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Attention, Tom Cruise Wannabes

For all those "Cocktail" fans out there who have marveled at Brian Flannigan's acrobatic mixing skills behind the bar, now comes a golden opportunity.

University Union has released its Short Courses booklet, which offers students the opportunity to study everything from salsa dancing to wine tasting to kickboxing to, of course, bartending.

But not so fast, Top Gun: those interested in bartending or wine tasting must present two forms of identification to prove they are of legal age.

"I think [they] are beneficial because it gives students something to do other than work all the time," Short Course Chair Krista Mathis said.

Costs for the courses run from $15 for a Filipino language class to $85 for introductory or advanced photography. The fee includes supplies.

Gain control of the dance floor at any frat party or just amaze your parents by learning the cha-cha in the ballroom dancing class.

And finally, what better way to start off the Valentine season by enrolling in a Swedish massage course?

Signups for short courses are this Monday and Tuesday in the Newcomb Hall Ballroom.

Be prepared for long lines.

Get out of the box

Barnes and Noble Booksellers and Mercury Sable currently are sponsoring the "Independent Thinkers Essay Contest" for those who dare to "think differently."

"We are promoting people who think critically and outside of the box," said Maury Shepherd, the community relations manager of Charlottesville's Barnes and Noble.

Contestants must read one of the books on the contest list -- a list of 60 books, both fiction and nonfiction, on topics ranging from history to science to poetry. The titles selected have one thing in common: they are anything but mainstream.

Charles Bukowski's What Matters Most is How Well You Walk and Michael Lewis' The New New Thing, a biography of Netscape founder Jim Clark, are among the titles on the list.

Shepherd described Bukowski's book as dealing with "the darker side of life ... things we like to pretend don't exist."

Contestants must write a 250-word essay about why they think the book represents independent thought.

The winner in the adult category will receive the grand prize of $25,000, and four others will receive a 2000 Mercury Sable.

For younger independent thinkers -- those in grades 9-12 -- the grand prize is a young thinker's dream: a $25,000 scholarship.

The four runners-up in the high school category each will receive a $5,000 scholarship, and each of their respective schools also will be given $5,000 and the entire collection of books on the contest list.

Applications for the contest are available in Barnes and Noble stores as well as on their Web site, www.bn.com.

Candidates may submit their completed entry form online or mail it to: Barnes and Noble Booksellers Independent Thinkers Essay Contest, PO Box 4320, Manhasset, NY, 11030. The deadline for entry is March 15, and winners will be notified by the end of April. For more information, check out www.bn.com or call Maury Shepherd at (804) 984-0461. Happy thinking.

Complied by Allison Botos

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