Your Other Hobbies (when not sinking ships)

[Schöneboom]

Guten Tag, Alle,

I imagine a lot of you are multi-talented and enjoy other pursuits when not playing virtual skipper (that has been known to happen, right?) Some, like model making, are naturally connected with military history. In my spare time I write screenplays; my current project is about the later years of T.E. Lawrence's life, when he was testing rescue speedboats for the RAF. (Yes, I feel right at home with history scholars; I may even do research at Oxford this fall.)

Others hobbies are perhaps not at all connected. For ex., last fall I started making espresso at home. By applying the same degree of obsession that I devote to convoy attacks, the progress has been most gratifying, esp. as my girlfriend appreciates a good cappuccino in the morning. (As the home barista, I'm also learning to mix cocktails.)



So, please share with us your other hobbies. Don't hold back, show us your brilliance!

[Ishmael]

My wife and I run an award-winning writing/critique group at:

http://groups.msn.com/UniversalWritersGroup

We started four years ago with four members and now have some 664 members from the literal four corners of the globe. We were named to Writer's Digest Magazine's annual survey of the top 101 Websites for Writers in both 2005 and 2006.

PS. I grew up in Benicia and lived in Vallejo for 15 years, the last five here:






So where in the City do you live?

[UnderseaLcpl]

This should be fascinating! Good thread!

I write fictional books and then delete them, because I'm not good enough to be a real writer. I also argue on forums because the people who surround me IRL can't be bothered to submit a considered opinion with some basis in fact. YAY interweb!


other hobbies; paintball, reading, and playing games without submarines.

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl

This should be fascinating! Good thread!

I write fictional books and then delete them, because I'm not good enough to be a real writer.

Who the hell do you think you are? What give you the right to say whether you are not a real writer or not?!?!?!?!?!

You should write fictional books and then store them on a disk where no one can ever see them. Then perhaps one day you might get an idea that could drastically improve one of your older stories and then submit it for publication.

Every single successful writer started out as a crappy writer. Destroying something you create serves no purpose. By all means keep them hidden (I do) but never delete them. You created it, you better keep it buddy!

Good luck with your writing. Just remember that no one can call you a bad writer but yourself... and you are probably wrong.

I also argue on forums because the people who surround me IRL can't be bothered to submit a considered opinion with some basis in fact. .

This forum? :rotfl:

[Platapus]

Currently my main hobby is my school work. Working towards a Doctorate in International Policy which keys off of my Masters in Political Analysis, which just happens to be what I do for a living.

Doctorates take up all of your time. Friends don't let friends get PhDs!

I read this forums because the people who surround me IRL use logic and research to discuss issues; so I come here for a break

[Tchocky]

My "hobbies" up until a few weeks ago was academia. Which was nice. Now I'm catching up on life again, writing a bit, reading more

When I'm at a loose end there's usually a guitar in my lap and a song in my head. My current project is getting some recording gear together and remember how to play the piano properly. And my neglected bass. And a new instrument, not sure what yet

[Geno_Mariner]

I write military/sci-fi and samurai stories Mostly military/sci-fi (which I call galactic stories) since I've been doing this genre for like... years. Every now and then, I'd do some spy stories combined with my main stories I went through about... five or six original characters. For nearly three years, I ain't changed my OC because she (yes it's a girl, my OC's are originally men) is just the perfect OC I've ever had (if you're curious, she's called Kokita Fujiwara and her current military rank is Commander. Tho I did a story or two with her as Captain or Lieutenant) She's a submariner, sniper, and fighter pilot).
Lol, I talk too much about my story writing hobby
Besides story writing, I'd draw art on either computer or paper. You can have a lookie on here (Oberon's seen my gallery ), tis my art page: http://hitokirihimura.deviantart.com/
I ride horses, annoy people, play OFP, play with my models (only the ones that doesn't break), play with my Roboreptile (who I named Bio Megareptile AKA Shikamaru), watch anime, read manga (current favourite is Kaze Hikaru, a very obscure female manga about a young girl who cross-dressed to enter the Shinsengumi, a very deadly military/police force to get revenge for her brother), and play with my Nintendo DS.
Oh yeah and 3D Modelling on a program called DoGA CGA, like they say, it's like lego but heaps better! You can see my completed works in that link I posted up
I'd better submit before I make this way longer

