Conference turris::womannotes-v2

    well, what kinds of stuff do you like to do? dec sponsors many
    activities (there's a dog club, a running club, a skiing club, and
    a woman's barbershop group, to name a few). around here, there are
    many local theaters that are always looking for help. there are
    volunteer jobs (at hotlines, hospitals, big siblings, etc). there
    are book clubs, train clubs, eating clubs, bicycle clubs... what
    interests you?

    	As I mentioned elsewhere (H_R?), any nearby community theater
    would be more than willing to suck up some of your time.  Many groups
    are short handed, and experience usually isn't required.  There's
    a lot more to putting on a show than being on stage.
    
    	Look in MEIS::THEATRE [KP7/Select...] for a theater near you...
    
    					--Doug
    					  Host/Moderator of THEATRE

    The best way to meet people whom you will have something in common
    with is to get involved in activities that you enjoy (whatever the
    sex or age of the average participant may be); then you will run
    into other people who enjoy the same things you do.  Your local
    newspaper is probably full of short announcements for square or
    folk dance groups, lecture series at the town library, organizations
    looking for volunteers, hiking clubs, amateur theater groups, free
    or cheap classes in things like gourmet cooking or music appreciation,
    etc.  It is a bit daunting to first decide to go out and get involved
    in something where you don't know any of the other participants
    yet, but it can be a lot of fun, and, before you know it, you do
    know the other people who are involved and are enjoying the social
    aspects of the activity as well as whatever attracted you to it
    in the first place.
    
    /Charlotte

	I've had lots of inexpensive fun going to square dances and various
types of folk dances.  I don't know where you live, but there are lots of
them in the greater Boston area.  I would imagine that your local library
might be a good place to start for information on them if you're interested.
There are lots of associations for the various types of folk dancing, and at
the very least the library should have a list of these associations and contacts
for them.  They could in turn tell you times and places for the dances.

					Larry
					  ~

    Things I like to do, let me see, here's a list:
    
    Rollerskating, read, write, run, dance, cook, tuitor, biking, modeling, and
    of course taking is always a favorite of mine.  Although wall don't
    talk back.  I love animals but my landlord won't let me have any
    other than fish.  As far as sports goes, I am willing to learn,
    although at times  I tend to get them mixed up. I can't ski and I 
    thought of joining the ski club but I'm a klutz on ski's because I 
    never learned how or noone took the time to show me.  
    I had joined the big brother/big sisters for a year.  I enjoyed it but 
    not enough to go on.
    
    I guess the most difficult part is getting started.  I appreciate
    all your feedback.  It gives me something to look into.
    
    Carole
    

       Don't bypass ski club trips just because you can't ski. All (or at
       least most) ski areas have special packages for beginners. I got
       hurt skiing about 10 years ago and last year I got brave,joined
       the ski club and relearned. You can do it. Sure you'll be a klutz
       at first, but so will everyone else in the class.

       I don't know if you ever played an instrument but I find that
       "practice is...never done" and that takes up a good deal of my
       time. I quit playing for 10 years then started up again about 6
       years ago. It was painful at first (the french horn can be very
       frustrating till you get in shape) but now I even get paid to
       play about half the time. There are lots of amateur groups that
       play for church's and nursing homes etc. Look in the newspaper
       for the various organizations, and a phone book for instructors.

       liesl       

    When we moved last year, I wanted to meet people in the area, so
    when the church that I joined announced they were starting a craft
    group to make things for the church fair, I went.  It's tough to
    go the first time because you don't know anyone, but everyone is
    usually very nice.  And since I wanted to get more involved, I
    volunteered to be the Publicity Chairperson for the fair, and I'm
    doing it again this year.   You might try seeing if a church near
    you has similar activities.
    
    And don't forget about the schools in your town.  The high school
    near me just started a program where they want folks in the community
    to share their hobbies/experiences with the students to broaden
    them a little.  
    
    There are a lot of possibilities.  Check the newspapers for
    announcements of events and such, and I'm sure you'll find something
    that suits you.
    
    Cathy

Some things I've tried. I didn't stick with all of them, but
they are things to try:

Toastmasters, a nice way to meet interesting people, and improve
your public speaking skills at the same time. See COMET::TOASTMASTERS for
additional information.

Civil Air Patrol. A volunteer organization involved with aviation. If you
like working with young people, there is a cadet program. If you'd rather
stick with other adults, there is an adult program. You need not be a pilot,
or even like to fly, in order to be useful. Send me mail if interested,
and I can give you further information on getting involved in your area.

Dancing: English Country and Contra, at various town halls in New England.
A nice way to spend an evening, listen to some good music, and meet people
in a no-pressure environment.

Bowling: Your local bowling center likely can place you on a team. DEC 
sponsors at least one league that I am aware of.


						Tom_K

    volley ball is a fun sport.  digital sponsors a league, so most
    likely there will be people from your building playing.
    
    i play once a week with people i used to work with (outside of DEC),
    and we have gone from just swatting the ball around to actually
    trying to set our teammates up for spikes and stuff.  just takes
    a little while to get the hang of it, but if you keep at it, it
    becomes lots of fun.
    
    watch this conference (and others, like FRIENDS) for get-togethers
    and parties, and you will get to meet the people you read about.
    
    through FRP i've become involved in a bi-weekly fantasy role playing
    game..............if you've ever been interested in fantasy games
    check it out, maybe you could join a group of beginners or something.
    feel free to write me for details.
    
    ..................................................jonathan

    Bowling is great for meeting people.  You spend two or three hours
    in a structured activity, but with lots of time in which you're
    just sitting talking to your teammates or the other team. And
    since you bowl each team several times during a year, you get to
    know just about everybody.   Mixed-sex leagues are almost always
    looking for women to fill out their teams, and if you don't want
    the committment of showing up every week, you can sign up as a
    substitute; people contact you when they're going to be absent and
    you can decide if you're available that night or not.
    
    If you like animals, you might want to consider volunteering
    some time at an animal hospital. 
    
    For biking, if you're in New Hampshire, there's a nice bike club
    called the Granite State Wheelmen.  They have activities aimed at
    every level, from the racers to the family peddlers like us. 
    
    --bonnie

    THANKS EVERYONE FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT AND GREAT IDEA'S.  ITS GOOD
    TO KNOW THAT ONE CAN SEEK ADVICE AND INFORMATION FROM NICE PEOPLE
    LIKE YOU.
    
    AND ALSO THANKS FOR THE OFF-LINE MAIL MESSAGES ON ADDITIONAL TYPE
    OF FUNCTIONS TO GET INVOLVED WITH.
    
    I WOULD, HOWEVER, LIKE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT JOINING VOLLEYBALL,
    IF THAT IS POSSIBLE.
    
    CAROLE