What hobbies did you pick up during the pandemic and have you been able to keep them up?
I had been wanting to learn how to play the guitar for years, but laziness, i guess, kept me from it. I picked it up with moderate seriousness and am very greatful i did. I wish i would've started sooner.
I started reading regularly. Been doing it for a few years now. I think it was exactly what I needed in my life. I pretty much cut off playing video games and replaced it with books. đ
Nice!
Porque no los dos?
No reason in particular. I can't get interested in video games anymore. So I have unintentionally replaced my free time playing video games with reading. If I could manage to get interested in a video game then I would still play it.
Started playing chess. Did all the lessons on lichess. I still suck, but I definitely am a lot better than I was.
I did the same thing. My playing somehow got an entire friend group that never played chess to all start playing regularly. Every time we hang out someone breaks out the board and everyone tunes in. It's so much fun and I never expected to be a chess person.
Enjoying your time doing something is the point, getting better can always be the result. Keep it up!
I got in the habit of taking pills for anxiety and add! I told myself it was just for a little while (i hate taking pills) but here we are! Hahahahahaha! I hate this hobby but it is a requirement with my other new hobby im working on: not having panic attacks, like, ever again. Nope. No thanks. No
Keep it up! I feel that you are choosing the safest and most responsible way to deal with your panic attacks. You should feel good about that.
Thanks! I'm even someone who knew of a couple people who had panic attacks a long time ago and was one of those guys who secretly thought "they can't be that bad just take a breath" until i actually had some. Wow! I sure learned my lesson
Humans have to experience something to really understand it. And anything that effects our bodies, and panic attacks definitely do that, is really hard to understand because we can only take the word of that person. There isn't anything that we can see that would make someone behave that way. So there's always going to be a part inside of us that thinks it's not as bad as it is.
And not because we don't believe the person either. We just can't know how another person is experiencing their pain.
Hey! With the pandemic, I too got into Cipralex again after a handful of years off of them, and I also newly got put on Vyvanse. Whatever works to keep me at a functional ish level
Walking every street in my giant suburban section of L.A, picking up litter as I go. 3 years, and 1,200-ish miles so far. And probably thousands of pounds of trash.
I don't know if I'll commit as hard and long as you, but nonetheless you have inspired me to walk out this evening with a trash bag to go pick up some litter. Captain Planet would be so proud of us.
Report back and share how it went? It's so gratifying and rewarding for me--whether or not anyone sees me do it. And you don't even have to commit at my level: It started with the notion of picking up just one piece every day...
Only managed to pick up about 8 water bottle types, and about 2 small trash bags worth of random debris, rubber, ropes/lines, and for the love of all that is holy why do people smash glass bottles, like come on! But overall getting dirty helped make my area just a tiny bit cleaner for a little while and I can't complain about that!
I love that feeling that a space is a little better off for my having passed thru it...
I built a basic gym in the basement and started powerlifting. I get excited for every lift day and find it genuinely fun. None of my clothes fit anymore, but I feel incredible, all my aches and lower back pains from years of office work have disappeared. For anyone thatâs remotely interested in weight training I would highly recommend picking up a squat rack and barbell, it will change your life
That's awesome!
I've been powerlifting (just returning now after a major injury not caused by PL) for 5 years. Had you asked me 6 years ago if I'd ever see myself as a gym rat I'd have told you to fuck off.
And yet here I am, returning to the gym, having breakdowns having missed it so much and pulling far heavier weights off the floor after the first few returning sessions than I did for months in the beginning.
The body remembers, and I'm so here for it. My sleep has improved, my strength is returning quickly and steadily and I FEEL GREAT (and sore) after every session.
Powerlifting changed my life, gave me something to aim for and work at consistently, consistency is absolutely pivotal and has been the cause of immense gains that I was barely able to perceive due to the incremental nature of lifting.
It is the same energy I use to pull a heavy deadlift that I use to deal with the stress of life, I know exactly what I'm capable of and knowing that I can lift removedly heavy things at a mediocre effort really helps me mentally and emotionally in a crisis. Needless to say, prior to this injury I never hired removalists before.
