Hobbies and interests - members lists

Just discovered this intyeresting thread. I feel a bit out of place (nothing unusual there!). I hate computers and have no interest whatsoever in how they work - I just want them to work and do what they're told. I wish there was a way of punisheing them when they don't!  I loathe computer games, role playing games, Dr Who, Star Wars (I hold a special hatred for everything to do with Star Wars in fact - though oddly, I like the early Star Trek a lot).  I dislike reading fictional books (though the few that I ever do get round to reading, I tend to enjoy - more a case of not picking them up in the first place if they're only fiction).

I'm interested in ecology, especially woodlands, landscape history and botany. I need to learn as much as I can about anything I'm seriously interested in, but as there is usually so much to know, I tend to refine interests into manageable sub-categories.  So for example, I'm interested in motorcycles. But only British or Italian motorcycles, and only those made before about 1980.  

I like to get a wreck of a bike and pull it apart, then rebuild it so that it ends up better than new. I love detail, down to every last nut and washer.  If I could afford it, and if I had the space, I'd be into things like old tractors, steam engines etc. To me, these things are not simply machines but works of art, examples of form and function colliding happily!

I get obsessed with particular issues, such as (at the moment) the Israel / Palestine crisis. I hate injustice (in case anyone's in any doubt, I'm strongly pro-Palestinian).  I'm also very interested in environmental issues in generral and habitat loss / deforestation in particular.

I like to write, but I tend to only wrtite factual stuff.  I have to do quite a lot of writing connected with my work, and I really enjoy getting deeply into my subject and doing as good a job as possible of explaining whatever I need to explain, and backing anything remotely controversial up with evidence and references.

I like writers who move me, and who speak for the underdog. I like poets such as John Clare, William Blake, Philip Larkin, Wilfred Owen, Robert Frost.

I wish I could play a musical instrument, but I'm too lazy to learn. I want to be able to do something good straightaway, not spend weeks on nothing.

That's about all I can think of to say for now. Other than to ask whether anybody knows why a paragraph break always comes out as a double line space on here?

Hi James

You said "I have always struggled with the concept that there are 60 million people in this country of ours and each life has a story to tell and that has always worried me, not sure why."

- Me too. 

Ich keine mag die Kinos weil von die Gefühl der Immersion.

Thanks for the conversation!

Gehst du gern ins Kino? In einige Kinos gibt es manchmal Filme auf verschiedene europäische Spräche mit Untertitel auf English.

Viel Glück Deutsch lernen! I weiß dass mein Deutsch ist nicht perfeckt, aber macht Spaß sowieso. Auch habe ich gelernt wie man Buchstaben mit Umlaute findet.

Tschüß!

Ich will zu lernst Deutsch weil es ist nützlich für mein Gehrin.

As for what I am using, I am using a German dictionary, Duolingo and Google Translate to learn it, so it's something I'm doing when I have the time and when I want to.

Danke für spreche Deutsch weil ich kanne verstarken mein Fähigkeit in die Sprache.

Toll! Deutsch war mein Lieblingsfach in der Schule, aber jetzt habe ich veil vergessen. Immer noch geniesse ich Deutsch.

Wieso lernst du Deutsch?

"Console peasant" isn't my own turn of phrase, but instead, PC gamers label any console gamer as a "console peasant," and PC gamers label themselves as the "PC master race."

I like going on social media such as Facebook and I enjoy making as well as watching videos on the pinnacle of MP4 media site: YouTube. (Sorry if YouTube videos aren't examples of MP4's!)

Also, I don't have the patience to make one post comprised of EVERYTHING I like, so I've lied about listing all of my interests/hobbies. However, a lot of them were stated there. I think I'm experiencing what's known as gamer fatigue, which is just a non-scientific way of saying that your brain is becoming desensitised to the enjoyment from video games. The way I am trying to cure this hardly mitigates the situation, because I'm playing video games - well not at the moment. Since I am dependent on a routine, and video games being apart of that routine, I am being very helpful.

As well as the hobbies aforementioned, I'm learning German; my sentence structure is very basic in my opinion. Here are some sentences:

Mein Deutsch ist nicht sehr gut, oder ist es? Ich liebe Deutsch! Ich bin nicht wichtig, und ich bin zurückgeblieben!

