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08-05-2015, 01:06 AM   #1
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Hobby Diversification... what other fun things do you do to pass the time?

Obviously we take pictures as a hobby, otherwise we wouldn't be posting in a photography forum... but I like many others have a diverse range of hobbies. So what do you do to pass the time when you're not adding to your shutter count?

For me, my list includes:

1.) Fishing
2.) Collecting old pc hardware (I have some rather esoteric stuff in sterilite totes my favorite generation is 486 and 586 class from when you actually needed to know how to set everything properly)
3.) Playing musical instruments (guitar, bass)
4.) Collecting comic books (kinda lapsed on this one and haven't bought any in years, but I still have the ones that I did buy from years ago)
5.) Reading (when I start reading, I'll blow through books constantly until I burn out.)
6.) Collecting anime series (primarily on dvd, but I will buy vhs if it's something that wasn't released on dvd. blu-ray's... eh... don't have a player, probably never will so long as I can still get dvd format releases)
7.) Lionel trains (O and 027 gauge)
8.) Model building (kinda lapsed on this as well.. and most of the previous builds are damaged from storage)
9.) Kayaking
10.) Paintball (can't currently play... all tanks went out of hydro and there aren't many places to get hpa filled around here.. I've given up on CO2 as a propellant)
11.) Electronics (small circuit building... lapsed and now nowhere to buy parts as radio shack is gone)
12.) Camping (whenever I can get time off of work and have money to spare)
13.) Mt. Biking (would like to get back into this, but need to buy a new front fork first)
14.) Lapidary arts (cannot do this currently as I cannot afford the machinery needed... a dremel only goes so far)

As you can see, it's quite a diverse list. Many of my hobbies get pushed to the wayside due to financial reasons, others just get put on the backburner in favor of others in the rotation (or by season for outdoor activities), some others get bumped down as I can't justify taking up more space (collecting... anime is the ultimate exception to this rule, I will ALWAYS buy anime). So let's see them, what hobbies do you all partake in?

08-05-2015, 02:54 AM   #2
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Up until January, I was a competitive powerlifter. I held a few records, traveled around the world to compete, etc. That actually worked out well for my photography because every time I went to a new place to compete, I would have my camera in hand. I like to do anything with my hands, be it woodworking, metal fabrication, etc. I have recently started learning to play the ukulele, as well. When I lived in the US, I was all about cars and motorcycles. I rarely ever bought one (maybe 3-5 total) and much preferred trading, as it was fun to see what kind of deals I could work. By the time I left the US, I believe I had owned close to 40 cars/trucks as well as a few motorcycles. I also am fascinated with anything mechanical in nature, or simplistic yet rugged. I love watches, old typewriters, brass knuckles, straight razors, etc. I actually have a collection of old straight razors from Germany and England that were made between 1880 and 1920. Then there is my love of alternative architecture (domes, underground structures, etc), planes, submarines and submersibles, etc. Actually, the more I type, the more stuff that comes to mind and the closer I get to rambling endlessly, so I will leave it at that.
08-05-2015, 03:34 AM   #3
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In no particular order:

Firearms, especially pistols.
Numismatist (coin and currency collector)
Computers, going back to 1968
1:24 scale model cars
Traveling
Amateur Radio
Reading
08-05-2015, 04:37 AM   #4
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Rock climbing
Archery - from Olympic recurve to compound to Kyudo
Trail running/bushwalking/cross-country skiing
Fine food and wine
Musical theatre

08-05-2015, 05:47 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by Tom S. Quote
Amateur Radio
Hi Tom,
I had a full call in VK3 in the '70's but have not been active since.
I have a 1963 Lafayette HE30 here with a rudimentary long wire from garage to house
and I sometimes listen around for a while on 40 and 20 metres.
08-05-2015, 06:18 AM   #6
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Playing (and buying.....and occasionally selling!) guitars and ukuleles
Kayaking
Reading
Hiking with hubby and the dog
08-05-2015, 06:28 AM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by wombat2go Quote
Hi Tom,
I had a full call in VK3 in the '70's but have not been active since.
I have a 1963 Lafayette HE30 here with a rudimentary long wire from garage to house
and I sometimes listen around for a while on 40 and 20 metres.
I'm Whiskey India 8 Peru. 99% HF but I'm starting to look at other areas.

