I need a hobby!

[OrgasmicleBunny]

I am frustrated with the lack of "interests" in my life and I don't know how to change that, exactly.

Currently, I can think of like 4 things that I would list as "outside interests" and I don't know when or how I became such a boring person, but I'm thoroughly disgusted with myself.

I feel like the internet is partially to blame, it has definitely sucked away hours of my time.

Here are my interests, perhaps I could get some ideas of things to look into beyond these?

Television: we've been without cable for 4 days and it really is torture, I'm not missing any particular shows, except "so you think you can dance" but there are those times when just sitting on the couch vegging in front of the tv is warranted.

Internet: obviously, I enjoy looking for anything and everything and have a few "regular" sites I go to.

Reading: kinda sorta? I go in spurts where I want to read a lot, and then I dont read any for months. I like self-help books, and horror/mystery novels. I also like magazines on occasion and medical journals.

uhm.....and this is where it gets more difficult

a few random things that come to mind: cooking, exercising/dancing, traveling....?????

I feel like I need a life and I'm trying to figure out when I became so dull. I never used to be this way.

I honestly miss college, and I do want to advance my degree and take some classes, but money is a factor.

I recently signed up for some free online spanish classes, I know a little spanish and would like to learn more, since over half the people I work with are spanish speaking only.

I recently bought a 1000 piece puzzle to work on and that's been fun.

I'd love some other ideas and outlets to explore.

 

[CutieMouse]

Ask the library if they have any Book Discussion Groups.

Look for volunteer work - museums, non-profit organizations, opera/theatres usually need ushers, big brothers/sisters... there is *always* someone who needs help.

Learn to knit or crochet - google for Stitch 'n Bitch groups in your area, and go. Even if all you do is drink a cup of coffee, and screw up stitches on teh same scarf eleventy-million times, it'll get you out of the house, and help you make friends.

Find out if there is anyplace with free dancing lessons. I once met a guy who hung out at a particular club in the area every Tuesday night, and taught swing dancing (for free) to anyone who wanted to learn - it was his sneaky way of meeting women. LOL

 

[OrgasmicleBunny]

Ask the library if they have any Book Discussion Groups.

Look for volunteer work - museums, non-profit organizations, opera/theatres usually need ushers, big brothers/sisters... there is *always* someone who needs help.

Learn to knit or crochet - google for Stitch 'n Bitch groups in your area, and go. Even if all you do is drink a cup of coffee, and screw up stitches on teh same scarf eleventy-million times, it'll get you out of the house, and help you make friends.

Find out if there is anyplace with free dancing lessons. I once met a guy who hung out at a particular club in the area every Tuesday night, and taught swing dancing (for free) to anyone who wanted to learn - it was his sneaky way of meeting women. LOL

thanks for the ideas....crafting, bleh, tho "stitch-n-bitch sounds intriguing, heh

dancing sounds great, I'd love to take some dance lessons, go dancing, etc.

volunteering sounds interesting, somebody mentioned the humane society, I do like animals?

 

[DrHappy]

See what kind of clubs are available in your area. Not only do you find a fun activity, but some social interaction as well. A photography club can be very interactive. Any sailing, running, cooking, wine tasting, etc... clubs?

How about telling stories in front of people: find a Toastmasters club. There are "singles" Toastmasters groups in many cities where you can find outgoing sociable people, usually with a sense of humor.

 

[sunandshadow]

Well you could come to the dark side and start playing an MMO, which will be perfectly happy to eat all your free time. Or if you are a creative type you could start a project, like writing a novel or painting a picture.

 

[Ravin the Poet]

Internet and TV are not hobbies and I never put them in interests because it's a given. It is one thing to want a hobby, it is another to go and get one. You need willingness to do it. Plus it is a hobby, spend some money on it. You don't need to spend tons, but I know around my area $85 can get you a good amount of dance classes. Try around schools and stuff. My university offered a lot of that sort of thing for a cheap cost.

I will not accept the "money is tight" answer to saying no and I will tell you why. Because I believe every person should spend on themself at least a little. Sure that $85 could pay a small amount of ONE bill, or it can get you MULTIPLE lessons and make you a happier person. Happy person---or---one less bill?

