What are your OTHER hobbies?

[Kun2112]

From what I've learned over the past few years, most people who make mead, wine, and beer at home are cut from a different cloth. People like that, who are different, in a good way, generally have more than one hobby. As I get into my own fermenting season, I would like to learn more about the fine people who make up the Got Mead community. The best way to learn about someone, I have found, is to learn what they do for fun! I'll start.

My "summertime" hobby is RC naval combat. I build scale models of warships, add a radio, servos, etc... sheet the sides of the hull in thin balsa and arm then with pneumatic cannons shooting BBs to 1/4" ball bearings at other people's boats in attempts to sink each other. The boats are recoverable, and we protect the electronics to survive a sink. It doesn't always work out that way though, and I have had to replace components on occasion--water will find any flaw in your waterproofing.

So, what do you do for fun when not measuring SG, looking for honey, and racking off the latest experiment?

 

[Chevette Girl]

RC naval battles? That's one I haven't heard of, sounds like a lot of fun!

I have a 23-year old pony who takes up a fair bit of time and money (I ride bareback, mostly Dressage training with a sprinkling of Western and the occasional jumping spree), I also have a 30-year old Chevette making time and cash demands... I make jams and jellies, I have a baking problem (same as my brewing problem, I always make more than I can consume), I've been doiing Aikido for over a decade and Iaido for almost that long, roleplaying games for at least 15 years, my house is stuffed full of board games and my hubby and I got into painting warhammer minis and making terrain a couple years ago (I made a Cone of Shame to put on a Skaven musician for chewing on his bell, and just don't ask about Pinky the drag queen Goblin leader). We also both make medieval and fantasy armours under contract for our armourmaster, and we both do armoured fighting because our armourmaster is also our swordfighting trainer. I also do sewing, crocheting, beadwork and wirework jewelry... and I'm sure there are a bunch more hobbies packed away that I haven't touched for a while because I want to do too many things...

 

[Altricious]

This is my major hobby:

My mother and I have been raising and showing cavies (guinea pigs) for about 25 years. We're pretty much top in our breed nationally. We've even taken one Best in Show award at the national convention a couple years ago.

I also do a crapload of crafts, too many kinds to list. But, ya know, that's just for fun.

 

[akueck]

Sinking boats sounds like a ton of fun! I should do that too.

Just bought our first house, so the major hobby right now is "fixing stuff". Working a lot on the pond. Pretty much that takes up all available time.

 

[celticgladiator]

I'm into ham radio and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu when my work schedule allows it. Nothing like the release of stress as you are trying to keep from getting choked out, for some reason you just don't have time to worry about much else

 

[Leeham991]

I generally drink absolutely every craft beer I find, fight with swords, do traditional archery and play around on military sims on the PC.

In fact it was my love of dressing up like a medieval soldier which got me interested in mead, which I first bought at the Royal Armouries

I also like making bread, building wooden things and growing spider plants, of which I have about a hundred in 5 'generations'

 

[vulcan500rider]

I do a LOT of reading, primarily in the field of fantasy, but I'll read anything that has a good strong plot and great characters. I'm currently working on Joe Abercrombie's First Law series, and Elizabeth Moon's Speed of Dark. I also do some writing, satire & parody for the most part.

I tend to have an intense interest in doing things myself that other pay for-- such as brewing, obviously, but I've also done some furniture & speaker building, computer assembly, and general fixing.

Lastly, I have a collection of straight razors, and, up until my son was born and my spare time significantly decreased, maintained and shaved with them daily.

Actually, if anyone is interested, I have a website where most of the above is featured: www.nerdincognito.com Most of my hobbies have made it on there at one time or another...

 

[Kun2112]

I have something else in common with some of you. I also shoot traditional archery, and enjoy a good wet shave, but I primarily use a 1961 Gillette adjustable fat-boy because it is more forgiving than my straight razor. Aikido! Of all the martial arts, that one appeals to me the most because of my personality.

 

[Vance G]

Wow! I envy many of you for the proximity to swords and such. I was fair with a foil in college and it ruined most of the swashbuckler movies I ever saw or see! I collect sharp things in a small way. I have a stag killing dagger my father liberated from a museum in Luxumbourg on his walking tour of Europe one spring. I am now a keeper of bees and this summer an attempter of keeping too many. I used to be a flyfisherman and enjoyed those rainbows jumping higher than my head while wading chest deep in the Missouri! I decided it was silly and now just fish for walleyes, perch, catfish and other edibles and leave the harrassing of second rate fish who can't even grow a scale or tooth to tourists. I loved hunting birds and ducks but heart failure ended that tramping. I still harvest venison. My goal is to get a whitetail with equipment made from crooked stick to stone tip of straight stick. I have the cordage and arrow done; can knap a pretty fair point, but have not sucessfully made a self bow strong enough yet. I am about to sinew back one and call it good. A beautiful cavvie and the Mayans would have really appreciated it!