08-05-2015, 06:46 AM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by Tom S. Quote
but I'm starting to look at other areas.
Yes, I am out of touch with it but I see it is not what it used to be.
I remember those big contests in the late/60's early/70's. They were fun, especially the annual one where we used to go bush for a weekend with all the club members.
I think about the last time I was on the air was a contest in 1971.
08-05-2015, 06:52 AM   #9
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In my younger days:

Flying
Motorcycles
Gold Panning
Metal Detectors
Horses
Reloading own ammo
Photography
Color professional darkroom
Aquariums
Fishing
Travel (Hawaii, Canada, Alaska, England, Scotland, Spain, Africa)

Present:

Photography
Astronomy
Birding
Gardening
Playing the Dulcimer

Last edited by csa; 08-08-2015 at 02:43 PM.
08-05-2015, 07:04 AM   #10
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I have other hobbies and activities that I do although photography is intertwined in all of them.
Motorcycle riding.
Hiking.
Fishing.
Downhill and XC skiing.
Kayaking.
Camping.
It's common for me to combine these. I often fish out of my kayak, even on days when my main goal is photographing birds or wildlife. The birds and critters don't always cooperate just as the fish don't always bite. The fishing tackle and camera are always along. This is also true of hiking. I will often carry some fishing gear on a hike.
I am a 3 season camper. It used to be all year but my aging body doesn't take well to sleeping in the extreme cold of winter any more.
My motorcycles get me around in the riding season. You don't worry much about the cost of fuel when you get 60 MPG. Some days I just ride. Some days I ride to my hiking or fishing destination.

I really don't thing I have a diverse range here as they all kind of compliment each other and are often combined. I enjoy being outdoors, regardless of the season.
08-05-2015, 07:44 AM - 1 Like   #11
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Another nice forumtopic! I'll join in:

My reef aquarium is actually my primary hobby. It holds 600 liters of salt water and is completely stacked with corals and a few fish. I keep the fish count low so the water remains ultra pure at all times and the fish have lots of living space. The corals grow like crazy under the 800watts of Chineze full spectrum LEDS. And the pristine water makes the corals show all the colours they could possibly show. I'm always clipping them and creating frags to trade or sell of fellow enthusiasts. Currently I'm into automating everything as much as possible. I want it to function almost autonomously for our holiday next year. Requiring only daily checks from the holidays-assistant. And looking for automating-solutions and building things is almost a hobby in itself!

Some of my corals:








And then there's gaming. I grew up with computers and gaming and that side of me never really matured. Currently I'm playing the free-to-play Rift. It's a beautifully designed MMORG like World of Warcraft, only many times better, imho.

Reading: I recently discovered how many Star Wars novels there really are! I love them!

That's about it. I keep it limited, because if I have to follow everything that I'm interested in then I'll be sleep-deprived, broke and divorced in no-time.

Last edited by Clavius; 08-05-2015 at 01:39 PM.
08-05-2015, 08:00 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Clavius Quote
Currently I'm into automating everything as much as possible.
I would be interested to know what feeder you use.

I have a 200 litre tank with (5) crazy, active goldfish, always hungry.
That is about the limit of fish for that tank size, so I monitor the Ammonia monthly and so far it is in the safe range.
08-05-2015, 09:03 AM   #13
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Definitely great replies so far, and in such a short amount of time as well. Clavius, if you like storytelling in your mmo's you should give guild wars 1 and 2 a try. My favorite mmo of all time is still Anarchy Online, but I refuse to pay $96/year when they can't even meet their promises after 8 years (causing the population to increasingly fail year after year) promised a new graphics engine back in '06 or so... they still don't have that thing live yet. In this amt of time, they could have completely rebuilt the game using a modern engine.

I did forget to mention skiing in my list... however I've been too chunky for the past few years to buckle my ski boots, so I still couldn't call it a current hobby.
08-05-2015, 09:39 AM   #14
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Reading, computers, kayaking, cycling (MTB, road, touring), trail running, music, films, cricket, watching sports. Love my weekends!
08-05-2015, 09:41 AM   #15
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Wow! All you guys are so damn interesting! I'm kind of intimidated... Photography is pretty much my consuming interest, but I also identify as a pet-keeper.

Right now my 29-gallon aquarium is kind of pathetic, but I'm in the process of convincing my husband to either go full-on Asian (barbs and gouramis), or go fish-only saltwater and get a snowflake moray eel, maybe a goby or two. He loves African community cichlids (Lake Tanganyika natives most of all), but it just can't (shouldn't) be done in a 29 and we need to re-seal the 55.

I also have two ball pythons and a California kingsnake (I had the World's Oldest Cornsnake, but she died at the beginning of the year - hence "several snakes" versus "a few snakes"). The snakes are super low-maintenance, but have a high cool-factor. :-)

My other reptile is a female Uromastyx lizard - tons of personality and the convenience of a completely vegetarian diet (to counter the dozens of dead rats and mice in the freezer for the snakes).

I have a VERY large flight cage with two finches (one Lady Gouldian and one Society) left from a collection of about 10-15, but I'm done with little birds. Just waiting for these two to move on to the great beyond so I can take that space back and cut back on dust and seed husks in the house.

(I'd mention the two dogs, but they are basically people, so it feels insulting to refer to them alongside the brainless birds and reptiles. Ha!)
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