Moving

 

A couple of years ago, I started writing a blog on hobbies.  People said it would be fun and it would give me a lot of writing practice.  I searched the internet for places to blog and settled on blogger because it came so highly recommended.  Most people explained that it was easy to use, looked pretty good, and that I had a chance to make some money.  That all sounded attractive to me.

They were quite correct.  Setting up the blog, and others, was quite easy.  I generally liked the look of it and was quite satisfied with the results.  I tried my hand at the money thing in various incarnations but failed to cash in on that.  This was the result of a combination of overzealousness by my students and a lack of page views .  If you don't attract the people, you probably won't be the next internet sensation. 

Nonetheless, I soldiered on.  What I found was that I liked the writing and I enjoyed the small amount of interaction with readers.  It just didn't grow at all, and very few people left any comments.  At the time, I figured this was normal, but I wondered why blogging was popular if you didn't get a lot of comments. 

Then a funny thing happened.  I started a blog on WordPress (the free one) because I just wanted to write something different.  While it isn't a runaway hit (or featured on Freshly Pressed) it did seem to garner more of a following.  I realized that WP did a better job of promoting within itself, and creating a community of bloggers.

So that's why I am here.  I am hoping for a bigger audience and greater interaction.  Only time will tell, but I am quiet optimistic.  Please visit my blog at this location.

The Name

When I started on Blogger, I called this blog Jack of All Hobbies.  I thought I was being witty.  I figured people would get the allusion to jack of all trades, master of none.  Instead, people just thought my name was Jack (which it isn't) and I wasn't smart at all.  I probably should have changed the title, but by then it just seemed like too much work.  As of now, I am trying to decide if I should be "A Man with Too Many Hobbies" or "Too Many Hobbies--So Little Time."  Please let me know what you think.

https://tonsofhobbies.wordpress.com/


Thank You

Yahoo vs YouTube

So I have heard that Yahoo is going to offer a competitor to YouTube.  I am kind of excited about this idea.

Don't get me wrong.  I love YouTube.  Anyone who has read this blog knows that I watch a lot of JVloggers, and spend more time than I should watching old TV shows and clips online.  I even have some videos on YouTube.  I think I have about ten.  They haven't gone viral (and I wouldn't receive any money even if they did) and only one of then has had a really strong number of views--though I am not sure what the attraction is, and nobody has commented on it.

I guess I just want to be there, on the ground floor when it happens.  While it won't be a new thing (like YouTube was), I would like to say I was there from the beginning.  I want to be one of the originals, even though the idea won't be that original.

There are problems, however.  What kind of content should I put up?  I am not in Japan, so JVlogging is out.  I live in Canada, and while I love my country, I cannot see any blogging potential there.  I love my hobbies, but since I switch them around so much and am rather lax on completion, I am not sure there is anything there either.  I love to rant (check out my other blog site to see what I mean) but I have a face for radio--and who would want to see a static image of a wall or picture while I rant away?

I am excited and I want to participate, but I don't know how.

On another note, I still don't know what they are going to call this thing.  YouTube is a brilliant name.  Yahoo tube sounds derivative.  YahooTV doesn't sound cool.  They already have Yahoo Screen--so I guess that's not it.  I suppose, if I were to name it, I would call it OnYahoo.

Killjoys, Jerks and Doucebags

 

 

In the past, I have written how great it is to interact with people in hobbies.  This includes strangers met at shows or conventions, or in hobby shops.  This also includes meeting people at events where you do your hobbies.  I didn't lie to you.  There are many great people in the aforementioned places.  I just wasn't entirely honest either.  Amongst the great and cool, there are a bunch of complete...hmmm, what is the right word....douche bags. 

Sorry if I offend, but someone has to candidly set the record straight.  Additionally, there are quite a few other words I contemplated using, but chose not to.  I guess I should stick with my original title and call them killjoys. 

My most recent encounter with a killjoy comes from my latest obsession-darts.  This person criticized my behaviour.  While they had some valid points, they overlooked several things.  First, I am new, and don't know all the etiquette of the darting world.  Two, rather than instruct, they chose to criticize.  Third, they chose to take their darting seriously despite being a spare player and holding me to a level of etiquette they did not afford me when I was throwing.  I followed their example.  I guess what was good enough for me, was not good enough for them.

