The Art of Manliness Blog posted
45 Manly Hobbies. Either in a comment or on your own blog, repost the list and for each, say whether you do it often, occasionally, if you've tried it but decided it's not for you, are interested but yet to try it, or aren't interested--or whatever! (from
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ChessI taught myself to play chess from my dad's books when I was a little girl. I used to play with my cousin, who was a good sport about it. My brother killed my desire to play or get better, though. He had to tease me and ridicule me after every single game because I couldn't beat him.
Ham RadioMy dad was a Ham radio operator, and I have fond memories of sitting on his lap and talking to people around the world, or just listening to him talk to people. I learned Morse code, some of which I remember. I'd planned to take the test, but never got around to it. I still might do that one day.
ReadingI love to read, but rarely have time for fiction. Or maybe I should admit that I rarely *make* time for fiction. But as a child, every spare cent I could get from anyone for any reason went toward the purchase of books.
Playing the GuitarI once thought I really wanted to learn to play the guitar. My aunt and uncle bought me an coustic guitar one year for xmas, and I still have a photo of myself holding it on xmas morning. I already played the ukelele, so I figured guitar wouldn't be much more difficult, but I was wrong. The metal strings hurt my fingers. And my brother teased and ridiculed me, which made a difficult task even more unpleasant. I didn't stick with it for long.
Ballroom DancingI've been dancing since I was 19 or 20. Love it!
WoodworkingI took woodworking in school, and enjoyed using my dad's woodworking tools at home. He had quite a collection! I gave up this hobby when my brother stole and sold off all of my dad's tools after my dad's death.
GardeningI love to grow beautiful flowers. I can start almost any plant from either seed or cutting, and at most of my homes I've planted beautiful gardens. I've done less and less of this, though, as I've had more children and gotten busier away from home. I hope to return to gardening in a couple of years.
Classic Car RestorationI can't afford this, but I do love old cars, and I have a first gen RX-7.
MetalworkingI will probably never do this.
MarksmanshipYes! I guess I have a natural knack for this, or I've just been lucky. Even though I rarely get the opportunity to go shooting, and didn't grow up doing it, I can hold my own at the range. I currently shoot a .22 six-shooter, a .22 rifle, a .38 special, and another rifle we got from Ray's dad after he died.
CollectingI'm not really a collector at all. I don't see the point.
Camping/BackpackingI've never gone backpacking, but I do love a little hike in the woods (especially with my camera), and I've enjoyed camping.
Ship in a BottleNo thanks.
HuntingI'm not interested. I'd rather have someone else kill my food for me.
FishingI've never caught a fish in my life, even though my parents took me fishing. I just don't think they ever really taught me. My mom always said she didn't have the patience to teach me anything (sewing, fishing, gardening, etc). Anyway, I love boating, but I'll leave the fishing to others.
WhittlingI enjoy other hobbies that I'd consider similar, so I might enjoy it, but I've never tried it.
GeocachingI've wanted to try this for a few years now! I even got a gps for xmas a couple of years ago, but I don't think it's accurate enough.
SportsI'm more of a doer than a watcher, but I'm not really into team sports, and I'm not highly competitive. Still, I might one day like to compete in powerlifting or dancesport.
Model BuildingEh, not really interested. It's too much like collecting, since after you build the models you have to put them somewhere, and dust them, etc.
LeatherworkingI did this as a kid, but don't take the time now.
BowlingI hate bowling. My cousins, who were very close to my age, were on bowling teams. Sometimes my mom would take us bowling with their family. I just didn't enjoy rolling a ball down a lane to knock down pins, even if it was fun to get together with my cousins.
ArcheryI wanted to learn this so badly as a kid! I did take a one-week course at summer camp one year, but I didn't really learn anything about it until I went to the instructor training with 4-H a couple of years ago. It's fun, but not as much fun as shooting guns.
Letter WritingWhen I was a kid, long-distance phone calls were expensive. Or so my mom told me, anyway. So during the summer if I wanted to keep in touch with friends who went away, or if I went away, I'd write letters. I also had a pen pal, who was a cousin, in New Zealand. If email counts, I still write letters.
Martial ArtsI took some Aikido lessons, and I wouldn't mind continuing that when I have more time.
HikingHiking sounds so serious, but I do like to go on walks through the woods or along the beach, especially with my camera.
Alcohol/Cigar/Pipe-smoking ConnoisseurI'm not sure I'd call myself a connoisseur, but I do love the rum!
PhotographyMy dad was an amateur photographer, with his own darkroom equipment and everything. I always wanted to learn, but SLR cameras used to be so expensive. A few years ago a friend gave me one, and I just couldn't figure it out very well. Then I bought a DSLR and the world of photographer finally began to open up to me! I love photography. This is probably my most serious hobby now.
Pool/BilliardsDespite growing up with a pool table in the house, I've never been good at this, and I simply don't enjoy it.
MountaineeringNot in Florida! LOL
CookingMost of the time, cooking for the family is more of a chore than a pleasure. But I do love to cook when I have an appreciative eater.
BlacksmithingI like to watch, and I got my oldest son involved in it for a while, but it's not something I'll ever do.
FlyingI want to fly so badly! My dad was a private pilot, though he'd given it up by the time I was old enough that my mom might have let me go up with him. I took a few lessons a couple of years ago, but I was unable to afford to continue. One day!
MagicI still occasionally practice a couple of tricks, just for fun. Again, it's just a matter of finding the time to do it. There are a bunch of other things competing for my time right now.
Learning a Foreign LanguageI learned some Spanish from a book when I was in elementary school. I took Spanish in junior high school, but found it a chore, and boring. Now I enjoy using Rosetta Stone with my children, but I haven't gotten serious about learning a foreign language since I was learning Pennsylvania Dutch several years ago.
Card PlayingI'm not willing to put in the time to become really good, and nobody likes to do something they're not very good at, at least not often.
Blogging http://www.annekeckler.com I really need to update more often.
PaintballLooks like tons of fun, but I don't know a group that does it, and I certainly don't have the money to put into equipment.
FencingI think that would be fun, but I'd rather spend my time improving my dancing or weightlifting.
Beer BrewingNot really interested, but I do occasionally make wine.
Drawing and PaintingIf only I had unlimited time. Maybe this is something I'll take up in my old age.
Amateur AstronomyIt seems incredibly boring to me to look at the sky through a telescope. I'd rather look up pictures online and read about the subject. Does that count?
GenealogyI tried it, but it's very time consuming. Another of those things I might do in my old age.
Adventure RacesNot interested, but I once considered autocross racing with my RX-7.
KnittingI can do it, a little. I prefer crocheting, probably because I've been doing it since I was 8 years old.
Computer ProgrammingMy eyes glaze over when I read most of this kind of thing, but I did teach myself html and web design back in the 90s. Some of that has changed since then, and I haven't completely kept up with it, but much of it has also stayed the same. I can still make a decent static website, I think.
http://www.patrickkeckler.com 
