Find Fun Classes to Fill Your Time - SCUBA, Chinese, Archery

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The discussion centers around the idea of taking classes purely for enjoyment, with participants sharing their experiences and preferences. Popular suggestions include SCUBA diving, Mandarin Chinese, archery, and various physical education courses like volleyball and golf. Many participants express enthusiasm for classes that blend fun with learning, such as Field Ornithology, ballroom dancing, and art courses. There is also interest in more niche subjects like Latin, old English, and even psychology, with some humorously noting the gender dynamics in such classes. Others mention practical skills like automotive service and flying lessons, emphasizing the freedom and enjoyment these can bring. Overall, the conversation highlights a diverse range of interests, from physical activities to creative arts, all aimed at enriching personal experiences outside of traditional academic pursuits.
Math Is Hard
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What class would you take if you wanted to take something just for pure fun? SCUBA diving, Mandarin Chinese, archery, etc?
I'll be looking for something like this to fill my time soon.
 
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Where I had choices, I took, A History of Great Britain, the history of the biology of Oregon [the idea being something about the place you live], Native American studies, volleyball, and ping pong. Loved them all.
 
I'd probably be very sad and choose something physicsy. That or German classes.

I see you've been bestowed with your best Kurdt award. :-p
 
Just finished getting re-certified in SCUBA a few weeks ago. It's fantanstic - I highly recommend it. Plus, it will be good to know when we go to Bora Bora :biggrin:.

I once needed one credit to get to full-time status, and the only one-credit class I could take was Field Ornithology. It was great fun!
 
Math Is Hard said:
What class would you take if you wanted to take something just for pure fun? SCUBA diving, Mandarin Chinese...
If you want to get real good at either SCUBA diving or at Mandarin, you should find yourself a SCUBA course where the "What to do if your breathing apparatus fails" instructions are written in Mandarin.
 
Ivan Seeking said:
Where I had choices, I took, A History of Great Britain, the history of the biology of Oregon [the idea being something about the place you live], Native American studies, volleyball, and ping pong. Loved them all.

I think I would really enjoy a ping pong class. Or bowling.

There's a History of California class that sounds pretty cool, too.

Kurdt said:
I'd probably be very sad and choose something physicsy. That or German classes.

I see you've been bestowed with your best Kurdt award. :-p

I thought about putting it to a vote, but sometimes it is easier to just stage a coup.

lisab said:
Just finished getting re-certified in SCUBA a few weeks ago. It's fantanstic - I highly recommend it. Plus, it will be good to know when we go to Bora Bora :biggrin:.

I once needed one credit to get to full-time status, and the only one-credit class I could take was Field Ornithology. It was great fun!

ooh, field ornithology - I do that with crows. But it is more like parking lot ornothology. ha ha

Gokul43201 said:
If you want to get real good at either SCUBA diving or at Mandarin, you should find yourself a SCUBA course where the "What to do if your breathing apparatus fails" instructions are written in Mandarin.

:smile: I almost spit coke on the papers on my desk.
 
Math Is Hard said:
What class would you take if you wanted to take something just for pure fun? SCUBA diving, Mandarin Chinese, archery, etc?
I'll be looking for something like this to fill my time soon.
I simply loved ecology, photogrammetry and map-making, most philosophy courses, geology and introductory astronomy.

There were specialty courses in the Phys Ed department, and I took golf. It was a blast. They also offered skiing, and I volunteered as an instructor - great way to meet snow-bunnies.

You may also be able to pick up crafty-type courses like pottery, silver-smithing, etc.
 
turbo-1 said:
I simply loved ecology, photogrammetry and map-making, most philosophy courses, geology and introductory astronomy.

There were specialty courses in the Phys Ed department, and I took golf. It was a blast. They also offered skiing, and I volunteered as an instructor - great way to meet snow-bunnies.

You may also be able to pick up crafty-type courses like pottery, silver-smithing, etc.

I think I would definitely like to take some more Philosophy classes. And some more programming. I would like to learn a little bit of JAVA and some more PHP.
 
To go on an archaeological dig, or look for fossils, archery would be cool if it was long bow.
 
  • #10
wolram said:
To go on an archaeological dig, or look for fossils, archery would be cool if it was long bow.

