What are your hobbies?

[trash]

The notion of having hobbies and trying many things is coming up a lot in the recent <a>dating thread</a> so I thought I'd ask what kinds of hobbies people here are into (other than clothing!). It's so easy to fall into the "rut" of doing the same things week in and week out that you never come across or think about new activities you might enjoy.


These days, outside of work and internet time wasting, most of my weekly free time is taken up by working out and biking. I'm trying to get into rec volleyball and planning on trying out more adult sport leagues this fall.


Possible future hobbies include learning how to maintain/fix up bikes, learn a musical instrument, and (maybe) getting a motorcycle. Need to read more and learn to cook.

[AnonymousJay]

Cycling (and i guess you could include maintaing/fixing as well since thats a part of it).


Driving (kinda weird I know, but I enjoy long drives. Gotta get me an electric/hybrid so I feel less guilty about it and minimize my damage.) Love driving newer cars, fixing/tinkering with older cars.


Can't think of anything else that I would consider a true hobby. More like lots of interests.

[nicholascrawford]

What's a hobby? ;-)


Trying to meet new people in a strange town, learning the new flora and fauna, tickling the kids, and finding good restaurants and hangouts. Starting a new business is all-consuming as an entrepreneur, but it's really difficult when my Dappered addiction only leaves a few hours each day. Already, I'm earning as much as I did before the move, and I really believe there's more potential tree and landscape business out here than I was able to build elsewhere.

[LesserBlackDog]

Classical music - I play the horn. I wasn't a music major but went to a very music-focused college and was principal in both the top band and the orchestra. I haven't played as much recently as I would like... need to find some new groups and playing opportunities. I'd probably need a month or two of practice to get back the all-Mahler-all-day chops I had in college.


The outdoors in general. I hike, bike, ski, run, snowshoe (none of them very well). I'm fortunate to live in a place with easy access to all my favorite outdoor activities. From my house, it's a 5 minute drive or 20 minute bike-ride to the nearest trailhead. My family also has a lakeside cabin in the mountains so we do a lot of swimming, boating, jetskiing, canoeing, and waterskiing in the summer. One of these days I'd really like to learn how to sail - a family friend owns a Hobie Cat and I need to borrow it from him sometime.


Shooting - My dad's a retired Marine infantry officer, my brother sells guns for a living. I own three guns myself (two handguns and a shotgun) and we do quite a bit of shooting, both targets and clay pigeons. My dad's an upland fowl hunter but I don't care for shooting actual living things.


Cooking - again, something I'm not particularly good at, but interested in improving.


Videogames - Yeah, I went there. I'm not into Call of Duty or whatever online FPS is big these days. That's not the kind of gamer I am. I prefer immersive single-player games - The Elder Scrolls, Mass Effect, Deus Ex, Thief, Knights of the Old Republic, Assassin's Creed, Portal, Red Dead Redemption, Fallout 3, etc. My MO is to buy one or two games per year and play the shit out of them.

[Focuspants]

Cooking is one of my big hobbies. The wifey doesnt get home until 6:30ish from work and I get home around 5, so I make dinner every weeknight (I also usually make dinner on the weekends too :P I am the better cook anyway haha).


I also love music. I play the drums and I can easily take a couple hours and just immerse myself in some music.


Like BenR, I too enjoy gaming. I am an avid Patriots fan, and follow the NFL closely with my friend. We play madden a bunch. Other than that, I enjoy RTS games. I dont watch much tv because I dont find it mentally stimulating enough (besides really great tv series anyway like Breaking Bad, The Wire, Justified, etc...). RTS games get my brain working a lot more, so I enjoy them.


Also looking to start an exercise based hobby I can do with the mrs. It might end up being cycling.

[jordan]

Some gaming, football (huge football town here). Computers/Tech (also my job), Driving (in particular my 370z).

[jessy_diamond]

A lot of cylist here, I like that! I'm riding a lot less this year, since I'm spending more time at the gym. I do mostly group rides (with riders twice or thrice my age) on Sundays and


I also play guitar, but I'm not very good. I don't really take (or have) time to practice, but at least I'm good enough to play a few songs to impress the ladies. One hobby I would like to try is making effect pedals. I know nothing about electronics, but seems like a fun thing to do.


I would love to read. The problem is that I don't really enjoy it. I guess I don't know what to read? I went to the library, it's so overwhelming. I asked for help, but most people ask : "What kind of books do you like ?" Heck, I don't know.


I enjoy cooking simple meals. I live alone, I have to cook every night anyway. Baking is fun too, but it usually make large quantity of sweets, which is usually not the best thing when you live alone. I'll have to bake a cake for the office or something.

