I have had many hobbies, but only a few endure.
I have been involved in face-to-face social and roleplaying games since 1978.
It is difficult to find time for drawing and painting, but I still manage to squeeze in a little time for art.
I enjoy reading for pleasure and I have a very large personal library of over 2000 volumes. There is usually a book or two that I am working my way through stacked near my favorite chair. My non-fiction reading almost always involves anthropology, history, or linguistics. My fiction interests are fairly broad and include genres such as fantasy, mystery, literature, and a few carefully chosen romance novels. The latter are especially nice when I need a little break from studying and only have a few minutes to read.
I also own a large collection of digital media that reflects my eclectic tastes in music, televison, and movies. I enjoy world music and alternative rock, as well as techno, trance, and japanese pop music. Amongst my favorite televison programs are Upstairs Downstairs, Slings and Arrows, Buffy the Vampire Slayer,Chuck, The Venture Brothers and American Gothic. My favorite movies include The Seventh Seal, Casablanca, Strange Days, Tokyo Godfathers, My Neighbor Totoro and anything else by Hayao Miyazaki.
My more physical hobbies include yoga and walking. I attend yoga sessions twice a week and try to walk at least 30 minutes a day.
I inherited my love of home improvement from my father, who taught me to use a table saw as soon as I was tall enough to do so safely. Most of my projects have been small ones. The last major project I was involved with is chronicled in one of my live journals. I am currently planning on drafting a few friends and fixing up my kitchen over a series of several weekends.
Two recent additions to my list of hobbies are sewing and knitting.
I am teaching myself how to sew as a way of reconnecting with my roots. Both my mother and grandmother were wonderfully skilled with the needle, and I neglected to learn anything from either of them while they were alive. It is my hope to gain a better understanding of both these dynamic women by emulating them. So far I have managed some stuffed animals, a tea cozy, several small tote bags and a large cloth shopping bag.
I taught myself to knit in late 2008. With several simple scarves under my belt, I am learning to knit hats. My use of knit and purl is still limited, but I am slowly adding stitches to my repertoire.
Special thanks to Squidfingers for the seamless background.