What is your hobby and why?
 

This board brings together a lot of interesting people with, presumably, some interesting hobbies. Please share them.

What do you consider your main (or favourite) hobby? Why? What drew you to it and what do you get out of it?

Me?

Well, I guess my only real hobby these days (if you can call it that) is reading. 95% of what I read is non-fiction. A good mixture of history and science (more specifically, history of the holocaust, WWII, WWI, American Civil War, French Revolution, Russian history; anthropology, genetics, paleo-anthropology; evolutionary theory, physics, cosmology etc). In other words, almost everything I find interesting.

Why do I like my hobby? I have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. I thank my mother for that who told me at a very young age, when I looked up into her face and asked her Mum, why are you reading all the time?!!, "Son, knowledge is its own reward".

Thanks mum. You were right.


Mr Mephisto

PS - I harbour pipedreams of getting into wooden model boat building when our house is complete and I have my own workshop. Oh, the joy of some private "man space" with no girly stuff lying around... :)

PPS - On rereading this, I just realized I sound like an old fart. Christ, when did that happen?!

I game and play hockey. I used to do both at the same time, but that's just not the same. Why do I do these things? Because they are fun, of course. And I like having an empty bank account, apparently.

Reading and writing, the latter of which I hope to turn into a career. Other than that, I guewould be scrapbokoing, though I don't have as much time to do it as I would like to have.

Writing, well, I just love to create, and when I get an idea in my head, there's no getting rid of it until I write it down.

Same with scrapbooking. I like to create books of memories for myself, my friends, my family. It's so much more fun and creative than plain photo albums.

Fly fishing, which I usually do with my dad; caving, which I usually do with my friends, hiking (with whomever), gaming (by myself :) ), and thats pretty much it. I do other things, of course, but nothing that I could consider a hobby, other than those four.

I believe fly fishing is a bit of an art. Do you make your own flies (if that's what they're called)?

Mr Mephisto

Hunter/Jumpers and Dressage, which I started doing twelve years ago. I do it because I absolutely love the sport and it is excellent exercise for me.

In the summer I ride my bicycle. The area where I live is a bicycling paradise.

In the fall, hunt turkeys/deer/ geese etc.

And finally in winter, ski, snowshoe, and play hockey.

I have a few hobbies that are real good at keeping me broke. I fly stunt kites during the summer, I race radio control touring cars, and I shoot skeet (a clay pigeon shooting game). Flying stunt kites is very relaxing, and gives me a good excuse to take the kids to the beach.

I enjoy working on cars and computers. Also like riding my bicycle. Cars are because I like speed, and enjoy just putzing around them. Computers have been in my blood for the last 8 years or so. Riding the bicycle keeps me in shape. I also like women...I think you can figure out why.

computers, usually chatting with friends or playing games (RTS, Sci-Fi, or combo thereof)...paintball, Sci-Fi on TV, Sci-Fi books...hanging out with friends....

I don't really have any hobbies that I've stuck with over the years. I usually start one, then get bored with it, then start another, and so on and so on.

My long lasting hobbies are playing/composing music and wasting time on computers. My current stints are: ultimate frizbee, biking, and certain video games.

I used to collect cards and comics and things, but then I realized that they were just siphoning all my cash and not giving me back any experiences in return. I also used to be in scouts, sports teams, music groups, and a bunch of other things I never stuck with. Being eclectic has it's strengths and weaknesses I guess.

TFP is my hobby... now if only I could make a living at it I think I would be a very happy guy.

No, I just started about a year ago. I'm not that great, but I'm beginning to learn. I pretty much didn't catch any fish the first 15 times that I went (well, I caught a few), but it really takes practice and patience. Also, meeting guys that have been fishing for 40+ years and getting them to teach you helps tons :thumbsup:

Anime and movies. Mainly because they're interesting and they save me the the time and effort required to read a book :lol:

But I actually do read a lot. Not as much as I used to, but still go through books really fast. If only I could find a decent series nowadays.

Racquet sports. I love them, maybe because I am pretty good at all that I have played (tennis, table tennis, badminton, squash)

And interestingly enough, the lost art of conversation. Much more interesting than playing video games or surfing the net or whatever has replaced it these days..

my biggest hobbies consist of a few multiple things.

I am a avid paintball player, I simply love the sport on a casual level. Nothing beats the ability to shoot your friends with a ball of paint then laugh over it a few minutes later.

Golf is still my number one relaxing "hobby". Not actually going out to a golf course though, just practicing in my back yard (Its quite large). Its just me, nature, and the ever ongoing persuit of the golf ball.

Lastly, my favorite of all the hobbies, Music. I love music more then anything else that there is, no matter how bad of a day I could possibly be having, just sitting back or lying down and listening to any genre of music (well, almost. some of this new age pop/rap stuff I just dont get) will put me at such a calm that time just stops.

Hmmm... this has made me feel quite uninteresting.

I listen to music. I can't even describe how much I love music.

