What are your non-diamond related hobbies?

[Dandi]

I don''t know what you''d call this, but I love reading about anything related to my field of work (surgical medicine), so I guess research and learning are hobbies of mine!

The performing arts: I''m a member of a competing calisthenics team (Aussie only sport!) which combines several types of dance, apparatus, singing, acting etc., into a team sport largly judged on teamwork, execution, precision. I''ve had about 17 years of various styles of dance training but keep coming back to cali, and I enjoy the competitive ide... oh the theatres, the lights, and yes, lots of SEQUINS!

It''s really hard to describe so here''s my state''s team website if anyone is interested

www.calisthenics.asn.au

There is a youtube clip of various bits and pieces of different routines. One of our state''s more elite teams recently was in Disneyland performing for the crowd! Very exciting!!

Arts and crafts: My mum is very artistic, and she and I adore anything along these lines. When I still lived at home we used to take our watercolours and pencils and pads of paper and go sketching anywhere that took our fancy, it was wonderful! Now if I only had the time

Animals: I love, loooove my dogs, they are my BABIES. I used to horseride alot, but now just love taking my bubbies for a run as far as their tiny legs will take them!

Cooking: I love experimenting withj new recipes, adding my own stuff, and I love baking. Which is fortunate because DH loves eating

 

[Lorelei]

Horses and all animals in fact, kitties too

Vintage Hermes bags and scarves are a huge interest

Perfume and especially vintage and hard to find

Playing the piano

Reading, especially bios and Tudor history since I was a schoolgirl.

Astronomy

Baking

 

[ursulawrite]

1. Running. Represented my secondary school at the 200m, but now run mostly for pleasure, with the odd race thrown in. I'm a lazy runner, though (20 miles per week) and would like to increase my mileage and improve on times (19.50 for 5k; 1.34 half-marathon; 3.22 marathon).

2. Horses. Been riding since I was 9. Don't often get the opportunity, sadly, being that I'm in NYC. Going to the Badminton Horse Trials in two weeks, and am rather excited.

3. Walking/running/hiking with my dog. Boston Terriers are the best!

4. Reading. Being a writer, this is less a hobby sometimes, and more a necessity. Favourites included Evelyn Waugh, Elizabeth Gaskell, David Lodge, Philip Roth and Ali Smith.

5. Travel. Plan to go to Chile in November (anyone been to the Hotel Explora?). This is DH's favourite splurge area, thank goodness, because even though we're outdoorsy, we're not campers by any stretch of the imagination.

6. Food, glorious food. Anything but Chinese and Mexican, and I'm there.

7. Watching jazz/literary readings/classical music performances.

 

[diamondfan]

I also like pilates, and I like seeing new places but hate the travel aspect lately.

I love wine and I love beading stuff, like in those stores where you make your own bracelets etc.

 

[diamondfan]

I also like pilates, and I like seeing new places but hate the travel aspect lately.

I love wine and I love beading stuff, like in those stores where you make your own bracelets etc.

I also love antiquing and getting things for the home, and buying art and collectibles.

I also have a little sickness where makeup and perfume are concerned, and with shoes!

 

[Selkie]

I love sailing and boats and pretty much anything to do with maritime history. I used to own a boat, but it was expensive and unfortunately, more of a chore rather than a hobby, so now we just take advantage of our friends with boats!

Like pretty much everyone else so far, READING is a huge part of my life. Right now I''m trying to get through John Irving''s latest, Until I Find You. At first I loved it, then I hated it, then I started wondering if it is ever going to end (it''s over 800 pages). I just hit a point last night though, where there was a big plot twist and it totally changed my perspective on the rest of the book, so I''m into finishing it again.

I also go geocaching, which is a kind of treasure hunt using a handheld GPS. It''s a great way to explore the outdoors, esp. parks and trails, while having a goal to focus on. I really enjoy just walking, too. My friend and are I trying to do a bunch of 5K walks this year, and did one last weekend.

And since PS came along, I''m getting into learning about gemstones. I''m hoping to build up a good collection, someday!

 

[rizz]

lots of you have such interseting hobbies!

Soccer is my #1..i play for a pretty competitive team so I have that about 3-5 times a week so it takes up most of my time...but season just ended so I''m trying to decide what to do with myself now! Like thing2 I have been playing since I was 5.

When I''m living in Canada I snowboard 2 or 3 times week

Snorkelling - BF and I usually go about once a week in the summer

Basically I love anything outdoors!

Like everyone else I read as much as I can...I love true stories, recently I have really been into stories about living in developing countries.

I love puzzles, jigsaw, sudoku, crosswords, logic puzzles, anything

I''ve been trying to expand what I can cook so about once I week I try to make something new...i''m not doing such a good job though! So really not considering it a hobby but its an active interest I''m trying to develop into more of a hobby

I also work out when I have time, I''m currently making a new workout routine now that soccer is over. I''m trying to get more into pilates and maybe yoga, but I''m too impatient for them right now lol

 

[Elmorton]

- Cooking/baking - I was never THAT into it until we got to register for every kitchen item known to man for our wedding and shows like Top Chef got popular. I spend sooo much of my time watching cooking shows and playing around in the kitchen

-Reading/writing - this has a lot to do with my profession though, so it's sortof a pseudo-hobby?

-Community service - I recently re-joined Epsilon Sigma Alpha (it was my college sorority, but the organization is sortof backwards from most "greek" affiliations- the collegiate groups were spin-off of a the women's service organization that had already existed for about 100 years prior to its introduction on campuses). I'm typically also involved with service work through my church, but we're sortof in "church transition" right now.

-Music, performing, and visual arts - I don't really do it, but I support it!

