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What else do you do/want to do?
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 2010-03-25 6:58 AM |
Pro  6767      the Alabama part of Pennsylvania |  Subject: What else do you do/want to do?I'm going to try to avoid the healthcare and political threads for a while, since they rarely seem to result in a serious exchange of ideas, but just serve as a soapbox for rants that reinforce pre-existing beliefs. And I am too busy at work to play in the TAN-box. So - what else have you got? Personally, I have a garage of gear and too many hobbies to maintain. Right now, I am hoping to make it a very "wet" year for myself, with a lot more SCUBA diving. I already did a week in Bonaire, with photos and video, plus I have another trip to the Cooper River in South Carolina planned for megalodon teeth. I have a couple of Jersey wreck dives planned, and I'm hoping to finish up the year with a trip to the Keys with the family (including the daughter's boyfriend of the last 2 years, since he finally got certified). She is also running a children's library program and asked me to talk this summer about diving, since the library's theme for the summer is "Dive into Reading". I do a lot of underwater photography, and just starting to get into videos as well. I also hope to get my kayaks out a lot more than last year. I think I had the white water boat out only one or two times, and the touring boat only 4 or 5. Mostly I take it to the local lake, where there is a convenient route out and back. I didn't get out backpacking last year, but I am hoping to get out at least once this year to the Quehanna Trail in Central PA. Always a nice trip, and we finish up with a trip to Denny's Beer Barrel Pub, home of the world's largest burgers. Of course there will be S/B/R; but we also have a big bike trip in June with Bike Virginia - first time back in several years. So it is going to be a bigger biking year for me. Speaking of biking, mrs gearboy is finally going to let me learn to ride a motorcycle (in exchange for my no longer bugging her to go dancing). Woo hoo! Of course, I don't know if I have room in the garage for even a small bike, so we'll have to figure that one out. In the evenings, I am a big movie buff - I constantly have a Netflix queue of around 200 films. In the summer, I don't need to ride the trainer, so I do other things while I watch. Last fall I made my younger daughter a quilt for her college dorm (go terps!). This summer, I will make a quilt for the other daughter. My movie tastes are very broad ranging - it would not be unusual for me to have a kids movie, a zombie gore-flick, and a comedy at home at any given time. And I am always open to suggestions. The best movie I hadn't heard of that got recommended to me by a few patients was SLC Punks - a really interesting coming of age flick. ETA - I forgot about one of the more unusual dive's I did this year - in the Balitmore Aquarium. Right in the big tank, with all the fishes. Yep, I got to be part of the exhibits. Edited by gearboy 2010-03-25 7:14 AM |
| 2010-03-25 7:24 AM in reply to: #2747067 |
Pro 4189 Pittsburgh, my heart is in Glasgow | Subject: RE: What else do you do/want to do? Gearboy, How did you get to do the dive in the Baltimore aquarium? That's so cool! What else do I do? Well, I read. A lot. Mostly non-fiction, mostly historical, but I've been known to squeeze some fiction in there, with a preference for serials from the turn of the century. I also am a photographer as well, working mostly in black and white hand process from plastic toy cameras. I love my Holga camera to pieces, even if it is, quite literally, in pieces and held together with gaffers tape. It shoots amazing medium format film and cost me $20. More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holga. There is also the S/B/R, but I've been learning how to quilt with my mom, because she's a mad woman and makes somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-15 quilts a year. She and I are currently working on turning some of my old sorority/ tri/ running/ college shirts into a big quilt. I've lost a lot of weight and I can't wear them anymore, and I think my employer would frown on my wearing the "I got smashed at the TD/Kings Egger!" shirt. Because I'm trying to get accepted for a PhD, I've been doing nothing but reading and writing proposals for funding, admission, conferences...It is hard to balance that stuff while working multiple jobs, and that's been a bit of a bummer lately. It is pretty challenging to switch