Um, I play guitar and bass. Have a little studio set up but prefer recording into my headset while playing accoustic for the sheer craptastic factor. I can link those, but won’t do so without request.
I collect Arcade and Board Games. I also collect rare video games in general.
Programming.
I cook, but I kind of went to school for that.
That reminds me, technically I collect role-playing games, but I’m not sure if collecting is technically a hobby or just an organized way to spend money. I mean, I’m not sure if my scotch is a hobby. Or, for that matter, my grocery shopping.
Poker, PnP RPGs, Writing.
Photography
Reading
Playing with my kid
Movies
Blogging about all of the above
Gaming, family, work poker. That’s pretty much my whole life.
Hobbies are for people with no kids.
Other than computer/video gaming:
I read when I have time. Mostly historical fiction and fantasy novels.
I buy and sell PC parts, games and other stuff on Ebay, but that’s more to finance my PC gaming habit than as a hobby.
I travel, the wife and I are both big travellers, and we love hiking in State/National parks.
edit : I almost forgot, Fantasy Football. Is that a hobby or an addiction?
I also love watching NFL Football and College Basketball.
I plan to be way less boring once my kids hit high school age…
I’d say it’s a hobby if you spend time on it. If you scour ebay looking for things, or hit the shops regularly, or even read them from time to time as part of the collecting. I’d call that a hobby, and that doesn’t really equate to grocery shopping. You don’t spend time thinking about groceries, except to put them on a list. Plus, you don’t enjoy it, and that’s the key. A hobby is something you do to receive satisfaction, usually in a way that is not common to all people (again, groceries are out).
Judging from the extensive photo gallery of that scotch collection… that has got to be considered a hobby.
I suppose my hobbies would currently include reading (alternate between classics and science fiction), old PC games, Magic the Gathering, VS system, bowling, and “board” games like Illuminati. I used to be interested in all sorts of things like piano, music theory, jazz, comics, and D&D but I guess I got boring.
I’ve been playing the Piano for 10 years. I also play the Alto Sax, but not a lot. It’s hard to practice an instrument that loud in your apartment when the landlord’s elderly sister lives downstairs. I’m picking up acoustic guitar, but only because I’m not getting any better at piano anymore and I want to learn a new instrument to kickstart my music theory.
I really like brewing beer. My friends and I picked up this hobby a couple of years ago. It originally started as a method of obtaining good beer for cheap, particularly since we were all underage at the time, but it blossomed into a full hobby. I can make 5 gallons of delicious beer for around $20 (one batch takes about 3-4 weeks, total).It’s fun, fairly easy, has a great reward, and is also great for giving people presents. Plus, cool-factor.
I don’t know whether this counts as a hobby, but I’m huge on swimming. I just really enjoy it. I swim every day right now, mostly to get myself through the work day. 8 hours in front of a computer is MADDENING, so I extend my lunch break to an hour, and swim for 45 minutes. Right now I swim somewhere between a kilometer and a mile per day.
Finally, I’m an on-and-off political activist. Sometimes electoral politics, sometimes social or environmental campaigns, both local and national. I’ve toned it down the last year or so because I let it suck up WAY too much of my time the couple of years before, but I’m slowly but surely becoming more involved again. It’s easy to lose yourself in that stuff. Howard Dean (and then, reluctantly, John Kerry), Fair Trade Coffee, on-campus sustainable housing, anti-Patriot Act, pro-Charter School Legislation, I’ve done a little bit of everything.
I go canoeing and kayaking when I can, but the weather in Maine only permits this during the summer. In the Winter, if snow permits, there’s cross-country skiing.
Also, like everyone in the world, I listen to music and read books :p.
You think Hummers get crap milage?
Here’s my baby:
Figure about 0.8 mpg - yes zero point eight.
Boating has pretty much consumed all my previous hobbies, but we do it as a family so it’s all good.
-CJ
Play guitar.
Play poker
Watch and follow ice hockey. I’d love to start playing, but don’t know if I will ever be able to catch up to people who play in leagues.
I’ve been playing basketball every day after work, recently.
Started skiing again last winter after a long hiatus. Will most likely continue the hobby this season.
I’m really into music in general, and love turning people on to bands that I think they would enjoy.
Check with your local rec centre. I started at about age 24, and have been playing in the same leagues ever since (~7 years). The skill level ranges from guys who have never played before right up to guys who played junior A. You will never be as good as those players. The main thing is, learn to skate first. You need to be able to stop at full speed and even then, you probably won’t be able to skate and play the puck at the same time in your first season. But if you persevere, it’s the best sport in the world.
Funny, I’ll be 24 next month. It’s good to hear that it isn’t too late for me because it seems like a really fun sport to play. I think I am going to work on my skating this fall/winter when it gets too cold for basketball and I need some other form of exercise.
My brother and his friend both started right around that age too. I think it’s when you finally have enough money that you can afford to blow $1000 on gear.
Running. Reading. Playing boardgames. Skiing. Hiking. Cooking.
All of which are mostly absorbed by the 3 year old and 6 year old that someone let loose in our house.
Geoff
My current hobby is working overtime. And buying 48-hour madness games on GoGamer then not having time to play them.
I’ve turned my geek factor up to 11 and have started painting Warhammer figures. It started with me buying some 1/72nd scale medieval knight figures for my son, then stopping by a Games Workshop store near the hobby store and getting some orcs, then doing a fantasy sculptural unit at school, then going online to learn more techniques about miniature painting, now I spend too much time on ebay looking for deals whilst hunched over a miniature, washing and drybrushing obsessively.
I’m now thinking of getting one of those daylight balanced lamp/magnifying glass things as featured in 40 Year Old Virgin.
The good part is, I don’t give a fuck about what people think- my kids think they’re the coolest things evar.
Avid film watcher, love to write but haven’t had the time recently, used to make films until I got into film school and started editing for a living.
Play a lot of video and PC games, but would vastly prefer to play board games with my group.
Mountain Biking
Toy collecting (mostly Japanese diecast, some horror)
Toymaking
Sculpting
Drawing
Painting
Drinking
Horror movie nut
Reading, I go through 2 books a week normally (lunchtime reading)
Playing fetch with my dogs?
Expensive hobby, but most are.