My Interests

You often hear about people being afraid of retirement because they have no idea how to keep themselves busy during that next phase of their life.  Well for me that will not be a problem.  I have more hobbies that one person can handle.  I've tried to reduce my hobbies but I simply cannot cut some of my interests out.

1. Film making: I really enjoy making movies, animations, short story trailers and applying special effects and compositing fake worlds.  I once made an entire feature film in my garage using the magic of a green screen.  With a green screen I can go anywhere and do anything in a movie.

2. Toy collecting: I still have roughly 90% of the toys from my childhood on display.  They are some of my prized possessions.  I've even started recollecting some of the missing pieces from my childhood collection as well as adding to the overall collection with new releases.  Sometimes I will see a toy in the store and I visualize it as a prop in one of my films. A few simple painting techniques can really make a simple toy look like a Hollywood movie prop.  That brings me to my next interest......

3. Wargaming and modeling:  I enjoy collecting, assembling and painting all kinds of gaming miniatures.  Currently I feel like I am drowning in models but starting this blog should inspire me to move swiftly through my collection.  I will try to document this journey.

4. Like most people I have a huge interest in music and movies.  I have a large collection of films and albums.  I am still traditional and I enjoy purchasing the physical copy of an album.

5. Woodworking:  I've made my fair share of custom bookcases, media racks, laundry room cabinets, and closet shelves.  Currently I am working on curing two tree stumps so I can make natural end tables.

6. Board game writing:  I have a few ideas for new games that I have been writing.  I am working on a new form of combat and the game mechanics to go along with that.  I would like to use these mechanics in multiple games.

7. Video games: Video games were a huge part of my life since the third grade.  I still have all of my childhood consoles and games.  When I was 21 I owned and operated my own video game retail shop where I created a 'Console Arcade' and hosted gaming tournaments.

8. Guitar: I enjoy playing guitar and learning new songs and styles.  I haven't been able to play as often as I use to because I now have two small children in the house who rarely sleep.  The guitar would prevent them from sleeping at all.

9. Cooking/Baking:  My grandmother taught me how to cook and when I was 8 years old.  Since then I have been cooking traditional family meals plus I like to experiment with different recipes and styles of food.  Recently I have been making an attempt at cooking Chinese take out style cuisine.