Use your online abilities. There are probably tons of groups you can find online. An online chat I use to go to for my area always got together once a week or two at a coffee shop. If you have an issue with staying online, then do one of two things. One, what ever you spend online, spend 2x as much time doing something else. That needs self-control. The other method is to take your mouse, keyboard, power cords, what ever will restrict you from using the computer at all, and leave it somewhere, say at work, or at a friends, so you are not tempted at all to go online because you really have no option. Harsh, but it forces you to go out and do something else.

I took up photograpghy because, well first I write, and I like to try and take images and turn them into words. But also because you never get the same thing twice so every time you go out, you have something different. Camera costs money, but no one said buy a huge as camera. I use a cheap digital one, and later go home and just crop them to make them look better.

I feel for yah, because I spend a lot of time on the computer as well, and being a student in debt doesn't help.

 

[golfdude1233]

Yes Join some discussion groups. I love doing discussion groups, They are soothing and relaxing - Yoga is great too

 

[OrgasmicleBunny]

Well you could come to the dark side and start playing an MMO, which will be perfectly happy to eat all your free time. Or if you are a creative type you could start a project, like writing a novel or painting a picture.

haha, im afraid of something like MMO, i'm sure id be completely sucked in!

thanks for all the ideas, if anyone has some specific links, I'd appreciate it, I've pretty much exhausted my googling abilities, and have a few leads on some ideas of things to try.

One thing I really want to pursue is taking some online classes, I'd like to eventually get my master's degree.

I'm in San Francisco Bay area, btw.

 

[Ermend]

You do get to meet people on MMOs, even if it is only online... and they're also a minotaur or ogre... ok, maybe it doesn't count then.

I recently realized that I have no hobbies either, and I have yet to solve that problem, so I can offer sympathy more than help. Dancing is a good one in my opinion though, because you meet people in a situation where everybody should be about equally awkward, so you don't need to worry about maintaining the illusion of competence until the real thing comes along. I'm significantly introverted, but even I find that good company brings me more happiness than just about any activity. And combining company with some form of exercise seems about as good as you can get out of a hobby.
Also, I personally encourage you to investigate the cooking, because food is a beautiful thing, but if you're hoping for a solid social aspect, cooking may offer you less than the alternatives.

 

[Glynnis]

haha, im afraid of something like MMO, i'm sure id be completely sucked in!

thanks for all the ideas, if anyone has some specific links, I'd appreciate it, I've pretty much exhausted my googling abilities, and have a few leads on some ideas of things to try.

One thing I really want to pursue is taking some online classes, I'd like to eventually get my master's degree.

I'm in San Francisco Bay area, btw.

Since you are in the San Francisco Bay area...if you like the idea of dancing, I know that they have a varied bellydance community there and they have hoop dancing instructors based there. Both are great workouts and a lot of fun.

Otherwise you could try meetup.com for different groups there and craigslist.com has listings for groups and volunteer activities.

 

[Climaxamus]

Yeah! You need me.

 

[Guest]

I am taking flying lessons, while the warrior is learning to fly model airplanes.

It is very time consuming, but it is alot of fun,and the opposite of couch potato...

Maharat

 

[OrgasmicleBunny]

Since you are in the San Francisco Bay area...if you like the idea of dancing, I know that they have a varied bellydance community there and they have hoop dancing instructors based there. Both are great workouts and a lot of fun.

Otherwise you could try meetup.com for different groups there and craigslist.com has listings for groups and volunteer activities.

thanks, ive been on meetup and have found some good groups to join, in fact I"m going to a poker game on sunday, by myself, even tho my bf could come

 

[ms.read]

I'm with you There! I need to get a life!

How to get a life?

walk out of your comfort zone (your current habitat) and do something to help somebody. But don't tell anybody you helped them. Recently, I was on here lurking around and i had an epiphany: I spend way to many hours on here.

Mainly because I have NO LIFE

So I had to do a reassessment.

I decided I needed to get my driver's liscence. ( I've never gotten one before so, what the hell? the only thing I can do is fail.)
This will help me become a more independant woman .

Second thing I realized is I live in a pigsty. I need to organize my home. I want to be proud of my habitat when a future friend comes over to hang out. I tackled two rooms of my house today. It looks pretty decent.

Tomorrow. I am attacking my bedroom. I am donating each and every thing that i cannot put away in my house To Goodwill. (I have 34 pairs of jeans. There's probably some nudist who needs a pair in these harsh winters we have)

Thirdly, I need to cut down the amount of hours I spend in my workplace. I need to have some fun and reconnect with my family.

I have alot to work on. But with your support I can do it!

