1. Reading. I’ve always loved reading, and I’ve tended strongly towards non-fiction the past 10 years. Recent reading has been books on how & why the US economy is going down the tubes (CrashProof, Financial Armageddon)(doesn’t that sound like fun?) and Batman graphic novels. I’ve introduced M & J to superheroes and had to catch up on stories I’ve missed in the past 15+ years. I won’t mention the homeschooling & parenting related books that I’ve read

2. Building websites. I do this as a job, but I like doing it for fun as well. I used to be awed by great design until I came to the conclusion that most people don’t give as much a crap about design as long as things are neat & organized. Now I like figuring out how to add practical features. My big playground is http://www.unschoold.com.

3. Computer-based music production. This hobby is on total hiatus until we make it to Costa Rica. I used to spend 20+ hours a week on it, reading articles, learning new software & techniques. I’ve had one ep of mediocre, soul-less music released. I’m expecting to have some free time in Costa Rica to pursue this again.

4. Music in general. I could probably be happy as a musicologist. Or a lounge singer. Since the kids came along I’ve re-embraced music with lyrics since you can’t have fun singing along to techno with a 2 year old (and if you can, it’s because the song really sucks). I’m a mediocre guitar player and one day I’ll have a band, probably rockabilly.

5. Art. Loved drawing as a kid, never pursued it much after high school. Curious about digital art now, which would lead to animation.

That’s the stuff I do or have done – I’ve got a laundry list of potential hobbies (learning trumpet & piano, stop motion animation, 2d animation, boardgames) all waiting for that special thing missing in my life now called Free Time.

Gardening: I’ve always loved it. But I’ve always been a little player, container gardening mainly. Some herbs, some plants. I actually really like weeding, believe it or not. It’s relaxing.
We’ve been watching our fall bulbs come up and trying to identify them. I forgot to label them last fall. Gotta turnover my compost too….

Computer software support: I sorta like my helpdesk job. There’s something exciting about trying to figure something out using all of the resources available to you. Of course, helping an insurance executive configure his Blackberry so that he can get to his emails while on vacation, is not nearly as rewarding as helping a mother and baby establish a nursing relationship.

Cooking: I used to love trying all sorts of gourmet dishes. Now, I enjoy the challenge of putting a meal together with whatever I have on hand. I’m trying to be as resourceful as I can and not throw ANY food away (unless it’s been chewed on already) I especially like feeding the masses. Dinner parties are the only time I go out and buy lots of food at one time. I like trying others’ ‘tried & true’ recipes also.

Reading: Oh yeah, reading, can’t live without that. We keep our local library very busy. Too busy for their taste, I’d guess. At this moment, we have 127 holds outstanding and 31 books/movies waiting to be picked up. Getting our tax monies’ worth. It’s been mostly non-fiction. Mike and I tag team reading. We have books here and there all over the house. He and I will read some of this or that and then we’ll meet up in the kitchen, hall, bedroom and chat about it. We have the following books going now:

Dumbing Us Down (again)
The Exhausted School
Unschooling handbook
Unprocessed child
Parenting a free child
Judging School Discipline
Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire
Christian Unschooling

I like fiction occasionally. Last one was “The Kite Runner.” I refuse to see the movie. I’m always disappointed when I do that, book then movie.

Here’s where our lists differ, but I’d guess you might like this too:

Self-Sufficiency: For the last year or so, I’ve been trying to be as self-sufficient as I can be. I’m nowhere near where I want to be, but getting there slowly. I make mine own laundry and dish detergent. I’ll start to make my own soap soon. I grind my own meat and will start to grind own flour soon too. I can make my own soy, rice or almond milk (I cheat, I use machine still) Make my own bread. I’m learning the art of canning/freezing from my expert friend. I’m been teaching myself how to cut up whole chickens, large cuts of meat and whole fish (thanks to Jacques Pepin). I’d like to find someone to teach me how to kill and dress/prepare chicken, turkey etc. Also, gonna ask my local honey man if he could teach me beekeeping. I got hooked on self-sufficiency from this book:

The self-sufficient life and how to live it : the complete back-to-basics guide / John Seymour with Will Sutherland.

A side hobby of mine related to this is buying as much of our foodstuffs from local farms as possible. I can get almost everything locally (honey, cheese, meat, chicken, eggs, fruits, veggies), except for stuff that is not normally grown locally (ie avocados)

So thanks for asking. Got me thinking about ME for a change….

Thanks for participating!

Tammy Takahashi’s last blog post..Update on ACR 115 and California Homeschooling from the HSC Board and Legal Team