Hobbies

I have had many hobbies, some of which I am actively pursuing, and others that have fallen by the wayside as my life and interests have changed.

Hobbies I actively pursue

• Bagpipes

  Playing bagpipes is my primary hobby! I’ve been playing since I was in college.

• Keyboards

  I use a customized mechanical keyboard, and have had or built quite a few of them. Currently my primary keyboard is a Prime_E.

• Reading books

  Most people like reading books, I do as well. I’ve kept a list of the books I’ve read since mid-2018.

Things I do as time allows

• Go (weiqi, baduk)

  At one time, I played GO at a club. I rarely play in person anymore much anymore, although I do play online sometimes. I was around an 8kyu rating when I was playing regularly.

• Camping and Backpacking

  I prefer backpacking, and the idea that you carry everything that you need with you.

• Board and video games

  I enjoy playing a board game with friends and family. Video games have been a staple activity throughout my life.

• Woodworking

  I am specifically interested in hand-tool woodworking, with planes and chisels, etc.

• Travel

  We like to travel as a family, especially to see national parks.

Hobbies I have done in the past

• Homebrewing

  At one point I was brewing beer regularly, but not anymore.

• Disc Golf

  This is a great hobby because of the low barrier to entry and cost. Especially if you can avoid courses with water hazards. One of my offices had a course just down the road, so a few of us would play there regularly. We even joined the weekly tags nights that the club ran, but never did all that well.

  Some of my preferred discs were:

  • Vibram sole putter. 172.
  • Star mako 4500. 173.
  • Ace race 2013 (ti mantis). 170.
  • Star Sidewinder. 171.
  • Special purpose
    • Archangel. For right hooked shots
    • Viper. For left hooked shots
    • Dragon. For water shots

• Canoeing

  I was a staff canoe guide at Northern Tier for two summers during college, as well as a participant before that. This involved a lot of paddling, portaging, and camping.

• Kayaking

  In college, I joined the kayak club sports team. We met weekly in the pool for roll practice, and would get out on the local rivers in Colorado in the spring and summer. The club sports association would always complain that we didn’t do enough competition with other schools, and I believe the group was removed from club sports some years later. We also took a spring break trip to the Carolinas and Tennessee.

• Sailing

  In scouts, our venture crew had small boats that we would take out on the reservoir.

  Later, I briefly owned a catamaran, and did a lot of repairs on it. Eventually had to sell it due to how little I was able to take it out.