 

[Glynnis]

How to get a life?

walk out of your comfort zone (your current habitat) and do something to help somebody. But don't tell anybody you helped them. Recently, I was on here lurking around and i had an epiphany: I spend way to many hours on here.

Mainly because I have NO LIFE

So I had to do a reassessment.

I decided I needed to get my driver's liscence. ( I've never gotten one before so, what the hell? the only thing I can do is fail.)
This will help me become a more independant woman .

Second thing I realized is I live in a pigsty. I need to organize my home. I want to be proud of my habitat when a future friend comes over to hang out. I tackled two rooms of my house today. It looks pretty decent.

Tomorrow. I am attacking my bedroom. I am donating each and every thing that i cannot put away in my house To Goodwill. (I have 34 pairs of jeans. There's probably some nudist who needs a pair in these harsh winters we have)

Thirdly, I need to cut down the amount of hours I spend in my workplace. I need to have some fun and reconnect with my family.

I have alot to work on. But with your support I can do it!

YAY You! You do have a lot to work on, but it sounds like you have the wherewithal to actually reach your goals.

 

[Glynnis]

thanks, ive been on meetup and have found some good groups to join, in fact I"m going to a poker game on sunday, by myself, even tho my bf could come

YAY You!

That's awesome, and you really should have a couple of "you" rather than "us" things.

 

[L250]

Airplanes

I am taking flying lessons, while the warrior is learning to fly model airplanes.

It is very time consuming, but it is alot of fun,and the opposite of couch potato...

Maharat

Hey... there's nothing wrong with flying model airplanes I've done both an models are harder an more demanding to fly than the real thing.

Heres the kicker though... Once he gets good at it, the whole house or shop will be overrun with planes an parts with no end in site. It is an addictive expensive habit that will end up costing a lot more than your pilots license.

But boy it sure is a blast though.

http://warsawrcclub.com/

Ronnie
Missouri, Lake of The Ozarks

 

[DeeZire]

The Bay Area? There are so many things to do in the Bay Area. Go to a play. Get dressed up and go to a symphony, not for the music, but for the experience. Look at all the people and try to guess something about their lives.
Volunteer somewhere, helping kids, or visiting old people in a nursing home. Old people have so many wonderful stories to tell, but no one to tell them to.
What kind of stories will you have to tell when you're old? "Well, I guess I spent my whole life watching TV." If you're not careful, that's exactly what's going to happen.

 

[OrgasmicleBunny]

The Bay Area? There are so many things to do in the Bay Area. Go to a play. Get dressed up and go to a symphony, not for the music, but for the experience. Look at all the people and try to guess something about their lives.
Volunteer somewhere, helping kids, or visiting old people in a nursing home. Old people have so many wonderful stories to tell, but no one to tell them to.
What kind of stories will you have to tell when you're old? "Well, I guess I spent my whole life watching TV." If you're not careful, that's exactly what's going to happen.

I know!

I do like to travel, if money was no object, I'd be outta here!

My ultimate fantasy job is working as a travel agent

 

[NippleMuncher]

You say money is tight, there are lots of things you can do that will cost you little to nothing yet still get to enjoy things that "moneyed" individuals enjoy like the theater. Combine volunteering and theater - volunteer ushering or any other thing that the theater needs help with will get you free tickets to the shows.

There is a group for any kind of interest that you can think of such as singles groups, hobbies, dance, finance, etc. Most of these groups allow visitors to attend without signing up or paying dues. Sometimes it's nice just to hang out with others of similar interests (even if it's a Lit forum ).

 

[Guest]

grins

Hey... there's nothing wrong with flying model airplanes I've done both an models are harder an more demanding to fly than the real thing.

Heres the kicker though... Once he gets good at it, the whole house or shop will be overrun with planes an parts with no end in site. It is an addictive expensive habit that will end up costing a lot more than your pilots license.

But boy it sure is a blast though.

http://warsawrcclub.com/

Ronnie
Missouri, Lake of The Ozarks

I know I grew up with planes hanging on my bedroom instead of dolls.

And the old man is still at it

Maharat

 

[golfdude1233]

how does golfing sound? or playing darts? Boating on the great lakes - does that sound good? Get a go-kart or a golf-cart -

 

[bigjman50]

Skydiving is the only way to go. It cant be explained in works you just have to do it. And I dont mean go and make one jump, make a couple hundred jumps