Peculiar Interests?

Hi there.

I've been back at uni for a month now - it's been good. Not that much has happened since the snowfall, though I have done a couple of things. On the 26th of January I went on a trip to London with the Roller Coaster Appreciation Society which was a lot of fun. As well as visiting Madame Tussauds & the aquarium, we also visited the Dungeons - which I hadn't visited before. I would definitely recommend it. It's currently moving to the embankment near the London Eye & the aquarium, so will be even better once it's opened.

This leads me onto what I want to talk about: peculiar and unusual interests - but are they?

As mentioned, I am a member of a Roller Coaster Appreciation Society - I love roller coasters, rides and theme parks. This doesn't go as far as just going to theme parks and riding roller coasters - I will follow the construction of new rides around the world, look at the plans submitted to councils before they have been approved, and look at the plans for specific theme parks for the future. I'll give you an example:

You may have seen this logo before - maybe even spray painted onto some sheep as part of a publicity stunt. This is the logo for The Smiler - Alton Towers' new roller coaster for 2013 due to open in May. This is the ride I have been following the construction of most recently, not only because it's in the UK, but also because of the fact Alton Towers have been advertising the roller coaster as being a 'world's first', which has been leading to a lot of speculation in enthusiast online communities about what exactly this could be. I won't say anymore, but this is looking to be a very interesting ride.
  So as well as being a roller coaster enthusiast, I also have a very keen interest in the weather - most particularly thunderstorms & tornadoes. This has been an interest of mine for as long as I can remember, and to be honest, I'm not quite sure where it started. I think it was most likely hours spent when I was younger watching tornado documentaries on Discovery Channel. Sadly, Storm Chasers has now been axed, but I still continue to watch many storm videos on YouTube, as well as watching any storms that I'm lucky enough to get over here! One day I would love to go on a storm chasing holiday in the US, though I will add that I only find tornadoes interesting when they are not causing damage to people's lives - when this occurs they are devastating.
  My last main interest, that I've only really discovered recently, is aviation. I only realised this yesterday, when I spent Valentine's day watching videos of aeroplanes on YouTube - most notably Concorde. I'm pretty sure this started after attending an air show last year & visiting the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovilton, Somerset (which I would also recommend). This year I am going to another air show, which I'm very very excited about, here are a few photos from Yeovilton last year:

Concorde 002

Concorde 002

Westland Wessex HU.5

Bullet holes on the Wessex HAS.3

Sea Harrier FRS.1

Are these really peculiar or unusual interests of mine? Some interests are often stereotyped to a certain age group, i.e. interests in aviation may be associated to those who are older than me. Some people often apply stereotypes to younger people, such as only having interests in going out drinking, listening to mainstream music etc. Having thought about this, I would say that though I do like to go out clubbing, these stereotypes don't fit most of my generation. Having interests that are deemed 'unusual', at least for someone of your age, is what makes us more unique and more of our own person. It's even better when you find people of your age who share the same interests as you!

So I guess what I'm trying to say is, embrace any 'weird' interests or hobbies that you have - because those who say they're 'weird' don't appreciate how cool they really are.

Kimberley