between the academic books and work into my normal everyday stuff, even though I desperately want to do nothing but the academic stuff for a very.long.time. Which brings me to my little dark secret...I have a tile fetish. Specifically British tile from 1880-1920, but I enjoy some of the American stuff too, along with architectural ceramics (terra cotta etc). I spend quite a bit of time looking at Ebay and other sites and trying to quiz myself on identification marks. Things I'd like to do? -I want to learn how to SCUBA. I'm going on a cruise with my mom/dad/brother/SIL next year and it is on the list of things to do. -Skydiving. Yep, wanna throw myself out of a perfectly good plane. -Moving. Actually immigrating. Getting P and I to both be legal residents in Britain for the long haul. This is a long-term project requiring more money than we've got and more forms than you can possibly imagine. |
| 2010-03-25 7:26 AM in reply to: #2747067 |
Melon Presser 52116 | Subject: RE: What else do you do/want to do? I think I would have paid to see that exhibit.  You and Mrs. Gearboy are welcome to stay anytime in Bali--I live in SCUBA central.I tango. I sing alto in a choir, although I'm often caught moaning along with the basses. Sometimes I'm on a surfboard. I'm teaching my dog how to bodysurf (first), then I will teach her to surf, and am teaching her how to write. She can hold a Sharpie, but I'll need to make a special pen-fitting glove, I think, for her to actually write with it. I sometimes moonlight as management or security or security management at big events. I don't get paid. I'm conscripted, and I get to see some pretty cool stuff and meet some pretty cool people. I do volunteer work for Indonesian kids and the only animal shelter on the island. I started a tri club. It has three members, but we're AWESOME. I'm coaching the other two. They often feed me.Every day I wind up doing or experiencing something bizarre that I've never done before. |
| 2010-03-25 7:43 AM in reply to: #2747067 |
Champion 17756 SoCal | Subject: RE: What else do you do/want to do? I will be teaching my kids (8 and 5) to surf this summer and I plan on being in the water as much as I can. Going to do some backpacking/hiking/camping for the first time in 15 years. |
| 2010-03-25 7:49 AM in reply to: #2747067 |
| Subject: RE: What else do you do/want to do? I guess I'm about average. I play the banjo but have way too little time for pickin' lately. I'm a competition action pistol shooter. I reload my own ammo. I've got literally a rack of computers in my basement, SUN machines, PCs and a DEC that keep me hopping. I have no life |
| 2010-03-25 7:51 AM in reply to: #2747067 |
Champion 6786 Two seat rocket plane | Subject: RE: What else do you do/want to do? I'm going to build a new garden this year Split rail fence of black locust, dry stone retaining wall in a low corner, built in composter, sheet mulch system, low-tech drip irrigation system. It's going to rawk.
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| 2010-03-25 7:54 AM in reply to: #2747067 |
Champion 14571 the alamo city, Texas | Subject: RE: What else do you do/want to do? i'm building a veggie garden this year too, but not nearly as awesome as ^^^. just a basic little raised bed to be able to eat fresh stuff.
but like you, gearboy, far too many hobbies and too little time. come play in the TAN-box, it's fun. ;-) |
| 2010-03-25 7:54 AM in reply to: #2747067 |
Veteran 407 | Subject: RE: What else do you do/want to do? I love to garden and am looking forward to getting my hands in the dirt this Spring. I am a Hospice Volunteer and am fortunate enough to be able to spend quality time with the residents in my town's Hospice House. I am looking forward to spending April in my vacation home in Florida. I will be on my "beach comber" bike, riding on 15 miles of white sandy beach. The perfect place to S/B/R. I expect to get in some good workouts. Visiting with my parents who are both in their late 80s and in excellent health is always exciting. I am excited about my son, daughter-in-law and two grandsons returning to the states after being in Singapore for two years. I also have a grandson and granddaughter I spend two days a week with. My grandson is in Kindergarten so I pick him up at 10:30 am on Mondays and Thursdays. He loves to do crafts so we spend time building boats, and painting. He does a great job. In the summer I have both my grandson and granddaughter all day on Mon. and Thurs., we call it "Camp Bela View". One of our favorite things to do is to visit the Science Center. We