I am not the most confrontational of people, but I am no doormat either.  I can give as good (or better) than I get.  I have lots of weapons in my arsenal, and very little restraint.  Regardless of that, basically this person ruined a good night at the oche.  I left feeling rather upset.  In conversation with other darters, they all said the same thing.  There's always one, or rather, two.  One on your team, and one on the other team.  I guess.

Basically there are some great people out there who will share their love of hobbies with you, but just like real life, there are going to be jerks out there who ruin things for you.  While this particular jerk ruined my night, they won't ruin my season.  I will continue, and if necessary stand my ground against people like that. 

Maybe in future blogs I will talk more about the archetypical jerks you can find in hobbies.  Feel free to add your own stories.

Limits

When I tell people I have a lot of hobbies they mostly ask what they are and leave it at that.  The more adventurous ones might wonder how I can afford it.  Funny though, no one wonders where I keep it all.

I have written a couple of blogs about storage, but that's common to all hobbyists.  We've all got tools and supplies and various other equipment.  It takes up space, but most of that is "out of the way" or stuffed into a closet.  There is always room for that stuff.  What nobody really stops to consider is what do you do with the finished products.

If you have a hobby that results in some finished product, you might want to display it.  In some cases you've got to display it.  Sure, you can give some of it away--some people do crafts that turn into Christmas presents.  But, how many times do your family and friends want that stuff?  If it is a quilt, you probably don't mind having six or seven of them, but how many wool sweaters do you want?  How many hooked rugs do you need?  How many paint by numbers can adorn your walls?

Okay, some of these crafts are beautiful.  Hence the reason I wrote that you've got to display them.  Sometimes these crafts are so integral to your life that everyone expects to see them on display at your house.  No problem there.

I, Jack of all hobbies, however, have so many hobbies, and do not often produce things of display quality.  What do I do then?

Limits.  I have limits.  There are only so many of one thing that I can have before it needs to get pared down.  If I make a good car model, it usually displaces a model I am less happy with (though some parts end up in the parts box for that diorama I am going to do someday).  I've only go so much shelf space, and the better models make the bad ones look rather poor.

New magazines displace old ones--or more likely, deluxe editions of books put out by these magazine publishers displace the magazines.  Realizing that they had me paying twice, I read the magazines at the library and only buy the books....but this is a topic for another day.

Train stuff....well, I can always make more room for train stuff.  I am into N scale, and that doesn't really take up  a lot of room.....besides, you've got to have priorities, and you've got to rationalize.

Take my latest puzzle.  I did it because I liked trains.  I thought about putting it up over in the room where there will be a train...but then I realized that wall space was at a premium, and I had already done a couple of other train puzzles that I thought were better than this one.  So what could I do?  Despite my pack rat nature, I am going to pass this puzzle off to someone else who will have to figure out what to do with it once they are done.

Thoughts on puzzles

Puzzles are not everyone's favourite hobby, but I always find time to do a few a year.  The fact that trains are often featured in puzzles is a bonus.  I wouldn't call it killing two birds with one stone.  That's silly.  I would call it synergistic....but that's probably because I was an English major and I need to utilize that expensive (albeit subsidized by the government) vocabulary.

standard assembly...edges first

Puzzles are a pretty solitary hobby with me.  I have known others who treat it as a family activity, but that isn't the case with me.  Perhaps it's selfish.  Either way, the best thing about puzzles is that you can easily see your progress, and more often than not, you do reach completion--which is not always the case with my other hobbies.

If I am lucky, I can put it in a place where the cat won't disturb it and work on it from time to time.  I don't usually put in big chunks of time unless I get sucked in by fitting lots of pieces, or because I should go to bed...and I keep telling myself, "just one more piece."  In these cases, I seem to devote a lot more time to it.

