|
Brand
New At The Wandering Hermit!
We now have a bulletin board to discuss all the topics on The Wandering
Hermit. Please stop by and ask questions about the tutorials,
discuss
some poetry (or even post your own poetry), or talk about a number of
metaphysical topicslike Tarot, Astrology, Rebirthing, Past Lives, or
Spiritual Growth.
Click
here to go to the board.
(Warning: There are no links from the board back to the rest of thewebsite yet.) |
||||
I'm not sure just what counts as hobby and what counts as just something you do. I do have a lot of hobbies. I've found that I have a natural tendency to keep busy during my free time. So here are some of my hobbies. I'm sure I'll add more to the list along the way as I remember the ones I haven't written down here or elsewhere in this site.
Woodworking
I love working with wood and building things. There is a
small woods in front of my house and there used to be a concrete and
slate walkway through it. I ripped it up on week and replaced it with a
raised wooden walkway with rails. I just like to build. I have a
wonderful set of bookshelves I've built in a closet that surprises
people when they see them. I've got half a tree that I've been working
on in bits and pieces for years so I can make it into a lamp for my
screen porch.
Physical
I used to hate sports. Now I realize I'm just not into team sports. There are so many athletic things I like doing (from April until November I spend 10% or more of my time exercising). I keep very active, and here's how:
Bicycle: I finally did a full century (100 miles!) on April
26, 1997. On weekends I often go on 30 or 40 mile rides. I love to ride
down by the James River (about 3 minutes from my house) and on my
morning rides I can watch the sun come up while I ride.
Walking: I try to go on a good walk every night. I wait until dark (so I can take my dog and not have to use a leash) and go out and walk. It's a meditative experience for me and there are only a few people I ever invite to join me anymore.
Running: Why? I have no idea. I promised myself I'd do a marathon. So I started running. And as I stared and was panting, I kept asking myself, "Why am I doing this to myself?" And the answer was, "So I can feel this way for 26.2 miles." I'm still wondering about this one.
Activities
There are a lot of things I like to do, and some things that are really passive that require little energy.
Television: I almost ended up writing for TV. My favorite show is Babylon 5. It is well written and amazingly well put together. B5 proves that good science fiction is just plain good writing and acting. I used to watch Star Trek: The Next Generation. (See my links page for B5 and ST links.)
Movies: I love movies. I love silent moves. I think Charlie
Chaplin and Buster Keaton were geniuses. Alfred Hitchcock is my
favorite director. I love science fiction movies, but it is so rare to
see one that is well done. I think the best sf movies of the past 10
years are Enemy Mine and Contact.
Concerts: I like to go out with friends to symphony concerts and I love live jazz.
Day Trips
I enjoy getting away from Richmond and taking short day trips to surrounding areas. Richmond is about two hours away from a lot of areas. I love going to Sandbridge (near Virginia Beach), to Washington, D.C., and to the mountains (the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shennadoah Valley) for short day trips. My favorit is to stop by a certain bakery and cheese shop in the mountains and stock up, then go to a nearby trail, have a picnic, and go on a hike to find a stream or pond for swimming.