Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

Post by Kraken »

I think I have anhedonia. Throughout my life I've gradually shed everything I used to like doing, such as fishing, hunting, camping, biking, golf, bowling, reading, sex, friends, vacations.... PC gaming was my last hobby, and I gave it up a year ago. I just don't enjoy it anymore. Starting a new game is a chore, and my old games feel like work. I can't concentrate. I blame pandemic and political anxiety because those very real things are an easy answer.

I still have gardening and cooking, because I have to fill the hours that I'm not working somehow and I like to eat good food. I thought about skipping gardening this year because of the drought, but I'm going to put in plants next week anyway.

Maybe gaming will come back when the pandemic ends and Wife starts leaving the house again. I can only really get lost in games when I'm alone, and I haven't been alone for 15 months.

(edit) Oh great, top of page. :lol: :roll:
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

Post by ImLawBoy »

Blackhawk wrote: Mon May 24, 2021 6:51 pm I've fallen away from TV lately, too. I used to keep a dozen series going in rotation, but these day? I'll get a 'bingeworthy' series that releases on a streaming service with ten episodes, and it takes me two months to finish.
That's what I consider binge watching! I started watching Warrior a couple of month ago, and I'm already up to the season 1 finale, which I may get around to at some point this week. I'm just blazing through that show!

(Seriously, I don't get the bingeing mindset. I don't begrudge other people being able to do it and enjoy it, but it's so far away from how I like to consume entertainment that it seems bizarre to me.)
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

Post by LordMortis »

I am 600 episodes in to One Piece. I don't know that you call it binging but it's pretty much all I watch aside from CNBC when I'm not working during the day during the workweek. I've been watching this exclusively for so long I'm not sure what I'll do when I come to the end of the Dubbed run.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

Post by LordMortis »

I guess it is binging. Only 20 days later I'm out of dubbed episodes. I have no idea what to watch next. I'll be lost when it comes to TV time before bed tonight
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

Post by Blackhawk »

Blackhawk wrote: Sun May 23, 2021 11:15 am
I've jumped into a (free) online course called Learning How to Learn that I saw recommended over and over and over. It's 15 hours and it is all about the process by which we learn, and how to take advantage of that. It's got a solid foundation in science, and is taught by a professor of engineering from Oakland Universtiy and a professor of neurology from the Salk Institute. So far it's been worth the time investment.
I'm in week three of the four week course, and it has been very much worth the time. It gives you a real understanding of how the brain handles information, including how the brain develops memories, how it develops an understanding of concepts, and how it develops mastery/expertise. It then goes on to take that information and provide well-researched, well-tested methods to take advantage of the brain's strengths in order to learn more effectively and with less effort In other words, if you take advantage of the processes your brain evolved to learn by, you will actually be spending less time doing repetitive things that don't actually help you to learn either faster or more deeply.

It turns out that half of the ways I was taught to learn/memorize growing up were like trying to fill a gallon bottle by trying to pour five gallons of water into it through a tiny funnel all at once. Most of the water goes on the ground, and the bottle ends up only a quarter of the way full.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

Post by Jeff V »

Blackhawk wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 6:21 pm It then goes on to take that information and provide well-researched, well-tested methods to take advantage of the brain's strengths in order to learn more effectively and with less effort In other words, if you take advantage of the processes your brain evolved to learn by, you will actually be spending less time doing repetitive things that don't actually help you to learn either faster or more deeply.
Remember the episode of Married...with Children when Kelly suddenly becomes an idiot savant, only to discover she had limited brain capacity and every bit of new information forced out something else in her memory? I foresee you reciting the Gettysburg Address in public after forgetting to put pants on.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

Post by Blackhawk »

Yeah, I was afraid the metaphor would come across that way.

It's more that the one gallon bottle is 'full knowledge' of something, while the five gallon bucket is trying to cram the knowledge in all at once.

Say... memorizing multiplication tables, a bane of many a childhood. The goal is to know from 1x1 to 12x12. If you try to cram it all in all at once, by, say, working on them every day in class then going over flash cards every day at home, then the neural pathways (memories) never have a chance to solidify. You're maxing out how much you can absorb at once, and your brain never has a chance to process the data fully. Once you reach a certain point, studying more doesn't work. It's wasted time.

Instead, the most effective way is to familiarize yourself with them, then practice a reasonable amount every other day. Each time you practice, the memories - as neural pathways - are laid down, and on the days in between they're solidified (a good bit of which happens while you sleep, but it happens in the background while you're doing other things, too.) Then, when you get good with them and move on to division, you go over the flash cards again every now and then (or in a school setting, every division worksheet would have three multiplication problems on it - or two multiplication and a subtraction, etc.)