also enjoy hiking together. What I want to do more of: I want to get back to the mountains. I was fortunate to summit Mt. Washington this winter. Being on top of the mountain in the winter really made me want to get out and climb this summer and fall. The beautiful vistas and the feeling of freedom from all that is going on in the world brings me such peace of mind. I realize I must do more of it. I signed my husband up for his first Tri. He is strong, a good runner and cyclist but is struggling with the swim. Hoping to get some good open water swims in before August. I think he will do well but he is not as sure as I am. Building up his confidence is on my list of things to do. Looking forward to the summer and fall when I will busy doing all the things I love to do outdoors! |
| 2010-03-25 8:23 AM in reply to: #2747067 |
Expert 715 PA | Subject: RE: What else do you do/want to do? i'll be camping 6 or 7 times with my wife and kids this summer. spending a bit more time in my 40x70 garden again this year anticipating a quality harvest. this weekend will consist of building my chicken coop for 4 plymouth rocks, 4 golden wyandottes, 4 golden comets, and 2 silkies (for the kids). i hope to teach my kids how to swim on their own and watch my daughter come down the slide in the deep end of the pool and have her swim to the wall on her own. go on some unique hikes and bike rides. |
| 2010-03-25 8:25 AM in reply to: #2747067 |
Pro 4089 Without house | Subject: RE: What else do you do/want to do? Right now I'm in the final stretches of wedding planning so that, along with work and school, is taking up much of my time right now. Oh, and packing...let's not forget packing since I'll be moving to the East coast after the wedding (culture shock, here I come!) I read...like Tracy said I read a lot. I read mostly fiction if it's for pleasure. I enjoy the escapism it allows me. I have been known to read some non-fiction. Since I'm actually taking this summer off from school, I'm going to have more time for 'just for me' reading, and I have a goal to read at least 20 books. I've started a list. I'll probably read more than that (fast reader and I get really engrossed if it's a good one), but I want this to be fun, not a chore. I take classes. Right now most of them are with a purpose (school...I'll be going back full time in the fall, but right now I'm part time). Exercises classes, too...♥ pilates. I don't s/b/r...even though I should because I do have one tri I'm signed up for next year. I love movies...just bought Princess and the Frog (yes, even Disney movies...and it's for myself since I have no children), but I love love love indie flicks, British movies, etc. Netflix streaming video ROCKS. I've been known to be crafty (cross-stitch more than anything), but I'm also known for not completing projects. Maybe this summer I'll finish that ornament I started for my MIL that was supposed to be a present Christmas 2008 (oops.) ETA: Gardening...I typically do flowers, and they've been patio gardens since I don't have a yard right now, but I love flowers and growing things. I want to do a vegetable garden, and I've grown peppers and herbs in pots, but I'd love to have a nice little plot of land to have at. Edited by maggyruth 2010-03-25 8:27 AM |
| 2010-03-25 8:26 AM in reply to: #2747067 |
Master 1736 Midcoast Maine | Subject: RE: What else do you do/want to do? Besides lurking on BT? I quilt (my biggest pleasure is sleeping under a pile of quilts I have made), scrapbook (more when the kidlets were little...I had a bit more free time) and cook (I used to be a pastry chef in a fancy restaurant in town). I went to college on a music scholarship but sadly haven't played my flute in about 5 years (not a lot of orchestras looking for flute players in rural Maine). About 2 years ago, I went back to work full time (I'm a project manager for an IT organization) and now try to fit in S/B/R training in the wee hours and at lunch time so I can spend time with the family after work. I love to read (mostly fiction - but a good non-fiction recommendation is always welcome)...a couple of my favorite books recently were "Soul of a Chef" by Jonathan Rathman - a very true accounting of what it is like to train to be a chef and what it is like to work in a kitchen and The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Klay by Michael Chabon - fantastic story. I also read magazines as time allows (Food & Wine is one of the best cooking magazines out there - and I have subscribed to almost all of them over the years). My and my kids volunteer once