Maybe I should ask Santa for a new crossbow.
 
  • #11
human sexuality. seems like a good class :)
 
  • #12
Math Is Hard said:
Maybe I should ask Santa for a new crossbow.
Can I have your old one?
 
  • #13
offtheleft said:
human sexuality. seems like a good class :)

My friend teaches that (psych) class. He would probably let me audit if I wanted, but it seems a little boring to me right now.
 
  • #14
turbo-1 said:
Can I have your old one?

My brother has it now. It was a nice little crossbow pistol I got in Chinatown in San Francisco. I want a full size one but I will have to build up strength to draw the bow.
 
  • #15
Quantum Field Theory. In Mandarin.
 
  • #16
I would like to learn Latin and old English.
 
  • #17
I would take a psychology class. Not only is it an interesting subject but its mostly all girls. :eek:
 
  • #18
Topher925 said:
I would take a psychology class. Not only is it an interesting subject but its mostly all girls. :eek:

It's more diverse here. The psych classes have about as many guys as girls, and the lab I work in is mostly fellas.
 
  • #19
i'd like to learn some of the lost arts. bowyery, flintknapping, weaving, etc.
 
  • #20
I love anthropology courses. I would also like to take Russian language courses and something like basketball, volleyball or skiing. Next summer I am hoping to take a intro motorcycle mechanics course at the technical school.
 
  • #21
Proton Soup said:
i'd like to learn some of the lost arts. bowyery, flintknapping, weaving, etc.

This guy keeps napping alive

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Harding_(archaeologist )
 
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  • #22
Math Is Hard said:
It's more diverse here. The psych classes have about as many guys as girls, ...

Ah, but gender distribution is relative. For us physics majors, that looks pretty much the same as mostly girls.

But for me, I would take either some kind of history class (probably European), or economics. The stuff that's happened in the last couple of months tells me economics is a lot more complicated than I ever thought.
 
  • #23
Gokul43201 said:
If you want to get real good at either SCUBA diving or at Mandarin, you should find yourself a SCUBA course where the "What to do if your breathing apparatus fails" instructions are written in Mandarin.
:smile: Talk about motivation!

offtheleft said:
human sexuality. seems like a good class :)

Math Is Hard said:
My friend teaches that (psych) class. He would probably let me audit if I wanted, but it seems a little boring to me right now.

No one I know who ever took a human sexuality course ended up thinking it was nearly as fun as they expected it to be. It sounded like the one taught at the university attended was mostly aimed at students who grew up very sheltered and hadn't already learned those things in high school health classes or from just plain life experience in general.

Anyway, if I could take any course for fun, I think the top on my list would be ballroom dancing. SCUBA always sounded fun too. Or, an art class...drawing, painting, something like that.
 
  • #24
Oh. I'd go for some sort of martial arts. I've been involved with my daughters tae kwon do for going on 10 years now. I've seen adults and kids of all ages benefit even if only learning the basics. My avatar is of my daughter doing a high round-house kick when she first got her black belt.
 
  • #25
offtheleft said:
human sexuality. seems like a good class :)

Especially if it's lab class :wink: .
 
  • #26
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  • #27
I think a paleontology or archeology class would be fun, especially if I could get access to some areas that are off limits to amateurs. Nothing beats digging up bones for good clean fun. :approve:
 
  • #28
I'd do like German or Outdoor Leadership and Recreation, maybe photography or a music class.
 
  • #29
offtheleft said:
human sexuality. seems like a good class :)

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, before Tsu, I was engaged to another girl. At one point she took a human sexuality class. They watched movies that included explicit perspectives on, among other things, old people having sex. It grossed her out so badly that she nearly gave up sex altogether. NO KIDDING!
 
  • #30
Ivan Seeking said:
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, before Tsu, I was engaged to another girl. At one point she took a human sexuality class. They watched movies that included explicit perspectives on, among other things, old people having sex. It grossed her out so badly that she nearly gave up sex altogether. NO KIDDING!

:smile:

Did she not realize that someday she would be old, too?!?
 
  • #31
wolram said:
I would like to learn Latin and old English.

i actually wanted to take latin instead of spanish for a language but no college or university around here offers it. as for old english, that would be sweet too. next summer i might take a class at oxford or cambridge, ill see if i can take something about old english there.

lisab said:
Especially if it's lab class :wink: .

im sorry, I am already taken by mcknia :-p:!):cool:
 
  • #32
lisab said:
:smile:

Did she not realize that someday she would be old, too?!?

Yes, but if you're the one doing it, you don't have to watch. :biggrin:
 
  • #33
offtheleft said:
im sorry, I am already taken by mcknia :-p:!):cool:

That's right. And lisab, you can't have that class with him!
Let's jack this one...
 
  • #34
mcknia07 said:
That's right. And lisab, you can't have that class with him!
Let's jack this one...


LOL - I'm fully aware of your fondness for each other. Offtheleft didn't understand my original post...Hmmm, I sense this thread is about to be taken by a threadorrist attack...
 
  • #35
lisab said:
LOL - I'm fully aware of your fondness for each other. Offtheleft didn't understand my original post...Hmmm, I sense this thread is about to be taken by a threadorrist attack...

i know what you meant, i just made a funny out of it. and no, youre safe here. we migrated to AIM :)
 
  • #36
offtheleft said:
i know what you meant, i just made a funny out of it. and no, youre safe here. we migrated to AIM :)

Aawwww! You two are so sweet :!) !
 
  • #37
Honestly, I like what I'm studying too much. To me, it is fun. Outside of what I'm doing, maybe a course on public speaking, photography or graphic art.
 
  • #38
Pure mathematics, salsa, blues and jazz guitar, shred and classical guitar.
 
  • #39
I'm taking a class on Game Theory next semester to take up some space.
 
  • #40
chaoseverlasting said:
Pure mathematics, salsa, blues and jazz guitar, shred and classical guitar.

i was considering taking a class on music comp. a lot of the time when i write, i just get lucky. although, I am writing for marching percussion; battery and front ensemble.
 
  • #41
I took a college course for figure skating and followed it with a class on ice hockey. You had to take a figure skating class before the hockey class regardless of whether you could skate or not. I think I would have enjoyed another skating class instead of the hockey class. It turns out that spending time on a pond in the winter doesn't mean you're a very good skater and skating ability is pretty important in hockey.

Here's some http://encarta.msn.com/college_article_oddcourses/top_10_odd_college_courses.html. I'd like to take "The Art of Sin and the Sin of Art," class where you get to "lust with the saints and burn with the sinners."

Or, more realistically, I wouldn't mind taking a class in automotive service at our local community college. I already know how to do some simple service on a vehicle, but I wouldn't mind taking some courses on Differentials and 4WD, Suspension and Steering, Automotive Manual Transmissions/Transaxles and Clutches, etc.

Or, I could take some of their courses for adventure guides. All of them have labs - i.e. field trips, including some camping trips.
 
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  • #42
mcknia07 said:
That's right. And lisab, you can't have that class with him!
Let's jack this one...


HELP! My thread is infested with frisky teenagers! Someone get the firehose!
 
  • #43
wolram said:
I would like to learn Latin and old English.

The guy in the office on the other side of my wall loves reciting old English verses in the late afternoon. It sounds like he is trying to conjure the dead.
 
  • #44
SticksandStones said:
I'm taking a class on Game Theory next semester to take up some space.

I always wanted to show up to a game theory class carrying Monopoly and Pictionary.
 
  • #45
  • #46
Math Is Hard said:
I always wanted to show up to a game theory class carrying Monopoly and Pictionary.

I think I'm going to do that now.
 
  • #47
Math Is Hard said:

HELP! My thread is infested with frisky teenagers! Someone get the firehose!

i wish i was a teenager again :(
 
  • #48
Ivan Seeking said:
Yes, but if you're the one doing it, you don't have to watch. :biggrin:


Ah Ha , so that is why my wife had me take down the bedroom mirror.
 
  • #49
offtheleft said:
i wish i was a teenager again :(

I know, 'cuz you are just like sooo OLD!
 
  • #50
Ceramics, Photography, and Graphic Design were my favourite electives. I always thought a swing dance class would be neat but I think you actually need to know how to dance for that.
 

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