View Full Version : Share your hobbies
So, while I think the vast majority of us enjoy some sort of firearm related hobby, I am curious what other hobbies or interests occupy everyone?s time.
I?ll kick it off.
Motorcycles. I have a Road King and my wife also has a Road King. We pretty much try and get out and ride any time the weather is nice. I also have a Suzuki DRZ-400SM that I picked up recently just to jackass around on. Let?s face it, while the Harley is nice for long trips or all day rides, the fun factor just isn?t there sometimes, hence why I bought the supermoto.
Disc golf. I?ve never been overly competitive or athletic and have always leaned towards sports and activities that don?t involve a lot of running. Also, any sport that I can play and drink beer while doing it is okay in my books. Been playing for a little over three years and pretty much play two to three rounds a week year round. I have a brother in law that got me started and now we have a pretty regular group that consists of the two of us, another brother in law, two of my nephews, and one of their friends. It gets me outdoors, gets me a little exercise, lets me enjoy some friendly competition, and gives me some of the same challenge and satisfaction that comes with shooting because the principal of accuracy and hitting a target is similar.
So, what activities do you guys enjoy outside of firearms?
Tacos
Motorcycles - 14' Honda VFR800
Old trucks
Fast cars
Archery, how did I leave this one off?
More tacos
Photography
SCUBA diving, mostly cave diving (my username is a reference to a breathing gas called Trimix, a mix of Oxygen, Helium and Nitrogen)
Power kites
Software (my career and a hobby)
Microprocessor/electronic tinkering
Got some HAM radios but haven't used them lately
Being a thorn in the side of the local flat earth group
newracer
05-20-2020, 09:50
https://i.imgur.com/c0wyXb9l.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/9isuc2Xl.jpg
O2HeN2, what?s a power kite?
Archery/bowhunting - I find this much more interesting than the precision rifle shooting I used to be really into. I subscribe to the Ashby philosophy on hunting arrows: heavy enough for momentum to be appreciable, high FOC, and speed doesn't matter as much as momentum. RanchFairy (Troy Fowler) is my long distance guru on this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiqVjXhuBPw
Dualsport motorcycle - TW200; great little workhorse. Easy to work on. I've pretty much got it modded exactly how I want with the exception for figuring out how to kill the headlight without overloading the rest of the electrical system.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbBLTMplMXs
Just recently got into mountain bikes - I'm prone to stress fractures and shin splints, so running is out, as is rucking on anything other than offroad. Gives a great cardio and leg workout with low amounts of impact problems.
Banjo - specifically, clawhammer/frailing. I've played guitar since 1997 and this makes me feel like an idiot every time I try to sound like the folks I listen to. It's a much more traditional method of playing than the modern Scruggs/bluegrass style.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ9v85plliI
Beer league softball
Hunting
I used to have more hobbies but hanging out with the kids has taken precedence.
cableguy11
05-20-2020, 10:25
I miss my softball days...hopefully this year with a regular M-F job I can get on some Senior softball..50+.
Kids
reloading
tinkering with anything.
hunting
UrbanWolf
05-20-2020, 10:39
Being a thorn in the side of the local flat earth group
LoL, at least that one shouldn't get expensive.
ChickNorris
05-20-2020, 10:49
I dont really have any other hobbies anymore... because firearms.
Most anything else I do is ancillary to that end, save reloading. Been putting that off for as long as I can. Everyone says I will, eventually.
I used to like:
Ratrod, classic & supercars.
Art/working in my shop with most any media, metal, wood etc. Collecting power & hand tools became secondary to that.
Sewing, clothing - mostly pinup girl flavor
Botany, specifically carnivorous & tropicals. Alocasia is my favorite.
Axe throwing but its been a long while since I've picked one up.
Architecture
I also used to collect art (paintings/sculptures, etc.) & oddities (side show-esque)
Ocean kayaking - hard to do in Denver & I finally traded my kayak anyway so that's done now.
Entomology ... i like Mantises best.
There's more but you get the gist of it
Changing hobbies every few years.
Buying shit on Amazon.
Avoiding work.
Procrastination.
Truth: Past or rarely exercised hobbies include half assed photog stuff, vintage stereo collecting/repair/buy/sell, and guns.
beast556
05-20-2020, 11:18
I'm super simple and my wife hates it, I tell her to be happy hobbies are expensive. I just got in to reloading 6 months ago. I'm really enjoying reloading more that I ever thought that I would it has been great. Only other thing that has my interest is collecting geodes, it's awesome to cut them open and see whats inside.
