Review of My Hobbies

 

I've had a lot of hobbies over the years, so I thought I'd sort of review them and see which ones I might pick up again, approach differently, or take up. Honestly, I should be cleaning the kitchen, but I hurt my shoulder, and anything more than a cursory wipe-down is just not happening. 

Music: I have, at various times, played the violin, played the harp, learned a little piano, and sang. Violin, I found, requires a degree of precision I don't have. I played reasonably well when I was little, tried to pick it up as an adult, and didn't vibe with it. The harp was more forgiving, but I was never as good as I wanted to be, and my fear of performing in front of anyone made it feel rather pointless. I don't think I enjoyed playing the harp so much as I sometimes enjoyed people's reactions to it. I tried learning piano, but it wasn't an instrument that called to me. I enjoyed singing the most, but I can't bring myself to sing the songs I used to sing with Dad, and I can't get over my performance anxiety long enough to pass a choir audition. I panic, my throat tightens up, I can barely eke out any sounds, and I forget everything. I've thought maybe I'd get myself a reverie harp, which is a little lap harp that I could strum or pick at without worrying about following sheet music. I can think about it. 

Fountain Pens/Handwriting: For a while I collected fountain pens, tried my hand at repairing them, collected many pretty inks, and practiced my handwriting. I still have my fountain pen stuff; I need to find a dedicated flat surface for it. A proper writing desk, maybe? I can think more about it once I've sufficiently decluttered the downstairs.

Gardening: I've tried, but rarely had much luck with keeping plants alive. I've got a minor aversion to bugs and a strong discomfort with getting sweaty/dirty. Once I get the patio sorted, maybe I could take a stab at gardening with a few select plants. I want to try growing a tea plant (Camellia sinensis), but I have doubts I'd get it to thrive. I'm very prone to neglecting my plants, but maybe a drip system would help? I am seriously considering planting a bunch of Rock Purslane (Calandrinia grandiflora) because it doesn't need much water, grows vigorously, and blooms almost constantly. Maybe with a Butterfly Bush (Buddleja)  instead of a tea plant, since the one we had in the backyard was perennial, attracted tons of butterflies and hummingbirds, and thrived on neglect. 

Orchids: I love orchids, but I lack places to put them that would keep them safe from a cat. Pyewacket has proved to be quite the climber and jumper. At least they're not toxic to cats? Also, I need grow-lights, and those look so tacky. I found a set that would discreetly mount under a bookcase shelf, but they didn't actually work right; they were very cheap. I'll have to think about it more after the great decluttering happens.

Aquariums: Fascinating, but expensive. Plus I lack a good place to put one. They need lights and filters, dedicated storage for supplies, and a proper stand. Mind the aquarium I had was quite fun to mess with, but it was also fairly large. Maybe I could try the Walstad Method in a very tiny fishbowl? Then I'd need a light, a lidded bowl, and a place to put it? Maybe one day.

Tea: Will be my forever hobby. Who can ever get sick of tea? That's like being sick of air. I've been trying to turn my hobby into a business, but I'm starting to doubt it. I can barely get my friends and family enthused about tea; how am I supposed to get total strangers? I don't have the facilities to run an online shop; I don't have the endurance to run a brick-and-mortar store or even a booth at an outdoor market. It'd be nice to host tea parties/ceremonies/tasting events, but the logistics of doing so off-site are daunting, and legally I shouldn't have customers visiting the house too often. I'm planning to host virtual events and will run several practice runs to get a handle on the process. Regardless, I'm determined to have my tea room. It will get used, even if the business itself never fully develops. 

Coloring: I've got some nice colored pencils and a few coloring books, so I thought I'd try my hand at copying the pages from the books to color in as I please. I used to do this all the time when I was quite little. I need to clear some space for this someday.

Books: I'm forever reading books, but maybe I could approach it more formally. Maybe make a point to write a paragraph or two about the book after I finish reading it? I'll think about it.

Gaming: I do enjoy playing select computer games. Mostly Sims 4 and Skyrim. Sims 4 is what I play when I need a sense of control in my life; I dictate their little lives, how they dress, how their homes look, and everything. I do get bored after binging for a month or so and eventually wander back as the mood takes me. Skyrim is just so very satisfying. I love that it has Vikings and dragons; I love the freedom of exploring an open-world RPG and playing different characters; the music is lovely; the graphics are nice (even for an older game). I can do as I please. I can go adventuring to hunt dragons, build a house, save the world, collect shiny trinkets, or enjoy the scenery. I've also gotten into learning to add mods to the game to alter it into… Whatever I want. I can enhance the graphics so it looks really pretty; I can change gameplay mechanics so it's easier, harder, or more immersive; and I can add whole new regions to visit or characters to meet. I'm thinking of creating some Skyrim modding showcase videos or tutorials, and maybe diving back into live streaming. 

Podcasting: I find I rather like the idea of talking about history, mythology, and folklore for an hour, though I'm not sure what format it should take. I'm mostly just reading and researching how to edit, produce, and host a podcast. It's very much in its early stages yet, and I'm not sure it's something I can actually manage myself. 

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I think that's everything. After going over all that, it seems I need to focus on getting my Tea Room set up and decluttering the house. Get the patio squared away, and then I might have space and time for more of my hobbies.