Origami.

It is affordable, fun, can be quite useful and once you reach certain level is an art form.

Music. Because it’s sound, even when I’m at my most lethargic, depressed, and too exhausted to do anything, I can enjoy it just by feeling its vibrations in my body.

Collecting rare and high-quality pages on the internet, especially personal websites. In this age of social media where information flow is manipulated by algorithms, the culture of personal link collections is all the more necessary.

Music production

I was a professional musician most of my adult life, but it was all performance and I never really got to experience the recording/audio engineering side. So I’m semi-retired out of that now, and I built a little recording studio in my house and have been slowly studying production while continuing to write and record music. It’s a good hobby for me because it allows me to keep scratching that musical itch I’ve always had and gets me out of my own head after working in a lab all damn day.

Gaming: very convenient. Don’t have to put just about any effort into turning on the computer after work and spending the entire evening.

Hunting: I feel like a part of nature in a way growing potatos in the garden does not come close to.

I’ve fallen off a bit on it, but Go. The amount of complexity that emerges from simple rules, the aesthetic forms that emerge, as if both players are collaborating on a work of art. To an experienced player, each stone has a meaning, in it’s own language, and you can almost hear them speaking. There are so many ways to approach the game, a player’s personality reveals itself on the Go board, and any flaw in one’s way of thinking, anything you need to work on, comes out on the board like looking into a mental mirror.

I’m actually heading out to a tournament now, and I’m super rusty but I think I’m starting to rediscover my interest in it.

3D printing. Making things in general, because it’s useful, but 3D printing specifically because I can make things I otherwise wouldn’t be able to dream of making.

My hobbies are more for practical function than hobbies.

I design and 3D print things to fit my specific needs, rather than compromise with something store-bought. I recently made a USB cable holder that matches the profile of edge banding on a desk I refurbished.

I made a bed, refurbished a desk and made a dressing bench. I have plans to make an entryway table.

I sewed a cover for the pad for the headboard of the bed I made. I’ll make another one for the bench whenever the fabric shows ups. I also made a t-shirt last year, one that fits me.

Mead making. Good quality time with my wife, and we get to drink it, so… what’s not to love?

Sim racing.

I’m a major gearhead, I’ve always loved cars, driving, in pretty much any form it comes in. Especially racing. I follow, or I’ve at least watched/heard of basically every form of motorsport on the planet. Getting to do it in real life has been a dream of mine, but that requires a lot of time and money I simply don’t have.

For the cost of a beat-up Miata and a set of summer tires, my sim rig PC lets me (virtually) drive any car, on any track, at any time. And not just cars; trucks, planes, pretty much anything. There’s also the added benefits of not having to pay for car repairs or hospital bills whenever I virtually crash.

Sure, it’s still not the same as the real thing, but with all the hardware and peripherals at my disposal, I can get pretty damn close.

I do a lot of gardening and cooking.

Sourdough bread is probably my favorite because it still blows my mind that flour, water, and salt are the only inputs and can deliver a loaf I could sell for $8-10. Literally some of the best bread I’ve ever eaten, and there is no reason it should even work.

Gardening is sometimes magical and sometimes tragically frustrating.

Yoga I value because it keeps my body and mind in good shape.

Cooking. The little steps are each meditative with the result of that time being delicious applied chemistry. And music on in the background helps get into the cooking flow state.

Hiking: I’m in my mid-50’s and did a lot of hiking and backpacking in my youth. I have chronic back issue that precludes me carrying a heavy back pack for days on end. However, I do still love to go for day hikes. Mainly because I love being in nature, but also it’s good exercise for my old bones.

Audio Electronics Repair: I like to take old amplifiers and pre-amps and bring them back to full function. Satisfaction is what I get out of this. It can also be a puzzle that needs to be figured out.

Mountain biking. Mainly the biking part because where I live you’re lucky to find as much as a hill, but there’s still plenty of nature and footpaths to explore. Fun way to exercise, commute, and it gives me a reason to go outside every day.

It got me into doing bike repairs too, and the skillset and tools are applicable for lots of other areas too, which has saved me a ton of dosh over the years.

LARP, specifically full-contact. It’s a craft-heavy environment where you can smash people with a stick and get beat on yourself, then drink roughly four to eighteen beers by a fire. It’s got crafts, catharsis, sports, partying, camping, and shenanigans built in.

Beekeeping. Every day’s a school day.