A world without hobbies?

I'm an odd duck when being around my frends and co-workers because I too seem to be the only one with a "hobby". The other guys do a lot of arm chair sports and hunting, but thats about it. We will have get togethers at our house and when guys see my shop(s) (I have a basement and two garages), they get this envious look. I have the same life as them, kids, mortgage, 60hr week job, but I MAKE time to keep my garage clean and make it so the kids don't have full run of the house yet keep them envolved with what I am doing. I have a small work center for the boys right next to my work table. I have ages three to seven slapping wood and plastic together and having a great time while I build. A world without hobbies would be a world without creativity and imagination.
Scott

QUOTE: Originally posted by maddafinga Kik, try some Philip K Dick one of these days. Many great short stories, several excellent novels. Try out "The Man in the High Castle" and "A Scanner Darkly" and "Dr. Bloodmoney" "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" and "Time out of Joint. All excellent.

Actually, I read "Valis" last year....a very interesting author, I will definately try out some of his other titles....there are sooo many good books out there, sometimes it's hard to keep 'em all in mind when I walk into that store with thousands of books!!! I love reading 'oddball' authors though, who kind of go outside of the box!!! Douglas Adams is one of those.....If you ever get a chance check out Ben Bova's "Orion" series, it's an interesting trip through history, and his "Cyberbooks" is also a good read. Can't forget the "Amber Chronicles" by Roger Zelazny....ah man there are too many I could go on for days!!! Thanks for the suggestions, and I'm always open to more!!!

I couldn't agree more, some folks just go to work and go home to watch tv ect. I could not imagine a world without hobbies and books. When I was young I would build, build, build and had such a great time! Then I started to think that modeling was uncool because my friends thought so and stopped, I sold my precious collection for 100$ So stupid. Then about two years ago I was watching History Channel and the special was the Battle of the Buldge, got hooked in 20 minutes, havent looked back since.I am lucky that I have a huge room to set up as my work area, so comfortable and and efficient, can do any modeling project and it is self contained.I build armour, ships, planes, space, cars, anything! I love to reaserch, plan and and build. One of the most fun aspects of modeling is planning my next project. Anticipating and actually going to the hobby shop and buying the planned kit and taking it home makes my week.
Keep building folks!

I have a few guys at work that always love seeing what the latest thing that i built is. They always say the same thing that they don't have the patience to do one and I keep teeling them that i did'nt either when i started that its something that learned.
It seems to me that it is mostly woment that look down on this hobby. One of my wifes friends came over the other day and made a comment about me messing with with my models again. Of coarse this was while I am sitting in my lazy boy with foot propped up in a cast like I can really do anything else besides wate my brain on Judge Judy.

QUOTE: Originally posted by kik36 I agree with everyone here, that it is very important to have a hobby in our lives to take our minds off of the daily rituals.......and I especially agree with maddafinga, NO ONE READS!!!! It's absolutely insane. I learned to read when I was four, and since then have not stopped, by the third grade I was reading above college level. I was teased and harassed endlessly. I've been in many arguments with women about how much I read versus how much time I spend with them. I finally met a woman who enjoys reading as much as I do, and it has been wonderful....we're always swapping books, and just sitting down and chatting about the different plots and such. In fact I would say that due to that we spend more quality time together than I have with anyone else. Right now on average I read 2-3 books a week, but before modeling it was 3-4. And also because of modeling I've been reading a larger mix of genres as well, especially very interesting history from nations around the world!!! I truly believe that reading opens up new realms in the mind that cannot be duplicated via cable. BTW the top three books that will change your perspectives: "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller, "Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert A. Heinlein, and "Slaughterhouse Five" by Kurt Vonnegut. Just my I'm off now!!

Kik, try some Philip K Dick one of these days. Many great short stories, several excellent novels. Try out "The Man in the High Castle" and "A Scanner Darkly" and "Dr. Bloodmoney" "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" and "Time out of Joint. All excellent.

QUOTE: Originally posted by B. LeCren It seems that a common occurence is that we give up our own hobbies when the kids come along...

I have a daughter that is almost three. I'll admit that my modeling time took a downturn when she came along, as you can imagine. She's worth it & I'm glad that I spent so much time with her, as it bonded us very closely.
Now that she's a bit older, she's taking an interest in what the wife & I do & is in her "wanting to help" stage. While I had to explain to her several times that "They're not toys, don't touch," she has expressed a desire to build things! So I keep a box of various odds & ends in the model room that she can have fun with. Things like plastic tubes & hoses, discarded plastic medical parts (Mom-in-law is an RN), & because I'm a sci-fi buff, some old Trek model parts, too. It's so fascinating to watch her pop things together & call it a helicopter! She's sharp as a tack & I'm sure that I'll have a building partner in the not-to-distant future.

It seems that a common occurence is that we give up our own hobbies when the kids come along, if we are smart their interests become ours for those years, and if we are fortunate we gravitate back to those early interests later on ... kind of reminds me of the "Lion King" song ...
Bruce

I agree that not too many of my friends have hobbies outside of sitting on the couch and drinking beer. I mean I like to play and watch sports too, but modeling you can do 24/7, 365 days a year and you don't need to rely on anyone, but yourself. I too feel people just lack the time due to work and family, but like Danny says "life is short". Best to make the most of it and enjoy while we can still build.

