45 Manly Hobbies meme
Check yesterday's post for the link to the article about 45 Manly Hobbies
Chess
I learned Chess in the sixth grade. Joined the Chess Club that year (after learning). Played any and everyone that would play me. Went on to win the Sixth Grade Chess Championship. Couldn't beat the 8th grader though. After that I didn't play much. Eventually someone gave me a three-player game---hexagonal board with diamond-shaped "squares". White Red and Black. I enjoy that a lot. And even MORE recently I got a card game that supplements Chess. Knightmare Chess. Along the lines of Magic The Gathering, you play cards to modify chess moves. I've been wanting to combine that with the Three Player Chess, but haven't done that yet.
Ham Radio
I messed with walkie talkies when I was a kid. I can appreciate Ham Radio; I know some people. But it's too expensive to add to my list of already expensive hobbies.
Reading
I assume this means reading FOR FUN. I engage in this often. I prefer Mysteries and / or Science Fiction and / or Fantasy. Generally I enjoy urban fantasy and cyberpunk. Getting into Steampunk. I also like some weird stuff: fantastic horror and Cthulhu...
Playing the Guitar
I took lessons. I have an acoustic. I can't stand practicing. I don't even like to HEAR the same thing twice in one day... I've forgotten the fingerings now...
Ballroom Dancing
I have no interest in dancing, though I respect those that are GOOD at it.
Woodworking
I'd like to. Maybe. I dabble at some home improvement.
Gardening
Not interested. Trying to convince frostdancer to plant more Native Plants so that there's less work. Plus I don't like getting that dirty.
Classic Car Restoration
I can't afford this. And I don't really like getting that dirty.
Metalworking
I will probably never do this.
Marksmanship
I think I'd be good at this. But I've never fired a rifle or pistol in my life. Maybe someday.
Collecting
I used to collect stamps avidly. Now I accumulate them. I've "inherited" my father-in-law's collection, but I haven't really even gone through it...
I accumulate coins too. I can spend a LOT of money collecting...so I've cut back. I have a few other small collections of things.
Camping/Backpacking
Geocaching has opened my mind about this a little, but...well, I'll probably never go camping.
Ship in a Bottle
No thanks.
Hunting
I'm not interested. I'd rather have someone else kill my food for me. I find trophy hunting abhorrent, just like any kind of killing for any reason other than food or self-defense.
Fishing
See "Hunting". And those of you that like to fish--Any time you have a fish out of the water, I want you to hold your breath. The entire time the fish is out of the water. So you can feel what they are feeling. Oh, and if you throw 'em back, please feel free to hook your own lip and extract that hook each time. And yet I enjoy seafood.
Whittling
I don't have the patience.
Geocaching
I enjoy this, though I get bored with doing it in my own area. Now I have to have a challenge to go with it. Like caching in parks because I'm trying to get my "park passport" stamped. Or going caching while waymarking. When on a road trip, though, I wanna get a cache any time I can.
Sports
Not interested. I don't participate. I don't watch them*. I'm sure this is related to my having a bad leg.
*Okay, sometimes I might watch the last few laps of an auto race. Or a little bit of some sport in the Olympics. Or a caber toss at a Highland Games. But not for very long. I did dabble with racketball...but eventually everyone got better than I was ever going to get (see "bad leg") and eventually I just quit.
Model Building
Did this a bunch when I was a kid. I don't think I did it anymore after I got a car.
I still play with Lego. That's model building...sort of.
Leatherworking
I could see myself being interested...but it's not very high on the list.
Bowling
My father managed the bowling center at a nearby Air Force Base. I learned to bowl. Never got GREAT, but I don't make a complete fool of myself.
I'll still go and bowl about once a decade.
Archery
Never done it, but this is somewhat higher on the list of things that I think might be fun to learn.
Letter Writing
I've written some. But since my penmanship is awful, I don't do it much. Let's hear it for computers.
Martial Arts
Got some lessons when younger. But no one thought it was a good idea to compete with my bad leg, so I lost interest pretty fast.
Hiking
Geocaching is getting me to dabble in hiking. But it's unlikely I'll ever go hiking WITHOUT geocaching.
Alcohol/Cigar/Pipe-smoking Connoisseur
I dabble in being a beer snob and learning to make the occasional drink. I know where "whisky" comes from and where "whiskey" comes from.
