Your Best Hobbies (other than Audio)


It would be interesting to know what other things interest the audiophiles who are obviously so passionate about hi fi and Audiogon. I am similarly obsessively interested in cars and motorcycles. What are your interests?
johnsmythson11x59c5
A few basics options and ideas. The best option is if you live in a major city and can go to a nice pen store (I can give you recs for NYC if you live here or nearby) and, in audio parlance, demo a lot of pens. This is the best way to get a sense of what you like and works best with your needs, writing style, aesthetic, etc. Btw, pen people have a lot of the same break-in/burn in issues -- nibs get "accustomed" to your hand over time, etc.

If that is not a chance, you can answer some of the questions below and I can point you to some good web sites and a few personal recs (although be forewarned -- pen taste tends to be highly personal and somewhat ideosyncratic).

Regardless of your proximity to a pen store, other things to think are what you want out of it. Do you want a nice, very classy signature pen for more formal occasions? Do you want to try out a good workable (but not necessarily expensive) fountain pen to see if you want to make the transition to fountain pens for your everyday life? Do you want to try seeing what it is like to use a very nice fountain pen as your regular pen? Do you want to collect them? How much do you want to spend to dip your toe in the water? What do you like aesthetically?

This is not get to get into the whole series of writing questions that drive pen, nib and ink selection (although infinitely cheaper, ink selection is the interconnect/cable selection of the pen world). But that is for another day....
My life has changes signifcantly in the past few years. When I had time for hobbies (including this one) they included: Masters Swimming and Schutzhund with Riesenschnauzers. Swimming brought me a unique joy where intense concentration could bring me to a dream like state. Competition motivated me (my nemesis being my own times), but it was the practice I loved . Dog training was a joy in that it made me think in terms of my team mate's perspective first and then motivating that perspective to a mutual advantage. Both endeavors gave me a sense of being a small and yet integral part in the mechanics of the universe.
I have this funny hobby that I recently developed. I like to sit down ( doesn't matter where, infront of TV, in my back yard, on a swing) and EAT SUNFLOWER SEEDS! I could go on for hours staring and chewing in to oblivion, and enjoying every minute of it. Always looking forward to my 'SESSIONS'. Have the best seeds in stock.If am out I panic, go late in the night, shop and be ready the next day. A good alternative to relax almost turned in to a obsessive hobby!!
Hope you don't drive after you've tanked up, that could be dangerous! Have you tried cryoed sunflower seeds? I found best results with the mk II sunflower seeds(in foil of course). ~Tim