Do you have any other passions besides drums/drumming/drum gear?

Seems like I have my hands full for at least another year-and-a-half in training our 9-month-old Golden Retriever (pictured below).

I love doing anything creative: I'm slowly working on my first film script. Also working on a book series. At some point I'd like
to rebuild and redesign my old Harley Shovelhead chopper: new frame, new suspension, new wheels, do a different paint job.

I'm learning how to play bass guitar at the speed of a glacier.

Although I'm not an avid reader in the traditional sense, I am an avid researcher and I love putting "systems" together.
I'm currently watching Andrew Masters' YouTube Channel on Epic Home Studio Tours devouring any information
I can to complete my own home studio and maximize it on a reasonable budget. The hard part is resisting the
temptation to go down the proverbial rabbit hole with more gear. Thank goodness I have limited space which
is forcing me to think creatively how to maximize what I already have available.

Arlo8Months1.jpg
 
Such a beautiful dog!


Seems like I have my hands full for at least another year-and-a-half in training our 9-month-old Golden Retriever (pictured below).

I love doing anything creative: I'm slowly working on my first film script. Also working on a book series. At some point I'd like
to rebuild and redesign my old Harley Shovelhead chopper: new frame, new suspension, new wheels, do a different paint job.

I'm learning how to play bass guitar at the speed of a glacier.

Although I'm not an avid reader in the traditional sense, I am an avid researcher and I love putting "systems" together.
I'm currently watching Andrew Masters' YouTube Channel on Epic Home Studio Tours devouring any information
I can to complete my own home studio and maximize it on a reasonable budget. The hard part is resisting the
temptation to go down the proverbial rabbit hole with more gear. Thank goodness I have limited space which
is forcing me to think creatively how to maximize what I already have available.

View attachment 121105
 
Officiating High School and College Track and Field (Athletics). Spring and Summer is a very busy time of the year for me. I'd like to one day return to model airplane building and photography.
 
My family is my main passion. Other than playing drums I also like football (soccer - I’m a Tottenham Hotspur fan), drawing cartoons, writing music, singing, making people laugh (life is short!), and drinking coffee!!! I also like the odd glass of grape juice and single malt…and I’m another one who secretly enjoys cleaning.:)(y)
 
Such a beautiful dog!
Thank you for your kind words. He's our sixth Golden. I've got to hand it to my wife for locating and picking him out of the entire litter.
 
I agree, some games are truly engaging (The Last of Us, Uncharted). Someone discovered that Grand Theft Auto style games (Open world) have so much more than just the main story that you can play the game for years and still not complete every single available quest. Someone in the Xbox camp created the Achievement system to give regular games more replay value, of course Playstation copied that idea but named it trophies. They both cater to men's OCD tendencies (Men are task oriented said Jay Leno when asked by Scarlett Johansson why did the men's urinal had ice in it). just like all those open world games (currently playing Skyrim V not new but new to me. (I don't like paying full retail for games and since I don't have as much time to play now I just get whatever is on sale usually at $20 and with all the DLC. I know the wife or girlfriend hates it when we play games, but would they rather we went out drinking with our buddies?
My other hobbies: Guitar recording , video editing, computer security, woodworking, motorcycles, learning new instruments (currently teaching myself violin and piano). Watching YT , learning something new every day.

I played a lot of Skyrim a few years ago, racked up maybe over 100 hours. Really immersive game and there is so much to do. You can almost indefinitely play it without finishing the story and do all the side quests and story arcs.
At the moment playing RDR2 on my new Xbox Series X and on my game PC mostly Mincraft en picked up Star Wars: The Old Republic again. Still have Cyberpunk installed, but stopped playing it after a while. Couldn't figure out a preferred playing style (stealth or gun ho), but i guess i will pick it up at one point. Dying Light 2 is also high on my wishlist, but also after it's going on sale hehe
 
I played a lot of Skyrim a few years ago, racked up maybe over 100 hours. Really immersive game and there is so much to do. You can almost indefinitely play it without finishing the story and do all the side quests and story arcs.
At the moment playing RDR2 on my new Xbox Series X and on my game PC mostly Mincraft en picked up Star Wars: The Old Republic again. Still have Cyberpunk installed, but stopped playing it after a while. Couldn't figure out a preferred playing style (stealth or gun ho), but i guess i will pick it up at one point. Dying Light 2 is also high on my wishlist, but also after it's going on sale hehe
I have Cyberpunk for the PS4, got it when it came out, NEVER have I had any of the issues that everyone claimed they had.. and that was before the updates. then I got the big updated which improved the driving map, they just released another update that allows you to customize vehicles, adds quests, smartens up AI... worth checking out again..
 
Structure-function relationships always interested me- it’s everywhere and every level of nature. When I was 16 chemistry and pharmacology became my passion so my Dad’s chemistr-medical text books and his Physician Desk Refetence became my Bible. It was a double edge interest cause I was way ahead for college chemistry , cell bio and cell signaling but I abused my interest for evil instead of good that got me in a lot of trouble. I was a big advocate of better living through pharmacology but now I argue against a lot of it.
 
