Off Topic Hobbies

We all have them.

Football, for example, is the obvious one that has brought us all together, to this place and time. Okay, for some it's more of a blind obsession - a job, even - but for most of us, it's a hobby, to be enjoyed (and sometimes endured) as part of a healthy, balanced life.

But is football your only hobby? Is it even your principle hobby? Or is there something else that tops it?

For me - and this may sound like something of a confession - football isn't quite the hobby that it used to be in former times. For example, I no longer hold a season ticket (as I once did, over several seasons), and the fact is that I get very little opportunity to attend professional games, these days. That doesn't make me any less of a fan - I have been supporting Spurs for as long as I can remember - but it does indicate that football isn't really that important in my life.

I have a lot of interests, but if I was to choose the three that most preoccupy my time, in order of priority, they would be as follows:-

my rock band - I play lead guitar
photography
card magic

I've been interested in music since my pre-teens, and I first picked up an electric guitar when I was 14 years old, and haven't put it down, since. The band has been gigging on a semi-pro basis for around 6 years, we've played several festivals, and have even had our stuff played on local radio.

I got in to photography at around 16 years old. My first camera was an Olympus OM1n. I can develop my own film, but predominantly use digital media these days. I have never had an exhibition of my work, but I am the resident photographer for an online magazine.

I have been an amateur magician since I was a kid. There used to be a magic club in Shoreditch when I was a kid, that used to meet every third Thursday in the month, and which my mother used to take me to. I remember that we used to take the No. 123 bus, off Lordship Lane. Recently, I've got back into card magic, having forgotten the buzz it used to give me.

I've Noticed that there is a tendency, among some people on this forum (not necessarily this board) to sneer at folk who express an interest in things other than football, or even to cast doubt that people engage in these things. Why is that? Is it so very hard to believe that posters have interests other than posting crap on an internet forum?

What hobbies do you lads have? How important are they to the quality of your life?

Is posting on this forum viewed by you as a hobby?

Don't feel obliged to give us your life history, if you don't want to. Nor am I going to invite you to hug a tree with me; but I thought it might be interesting to find out what you lads really like to do away from the world of football.

 

Mine is also music, but in my case mostly singing. My favourite stuff is 'early music' (not well defined but let's say written before 1700). My avatar is the composer Thomas Weelkes (1576-1623) who wrote madrigals and church music and was organist at Chichester Cathedral. He was held in very high esteem as a musician, so much so that he managed to stay in post despite incredibly bad behaviour:
"Thomas Weelkes got the sack from Chichester Cathedral in 1616. Already in trouble for urinating on the Dean during evensong (from the organ loft) a couple of years earlier, Weelkes was finally given his marching orders when his habit of being drunk at the console and swearing loudly in services got too much. Extraordinarily, he was soon reinstated and, despite there being no let-up in his love of either bottle or blasphemy, continued in the post until his death in 1623."

 

Good thread bruh.

Football: always been passionate about it. Played Sunday league, various indoor leagues from my teens to my mid thirties. Supporting Spurs is a massive part of my life, when I say my life, it means I give them a lot of thought and they affect my moods. I don't however have lots of Spurs things at home, not one of them kind of passionate fans. My 14 year old does that. I've just got a retro Spurs Trackie...that'll do.

Not606: its a great pastime for me..I click it open whenever I can to be honest...might be unwinding, having breakfast or just waiting for my Cuppa to brew. I like the laugh I have with many good people online. That quite simply outweighs any negatives I may experience.

Cooking: yeah we all eat and cook no doubt. For me its a bit of a hobby. I try to perfect my understanding of the ingredients. I **** about in the kitchen trying to make a perfect curry. I watch cooking programmes to refine my skills. I find the cooking therapeutic....its great when you treat yourself to a spliff too.

Gaming: I wouldn't say I'm a proper gamer. Not mad about every game but I do like to escape into it for a bit. That's just another spontaneous thing when the mood takes me. Love my Footy games and I try my hand at open world games like GTA and Assassins Creed.

Reading: always enjoy a good biography.

Star gazing: got a telescope and binoculars. I love mixing it with nature. Awe inspiring. Absolutely mad when stoned.

The Gym: I'd be a fat bastard if I didn't go wouldn't call it a hobby anymore, more a necessity.

All these things add quality to my life in its own way. I'm an easy going guy. I just enjoy a chill when I am afforded it.

 

Great post!

This is just the kind of thing that I am hoping this thread will encourage.

It never ceases to amaze me the interests that people have, and the detailed and specialist knowledge that people accumulate through their interests.

 

I enjoy compulsive lying

 

I used to be a semi professional milf hunter

I retired about 14 years ago

 

Snap!

