I have a lot of hobbies. I grew up very creatively minded and was in music classes from the 4th grade, I really liked the plays that we did and that continued for a while, in high school I really enjoyed stage combat. Was lucky to have a prolific teacher, many in total but unfortunately there just weren’t opportunities for me in theater or music. But I worked at the performing arts center for a long time doing the production side of things which I also enjoy a lot! But that’s my job now lol. I have a home music battle station. Got my synths, guitars, pedals, midi devices all (in progress) set up (eternally)!

After building a few computers I figured I’d get into some of the more simple electronics and use them as a basis for circuit bending, but various solder projects overall. I have worked on a few of my guitars and installed different pickups and strap lock mechanisms. It’s really fun to go to thrift stores to look around (for everything) for priced-down guitars that likely just need some love :)

I like doing movie reviews. When I was in college one of my favorite classes was Comedy in American Cinema, and in yearning for that feeling again I started a notebook for documenting my favorites or ones that really surprised me. It’s a good way to interact with and explore media, as it gives you a few different lenses to watch with.

I also like making zentangles, and a good coloring page is stellar. I’ve taken a few drawing classes over the years and my grandfather was pretty good at live sketching so I’ve been working on that some, I’ve been feeling better about them! I used to not enjoy my sketches. Unfortunately I have some early arthritis so I can’t do these for extended periods of time! The pencil hurts my tiny fingers :( lol

I like LEGOs, I mostly collect the Star Wars ships but there’s a few others that I like too. The Groot is adorable, I’m working on the Tallneck from Horizon: Zero Dawn right now which had a really cool biome for the base. I put together a LEGO table for something similar so it was cool seeing it in a set. I love Spider-Man but most of the sets aren’t quite right, I’m pretty selective with the Batman sets too. Though, I really want that Daily Bugle with all the different Spider-heroes!

I also like pretty much all games, I mostly play video games but a good board game is always fun. We’ve been playing Hues and Cues recently which is describing a color with just one, then two words, on an A1-J28ish grid! I’ve also been making an It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia board game on Tabletop Simulator, just because. It isn’t fully together yet but it’s real close now, a bit over a year from when I first started. Each character announces a goal and then uses cards to move towards it. It’s like a DND Monopoly featuring everything IASIP. Real board game maybe to come, FX hit me up. Lol!

And I like cooking, I have been making Japanese carrot bread this week that’s really good. I also made gnocchi for the first time, I didn’t have the tools to make them perfect but it wasn’t bad for a first time I’d say! I’ve also recently gotten interested in bartending, I was extremely surprised by Dinah’s Cocktail which was just some cheap bourbon we had for cooking, lemon juice (not fresh) and a bit of sugar. Lemon drops aren’t my favorite but this was really nice.

I would like to like doing homelab server stuff, but I hit a skill ceiling very quickly and it’s not something I can keep up with long term - every Pi project is a mystery to me now. I just built all the parts from my first PC into a server and wanted to get it pretty robust, but unfortunately it’s just again relegated to a simple LAN Plex server. I’ll get there, it’s just dedicating time to something I don’t enjoy as much for the results I would enjoy.

Finally, I’m really just a maximalist with an interest in getting stuff connected and put together and, ideally, a one and done set up! Putting all my movie tickets on the wall, displaying art and instruments, putting together display shelves. A clean and clear counter and space (as best as it can be), but with the walls just decked out with geometry of things. Closets are a little harder!