#an assignment for class

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[artlivefree]

10 Things I Find Interesting

1. Eastern Philosophy I enjoy reading about the Eastern way of life and thought process-- a complete and necessary contrast to our fast-paced, high-tech American society.  I practice yoga and would like to include meditation and mindfulness into my daily life. The reason I find all of this so interesting is because it does not come naturally to me.  I am a planner, an organizer, a worrier.  I am always mentally miles away from my current surroundings, focused on the future.  Yoga helps me relax and take a step back sometimes. 2. Andrew Bird Andrew Bird is a singer/songwriter from Chicago and multi-instrumentalist. He plays guitar, violin, glockenspiel, and is an accomplished whistler. His strange and poetic lyrics, his distinct vocals, his offbeat personality, and his musical ability fascinate me. 3. The Psychology and Neuroscience Behind Music I love the experience of listening to and/or playing music-- the emotions it evokes, the healing powers it possesses, the areas of the brain it stimulates. As a student of both music and psychology, it is only natural that I would be interested in the “behind the scene” aspects of the musical experience-- how the brain is processing, reacting to, and changing when we engage in improvisation, active listening, or even simply singing along to a song on the radio. I recently finished co-oping at a music therapy center in Melrose, MA. 4. Existentialism Existentialism is an area that interests me because I feel like I connect with and innately understand its teachings; however I feel I need to delve in further before I can speak intelligently on the topic and assert my opinion. 5. Farming and Food Production Where the food we eat comes from-- the journey it takes from the earth to our dinner plates-- is a topic that has always interested me.  As someone who eats organically and vegetarian, it is necessary for me to understand ingredients, labels, food production, and the food industry.  My uncle owns a farm in Plympton, MA so I have grown up in a world where the importance of eating locally and seasonally is standard. I recently read the book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” by Barbara Kingsolver, which reignited my interest in this area. 6. Foreign Cultures, Anthropology, and Observing Human Behavior This should probably be number one on my list, but I wasn’t sure if it was too vague or general. I have decided to include it anyway. As previously mentioned, I am very interested in psychology and the workings of the human brain.  This interest also encompasses human behaviors, interactions, and cultural developments, which can be classified as the study of anthropology.  I find the arts and cultures of different areas of the world fascinating; firstly because they differ from my own and question ideas I accept as fact, and secondly because I love to travel. 7. David Foster Wallace David Foster Wallace is my favorite author.  I like him not only for his amusing, intellectual writing style but also his personality and choice of writing topics.  David is honest, forward (yet not terribly offensive with his opinions), and possesses a rare mastery of the English language. His personal life is also of great interest to me: he dated Mary Karr (another favorite author of mine; incidentally I found out about their romantic involvement recently after already reading and adoring both separately), spent time in Alcoholics Anonymous, was surprisingly religious, suffered from depression, and tragically committed suicide at the age of 46. 8. Balinese Gamelan Music This past summer I traveled to Bali, Indonesia to learn gamelan music through a Northeastern Dialogue program.  It was, by far, the best experience of my life.  Immersed in the Balinese artist village of Ubud, I learned playing techniques from local musicians and was taught by world-renowned composer Dewa Ketut Alit. Though I have not been able to continue with gamelan performance, I still listen to the music on a regular basis.  The culture that inspired this music is also of great interest to me. 9. Moroccan Architecture I’m not sure exactly why Moroccan architecture interests me.  I have never been to Morocco, though I would love to go someday. I am inexplicably and intently drawn to the bright colors, patterns, tiles, and arches. 10. Politics I find politics interesting because I do not understand them.  I also do not like them.  This makes them all the more interesting to me though because so many people do like them. Why? With the upcoming election and Republican primaries underway, politics have been a hot topic in on our news channels and in our papers. I’m also interested in politicians themselves and their motivations.  I could never be one of them so they interest me.