Nightly drinking. At this point, I don't know what life was like before I started, and as much as I know I'm shortening my life, I actually really enjoy the daily stress relief - I'm weirdly happier overall these days as a result, although I do keep my intake low.
I don't smoke, vape, trip, weed is a no go, as it triggers psychotic thought patterns, and I don't take anything else (unless caffeine counts, in which case, I'd rather fucking kill myself than give up coffee.) I enjoy having something to lean on. We're all dying, some of us slightly faster than others by choice. I don't think a couple whiskeys a night is all that bad, all things considered. The world is moving in a direction I'm not compatible with on a deeply personal level anyway, so fuck living until 80.
You could try taking edibles with lower amounts of tch. Taking 1MG might take the edge off for your coping needs but shouldnât be enough to give you high anxiety or psychotic thoughts.
As someone who drank like you for years, it slowly became a much larger problem in my life. Sober for a little over 2 years now and use THC regularly to help when needed.
Sounds like youâre happy where you are at now but if you do want to look into it, there are stopdrinking communities here and Reddit (more active there) to learn more.
I have been thinking about giving cannabis a go again lately, but I'm honestly pretty frightened of the stuff nowadays. I was fine with it for years, but it slowly started manifesting thoughts of existentialism, consciousness, the nature of reality, and solipsism, among other deeply-unanswerable questions. It got to the point where almost immediately after the effects came on, I'd become paralyzed with fear over the fact that anything exists at all, but I kept using it because it helped my insomnia better than anything else.
I've only recently come out of that existential crisis after really having to work on myself to get back to where I was before that, which for the most part, I am. The only lingering change is that my firm atheism was shattered and I now find myself seeing the universe, consciousness and death very differently (largely in a good way.)
I want to get along with weed, but it's just too much for me. I have ADHD, and all it does is make me think even more than I already do, as one errant thought will always send me down a cascading sequence of increasingly more terrifying philosophical possibilities about the universe and nature of infinity. Alcohol manifests itself as pure bliss and anti anxiety. It allows me to actually switch off for a few hours and then sleep.
Trust me, I wish I could love cannabis, but I just don't think it's worth the risk for me personally. I've never had a drug fuck me up so hard mentally (and I've previously experimented with psychedelics and dissociatives as a younger guy.) There's something about THC specifically that fucks me up.
"I'd become paralyzed with fear over the fact that anything exists at all"..."I now find myself seeing the universe, consciousness and death very differently (largely in a good way.)"
It really does help your mind come up with some awesome ideas.
I don't know if it was weed specifically or my education and life experiences, but I'm comfortable with the idea that we can't know anything with absolute certainty. And since none of the questions about our existence can be answered (yet?) we get to be creative.
I can understand how it can be scary, though.
I now swing between the two, if I feel I'm having too much of one I'll slide over to the other for a couple weeks to break the cycle.
I'm on a similar wavelength, however I've noticed my "couple nightly drinks" over time has turned (at times) into half a bottle.
Please do a better job managing your intake than I have, it was a hard look in the mirror that night.
There are countless ways we can find to cope. As long as it makes us happy and we can understand and accept its full effect on our lives, then i believe it's great to have.
I started smoking weed again during the pandemic, and was probably just old enough to do that responsibly. I definitely wasn't when i was younger and couldn't handle my substances well.
Guitar playing and weed is the best.
bro lmao
"i do heroin everyday which is great as I understand its effects and it makes me happy"
please try to stop, man.
I picked up baking soughdough loaves - like a lot of people...
I've managed to keep the habit! I've made a loaf once a week (pretty much) for almost 3.5 years. Which is a crazy number now that I've calculated it.
Feeding/kneading/shaping/baking just became part of my routine and it is now super easy to maintain, especially with the 1 a week low commitment. It makes the best sandwiches!
What is your process/recipe?
I'm no expert, please take the below with a pinch of salt (pun intended).
I keep my starter in the fridge and feed when I use it.
Make a levain: 60g starter (week old) 60g water 60g flour
Cover and leave that for 8 hours (remember to feed the starter and add back to the fridge).
Make the dough by mixing with the levain. Ratio is 1:2:3 (levain:water:flour): 10g salt 360g water (Lukewarm) 540g flour
I usually add the water, stir, add the salt, stir, add flour and mix by hand.