a week at the local animal shelter or the library...enough that my youngest (7 yo) has decided she wants to become a veterinarian. We don't have cable - so I watch a lot of TV series off Netflix (I also find I can justify watching an hour of TV much more easily than 2 hours) and I have been working on a hand-sewn felted wool quilt while watching for the last few months. What would I want to do? This is pretty close to it. I live in a small town where the local ski area is 2 1/2 miles away, there are at least 5 ponds for ice skating/OWS within 5 miles, the ocean is 2 1/2 miles (in the opposite direction from the ski area), the kids horseback ride and sail in the summer and ski in the winter. I get to work from home at a job that is challenging to my little pea brain (for a company I am embarrassed to work for - but they have good benefits and I get to telecommute), I have the time and the constitution that allows me to train for S/B/R...all and all - can't complain. Maybe once the kids are gone my husband and I could travel a bit...but otherwise I don't think I'd change much. |
| 2010-03-25 8:27 AM in reply to: #2747067 |
Champion 18680 Lost in the Luminiferous Aether | Subject: RE: What else do you do/want to do? I went back to school, again. Between work, school, gym and family I need more sleep. |
| 2010-03-25 8:31 AM in reply to: #2747067 |
Champion 6046 New York, NY | Subject: RE: What else do you do/want to do? well my older son and I are entering a paintball league - actually 2 so we will be playing both 3 man and 5 man tournaments. The team gave me my nickname for my jersey - 'Cougar' heh heh - so I made my signature on that forum 'I shoot cubs' |
| 2010-03-25 8:33 AM in reply to: #2747067 |
Champion 34263 Chicago | Subject: RE: What else do you do/want to do? Surf porn, mostly on Wednesdays. Party like a rockstar who has no money and, in general, hang, slang and g**gb**g. It's a lifestyle. Oh and in the summers I play baseball. This year I want to get my skydiving certification before I leave the states. |
| 2010-03-25 8:36 AM in reply to: #2747067 |
Champion 10668 Tacoma, Washington | Subject: RE: What else do you do/want to do? Well, I don't s/b/r... I do s/b (though not a lot of s lately). |
| 2010-03-25 8:37 AM in reply to: #2747067 |
Pro 4189 Pittsburgh, my heart is in Glasgow | Subject: RE: What else do you do/want to do? OH! I forgot...I love to cook. I mean, LOVE to cook. I just got my new "Taste of Home: Healthy Cooking" magazine a few days ago, and I've already made three recipes out of it (blueberry baked french toast=the business) and I cook most of the recipes out of Runners World as well (the Alfredo recipe in last month's is to die for!). Now if only I loved cleaning up as much.... I'm trying to get into gardening, our little municipality just announced a community garden will open behind the library when it is finished, I might put in for a plot to grow some of my own veg for the summer. A friend of mine from work has also started a food growing program in another urban center in Pgh so I may help out with that as well. Edited by phoenixazul 2010-03-25 8:41 AM |
 2010-03-25 8:40 AM in reply to: #2747067 |
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| 2010-03-25 9:19 AM in reply to: #2747067 |
| Pro 6767 the Alabama part of Pennsylvania | Subject: RE: What else do you do/want to do? I cook too! I haven't been doing much of it lately - which is ironic since I no longer have to account for the tastes of my daughters now that we have an empty nest. I think I do a better job of it when I have time to plan for the week, and spend part of the weekend doing it. I got to dive the aquarium via a program run by Atlantic Edge in Baltimore. I thought it was fun for a day trip. Probably less so for mrs gearboy, since there was a lot of time just hanging around after the aquarium had closed. They were also having a wedding at the aquarium that night, which I thought sounded awesome! |
| 2010-03-25 9:39 AM in reply to: #2747067 |
| Pro 4292 Evanston, | Subject: RE: What else do you do/want to do? Another gardener here! The new veggie garden survived our freak late-season snowstorm on Saturday just fine. The mustard greens, broccoli-rabe, and arugula are well into their second set of leaves. Thinning is delicious, nom-nom-nom! The spinach and cilantro are coming along nicely too. (Lettuce, radicchio, carrots---not so much.) Pretty soon I'll put in some pepper seedlings, as many types as I can get my hands on and fit in the space, plus one or two tomato plants. There's another part of the yard for peas & beans. That area needs work. Oh I want to get some sweet potatoes back there too. Come on by and I'll trade you food for your labor! That's all in the back yard. Meanwhile the front "lawn" is 1/3 grass, 1/3 too-thick compost, and 1/3 weeds. Hi neighbors! Sadly, it's hard to hold my attention on garden projects that don't result in things I can eat. |