I help people.... or at least, I try. And yes, it is a hobby that will hopefully turn into a career. If a friend is in a crisis :rolleyes: I am usually there with the advice and the shoulder to cry on.

I write.... thoughts, poems, lyrics, whatever inspires me to write about. I'm convinced it keeps me sane.

I read... not often enough though.

I suppose I'm a typical college student with not much to do... which leads me to my last hobby...

I party. I drink with friends because it's fun and we get bored easily. I also drink because I am usually pretty quiet and shy, and drinking releases some of my inhibitions. I am also convinced that drinking keeps me sane. And no, I am not an alcoholic. :lol:

horseback riding and horses and anything that pertains to being with horses.

I have two horses and spend most of my free time with them :)

I feel lucky to have such an amazing hobby.

Sweetpea

I enjoy shooting, reading, playing video games, watch movies, listen to music, motorsports, playing sports (football, basketball, volleyball), yoga...

I do all of these things because they are enjoyable, but some also have practical applications. Shooting comes in handy for self-defense. Reading can make you more knowledgeable, depending on what you read. Sports and yoga can be beneficial to your health.

My two main hobbys are bodybuilding and fishkeeping.

I like bodybuilding because i'm a wonderful tinkerer. Everything that i own has to be carefully locked away or have big signs written around it or i'll end up sequestering it for a few days to have a poke around with a screwdriver or two.
Since bodybuilding is never something you can fully finish, i can spend all the time in the world thinking about what exercises i can do, which bodyparts need to be brought up e.t.c. Granted it takes a little longer than destroying something with a screwdriver and attempting to put it back together again before throwing it away in anger, but hey, at least i look good from it.

I like fishkeeping because they're so cool! I love my little fishies so much, i don't take as much care of them as i wish to right now because i'm suprisingly short of cash. Fish take a lot of money to look after properly.
At the moment i've got two tanks, one with 3 axolotls, and another with a few tetras and shrimp (which i'll be emptying soon, most of the fish have died from old age). When i get enough money, i'm going to build a covered pond and fill it wish tropical fish, that will rule! :D

I also have a couple of other minor hobbies, such as taking pictures of everyone i know (i'm bad with remembering faces) and writing reams upon reams of poetry at silly hours in the morning, and juggling, i like juggling.

Being a working mother of 2 young children takes up alot of time and does not leave me much room for hobbies. I have found one that I can do after they are in bed. I make scrapbook pages, both computer generated and on paper. I also like to make other computer generated crafts, like candy bar wrappers, cards and bookmarks. I like to work in my flower gardens, but don't get to do it often enough.

I fly and build radio controlled airplanes and Helicopters.I do it cause its relaxing and its fun there is nothing like building and airplane or a heli then taking it out to fly it for the first time you dont know if it will fly like crap and crash or fly great.

I have have two main hobbies, in the summer I rock climb. There is nothing else like it for me. It's a great way to get a total body workout, the feeling of accomplishment is awesome and (for me) it's meditative. Climbing lets me cear my mind by focusing only on it.

The second hobby is my year round hobby, art. I draw, paint and sculpt. I have been drawing since I was a very little kid.

I go through hobby "phases," for lack of a better word.

I mean, sometimes it's a cooking spree, sometimes I'll go off on reading expeditions, sometimes it's music and sometimes it's art, you get the point. It's fairly chaotic.

The only hobby I have with any sort of consistency is my guitar. I'm a pretty good rhythm guitarist and can comfortably fiddle aroundthe fretboard a bit, but I haven't the goods to be a lead quite yet. That's okay with me, the rhythm part always seems a bit sexier to me anyway. ;)

Forgot to answer the second part of the question

I do it because it's relaxing. Bad day at work? Do a little baking and all is well. Feeling a little blue? Pick up the guitar and beat it back or better yet, give it form and belt it out.

soccer since age 6, the more the better, calligraphy, gaming (Xbox games and now Guild Wars), stained glass, playing with my dogs, trying some sewing, oo, and boy watching. :D

Repairing old computers is my thing. I love taking some clunky dinosaur out of the dumpster and spend a day or two playing with it, getting it running, salvaging parts, etc... My latest find was yesterday. A PII and a Dell XPS... with a Pentium Pro. Top of the line computing when I was a kid. :-D Even comes with a 1 gig harddrive. OOOOOH.

Disk_Pusher, you're cool :cool:

my hobbies ... shit, it's been a while since i've had a hobby other than sitting in front of keyboard and monitor :rolleyes:

i suppose, occasional 'hobby' that i'm trying to bring to the level of lifestlye is excersize.
bike riding, running.

reading - i love to read, just been mostly slacking on it for a while

fashion - interests me, will probably develop into a full 'hobby' in the near future

houseplants - i suppose they are a hobby, i've always been good with my indoor garden.

cats - i suppose taking care of the furry beasts could count as a 'hobby'?

music - listening to it, collecting it.

collecting things - certain objects i have strange attraction to, and i 'pack rat' them.
shiny silver things, things with stars, office supplies, and other random weird stuff.

eh, that's all i can think of from the top of my head.
good to think about though.
especially for me, since i've got some changes coming up in my nearer future, that will allow me to get back in touch with who i really am and what i like to do ...