[Cohaagen]

Motorbikes - riding a dinky Honda CB125 for the last year. It gets me where I want to go. Takes about five minutes to get to 60mph (with a tailwind) but the fuel economy is terrific (just as well given that the tank holds about the same amount as the average teacup), and insurance/tax/spares/etc. are pocket money sums. Had the 250 version of the CB before that, another nice little bike.

Shooting - been getting really into .177 and to a lesser extent .22 air-rifle target shooting after being into smallbore target shooting years ago. Have a .177 Air Arms S210 I picked up for a ridiculously low price second-hand. Reconditioned, it does 1" groups at 45 yards. Wonderful piece of kit, flat-shooting and simple to use. I'd recommend it as a "grown ups" gun for anyone getting into target shooting. Also had a Weihrauch HW97 years ago. Another lovely gun, superbly engineered, but heavy as the arse and fairly pricey for what is essentially a spring-powered gun, albeit an extremely well-made one.

Writing - I've written a few treatments, a short film script for Scottish Screen that didn't get past the initial stage, many sketches, short stories, etc. Nearly had a 30min spec script for Channel 4's Comedy Lab strand produced some years ago. Submitted it Jan 2000, got a letter from Commissioning Editor, Comedy at C4 six weeks later saying he wanted to go with it but I'd have to find a production company myself. Long story short, I had no experience regards production and nothing came of it. Shame, really. Incidentally, the editor who liked my script and assisted me was the guy who recruited Sacha Baron Cohen for C4 and co-created Ali G with him. He's now head of all Entertainment programming at Channel 4.

I also used to write movie, book, music and club reviews for The List magazine in Edinburgh as a freelancer. Worked at a couple of local newspapers as a copyboy/trainee when I was 18/19.

Music - I play bass guitar, an Ibanez Soundgear 200. Nice thin neck, clanky sound, fast-playing action with light-gauge strings. It's done me as a beginner thru novice thru intermediate player and I don't plan on replacing it any time soon. I particularly love jazz fusion stuff like Weather Report, Jaco Pastorius, Brand X, Jeff Beck, Return To Forever, Ohm, Mahavishnu Orchestra, etc., though I can't exactly play like any of them, sadly.

Design - I make my living as a graphic designer. Never was much good at sh*t like life drawing, or trying to render a bowl of manky fruit in pastel and chalks. Design is my passion, from film posters to product packaging and banners and everything in between.

Sailing - Not wind-powered sailing, but I spend a lot of time at sea in an old ex-RNLI McLachlan-class lifeboat that I share with my father, an ex-Merchant Navy deck officer, and which is moored off of his house some 30mins drive from where I live. Mostly sea lochs with the odd foray out into the Firth getting on towards the Irish Sea. Very stable boat, handles well, not too fast but a great solid pair of diesel engines (as long as they're maintained ). The old boy also has an old classic-looking Arbroath trawler that he spends an enormous amount of time on now and which he'll probably live on full-time come his retirement in the next few years or so.

a McLachlan-class boat (not mine though)

Movies - My favourite film is Alien. I've got the Quadrilogy boxset - best DVD buy ever. Bargain, man.

Women - I cannot tell a lie, I love birds. They are the most wonderful thing ever created. They make the world turn and my heart beat faster. If it's got dark hair, brown eyes, big jugs and is under 5'3" I'm in love. If it's aged between 16 and 18 so much the better *rubs hands gleefully*. That said, I'll sting just about anything depending on the circumstances.