Maybe a better metaphor would be trying to build up a thick layer of paint. Overstudying is like painting wet paint on top of wet paint. The better approach is to put down the right amount of paint, let it dry, and then put on another coat.

Unfortunately, our school systems don't work that way. They set out X days in a block to learn multiplication, and this method takes longer (although the end result takes the same time, as the subjects overlap.) Block learning is the worst way to learn.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

Post by Blackhawk »

For the google-happy, the terms are spaced repetition (the first part of the process), plus interleaving and chunking.

The class, by the way, is Learning How to Learn , put on by McMaster University and UC San Diego. I don't trust the typical 'be better at...' spiel, which are usually a bunch of platitudes and feel-good nonsense pulled from the author's ass. But here each lecture video has a huge number of citations and references. One six minute video I watched this week, for instance, has 14 citations to books, articles, and journals. It's solid research. I've dug into a lot of the recommended and source material, and it backs up the content. Some of the background information I've come across via other reliable sources in the past too.

And it's free. The only complaint I have is that it's presented for the average Joe, which makes the presentation feel a bit simplistic sometimes.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

Post by Jeff V »

How they teach math now is baffling to me, and likely will continue to be so. My son uses his fingers like an abacus and can figure out most math problems involving numbers >100. My daughter, with no formal instruction at all, can do the same with anything less than 20.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

Post by Blackhawk »

If it's what I think it is, they are literally using them like an abacus.

I do think that schools have made improvements in how math is taught since I was a kid. We learned that 3*4=12. We learned that 20/4 =5. They learn that, but they also learn why. They don't just memorize how to follow the steps, they learn what's going on under the hood. Unfortunately, any gains from this are crippled by the 'teach to the test' requirement we've put on schools.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

Post by Anonymous Bosch »

Blackhawk wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 8:31 pm Yeah, I was afraid the metaphor would come across that way.

It's more that the one gallon bottle is 'full knowledge' of something, while the five gallon bucket is trying to cram the knowledge in all at once.

Say... memorizing multiplication tables, a bane of many a childhood. The goal is to know from 1x1 to 12x12. If you try to cram it all in all at once, by, say, working on them every day in class then going over flash cards every day at home, then the neural pathways (memories) never have a chance to solidify. You're maxing out how much you can absorb at once, and your brain never has a chance to process the data fully. Once you reach a certain point, studying more doesn't work. It's wasted time.

Instead, the most effective way is to familiarize yourself with them, then practice a reasonable amount every other day. Each time you practice, the memories - as neural pathways - are laid down, and on the days in between they're solidified (a good bit of which happens while you sleep, but it happens in the background while you're doing other things, too.) Then, when you get good with them and move on to division, you go over the flash cards again every now and then (or in a school setting, every division worksheet would have three multiplication problems on it - or two multiplication and a subtraction, etc.)

Maybe a better metaphor would be trying to build up a thick layer of paint. Overstudying is like painting wet paint on top of wet paint. The better approach is to put down the right amount of paint, let it dry, and then put on another coat.

Unfortunately, our school systems don't work that way. They set out X days in a block to learn multiplication, and this method takes longer (although the end result takes the same time, as the subjects overlap.) Block learning is the worst way to learn.
FWIW, Bill Handley provides a much simpler, foolproof and kid-friendly system one can use for handling mental arithmetic that does not rely on tedious memorization at all (I learned similar techniques myself as a wee nipper):
Image

Learn how to easily do quick mental math calculations
Speed Math for Kids is your guide to becoming a math genius--even if you have struggled with math in the past. Believe it or not, you have the ability to perform lightning quick calculations that will astonish your friends, family, and teachers. You'll be able to master your multiplication tables in minutes, and learn basic number facts while doing it. While the other kids in class are still writing down the problems, you can be calling out the answers.

Speed Math for Kids is all about playing with mathematics. This fun-filled book will teach you:
  • How to multiply and divide large numbers in your head
  • What you can do to make addition and subtraction easy
  • Tricks for understanding fractions and decimals
  • How to quickly check answers every time you make a calculation
  • And much more
If you're looking for a foolproof way to do multiplication, division, factoring estimating, and more, Speed Math for Kids is the book for you. With enough practice you'll go straight to the top of the class!
(e.g. casting out nines is such a terrific method for checking math computation, it's crime most kids remain largely unaware of how incredibly useful it can be)
Last edited by Anonymous Bosch on Wed Jun 09, 2021 10:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

Post by Blackhawk »

These techniques are definitely geared toward an older audience. I only used multiplication tables because it is a simple example of rote memorization that most of us probably remember grumbling about. I'd think junior high or high school (depending on the student) would be the right time to learn these methods for most kids (although parents of younger children being aware of them would be beneficial, too, to avoid pushing counterproductive methods on kids.)

To be clear, though, the tedious memorization is something that is minimized in the approach I'm learning. Some things still require memorizing (if you're learning, say, technical formulas, a foreign language, or choreographed dance -all of which are touched on), but the whole point is that the old method of learning by endless rote memorization is a waste of energy and not that effective. You can memorize that way, but you won't keep that info in your brain for long, as powering through it in a clump doesn't create strong memories, and it doesn't interconnect the knowledge with adjacent knowledge very well (chunking.) Likewise reading the same book (or chapter) over and over in an attempt to learn it better. It just doesn't work all that well compared to the alternatives.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

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Blackhawk wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 10:47 pm These techniques are definitely geared toward an older audience. I only used multiplication tables because it is a simple example of rote memorization that most of us probably remember grumbling about. I'd think junior high or high school (depending on the student) would be the right time to learn these methods for most kids (although parents of younger children being aware of them would be beneficial, too, to avoid pushing counterproductive methods on kids.)

To be clear, though, the tedious memorization is something that is minimized in the approach I'm learning. Some things still require memorizing (if you're learning, say, technical formulas, a foreign language, or choreographed dance -all of which are touched on), but the whole point is that the old method of learning by endless rote memorization is a waste of energy and not that effective. You can memorize that way, but you won't keep that info in your brain for long, as powering through it in a clump doesn't create strong memories, and it doesn't interconnect the knowledge with adjacent knowledge very well (chunking.) Likewise reading the same book (or chapter) over and over in an attempt to learn it better. It just doesn't work all that well compared to the alternatives.
Thanks for talking about this! If you are getting value from that course, I'll take a look at it. It sounds really interesting, and I'm still struggling with learning to a certain degree after my head trauma.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

Post by Jeff V »

My son is just starting to get into multiplication. My 4 year old daughter is doing well with finger math; remarkable because she's not even been to preschool yet. She's a smart kid though and has a much larger vocabulary than her brother, who is 3 years older.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

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Hobbies... Unfortunately, I seem to have a bit of ADHD in that regard, in that I can't stick with one thing for too long. If I master or get bored of one thing, I move onto something else. And sometimes, I just leave stuff alone and never go back. I haven't played Battletech for almost two years, for example. I haven't touched Fallout 4 since December 2019. Never went to Nuka World or Far Harbor. And I haven't reviewed a book or a novel in months. I wanted to do a lot of things, from reviewing EDC gear to get my A+/N+/S+, but I rarely actually execute any part of it. And in the past when I do, it's usually to the detriment of something else. :-/ :-\
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

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I was just thinking about this exact subject today while I was out walking. I'm turning 58 in October and would like to retire at 62 but what am I going to do?

Much to the chagrin of my wife, my hobbies always tend to revolve around collecting. Shells as a kid, Magic cards when I met my wife, video games, watches, edc (pens) and most recently mechanical keyboards.

This is obviously not a thing I can do when retired and on a fixed income. I need something that scratches the itch and can give me satisfaction without a large money layout.

I still enjoy the PC and games to an extent but can't see myself doing nothing but this during retirement.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

Post by Jeff V »

Do you have any crafting ability that could make extra income? Hentzau, for instance, is going to make his next million selling awesome painted miniatures. That's after retiring from making his first million as an extraordinary singer and performer (you did make millions with your awesome talent, right?)

My gaming hobby turned productive about 20 years ago, but that essentially died with the .com crash. For a long time I was making enough money writing about games to make my $500/mo car payment. Then the income improved and allowed me to survive extended periods of unemployment, but it reached the point where I was gainfully employed and didn't have the time or the inclination to deal with bullshit. These days I do a lot of book reviews, but not for money. But it also doesn't cost me anything, so it works out in that respect.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

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WYBaugh wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 2:47 pm I was just thinking about this exact subject today while I was out walking. I'm turning 58 in October and would like to retire at 62 but what am I going to do?

Much to the chagrin of my wife, my hobbies always tend to revolve around collecting. Shells as a kid, Magic cards when I met my wife, video games, watches, edc (pens) and most recently mechanical keyboards.

