I have a lot of hobbies. Some are things that I only do once in a while; others are more regular.
- Beatboxing – I’ve been doing this off and on for years while I work, but now I’m making a concerted effort to try to mimic some beats that I see the pros making.
- Playing the Ukulele – The goal is to play ten songs without looking at a chord or lyric sheet, which I accomplished in mid-2003.
- Reading – I work on four books at a time. One book will always be a part of a big fantasy/sci-fi series; another will be a book from a banned list; a third will be a reread of something I’ve read before, and a fourth will be a motivational/self-improvement book.
- Solving Rubik’s Cubes – I just recently learned how to solve a 3×3 Rubik’s Cube, and I’m working on fortifying my skills and getting faster at my solves. Hopefully, I can move on to more complex methods of solving soon, which will reduce my solving time.
- Strenuous Life – This organization was founded by the owner of The Art of Manliness to help men live a more “strenuous” life. You have daily and weekly challenges to complete, and you can also earn badges. I’m working on the Ancestry badge (as of January 2024). So far, I have earned the following badges:
- Biography
- Classics
- Gentleman Scholar
- Journaling
- Letter Writing
- Penmanship
- Virtue
- Writing – I journal, write poetry, and work on small book ideas. I enjoy writing, editing, reviewing, editing again, throwing it all in a dumpster, and starting over from scratch.