Playing tennis and jogging and working out. I don't feel good while working out, but the feeling afterwards is good. And I truly enjoy playing tennis, especially when I play good.

Chess. Jiu Jitsu. Masturbation. -Not in any special order.

my hobby? hmm mine would be looking like I've done alot of work while in fact accomplishing nothing


oh.. Music and drinking too

I personally love making music. I create stuff on my own...kinda like a solo thing. It's alot better (I think) because you don't have to worry about incorporating anybody elses ideas (that sounds pretty musically conceited :)), you just kinda do your own damn thing.

Although there are times that I get some buddies of mine to help me with some things...usually when I have massive writers block or just need a fill in d00d.

I also like History or Sci-fi reading. In school when I have a book I have to read, I'll always find myself reading a book that wasn't assigned to me. I'll catch myself 2 days before the book's due and have to do a "power" read to finish it in time.

my hobbies are somewhat varied:

Video games have been a hobby of mine for literally as long as I can remember. They've always been my escape from reality. I wouldn't just play a game, I would immerse myself in the game. I would think I'm the character in the game. That's still how I play games to this day.

Rock Climbing is also a hobby of mine, which is funny, because I'm petrified of heights. I started it only because a therapist of mine back in the day suggested that I try it to get over my fear. I ended up loving it, but I never truly got over my fear. I swear I must be the only rock climber that actually NEVER looks down, LOL. My face is always either looking at the rock directly in front of me, or looking up.

Probably my final major hobby would be music. But it's different in some way for me, because if I need to cheer up or even relax, I listen to heavy metal or hard rock. The harder the riff's and the better the screaming, then the better I feel. It's the slow songs that start to get on my nerves more quickly than speed-metal. Odd maybe, it's just how I'm built though. Music has been in my life since forever, hell, I've been playing the piano for about 7 years now. :P

Movies. I could watch movies all day and just try to pick up on the little details. I love it. My dream job is in the movies, even if just a guy who gets people on the set coffee. That would be great. I think of myself as a sort of movie critic, I just don't have the writing ability or presence on camera to make a job out of that.

Playing guitar and golfing. I suck at both but I at least get to cuss and drink. Maybe the drinking part is the cause of the "I suck at both".

Reading and listening to music of all types I would say are my two biggest hobbies both instilled to me by my parents growing up. I remember as a kid we weren't very well off and would make it a big family thing to head to the library each week to get books. Music well let's just say my love for music of all kinds has evolved into an obsession with car audio and sound quality in both the mobile and home.

Fencing's fun, I can do that for free at school, haven't done it much since I dislocated my shoulder for the nth time though.
I play around with my radio controlled truck (HPI Savage if you want to google for how cool it is.) Very fun, a bit too expensive right now if I break anything though. Gonna have to get employement sorted this summer.

I'm terribly (and quite happily) hooked on golf: playing, watching, practicng and discussing it. Also I try to read a least a book at week. Sometimes 3 at once (I'm a glutton for the good ones!). As a trained artist I try to attend gallery openings regularly and I always have something on my easel. Some of my pieces are hanging in a few nice galleries :) Travel was big for me for the last 20 years. Sadly, I have yet to travel Asia & Micronesia and the surrounding islands therein...and yes, horsback riding! I LOVE to ride...it's so cathartic and a good work out...but I'm looking for decent stable these days, though. Don't want to ride a worn out working horse. Looking for a decent Tennesee Walker in the Napa & Sonoma area. Oh yeah, currently drinking and collecting fine wines - not hard to do here in the Napa Valley.

BTW - I'd LOVE to learn how to fence!



"Life's been good to me so far".

I've never really thought of it as a hobby but the last couple years I've read anything I could find on medical subjects. I will actually put off reading a magazine, novel, or any other "hobby" type activity so that I can look up things. I enjoy those medical television programs. I'm especially interested in pharmacuticals. I've actually been thinking lately about what I want to do when someday my daughter is not home anymore and in school. If we had the money I would love to go back to school and become a pharmacist or something of the sort. I find the chemicals facinating and I think it's fun to try to say the different chemical names. Call me a geek but I've always enjoyed medical terminology and word etymology.

Well, I guess my main hobby is Japanese. Kinda funny, but I starting studying on a whim, and it took over my life.

I used to read a lot, but haven't recently.

I do various 'get in shape' things and play tennis.

I find my self 'wanting' something new as a hobby, a new language, or maybe something I don't even know about yet. I guess I will just keep my eye open.

my hobbies are rock climbing and guitar, i've been hooked on climbing since my first time, and i've been playing guitar since junior high cause i wanted to be in a band and it pretty much took over my life from there.

My current hobby is poetry and collecting music. Both are ways of escape and venting. Also acts of inspiration..the music sometimes inspires, and then I write it down. Heh.

Asta!!