One day, when I have the time, I'll actually ameliorate the following short list of what I enjoy doing in my spare time. Of course, finding spare time is an issue altogether; I never seem to have any time remaining for this fun stuff.
- Brewing beer! What a great hobby; I mean you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor. By the way, I do have a few favorite suppliers.
- Baking bread. No, I do not use a bread machine. I knead myself; I shape myself. The results thus far have been outstanding! Rye bread with extra caraway seeds is mighty tasty!
- Tinkering around with my electronics, including my Halloween stuff (animatronics, sound and light components, and decorations).
- Training my dogs (to obey, dammit!).
- Woodworking (building things for my house, adding necessary components to my shop, etc).
- Reading a wide range of books. My favorite author is still Robert Ludlum. I have meticulously compiled a favorite book list.
- Performing some magic tricks and illusions (I've even invented some!).
- Playing the guitar (this hobby is on the back burner, but I still pick it up once in a while).
- Smoking and rating cigars. My current favorites range from a nice Montecristo Rothschilde with a Habana 2000 wrapper to a Romeo y Julieta Vintage III. I usually prefer a mild cigar with good draw that's approximately five inches long with a ring size of fifty. I have smoked a wide range of cigars from Ashton to Punch to Cohiba to Dunhill to H. Upmann to Hoyo de Monterrey to blah blah blah, and I prefer torpedos. I also like to smoke my pipe. I pretty much stick with a cherry-flavored tobacco often named IQ-140 or Old Glory. I should probably compile some sort of favorite cigar list. And I've tried many Cuban cigars; personally, I don't get the hype.
- Sampling and rating wines from around the world, with a focus on those from the Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Rhone regions of France (you should taste a nice Chateauneuf-du-Pape, particularly one from Chateau de Beaucastel). I should probably compile some sort of favorite wine list.
- Traveling. My wife and I have been to Canada, Guatemala, El Salvador, Switzerland, France, and plan on going to Jamaica and Tuscany (Italy) soon. We have plans to visit more of France, Japan, China, Germany, Switzerland (again), England, Australia, Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Honduras, Costa Rica, Belize, Chile, Peru, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Egypt, Congo, and Belgium in the future. Is that enough?
- Listening to 80s music! My favorite band is, of course, AC/DC, although Oingo Boingo is a very close runner-up. Odd thing is, my favorite song of all time is Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears.
- Watching 80s movies! My favorite movie of all time is The Goonies. The Princess Bride comes in at a very close second. Romancing the Stone, Labyrinth, and Back to School round up the top five. Want to check out my top thirty list?