-Crafts - I crochet, scrapbook (not very often any more), and I decide to paint things in my home all the time

- Digital photography - this is something that I'd like to start investigating seriously rather than messing with whenever we go somewhere

-My other collection obsession is Coach purses - love them

 

[poshpepper]

Cool thread... here are my main hobbies:

Ice Hockey -- Play twice a week on womens teams and do the occasional travel weekend tournament. Thinking of joining a coed team next season (used to play roller hockey and would play coed/mens leagues but haven't tried it in Ice yet...)

Cars -- My FI and I love to modify our cars, like putting different wheels, suspension, exhaust, and small exterior modifications that make it look a little different than stock. My car is a canyon lover now! We also love to go to car meets where we get to look at everyone else's modifications... pretty cool stuff

Pets -- We have 2 dogs and 2 kitties and we love to hang out with them and take the doggies for walks

Cooking -- LOVE to cook but usually do not have enough time to get creative, I have been sticking with the familiar lately but it seems it is about time to be adventurous and try something new.

 

[Pandora II]

I''m one of these people who gets obsessively interested in something for a while and then moves onto something else until it comes back round again.

I seem to have got it down to about 4 obsessions now which is about what I can cope with...

Politics - takes up most of my time and is also a big part of my day job. It got to the point where I did nothing else and all the people I knew were equally obsessed. I still love it, but had a big breakdown due to burn-out after the last election, so am taking it a bit slower this time!

Gemmology - my escape from politics and true passion in life. Studying for my FGA assignments takes up most of my spare time when I''m not on PS! My stone collections are also starting to come to life - hooray!

Roses - I am rather obsessed with Old Fashioned Roses and grow quite a lot of them

Design & Drawing - My qualifications and most of my professional career have been in design - textiles, jewellery, graphics, book-illustration and interiors. I don''t have enough time to do as much as I''d like.

Cooking - good English (games, pies, crumbles etc), Japanese and experiments with contents of fridge.

 

[PrettyBlues]

Reading - Anything, anytime, anywhere. Love it. My SO makes fun of me for it - that I'll read a cereal box if it's in front of me!

Travel - I am always planning my next trip (currently up: Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and China)

Interior Design - Am thinking about going back to school and doing this as a career, but still not sure.

Food and wine - Not so much cooking, although I do like it from time to time, but adore going to good restaurants (all different kinds!) or having some wine and cheese at home

Animals - Have a cat at home, Lily, and we foster kittens from a local animal shelter. Love all animals though.

Photography - Still learning, and definitely not a professional, but I try. I am saving up for the Canon G9 (will probably be the G10 by the time I have enough money!)

 

[ksinger]

Hmm...lessee...hobbies. I think I used to have those. Where you take time to do something creative, wasn''t that it? Yeah! I DID!! I used to do such things. Then I got man...

They''re marvelous, don''t get me wrong, but DANG! they''re alot of work! My hobby this last 4 months has been getting him settled in. Maybe I can take up some leisure activities again. One I never gave up was reading. Mostly history and current events. Books recently finished include "The End of Faith" by Sam Harris. Books currently "working" include "The End of America - Letter of Warning To A Young Patriot" by Naomi Wolf. Books purchased and yet to be started: "The Origins of Totalitarianism" by Hannah Arendt.

I make wire wrap jewelry, and have worked some (and want to work more) with PMC.
I do needlework - crossstitch mostly, and have been known to make my own designs, (attached see detail from a design I did. Three colors of silk on 32 count blue linen)
I sing, or to put it more specifically - I''ve been known to sing quite well in the past.

In choirs both bad AND stellar, in a local production of The Sound of Music (as one of the extra nuns of Nonnburg Abbey), and doing a very little bit of studio work. I had almost 4 years of private lessons in classical and legit, and later took a class in belt, but because it was so opposite to my other training I had a hard time. Anyway, I got a well-rounded education from some really stellar teachers. I like opera a lot...
I like to garden. Until it hits over 80 degrees, (it frequently gets over 100 in Oklahoma in the summer) at which point, being a redhead, I crawl into my hole or under a rock until fall.
I like to cook, mostly with the boy, who is a fab cook. Lucky me!

 

[monarch64]

Knitting, keeping up with all the reality shows every season, worrying about what my dad is worried about every few weeks!

 

[Miscka]

I love hobbies. I would have a million if I had the time/money.

My current ones are: my cats, playing guitar (badly), yoga, running, reading, bad reality TV, and taking jewelry making lessons. Yoga and jewelry lessons are my faves.

I also love camping, hiking and sailing but don''t get to do those very much anymore. In the future I want to take more horseback riding lessons and join an adult ballet class!

 

[HollyS]

Reading is number one; always has been. I will read the cereal box at breakfast!!! Favorite genre is mystery.

Antiquing . . . aka junk shop scrounging. Absolutely addicted.

Shopping. Are there women who hate to shop?

I prefer bargain hunting to over-the-top splurging, but insist on quality whether it's a Macy's or a Wal-Mart purchase.

Meandering with the DH. We love to find out of the way small towns, with unique local restaurants and shops. Huge cities with touristy attractions don't appeal to either of us.

Love old (30's - 50's) movies. Would spend all day in front of TCM if it were possible. And collecting the best old movies on CD for our personal library.

We love animals. We may be the only people in our neighborhood who actually talk to the deer that roam about freely. We go to the zoo at least once a year; I actually got a Bengal tiger to 'smile' at me once while I was talking to it! Cat lovers will understand what I mean when I say 'smile'.

We have a cat. . . and as everyone knows, that may as well be a hobby! It's been said that dogs have owners, but cats have staff!