Astronomy is one of my many interests, as is cosmology. I have devoured many books on the subject!

I also take a very keen interest in alternative versions of human history, having read all the greats, including Sitchen, Cremo and Lloyd Pye. If you haven't read it yet, get your hands on Cremo's Forbidden Archaeology. It's an epic read and quite technical in many places, but it will open your eyes wider than they are already opened.

 

I don't believe you.

 

My hobbies are exactly the same as HIAGs'
(well they must be according to the PL board retards who think my account is
a HIAG multiple) ...

 

Well, you do have my old avatar!

That proves it!

 

I copied my avatar from Cornish Clive.
Does he have a new one to copy ?? ----------------------O

 

Liar

 

Mainly flirting with my waifu on Tumblr via the medium of (non-porn) gifs

...what?

 

That's true.

 

That sounds like it's quite a specialist pastime, HBIC.

 

I have 3 main interests - Football is obviously a given, but along with my passion for the mighty Spurs (and my visits to see The Gills), I also have 3 sons who also love the beautiful game, the middle one is a qualified referee and he plays Kent League U18 for Ashford United, my youngest plays U14s for Ashford in the East Kent league, so I get to see alot of youth football and with matches that they play and officiate in, my wife and I will often between us go to 4/5 matches each weekend.

Next is my love of music, I have a huge collection of CDs and Vinyl, over 1100 cds and 500 vinyl albums (there is alot of repetition between the 2, I also still have about 200 tapes as well). I like all types of music though I guess most would come under the 'rock' banner, I like music from most eras and would include some Classical and Jazz amongst my favourites, but if I could only choose one artist it would be Paul Weller (and I would want to include The Jam in that). I also once performed in a band playing bass and providing some vocals, but this was mainly for fun and we weren't very good!

My final interest is in comedy, (I guess as a Spurs fan a sense of humour is essential). I have a love of TV comedy shows that goes back to Monty Python and The Goodies which I recall from my youth and I have an extensive library of classic TV comedy series, and I if am watching the television it is far more likely that I will be enjoying a programme from 20 years ago than watching anything current (though do I enjoy Dave Gormans show on Dave).

 

I love both of those!

A couple of years back, I bought the DVD collection of The Goodies, mainly to relive my distant pre-teen youth. I was amazed to find that I still found it highly amusing! I used to love the way in which Tim and Graeme would gang up on Bill; the bird-watching episode is one of my favourites.

 

Interesting thread. Doing this makes you realise that some things you thought were a hobby you hardly ever do, and some of the things you spend a lot of time doing you never really classified as a hobby!

Board Gaming: I've played weekly for most of my life. Not Monopoly, Risk etc, but no-dice no-luck games - and also games where nobody can lose completely and hopefully have fun even when not doing well.

PC Gaming: I like solo PC strategy games, keep going back to the same ones, sometimes accidentally find me playing all night.

Challenges: Bit of a miscellaneous category but I like to have done various vaguely difficult things, all of which have been done better and faster by others, but I'm trying to do a few different ones. For example this year I drove to the SW, S, NE and N points of Britain on the same day. I've also done the Tube Challenge (all the tube stations in one day). Previously I visited all 48 contiguous state of the US in a mega road trip. I've a couple planned for next year.

Exercise: "Earlier activities" have caught up with me and I can't really run much, but I can walk forever so I (mostly) walk marathons. Done 15 so far. Always among the last to finish but I get there. Without the incentive of something to train for I wouldn't do any exercise at all. I used to be in the TA and needed something to give me a reason to keep fit after that.

Other: I have been writing a technical book for years, will likely never be finished and I don't do it often enough to be a hobby. I also dabble in caligraphy. I'm blessed with good writing, it's something I've never had to practice so don't really get much out of it. But I can do various gothic stuff and copperplate, and have even won an award for my normal (cursive) writing.

 

Ah, yes. I remember those days!

In 2004, I ran the Hastings Half Marathon, the Isle of Wight Marathon, and the San Francisco Marathon - in that order, throughout the year. I entered the Isle of Wight Marathon as preparation for the San Fran Marathon, but then discovered that the former was considered one of the UK's so-called Iron Man events. It was a killer! The San Fran Marathon was a breeze in comparison.

 

HIAG- is your music available on YouTube?

Like Spurlock, Spurs takes up a lot of my time- I get very depressed if the result goes against us.

Cricket- really made up this year that Middlesex are champions-I was at Lords last day of the season to see them crowned.

Used to run. I have done marathons, a triathlon and an ultra-marathon.

Love my dog-is that a hobby? He definitely takes up plenty of my time.