Everyone has his own comfort zone. For some, it’s going out and being around people. For others, it’s staying in and being alone. For me, it’s a box of tissues, a pair of pink pajamas and a Meg Ryan movie.

Whether it’s ‘When Harry Met Sally’ or ‘Sleepless in Seattle,’ once that love song starts playing and my eyes well up with tears of joy, I can’t help but wonder why all my friends would rather watch the NCAA Tournament than Meg Ryan faking an orgasm.

Regardless, that warm and fuzzy feeling I get from romantic comedies immediately cools off when I’m pulled out of my comfort zone. So, you can imagine how I felt when I went ice skating and salsa dancing for the first time in my life on successive nights this weekend.

For most people, an ice rink and a Latin party are two completely different experiences. Yet somehow they’ve both blurred together into one long memory full of pain, flailing limbs and innocent bystanders.

Nevertheless, I had a pretty fun weekend. As it turns out, leaving my comfort zone was the best decision I’ve made since asking my professor to crash at her place.

Thus, with renewed spirit and a sudden sense of boldness, I tackled my fall 2009 class registration using a Don Quixote meets ‘Old School’ combination of daring, flair and KY Jelly. It was difficult. It took forever. There were casualties. But, in the end, I found four courses that will definitely stretch my boundaries:

AEE 442: High Speed Aerodynamics

I’m not entirely sure what this means, but when I asked my neighbor in the engineering program, he said it has to do with rockets and stuff. Which, of course, sounds awesome. Especially when the Estes model rocket you’re working on fires off prematurely, launching itself into your TA’s office and setting his desk (and your homework) on fire. All in a day’s work.

PSY 395: Abnormal Psychology

It’s always fun to see the alternative methods people use to work out their issues. Can you imagine what a demonstration from the professor would be like during a lecture? ‘OK class, listen up. Today we’re observing Arinze Onuaku. Watch as he sinks deeper into the shark tank with every missed free throw.’

BSN 469: Honors Bassoon Lessons

If for no other reason than to learn what a bassoon is.

CFS 388: Human Sexuality

At first, I thought this class was too mundane to stretch anyone’s boundaries. After all, everyone has sex at some point, and if they don’t, their parents probably did. But then I saw the textbook. And the pictures. I won’t go into much detail, but suffice it to say that the female anatomy is no longer cute and cuddly. Not even Meg Ryan’s anatomy. Here’s hoping that ‘CFS 390: Animal Sexuality’ doesn’t have the same effect on puppies.

So, with one more course on the schedule to fill out my major requirements, it appears I’ve got a semester full of rockets, aquatic life and bassoons ahead of me. And that’s just in Human Sexuality. Hopefully the rest of my classes will take me out of my comfort zone for a completely new experience. It should be fun.

If not, it’s back to Meg Ryan for me.

Danny Fersh is a freshman broadcast journalism major and the Daily Orange’s in-house go-go dancer. Pay no attention to the man-sized imprint at Tennity Ice Pavilion. He can be reached at dafersh@syr.edu.