I am a typical puzzle maker....I think.  I start by assembling the edges first.  That seems logical, but I wonder...is there someone out there who starts in the middle and works their way to the edges?  That would be pretty cool to see.

assembling the train is a priority

Since most of my puzzles feature trains, the train gets assembled first.  The worst thing is that I am usually left with sky, and lots of it.  This isn't bad if you're doing the puzzle under natural light, but under a light bulb differentiating light blue from lighter blue isn't so easy.  This latest puzzle was rather odd in that I got the sky done before the mountains.  No complaints, but it just isn't the way things have been going lately.

not just sky left...this time

I happy it is done, and I won't be doing another puzzle until September or later....It's funny how I think I can plan these things, when I know that's not true.  I'll do a puzzle when my fancy strikes me, not when I plan it.  I could have a hundred other projects before I see another puzzle.

The Statue of Liberty in Nanoblocks

I hadn't had a chance to put together some nanoblocks for quite a while now.  If you watched my YouTube video, you will know that I opened up the Statue of Liberty kit, but didn't actually put it together.  Finally the opportunity to put it together came.

A close-up of the base

I hadn't done one of these for a while, so I was a little surprised at how difficult this one was.  The instructions were pretty solid, but this one was hard.  I guess it had a lot to do with the fact that this one is not symmetrical.  I really had to pay attention to this one, and as any hobbyist will tell you, concentration is taxing.



The Lady is ready

I enjoyed building this one, but don't think the result was particularly amazing.  I just don't see a lot of detail in this one that I would like to see.  Perhaps the only way to do that is to either make it twice the size or fabricate a lot of specialty parts.  The former would make the price to high, and the latter would affect production cost and time.

When I first looked at this kit, I thought the blue bricks were quite interesting, but outside the box they didn't really strike me as different at all.  Ten years from now, if nanoblocks are still growing strong, perhaps my thinking will change.



There were quite a few leftover parts, and my collection of them is growing.  I should start to think about what I would like to build with them.  I am thinking something architectural, but I have no idea yet.



leftovers

I checked the Japanese homepage of nanoblocks (yes, I know a little Japanese) and have discovered that they have quite a few new releases.  I don't know when (or if ever) they will come here, but I am hopeful.



The growing collection of leftovers

DONE

 

 

An unfinished jigsaw puzzle just seems to hang over my head.  I usually do them in the guest room so I don't have to look at them everyday.  In fact, I might even "forget" about it for a while, giving me some respite.

This time I opted for the dining room table, and paid for it.  Every day it nagged me.  Every day it harassed me.  It taunted and tested me.  Today, however, that taunting is over.  It is done, and now there are many more important things to do.  More housework, more studying, and occasionally more procrastination.

Things Get in the Way

Life gets in the way of hobbies.  There, I said it.  Most of you were thinking it, but you didn't want to say it.  It isn't the adult thing to do.  Hobbies are supposed to come after everything else in life, not the other way around.

Perhaps that is true......but I don't always think that way.

In a perfect world my hobbies would be my job.  There would be a way for my hobbies to support me, and fund themselves in the process.  By the way, if you think that is what this blog is for, you'd be partly right.  Someday, someday far in the future, I might have enough readers that this blog makes money..... but that isn't the case right now.  Right now, this blog is more like writing practice.  It would be wonderful if it became more than that, but I don't know if or when that will ever happen.

Besides that necessary evil called work, life is full of things that take the hobbyist away from the hobbies.  Household chores, inside and out, are a huge impediment to getting down to hobbies.  If clean clothes and dishes are not a big priority, perhaps some more hobby time could be squeezed in.  Of course, here in the Great White North, if you don't shovel, you won't be able to leave..... perhaps that could lead to more hobby time.

Most of you, have other responsibilities that eat away at hobby time.  If not responsibilities, there are other things to get in the way.  Today is the Daytona 500.  Anybody who likes modeling cars, might want to watch the race.  Take those hours out of the hobby time.  It has been said many times, something's got to give.

I want to hear from anyone who reads this blog.  How do you set aside time to pursue your hobbies?  What gets in your way?

2013 The Year of the Nanoblock

 

 

Will 2013 be the year of Nanoblocks?  Based on how many people have found my blog because of Nanoblocks, I would have to say  that it is very likely that 2013 will be the breakout year for Nanoblocks.

I really can't base this idea on my blog alone, because there aren't so many visitors to it yet--I am not complaining, maybe 2013 will be a breakout year for my blogs to.....



