Coffee Brake: What Is Your Favorite Non-Car Hobby?
It is no surprise to find that many of the folks who read, write, lurk, and comment on this website are die-hard car fans, but what else can you do? Let’s dive into some of the hobbies that aren’t associated with mutli-wheeled monstrosities and see where the conversation goes.
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| Photo via creative commons on https://www.flickr.com/photos/alancleaver/ |
My choice of non-car hobby is working with wood. I’m not particularly accomplished or good at it (who has time to play in the garage when you’ve got a Saab to keep on the road?), but the medium is fascinating. Wood can be forgiving and temperamental all at the same time, and each piece is entirely unique. I’ve built a few book cases, entertainment centers, tables, and garage shelving over the years. My favorite tool is the biscuit joiner (like this cheapo Chicago Electric version for $65, or a nicer Makita version for $177) because that thing can easy work of joining wood at various angles without the need to do all kinds of special dove tail splines and other advanced techniques that I just don’t understand.
What do you enjoy doing that isn’t car related? Comments below.
Lurking.
I have many. Am I only allowed one per post? Here's just one – watching them, making them and writing about them:
[img] englishwithatwist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Blog_The-Movies.jpg[/img]
RIP. If you've never read about how Shatner hid Nimoy's Riv, you're in for a treat. Sorry for the off-topic topic.
[img] nozama.typepad.com/.a/6a00e54ed05fc28833013480a55373970c-400wi[/img]
Building and riding Bicycles
It is a great hobby. I got into triathlons just because of the biking aspect. I have been building race bikes since then. It is almost as addictive as cars, but on a smaller budget
I know absolutely nothing about bicycles, but I was talking with an acquaintance the other day who is really into them. I was shocked by the cost of some of them. I could easily buy a car (sometimes a couple of them!) for the price of some of them.
The technology in a high-end carbon bike is pretty amazing. The only problem is when one starts spending hundreds or thousands of dollars to save a few grams. It can become a little compulsive.
Aint that the truth. My wife and I (as well as our son) are avid cyclists. For what we've spent on road, TT, track and mountain bikes we could have paid cash for… well…. a vehicle that exceeds DT's $20k limit.
Non-car hobby? Are we allowed to have those?
It's allowed, but not necessary.
Snow skiing in the deep powder of UT in late April. The older I get the more I appreciate gravity fed sports!
Making noisy techno music in some silly attempt to revisit my youth. I don't know which is more of a money pit, car tinkering (LS1 swap all the things!) or music making (with actual gear instead of computers).
I'm not a musician, but I have a few toys including a Kaossilator. That thing is so much fun, it's impossible to put down.
[img] korg.co.jp/Product/Dance/kaossilator/images/index_p2.jpg[/img]
Sailing small sailboats (mine is a 14-foot CL). There is just something magical about motion from nothing more than the wind. And mankind has been doing this essentially unchanged for thousands of years.
Oh, and when the wind picks up, sailing is every bit as exhilarating as driving race cars, but with slightly more forgiving crashes.
I play one of these (albeit poorly).
[img] gakkicenter.com/eg/gretsch/img/g6120_1959ltv/01_z.jpg[/img]
Wow, that's a beautiful geetar. I play one of these (below). Also poorly, I'm sure worse than you.
[img] rondomusic.net/photos/electric/furrianhhvwh5.jpg[/img]
Yes, I also have played folk guitar badly for nearly 30 years. No photo, most steel-string acoustics look pretty much alike. Mine is a Yamaha (at least it keeps it in the motor family).
That's cool, Bobinott!
I too love to play the guitar. I play a PRS SE, and love to figure out how the various artists did what they did! Add Ski Boats and dirt bikes to my list as well!
Woah. That's a serious guitar there, M5. You must know what you're doing. I wish I did. I'm still trying to figure out the 12 bar blues.
Food. I'm not yet at the level of reading cookbooks front to back like a novel, but it's only a matter of time.
Eating or cooking?
Cooking! Although I've found that one tends to follow the other.
*one tends to follow the other. Cooking results in eating. I eat food.
Shooting. Trap, skeet, target, plinking. Shotguns, rifles, pistols. My favorite is probably a Lee-Enfield. I enjoy the history.
Then there's off road vehicles which aren't cars despite almost being cars. Mostly it's cars, though.
Surfing. Thats why wagons are the best. You can put the boards inside or on top and still have a decent car with maybe a few friends inside of it.
Oh Yeah surfing. Yup, doesn't get much better than that.
Another surfing wagon owner here. 1966 Ford Country sedan. The longboards fit easily inside or on top. The inside is full of sand and kids snacks, the way the universe intended.
I'm seeing some similarities here…………my main ones are bicycling (road and mountain), motorcycling (love my Beemer oilhead), and playing guitar.
Oh yeah…and boating/wakeboarding—-I have a Mastercraft inboard that can "corner" in ways that would make a Lotus Elise weep. So basically 3 out of my 4 non-car hobbies have wheels, a motor, or both.
It still involves wheels. I compete in both motorcycle and bicycle racing throughout Texas. Our 5-man endurance team bike is a modified Suzuki GSX-R1000. I have multiple bicycles in order to compete in both road races and time trials + I dig racing mountain bikes as well. I love bicycles, but like anything "high performance" they aint cheap. Love it though.
My favorite would be boating/wakeboarding/wakesurfing.
Like FTB, I also have an inboard(v-drive) Mastercraft. Handles great, as long as you don't try steering while in reverse.
Riding mountain bikes. I've got this thing that doesn't get ridden nearly enough because I'm always working on my truck in my spare time.
[img] i129.photobucket.com/albums/p203/1killerb/photo_zps6de1260c.jpg[/img]
I crossfit.
Jt
[img] crossfitreclamation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/pukie.png[/img]
Other hobbies are at the opposite end of the spectrum from cars. All human-powered. Backpacking. Cross-country skiing. Road biking.
Cliff diving and running with the bulls.
My other hobbies need pistons also. I have a jet ski (picture) and a boat. Even my friend's sailboat has pistons!
[img] farm8.staticflickr.com/7376/13047504125_175a447783.jpg[/img
Picture fail…. Link HERE
Sailing….music……antiquities…..sailing.
Letter writing, Journaling, collecting Japanese otaku culture. Fixing everything that breaks. Dressing up. Experiencing the present moment.
No collectors here? I collect watches (genuine and replica), blades, beads, knucks, etc. Here's a Panerai 6154 homage:[img] i756.photobucket.com/albums/xx203/uptheorg/Watch%20Photos/photo1_zps6ce64f91.jpg[/img]
Women…I just love to look at them…wonder about what they have under the hood…think what a bigger set of flares would look like…Imagine how fun it would be just to take them around the block- and how I'd handle the curves…then figure they are so impractical- no way could this one ever be a daily drive…the maintenance would kill me…
That's why I love this sight – everyday a mindless fantasy about – what if I could get that????
Hookers and blow