(by the way, Foxtrot's post is the biggest laugh I've had all week. Slightly disturbing though was the fact that upon seeing "Austin Kincaid (creampie)" I immediately knew both who that is and the act the term refers to )

Smoking - As a committed smoker of roll-ups, you can't beat specialist tobaccos from the local tobacconist: Dutch, coffee, cherry menthol (my favourite), menthol, brandy, etc. - they're all great. Now and then I'll smoke a pipe full of St Bruno...that'll put hairs on your chest (and cancer in your lungs).

Chopping wood - It's just good fun. On with the log-splitter.

Dogs - I love almost all dogs, but particularly Dobermanns (magnificent animals), West Highland and Scottish Terriers.

Farting about with my computer - I cannot resist taking it to pieces and putting it back together, adding RAM and switching it around in different sockets, faffing with the motherboard, overclocking, squeezing every last iota of power from my graphics card, blah blah etc.

Walking and Running - I have legs like Spartacus. Believe it.

Voluntary Work - I used to do 8 - 16 hours a week average in a harm-reduction organisation giving advice and support on matters of drug use and sexual health to young adults and older teenagers (generally 14+). We also gave out condoms anonymously through the C-Card scheme. I've done a lot of training in matters of child protection, confidentiality, first aid for various overdoses, general health and wellbeing, one-to-one counselling and group therapy, etc.

I got a lot out of it, though sometimes it could be difficult, eg. giving a 10-minute condom demonstration to a half-dozen lovely 15yr old girls, rolling a johnny bag over a plastic replica of an erect penis, talking about breakages and what to do "if it slips off", and afterward having them ask me if I have a girlfriend . Utterly mortifying. Getting into clubs for free was one bonus though, and the ocassionally hilarious spectacle of people who'd utterly mangled themselves with drugs and who were dragged to or prodded toward us for care and support. At one end of the spectrum this could be in the form of a glass of water, perhaps some Dioralyte, perhaps a reassuring chat and cup of tea and sandwich. At the other, it could result in a call to A&E and an ambulance ride, or a visit from the polis if they got a bit saucy (though this very rarely happened). I believe we prevented a lot of people from injuring/harming themselves or from getting filled in by *******witted bouncers and "security staff" either too stupid or unwilling to understand the situation.



(oops, I appear to have written a book...)

[Ishmael]

Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl

This should be fascinating! Good thread!

I write fictional books and then delete them, because I'm not good enough to be a real writer. I also argue on forums because the people who surround me IRL can't be bothered to submit a considered opinion with some basis in fact. YAY interweb!


other hobbies; paintball, reading, and playing games without submarines.

You should join my writing group. We specialize in honest, constructive critique free from personal attack and innuendo. I think we could actually help you out with that.

[Sailor Steve]

Model building.
Motorcycles.
Music.
Study History.

[Letum]

I animate little things like my sig, mostly for fun and occasionally for charities. (it looks much better in HD )
I also love my motorcycle.

[DavyJonesFootlocker]

I'm a budding 3D Modeler and Animator. Looking and reading WW2 documentaries and articles/books. Currently studying NEBOSH Occupational Health and Safety and aiming at a Masters Degree specialising in Aviation Safety as I'm already in that field.

[StdDev]

Other hobbies!?... you mean aside from taking shots at Steed?
Well.. I have been learning blue-grass banjo for a couple of years.. and because of the banjo, I have gotten back into guitar.. just got a new Martin HD-28V for my birthday!
I read a lot of military books and an occasional Sci-Fi...
Offshore saltwater fishing (long range)..





Thats about it.....

[Takeda Shingen]

Originally Posted by StdDev

Now those are some fish.

Since I assume hobbies to exclude employment, I'll leave out the composition and arranging for performing ensembles. Rather, I'll add that I am an avid reader and have begun training in Aikido once again after several years of neglect due to various [unrelated] injuries. I also build model warships [mostly age of sail] and dabble in model railroading. Lastly, I enjoy running and cycling.

[antikristuseke]

I practice axe throwing and i overclock.