I agree with everyone here, that it is very important to have a hobby in our lives to take our minds off of the daily rituals.......and I especially agree with maddafinga, NO ONE READS!!!! It's absolutely insane. I learned to read when I was four, and since then have not stopped, by the third grade I was reading above college level. I was teased and harassed endlessly. I've been in many arguments with women about how much I read versus how much time I spend with them. I finally met a woman who enjoys reading as much as I do, and it has been wonderful....we're always swapping books, and just sitting down and chatting about the different plots and such. In fact I would say that due to that we spend more quality time together than I have with anyone else. Right now on average I read 2-3 books a week, but before modeling it was 3-4. And also because of modeling I've been reading a larger mix of genres as well, especially very interesting history from nations around the world!!! I truly believe that reading opens up new realms in the mind that cannot be duplicated via cable. BTW the top three books that will change your perspectives: "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller, "Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert A. Heinlein, and "Slaughterhouse Five" by Kurt Vonnegut. Just my

I'm off now!!

Eric, It always surprises me to hear how many people used to build models as a kid. I would say the vast majority of people have built at least one model in their lives. You would think that there would be far more modelers than there are.

Two years ago my grandmother died and my dad and I were cleaning out the house. I found a huge collection of models from the 50's and 60's that were my dads. Many were built, but some were half built and others not even touched. This collection has been given to me and I proudly display it with mine. Every friday for the last two years, we have been getting together and building the kits he didn't finish as a kid. It's been a great deal of fun for the both of us. I know that some of the kits are rare and worth money, but the time spent together is worth it. My dad had a very successful career which allowed him to retire early. He says that he has become a kid again from our friday building sessions. We have already begun stocking up on new kits to start after we finish the old ones.

I have been lucky to rekindle that modeling bug in another adult. Hopefully there will be more converts!

Darren

A world witho0ut hobbies? I'll give you my experience... In 1987, while with the U.S. State Dept, I was assigned to Havana, Cuba. I shipped my entire model building outfit; bench, paints, airbrush, compressor, etc., etc., and 10-12 kits to keep me from going insane down there. As with any foreign diplomat, our household affects were subject to inspection upon arrival by Cuban Customs authorities. When they got to my hobby supplies/kits crate they went a little funny. Since they were all born after the 1959 revolution they had never seen a model kit. I had to open up one of the F-4J Phantom kits and with my less than adequate Spanish attempt to explain that the kit was a scale model, not a 1 to 1 version. What really blew them away was the little bottles of Testors paints. Paint of any size/version was nearly nonexistent in Cuba and those little paint bottles fascinated them.
As time went on and I began and finished models I would notice that things had been rearranged while I was at work at the U.S. Interests Section. The Cuban DGCI (Intel outfit) had free access to our houses. Nothing would ever be taken or broken, but they would let me know that they had been in the house. The MiG-29 I did down there got moved around quite a bit! I often wondered what their intel file on me looked like.
About the only hobby the Cuban people had was supporting Uncle Fidel. Believe me, a world without hobbies is not a pretty sight.

A world without hobbies? I honestly could'nt imagine it. My hobbies bring enjoyment and keep me sane.
I don't know about everyone else here, but after work/kids/household chores I need some down-time and being in my workshop playing with plastic,paint and glue is one of the best ways to relax. I know some folks that are so wrapped up in their jobs that they lose their grip on reality-it's sad to see, yet painfully true. If they had something else in their life to look forward to they'd be happier I think.

True Paul.

I think that a lot of the problem is that people in general don't like to think. They can't stand to read (Just go out and ask 100 random people of they read or not, you'll be shocked.) they won't really do anything that involves brain aerobics.

QUOTE: Why is it that hobbies seem to fade away as we become adults?

If you ask me, that's when people need them the most. The greatest joy of all is when the hobby grows from childhood to adulthood with us.
Paul

Bravo Darren! You were put on the spot and you came shining through! I'm glad that it resulted in a nice conversation. You are absolutely right. I, too, am just amazed at how many people don't have a hobby or even an interest in anything. As I'm writing this I'm trying to think of what I would do if I didn't have my hobby and my mind just comes to a stop. I can't even begin to imagine the world without having a hobby.

I hate it too when people look at model building as the hobby for ten year olds. For me it helps me relax. There are some days at work where nothing goes right and I'm having a bad day. If I can work on a model just a little bit then I have something to remind me "Hey! I am good at something." It helps me relax and bolsters my self confidence.

I've started several conversations here at work about model building and it's amazing how many people tell me they used to build them when they were kids but they don't anymore. Even more amazing is that, as the conversation goes on, I really get a strong feeling from the person that they would love to get back into it and they wished they had never stopped doing it. So maybe on the surface of things it seems like people think it's a juvenile hobby but underneath that is a yearning to have what we have: A wonderful hobby which can fill a lifetime of fun, pride and relaxation.

Just my two cents.

Eric

PS. I'm an AutoCAD drafter. I love working with minute details!

Darren-I think we all get caught up in what we should do or how we should be that we sacrifice what we want to do. I gave up modeling for years-because it's "for kids" but now I realize life is short and better have fun while you can. So I have lots of hobbies now-modeling, reading, cooking, running and growing orchids!!!

Release yourself!