Have a 5 year old so some of my hobbies are no longer active. Probably had way too many anyway.
Active:
Fishing
Fast cars
Home remodeling
Archery (beginner)
Inactive:
Gardening
Guitar/bass guitar
Hunting
Crotch rockets
thedave1164
05-20-2020, 11:30
Shooting
hunting
fishing
reloading
4-wheeling
ham radio
camping
grilling
starting home brewing
Scanker19
05-20-2020, 11:39
I collect spores, molds, and fungus.
whitewalrus
05-20-2020, 12:27
Some that I have been into for a while:
Archery
Hunting
Reloading
photography
Computer stuff
Used to work on cars, but they keep getting too damn complicated :)
Not sure you can include smoking meats as I use a pellet grill that really takes the skill out of it, but it is something I look forward to doing, and eating.
Been kicking around getting a mountain bike as my knees protest running these days.
I collect spores, molds, and fungus.
Great quote.
(and very quotable movie)
Home remodeling
Oof. That?s not a hobby in my world. That?s a chore that interferes with my hobbies.
Currently trying to find a permanent gig, keeping a 10 month old GSD puppy occupied, and trying to maintain some sort of sanity. I may take up oil painting soon. More like staining my fence to comply with the neighborhood nazis.
Inactive:
Shooting
Stream Fishing
Home Theater
Computer Building
Would like to take up reloading, but am not shooting enough to make it worthwhile.
hurley842002
05-20-2020, 13:02
A lot has changed for me since I had kids, some of the same hobbies, just on a smaller scale:
Mtn. Biking
Hiking
Running
Lifting weights
Off road travel (SUV and Dual sport)
Camping
Recently got into the following:
Gardening/Landscape
Photography (very amateur, and on a cell, albeit a very capable one)
Installed this water feature over the weekend
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200520/8121ee2dae5e5ae7232bbc34b5e1c8cf.jpg
Don't mind the rest of the yard, it was literally a blank canvas, and we just got here.
Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk
Reading
Landscape Photography
Computer gaming
Messing with my 22 year old
Inactive
Building Street cars
Hiking
SCUBA
Skiing
I used to have a good sized N Scale model railroad, I got into guns before I completed any scenery. I was a lower-end audiophile, the CAL Delta CD Transport and Theta D/A you may have seen listed in the TP were the last pieces of equipment I owned.
My main projects right now are working on my 1911s and my Winchester M1 Carbine, bought a M1 Carbine bolt takedown tool, that's fun.
I like bicycles, I'm learning how to fix them.
I read...alot, I bought a couple of Mark Dice books, they're good. I watch Jordan Peterson's Toronto University lectures on personality and his Bible series. I have spent some time studying Joseph Campbell's ideas about myth but not for a few years.
I entertained the idea of installing a suspension on my 4Runner, I wised up and took it to SLEE.
I appreciate art but I ain't no artist.
O2HeN2, what's a power kite?
A kite designed to drag you around on a surfboard, skiis or an all terrain board (what I have). You wear a harness so the power goes into your lower back so your arms aren't taking the load.
I fly a 2 square meter Slingshot trainer a lot around the house. So far I've been too chicken to take out my new 6 square meter Viron 2 out because Colorado's winds are so fickle. The 2 meter can almost drag me. A 6m would for sure if I blew it.
https://cdn1.bigcommerce.com/server700/70a5c/product_images/uploaded_images/hq-scout-ii-power-kite-landboard.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HErcGQlhtdE
My more active days are past but include: climbing (all types), skiing (alpine to XC), cycling (road, mtn, cross), whitewater boating (raft, solo canoe), underwater photography. Could add fire mitigation to that category (brutally hard work) but I've done most everything on our property now.
Low activity fun: photography (semi-pro), cooking, food gardening, espresso, building/upgrading guns, buying tools (for all of the above, do all my own wrenching). Newest is pool since we just got a table.
Holger Danske
05-20-2020, 18:58
Work
Gun Pron
Reading conservative news sites
Ham Radio
Auto maintenance
Archery
Shooting
Hiking
Complaining about getting old
Gardening
I would like to get into gold panning and rock hounding. Anyone doing this as a hobby?
Auto maintenance isn?t a hobby. Once again, that?s something that gets in the way of enjoying your hobbies.
Work
Gun Pron
Reading conservative news sites
Ham Radio
Auto maintenance
Archery
Shooting
Hiking
Complaining about getting old
Gardening
I would like to get into gold panning and rock hounding. Anyone doing this as a hobby?
Panning is fun. We were on the Arkansas a couple miles south of Leadville, goofing off in the river for an hour or more. I panned one tiny flake of gold. We go to Alma sometimes, we found some Rhodochrosite and Fluorite, a guy drove by, felt sorry for us and gave as a decent rock with some nice pyrite on it.
buffalobo
05-20-2020, 19:16
Reading
Guns n gear
Fishing w/ Mrs bo and minions
Glamping w/ Mrs bo and minions
Teaching the minions about how people survived/lived before industrial revolution.
Late 70's dirt bikes
Metallic Silhouette Shooting (offhand out to 500 meters, no slings)
Camping
Hunting
Reloading
Scotch and other assorted single-malts
Making homemade Jerky
I’d love to get into ATV’s or “Wheeling” in 4wd trucks/jeeps, but haven’t committed to the big purchase yet...
Inactive:
Snowboarding
Mountain biking
Road cycling
Trail running
Climbing
The younger version of myself moved to CO for those things... evolution must be real
Hiking and landscape photography. I normally put "Waldo" somewhere in the photo. Sometimes easier to spot than others.
https://i.imgur.com/nyVcpwH.jpg
Grease?
Stripes
What the hell are you guys talking about?
What the hell are you guys talking about?
Hmm. Someone derailed the thread with some sort of movie quote and I was making a guess.
Funny thing is I scrolled back and can?t find that post.
Creepy.
Reading
Sewing
Movies
Canning
Old-school RPGs
Beta Reading
Gardening
Zundfolge
05-20-2020, 21:17
Am I the only one that first saw the title of this thread without their glasses on and thought the 3rd word started with a B...and got all excited?
Am I the only one that first saw the title of this thread without their glasses on and thought the 3rd word started with a B...and got all excited?
[ROFL1]
You thought it said bobbies?
Isn?t that a British cop?
Grease?
Stripes
Hmm. Someone derailed the thread with some sort of movie quote and I was making a guess.
Funny thing is I scrolled back and can?t find that post.
Creepy.
I collect spores, molds, and fungus.
Egon, from Ghostbusters:
Janine Melnitz (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001633/?ref_=tt_trv_qu): You're very handy, I can tell. I bet you like to read a lot, too.
Dr. Egon Spengler (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000601/?ref_=tt_trv_qu): Print is dead.
Janine Melnitz (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001633/?ref_=tt_trv_qu): Oh, that's very fascinating to me. I read a lot myself. Some people think I'm too intellectual but I think it's a fabulous way to spend your spare time. I also play raquetball. Do you have any hobbies?
Dr. Egon Spengler (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000601/?ref_=tt_trv_qu): I collect spores, molds, and fungus.
Sounds like you guys have some homework. [Coffee]
SA Friday
05-20-2020, 22:11
Active:
Collecting new metal body parts
taking drugs
annoying people
Inactive:
competition shooting
reloading (kinda)
hunting
fishing
camping
bushcraft
hiking
archery
knife collecting
gym rat
martial arts
survival training
running around in war zones
interrogating people and making them cry
pretty much anything that requires bending, lifting over 10 lbs, and twisting
Reading
Sewing
Movies
Canning
Old-school RPGs
Beta Reading
Gardening
What is beta reading?
What is beta reading?
Beta reading helps out authors. After they write the draft of their books, they send it to their beta readers. Beta readers catch continuity errors, find areas that don't make sense, and catch mistakes such as wrong character names or town names, and send the feedback to the author to fix before it goes to the editor.
Ahh, makes sense. I had a chance to beta read a Brandon Sanderson book once (I think one of the Mistborn series?). The book was printed on 8x11 paper and held together by a rubber band in a shoe box. I didn't trust I'd be able to keep it together or not lose a page so I passed.
blacklabel
05-20-2020, 22:54
Hobbies...
Hiking
Backpacking
Spending way too much time researching shit I want
Shooting
Attempting to fish with my kid
Powerlifting (not competitive, yet)
It certainly is easier now that things are electronic. You should try it again. Usually authors are desperately seeking beta readers.
I'd take great pleasure in doing that. I've read published books and noticed errors like that and thought, "how did no one catch this?"
Hiking and landscape photography. I normally put "Waldo" somewhere in the photo. Sometimes easier to spot than others.
https://i.imgur.com/nyVcpwH.jpg
"Waldo?" LOL
https://i.imgur.com/S3Lz4Oa.png
Oof. That?s not a hobby in my world. That?s a chore that interferes with my hobbies.
Probably you are right.
