Hobbies/Collecting. What's yours?

[darkiceis]

Everyone has something they love to do or collect.  What's yours?

-I am a huge Sailor Moon fan and have a rather large collection, and still growing. I suppose I consider it both, a hobby and collecting

❤️ Moonie for life ❤️

-Limited Edition Disney dolls from The Disney Store, these dolls are just gorgeous

[QueenMarceline]

Back to update my hobbies because it seems like I completely overlooked that, haha. I'll preface this by starting off with the fact that I'm an extroverted introvert which means I love company, chatting and being around people in the comfort of my own home 99/100 times. It's very hard to pull me away from my house, not because I don't want to go out but because most of my hobbies are at home as is. 🙂

1) Cooking/Baking: I love making home cooked meals, finding new recipes, tweaking old recipes and perfecting passed down family treasures that I had to pull hair to get recipes from family members. I like to cook every other day so I usually aim to make one day or leftovers, but if it ends up being 2 days of leftovers I won't mind either. When I have kids I would like to make something home cooked every night, that's how my mom was and the scent of pies baking in the oven or a soup boiling on the stove spreading it's yummy fragrances all over the house is something I definitely miss experiencing. We would never be able to try the food before it was ready, it was always so exciting to see what new thing was on the table today. 

2) Playing Video Games: Now, I'm no "gamer" by any means but recently I've found enjoyment out of playing video games. As a child, my parents were quite strict and I've never been allowed to really play video games (at least not to the extent I saw my peers with their Nintendo 64 consoles and Playstation). Currently, I play some old school nostalgic games that I missed out on and wanted to own as a kid (lol) such as WWE Smackdown vs. Raw. I also am a notorious Sims 1/2/3/4 player, it's one of the games my cousin was able to sneak onto my computer back in 2000/2001 without my parents ever truly noticing/caring.

3) Writing: If you couldn't tell by my TLDR responses, I really love to write. I try to write daily in my journals although that doesn't always work out the way I like it. I truly enjoy the feel that pen to paper or click to computer has. Growing up, "for fun" I used to write small books and short stories for fun. It was like creating my own world, I'm trying to get better at getting back into this by using my guided journals more. 🙂

4) Chatting on the Phone: Okay... I know I'm getting a side eye right now. Who even talks on the phone anymore, am I right? I have daily phone calls with my mom and a close friend from back home. I'd say I spend most of my later afternoon on the phone. I also very frequently get calls from other friends "just to chat" and over the years, I think I've just become that person in the friend group you give a call if you're bored or want to chat about life/nonsensical things. I really enjoy talking on the phone specifically because I can put in my headphones or carry my phone around and do other chores. I frequently find myself almost feeling "naked" when I step out to walk my dogs or start chopping veggies for dinner without being on the phone with someone. 

5) Pet Care: This is also an odd one but I can explain. I own quite a few pets and they take up a good chunk of my time. I own two small dogs and 6 rodents (some that have special needs). I like to sometimes make their toys or create cool little "puzzles" for them to "solve" from household items. As cute as this is, one toy sometimes can take me a few hours to complete and only a couple minutes for my girls to destroy. I try to have fun with caring for my animals, for example I get creative with their food, I cook special meals for them, I make mini cakes to celebrate rodent birthdays, basically what I'm getting at is... I'm weird 😛

6) Reality TV: Another embarrassing but honest one. I have the attention span of a squirrel sometimes and that's why I love reality TV... you don't really have to pay attention. If you miss something they'll show you in the flashback 12 more times in the season. I find myself rewatching very old Survivor episodes, also love shows about people who live odd lifestyles (here I come TLC an Bravo). Perfect for when you want to "watch" something but when you need to focus on something else such as cleaning or cooking. It's basically the background noise of my life. 

7) Trying New Things: This one is broad because it's honest. Although I don't leave the house much I actually love trying out new things. I love going to new restaurants that just opened, I love checking out that new movie at the theater, I love going to an arcade, I really can have fun almost anywhere (just don't take me camping). 