[Big_Scooter]

Lately I have been reading classic novels. There are hundreds available for free download on my Nook, which has made the purchase very much worthwhile. Started reading Ivanhoe and just read Hamlet for the first time that wasn't school-related.


I have been taking a ceramics class for nearly a year. It is extremely gratifying to make beautiful and useful objects out of what is effectively mud using only your hands, basic tools, and fire. The costs for classes can be somewhat high. Taking the classes can seriously lower your bills at Christmas time and for birthdays, though, when grandma is thrilled to get a couple handmade mixing bowls or a teapot.


I had been following a powerlifting program in the gym until 3 weeks ago, when I slightly tweaked my back when I failed to rack a squat bar properly. Stupid mistake. It healed in a week, then I had a shoulder issue with debilitating pain (not from working out). When that healed, I got the flu. Looking forward to getting back to the gym in the next day or two.


I thrift a lot. It has brought my clothing expenses down to practically nothing and I find great stuff. I am dating a girl who loves thrifting and garage sale shopping, so they make for some fun and inexpensive dates.


I am also a gamer. I only have an old PC right now, so I am playing Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons and Dragons Online with some friends from the real world.


Yoga sometimes borders on a hobby for me, but I am hesitant to list it right now since i haven't gone to a class in a couple months. Now and again I'll start going to 2-3 classes a week for a while. Feels great.

[Big_Scooter]

Jessy, their question is very legitimate, because people enjoy very different types of books. Here are a few ideas, though:


Classics- Try reading The Three Musketeers. It is a fun an boisterous action novel with a heavy dose of political intrigue.


Nonfiction- If you have a favorite president, read a biography. I was very interested in one I read about James K. Polk and I learned more than I ever did in a history class, despite having no previous knowledge about him.


a textbook of a college subject that interests you, maybe economics, sociology of deviant behavior,


Or, read a book about a hobby you already have.

[jordan]

I guess if excercise counts as a hobby, i've been doing it regularly since last november, cut about 15 lbs of fat and then gained back about 7, mostly muscle. I'm starting the Body Beast program on monday.

[jessy_diamond]

Thanks Big_Scooter ! I'll go visit my library tonight or tomorrow, I'll be looking for "Les Trois Mousquetaires". Classics are probably a good way to start.


Also, I think I would like to take a class or two this next Fall. I was overwhelmed by the choices I have. Tennis, fencing, exotic cooking classes, drawing, Italian, cake decorating, wine tasting, first aid, etc. I don't know what to choose.


What would be some good classes to meet people in the 21-26 age range ?

[trash]

@Jessy, not sure what things are like where you live, but in my experiences sports are the best group activities for meeting 20-somethings. Other things are hit-or-miss, just make sure whatever class you take you're taking primarily out of interest in the subject and that you won't be disappointed if you don't meet anybody. For whatever reason I've noticed weeknight classes seem to attract more younger people than weekends.

[thmage]

Cool thread.


I haven't been doing enough hobbies lately. I've just started getting back into swimming, which for me is great both physically and psychologically. I've also been into photography in the past, and I might try to pick it up again. I sometimes like to dabble in graphic and web design, and this is an area that I'd really like to get better at.


I do enjoy cooking, but I don't do it enough. At school, I don't have access to a kitchen. And at home, I guess my parent's usually do it. I would do it more, but I never know what to make.


I wouldn't call these hobbies, but I try to consume a lot of articles on sites like Lifehacker, GOOD magazine, Art of Manliness, NY Times, etc. I've noticed it definitely helps give me things to talk about with people.

[Deke]

@Ben

Thief and Thief 2 are freaking great.


Like a few of you other folks, I'm a big fan of driving and cars in general. I've got a '68 Mustang I like to tinker with and cruise around in. I dabbled in auto-x back in college in my other car, but due to not having a lot of disposable income (and not wanting my daily driver to break) I never got into it too seriously. Now that I have income, I find that I just don't have the time or motivation. I would like to get back into some form of competitive driving at some point though; it's a blast.


I kind of go through phases with this, but I enjoy music a good bit too. I'm not great at either, but I like sitting down and strumming the guitar or playing the piano. I played trombone back in grade school (band nerd), but I've definitely gotten a bit rusty *rimshot*


I really enjoy movies as well. Not in a film snob kind of way, I just really enjoy relaxing and discovering new favorites.


And I don't know if you'd consider this a hobby, but I've always enjoyed some good bar trivia.

[Golasso]

BBQ -- love taking road trips in Texas to Luling, Lockhart, Taylor, Lexington, etc. Also like to make my own on my Big Green Egg.


Coffee roasting... If you love coffee, it is a lot of fun.


Soccer