Tubegroov..Bruk..Lindeman, thanks for your support. But it seems to me that world doen't need another "artis"! World, needs plumber or garage mechanic. Anyway, i'll plug along, and if anything happens, it's just a bonus! |
Though not nearly as accomplished as Eldragon, I also took up painting (about 5 years ago). Don't do much more than a couple of canvases per year, and basically give my paintings away to friends or strangers who express an aprreciation (usually hang them in my office, and several have gone to suppliers ot business acquaintances who bug me enough). I am also a semi-serious oenophile, collecting (and drinking!) mostly French and Italian wines (california wine is too expensive these days!). Cooking is my wekeend hobby (mostly Itlaina and French cuisine), and reading is my passion since I was a little boy. As for convertibles, I've owned two Alfa Romeos in the past 6 years, and now get lots of enjoyment out of my BMW M Roadster..got to have a ragtop! |
If that is the name of it, than i am an ONEOPHILE (drinking not collecting)and far better at it than a painter! I also had old, beat-up(looked like me) '72 ALFA Spider! It was fun, except it had trouble starting on a rainy day! |
These are listed in no particular order and reflect varying degrees of expertise/incompetence. Photography - allows much obsessive gear behavior, but also gives the joy of the once in a while shot that makes you happy- guitar - once the system started getting good had to start noodling with an old Martin to keep from listening to 3Am, Yoga - addict for about a year, Women- much research, nothing really learned. ...and before my move into NYC, cars- a 72 240Z, but that's ancient history. Now's it mostly the # 6 downtown, I'm very jealous of those of you can really enjoy your bikes/cars and the open roads out wherever they are. |
My wife got me into Ballroom and Latin dancing when we got married 14 yrs ago and I've competed as an amateur for a few years. I now compete with my wife in what's called the Pro/Am category. I find competetive dancing to be more technically demanding than the various martial arts I've done for the past 30 years, including American and Thai style kickboxing, Issinryu karate, and ground fightning and combat grappling (which I recently realised is to punishing for my 49 yr old body). But, of course, the dancing is not as physically punishing as properly practiced martial arts. I have to give kudos to my teacher, Shihan George Gaffke. But at the end of each day I spend 30-60 all alone in front of my bi-amped OTL/SET system and heal myself in the best way I can think of. |
Snowmobiling in the winter and drag racing my oo lightning past unsuspecting corvette owners at the strip in the summer.Best 1/4 mile 12.926 107.74 mph top speed 155 mph not bad for a pickup truck. |
I collect watches, mostly pre war elgin. wrist and pocket alike. My only other real hobby is collecting vintage Pioneer equipment mostly spec and M- series stuff, oops that sounds like audio, sorry, I'm basically a one trick pony. |
Car buff or anything w/a motor, Hunting,TOC. |
Woodworking, I used to be a ham so I sold my gear to buy woodworking machinery. You guy's are probably thinking "Is this guy nuts?" not spending the money on audio gear but woodworking is my first love and audio my second. My wife is a different kind of love as I don't like splinters :-). Anyways, if it can be made of wood, I am up to the challenge to give it a try. |
Coffee, Wine, Beer, Fine foods, Cooking (mainly breads and curries), Sport. |
Eldragon - You are not supposed to drive an Alfa in the rain...they are just not designed for that. Why do you think the windshield wipers never work (at least on mine)? A true Alfista would have relocated to Arizona :-) |
Racing bicycles, "road and mountain", playing my guitar "30 years", going to concerts "recording live acts", golf and most recently wine making. |
Photography, shooting - including reloading my own ammo. Gotta be careful with the hearing protection, this could end the audio hobby. |
Surfing! Growing up in Hawaii I started surfing when I was around 8-9. I've been surfing for over 30 years now and have no intention of ever stopping. My love for the sport is the main reason I live where I do. I've got 6 different boards and on any given weekend you can find me at the beach paddling out to catch a couple of round ones. I've also been known to skip work for a day or two if there is a really good swell. I also enjoy cooking and I do a lot of that too, so it's good that I surf otherwise I'd be as BIG as a Krell! |
Gardening, model railroading, cooking, guitar (I hesitate to use the term for fear of being prosecuted for misrepresentation) playing and debating at the drop of a hat. |
blading, hiking, skiing (snow and water), b&w and color photography, writing, live music (NEw Orleans), play guitar and keyboards, traveling, biking, collecting dinosaur fossils |
fast cars and faster women |
Does that mean you never catch one?....
Although my fingers are getting beaten up by frequent automotive work (not to mention trying to cram 10AWG into dedicated outlets and junction boxes!) I treasure my time at my Steinway B. |
Telescopes, and all the wonders they open for you. This pursuit is indentical in every aspect to true love of hi-fi!