8)Going on Walks: As mentioned, I own two dogs that I walk about 3-4x daily but when it's summer I oftentimes like to go on long walks alone or with friends/my SO. I live around a lot of nature and a lake is my backyard, so sometimes I just love to walk along the lake side when the weather permits. I received an apple watch as a gift a year ago and I've been loving logging my walks. Running was never my thing but I'm glad that I've been enjoying finding some outlet to get some Vitamin D along with some light outdoor exercise. 

9) Art/Creativity: As a kid I used to paint (just for fun) and did a little bit of sculpting too. I haven't done it in a while but I would still consider it my current hobby. Pre-Covid a few friends of mine and myself would go to the "paint and pour" events which were super fun to attend-I'd definitely like to do another event. I love to do creative things and I have some paints and medium-sized canvases that I've been wanting to create some abstract art on. However, it's currently winter and I think I'd like to do the abstract outside this summer out by the lake in order to draw some inspiration from the "art" around me. 

10) Singing: Way back when, I used to be a part of a traveling singing group. I loved getting to skip 2 weeks of school straight to go on "tour" LOL. Although I stopped "singing professionally" (I'm totally joking 😂) when I was in my late teens, this is truly where I first developed my love for travel. I credit this "gig" in allowing me to visit: more states in the US than I can keep up with, Canada, Mexico, Italy, Poland and Spain. I still really love to sing although my "tours" are very limited these days to my living room, the kitchen and my shower head-although, my neighbors still get a free "show" daily. 😂

11) Traveling: As mentioned, I noticed how much I loved traveling after my experiences being in a singing group. Over the years, my love for traveling only intensified. So far, my favorite travel spot has been Jamaica. 🇯🇲 It's truly my happy place. 🌤 🌴🍹 The food is impeccable, the drinks are beautiful, the beaches are stunning, the excursions/experiences are plentiful (even going twice I still haven't done everything I wanted yet) and most importantly, the people are incredibly beautiful souls... what's there not to love? Currently, it's the only place I've traveled to that, when given the choice, I have returned to a second time instead of choosing to go to a brand new location. Unfortunately due to the you-know-what I haven't traveled overseas since June-July of 2019. I had a 8 day trip planned in late April of 2020 but it was cancelled due to the you-know-what. 😕 Here's to hoping all of us can see more of the world soon. 

[itsfi]

@QueenMarceline, that’s so great that your singing group gave you an opportunity to travel! 😃 Aahhhh, traveling. 🧳 ✈️  It’ll happen again. 

[QueenMarceline]

@itsfi I really hope so, unfortunately it's not looking so promising right now 😕

[WinglessOne]

@QueenMarceline  Video games: I forgot to mention that in my own list. Heh, my childhood consoles were the Atari 2600 and the original NES. (And before that, I played text-based games on a TRS-80. At some point, I also played some memorable games on a Mac Plus or Mac SE.) I wish I still had both consoles + games. I currently have a PS4 and a PSone. I bought the latter just so I could replay Chrono Trigger, because I no longer had a Super NES at the time. 😄 Anyway, I’m glad you decided to indulge in the games you were denied as a kid. 

And hello there, fellow writer! My handwriting was always bad, but it’s gotten so terrible lately that I sometimes can’t read it myself—so I’m fine with typing instead of handwriting. My brain’s always moved too fast for my hand to keep up, so my writing’s never been what I’d call neat. Writing novellas is a fun exercise, and a good challenge if you’re used to the short story format. Have you ever done NaNoWriMo? That’s another good way to push yourself to keep writing. 

Also: making pet puzzles isn’t weird! A friend has a Savannah cat and a cockatoo (and boy, what a loud pair they are), and I’ve helped him create puzzles for them both. Giving pets some challenging puzzles is a great way to care for them. 

I also left out art beyond photography and piano. I still sketch, paint, sculpt, illustrate, etc., just not as frequently as I used to. Sigh. 

[QueenMarceline]

@WinglessOne I'd love to get more into old school gaming, I remember the original game boys. My cousin had one and we used to all play at family events. Those games were always super fun, a lot of "newer" stuff is too complex for me to be quite honest. I'm not interested in ultra complicated specs and super 4k quality LOL. 