ChickNorris
05-21-2020, 06:03
Hiking and landscape photography. I normally put "Waldo" somewhere in the photo. Sometimes easier to spot than others.
https://i.imgur.com/nyVcpwH.jpg
: D
How I imagine beta reading: "Um, yeah, what he said!"
How I imagine alpha reading: "I could have written this better." *proceeds to write better book*
StagLefty
05-21-2020, 08:13
I've finally settled into the reality of being old and retired haha
Woodcarving and being a You Tube mechanic have been my latest interests.
"Waldo?" LOL
https://i.imgur.com/S3Lz4Oa.png
Yup, Waldo has been to a good portion of the national parks and monuments from Badlands westwards (excluding Cali, because, yeah) and in both oceans. (And I do mean in both oceans, had to wash out the sand afterwards in both cases.) It's not a political statement or anything, just something I enjoy doing. Started off backpacking with it as a just-in-case bear gun, then started taking pics of it near my camp sites and it kind of snowballed from there.
Beta reading helps out authors. After they write the draft of their books, they send it to their beta readers. Beta readers catch continuity errors, find areas that don't make sense, and catch mistakes such as wrong character names or town names, and send the feedback to the author to fix before it goes to the editor.
I thought that was 'proofreading'?
Since the term is related to writing software, when did the term "beta reading" come into being? 1980s, '90s?
JohnnyEgo
05-21-2020, 19:59
I build boxes and stuff, and bake cakes:
https://www.johnnyego.com/firearms/1911s/page5/wcbox07a.jpg
https://www.johnnyego.com/dump/cake/2018independence/2018independence18.JPG
Because my son is into it, I also know far more about Pokemon than any adult, or really any kid over the age of 15, probably should. I even have my own deck of Pokemon cards consisting of all the fairies and rats my son rejected in favor of the space dragons and lightning monsters. I do not win a lot. But I always enjoy the time with my kid.
I thought that was 'proofreading'?
Since the term is related to writing software, when did the term "beta reading" come into being? 1980s, '90s?
Beta reading is more than proofreading. An editor proofreads for the grammatical errors. Beta readers test read to see if the story, the characters, and the timeline of a story work. If they continue to beta read for a series, they are also expected to keep a timeline and genealogy of characters.
kidicarus13
05-21-2020, 21:19
https://www.johnnyego.com/firearms/1911s/page5/wcbox07a.jpg
Very cool 1911 grips. Make those too?
JohnnyEgo
05-22-2020, 01:38
Nope, just an interesting coincidence. The grips were made by High Figure Grips. They are Cocobolo. Normally, folks just chuck the sapwood part and stick with the dark heartwood to make grips. But I'm glad that didn't happen here. The box is made of Orange Agate. They are both Central American in orgin, but from entirely different trees. The close color resemblance was just an unexpected coincidence I found interesting. I like to think my 1911 was trying to pull a 'Predator' move and actively camouflage itself.
Beta reading is more than proofreading. An editor proofreads for the grammatical errors. Beta readers test read to see if the story, the characters, and the timeline of a story work. If they continue to beta read for a series, they are also expected to keep a timeline and genealogy of characters.
I 'get it', but I don't think it has always been this way during my lifetime. What were beta readers called before there were beta testers?
I 'get it', but I don't think it has always been this way during my lifetime. What were beta readers called before there were beta testers?
Ol' Bettys?
I 'get it', but I don't think it has always been this way during my lifetime. What were beta readers called before there were beta testers?
Good question- I'm not sure. 'Test readers,' maybe?
Beta readers aren't paid. Proofreaders are. Beta readers do it to support the authors and their favorite books/series, so it's often a labor of love.
Great-Kazoo
05-22-2020, 21:09
I 'get it', but I don't think it has always been this way during my lifetime. What were beta readers called before there were beta testers?
apprentice betas?
Hobbies...
Collect Coins
Collect Comics
Collect Autographs
Play Paintball...tho haven't in several years
Do table top games...RPGs and strategy
Live action games (LARPs)
Lots of movies...both in theaters and on discs
Read books
Play Magic The Gathering
Have spent a considerable time doing wood working, pottery, and jewelry...tho nothing recently.
apprentice betas?
If there are more than one beta reader for a given book is there an alpha beta?
KevDen2005
05-23-2020, 12:52
Reading
Sewing
Movies
Canning
Old-school RPGs
Beta Reading
Gardening
Wish I knew you did Beta reading. I just had two people do that for me and now going to an editor.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.3 Copyright © 2025 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.