The dynamics are exactly the same from first exposure to the sky, to the rewards given for your efforts to learn and grow, the emotional impact, and of course, the gear itself.
Your first crystal skied night with a "mid-fi" or "high-end" scope is like the first time you hear a great tube amp, or your first sit down with a pair of killer electrostatics.
|
Statis, I appreciate and respect the parallel you have drawn between the two hobbies.
Spoken (obviously) by a person of intense dedication and passion, and I am pleased that you are here with us. |
Sailing, Sailing, Sailing and Sailing. |
remote control model boat racing. Not some toy a 70 + mile per hour nitromethane burning hydroplane try negotiating a 300 foot diameter oval while racing 5 other boats. |
Well I enjoy cars(new), fun to drive/fast cars, currently have a 2001 VW GTI VR6 though not the fastest thing on the road, it holds its own(in particular for the money, super cheap!) and is built fairly well. I completely enjoy chasing women around, I mean what else to guys in there early 20's like to do more? I like to frequent fine dinning establishments as often as possible. I read lots of books(when not listening to the system), non-fiction only, self improvement books, small business, Philosophy and history. And I am also into designer cloths as well, I prefer Jhane Barnes, and Ermengildo Zegna to the fore mentioned Armani, shoes gotta be Prada, though I like any other high end manufacturer that makes stuff that I feel is cool. I have not bought much for cloths in the last few months, I enjoy that a lot, need to get back on track. I play the stock market as often as I can trying to make as much as I can, gotta support the audio habbit. And I also enjoy shooting/collecting guns, rifles, nice shootguns, and hanguns(I.D.P.A. competition shooting). And what I do in my spare time you might ask, I come to audiogon and try to make my business thrive! |
I road bike a lot. It's a good way for me to try and stay in shape. I bike to work in the warm months and bike on a treadmill-like device in the winter. It's another hobby that can entail spending lots of money! |
Vintage automobiles (particularly Rolls-Royce and Bently) and photography |
I did not know ya'll had those thangs in Tuscaloosa! We don't have much use for anything that won't haul a few bales of hay down here. [:)] War Eagle! Charlie |
Definately golf; this hobby can be a lot more extensive than you can imagine if you get into golf equipment like I do. Also love road and mountain biking and photography. |
Corvettes. My second car is a 1987 Corvette Coupe that I've
put in decent enough condition to win a few trophies and
places at local and regional car shows. But it's not just
for show - I drive this car at least 6-8,000 miles each
year and I'm considering entering the car in some SCCA
autocross meets this summer.
I'm also considering moving up to a mid 90s Corvette -
as they have another 50 ponies under the hood! |
I love to garden, and travel, also collect movie memorabilia |
In no particular order:
Fly fishing
Cycling
running
Cooking
Wine collecting
Skiing
Hiking
any and all sports
recently we've started an Art collection
Raising my two sons |
Furniture making for the past 25 years. Aside from being able to make one of a kind pieces for myself and relatives; I was able to do barter with several audio designers in New Jersey when I lived there. I built thier prototype speakers cabinets in return for gear...worked out well as I was able to trade my labor for gear I would not have been able to aford.
Also, beer making...got to have something to drink while your listening to your favorite tunes...Begian Ale for classical; German Wheat Beer for Pop; German Lager (well hopped) for Rock. |
For the past few months, I do nothing but study Audio stuff online. Before this nutty endeavor, I was an aspiring wannabe writer, philosophyer, roadbiker, and avid reader. |
Collecting very rare watches and time pieces. |
Sinclair- You mean like a Swatch??? roflmao!! If you haven't checked it out yet there are a few of us who are into watches here as well, search for a thread called "What time do you wear"
~Tim |
Tireguy, you were kidding when you said Swatch.. LOLOL.
No , I collect Patek Philippe watches. Perpetual calendar, complicated, annual calendar, and moon phase Patek's.
I also collect Audemars Piguet complicated automatics, IWC, vintage Rolex and Omega watches too.
My two favorite watches that I wear is the Patek 3970 Perpetual Chronograph (list price was $78K) but will continue to increase in value. And the Omega Chronograph automatic professional diver. (list price is about $3K).
Watch collecting can get sicker in dollars & sense than Hi-End Audio. The key is to buy the expensive watch as an investment and you can do very well for yourself. |
Sinclair-I hear you, I have a few though I have down sized a bit. I am dreaming of the Ulysse Nardin(the name slips my mind) it isn't on there website its around 65k and I think its worth it, like you said in that range things only go up in value. I currently wear a Cartier Pasha C and enjoy it more then anything else I have had(Rolex, Tag, Bvlgari-big mistake!) Sounds as though you have impecable taste in watches, I like most all Pateks, Piguet. I want a JLC reverso duo very bad but need a new play watch first(enter Fortis, Cosmonaut-a very cool simple watch if your not familar with them) too many toys not enough money or time!! Do a search and just use the word "time" and the watch thread here will show it face(heh-heh), its name is "what time do you wear" a few others here are into nice watches.