Photography
Trying to learn. Waymarking gets me taking pictures. I doubt I'll ever try to learn how to make "artsy" photos, but I want to get good at documenting things with photos.
Pool/Billiards
We had a regulation-size slate table in our house during my highschool years. I was pretty much better than all my friends, but eventually I stopped messing with it. Never got REALLY good. Now it's like bowling. I try to play at least once a decade.
Mountaineering
Once the ropes become a requirement, I'm out.
Cooking
I can make breakfast. I dabble with my charcoal grill. But it's not a hobby, it's a chore.
Blacksmithing
I appreciate it. But I'll never learn to DO it.
Flying
No thanks. I'm not disinterested. But I have a hard enough time finding a CAR that I can sit comfortably in. Luckily my bad leg is my left.
Magic
Messed with a few things when I was a kid. The art if misdirection IS something I'm interested in. Especially the psychology of it. But I'm not planning to learn to DO it.
Learning a Foreign Language
I took French in elementary school. Took Spanish in high school. Took German in college. I appreciate the linguistics...but learning a new language would be WORK to me, not a hobby.
Card Playing
I learned blackjack and a little bit of poker. But I'm not GOOD at it, and not really interested in getting good.
Blogging
What do you think you're reading?
Paintball
Looks interesting. But I probably won't.
Fencing
It'd be fun to know. I don't enjoy watching.
Beer Brewing
No. I'd much prefer to enjoy the fruits of others' labors. Preferably the labors of someone that wants to make money at it.
Drawing and Painting
I did some of this as a kid. My stuf is usually tiny. Precise. Took drafting in high school. I never really got the knack of drawing natural stuff. I do better with manmade subjects.
Amateur Astronomy
Never got into it. I've lived most of my life in cities. I'm interested from a Science Fiction standpoint. Also from a scientific discovery standpoint. But I probably won't get a telescope and try to "planetwatch".
Genealogy
My father-in-law is very into this. frostdancer is a little into it. I might have to get an ancestry.com account and see what I can find about MY family tree.
Adventure Races
Not interested. Well, I might be interested in watching a little. But not in participating.
Knitting
Never tried it. Not high on the list.
Computer Programming
I have done this for school, I've done this for work. I've never managed to do it as a hobby. But I have a need for something on my iPhone, so maybe...
Chess
I learned Chess in the sixth grade. Joined the Chess Club that year (after learning). Played any and everyone that would play me. Went on to win the Sixth Grade Chess Championship. Couldn't beat the 8th grader though. After that I didn't play much. Eventually someone gave me a three-player game---hexagonal board with diamond-shaped "squares". White Red and Black. I enjoy that a lot. And even MORE recently I got a card game that supplements Chess. Knightmare Chess. Along the lines of Magic The Gathering, you play cards to modify chess moves. I've been wanting to combine that with the Three Player Chess, but haven't done that yet.
Ham Radio
I messed with walkie talkies when I was a kid. I can appreciate Ham Radio; I know some people. But it's too expensive to add to my list of already expensive hobbies.
Reading
I assume this means reading FOR FUN. I engage in this often. I prefer Mysteries and / or Science Fiction and / or Fantasy. Generally I enjoy urban fantasy and cyberpunk. Getting into Steampunk. I also like some weird stuff: fantastic horror and Cthulhu...
Playing the Guitar
I took lessons. I have an acoustic. I can't stand practicing. I don't even like to HEAR the same thing twice in one day... I've forgotten the fingerings now...
Ballroom Dancing
I have no interest in dancing, though I respect those that are GOOD at it.
Woodworking
I'd like to. Maybe. I dabble at some home improvement.
Gardening
Not interested. Trying to convince frostdancer to plant more Native Plants so that there's less work. Plus I don't like getting that dirty.
Classic Car Restoration
I can't afford this. And I don't really like getting that dirty.
Metalworking
I will probably never do this.
Marksmanship
I think I'd be good at this. But I've never fired a rifle or pistol in my life. Maybe someday.
Collecting
I used to collect stamps avidly. Now I accumulate them. I've "inherited" my father-in-law's collection, but I haven't really even gone through it...
I accumulate coins too. I can spend a LOT of money collecting...so I've cut back. I have a few other small collections of things.
Camping/Backpacking
Geocaching has opened my mind about this a little, but...well, I'll probably never go camping.
Ship in a Bottle
No thanks.