Cover and leave that 45min to an hour.
I then do a bit of a knead, then every 20mins do some coil folds. How many depends on how bothered I can be - between 1 and 5.
I give at least 2 hours from the last fold to proof, essentially at least 4 hours from making the dough. At this point dough should have doubled in size so you can also use that as a visual guide. How warm your kitchen is plays a bit part in how quick the proofing takes, hotter=quicker and colder=slower. So in winter I will wait a little longer.
Get the dough on your work surface and give it a quick shape. Let it bench rest for 5mins. During this time I get my proofing basket ready and make some space in the fridge.
Using flour, shape the dough and place in basket and then the basket in the fridge.
Leave this overnight.
Preheat oven to as high as it goes with Dutch oven inside.
Wait 30mins to heat up.
Get dough out the fridge and give it a brush to get some excess flour off.
Take the Dutch oven out and place the dough in the Dutch oven, score the dough, spray some water in the Dutch oven and place back in the actual oven.
Wait 30mins.
Turn oven down to 180 and take lid off the Dutch oven.
I then play it by eye on when to remove the loaf from the oven, usually 15-20mins. Depends how dark you like your crust.
Leave it to rest at least an hour before cutting into it. I've started leaving it another day and then cutting it all up and placing the slices in the freezer. Much easier cutting after a 1 day and this let's me use the slices over the whole week.
It's been a long time since I have looked at how to make soughdough loaves, so I probably have a few things wrong. However the above works for me. Let me know if you have any follow up questions and I'll do my best to answer.
10g of salt? JesusâŠ
Homebrew computers. I started with a 8 bit z80 and kept at it until I almost got a 80486 based homebrew working. I got it to run 3 bytes of program data before crashing one time. Computers are hard. I keep hoping someone else will find the missing piece to the puzzle but I ain't getting any further with this otherwise. Homebrewers are on 286 and 386 stuff right now so they'll get to 486 eventually.
I think most people would be surprised that computers barely work. Itâs only thanks to a bunch of tricks that make them seem more reliable than they are.
What are some of those tricks? This seems interesting.
The most common ones are things like ECC and RAID setups.
Disc golf, free to play on courses. Discs are much cheaper than golf clubs. The skill floor is low enough for most people to start having fun pretty quickly and the ceiling is high enough to have an entertaining to watch pro scene.
I also got into disc golf over the pandemic. I hope the sport sees a lot of growth. I like that courses don't require much upkeep or forest clearing
how about combining it with skeet shooting?
wargaming model painting (Warhammer 40k) and am still at it.
Being creative is an amazing hobby! I know some people that are into this and make some really cool stuff.
feels real good to finish a model and be like "yeah I did that"
Donât know that Iâd call it a hobby exactly, but a habit at least. Finally working out.
I needed something since I was always home and just felt weak. Got a set of adjustable dumbbells and a small lifting bench.
3 years later and they are still by my desk, used 3 times a week!
I would consider that a hobby. There are many ways we can find exercise. You've found one you can regularly incorporate into your life. Like a hobby!
I did the same thing. My wife had bought a set of dumbbells and a bench a couple of years before COVID, but I never used it until the lockdown when I got bored and started lifting. I still try to do it 5 days a week while doing yoga the other 2, but I do skip days if I have a lot going on.
Guitar and Ukulele, it's been 4 months since I touched either one. But it's because of a big RFP at work and not anything else.
Cool! I try to make sure i at least pick up my guitar and hammer out one some every day. Just a couple of minutes can make a shitty feel a little better.
I like that, what are you normally playing?
I mostly play a cheap acoustic Yamaha I bought about 20 years ago. But i also have a fender strat that is a lot of fun.
Musicwise, anything that i can sing along with and play. A lot of older rock n roll and country. But if i can get the chord progression down, then i want to learn it all.
That's fantastic. Makes me want to pick my guitar up again. I won't, not yet, but I want too!
Used to read a little bit (~3-8 books a year). Now I read a lot (30+ books a year). Love escaping into a fantasy world
I tried to get into game dev by installing Unreal Engine but didn't really dedicate enough time to really figure it out.
I guess I did get back into console gaming over the pandemic and I've definitely kept that hobby up.
