I have a special plan for this world

[venta]

Recently, there was a non-ubiqutious sheep on the rounds which invited the reader to choose an interest from the writer's interest list, whereupon the writer would explain it.

To be honest, I'm not sure any of my interests really require any explanation (beyond, possibly, "bendy swords" which you should know all about by now). If I'm wrong, and any of my interests baffle you, do let me know. That's if you're baffled by their nature, of course, bafflement at why they interest me is your own problem.

It did remind me, though, that other people seem to regard interest lists in a different light to me.

Many people fill up their interest list to the maximum (150?), then complain that they have way more interests that will fit. When I glance at their user info pages, I see their interest list as "impenetrable block of text" and move on.

Now, I could come up with a list of 150 things that interest me. I'm interested in everything (and anything). The purpose of my interest list is to provide a quick-glance introduction to someone who doesn't know me, and is meant to present a spectrum of things which I like. It's a sketch of me and my life - details can be filled in later.

For anyone who hasn't memorised my user info, my interests are listed as:

alan moore, bendy swords, cityscapes, cooking, folk music, goth, grant morrisson, jack vettriano, john donne, magic, mayhem, music, new model army, northeast, pedantry, peter warlock, real ale, robert anton wilson, rosemary sutcliffe, sedition, thomas tallis, winter, words

When I first started this LJ, I jotted down a representative selection of interests, discovered I had 23 (a fine number) and left it at that. I hope it's a small enough number that it's readable if the reader is so inclined. If there's anything which you think is sufficiently significant about me that it ought to have been included in preference (or addition) to one of the others, I'd be curious to hear about it.

I'm not sure why people have huge lists of interests. Maybe they have so many interests that they can't be pared down to a shorter list. Maybe they want maximum hits from unknown LJers searching by interest (does anyone do this ? Does anyone meet interesting people by doing it ?). Maybe they're working on the same principle as me, but have a higher opinion of people's ability to read lists (is it just me that gets daunted by big blocks of text?).

How did you choose what went on your interest list, and why ?

Comments

[cardinalsin.livejournal.com]

My interests list is based on hobbies (7 items), in-jokes (2 items) and facetious items designed to either amuse me, or provoke inquiry into the nature of the item, or both (3 items). I have specifically not listed things I am merely interested in, except where such things would fit one of the above categories.

I shall now go and add tea, more tea, and yet more tea. Thankyou cuthbertcross, and I look forward to the ensuing arms race.

[cuthbertcross.livejournal.com]

aaargh! I'll have to add an interest to end all interests.... (rushes to userinfo page..)