This is obviously not a thing I can do when retired and on a fixed income. I need something that scratches the itch and can give me satisfaction without a large money layout.

I still enjoy the PC and games to an extent but can't see myself doing nothing but this during retirement.
Have you ever tried delving into modern tabletop games? i.e. the kind of games Shut Up & Sit Down aptly describe below:



The reason I ask, is that assuming your OO location is accurate, you're fortunate to reside in the same locale as one of the most preeminent 'Friendly Local Game Stores' (FLGS) around, namely Cool Stuff Games. The point being, 'Friendly Local Game Stores' often host local events and gaming get-togethers that are ideal for hanging out and discovering new friends with similar interests. More importantly, it needn't cost you an arm and a leg to do so. Granted, one certainly can spend absurd amounts acquiring a hoard of unplayed tabletop games, but one of the greatest aspects of living near a decent FLGS is that staff there will often allow you to 'test drive' games that interest you, and often even instruct you on how they're played.

So, I suggest paying them a visit sometime and just checking it out. If nothing else, you'll likely see a bulletin board or something similar there, with various invitations for new players to join different gaming groups (often hosted at the FLGS itself).
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

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If you make a few friends with similar games tastes, you won’t have to buy as they’ll be more than happy to have someone else to play their games.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

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WYBaugh wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 2:47 pm Much to the chagrin of my wife, my hobbies always tend to revolve around collecting. Shells as a kid, Magic cards when I met my wife, video games, watches, edc (pens) and most recently mechanical keyboards.

This is obviously not a thing I can do when retired and on a fixed income.
Doesn't that depend on the size of your fixed income? My retirement savings plus my TRS pension (no social security due to the specific state and county that I taught in) will combine to be more than my salary from my last few years of teaching in Georgia (my current gig pays better as I don't have to pay taxes on it but that is a special case)

I know what you mean though. My plans have always been to get into woodworking especially through CNC (so that my vision isn't as big of an issue). But that takes tools and space that we don't have. My wife is worried that we will spend a lot of money on it and then I'll lose interest / get frustrated and it will effectively have turned into collecting stuff (tools) with nothing to show for it. I'm worried about it too!

Which is a long winded way of getting to the point - when I read you post I thought of the hobby of making ways to display your previous collections. It's probably cheaper than actively collecting and it certainly uses a different set of mental and physical muscles than gaming.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

Post by Madmarcus »

In a different twist on hobbies in retirement I was thinking about my cooking hobbies yesterday as I sat by the smoker. Over the past 10 or so years I've really enjoyed getting into smoking. I've done homebrewing years ago and would like to get back into it. More recently I've dipped a toe into making cured meat and I'd like to keep doing it. Korea has even sparked an interest in lacto-fermentation pickling. Mostly the equipment isn't too dear and we like the results so it should be a no brainer.

But somehow yesterday morning I was thinking about the health issues around smoked or cured meats and alcohol. Will retired me eat more and drink more if I am spending time on cooking and brewing? I expect that getting into communities of smokers, brewers, and so forth will tend to encourage both eating and drinking. Certainly they did when I was in brewing clubs back in the 90's. As someone who has been on a statin and blood pressure med for just over a year this isn't perhaps the more encouraging thought.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

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WYBaugh wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 2:47 pm I was just thinking about this exact subject today while I was out walking. I'm turning 58 in October and would like to retire at 62 but what am I going to do?

Much to the chagrin of my wife, my hobbies always tend to revolve around collecting. Shells as a kid, Magic cards when I met my wife, video games, watches, edc (pens) and most recently mechanical keyboards.

This is obviously not a thing I can do when retired and on a fixed income. I need something that scratches the itch and can give me satisfaction without a large money layout.

I still enjoy the PC and games to an extent but can't see myself doing nothing but this during retirement.
Is it the collecting of the physical items themselves or is it the crossing things off a list that appeals? Meaning, do you get the same enjoyment out of saying, "I'm going to visit the 10 best breweries in the Eastern United States" and then crossing those items off the list one at a time? For me, that type of thing has a similar appeal to my need to collect and organize stuff but without the expense and space needs. Travel is one example, but there are many other cheaper list-type goals that could be set.
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I now spend more time watching people play games I have on YouTube than I do playing the games.
It does make me want to play the game more.
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Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

Post by hentzau »

Jeff V wrote:Do you have any crafting ability that could make extra income? Hentzau, for instance, is going to make his next million selling awesome painted miniatures. That's after retiring from making his first million as an extraordinary singer and performer (you did make millions with your awesome talent, right?)
[/ quote]

