I enjoy a range of hobbies that shape the rhythm of my life in different ways. Some of them remain steady companions that I return to week after week, while others come back into focus during particular seasons when I want to revisit older interests or explore something new. Each one brings a unique blend of learning, creativity, and structure, and together they provide me with a sense of continuity that lasts throughout the year.
Enamel Pin Collecting – Enamel pins have become a way for me to gather small pieces of visual storytelling from artists, events, and niche communities. Each pin carries a moment, a design, or a bit of humor that appealed to me enough to add it to my collection. Some represent personal interests, while others simply made me laugh at the right time, and trading with other collectors adds a sense of connection that keeps the hobby lively. These pins become markers of places, memories, and ideas rather than decorations that sit unnoticed on a shelf.
Genealogy – My connection to genealogy began more than forty years ago when my great-uncle Lanny started researching our family’s history using Family Tree Maker. After he passed away, I inherited his work and continued expanding it across multiple branches and generations. I have since updated everything to the latest version of the software, and as of October 2024, the family tree includes 6,510 unique individuals. I also maintain our family memorials on FindAGrave.com so that the information remains accurate and accessible for relatives who may be searching for their history. This hobby has evolved into a long-term project that bridges the past and the present in a meaningful way.
Mold-A-Rama Collecting – Mold-A-Rama machines are still in operation at zoos, museums, and tourist locations across the United States, creating plastic figures on demand through a retro molding process that dates back to the 1960s. Each location usually offers a unique figure, which turns the experience of collecting them into a kind of scavenger hunt. The machines produce warm plastic souvenirs that feel tied to the place where they were made, and each one becomes a small reminder of that moment and the trip surrounding it.
Reading – Reading remains an integral part of my daily routine, and I rotate through several categories so that I always have different types of stories and ideas circulating in my mind at the same time. Each category offers a different mood and purpose, and moving between them keeps reading both structured and energizing.
- Banned or Challenged Book – The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck – This book anchors my banned or challenged category, remaining a powerful exploration of hardship, displacement, and dignity during the Dust Bowl migration. Reading it through this lens shows how often stories that challenge the norms of their time become essential for understanding the pressures that shaped entire generations. The Joad family’s journey feels heavy, but the emotional weight serves a purpose, giving the book a depth that rewards patient attention.
- Series Reread – Enderverse: Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card – This book belongs to the Shadow Series, which runs alongside Ender’s Game and reshapes familiar events from Bean’s perspective. Returning to this world adds new layers to scenes and choices I already knew, and exploring those details through a parallel narrative deepens the larger universe in thoughtful ways. Rereading a series from a new angle reinforces how much a story can grow when seen through the eyes of a different character.
- New Series – Magic: The Gathering Artifacts Cycle: Planeswalker by Lynn Abbey – Planeswalker continues the early lore of Magic: The Gathering through the Artifacts Cycle, following Urza and the expanding world shaped by his inventions and conflicts. Beginning this series gives me that sense of discovery that comes from stepping into a world built with its own history, logic, and mythology, and it offers a steady mix of fantasy and early technomancy that keeps the story moving with purpose.
Record Collecting – I collect vinyl albums from classic rock bands, often focusing on full discographies when the band is no longer active. Listening to these records offers a tangible experience that digital music cannot replicate, from the sound itself to the album art that was designed to be seen at full size. The process feels rooted in a different era, and the ritual of placing a record, lowering the needle, and hearing the first notes connects me to the music in a more deliberate way.
The Strenuous Life – The Strenuous Life, created by the founder of The Art of Manliness, encourages a more disciplined approach to living through weekly challenges and badge achievements. I am currently working toward the Ancestry badge and have completed several others, including Biography, Classics, Gentleman Scholar, Journaling, Letter Writing, Penmanship, Virtue, and Writing. Each badge requires consistent effort rather than quick wins, and that steady pace aligns well with how I approach growth in other areas of my life.
Writing – Writing remains a central part of my creative routine. I spend time journaling, drafting poetry, and outlining future book ideas, and I enjoy the entire writing process, from the initial draft through multiple rounds of revision. Starting over from scratch often provides insight that improves the final version, and the process itself gives me space to think, experiment, and understand my own ideas more clearly.