My hobbies:
Analog (mostly) synthesizers and effects; playing with and building. It's
pretty inexpensive to get into building electronics. You can start with
some simple hand tools (screwdrivers, wrenches) and an entry-level
soldering iron. As with bikes, you can crank up the geekiness (and expense)
as high as you'd like. Aion Electronics (https://aionelectronics.com/) is a
great source for kits (and printed circuit boards if you want to buy your
own parts) for building clones of many classic and rare guitar pedals. If
you play guitar or another electronic instrument, you can then use it! I
find the smell of rosin on a rainy day to be quite relaxing ;) (kidding
kind of - get a fan).
I've built a large modular synthesizer in the older 5U format (MOTM for the
fellow travelers, 30+ modules). The modules were offered as kits back in
the 90s and I saved my pennies for each one. It's now an impressive
instrument from which I can coax sounds never heard before.
I repair older, simpler analog machines, such as old drum machines. I find
them broken or "as-is" on eBay, fix them, then sell them or add them to my
collection. If you start with a single model and get to know it well,
you'll become proficient pretty quickly and learn a lot that will help you
with your next model.
Playing music with my adolescent son. He plays b-flat clarinet and I play
b-flat trumpet. He has trouble sight-reading the music, so we play
together. It keeps my embouchure intact and is genuinely helpful for him.
Helping my child with homework. I know, hobby?! Yeah. He's dyslexic, so
diving deep into that and learning (and helping him learn) strategies for
playing to his strengths and getting around his weaknesses is exciting,
challenging, and super useful.
Bettering myself. I used to shun the "self-help" category like the plague,
but I'm now very interested in flexing mental muscles I've long ignored due
to my half-baked DIY attitude ("I don't need help!"). Example: How to Be a
Stoic by Massimo Pigliucci. Really good stuff to incorporate into my life
and outlook.
Coaching and refereeing youth soccer. Holy cow refereeing is difficult when
one has never been a soccer fan. When my kid joined a team, I had fun
watching. Then they were short on coaches, so I said "what the hell, OK"
(it's AYSO so it's only competitive in the game you're playing - there are
no tournaments or rankings). When they were short on referees I said "this
is a terrible idea, but OK." Fun fact - the kids yell at the ref more than
the parents do. And these kids are too young to caution or send off :)
Volunteering at a community garden. I know nothing about gardening. But I
seem to have a knack for getting people to volunteer for things, and I've
taught myself how to build pretty nice raised beds and a chicken coop. I
was membership coordinator, so I got to meet everyone, and eventually I
became the garden coordinator - basically setting in motion stuff the
steering committee and the garden overall votes on. It's a great way to
spend a weekend - kind of like the rural property someone else mentioned.
There's always something to do, and there's rarely a deadline for when to
get it done. I also grow a ton of my own garlic now, so I have that!
David in Brooklyn
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