During pandemic lockdown have you found any new hobbies or things that you really enjoy doing?

[JR 137]

Does anyone listen to Howard Stern? One of the guys on the show’s sister (Sal’s sister) did the 23 & Me. People have been coming out of the woodwork claiming their father is Sal’s father. I think there’s about half a dozen or so.

I’m not letting any of my siblings anywhere near that test

 

[Tez3]

We have a new activity here in the UK, Thursday evenings 2000h we all go out onto our doorsteps, balconies etc and make a huge noise, bang pans, clap, shout etc to show appreciation for our medical staff. amazingly uplifting and wonderful.

 

[Steve]

We have a new activity here in the UK, Thursday evenings 2000h we all go out onto our doorsteps, balconies etc and make a huge noise, bang pans, clap, shout etc to show appreciation for our medical staff. amazingly uplifting and wonderful.

That's really cool. Can you record it and put it on YouTube? I'd love to see/hear it!

 

[Tez3]

That's really cool. Can you record it and put it on YouTube? I'd love to see/hear it!

I don't have to put it on, hundreds of people already have plus it's on all the channels' news! It's countrywide and amazing. It's also a way of connecting with people in this lock down, we can't touch or be close but we can make our voices heard.

UK applauds NHS staff and other key workers

 

[Flying Crane]

In the spirit of getting back to neglected hobbies, I finally got around to putting the telescope back together after I took it apart when we moved last year. Looking forward to having a good look come nightfall, although there is a lot more light pollution where we now live.

 

[Steve]

In the spirit of getting back to neglected hobbies, I finally got around to putting the telescope back together after I took it apart when we moved last year. Looking forward to having a good look come nightfall, although there is a lot more light pollution where we now live.

There was a house nearby for sale with a legit observatory in the back yard. It was on Bainbridge island.

 

[elder999]

There was a house nearby for sale with a legit observatory in the back yard. It was on Bainbridge island.

Almost bought a house in Nambe, years ago.....just because of the observatory.

 

[_Simon_]

We have a new activity here in the UK, Thursday evenings 2000h we all go out onto our doorsteps, balconies etc and make a huge noise, bang pans, clap, shout etc to show appreciation for our medical staff. amazingly uplifting and wonderful.

Ahh... love it so much <3

 

[Steve]

Almost bought a house in Nambe, years ago.....just because of the observatory.

12034 Carole Pl NE, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 - 3 beds/2 baths

Here's the one I was thinking of. Just sold 2 months ago. The house is nice, but the observatory is super cool (more pictures on redfin):

 

[JP3]

My wife & I've started playing the Cash Flow 101 boardgame, getting an understanding of very basic real estate investment while we've got the spare time to do so & learn.

 

[Buka]

12034 Carole Pl NE, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 - 3 beds/2 baths

Here's the one I was thinking of. Just sold 2 months ago. The house is nice, but the observatory is super cool (more pictures on redfin):

Man, that is just too cool for school. That would be SO awesome.

 

[elder999]

Not a new hobby, but an old one.
At The Hotchkiss School , back in 1974, I had Mr Hawkins for English class, first period, and my desk was right in front of his. There were two bells that rang at the beginning of class, five minutes apart-Mr. Hawkins would come into class at the first bell, sit down at his desk, and do the NY Times' crossword puzzle-he'd usually finish by the time he got up for the second bell to close the door and start class.

Man, did I want to be able to do those puzzles like he did, just filling in the words! Now, nearly 50 years later, I do-of course, I do! Living in New Mexico, though, I'd drifted away from doing the crossword-I subscribe to the Times online, but never really got into doing the crossword online......well, now I do it every day...

 

[Buka]

New hobbies? I was thinking of taking up eating raw amphibians.

Man, I have to watch myself. I'm trying real hard not to let culture differences make me hate. Sometimes, like during global pandemics, it sure ain't easy.

 

[Xue Sheng]

New hobbies? I was thinking of taking up eating raw amphibians.

Man, I have to watch myself. I'm trying real hard not to let culture differences make me hate. Sometimes, like during global pandemics, it sure ain't easy.

As a woman from Guangzhou (southern China) once said to me, "Southern Chinese eat anything with legs, except tables and chairs"

As my wife, Northern Chinese once said to me "Southern Chinese eat weird food"

 

[Buka]

As a woman from Guangzhou (southern China) once said to me, "Southern Chinese eat anything with legs, except tables and chairs"

As my wife, Northern Chinese once said to me "Southern Chinese eat weird food"

That a great line, the tables and chairs one.

 

[Flying Crane]

I’ve got three different swords I am rebuilding. One of them I began working on a bunch of years ago for a classmate, but I never finished it. I haven’t done any new work in several years. So I’m getting reconnected to that old hobby of mine. Hopefully I’ll get them finished this time.

i just finished rebuilding this one, a Willow Leaf Dao, so named as the blade is thinner than the wide Oxtail Dao. I'm getting to prefer the willow leaf, even tho the oxtail seems to be more common. I find the wide blade of the oxtail to create a more cumbersome weapon.

In the past, I rebuilt hilts by bronze casting, which is a lengthy multi-step process. I've liked the results, but the amount of time and work that goes into it can encourage me to avoid it. This time I took a different approach and cut the pieces out of steel bar that I got from Lowes. I actually cut the tang off the original blade and reshaped the bottom 6-7 inches of blade into a new tang. I then cut the guard from 1/4 inch steel plate, and the two pieces of the pommel from 3/8 inch steel plate. The grip is strips of hickory. I shaped it all and fit it to the tang with heavy grade two-part epoxy and 1/4 inch steel pins.

This is far from perfect, but is completely serviceable and I'm happy with the results. I had a few dead-ends and had to redo some parts a couple times, and I learned a lot in the process. It still took about 1/4 to 1/3 the time to build as the bronze casting would have taken.

I did do some training with this sword before I rebuilt it, and the blade was longer than I liked and poorly balanced. I'm much happier with it now, having shortened it and shifted the balance on it a bit.

 

[Xue Sheng]

My newest hobby, since I am now working from home occasionally, is apparently sitting in my desk chair, with my feet on an exercise ball. remoting to my work PCs, answering emails and attending telephone meetings....but I can't say I really enjoy doing it....by comparison.....I really enjoy going outside and raking leaves.....which all of my life, I have despised doing.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

i just finished rebuilding this one, a Willow Leaf Dao, so named as the blade is thinner than the wide Oxtail Dao. I'm getting to prefer the willow leaf, even tho the oxtail seems to be more common. I find the wide blade of the oxtail to create a more cumbersome weapon.

In the past, I rebuilt hilts by bronze casting, which is a lengthy multi-step process. I've liked the results, but the amount of time and work that goes into it can encourage me to avoid it. This time I took a different approach and cut the pieces out of steel bar that I got from Lowes. I actually cut the tang off the original blade and reshaped the bottom 6-7 inches of blade into a new tang. I then cut the guard from 1/4 inch steel plate, and the two pieces of the pommel from 3/8 inch steel plate. The grip is strips of hickory. I shaped it all and fit it to the tang with heavy grade two-part epoxy and 1/4 inch steel pins.

This is far from perfect, but is completely serviceable and I'm happy with the results. I had a few dead-ends and had to redo some parts a couple times, and I learned a lot in the process. It still took about 1/4 to 1/3 the time to build as the bronze casting would have taken.

I did do some training with this sword before I rebuilt it, and the blade was longer than I liked and poorly balanced. I'm much happier with it now, having shortened it and shifted the balance on it a bit.

Very nice. How many hours do you think you have in that project?

 

[Gerry Seymour]

My newest hobby, since I am now working from home occasionally, is apparently sitting in my desk chair, with my feet on an exercise ball. remoting to my work PCs, answering emails and attending telephone meetings....but I can't say I really enjoy doing it....by comparison.....I really enjoy going outside and raking leaves.....which all of my life, I have despised doing.

It just takes a bit of perspective. All preferences are relative to something. Raking leaves beats the hell out of that other stuff.

 

[JR 137]

My newest hobby, since I am now working from home occasionally, is apparently sitting in my desk chair, with my feet on an exercise ball. remoting to my work PCs, answering emails and attending telephone meetings....but I can't say I really enjoy doing it....by comparison.....I really enjoy going outside and raking leaves.....which all of my life, I have despised doing.

I used to despise that and all things yard work. Now I enjoy it. Why? I don’t have to break up squabbles between my daughters, my wife isn’t looking at me like “why are you on the couch again?” and all that nonsense. I’m outside, headphones on, doing mindless work, and getting a decent workout in. My new house has 0.36 acres. The previous owner didn’t clean up in the fall. In addition to leaves, I’ve got a million helicopters all over the lawn. I’ve never seen so many before.