Alas, never hit the big time. Probably if you add up the money from all of the paying gigs that I had, it’s probably about $2K total over some 35 years of singing.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

Post by Jeff V »

hentzau wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 1:30 pm
Jeff V wrote:Do you have any crafting ability that could make extra income? Hentzau, for instance, is going to make his next million selling awesome painted miniatures. That's after retiring from making his first million as an extraordinary singer and performer (you did make millions with your awesome talent, right?)
Alas, never hit the big time. Probably if you add up the money from all of the paying gigs that I had, it’s probably about $2K total over some 35 years of singing.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

Post by Zarathud »

I plan to paint my miniatures backlog and play games/D&D after I retire. My wife will be the one who wants to take vacations around the country, visit extended family, then read books while at home.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

Post by WYBaugh »

Jeff V wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 8:58 pm Do you have any crafting ability that could make extra income? Hentzau, for instance, is going to make his next million selling awesome painted miniatures. That's after retiring from making his first million as an extraordinary singer and performer (you did make millions with your awesome talent, right?)

My gaming hobby turned productive about 20 years ago, but that essentially died with the .com crash. For a long time I was making enough money writing about games to make my $500/mo car payment. Then the income improved and allowed me to survive extended periods of unemployment, but it reached the point where I was gainfully employed and didn't have the time or the inclination to deal with bullshit. These days I do a lot of book reviews, but not for money. But it also doesn't cost me anything, so it works out in that respect.
I wish I did but other than being able to program for a living, I have no creative/crafting abilities. Speaking from my perspective today, it would be cool to do some fun programming when I retire but not sure what that would entail.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

Post by WYBaugh »

Anonymous Bosch wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 11:36 pm
Have you ever tried delving into modern tabletop games? i.e. the kind of games Shut Up & Sit Down aptly describe below:

The reason I ask, is that assuming your OO location is accurate, you're fortunate to reside in the same locale as one of the most preeminent 'Friendly Local Game Stores' (FLGS) around, namely Cool Stuff Games. The point being, 'Friendly Local Game Stores' often host local events and gaming get-togethers that are ideal for hanging out and discovering new friends with similar interests. More importantly, it needn't cost you an arm and a leg to do so. Granted, one certainly can spend absurd amounts acquiring a hoard of unplayed tabletop games, but one of the greatest aspects of living near a decent FLGS is that staff there will often allow you to 'test drive' games that interest you, and often even instruct you on how they're played.

So, I suggest paying them a visit sometime and just checking it out. If nothing else, you'll likely see a bulletin board or something similar there, with various invitations for new players to join different gaming groups (often hosted at the FLGS itself).
Thank you for the heads up on the store! I grew up not far from it and where I live today is a quick drive over. I definitely have an interest in board games but no immediate friends to play them with. I'll have to check out the store and maybe I can loiter and watch folks playing to see if it's something that would interest me.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

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Malificent wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 11:15 am
Is it the collecting of the physical items themselves or is it the crossing things off a list that appeals? Meaning, do you get the same enjoyment out of saying, "I'm going to visit the 10 best breweries in the Eastern United States" and then crossing those items off the list one at a time? For me, that type of thing has a similar appeal to my need to collect and organize stuff but without the expense and space needs. Travel is one example, but there are many other cheaper list-type goals that could be set.
It is more of a physical thing, but as I wrote above, I need to change that mindset. Traveling is definitely something we would enjoy doing and I could mix in 'collecting' with the travels.

An example would be going to Cincinnati and go fossil hunting.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

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I think the internet ruined me on collecting. It used to be fun visiting my favorite hobby store once a year and buying a couple of things after studying everything for half an hour.
The internet gave to too many choices and it was available all the time. I went ape shit for awhile. Then I'd save up money and do without for a while until I could do it all over again.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

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I have between 1 and 3&1/2 years before retirement, depending on whether I have my knees replaced or not. I have more than enough hobbies to keep me busy, and maybe even pay for my hobbies. One of the weird things that going to drop on my doorstep, is an 18 gram benchtop injection molder. I will be able to replicate out of production musical nonsense and be able to at least break even on it. Playing instruments, fixing them and repairing amps kinda has my days filled, at least I hope it does.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

