Secret Hobbies ?

Not exactly secret but I used to rollerblade a lot as a kid which means I'm pretty comfy on any kind of skates. GF and I went ice skating for first time in a decade at a temporary out door rink just before covid hit and I was surprisingly good at it, sprints, spins, felt like getting back on a bike. (Edited for typo contradiction.)

Me and a couple of much younger women were easily the best skaters on a packed rink in terms of speed and not falling down ever, etc. Was surprisingly good at it only having ice skated about 10 times in my life.

Had covid not hit I was going to start ice skating as a unusual hobby for a guy my age, not ice hockey or dancing, just pure fun of skating.
 
Last edited:
Lysander said:
It may be something to do with the fact that it's way more acceptable these days.

20 years ago a lot of people thought gamers were losers. Now it's geeky-cool.
Click to expand...

Gaming has become much more mainstream these days there are few places that don't have at least a games console somewhere in the house its become normalised.
 
steve45 said:
Wouldn't go as far as saying it's a Secret Hobby as such. But I've been absolutely engrossed in climbing/bouldering content recently, I'd love to really give it a go, but I'd struggle massively, I've done straight forward climbing walls(top roped) before but only really as taster sessions, I loved it but never really had the chance to really dedicate time to it.
I'm not unfit, I can run and carry plenty weight and I can seriously hold my own on a MTB, but I am on the chunky side and feel I would really struggle with core and upper body strength. All climbers I see are rake thin and well defined.
I feel I need to seriously work on core, upper body and grip strength before I even go near a climbing centre. I guess it's completely down to self consciousness and fear of embarassing myself.
Been toying with buying a finger board and some other specific training and exercise kit to help prepare myself.

I guess the main thing I need to do is just get over myself and get involved, but easier said than done...
Click to expand...

Just get yourself to the wall! Climbers are usually a welcoming bunch and I see people of all ages, sizes and abilities climbing. Upper body strength isn't the be all and end all either, technique and good footwork are more important. I wouldn't bother with a finger board until you've been climbing a while, work on technique and you'll get all the finger strength improvements at lower grades by just climbing anyway without as much chance of popping a tendon.
 
Lysander said:
It may be something to do with the fact that it's way more acceptable these days.

20 years ago a lot of people thought gamers were losers. Now it's geeky-cool.
Click to expand...

I've recently bought my first games machine at 63 since the Mattel Intellivision in the early 80s - a PS5 with VR.
I might have a tattoo next and start taking drugs.
 
Not exactly a hidden hobby or anything I'm ashamed off, but I do cross-stitching.

Probably some eyebrows would be raised of I ever brought it up with anyone who doesn't know me.
 
BusError said:
I shoot. Not just clays, but game too if we get a chance, and we cook the result. People think it's mad/dangerous/nasty whatever, and the thing is a few years back we'd have though pretty much the same, but shooting clays is *heaps* of fun, it's very technical, demanding, it's loud and you get to make stuff explode legally. As for the game, there is NOTHING in the world better than coming back home with the dinner you hunted down with your dog. It's 1000000 years of evolution feeding you endorphin to tell you you did good.

Sure, I know, bloodthirsty primitive blah blah, but then again, more than half of them saying that play lego or paint figurines so ho hey :)
Click to expand...

Used to go shooting on private land, lugging a manual trap (bloody lethal) back when I was around eighteen, but I loved it. I can see the appeal and would love to take up. Shooting game, I am a wuss and love animals, so clays. Shooting to eat, same with fishing, is entirely respectable and humane.
 
Ninco! said:
Used to go shooting on private land, lugging a manual trap (bloody lethal) back when I was around eighteen, but I loved it. I can see the appeal and would love to take up. Shooting game, I am a wuss and love animals, so clays. Shooting to eat, same with fishing, is entirely respectable and humane.
Click to expand...

I actually love animals, it's weird, I can fuss about helping a family of mallards on a lake one day, and go and shoot mallards on a hunt the next. It's not entirely incompatible, and yes, one of the justification for us shooting game birds is to bring them home and eat them. And make a fuss about it too. I often see people come to shoot in their range rover, then pack up and disappear. I find it just nasty.

Here's dinner from sunday: Partridge Blanquette. Took me *far longer* to prepare the food than shooting the birds, and that's how I like it :-)
CUywspI.jpg
 
bainbridge said:
I've started lock picking since getting a lock picking set for my birtdoy. It's actually quite interesting learning how locks work and very satisfying when you get an 'open'. Plus you can just pick up a lock and start doing it, rather than lots of preparation, which many hobbies involve.
Click to expand...

But equally it can drive you spare, took me forever to pick my Titalium.

My hobby that I keep quiet is Gundam, love building them.
 
No need to keep hobbies a secret, I would rather have a not so average hobby than not have one at all. Also consider that you can pretty much make money out of any hobby I do find it funny when people ridicule hobbies. Does it harm anyone? If not Then continue with your own life, clearly those that ridicule other hobbies have too much time on their hands.
 
Lysander said:
It may be something to do with the fact that it's way more acceptable these days.

20 years ago a lot of people thought gamers were losers. Now it's geeky-cool.
Click to expand...

It's interesting. I still get more looks of 'that's weird' from general gaming. But to be honest I'm enjoying that less and less now
 
azazl187 said:
The Rx0 unicorn is the best, hands down
Click to expand...

Was going to get the mgex unicorn, but settled on the blue frame as it's gorgeous and getting rare, as Bandai shut them down. Cost me pg money to get it.

Next one for sure will be pg of some variety.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom