In a city filled with the world's finest colleges and universities, the opportunities for intellectual elevation are many. From Byzantine studies at Harvard to a astrophysics at MIT, the past and future come packaged and delivered to students looking to push themselves to new peaks. But what's more likely to impress at a dinner party? Your monologue on Byzantine architecture or your treatise on the cinematic merits of Deep Throat? Okay, I guess it depends on the party, but you get the point.

Before you turn up your nose and make a snide comment to your erudite companions about these plebeian undertakings, take a look. Your inner clown or meteorologist might just be begging to come out and play.

MAKE YOUR OWN CELL-PHONE GAMES
While they've made some strides in the past few months, cell-phone games, in general, suck. This class will teach you how to make your own games, from concept development to artwork and programming. You don't even have to be a techie, as it requires no programming experience. Imagine being on the T, whipping out your cell phone, and playing a game in which Spider-Man fights Mayor Menino aboard the Boston Tea Party ship. When someone asks you where to download it, you casually say, "I made it myself." Cool.

Newton Community Education | Shayne Guiliano, instructor | Newton Community Education | meets for eight Wednesdays, beginning January 11 at 6:30 pm, at Newton North High School | 360 Lowell Avenue | $192

BALLOON-TWISTING FOR ANY OCCASION
Imagine being somewhere - assuming, of course, that you have a ready supply of balloons with you at all times - and there is a lull in the conversation. Next thing you know, you could be whipping up exotic animals for your amazed friends and family. And it's not just for kids - you could learn to make X-rated balloon figures and give new life to the Kama Sutra. (The course description does say "any occasion.")

Brookline Adult and Community Education | Bruce Lawson, instructor | meets for two Thursdays, beginning January 19 at 7 pm, at Brookline High School | 115 Greenough Street | $46, plus $3 material fee

UNDERSTANDING GORILLA BEHAVIOR
Have you always wanted to understand men better? Us too. That's why this is the class to take, at least for the ladies out there. Oh wait, this is a class about real primates. The daylong session lets you meet the gorillas' keepers and collect behavioral data. But the coolest part is that you will learn what is being done to preserve the species, which is now endangered.

Boston Center for Adult Education | instruction by Franklin Park Zoo staff | meets Saturday, December 3 at 9 am, at Franklin Park Zoo | $68 member, $74 non-member

CHINESE GUNGFU-STYLE TEA CEREMONY: CREATING PEACE AND HARMONY
Check your Blackberry and Sidekick at the door. Inside this class lie simple pleasures meant to take your mind off everything going on outside. You'll hear the water as it boils, smell the tea, feel the warmth emanating from your cup, and listen to music and poems. It's said that many illnesses are caused by stress and worry, so you'd better find a way to relax. Now!

Cambridge Center for Adult Education | Patricia Warren, instructor | meets Tuesday, February 28 at 2 pm | 42 Brattle Street | $37

THE HISTORY OF SEX IN CINEMA
9 1/2 Weeks, Basic Instinct, Deep Throat, Last Tango in Paris, Midnight Cowboy, American Gigolo, The Crying Game. All memorable for one reason. Whether you're a movie buff looking for in-depth discussion or just seeking a cheap thrill, this is the class for you. Sit back, relax, and don't forget the butter.

Newton Community Education | Anna Steffen, instructor | meets for six Wednesdays, beginning January 11 at 7 pm, at Newton North High School | 360 Lowell Avenue | $86

JEWISH-INDIAN COOKING
What? Yeah, we thought so too. It turns out that there is a large Jewish community in India that has been there for centuries and has its own cuisine. While continuing the Kosher tradition, it includes many of the foods found in Indian cuisine. Some of it sounds pretty yummy (chicken-lemon pies and eggplant curries), others intriguing (arroks, anyone?). No matter the taste, this class offers an epicurean experience you won't soon forget.

Cambridge Center for Adult Education | Tara Deshpande Tennebaum, instructor | meets Thursday, November 17 at 6 pm | 42 Brattle Street | $71

SOCIAL THEORIES OF LOVE AND INTIMACY
Admit it, in some form or another these topics are on your mind. They're also on the mind of the person sitting next to you. Using contemporary social theorists as a guide, this class will discuss the changes and developments in intimacy that indicate societal changes and what they mean. So while this may not answer all of your questions about why the person you took home from the bar last weekend never called, it might give you a more global view. The Beatles were right: all we need is love.

Harvard Extension School | Neil Gross, professor | starts Tuesday, January 31 at 5:30 pm, in Emerson Hall, Room 108 | Harvard Yard | $325 non-credit

IPOD POWER
This class will set you straight on the biggest gadget phenomenon since the Walkman. Learn to organize your playlists, load photos, troubleshoot, store and retrieve files, and about additional hardware. You should also find out about those nagging battery issues.

Newton Community Education | Ilene Hoffman, instructor | meets Thursday, March 2 at 6:30 pm, at Newton North High School | 360 Lowell Avenue | $31

FURNITURE-MAKING INTENSIVE
Are you sleeping on a futon? Using crates to store your clothes or as part of your coffee table? If so, you could become the answer to your own problems by learning to make your own furniture. The North Bennet Street School offers a three-month intensive furniture-making course for $5,300. So, you could spend three months and $5,300 for handmade furniture or you could buy a whole new set-up for roughly the same price. Your call. But there's nothing like the pride of craftsmanship.

The North Bennett Street School | Dan Faia and Brian Weldy, instructors | meets Monday through Friday, starting February 6 at 8:30 am, at 39 North Bennet Street | $5300

DIVINE WIND: THE HISTORY AND SCIENCE OF HURRICANES
With global warming, rising ocean levels, and the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita still reverberating throughout the Gulf Coast, this class should fill up fast. Dr. Kerry Emanuel, Professor of Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT and author of a book bearing the same title as this class, will explain why hurricane duration and strength have doubled over the last 30 years. With environmental concerns becoming increasingly harder to overlook, and the subsequent increase in gas prices affecting everyone in the nation, should you remain clueless?

Brookline Adult and Community Education | Dr. Kerry Emanuel, professor | meets Thursday, January 19 from 7 to 9 pm, at Brookline High School | 115 Greenough Street | $5