I learned other than that, though, is that the whole business of blending and mixing sounds, notation, theory, composition, performance... I stand in awe of it and those who can do it. Some of my favorite people are musicians... and if you are a musician, don't be surprised if I just want to sneak up and sit quietly and listen to you play.
roleplaying games:
Hmmm. What to say about this one.... I started playing in college, though I would have done it sooner if I'd known about them earlier. They formed a major connection between myself and my ex, so much so that when we grew apart, they became one of the few things we could talk about and both have interest in. I work in the field and I enjoy it greatly. I am a gamer, for better or worse.
singing:
I've been singing since I learned to talk, practically. One of my earliest memories is singing along to my mom's Captain and Tenille [sp?] record. I knew the whole damn thing before I was five, and I was even on key most of the time. I'm largely self-taught. I had a month or two of private lessons in college, and of course a lot of chorus experience. I sing when I'm happy, or deeply moved, or... well, just about any time things are good. I have a fairly strong alto voice. Some have claimed that with a bit of training I'd be a good mezzo-soprano, but it's not my natural inclination. I sing along with the radio All The Time. I'd love to be in a band or even just in chorus again, and I'm going to try to make that happen over the next year. I miss singing for others too much.
writing:
I write. I'm an English major at heart and it shows. It's probably the one form of artistic expression I'm any good at. I write and edit for a living these days, and I've never been happier with my choice of profession. I can't imagine not doing it, honestly, though I hope to someday be writing more of my own work rather than topics assigned to me. I do have some works in progress, but they're taking a back seat right now to my day job and the stuff I've got going on in my life. With luck, I'll be able to pick them up again this next year and progress from there.