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Titus Sardonicus posted:Geez, shucks You just missed NaNoWriMo. Do it next year.
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Dec 23, 2014 16:22
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I used to write, just before I went back to school. My writing style largely consists of black humor, but also largely nonsensical to most people, so I write only for myself. For example, my self-insert (hear me out now...) is a psychotic hobo with a gambling habit and a tendency toward random outbursts of extreme violence -- though he is a hero with a heart of charcoal -- and his chief rival is another vagrant with six fingers on each hand and an unhealthy obsession with finding his '93 Chipper Jones Donruss SilverLeaf rookie card, in order to reunite his family (the rest of his '93 Atlanta Braves baseball cards). I've killed Tim Allen on more than one occasion (and had him sold into slavery for laffs, but mostly for coke), and there's a frontman of a terrible rap-metal-cum-clowncore band on the loose who should either be in prison or facing hundreds of lawsuits.
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Antifreeze Head posted:If you must cut a 2x4 into matchsticks, do not use a table saw. Hobby stores sell balsa wood, already cut into matchsticks. Bonus: You get to keep all your fingers.
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Dec 23, 2014 20:15
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Liam Emsa posted:You just missed NaNoWriMo. Do it next year.
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Dec 24, 2014 06:00
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Have you considered a sport? I honestly don't know if it's different for grad students, but universities generally have some great club sports that don't require prior experience. Barring that, community centers/park districts usually run sports programs for adults, often with something cool like rowing in addition to basketball or soccer. Might be worth looking at what's around you. I also felt that need to find a hobby earlier this year, ended up joining a US-based Australian football team with no prior experience in the game, and that's been fun as hell.
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Dec 24, 2014 08:54
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Wow seems like some people didn't take building trades in high school. Don't use a table saw if you don't know how to not cut off your fingers by using a push stick to guide the wood along the fence . Stores also sell doll houses so I guess his hobby could be buying poo poo until he kills himself. Here is an example of what I'm talking about. http://ww2.hdnux.com/photos/02/17/17/586721/5/640x640.jpg These doll houses were made by children in prison. The only thing I can see that was cut with a band saw are the shingles on the house in the backround. dpush fucked around with this message at 15:35 on Dec 24, 2014 |
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Dec 24, 2014 13:48
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dpush posted:Wow seems like some people didn't take building trades in high school. High schools don't teach shop any more. I teach in an industrial design program at a university and at least a third of the incoming students have never used a power tool before in their lives. Some haven't even turned a screwdriver or a wrench.
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Dec 24, 2014 22:53
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JohnSherman posted:Have you considered a sport? I honestly don't know if it's different for grad students, but universities generally have some great club sports that don't require prior experience. Barring that, community centers/park districts usually run sports programs for adults, often with something cool like rowing in addition to basketball or soccer. Might be worth looking at what's around you. I also felt that need to find a hobby earlier this year, ended up joining a US-based Australian football team with no prior experience in I picked up ice hockey this past year and. Being a southern boy, its def a sport we dont play. That or maybe a co-ed softball team. Im sure there are teams in your area.
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Dec 26, 2014 06:41
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Sagebrush posted:High schools don't teach shop any more. I teach in an industrial design program at a university and at least a third of the incoming students have never used a power tool before in their lives. Some haven't even turned a screwdriver or a wrench. I didn't know gently caress all about power tools until becoming a theater tech in college. I could have in high school but back then it wasn't really encouraged. It always seemed they would be up their rear end in liability with most of that poo poo and I went from 1998 to 2002.
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Jan 6, 2015 06:19
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Captain Log posted:I didn't know gently caress all about power tools until becoming a theater tech in college. I could have in high school but back then it wasn't really encouraged. It always seemed they would be up their rear end in liability with most of that poo poo and I went from 1998 to 2002. Jeeze, get a dad. Have you tried lifting OP? It's fun.
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Jan 6, 2015 06:48
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Captain Log posted:It always seemed they would be up their rear end in liability with most of that poo poo and I went from 1998 to 2002. I never really appreciated everything I got to do as a crewmember in high school until I showed up at my college's theatre department and was drowned in release forms and yet still couldn't do half the poo poo I had been doing for years unless I took classes.
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Jan 6, 2015 07:20
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I bought myself a T-90 tank model kit, some tools, and some paint its kinda fun.
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Jan 6, 2015 07:36
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What about 3D printing? Things on shapeway can be cheap, and you get to draw and model neat things.... as simple or as complicated as you want! Their tutorials, which are free, also recommend some free tools to get started. I made my wife some weinerdog necklaces for Christmas for about $4 each.
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Jan 6, 2015 21:49
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dpush posted:Wow seems like some people didn't take building trades in high school. Don't use a table saw if you don't know how to not cut off your fingers by using a push stick to guide the wood along the fence . Stores also sell doll houses so I guess his hobby could be buying poo poo until he kills himself. This is pretty much a straight up parallel to saying "Buy a hammer, everything is a nail", then backing it up with images of somebody having hammered screws into a board. Sure, it works, but there's a better tool for it. Could people put together that doll house with a table saw? Totally. Would they have been way better off in terms of safety, efficiency, and quite probably enjoyment if they'd been using smaller hand-saws for a bunch of it? Yes yes yes yes yes. Also what is with being so ego-invested in a specific type of tool that the alternative to him using that tool is "go buy pre-made stuff until he kills himself"? C'mon dude. The table saw is a cool tool, but it's not that cool. surc fucked around with this message at 00:21 on Jan 7, 2015 |
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Jan 7, 2015 00:18
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Do you live in or near a city? Can your s/o or someone else take care of your kid one night a week? I really, really recommend dancing. Especially if you are a bit of a loner and have trust and confidence issues. Many people who start social dancing have those issues and find that it can really help with that. It's learning a new skill, it's creative, it's musical, it gives you a structured way of meeting new people, it's physical activity. It's just incredibly fun and it doesn't really matter what style you choose (lindy hop, balboa, west coast swing, blues, tango... there are so many options). I've grown so much confidence, met interesting people, travelled to new places and found such an interesting creative outlet doing this, I really recommend it, even if it might be a little scary at first.
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Jan 7, 2015 15:29
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I know you said no excercise but have you considered rock climbing, even just indoors? A couple years ago I had anxiety/depression issues and taking up climbing was the best thing I ever did. It's relatively cheap (most indoor gyms rent out equipment for next to nothing), if you just boulder you don't even need a partner, and its as social or not as you want. If you want to boulder in your bubble and keep to yourself no-one will care and if you're feeling sociable you'll be fighting people offering/asking for advice off with a stick. Plus who doesn't want to get buff pretending to be spiderman for a few hours a week?
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Jan 8, 2015 14:48
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toiletbrush posted:I know you said no excercise but have you considered rock climbing, even just indoors? A couple years ago I had anxiety/depression issues and taking up climbing was the best thing I ever did. It's relatively cheap (most indoor gyms rent out equipment for next to nothing), if you just boulder you don't even need a partner, and its as social or not as you want. If you want to boulder in your bubble and keep to yourself no-one will care and if you're feeling sociable you'll be fighting people offering/asking for advice off with a stick. Plus who doesn't want to get buff pretending to be spiderman for a few hours a week?
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Jan 10, 2015 21:15
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Interstitial Abs posted:Do you feel like one needs any sort of base from weight training to start climbing? I want to get more core and upper body strength, but my ADD makes weight training excruciatingly boring. Currently I mountain bike, and that keeps both brain and body focused. I feel like rock climbing could do that too. Plus this winter sucks frozen Krampus dick and I need something indoors and active to cure my winter sads. No you don't to start climbing. As you get stronger (and you build strength really quickly with rock-climbing), you'll notice a huge difference in what you can climb. How calloused your hands are will limit how long you can climb for, while starting out.
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Jan 10, 2015 21:19
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Interstitial Abs posted:Do you feel like one needs any sort of base from weight training to start climbing? I want to get more core and upper body strength, but my ADD makes weight training excruciatingly boring. Currently I mountain bike, and that keeps both brain and body focused. I feel like rock climbing could do that too. Plus this winter sucks frozen Krampus dick and I need something indoors and active to cure my winter sads. Has there ever been a climbing ask/tell?
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Jan 11, 2015 00:21
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Hi guys, sorry I haven't responded in a while, though hopefully this means that this is becoming a more universal hobby/pastime suggestion thread and the focus can be moved away from me. Anyway:
I haven't been around all that much because I had some shenanigans with my car in the last few weekends. Replacing a clutch, and then an inner tie rod and a lower control arm, in zero-degree hell with nothing more than a halogen lamp for light and heat, is not my idea of a pastime. Oh, and neither is jury duty.
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Jan 12, 2015 18:46
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So in a few years, when your daughter isn't a little girl any more, you will build her a toy chest and doll house? That sounds hilarious and like a great idea, to me
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Jan 13, 2015 15:14
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I meant like when she's four.
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Jan 13, 2015 19:29
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I would look for some social pastimes since you said you have trouble meeting friends. Board games could be a good route. Sports as well as a way to stay in shape that might be more fun than running. I used meetup.com to find some stuff that interested me, and was a great way for me to go from thinking about doing something to actually doing it.
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Jan 13, 2015 20:55
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Not sure this fits your budget or space but I think designing and building first person view aircraft/multirotors would hit all the high points of your interests. FPV gets your interest in radio going. You can make circular polarized antennas with a few simple supplies. Your technical drawing skills can be used to design custom frames for multirotors. You can outsource the cutting or do it at a makerspace. helno fucked around with this message at 02:29 on Jan 14, 2015 |
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Jan 14, 2015 00:01
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I see woodworking has been mentioned and it's not really feasible for you at the moment, still something to keep in mind for the future. I love woodworking and just in general having a workshop and making things. I was never very practical as a kid and my work is computer related in nature, so this is the polar opposite type of work and I feel it's doing me good and expanding my skill set in other directions. I've also via this found an interest in old machines and I've bought and restored several old woodworking machines already and in the process of all this I've picked up all kinds of skills and knowledge about electricity and wiring and so forth. I'm not the social type either so I like working by myself in the shop, it's almost like meditation and the hours can fly by. You might consider hand tool woodworking for starters, much less of a barrier, needs less space, is not loud and is safer (though all the times I've drawn my own blood it has been with a hand tool), check out Paul Sellers on youtube, and there are a myriad of others too.
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Jan 14, 2015 01:12
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If your interested in radio, you don't need to have a huge expensive outlay. You can get you a RTL-SDR dongle and some free software and be started listening in your local area for less than $20. If you like i then you can upgrade your antenna, you should be able to do that for about $30 more bucks. The software looks cool (here is a setup video.) It will make you feel like that sonar guy from The Hunt For Red October. If you want to get more into the HAM side of things you can get a Beofang HF Radio. They work pretty decent for the price, and there is a large group of HAM's that swear by them. If you want to get your licence you can study for free, I personally used Hamstudy.org. To take the test will cost you $10-$15 bucks, but if you can study and pass all 3 test in one sitting then you will only have to pay that once.
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Jan 14, 2015 01:56
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Any suggestions? Has anyone suggested volunteer work? There is a variety of it out there. You could get involved with children, maybe your daughter could participate as well. You'd be filling your time, spending time with your daughter and helping people. On the other hand if you'd enjoy being outside and using your hands, volunteer for the U.S. Forestry Service and help clean recreation centers. You help Mother Earth and preserve the parks for others to visit.
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Jan 14, 2015 05:35
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Arnold of Soissons posted:So in a few years, when your daughter isn't a little girl any more, you will build her a toy chest and doll house? Make her a kitchen out of an old cabinet ! 
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Jan 14, 2015 08:44
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toiletbrush posted:Not at all, my ex climbed harder routes than me and she could barely do a single pull-up. Different routes need different stuff so there's plenty that are about balance, technique, core-strength, guts etc more than brute strength. Plus like The-Mole says you'll build core and upper body strength really quickly, particularly if you concentrate on overhangy stuff. Climbing is fun and this reminds me I should pick it back up after2 years of absence. There isn't an A/T, but there's a pretty good post in YLLS: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3522567
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Jan 15, 2015 12:11
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Eve Online is a great way to spend a couple......years :P The best kind of hobby, when into games, is watch for those steam sales, get games super cheap. OR humble bundle.