 

[kudapucat]

I shoot furry things for the dinner table.
I sail, scuba dive, build medieval machinery to make better booze, like akuek, I'm still fixing up the house, I turn timber and try to make pretty boxes, and at the moment, I'm assisting in the production of further offspring. Only 2 weeks to go.

 

[drako824]

I make chainmail, I read a lot, and I play rpg videogames.

 

[Vance G]

I have about a square foot of chainmail (unriveted) that I made twenty some years ago! My hats off to you, that is a lot of work!

 

[Chevette Girl]

I used to make chain mail. After my 10-lb vest and my hubby's 20-lb vest and the infill panel for my fantasy armour, my wrists and elbows have told me in no uncertain terms that I should stick with plate mail, it's easier on my body.

 

[vulcan500rider]

I have something else in common with some of you. I also shoot traditional archery, and enjoy a good wet shave, but I primarily use a 1961 Gillette adjustable fat-boy because it is more forgiving than my straight razor. Aikido! Of all the martial arts, that one appeals to me the most because of my personality.

Fair enough; since the little guy came along, my straight only comes out on Sundays now, when I've got a few days worth of growth. My day-to-day is an Edwin Jagger DE. Making the change to a wet shave was a revelation, and I'd stop shaving entirely before I return to the days of cold shave gel and a 14 bladed razor (OK, OK, maybe they're not there yet...but soon).

 

[ken_schramm]

I grow fruit - berries, cherries, apples, currants. I fish, and tie my own flies. When I can find the time, I hunt. I play the guitar and sing some, like to fling the frisbee, and love craft beer, good wine, baking, and cooking in general.

since the little guy came along, my straight only comes out on Sundays now.

I think we can all relate...

 

[mrperq]

I work in IT which is a hobby turned job, still trying out new things in my own time still feels like a
hobby.

Just bought our first house, so the major hobby right now is "fixing stuff".

+1 (I'm not really handy, but I make up with patience, and time. LOTS of time.)

I also play the guitar, enjoy a good walk, reading/making trips/meditating about history, science
and society.

Somewhere in the near future I'm goint to try glass etching, make some pretty wine bottles

In the past I've been known to ride a horse, but that one died out. Can't even see the horribly
creatures anymore.

Wishlist: Beekeeping (small garden ), destillation (law ), Growing fruit,
making bio-diesel, fishing, hunting, robotics, ...

 

[Altricious]

Wishlist: Beekeeping (small garden ), destillation (law ), Growing fruit,
making bio-diesel, fishing, hunting, robotics, ...

Bees will travel up to 3 miles, so don't let your small garden deter you. As long as you don't have a neighbor issue or literally no room for a hive, I say go for it. Even in mostly residential areas, there's plenty of flowers for your bees to visit.

 

[hivemind]

• Restoring a 1972 Honda CB450 - just laced and trued my wheels after getting the rims powercoated.
• Stained glass when my garage isn't litter with motorcycle parts.
• Reading Steve Erikson's Malazan Books of the Fallen while waiting for the next Patrick Rothfuss The Kingkiller Chronicle book.
• Going to local reggae or metal concerts or visiting DC for metal concerts that don't stop by in NC.
• Playing soccer 4-5 days a week - just returned from winning an amateur tournament in the Netherlands.
• Video games (atm: Guild Wars 2, Borderlands 2, Torchlight 2)
• Sundays - drinking away the pain of being a NY Jet fan

 

[mrperq]

Bees will travel up to 3 miles, so don't let your small garden deter you. As long as you don't have a neighbor issue or literally no room for a hive, I say go for it. Even in mostly residential areas, there's plenty of flowers for your bees to visit.

Small is quit relative offcourse, for a city-house
our garden is more then decent, manny flowers and
fine neighbours (thank god). The main problem is you
have to cross the entire garden to reach the garage,
leaving us no "forgotten corner".

Green is the garden, black are buildings, grey is the
street and red is common traffic. At max, this leaves
a radius of 2m around a potential hive where people
dont pass dayly.

I'm not an expert of bee's but I guess they won't like
people comming too much too close to their hive, even
if its the guy who feeds them sugar. The bee's my
grandfather kept didn't anyway.

 

[Altricious]

Small is quit relative offcourse, for a city-house
our garden is more then decent, manny flowers and
fine neighbours (thank god). The main problem is you
have to cross the entire garden to reach the garage,
leaving us no "forgotten corner".

Green is the garden, black are buildings, grey is the
street and red is common traffic. At max, this leaves
a radius of 2m around a potential hive where people
dont pass dayly.

I'm not an expert of bee's but I guess they won't like
people comming too much too close to their hive, even
if its the guy who feeds them sugar. The bee's my
grandfather kept didn't anyway.

Bummer. That is a little tight. I don't suppose your garage has a flat roof?