Hobbies that changed your life

[DJStrawberry]

I searched the forum and didn't find a thread on this. Pardon me if it has already been talked about as I am new here.

Anyways, I have spent the last 5 years leading a life with WAY too much free time and have finally died from boredom and am set out too fill my days and improve my life. I am wondering what hobbies have changed you to make your life more knowledgeable, enjoyable, entertaining, etc?

So far here is a list of what I am doing/considering doing.

- Go back to school and get my degree

- Play basketball/hit the weights/diet better

- Learn my native language - this has something i have wanted to do my whole life as i was raised in a English speaking only household despite my parents/family being foreign.

- Pick up an instrument. I grew up playing the piano but stopped at the age of 12. I'm considering picking the piano back up as I have the foundation for it or learning a new instrument such as the guitar

- Take a dance class.

Please tell some of your extra curricular activities that you have had great experiences with.

 

[Serialized3]

Heavy drinking

 

[Ripper]

Guitar. Took it up 18 months ago and haven't stopped playing since (quite literally!). I play maybe 3 hours a day, bout an hour of practice and then 2 hours of just jamming. Changed my life so much, just wish I'd discovered it earlier...

 

[ducaro]

piano
go-karting
football
DIY

 

[sparky0000]

Learned Russian. You learn that language and actually rent an apartment in the FSU (Former Soviet Union) and you can toss the DJ bulls*** out the window. I promise you. You won't need it. Your idea of what is beautiful will also change. It is also a cool place if you like a world of shady characters and decaying apartment blocks that all look the same.

 

[MacDiddy]

Learned Russian. You learn that language and actually rent an apartment in the FSU (Former Soviet Union) and you can toss the DJ bulls*** out the window. I promise you. You won't need it. Your idea of what is beautiful will also change. It is also a cool place if you like a world of shady characters and decaying apartment blocks that all look the same.

tell me more... tell me more

 

[Visions007]

I highly recomend skydiving. You meet a lot of cool people there is a entire community that opens to you and they are, for the most part, people you actually want to know. Also working out and to a lesser extent scuba diving. I'd probably be a lot more into scuba if I lived somewhere better suited for it like Bermuda or something. Actually almost all water sports I love whenever i'm on vacation somewhere the best part seems to always be the jet skiing or wake boarding or drinking on the boat etc. Anyways skydiving is the only one I could say changed my life to answer the question

 

[Seismos]

Heavy drinking

i second that... its a lot of fun

 

[ChrizZ]

golf

 

[Jariel]

Health and Fitness. It has improved my appearance, my confidence and self-respect, my energy and my overall enthusiasm for life.

Secondly, my love of writing and reading. It helped me become more literate and articulate, allowed me to express myself and offered me an outlet for my creativity. It also helped me overcome some anger and frustration issues I used to have, since I can now express my problems verbally instead of physically. Plus it helped me to fly through my degree.

Before then, my hobbies consisted mostly of unconstructive activities, such as playing computer games and watching TV. They're kinda fun, but bare some hefty consequences.

 

[Messarger]

I'm surprise no one mentioning tennis. Its a really good game where your anticipation, fitness, consistency, and nearly all mental attributes comes into good play. There's no feeling like coming back to win a match after saving many match points during the game. And those 30 stroke rallys that you win, you have to experience it to know what i'm saying.

 

[Sinistar]

The Cheaper Stuff:

- swimming (my favorite workout)
- I'll second the tennis playing, especially outdoors if possible
- Bike riding
- Watching wildlife (spotting scope and/or camera)

More Costly (These Yielded Most Noticeable Changes In My Life)

- Home Ownership
- Shooting (Bullseye, Tactical, Service Rifle, Long Distance Rifle)
- Reloading
- Scuba Diving (now a DiveMaster assisting classes + u/w video on trips)
- Video Editing
- Flying (the wife is a pilot, I'll be learning within the year)
- Currently learning to sail (friend has a boat and teaches lessons)

 

[Vulpine]

The Cheaper Stuff:
- Watching wildlife (spotting scope and/or camera)

More Costly (These Yielded Most Noticeable Changes In My Life)

- Shooting (Bullseye, Tactical, Service Rifle, Long Distance Rifle)
- Reloading

Shooting is a "blast".

I generalize when I say "being an outdoorsman", but let me itemize because it's really fulfilling:

-shooting (pistol, muzzleloader, trap/trap doubles/skeet/sporting clays, all rifle, etc.)
-hunting (rabbit, squirrel, pheasant, grouse, turkey, deer... anything that's "good eats")
-fishing (everything from deep sea to trout stream)
-camping
-trapping (includes hiking, tracking, and wildlife watching among many others)
-hiking
-bird watching
-animal habitats/habits (general biology/ecology)
-backpacking
-travel
-boating
-tracking/stealth
-camouflage/"cover and concealment"
-history/heritage/tradition
-exercise/weight lifting (drag a deer a half-mile out of a woods, throw it over some deadfalls and barbed-wire fences, and you'll know what I mean)
-swimming
-cliff diving (every time I find a huge rock ledge, I just can't resist)
-conservation
-survival
-cooking (camp cuisine!)
-free food (morel mushrooms, fish, hunted game)
-first aid
-navigation (map reading, compass)
-exploration/scouting
-spelunking (I can't resist goofing around in caves I find!)
-photography (if you aren't going to shoot it, shoot it!)
-education...