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Jan 16, 2015 00:01
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gently caress knitting. Try crochet! Knitting may be a tad easier to pick up, but crochet is far easier to advance in. You can learn new stitch techniques in just a few minutes! It also goes by very quickly, which I think gives it a leg up over knitting because people tend to get bored and frustrated working on a wobbly "scarf" forever. Pro tip: don't make your first project a scarf. Start with an ear warmer headband or something. Find a few patterns and make some hats or toys for your kid. Impress your wife with new slippers! Once you've got the hang of it you can crank out a hat in a few hours, or shoot for long term projects like an afghan or a jacket. Check out YouTube for instructional videos, then go to Ravelry.com for more patterns than you'll ever know what to do with.
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Jan 16, 2015 15:12
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I support the idea of a rec sports league. I moved to my current city not knowing a single person, and I'm completely across the country from any family. I became pretty good friends with a few people from work, but I wanted something outside of that (we always inevitably talked about work). Most cities have an adult sports league of some sort, and some sports require very little talent. I played kickball last year. It was a blast and I got to meet some new people.
Super Dude fucked around with this message at 04:05 on Jan 17, 2015 |
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Jan 17, 2015 04:02
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Super Dude posted:I support the idea of a rec sports league. I moved to my current city not knowing a single person, and I'm completely across the country from any family. I became pretty good friends with a few people from work, but I wanted something outside of that (we always inevitably talked about work). Most cities have an adult sports league of some sort, and some sports require very little talent. I played kickball last year. It was a blast and I got to meet some new people. I moved from Texas where I had quite a few friends, my fiancee (in med school, so she can't join me yet), and no job to Georgia where I got a new job, and my sanity is maintained by kiting up in shorts and a jersey and tackling other men wearing the same. Rugby kicks rear end for a good rec sports league, something about shared pain actually brings people pretty close together, also it makes me lose 20 lbs of fat over a season. Lots of good conditioning.
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Jan 18, 2015 01:17
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Interstitial Abs posted:Do you feel like one needs any sort of base from weight training to start climbing? I want to get more core and upper body strength, but my ADD makes weight training excruciatingly boring. Currently I mountain bike, and that keeps both brain and body focused. I feel like rock climbing could do that too. Plus this winter sucks frozen Krampus dick and I need something indoors and active to cure my winter sads. Something great to do indoors is hand balancing. It will make your top half very strong.
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Jan 18, 2015 08:37
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Hobbies that make your body healthier/teach you cool life skills/let you socialize with lots of people IRL = good hobbies! Do these! Hobbies that let you pass time while your gross body falls apart and one day you realize that you've just deceived yourself and now you're old but you also spend money sometimes oh god what have i done = video games, watching QVC Things that I've enjoyed as a busy protogoon that don't fall into that second category: playing guitar and bass, fencing (fencers are nerds and if you are a nerd, too, that's cool), language learning, programming, writing. Make sure to seek out other hobbyists/critique groups for those last two, though. Insanite fucked around with this message at 13:51 on Jan 19, 2015 |
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Jan 19, 2015 13:45
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Insanite posted:Hobbies that make your body healthier/teach you cool life skills/let you socialize with lots of people IRL = good hobbies! Do these! There is nothing wrong with video games in moderation.
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Jan 19, 2015 18:24
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Super Dude posted:There is nothing wrong with video games in moderation. Right. I tend to think of a "hobby" as something requiring an ounce more committment than something you do from time to time to kill, well, time. No big deal.
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Jan 19, 2015 20:01
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games and also smoking weed is probably a good idea and it took too long for it to be suggested, but maybe you'll need to do this at night when you're daughter is asleep. Maybe not.
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Jan 20, 2015 23:03
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Titus Sardonicus posted:
I used to know a guy who did this as an art thing. He would do these amazing technical diagrams of like 50's style ray guns and other retro sci-fi stuff. He would then get them printed as actual blueprints for display and what not.
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Feb 17, 2015 21:58
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