Hobbies

I returned to martial arts class last night.

Felt good.

It was a basic class rather than an advanced one (I just got over the flu, after all) and the instructor was pretty chill so we didn't do anything that's going to break something in my aged form.

I forgot how much I missed it.

That said, I have been excessively lazy (even for me) in the last few years. Sure, I've been reasonably-dutiful about doing martial arts class, but that and my RPG group have been pretty much my only hobbies of any note for a few years now.

It's not enough.

My RPG group is not getting any younger. We're shrinking due to attrition that comes of real life. More than half of of the group is in some kind of serious-ish relationship scenario, which does have a bit of an impact on the hobby.

Frankly, as one of the members with... um... too much time on his hands, I'm probably a little too into the game, which is why I tend to GM it. It leaves me at a loss when our gaming cycles hit and I'm not in the GM seat.

Martial arts class could be a good diversion, but there's only so often I can attend classes within the dictates of class schedule and risking aggravating old injuries. Besides, I burn out quick on that if I go too often.

There's always TV, but I downgraded cable and there's really not much on worth watching. My DVD collection is vast, but sitting and watching stuff isn't really satisfying.

There's exploring new and interesting beers, but equating alcohol with a hobby is a pretty slippery slope.

I suppose I could try to return to writing fiction (blog posts don't count) but... meh. Uninspired. I need hobbies in part for inspiration.

A friend of mine took up archery recently. I have to admit that idea appeals. I can't afford to suddenly get the requisite equipment for that hobby at the moment, but it would be something to work piecemeal on. I know exactly jack-shit about bows beyond how to shoot an arrow in a way that almost-certainly guarantees I will not hit my target.

Sounds like there's lots of room there for a good education.

I could stand to renew my CPR/First aid certification with Red Cross. That's less of a hobby and more of a useful skill, though.

I could make a stab at brewing. That would, I think, require me to keep my kitchen (and probably my entire living area) cleaner than I'm likely to ever manage.

Plus, I don't think I need more beer in my life right now.
I guess I could try to learn a foreign language. Let's see, I've already pretty much destroyed Spanish in high school. I'm pretty sure Japan won't let me return to the country until I sign something saying I won't obliterate their language again. They're still laughing in Beijing over whatever I tried to say in Mandarin.

To be fair, I didn't understand the tones in Mandarin then. To be honest, I still don't.

I could aim for German, I suppose. Good, beer-drinking language. I'm still puzzled by the concept of umlats (sp?) and those weird 'B' symbols that sound like "ssss".

Or I could make a hobby out of musing on various hobbies.