Drums and jazz are my first loves. I also worked as a journalist for nearly 20 years (while still gigging, as well). I'm a rabid fly fisherman and fly tier, fishing the streams in nearby west Wisconsin. I write short fiction and have been working on a novel for fifteen years (someday I'll finish it). I was once a passionate photographer, doing black and white "street" photography in Minneapolis, for which I once won a McKnight Fellowship.
 
Seems like I have my hands full for at least another year-and-a-half in training our 9-month-old Golden Retriever (pictured below).

I love doing anything creative: I'm slowly working on my first film script. Also working on a book series. At some point I'd like
to rebuild and redesign my old Harley Shovelhead chopper: new frame, new suspension, new wheels, do a different paint job.

I'm learning how to play bass guitar at the speed of a glacier.

Although I'm not an avid reader in the traditional sense, I am an avid researcher and I love putting "systems" together.
I'm currently watching Andrew Masters' YouTube Channel on Epic Home Studio Tours devouring any information
I can to complete my own home studio and maximize it on a reasonable budget. The hard part is resisting the
temptation to go down the proverbial rabbit hole with more gear. Thank goodness I have limited space which
is forcing me to think creatively how to maximize what I already have available.

View attachment 121105
There is a good boi!
NoTraining.jpg
 
As a drummer monk I do have enough spare time to pursue other passions. The "poor Greek lifestyle" I've been calling it. Art, music, letters, politics, philosophy, athleticism. To discover one's own talents, explore them with patience, and educate the mind and body to marvelous performances...at the expense of having money and what is called a social life.

I have a fascination with the English language and etymology. In recent years I've become a sort of 'creature of letters', and also a student of comedy, wit and acerbic irony. I suppose I am practicing to be some sort of writer, but I am not writing anything at the moment. I'm still in the "shedding" phase of my journey. Reading, audiobooks, and dialectic.
As a youngster I was very influenced by popular fiction and fancied that I'd try to "become an author". But time and exposure to deeper kinds of writing has revealed to me my deeper tastes and preferences.
It is actually similar to my drumming journey. After a while I became so fascinated with my solitary studies that I stopped caring about competing out in "the world". Well at least not just for money or bragging rights. Someday perhaps, but the journey really is the destination for me now.
And a discussion forum isn't the worst place to practice either. A live audience, and there's a bit of pressure to not be too stilted.

So you could say that I've outgrown my "Brian Griffin" phase of wanting to be a writer just for the sake of "being a writer". Merely enjoying the pretense of erudition and inspiration that comes with being thought of as an author.

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Moving from the mind to the body now, I am also a casual but sincere enthusiast of Chinese martial arts. I've been a kung fu enthusiast for a number of years now. It began as dabbling in Tai Chi and wushu forms. Stretching and forms are not difficult to practice, basically holding poses. The magic is that once you've internalized several stances and basic forms, your body will intuitively begin to teach you the rest.
Kung fu systems have heavy overlap so for example the "style" that I've cobbled together could be ratioed as such (roughly of course):

15% Tai Chi
30% Wing Chun
15% Jeet Kune Do
30% (kung fu) Boxing
10% Muy Thai

Besides stretching, I utilize a three-section wing chun wall bag, and I have my very own Mook Jong (dorm version). I also have some balance posts buried in the yard for nice weather training (pic of guy on posts is stock; not of me)
In the same way that wushu systems overlap into eachother and inform eachother, weapons like knives and short swords start becoming intuitive as well. My favorite practice blades are short Chinese jian/gim swords and Japanese Wakizashi. Also gotta get in some time with the rubber K-Bar, am I right? lol.

I'm very happy with my martial arts hobby. I'm into it as much for the art as for the fitness and strength. Doing Chinese wushu really does feel like exploring, rather than just practicing or exercising.

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shortjian.jpgsetsuhen-wak-02-1.jpg

Oh yeah also a big gun nerd. 2A life! Shout out to Gun Culture 2.0 ya'll! lol.
 
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As a drummer monk I do have enough spare time to pursue other passions. The "poor Greek lifestyle" I've been calling it. Art, music, letters, politics, philosophy, athleticism. To discover one's own talents, explore them with patience, and educate the mind and body to marvelous performances...at the expense of having money and what is called a social life.

I have a fascination with the English language and etymology. In recent years I've become a sort of 'creature of letters', and also a student of comedy, wit and acerbic irony. I suppose I am practicing to be some sort of writer, but I am not writing anything at the moment. I'm still in the "shedding" phase of my journey. Reading, audiobooks, and dialectic.
As a youngster I was very influenced by popular fiction and fancied that I'd try to "become an author". But time and exposure to deeper kinds of writing has revealed to me my deeper tastes and preferences.
It is actually similar to my drumming journey. After a while I became so fascinated with my solitary studies that I stopped caring about competing out in "the world". Well at least not just for money or bragging rights. Someday perhaps, but the journey really is the destination for me now.
And a discussion forum isn't the worst place to practice either. A live audience, and there's a bit of pressure to not be too stilted.

