# Other hobbies?



## Big Don (Dec 15, 2009)

I collect shot glasses. What do you people do, aside from martial arts?


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## Cryozombie (Dec 15, 2009)

Big Don said:


> I collect shot glasses. What do you people do, aside from martial arts?


 
Motorcycling and Wargaming primarily.  I used to do some Indie films as well for fun, but I have not done any in a couple years.


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## xJOHNx (Dec 15, 2009)

Reading comicbooks and classical literature.

Should get back into Warhammer, but at the moment I'm lacking time.


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## stickarts (Dec 15, 2009)

I enjoy collecting all kinds of coins: foreign, rare, old, etc...


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## morph4me (Dec 15, 2009)

Ballroom dancing and reading.


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## crushing (Dec 15, 2009)

Playing volleyball and drinking good beer.


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## bluekey88 (Dec 15, 2009)

Playing piano and guitar, woodworking, playing video games, reading.


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## Xue Sheng (Dec 15, 2009)

Big Don said:


> I collect shot glasses. What do you people do, aside from martial arts?


 

 There is something BESIDES Martial Arts 

:hmm: I shall have to look into this "things aside from martial arts" and get back to you


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## dbell (Dec 15, 2009)

Scuba, read, hike and camp.  Use to ride and care for horses, don't anymore, and use to do K9 Search and Rescue, but my puppy (of 7 years) passed away from a brain aneurysm last year....


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## Ken Morgan (Dec 15, 2009)

Painting and politics.


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## girlbug2 (Dec 15, 2009)

Reading, fine machine sewing and traditional embroidery.

Digging and playing in the dirt, aka, gardening.


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## dancingalone (Dec 15, 2009)

tennis
watching cartoons with my son
soap making
I sometimes contribute code to open source projects too


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## CoryKS (Dec 15, 2009)

Ken Morgan said:


> Painting and politics.


 
You know who else liked painting and politics?  

Sorry man, couldn't resist. 

I like to read, play video games with my son, camp, and last year I started homebrewing.  Second batch came out much better than the first, but there's room for improvement.


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## Steve (Dec 15, 2009)

I had to give up home brewing.  It made good beer too easy to acquire.  I'm sure your beer will improve.  Are you brewing from whole grains or using an extract?  After keeping it in the garage for a few years, I finally sold the gear I had to a friend who is now making delicious ales with it. 

I like video games, but wouldn't consider myself a gamer, as such.  I like games where I can take my time and prefer games that are one player.  Fallout 3 and Oblivian are far and away my two favorite games ever.  Currently, I'm playing the lego games with my two older kids.  Those are a lot of fun.  

I do a lot of reading and writing.  I keep my blog, which I enjoy.  I also keep a journal, and have toyed with getting back into fiction, but haven't felt the pull strongly enough to actually do it yet.  I haven't written stories since college.

I enjoy cooking.  Not a good baker.  I don't like to measure things, and I've learned that you can't eyeball a measurement in baking.  

Mostly, I do zhoo zhitsu and hang out with my kids.


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## jarrod (Dec 15, 2009)

i play guitar & bass, read, & do a fair amount of outdoor stuff.  i have a goal of summiting every 14,000ft+ mountain in colorado.  so far, 1 down, 53 to go.  i don't have any winter climbing gear yet.  i also like candle-making.    

jf


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## CoryKS (Dec 15, 2009)

stevebjj said:


> I had to give up home brewing. It made good beer too easy to acquire. I'm sure your beer will improve. Are you brewing from whole grains or using an extract? After keeping it in the garage for a few years, I finally sold the gear I had to a friend who is now making delicious ales with it.
> 
> I like video games, but wouldn't consider myself a gamer, as such. I like games where I can take my time and prefer games that are one player. Fallout 3 and Oblivian are far and away my two favorite games ever. Currently, I'm playing the lego games with my two older kids. Those are a lot of fun.
> 
> ...


 
I'm still using extracts, but the second time around I used adjuncts which seemed to make a huge difference.  The first batch just tasted like flat, alcoholic wort but this batch is the real thing.  Got the priming sugar mixed adequately this time so the carbonation is good.  Only problem was that due to scheduling problems I had to leave it in the fermenter a little longer than I wanted, so there's a bit of a rubbery undertaste from lysis.  Not a lot and nobody has commented on it, but I know it's there.


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## girlbug2 (Dec 15, 2009)

Big Don said:


> I collect shot glasses.


 
I shoot glass collections.


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## morph4me (Dec 15, 2009)

girlbug2 said:


> I shoot glass collections.


 

You and Don should get together, you can give him all of the glasses you shot for his collection


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## Bruno@MT (Dec 15, 2009)

I am an admin for http://www.straightrazorplace.com/forums
I also restore antique stright razors, and I have recently started making new ones myself. That is the big passion I have. Bigger than MA.

Related to that I also like to sharpen tools like axes, knives, etc,... solely by hand. A tool that is not sharp enough to give you a vicious cut if you're careless is not sharp enough at all. I once repaired the edge of a splitting maul for a friend, and made it so sharp that I could shave myself with it. And I did.


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## TKDHomeSchooler (Dec 15, 2009)

I kind of collect guns and knives, it is expensive so my collection has gotten stale.  I also like to shoot stuff :ultracool, I also like to follow politics and other forms of self defense.


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## Skippy (Dec 15, 2009)

Lets see,


*#1.I like to mountain climb*. I've climbed all over the world. Highest peaks I've ever climbed are in The Kyrgyz Republic, The Tien Shan Range which is right next to China & Tibet.

*#2. Write & play music*. I have 3 project going at the moment. The first one is with my wife & kind of sounds like Pink Floyd. The second project sounds like a heavy & darker version of The DOORS. The third project is straight up Northern European Black Metal, pretty brutal stuff actually, it kind of sounds like a massive violent storm hitting land & crushing everything in it's path. (Not Happy Holiday music that's for sure!)

*#3. Play soccer & run a soccer academy.* Besides being involved in Martial arts since 1974 I come from a family with a long rich history of soccer players, Football what we call it in Europe. I played in Europe for 5 years when I was younger & now I play on an old guys team where I'm a player/coach & run my academy once a month.

*#4. Northern European Sword Study.* I'm a Celtic Person, a Druid actually & was brought up learning how to work & use a sword. The big 12 to 14 pound blades! I have a small group that I teach this to every so often.

*#5. Read & collect books.* I have tons & tons of books. My house looks like a funky bookstore from hell.

*#6. Travel.* I travel quite often. Name the place & chances are I've been there. My favorite places are ... Russia, Kyrgyz Republic, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Romania, Hungary,Cezch Republic & my own turf ...Ireland.


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## Big Don (Dec 15, 2009)

Xue Sheng said:


> There is something BESIDES Martial Arts
> 
> :hmm: I shall have to look into this "things aside from martial arts" and get back to you


Of course there is, alcohol, which explains my shot glass collection.


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## Omar B (Dec 15, 2009)

I play and restore old electric guitars.  Started out of necessity because electric guitars made in the 70's and 80's tend to sound better because the wood has had time to age and settle.

I watch a lot of sports.

I read a lot.


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## Tames D (Dec 15, 2009)

Skinny dipping. Right JT?


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## Langenschwert (Dec 15, 2009)

1) Music: I used to play bass professionally for a number of years. Trying to get back into the scene. If I had my way I'd be playing jazz standards every time I got on stage.

2) Console gaming: Halo, Left 4 Dead, Ghost recon, Zelda, etc.

3) Pen and Paper rpgs: Generally "old school" and/or obscure ones: Hârn, Tekumel, The Riddle of Steel, Sorcerer, Warhammer Fantasy, Rolemaster/Shadow World, though I still quite enjoy a beer & pretzels game of D&D (any edition).

4) Reading: usually classic Sword & Sorcery fare: Robert E. Howard, Karl Edward Wagner, Jessica Amanda Salmonson, Fritz Leiber, etc.

Regards,

-Mark


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## Xue Sheng (Dec 15, 2009)

Big Don said:


> Of course there is, alcohol, which explains my shot glass collection.


 
oh..yes... I forgot about that.... but if memory servers...in that way lies madness :EG: and a rather large bar tab


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## Ken Morgan (Dec 15, 2009)

CoryKS said:


> You know who else liked painting and politics?
> 
> Sorry man, couldn't resist.
> 
> I like to read, play video games with my son, camp, and last year I started homebrewing. Second batch came out much better than the first, but there's room for improvement.


 
Hitler & Churchill both did.....


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## Jenny_in_Chico (Dec 15, 2009)

In no particular order:

1. Cooking and baking. I'm very good at this.

2. Dog training. I'm very good at this also.

3. Horseback riding. Was fairly good at this, but now I'm rusty because I don't have my own horse.

4. Target shooting with pistol. I'm fairly good at this, but haven't shot consistently in a few years. I'd really like to be able to shoot every day and then compete, but the money isn't available.

5. I read a lot, but I've never considered it a hobby. It is a requirement in my life, like breathing or bathing regularly.

6. I love to camp, but only when it is warm. I'm too sensitive to cold to camp in the winter. And mountain climbing is totally out of the question.

7. I've cultivated bonsai in the past, but I don't have any right now.


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## Xue Sheng (Dec 15, 2009)

And the serious answer

Working on Classical Guitar again

Stopped years ago and of late I have tried several times but I jsut can't stand ong finigernaisl anymore but I found the type of picks that I have been looking for so I am back at it again

Oh and of course confusing others &#633;&#477;&#652;&#477;u&#477;&#613;&#653; &#477;lq&#305;ssod


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## theletch1 (Dec 15, 2009)

I used to kayak and camp with my wife.  Also used to read a great deal and spend time here.  I've cut way back on most all of that in favor of driving myself crazy trying to earn a degree.  Now I spend what time is available either here or at the pistol range with my wife... she's getting better with every trip so I guess I'd better behave.  I haven't had time for home brewing but did a great stout at one time.  Still have the equipment and may well get back into it soon.

Tom, I didn't have you pegged as a ballroom dancer.  You move gracefully so it shouldn't have come as a surprise.  I gave Erica ballroom dance lessons for Christmas last year.  I actually enjoyed it.  Maybe it was just the time with her and doing something new. :shrug:


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## Tames D (Dec 15, 2009)

*Skiing:* This is my passion. I wish I could ski year round. Never get enough of it.

*Motocross:* This is another passion. I can do this year round.

*Archery:* Not real serious, just like to play with the equipment.

*Street Bikes:* I want to get back into this in 2010. Been a long time since I owned a street bike. I'll be shopping for a Harley after the holidays.

*Chess:* My kids love this game and got me into it. I'm not very good at it yet, but gaining momentum, lol.

*Surfing:* My kids wanted me to teach them how to surf, so I dusted off the old board during the summer and it felt good to get back into it.


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## Jenny_in_Chico (Dec 15, 2009)

Ah yes, y'all reminded me of dancing...I love to dance! But I only dance in couples and most men refuse to take lessons so there it is. I dance country western 2 step and east coast swing.


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## theletch1 (Dec 15, 2009)

Jenny_in_Chico said:


> Ah yes, y'all reminded me of dancing...I love to dance! But I only dance in couples and most men refuse to take lessons so there it is. I dance country western 2 step and east coast swing.


 I had resisted the dance lessons for several years.  My instructor and his wife began taking lessons and he spoke about how much he enoyed it.  Between him and Erica ganging up on me I had no choice.   I have to tell you that it was much more difficult than I expected.  I've gotten used to learning to move in certain ways over the years of MA training so I figured it would be a piece of cake.  NOT!


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## Touch Of Death (Dec 15, 2009)

Karaoke is fun.
Sean


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## MA-Caver (Dec 15, 2009)

"I collect spores, molds and fungus..."


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## Jenny_in_Chico (Dec 15, 2009)

theletch1 said:


> I had resisted the dance lessons for several years. My instructor and his wife began taking lessons and he spoke about how much he enoyed it. Between him and Erica ganging up on me I had no choice.  I have to tell you that it was much more difficult than I expected. I've gotten used to learning to move in certain ways over the years of MA training so I figured it would be a piece of cake. NOT!


 
I really don't understand why a man would be resistant to the idea of dancing. He gets to grab a woman around the waist and push her around, and she LOVES it. Seems like a win-win situation.


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## David43515 (Dec 15, 2009)

Lets see....I had to give up knifemaking, woodworking, and camping when I moved to Japan. (No room for my stuff) But I still love cooking, reading, writing short fiction, and polotics.

I`d love to try ballroom or latin dancing. Always wanted to try it, but never had the time. Maybe if the wife and I get back together it would be something nice to do.


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## K-man (Dec 15, 2009)

Anything outdoors. Hiking, camping, 4x4 driving, skiing, kayaking, dog training, flying (ultralights), scuba, & photography.


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## celtic_crippler (Dec 15, 2009)

...other than drinking out of shot glasses...

I'm a gaming geek. Board games, RPG's, console, and PC... I like games. 

Also a political junkie.

I'm into Sci-Fi and Fantasy as well... oddly enough I attribute that in part to why I got into MA... because I wanted to be more like the heroes I read about in books and comics. When I was a kid reading about how Batman sought out the best martial artists to train under and how Daredevil trained with Stick and ninjas ...it just made sense that I do the same. LOL


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## Carol (Dec 15, 2009)

Hobbies I used to love but have fallen away from have been cooking and playing my guitar.  Which is kind of embarassing considering I went to music school.    I like gaming, and I am starting to get more serious about digital photography.  

I am also a swimmer and a hiker.  While I am not at terribly good at either (especially hiking), I accomplished two major goals that I set for myself this fall.   I set a personal best for distance in the pool at 3500 meters (2.1 miles) the day before my birthday, and I hiked to the summit of Mount Monadnock, one of the most frequently climbed mountains in the world, said to be second only to Mount Fuji.

My time in these events is quite unspectacular.  It took me almost three hours for the swim, and about 8 hours for the hike.   But, I still completed both endeavors so I guess where I lack in cardio, I make up for in heart.


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## Dirty Dog (Dec 15, 2009)

I read voraciously; anything other than bodice rippers, basically.
Bladesmithing; I'm not all that good, but it's fun.
Scuba; a relatively new hobby. We go to Cancun for our anniversaries, so...
Off-roading; we live in Colorado, one of the most gorgeous places in the world, and you cannot see most of it from the interstate. So I have a pair of ridiculously overbuilt offroad toys.
Racing; fast cars are fun. My fair-weather daily driver is a 700HP supercharged '95 Trans Am convertible. The plate is TOY4DAD and for those silly children who think 'Fast & Furious' is a documentary, there's a sticker on the back that says "Rice: It's What's For Dinner." I just found the donor car for my dream project. It's a '74 Corvette, which will have a C5 suspension, 6-speed and a 600HP LS transplanted into it.
Indoors, I play Diablo II, and look forward to the promised release of D3.


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## Aikikitty (Dec 15, 2009)

I'm interested in many things, but I usually go in streaks of doing a few at a time and then switch focus to something else for awhile then back again.

*Reading* (mostly fantasy, Japanese manga, comic books, fan fiction)

*Collecting* (mostly fantasy and cutesy Japanese stuff)

*Video games* (Nintendo DS) & the application games on Facebook (addicted)

*World of Warcraft* (I count that as a different type of video game)

*Bellydancing* (sadly had to stop because of $)

*Drawing* 

*Cross-stitch*

*Exercising*--I feel so much better afterwards.

*Hoop Dancing*--great fun and exercise! My sister is actually a certified hoop dancing instructor in Maine and she got my mom and I into it. This is one of my favorite performances she did from last December. http://www.youtube.com/user/pigletpugs#p/u/7/gXWuBPnuQww She's learned a lot of new tricks since then--who knew you can spin a hoop on your shoulder and elbows?

*Contact Juggling*--I'm only just a very beginner. It's very difficult, but it looks so awesome when done correctly. My sister turned me onto this too. We were always fascinated by the contact juggling scenes in the '80's movie Labyrinth and she found out what it was. This guy is a good example of what it looks like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0enoVoTRRaw&feature=PlayList&p=C6B3ED34A5979E8A&index=7

and this guy just makes it look too easy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfvH1U9rsFI&feature=PlayList&p=C6B3ED34A5979E8A&index=1

Robyn


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## teekin (Dec 16, 2009)

Is work a Hobby? Ideally I work 60-65 hours a week, more if I can.

I read 3-4 books at a time. I am caught up in a book right now called "The Blank Slate, the Modern Denial of Human Nature", which lead me to order " The Natural History of Rape" and  "The Lottery in Babylon" all which deal with the duality of nature VS nurture. To what extent do we "choose" what we do and to what extent do our genes and insticts choose for us. 

I attend University classes when I can, and live in the stacks ( library). I sometimes write my friends papers for them as well. 

I had to sell my race horses but kept my big dressage ( Trakhner  Solling x Cocktail) mare. I ride rather well and intend compete again this summer. That means finding the time to get out 5x a week and finding the money to have her at a facility with an indoor arena where my coach ( the woman in the video I posted) can come. ( hence working 65 hours a week) I am moving her closer to me at the end of December.

I do behavior modification and general luvin-up of animals that come into the various shelters and programs for neglected, abandon, abused, dumped animals. Right now there is another puppy mill bust so I will go wash poo encrusted puppies at D'Arcy's Arc and take in old bitches that have never been out of thier tiny 2x2 cage. GaDoodle will teach them how to play. They will get cuddled, taught to walk on a leash, potty trained, and find out how good cinnimon toast is. Once they are social and ready to meet the world they can go up for adoption.

I do paint, but that seems to be sporatic. Often I will paint in long streches of 7-10 hours or more then leave it till I can have another long period to paint. My subconcious paints, I kind of zone out, and another part of me takes over and the paint just ends up on the canvas. I never know what the picture is going to look like till it's done. 

lori


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## morph4me (Dec 16, 2009)

theletch1 said:


> I had resisted the dance lessons for several years. My instructor and his wife began taking lessons and he spoke about how much he enoyed it. Between him and Erica ganging up on me I had no choice.  I have to tell you that it was much more difficult than I expected. I've gotten used to learning to move in certain ways over the years of MA training so I figured it would be a piece of cake. NOT!


 
It's just like aikido, without the throws and locks . You'll get the same corrections in the ballroom that you get in the dojo.



Jenny_in_Chico said:


> I really don't understand why a man would be resistant to the idea of dancing. He gets to grab a woman around the waist and push her around, and she LOVES it. Seems like a win-win situation.


 
That's why I do it. My goal in life is to hold as many women as possible, dancing is a socially acceptable way to do it without getting arrested, beat up or divorced


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## Ken Morgan (Dec 16, 2009)

The Opal Dragon said:


> *Contact Juggling*--I'm only just a very beginner. It's very difficult, but it looks so awesome when done correctly. My sister turned me onto this too. We were always fascinated by the contact juggling scenes in the '80's movie Labyrinth and she found out what it was. This guy is a good example of what it looks like.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0enoVoTRRaw&feature=PlayList&p=C6B3ED34A5979E8A&index=7
> 
> and this guy just makes it look too easy.
> ...


 
Way cool, I've seen it before, but I didn't know it had a name.


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## Xue Sheng (Dec 16, 2009)

MA-Caver said:


> "I collect spores, molds and fungus..."


 

I kind of suspected you where Egon Spengler


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## Steve (Dec 16, 2009)

I've been interested in ballroom dancing for a long time, but haven't tried it because I worry about my back.


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## morph4me (Dec 16, 2009)

stevebjj said:


> I've been interested in ballroom dancing for a long time, but haven't tried it because I worry about my back.


 
You shouldn't have to worry about your back, it's a lot less stress on you're back than BJJ, and you partners tend not to fight back ( most of the time).


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## Darksoul (Dec 17, 2009)

1. Sleep - working graveyards will mess you up, so sleep becomes a hobby.

2. Bowling League - which I suck at, and slowly getting worse. The league is 9 months long so burnout is easy.

3. Video Games - been playing Killzone a lot lately. Just wish there were better 2-player co-ops, especially in rpg's. Can't afford the fancy new systems but playing the old games is sometimes better.

4. Reading - right now Scar Night, which is weird but good. Some collection of horror short stories. Working on my own short story.

5. Girlfriend - not a hobby, haha, just the best person to spend my time with, no matter what we're doing.

-Hobbies that I would like to include would be martial arts. No money or time sucks! Shooting at the range. Taking a CWP class this Saturday after my work shift, so one step closer. Have to start figuring out which sidearm to buy. Would like to get back into African drumming. And I really miss going to the goth clubs and dancing.


Andrew


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## l_uk3y (Feb 5, 2010)

Wow and I thought my other main hobby was a common one. Doesn't appear so compared to other people on these forums 

When I'm not training or hanging with Wife you'll usually find me in the garage working on the car. Currently in the process of installing an upgraded turbo and completely revamping the engine bay of my Nissan Skyline (imported from Japan). (BTW please laugh at people whom spend well over the purchase price of there car on aftermarket "upgrades" in the quest for speed. hehehe I have to laugh at myself in a hope to stay Sane)

Also at the very beginnings of a small collection I'm starting of "Edged and Blunt melee weapons".  Mostly going to be a mixture of several diff types of knives, couple diff styles of sword, sai's, 3 sec staff, nun-chuck, pole etc. The hardest bit is trying to find suppliers locally. All of the really cool stuff I'm finding is US based online and I really don't want trouble for a simple collection. Although I'm just about to start looking into licensing and requirements to make life much easier before I get too into it. 

Luke


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## Blade96 (Feb 5, 2010)

coin collector hockey card collector (mostly rookie cards) politics, ice skating, reading, watch movies sometimes

and bashing stephen harper


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## seasoned (Feb 5, 2010)

Between MA and MT there is just no time.


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## Dan Cosgrove (Feb 5, 2010)

CoryKS said:


> You know who else liked painting and politics?
> 
> Sorry man, couldn't resist.



Nice.

Video games, watching every crappy movie I can find, and.. well, I guess that's pretty much it.


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