~Tim |
Old Rovers sedans, Land Rovers and Range Rovers, then sailing and more sailing topped off with a little walk across the Tetons. |
The gateway drug to watch collecting (I could never keep up with them) -- Fountain pens. As with many good hobbies, a way to take a simple part of daily life and make it a true pleasure (and a way to waste endless time). |
Gheon- I like pens don't know a damn thing about them, are Monte Blanc good pens? I see them everywhere. I like there watches, but are there pens on the level? ~Tim |
In response to your question, Mont Blanc is to the pen world (aside from a few of their Limited Editions, which can be nice) what Bose is to the audio world (more or less). Their basic pens are kind of an overpriced cliche for those who do not necessarily know better (like Bose as I am led to believe by this site). I am sure that I have offended some of those who like Mont Blanc's, but that is the closest analogy I could come up with for an audiophile chat board.
I personally like Italian pens (Omas, Montegrappa, Visconti, some of the nicer Stipula's) and am more into newer pens than the vintage thing.
I would strongly recommend at least a dalliance in fountain pen collecting to anyone who writes. It adds a little pleasure to what us usually a very mundane activity. Hobbies tend to be for consciously eschewing practicality in favor of more pleasurable arcana and pens, even at a simple introductory level, are a great way to do that. |
Gheon-That's sort of the impression I was under, seeing as none of the pens you listed are available at Staples, where would someone find out about said pen(s)? seeing as I can't walk into staples and pick them up!! Thanks,
~Tim |
A few basics options and ideas. The best option is if you live in a major city and can go to a nice pen store (I can give you recs for NYC if you live here or nearby) and, in audio parlance, demo a lot of pens. This is the best way to get a sense of what you like and works best with your needs, writing style, aesthetic, etc. Btw, pen people have a lot of the same break-in/burn in issues -- nibs get "accustomed" to your hand over time, etc.
If that is not a chance, you can answer some of the questions below and I can point you to some good web sites and a few personal recs (although be forewarned -- pen taste tends to be highly personal and somewhat ideosyncratic).
Regardless of your proximity to a pen store, other things to think are what you want out of it. Do you want a nice, very classy signature pen for more formal occasions? Do you want to try out a good workable (but not necessarily expensive) fountain pen to see if you want to make the transition to fountain pens for your everyday life? Do you want to try seeing what it is like to use a very nice fountain pen as your regular pen? Do you want to collect them? How much do you want to spend to dip your toe in the water? What do you like aesthetically?
This is not get to get into the whole series of writing questions that drive pen, nib and ink selection (although infinitely cheaper, ink selection is the interconnect/cable selection of the pen world). But that is for another day.... |
|
My life has changes signifcantly in the past few years. When I had time for hobbies (including this one) they included: Masters Swimming and Schutzhund with Riesenschnauzers. Swimming brought me a unique joy where intense concentration could bring me to a dream like state. Competition motivated me (my nemesis being my own times), but it was the practice I loved . Dog training was a joy in that it made me think in terms of my team mate's perspective first and then motivating that perspective to a mutual advantage. Both endeavors gave me a sense of being a small and yet integral part in the mechanics of the universe. |
I have this funny hobby that I recently developed. I like to sit down ( doesn't matter where, infront of TV, in my back yard, on a swing) and EAT SUNFLOWER SEEDS! I could go on for hours staring and chewing in to oblivion, and enjoying every minute of it. Always looking forward to my 'SESSIONS'. Have the best seeds in stock.If am out I panic, go late in the night, shop and be ready the next day. A good alternative to relax almost turned in to a obsessive hobby!! |
Hope you don't drive after you've tanked up, that could be dangerous! Have you tried cryoed sunflower seeds? I found best results with the mk II sunflower seeds(in foil of course). ~Tim |
Now that's great idea. It is about time sunflower seeds move upscale!! By the way I am trying different brand this weekend! |
Have a 55 Red Phantom, 57 Hornet Deluxe, 64 Typhoon all of which were restored by me. Also a couple of car projects. |
I own a historical home in S.E.Michigan (1867 Greek Revival). In parallel, I collect and use antique woodworking tools that I use in some of my restoration work.I also own and play a couple of high end Martin acoustics. Many moons ago I apprenticed to learn classical guitar building and in turn picked up the obsession for wood, music and tools all in one fell swoop. Have never looked back. I must admit I have way too many tools for my needs. |
In order : My family, Skiing, Fly Fishing on the Yellow Breeches Creek, Mountain Biking. |
