12. wobbly balance, e-readers, & our favorite pastimes

hi hello hey, and happy new year!

We hope you had an excellent and safe new year and are as thrilled as we were to put 2020 behind us. Since the new year is usually a time people feel motivated to try new things (#NewYearNewMe), we thought this would be a fun time to talk about what hobbies we’ve tried in the past and what our pastimes are now. We had a lot of fun talking about our childhood fails and learning even more about each other, so we hope you enjoy!

episode summary

First, we start by talking about the new year and our goals for the month, like cleaning and staying fit. Then we kick off into hobbies from our youth, including dance, instruments, sports, acting & singing, reading, and video games. After that, we discuss what we like to do now as adults, touching on writing, TV, music, cooking, fitness, and travel. Finally, we wrap up with a game of icebreaker questions.

Have a unique hobby, want to share comments, or did you also struggle with ballet? Send us an email at rarewithflair@gmail.com or DM us on Instagram!

a two photo collage of Casey (left) and Cassandra (right) doing ballet as children. Casey, roughly five, wears a tutu and lifts an arm while crossing the other over her body. Cass, roughly seven, is performing onstage with other dancers in the same position as casey in the photo
Case + Cass doing ballet, 1997/2006

show notes

  • Cassandra mentions Marie Kondo, the Japanese minimalist, and her book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” (Goodreads)
  • Cass notes that being blind or partially blind affects balance (NIH)
  • Cassandra makes reference to the end of episode 4 where she talks about running cross country
  • Casey mentions a few things when talking about reading:
    • she mentions up Twilight by Stephanie Meyers
    • she brings up her once-active Booktube (YouTube channel on books) that everyone should go check out!!
    • Case also mentions the Libby app for renting audio books and e-books from your local library — highly recommend!
  • Cass also mentions some things on books:
    • she references our fifth episode on school
    • she also mentions the Bookshare platform for people with “print disabilities” (blindness, motor disabilities, dyslexia) can access e-books and is free for students
  • Cassandra mentions some video games:
    • Animal Crossing (Nintendo)
    • Half-Life, which she finished Half-Life 2 (Valve)
    • the Mario 3D All-Stars pack (Nintendo Switch, available until March!) containing Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy
    • Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo Switch)
  • Cass mentions writing for the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation’s quarterly magazine, Albinism InSight, and that she posts the magazine content to her personal blog
  • Casey mentions some of her favorite shows:
    • Buffy the Vampire Slayer
    • Pushing Daisies
    • Steven Universe
    • Avatar the Last Airbender
    • Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
    • Stranger Things
    • The Twilight Zone
  • Cass’ favorite shows:
    • Steven Universe
    • Jane the Virgin
    • Monk
    • iZombie
  • Cassandra mentions episode 6 about chronic illness
  • For childhood celebrity crushes, Cassandra mentions Joe Jonas and Selena Gomez and Casey mentions Nick Jonas and Ricky Olmen
cassandra in a green and yellow uniform and black baseball cap running cross country alongside a sighted guide in the fall
Cass running cross country with a sighted guide , 2011
casey onstage dressed as a classic "geek" wearing large, red glasses, a multicolored knit hat, and braids. she is in character and grabs a prop mic with both hands and curls her lips
Case as Logainne in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” 2011
case in a spaghetti strap black and red striped dress. she raises one arm higher than the other and looks off to the side
Case in “The Phantom of the Opera,” 2012
cass standing in a plaza with statues of famous communist leaders in Budapest. she wears red pants, a black top, and a red felt hat. she carries her cane and raises one hand aloft
Cass in Memento Park in Budapest, Hungary, 2019

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