Reader of this: "Das ist reicht Deutsch für mir!"

I know it's not the best, but I'm still learning it.

Animals: Cats (am obsessed with cats. When I was a child I had fascinations with, say, falcons and otters, but the cat thing stuck because it's more day-to-day)

Speculative fiction (i.e. SF/Fantasy/Horror etc). Favourite horror writers: Stephen King, M. R. James. Favourite fantasy writer: probably Terry Pratchett. Favourite SF writers: Ursula le Guin, Joanna Russ, Geoff Ryman.

Other genre fiction. I prefer psychological suspense to detective-crime. I can read romance but the what you might call 'Alpha' (removed by mod) style of hero makes me want to throw a book at a wall.

Non-fiction. Particularly love Oliver Sacks' books of popular neuroscience, and will read a lot of stuff about the brain and the mind. Biographies/memoirs are also good. One of the best things I read this year was Beyond the Shock Machine, a book about the Stanley Milgram experiments where the journalist actually listened to/read the surviving materials, and came to a different conclusion: this wasn't to do with the *** (some people just want to obey orders), but the milieu in which ill-paid blue-collar workers brought up to respect academics and scientists were given very pushy demands to keep pushing the button. Because Milgram's scientists didn't just say, 'push the button', they bulldozered straight past a lot of emotional upset and objections and sometimes pleas to call an ambulance, for minutes on end, and the subjects of the experiment were just too nervous to make a stand and walk out.

TV: Obsessions including Dr Who, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, and Sherlock. Also never miss an episode of Pointless or Only Connect, because I love quirky quizzes (less bothered about QI since it got a bit dumbed down).

Film: Hate action films, don't mind rom-coms. Was seriously confused by a lot of WALL-E as I'm an Aspie who thinks in words, and a lot of it was meant to come over as emotional/visual, which I have a harder time with. I sort-of like Peter Jackson's view of the Tolkien universe, but it can also drive me mad because he messes with so much that didn't need to be messed-with. There are a few films I really like but I can't think of any right now (which is making me feel silly).

Other: I would be lost without my portable brain (i.e. smartphone) and either of my lap things (one feline, one technological).

I'm kind of enjoying your turn of phrase "console peasant", but I can't quite afford to be as smug as I would like considering the amount that I probably need to spend on upgrades before FO4 comes out is probably enough to buy me a next-gen console.  That sort of expense rather makes me wilt. D:

Pianos have too many keys for me.  I'll stick with my basses, I can just about manage four strings. :D

There isn't a lot that I dislike, but my interests/things I like include the following: Physics, Biology, Psychology, music and video games. I am sadly a console peasant, and now console games are the only ones I really enjoy now. I like Pop, RnB, Classical and any other instrumental music - especially from video games. I like to make my own music; but unfortunately, I don't have a keyboard, nor do I have a piano so I can't at this moment in time. 

So I thought I'd included my hobbies here;

• Natural Siences - At the moment I am studying Natural Science as a mature student, I was recently study Oceanography though moved to the open uni.
• Music - Playing/writing/listiening - I have a huge interest in a variety of music however my most listien to music is probably towards the noisy/stimulating type (for me this is anything from The Mars Volta, Deerhoof or Refused) and electronic (the "upbeat" type but also relaxing (such as Gold Panda). I play guitar mainly, however used to play a bit of paino, trumpet and drums.
• Moths - I keep track of moth distributions via a Mercury Vapour lamp I have set up in my garden throughout their active periods. There are 2400-ish types of moths that can be present in the UK, so "gotta collect em all" apparently (also the records are sent to County Recrods)
• Macro Photography - this probably ties into moths, but "close ups".
• Wild Flower - Basicly weeds to more desirable native plants. I do grow other types more specficially for tortoise and also vege's for "us".
• Tortoise - I have an interest in their micro climates and diety requirments (I should mention I have a male Hermann's Toirtoise).
• Games - A big variety , However I have a history of RPG types and strategy games.

There are more, but, to keep it as simple as possible!