Education is actually HUGE. I find myself taking for granted all the things I know about the outdoors sometimes. And, there are many misconceptions flying around that need to be clarified. Plus, it's a treat to function as a "guide" and mentor for people who have never done certain outdoor activities.

I just picked up my muzzleloader (Savage 10MLSS-II) last week and took it to the range a few days ago. Amazing. I can't even begin describing the thrill. A modern gun is thrilling, but a muzzleloader? Diesel! And, it incorporates ballistics, heritage/tradition, and stealth (gotta get up closer!). It's a riot. If you enjoy shooting, I HIGHLY suggest getting a muzzleloader. After the buy-in, it's SUPER CHEAP! And Sinistar, since you dig reloading, this is reloading as you shoot - you'd really dig it. You can adjust powder loads for every shot! Since I'm looking to get in to bow hunting, this is the step between rifle and bow, a natural progression.

Nowadays, there is never a weekend where I'm sitting home bored. In fact, a weekend at home is rare: I'm gone pretty much EVERY weekend. There is always a season open, and many overlap. I find that I just can't manage to do it all! Bummer!

And, you want to talk about cranking up testosterone levels? Pssshf.

It would be an understatement to say becoming an outdoorsman has changed my life. It's more like the outdoors IS my life, I'm an outdoorsman.

However, I can clean up and hit the town and you'd never know I was field dressing an animal two hours ago. It's like Jekyll and Hyde, seriously.

 

[MrS]

Boxing.

 

[Sinistar]

Hey Vulpine,

Yeah, I might have to try a muzzleloader here one day sooner than I thought. I'm kinda slow when it comes to purchasing firearms (about 1/yr max). A good friend of mine just picked up a muzzleloader and got his first dear with it. He loves the new challenge of it.

I have to admit. I never got into hunting. But shooting is a blast And I support anyone who hunts, they are the carrying on one of the oldest traditions despite all the ridiculous arms control crap.

My summer weekends fall into a pattern which I really like.

I usually spend at least one morning / afternoon a weekend helping with open water Scuba classes. Talk about a great way to meet people! And when I was single, talk about a great way to meet the girls. Instant social proof in a leadership role on a weekend doing something fun. I do it because I love the hobby and always learn something with a class of newbies. And that extra experience really comes in handy when doing a warm ocean trip during the winter with other friends, etc.

I also try and get out to the range whenever I can - always outside if possible. About once a week. Right now our latest kick has been doing some tactical stuff. A friend and I are currently trying to put together a [safe] 3-weapon challenge. It starts with a short run to a firing line carrying a sidearm and a M15. Shooting starts with multiple pistol targets that must be cleared before moving on. Following that are several rapid fire shots, open sites with the M15 at 50yds and 100yds. Once they are cleared, it ends with moving to a staged bolt action rifle with optics firing prone or leaning with 3 precision hits required at 200yds. The winner is the one who finishes first. Amount of ammunition required is irrelevant (just don't run out). Side-by-side competition is the only way to go

I think we have as much fun planning the shoots as we do being in them. And it's fun to put all (3) together because there is so much more to it (ie safety, technique, patience, accuracy, knowledge, etc) than any ridiculous movie or TV show.

And I have always wanted to learn to fly. The wife is a ex-airline pilot. She goes flying whenever the weather is nice (her little plane doesn't like big crosswinds). What really piqued my interest was a discover flight she set up for me once. After one hour I was hooked. I wish it wasn't so expensive or I'd already be done - we're saving up for it though!

You are so right Vulpine. When you find things like this that you can enjoy with others, especially good friends it becomes a part of your life. And that can never be taken away. I'd rather be out there getting wrinkled from being in a wetsuit all day or all skinned up and half deaf from shooting all day or a sore arse from riding a bike all day or sore knees from hitting the tennis ball for awhile ... than watching TV or hitting bars and clubs. Our TV is not even plugged into the wall anymore.

 

[~attrACTION~]

Masturbating to lots of porn. It changed my life for the worse.

 

[Zerix]

I love threads like these, for inspirational purposes and to get some ideas for what to do.

I'm about to have a looong summer break (june july aug) in a week and will be looking for new things to learn and current ones to improve/have fun with

Just took up Guitar, thinking about surfing too. Anyone here surfs?

 

[Vulpine]

And I have always wanted to learn to fly.

Me too. It's on a to-do list. And scuba diving is another thing I'd love to do. I'd love to lake dive and river dive and rummage around checking sh!t out.

You're shooting challenge sounds awesome. I like the hybrid of moving/shooting. There isn't anywhere in the area where I could do that, though.
Tactical shooting would be cool, and I am ordering an Armalite AR-10 (affection for my service rifle), but for my use the tactical shooting might be less applicable than say, sporting clays. But, I think I'd still do it if for nothing else but the challenge.

I've been pretty sucky at getting my guns also. But, the way I see it, I'll have my guns for my whole life. Might as well get them and start using/enjoying them now. I have a .22 Beretta, an over-under 12 guage Beretta, a .22 rifle, and my .50 muzzleloader. I have a 30.06 Springfield and a 20 guage single shot break, but those are being retired because they were somewhat neglected and I can't depend on them for field use any longer. So, all I have left to get is my AR-10 for deer and larger, and a bow, and I'm all set.

... or, so I say.

 

[shydude]

Acting, music, producing.

 

[ValleyDJing]

i second that... its a lot of fun

3rd!!! :rockon: