Interests

I Love to Take Naps

Sleeping, especially naps, is my favorite thing. Sadly, there is a limit to the amount of sleep you can get in one day. So, I fill my free time pursuing an endless variety of interests. I frequently get all excited about an interest, pursue it obsessively for a short while, and the loose interest. But, nearly everything comes back around again and few interests are lost forever. I will list some of my interests here and maybe you will find that we have something in common. On the other hand, you may just decide that you are glad you are not me.

I Love to Cook

My father liked to cook. I like to cook. And both of my sons like to cook. I am not sure why this is. But, I can turn to the boys for advice and their advice is usually pretty good.

Unlike many other people who like to cook, I don't like to use recipes. I tell people that cooking by using a recipe is like doing a paint by number picture and claiming that you painted it. People don't like it when I say that. I call my approach experimental cooking. I'll try something and see how it turns out. If I think it could be better, I'll try to figure out what I might do differently next time.

To be fair, I should say that I do consult recipes online before attempting some dishes. But, I view recipes as suggestions and ideas, not rules to follow. Besides, I am convinced that many of the recipes you find online have never actually been tried.

Most of what I cook is good, or at least eatable. I think I have only had 2 or 3 dishes turn out so bad that there was nothing I could do to make it eatable. And several have been quite good. So, I am happy with and enjoy this approach.

I Love to Listen to Recorded Books

Since Audible showed up, most of the other companies that produced recorded books have slid to the background. Although I miss certain readers, I am not unhappy with Audible's dominance. Downloading books to your iPhone is way easier than having to carry around cassette tapes and a player. I like to read too. But, my comprehension and recall from a recorded book are way better than they are from a book I am reading. Some people believe that listening rather than reading is cheating. To that I say, it works for me and I don't care what you think.

I Love to Listen to Teaching Company Lectures

As I said in the previous blurb, I retain more when listening than reading. I love listening to lectures put out by The Teaching Company and have listened to well over 100 (possibly 200) lecture series in the last 20 years. I have strong interests in philosophy, literature, history, science, technology, religion, music, finance, psychology, and self improvement. These are all major interests that I am tucking under this section to spare you the endless details of my more specific interests.

I Love to Watch Streaming TV Series

My favorite series was The Sopranos. My second favorite was LOST, which I watched from beginning to end at least 3, possibly 4 times, and would like to write a book about it. Yeah, yeah, I know there are already several books. But, I have a slightly different take. Game of Thrones was really good and I look forward to the sequels. There were plenty of other great series which do not stick out in my mind quite as much as those three do. I don't binge watch but I am not above watching an episode or even a full series more than once.

I Love the Outdoors, Walking and Hiking

I was a volunteer for the C&O Canal Bike Patrol for 12 years. Just before I joined that, I was walking 4-5 miles a day and before that I was running 2-3 miles a day. I often walk while listening to a recorded book or lecture.

Now, I've slowed down a bit but I still walk and hike, although not as vigorously. I also play racquetball with my son but he is getting better and I wonder when I will no longer be able to beat him even for a single game. I had some medical problems which put a dent in my ability to exercise. But, they seem to be clearing up and I hope to get back to it again, although a little less rigorously.

These are not my only interests, just the ones that come to mind. I used to say that there isn't anything that doesn't interest me. Now I say, that there isn't anything that doesn't interest me as long as it is worth the effort to pursue it.