I have not heard of NaNoWriMo, but now I am super intrigued and will look it up. 🙂 That sounds like a very cool tool to explore. I've been doing not so good on my journaling lately because of just being busy "with life" and it's having quite the negative effect on my overall mental health. I think it's good to air some things out sometimes and I really liked my goal journal.

Haha!  A puzzle for a Savannah cat, now I'd love to see that. I actually just got done cleaning and setting up a new layout for the bottom of their cage. They seem to be loving it. 🙂 

Wow, that seems awesome. You have quite the large creative outlet. I hope we can both pick up more on our former creative hobbies soon! 

[tsavorite]

 I love reading through everyone's hobbies and collections!

[itsfi]

@tsavorite, I loved reading about your hobbies and collections! 😍 It's the first time I've heard of watermelon tourmalines and ametrines - they're beautiful! 

Adding a link to your original post: Re: Hobbies/Collecting. What's yours? - Page 5 - Beauty Insider Community (sephora.com)

[tsavorite]

@itsfi ,

Thank you for the link to my original post!

I'm interested in ametrines (amethyst/citrines) and watermelon tourmalines.  They are called bicolor gems.  I saw some fabulous bicolor tourmaline jewelry or watermelon tourmaline jewelry in our Natural History Museum, long ago, on loan from private owners.   

[alexasteph]

I don’t really collect anything, but I do like having a variety of fun coffee mugs haha. I drink a ton of coffee, and part of my morning coffee ritual is deciding what mug to use. I have a few Snow White ones, quite a few London ones (from Starbucks and Harrods), a Psych quote one, a Slytherin one, a few cat related ones, and one from Kuwait my brother got me when he was deployed there. 

[WinglessOne]

@alexasteph  Okay, all my fellow coffee mug collectors should start posting photos. 😄 I'm also a coffee-fueled person, and I should've mentioned coffee beans on my own collections/hobbies list. I'd love to see your mugs! 

[quspork]

Yes, @alexasteph! Why have a plain, boring mug when you can have something fun! I'd love to see your collection if you ever decide to take pics, especially the one from Kuwait. My favorite one currently is one with a Golden Girls quote-- "Picture it, Sicily, 1922..." 😃

[alexasteph]

@quspork @WinglessOne I’ll try to arrange my mugs in a way they can be photographed after the dishwasher is ran again! Haha. 

[QueenMarceline]

@alexasteph Totally forgot to mention this in my initial response but I love coffee mugs too (and coffee in general) 😂 I have a bit of a mug collection going but I've had to pump the brakes until I can find a better way to store them.

[alexasteph]

@QueenMarceline Yes I take my coffee drinking *very* seriously haha. If drinking coffee counts as a hobby it’s definitely one of mine.

[itsfi]

@alexasteph, what a fabulous way to start the morning - coffee in a fun mug! 😍 

I've been meaning for the longest time to rewatch all the episodes of Psych ~ started this weekend and just as great as the first time. Are you a fan of delicious flavor? 🤣

[alexasteph]

@itsfi That’s one of the quotes hahaha! It’s my favorite show. Shawn Spencer is my forever crush. 

[Kim888]

@alexasteph ! Fun - love a good Harry Potter mug!  I have one that shows the steps on the marauder’s map when it gets hot haha 

[alexasteph]

@Kim888 Does it have some character locations too!? That would fun! 

[Kim888]

@alexasteph sadly no - it's just an image of the map with steps that illuminate when heated. But that would be really neat! 

Do you have any of those mugs that change when you pour something hot in?

[alexasteph]

@Kim888 I don’t have any of those mugs but my dad used to have a Star Trek one that would have the characters show up like they were getting beamed up or down! I have such a distinct memory of that mug growing up haha. 

[Operadiva1]

I love to play Pickleball. I never played any sports in my entire life (I'm 66) and have been playing for almost 6 years now. It's so much fun and a great way to meet people.