My random list of stuff, since I seem to be unearthing various old topics.  It tends to vary over time depending on my randomly selected obsessions of the moment, but currently:

• Music: mostly Electric Six at present, as they're underrated and amusing.  Other than that, lots of early '80s stuff, since the time when I grew up of course had the best pop music (!), early-ish goth (nice to see the Neph mentioned, for example), and specifics being Stereolab, Ladytron (great band, shame about the name), Hawkwind, The Stranglers, etc.
• Video games: Western RPGs for the most part, with a handful of the more interesting shooters.  So much of the past year has been dominated by Divinity Original Sin, Inquisition and Bioshock Infinite (latecomer there, I had to have a good sulk about its daft save system before I played it).  Other than that, the Elder Scrolls series, Mass Effect (except for that ending), the recent Fallouts and so on.
• Telly: don't watch it much, but I still enjoy programmes like Jools Holland, Game of Thrones and the odd drippy period drama like Poldark.
• Stuff That Involves Actually Doing Stuff: playing bass, which I've done on and off for the past 30 years.  I'm mostly not very good at it because I'm clumsy and too lazy to practice, but I have my moments.  My favourite bass is a Fender Precision, which is apparently why I've never owned one.  I don't really understand that either.  Other than that, photography (which I'm really not much good at: my other half is much better), cooking (which I'm much better at than she is!) and, er, stuff.
• Stuff That Makes Me Look Questionably Sane: weapons.  I'm fascinated by swords and stuff, and own a bunch of modern reproductions (I mean proper ones, not the awful stainless-steel "sword like objects").  Also firearms, though more from an academic point of view since I'm a terrible shot and can't really be trusted with anything more dangerous than a butter knife.  Yes, I'm aware that I said that in the same paragraph as admitting to owning a bunch of very sharp swords.
• Stuff I've forgotten: I'll unforget it once my obsession decides to revisit it.

My wife is a member of the Richard III Society and it was through her that I developed an interest in Richard III and mediæval history in general (I've found the "Paste from Word" option).

pf329 said:

• (Good) King Richard III
• Mediaeval history in general
• Classic cinema

• British steam railways
• British-built steam locomotives
• British steam locomotive builders
• Manual railway signalling
• Railway rolling stock in the steam era
• British canals
• Maths, astronomy, physics and chemistry
• Studying for more degrees (five so far)
• Shakespeare
• Other quality theatre in general
• The Wars of the Roses
• (Good) King Richard III
• Mediaeval history in general
• Classic cinema

Art History

Music Collecting (This distracts me very much) 

Prop Making (I am currently studying a Production Design Degree) (This work is my obsession when social/emotions get overwelming) 

Online Djing 

Making Films 

Acting 

• History – Byzantine, mediæval, 18C, 19C, military history, medical history.
• Archaeology and palaeopathology: I love mummies and preserved people.
• Art – various, including Aubrey Beardsley, on whom I've had a major crush since I was 12 or so, and 19C Russian history painting.
• Literature – wide-ranging – from 12C troubadours (have lots on CD) and Norse poetry to Hardy, Lermontov, Anthony Hope and Victor Hugo.
• Fantasy - Tolkien (books and films), A Game of Thrones/Song of Ice & Fire, M John Harrison's Viriconium books, Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (books, not film).

I tend to get crushes on historical and literary characters more than on real live people. Fortunately, it's my line of work.

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

My favourite hobbies and interests are as follows:

• Sport (especially the Olympics, SEA Games, football particularly Arsenal, F1, IndyCar, etc)
• Eurovision Song Contest
• Ballroom and Latin American dancing (especially Ceroc, salsa)
• Cooking
• Art
• Flags
• History

hello all i have an intrest in lots of mechanical things such as cars motorbikes trailers jetskis plumbing tiling anything diy really also like reading non fiction books i am lucky that i could do almost any repair myself i am quite independant like that i have started traveling round a bit look at acitechure [buildings e.c.t. just been to glasgow to "barras" market n that area b4 that loch lomond then to edinbourgh scotland has some very nice veiws to be honest i dont know what to put next !!

Double post sorry.