What comes in the package

There is other evidence.  Toys R Us started selling them this year, and anecdotally at least, they seem to be popular sellers.  I asked one of the clerks and he said business has been brisk.  I have seen the stock get low and replenished a couple of times (no I am not spending my hours haunting the local toy store..... hard to believe I know) and it seems like they are telling the truth.  I have also seen more traffic on the internet.  When I first got interested in Nanoblocks there weren't too many sites, not there are a lot more.  There are also quite a few more YouTube postings about Nanoblocks.  So, the world is poised for a Nanoblock revolution.



the result

As for me, I should update you on my latest kit.  I did the Koala.  As I mentioned when I did the panda kit, I am more interested in the historical buildings than I am in the animals, but until we get more of those (there are more available in Japan, but not here yet...) I will probably do more of the animals.

The Koala was fun to do, and the results are good (I still like the panda more, but maybe it has to do with seeing the real ones at the Washington zoo.).  There are some challenging moments and you will feel a certain sense of accomplishment.  Anybody who has tried Nanoblocks will enjoy it, and at the same time this would be a good kit for new converts.  Considering the price, it is also certainly worth doing.

the leftovers

 Eventually, I will have enough leftovers to make something else.  Any suggestions?

Ghosts of Christmas Past (part two)

 

One of the coolest kits (which was also quite educational) that I received for Christmas many, many, years ago was Capsela.  This toy was so cool that I have never been able to part with it, and the photos from this blog contain the actual kit I received on that cold (and possibly snowy) Christmas morning of my youth.

After checking Wikipedia, I found out that Capsela was created by the Mitsubishi Pencil Company.  So, surprise, surprise, another cool toy came from Japan, though this one came from an era when Japanese toys were more pedestrian.  It beat out Tamagochi by at least 2 decades.  Apparently, these days, Bandai from Japan has re-released these toys and they go for staggering amounts on EBay, or ship from far away places in Asia.  I had seen them at a science store--but that store is now closed.

Capsela was a rather unusual toy.  It was a motorized toy that didn't come in traditional shapes and forms.  I think its science fiction look also was part of it's appeal.  In addition to that, there were things you could build for the bathtub--and nothing could be cooler than that (add some superfoam, a few boats, and you had the making of a fantastic sea battle--probably better than that Battleship movie.)

the back of the box--detailing the parts included

The toughest part of the toy was understanding gear ratios.  Trying to build beyond the instruction booklet was rather difficult.  You couldn't put things in any order you wanted, because it just wouldn't power everything correctly.  Having only one set, and no internet bulletin boards for help, I really couldn't stray from the instructions (though I tried many times).  These days, things would most likely be different.  Looking back on it, I had probably been too young when I got the present to really understand that, and could have saved myself some frustration.

There must be cool things like this today, but they are probably more geared toward use with an iPad, rather than a stand alone construction toy.  At least, I hope there are toys these days which are about building and operating.  I know there are still RC helicopters and cars, so besides Lego, there must be stuff like this--let me know what is out there.  I'd love to know.

It was definitely a cool toy.  Someday I will check out the new version, and that will probably be pretty cool too.

The Number One Hobby I Would Take Up--RC Helicopters

And we come to the end of my list of hobbies I would like to take up if time and money were no concern.  I hope you have enjoyed it and I would like to hear what hobbies you would like to take up if you had either time or money or patience or whatever.  Please leave a comment.

The number one hobby (at this moment--because my mind changes constantly) that I would like to take up is RC Flying.  This one is kind of a surprise to me because I spent a lot of time at a few RC stores (once upon a time I was into RC cars--actually I still am, just not as much) and rarely ever looked at the planes.  I think I was intimidated by the whole thing.  Either that or those crappy planes on a string that I had as a child didn't inspire me at all. (You remember those things, they basically went around in a cirlce)

I should clarify.  I probably wouldn't get into airplanes (though a model of the Red Baron would probably look cool) but rather into helicopters.  I find helicopters fascinating and would love to learn how to fly one (definitely the $50,000 it would take to learn makes this idea out of reach) for real.  Perhaps it was my television upbringing that inspired this.  On several of my favourite childhood shows (The A Team, Riptide, Airwolf) helicopters featured prominently.