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Kasey Chang wrote: Sat Jun 12, 2021 5:40 am Hobbies... Unfortunately, I seem to have a bit of ADHD in that regard, in that I can't stick with one thing for too long. If I master or get bored of one thing, I move onto something else. And sometimes, I just leave stuff alone and never go back. I haven't played Battletech for almost two years, for example. I haven't touched Fallout 4 since December 2019. Never went to Nuka World or Far Harbor. And I haven't reviewed a book or a novel in months. I wanted to do a lot of things, from reviewing EDC gear to get my A+/N+/S+, but I rarely actually execute any part of it. And in the past when I do, it's usually to the detriment of something else. :-/ :-\
ADHD is being interested in EVERYTHING. That's what the curse is. You want to do so many things that everything bogs down in the choices.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

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WYBaugh wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 8:21 pm Speaking from my perspective today, it would be cool to do some fun programming when I retire but not sure what that would entail.
That's a myth. I used to enjoy writing. I used to enjoy playing games. Then I started playing games for money and both writing and gaming became work. "Fun" no longer applied.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

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I love clear things. I really do. I don't know why, but glass, crystals, even clear water fascinates me. I can't get anywhere near glass blowing or glass working (I've checked; both are out range for me both price- and location-wise.) So, I decided to try to learn to work with epoxy resin. Its something that has beautiful results, something I've encountered repeatedly associated with miniature painting and terrain, and it isn't that expensive.

I swear to god, I have never tried to learn something for which there is so little good, instructional material for beginners. Every book I looked into on Amazon ended up either being an 'idea book' or a 10-15 page pamphlet that has obviously been through Google Translate and is being sold as a book. And I mean that literally. Almost every video I've found has been useless, too. The few that are instructional are blatantly full of shit (enough so that I can tell they're going to get people put in the hospital, and I know very little about it.) The rest are professionals showing off, invariably recorded and then sped up and are set entirely to music without any speech whatsoever - and thus of very little value.

Still, for the last four weeks, as I waited for supplies, I have watched dozens of videos and read probably 15 different 'books' (thanks to the free trial of Kindle Prime Reading I've got at the moment.) I didn't feel like I had much of a handle on it, but there wasn't any better information out there. Today I made my first attempt.

It could have gone better.

I've now realized that not one video discussed how to move a mold once it was filled, how to manage the pour speed without dribbling it all over, what to do with an overfilled mold, how to use heat to get rid of bubbles (they say to use heat, but not how, or how hot, or for how long, etc.) And when I was done making a toxic mess, I realized that not one of them discussed, in any way, shape, or form, how to dispose of excess liquid resin or how to clean up the tools or work area.

What a miserable experience that was.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

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Check out this guy's videos, if you haven't already. He's also active on reddit, and might have some tips he can share.

It's almost as if people are the problem.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

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I've seen his stuff, but it isn't tips I really need, it's an introductory guide. For whatever reason, those just aren't out there, and I've had to try and glean the basics here and there. I learned today that there is a lot of stuff that's just not covered.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

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Oof, and some of the feedback I've gotten to the issues I've had hasn't be encouraging. The response has been that you really need a dedicated workspace (as in, not inhabited while its curing) to use the stuff, and that's something I don't (and won't) have. I have to move it to a drying area I set up, and apparently moving it once poured isn't supposed to be done.

I may have to add another idea to the scrap pile of 'really needs a workshop to be done.'
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

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Womp womp. :(
It's almost as if people are the problem.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

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Isgrimnur wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 10:47 pm Womp womp. :(
I'm going to take that as supportive, although ever since Lewandowski used it, it makes my skin crawl.
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Re: Hobbies, Interests, Workshops, and Growth

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Madmarcus wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 8:31 am In a different twist on hobbies in retirement I was thinking about my cooking hobbies yesterday as I sat by the smoker. Over the past 10 or so years I've really enjoyed getting into smoking. I've done homebrewing years ago and would like to get back into it. More recently I've dipped a toe into making cured meat and I'd like to keep doing it. Korea has even sparked an interest in lacto-fermentation pickling. Mostly the equipment isn't too dear and we like the results so it should be a no brainer.

But somehow yesterday morning I was thinking about the health issues around smoked or cured meats and alcohol. Will retired me eat more and drink more if I am spending time on cooking and brewing? I expect that getting into communities of smokers, brewers, and so forth will tend to encourage both eating and drinking. Certainly they did when I was in brewing clubs back in the 90's. As someone who has been on a statin and blood pressure med for just over a year this isn't perhaps the more encouraging thought.
Just catching up on this thread.

Have you thought about brewing NA beer? It would seem that there's the same amount of craft involved, maybe even more.

NA hops drinks and IPNAs seem to be gaining some steam too.
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