If you built a foundation for developed, then you can always keep that fresh and continue from there. I know that takes a lot of time though.
I played video games more often than usual. I still do when I have the time
I learned how to design and build mechanical keyboards. My buddy and I are still at it and are working on our second keyboard that we hope to release publicly.
I'm still using our first prototype as my daily driver for the past 2 years.
Learned a lot about PCB manufacturing and embedded systems design.
Awesome, a hobby that produces something you can offer others is next level!
Programming.
I donât do it as much as a hobby anymore. But thatâs because I switched careers and do it all day for work nowadays!
I got into doing yoga. I did it daily for about 9 months straight in 2020, and have never felt better. I go through phases now where I can keep it up, but I can also go a while without doing it. I wish I could get back into doing it daily because I feel so much better with the consistency.
I think we all go through those phases with our hobbies. What makes it great is that we found them in the first place. As long as we can pick them back up after some time away and still get the same enjoyment, then we've found something special.
Kind of like old friends you can hang out with like you never spent a day apart.
I started learning German, off and on. I know more words than wenn I started.
Spitze!
Jawohl!
Ăbung macht Meister.
When Covid came to town I started learning French to do something constructive. I started with 1 hour+ Duolingo a day, then after a year I added comic books (Tintin/Asterix/Spirou/Natacha/etc.). Now I am reading the Maigret novels.
I finished the Duolingo course after ~3 years but they added more content so now I do ~15min a day just for fun, while most of my learning is through reading interesting novels, like Maigret.
I also took the ANUx's Astrophysics XSeries Program on EdX, it's spectacular and I learned so much from it. So I keep better up with new discoveries and understand what's going on.
I wish I had been able to enjoy the lockdown with everyone else. I'm an essential worker, so aside from wearing a mask all the time, life didn't really change for me. I would've loved a 2 year break from work and people.
Backyard badminton every day during lockdown.
We now play doubles with 8-9 friends at a sports centre each week.
Highly recommend to try it out.
Drinking
Being stuck inside gave me the opportunity to go back and replay some of the video games that I grew up with, and the chance to try the games that I saw in stores but wasn't able to get at the time. I have a PC that is plenty powerful enough to emulate games from the Gamecube, PS2, and original Xbox, but it just doesn't feel that same when the game aren't being played on the original hardware. Hardware that is rapidly aging and degrading, and games on discs that are also getting worn down, scratched, thrown out, or just lost somewhere. I also always kinda wanted a collection of consoles.
So far, I have a Gamecube and PS2 that were in a non working condition when I bought them from ebay. The GC reads games from a SD card, and the PS2 read games from a harddrive installed in the expansion port. Both are using external devices to convert the analog video to HDMI, but I recently ordered an internal converter that I can install in the PS2.
I have a half assembled Xbox on my desk that I have been working on for... way too fucking long at this point, but it is really show why "Murphy's Law" is called a law. It has a mod chip for a custom OS, and an internal HDMI converter. However, I fucked up some solder joints installing the HDMI converter and it fried the card. Had to wait a couple months to get a replacement. There is also a Wii I got from a family member that is next in line when I get the Xbox functional.
Awesome! A hobby that refurbishes is great for the environment!
I'm on my 3rd PS2 now. I think the last one I got from gamestop refurbished for $45. Usually cleaning the lens fixed them up when they'd break down, but this latest one hasn't given me any trouble (I also haven't played it much since I got a PS4 a couple years later). I'm really interested in those HDMI converters though. Are they device specific or are they just standard RCA to HDMI converters?
I've got one of those old school sound receivers, but it kicks off a lot of heat. If I could pump everything through HDMIs, through a new receiver and then up to the TV, that might cool off our media room a lot. It's like #30 on my "Stuff to Do" list.
Currently the PS2 is using a generic composite video to HDMI that is powered by one of the PS2's usb ports, and the Gamecube is using an EON GCHD Mk-II. The EON is made specifically for the Gamecube as it plugs directly into 2 ports on the back of the console, the video out and an auxiliary port for power. The Xbox will have a Stellar XboxHD+ kit, it is a bundle of the OS modchip and an HDMI converter. The mod that I am waiting for with the PS2 to replace the janky generic converter is a PixelFX Retro Gem.