So you could say that I've outgrown my "Brian Griffin" phase of wanting to be a writer just for the sake of "being a writer". Merely enjoying the pretense of erudition and inspiration that comes with being thought of as an author.

View attachment 121205

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Moving from the mind to the body now, I am also a casual but sincere enthusiast of Chinese martial arts. I've been a kung fu enthusiast for a number of years now. It began as dabbling in Tai Chi and wushu forms. Stretching and forms are not difficult to practice, basically holding poses. The magic is that once you've internalized several stances and basic forms, your body will intuitively begin to teach you the rest.
Kung fu systems have heavy overlap so for example the "style" that I've cobbled together could be ratioed as such (roughly of course):

15% Tai Chi
30% Wing Chun
15% Jeet Kune Do
30% (kung fu) Boxing
10% Muy Thai

Besides stretching, I utilize a three-section wing chun wall bag, and I have my very own Mook Jong (dorm version). I also have some balance posts buried in the yard for nice weather training (pic of guy on posts is stock; not of me)
In the same way that wushu systems overlap into eachother and inform eachother, weapons like knives and short swords start becoming intuitive as well. My favorite practice blades are short Chinese jian/gim swords and Japanese Wakizashi. Also gotta get in some time with the rubber K-Bar, am I right? lol.

I'm very happy with my martial arts hobby. I'm into it as much for the art as for the fitness and strength. Doing Chinese wushu really does feel like exploring, rather than just practicing or exercising.

View attachment 121206 View attachment 121207View attachment 121208
View attachment 121211View attachment 121212

Oh yeah also a big gun nerd. 2A life! Shout out to Gun Culture 2.0 ya'll! lol.
Check YouTube for Hot for words if she is still there... you might find that interesting if you can get past her ditziness...
 
Thanks to my son, I have rekindled an old flame... scuba diving. I certified in my late teens and dove a fair amount through my early 20s. Then nothing.

My youngest son, now 14, has always loved the water. He took a short Discover Scuba course with his Scout Troop when he was 10. I promised him he could take the Open Water Certification when he was a little older. Covid put that hold.

As my certification has long since lapsed, I enrolled in the course with him. It's been fantastic doing the confined pool dives with him. Watching him work through and demo skills with the divemaster. I am beaming with pride behind my regulator. We have our open water, certification dives next weekend. Already planning a trip or two South through the Winter months.

The only downside... diving is another expensive hobby. Why couldn't it have been origami! :ROFLMAO:
 
Thanks to my son, I have rekindled an old flame... scuba diving. I certified in my late teens and dove a fair amount through my early 20s. Then nothing.

My youngest son, now 14, has always loved the water. He took a short Discover Scuba course with his Scout Troop when he was 10. I promised him he could take the Open Water Certification when he was a little older. Covid put that hold.

As my certification has long since lapsed, I enrolled in the course with him. It's been fantastic doing the confined pool dives with him. Watching him work through and demo skills with the divemaster. I am beaming with pride behind my regulator. We have our open water, certification dives next weekend. Already planning a trip or two South through the Winter months.

The only downside... diving is another expensive hobby. Why couldn't it have been origami! :ROFLMAO:
How cool is that!
My dad bought me my first wetsuit on my 7th birthday (White Stag) and we snorkeled off Ocean Drive in Newport, R.I. that day. I thought I was on top of the world. He is 89 now and we visited recently (we live on opposite sides of the country) and I told him how that was one of my favorite childhood memories. Diving may be expensive, but your memories will someday be priceless.
 
That miniature is really cool. Have you been to Terra Studios?

Holy cow! No, I can't believe Ive missed it thus far, being into art generally speaking apart from my more mundane hobby. My wife is more of a fine artist and we generally try to be somewhat involved in whatever local scene we can find. Thanks, I will totally check it sir.
 
Some interests have come and a couple have gone: History, Photography, Guitar gear (but I can't play 'em), Solitaire Wargaming (my cat likes to chew small cardboard pieces, so that's probably out), Filmmaking (I was one those idiots that went to film school), and crushing my enemies at Bar Trivia.
 
Besides drumming, I have an interest in automotive and marine vessels (I used to be a mechanic and I built boats for a short time, too).
I also have an interest in firearms and hunting. Used to do it with my dad, growing up, so it's kinda bred into me.
About 20 years ago, I got in on a great deal on a digital camera and I've been snapping pics ever since. Mostly sunset pictures, since I have a ringside seat to some really beautiful scenery.
Recently, I've been having fun cooking too, so I guess you could call me a bit of a foodie, as well.
Seems like another way to vent my creativity.
Just got some raisins the other day, so I'm gonna try making some oatmeal raisin cookies.
There's a recipe on the oatmeal box.
 
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