| 2010-03-25 9:41 AM in reply to: #2747495 |
| Pro 4292 Evanston, | Subject: RE: What else do you do/want to do? gearboy - 2010-03-25 10:19 AM I cook too! I haven't been doing much of it lately - which is ironic since I no longer have to account for the tastes of my daughters now that we have an empty nest. I think I do a better job of it when I have time to plan for the week, and spend part of the weekend doing it. I got to dive the aquarium via a program run by Atlantic Edge in Baltimore. I thought it was fun for a day trip. Probably less so for mrs gearboy, since there was a lot of time just hanging around after the aquarium had closed. They were also having a wedding at the aquarium that night, which I thought sounded awesome! I went to a fancy-schmancy corporate event at the Aquarium in Boston one time. White linens and all. It's a great venue for a party, just a lovely atmosphere at night. |
| 2010-03-25 9:42 AM in reply to: #2747067 |
| Master 2006 Portland, ME | Subject: RE: What else do you do/want to do? Here is how my summer is shaping up to be; |
| 2010-03-25 9:45 AM in reply to: #2747067 |
| Extreme Veteran 429 | Subject: RE: What else do you do/want to do? I love love love gardening. I am working on my very first square foot garden, and this year I hope to have the most awesome garden ever, with 23 different kinds of produce, all grown organically. I'm pretty stoked about it. Now that the weather is warming up I can start building my forms! Already have some baby broccoli and parsley sprouting in my basement, hoping to get peppers started in the next couple of weeks. I love to read too. I love fiction books. I try to read a non-fiction book every once in a while but have a hard time staying focused on them. We are getting ready to welcome our first foster kids into our home, so my life is about to change dramatically. I am excited and somewhat scared - I've never been a mom before! I also volunteer helping kids learn to read at the lowest-performing school in our city. Well I haven't actually started yet - I start on the 31st. I'm excited about that too. I knit too, though that's really more of a winter-time thing. My mom collects nativity scenes, and my sister and I are knitting her all of the characters and my brother is going to build a stable for them for our Christmas gift to her this year. As far as what I want to do, I hope to be able to make a difference in our foster kids' lives and hopefully in the lives of their bio parents as well. I hope to take more camping trips this summer, and work hard so that maybe we can take a REAL vacation when the slow season gets here again (winter). |
| 2010-03-25 9:46 AM in reply to: #2747067 |
| Pro 4040 | Subject: RE: What else do you do/want to do? Last fall I bought a 30 foot sailboat. So I am reading furiously about inboard diesels, rudder posts and marine toilets. Also, I have started to take baby steps at building a "make money online" empire. |
| 2010-03-25 9:56 AM in reply to: #2747067 |
| Regular 220 Where The Peaches Grow | Subject: RE: What else do you do/want to do? I dance. I try to take 3-5 classes a week. Though with a new car in my future, that may get sidelined until I get a raise / new job. I'd like to try rock climbing. There are several gyms in my area and it looks like it might be something fun to try. The hardest part is finding someone to go with me. |
| 2010-03-25 10:15 AM in reply to: #2747189 |
| Extreme Veteran 494 DC Metro area | Subject: RE: What else do you do/want to do? Being a fireman(both career and volunteer) takes up a majority of my time. I'm also a lifegaurd at 2 places (lifetime fitness in Columbia, MD, and an indoor pool(olney)) so between those 3 jobs, and volunteering at the firehouse I'm pretty busy. On top of that I still manage to fit in 9 credit hours in school trying to finish up some degrees(now working on my 2nd). My goals to buy a house around the time I turn 21(next feb) so just working and saving up as much as I can....Enjoyed skydiving until I lost a good friend while he was base jumping so I got out of it. Also love to cook. If I wasn't in the fire service I would probably be in culinary school. |
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