PixelFX is trying to make the Retro Gem to be one "size fits all." Supposedly the board "will" work with any console, and they sell different wiring kits for PS1, PS2, and N64. Other consoles are in the works, and I think they almost have a kit for the Dreamcast ready? So I am really excited to try this out, even though it looks like one hell of a motherfucker to install.
Edit: I should add that the Stellar and Retro Gem are internal and replace the original video out port on the console
Id recommend the next step would be CRT(the old tube tvs) repair! So many are tossed every day where most just need a simple tube swap or alignment.
They are big dangerous things though so definitely read up and study up so you don't get fried or seriously injured.
They add a lot to the old game systems and harm the enviorment from improper dispoal. Save a CRT đ
Going with a full retro setup with a CRT was the original plan, but I did not have room for a separate entertainment system. And now that I have already converted a couple consoles to have HDMI, I dunno if I'll ever get a CRT. ÂŻ\(ă)/ÂŻ Things may change in the future tho
Woodworking. Started during covid with building a workbench in my 2 bedroom condo. Moved into a house, and have a whole workshop with a growing number of more advanced tools to make life easier. Finally starting to cool down again to get back on it.
Woodworking is a fun one!
I've only taken a few shop classes in high school. But one time i got to refurbish a bunch of old lumber into a doghouse. It was pretty shitty, but it worked and the dog loved it.
Pretty shitty but works is a great starting point! Usually the most fun and rewarding projects! I still like throwing together functional hacks.
Pretty and polished with quality wood is fun too, but it's high stakes and very very time consuming!
It is funny, every time some programmer or general IT guy wants to switch careers, they switch to things like woodworking because it is one of the jobs that uses the least amount of computers.
My hobby of home automation, and running a home lab REALLY stopped up.
Pre-pandemic, I had a single server, pretty small, quiet, low energy usage. Post-pandemic, I have a full rack, redundant power, and tons of resources, and hundreds of containers and services.
Home automation: Pre-pandemic, I didn't have too much. Few security cameras, and a small handful of devices, mostly controlled by alexa. Post-pandemic, I can tell you every time you forget to wash your hands after taking a shit. I know exactly how much energy and instantaneous power nearly every device in my house uses. I have automated just about anything you can imagine. Pools, opening windows, controlling a fireplace, scaring cats away from the kitchen table.... you name it, and I have likely automated it and/or built hardware to automate it.
My other big hobby, was working on automotive projects: Pre-pandemic, I build a 1,000hp street-legal "race-car". Would drive it to work occasionally. Spent a lot of time in my garage with tig welders, plasma cutters, metal lathes... etc. Post-pandemic, I honestly have not touched anything in my garage in years. I don't really drive anywhere due to being full time WFH. So, I have not had much interest in messing with it. Also, its been really hot the last few years.
Wow, that's really cool!
I really don't feel comfortable asking, but I'm going to anyways. How much have you spent? A range would be acceptable if you don't want to say the exact amount.
programming. now I'm getting a university education in the field.
I also started a university education around software development under covid. I had zero prior experience with programming before i started. I am writing my bachelor after christmas and i still can't code for shit :) somehow i keep passing on the exams.
Congrats!
Parenting, since our first child was born in September of 2020. Still giving it a go. We just had a 2nd child this July, so I guess you could say things are getting pretty serious.
Unfortunately you can't just drop the hobby if it gets too frustrating.
Ah, yes, another quaranteenie.
I took up social media marketing for YouTubers and other influencers. I helped people build an audience, brand, and advised them on what to avoid and how to grow.
It made me a good amount of extra monies and it's kinda fun. It's like they're a tamagotchi.
I'm also able to take those same skills now and use them in my professional life.
I started taking biking more seriously around the time Covid started. I built my fitness up over the course of the last few years to the point where I can ride almost anywhere in my city if I have the time and the weather cooperates. Last week I did my favorite 40 mile ride for the 5th or 6th time in recent history and I now average around 80-100 miles a week. My mood is better and I physically feel much stronger.
The best part: all this fitness stuff is a side benefit because I originally started riding for the purposes of sunshine and exploring and just happened to stumble into better health!