Hunting
I'm not interested. I'd rather have someone else kill my food for me. I find trophy hunting abhorrent, just like any kind of killing for any reason other than food or self-defense.
Fishing
See "Hunting". And those of you that like to fish--Any time you have a fish out of the water, I want you to hold your breath. The entire time the fish is out of the water. So you can feel what they are feeling. Oh, and if you throw 'em back, please feel free to hook your own lip and extract that hook each time. And yet I enjoy seafood.
Whittling
I don't have the patience.
Geocaching
I enjoy this, though I get bored with doing it in my own area. Now I have to have a challenge to go with it. Like caching in parks because I'm trying to get my "park passport" stamped. Or going caching while waymarking. When on a road trip, though, I wanna get a cache any time I can.
Sports
Not interested. I don't participate. I don't watch them*. I'm sure this is related to my having a bad leg.
*Okay, sometimes I might watch the last few laps of an auto race. Or a little bit of some sport in the Olympics. Or a caber toss at a Highland Games. But not for very long. I did dabble with racketball...but eventually everyone got better than I was ever going to get (see "bad leg") and eventually I just quit.
Model Building
Did this a bunch when I was a kid. I don't think I did it anymore after I got a car.
I still play with Lego. That's model building...sort of.
Leatherworking
I could see myself being interested...but it's not very high on the list.
Bowling
My father managed the bowling center at a nearby Air Force Base. I learned to bowl. Never got GREAT, but I don't make a complete fool of myself.
I'll still go and bowl about once a decade.
Archery
Never done it, but this is somewhat higher on the list of things that I think might be fun to learn.
Letter Writing
I've written some. But since my penmanship is awful, I don't do it much. Let's hear it for computers.
Martial Arts
Got some lessons when younger. But no one thought it was a good idea to compete with my bad leg, so I lost interest pretty fast.
Hiking
Geocaching is getting me to dabble in hiking. But it's unlikely I'll ever go hiking WITHOUT geocaching.
Alcohol/Cigar/Pipe-smoking Connoisseur
I dabble in being a beer snob and learning to make the occasional drink. I know where "whisky" comes from and where "whiskey" comes from.
Photography
Trying to learn. Waymarking gets me taking pictures. I doubt I'll ever try to learn how to make "artsy" photos, but I want to get good at documenting things with photos.
Pool/Billiards
We had a regulation-size slate table in our house during my highschool years. I was pretty much better than all my friends, but eventually I stopped messing with it. Never got REALLY good. Now it's like bowling. I try to play at least once a decade.
Mountaineering
Once the ropes become a requirement, I'm out.
Cooking
I can make breakfast. I dabble with my charcoal grill. But it's not a hobby, it's a chore.
Blacksmithing
I appreciate it. But I'll never learn to DO it.
Flying
No thanks. I'm not disinterested. But I have a hard enough time finding a CAR that I can sit comfortably in. Luckily my bad leg is my left.
Magic
Messed with a few things when I was a kid. The art if misdirection IS something I'm interested in. Especially the psychology of it. But I'm not planning to learn to DO it.
Learning a Foreign Language
I took French in elementary school. Took Spanish in high school. Took German in college. I appreciate the linguistics...but learning a new language would be WORK to me, not a hobby.
Card Playing
I learned blackjack and a little bit of poker. But I'm not GOOD at it, and not really interested in getting good.
Blogging
What do you think you're reading?
Paintball
Looks interesting. But I probably won't.
Fencing
It'd be fun to know. I don't enjoy watching.
Beer Brewing
No. I'd much prefer to enjoy the fruits of others' labors. Preferably the labors of someone that wants to make money at it.
Drawing and Painting
I did some of this as a kid. My stuf is usually tiny. Precise. Took drafting in high school. I never really got the knack of drawing natural stuff. I do better with manmade subjects.
Amateur Astronomy
Never got into it. I've lived most of my life in cities. I'm interested from a Science Fiction standpoint. Also from a scientific discovery standpoint. But I probably won't get a telescope and try to "planetwatch".
Genealogy
My father-in-law is very into this. frostdancer is a little into it. I might have to get an ancestry.com account and see what I can find about MY family tree.
Adventure Races
Not interested. Well, I might be interested in watching a little. But not in participating.
Knitting
Never tried it. Not high on the list.
Computer Programming
I have done this for school, I've done this for work. I've never managed to do it as a hobby. But I have a need for something on my iPhone, so maybe...