Unlike most of my "would like to" hobbies, I really haven't done any research.  I haven't checked out the magazines.  I haven't scoured online stores and I haven't gone to any stores recently.  These are all things that I would normally do, but somehow I have resisted.  I can't say it will never happen, but I really have to complete a lot of other things first.

I don't know a lot about RC helicopter flying.  I imagine that I would have to do it in a park, probably when there weren't a lot of kids around.  Even then, there might be some bylaw against it.  However, it sure would be cool.

That's the end of the list, but not the end of the blog.  As I wrote above, I would love to hear your thoughts on this.  Please leave a comment about my list, or a list of your own.  I look forward to hearing from you.

The Number Two Hobby I Would Take Up if I had Time, money,..etc--Kung Fu

As a kid I loved watching Kung Fu movies on weekend afternoons (I really can't remember if it was Saturday or Sunday).  I was amazed by that stuff.  Some of my favourites were Super Ninjas, The Five Deadly Venoms, and the man with the Golden Arms (If I am not mistaken, this film has been remade and is out now at the theatres).  The moves were so cool and the extended fight scenes were fantastic.  I even thought that the weapons they used were cool--I remember scouring a Kung Fu magazine with friends trying to decided which weapons we should order--of course we never did.

I have always been fascinated with the martial arts.  In this case, money is not the issue.  I deem the money spent on tuition at a school worth the money.  I see martial arts as benefitting me not only in fitness, but in calmness of mind as well.  While a year's fees would be high, they would be just as expensive as going to a gym (well maybe a little more).

The biggest problems are location, time and comfort.  There are lots of places to study martial arts, but it depends on what you want to study.  The current popularity of MMA means that there are quite a few places to study that, but that isn't really what I am interested in (though I do like it, do see its value, and respect what it teaches).  Most places I have seen are tucked away in industrial areas of the city.  Some are convenient, some are not.

When it comes to time, I will always have this problem because I am a commuter.  Getting out of work, and getting to the classes on a scheduled time only works if the classes are later in the evening.  Most places I have been to tend to split the schedule so that it would only be possible half the time.  Maybe I could get there, but I would have to eat my dinner on the bus--possible, but not attractive.

Comfort is the really big factor.  I encourage everyone who is thinking about taking a class to take advantage of any trial offer, or trial class.  Don't be fooled by glitz and glamour.  You have to be comfortable with the environment, the teachers, the atmosphere and attitude of the class.  Everyone is different and not every school fits every person.

In my case, I would love to study Kung Fu.  I found a school that I really liked, but its location made it impossible to get to.  I would also love to study Kendo, but mostly due to laziness I have not pursued this (also because it isn't really as practical as Kung Fu or MMA).

I will keep looking.

Hobbies I would take up: The bottom 5 (part 4)

I am a big fan of tennis.  It is a sport that has everything I am looking for.  It has good one on one competition, requires finesse as well as brute strength, and can be played with a low number of people.

squash, at least on the surface, has those same qualities, though brute strength is needed less.  The one difference seems to be about location.  In the fine summer months (and the spring and fall, if you don't mind the cold, the giant puddles on the court and sometimes the pile of leaves) you can play tennis outdoors.  Squash, as far as I know, always has to be played indoors.

This minor difference really means you have to join a gym, or club, or community centre.  While this is not particularly daunting, it does require scheduling that tennis doesn't.  You can't just call your friend and say, "Squash in 30 minutes."  You've got to call the court, make a booking..... and all that standard stuff.  If the facilities are popular, there is no way you're going to get a court on short notice.

Of course you also need people to play with.  Most people have a tennis racquet, or could borrow one.  The number of people who have a squash racquet kicking around seems much smaller.

I tried joining a league, but there schedule really didn't allow for commuters.  I could make later games, but there was no way I could make the early starts.  Perhaps there was a way of accommodating my needs, only time will tell.

I would take this one up, it there were some easy way to get it done.  (And yes, I know, there is probably an app for that--but then again, there is probably squash on the Xbox Kinnect.