Same! It eventually led to racing, which has opened up a fun new world I didn't know existed.
Before covid I remember thinking averaging 20mph on my 10 mile commute was impossible, i was struggling to hit 19. A couple weeks ago I averaged over 21mph for 100 miles.
I live near the mountains and have made it my goal to ride up a proper mountain. I am still early in that goal; still calibrating to where I think I am and where my limits are. I usually ride alone and get lost in the experience on a nice long path or trail. After the ride, stats, though imperfect, help me see a sense of progress and I don't often feel a desire to compete with others, though I did go on a group ride with some roadies once through one of our most iconic regional landmarks and they pushed me so hard I haven't ridden that much high intensity cardio and leg melting endurance in any ride since then. I absolutely want to do it again.
20mph sounds crazy fast for an average speed. I'm crawling up hills at 6-7 mph and the fastest I've ever gone on the downhill was 46mph, yikes! I think I average 12-15. You're killing it! What's the most enjoyable race course you've been on?
Yea I'm less into the competitive aspect more into the community. People who race just really love riding their bikes. I like office park crits more than anything just because it has a grassroots feel, and you're always racing the same people so it's really just an excuse to get together. I'll average 14-16 on commutes nowdays because I'm not on an aggressive bike and don't have my aero kit on and stuff, so don't feel like you're doing bad. I don't like going over like 35, it's scary... 45 is pretty insane
Started bouldering, still at it. It did wonders for my health (was basically a couch potato before that).
I started playing the piano. I have just learned from books and the occasional you tube video. I still practice everyday. I can't tell if I'm actually getting any better, but I do enjoy it.
Enjoying it is the point! But I'll bet that you are better than you were when you started.
Chess yes very!
tried yoga, meditation, running to fix my suspected adhd, but couldn't stick to it
i am still trying stuff like surya namaskar and make it a part of my daily routine, but still struggling
Maybe trying new hobbies is your hobby. That might be the best one so far. You'll eventually find a great one if you keep it up.
3D printing, have been unable to continue but apparently it's a known thing with 3D printing where people do it in waves
That too
3D printing only goes as far as you have projects.
If you run out of projects, you sort of run out of things to do.
But all that changes when you encounter something that is broken.
Only if 3D printing could fix me đ«
Pokemon Go, actually.
I just recently started playing. It's definitely something that gets you out and about, which is great!
I happened to pick up an interest in DJ'ing right before Covid hit, and I've been doing it ever since. Now that things have opened back up, I've even had a couple of gigs and made a very modest profit on it. And I still enjoy adding tracks to the catalog, figuring out where I want my cue points and making notes for what works well with what.
Started getting into coffee with all the snobbish attachments of it.
Still enjoy it. But bought a nespresso machine in the meantime. I just wanna have coffee to wake up, not do the whole ritual.
fountain pens and art stuff. nope. I'm too busy now with way more responsibilites. got two promotions and two pets and a side business now. don't have hours of downtime during wfh like i did in 20/21. Now I have about $500 in pens that i only use to sign check and a few other things.
But you do have something! Your hobby was productive even if short lived. There's always a chance to pick it back up someday.
I started making scented candles. I mostly started because I was trying to recreate a particular scent that we don't seem to be able to find anymore. I've gotten sort of close but not, like, super close. I liked experimenting with lots of different types of scents, though, and it's nice to always have something around to help get rid of cooking odors in the kitchen, freshen up a bathroom, etc.
I haven't made any in a while -- not for any particular reason, though, although it is harder to want to do something that involves being over a stove a lot during the summer. I really should get back to it soon.
I took an electronics class in high school and always thought about getting into the hobby. It took 20 years and a pandemic, but I finally did. Though with the availability of cheap micro-controller dev boards I haven't gotten as deep into it as I always imagined. Most of what I do is just wiring components to GPIO pins with the occasional pull-up/down resister.
I bought my guitar about twenty years ago and probably learned how to play half a dozen chords before the pandemic. So i did nearly the same thing.
I actually stopped my hobby of golfing because the courses were getting overcrowded as golf was one of the few sports you were still allowed to do at the height of covid. Haven't picked it back up because it's so time consuming.