When you date a self-proclaimed geek...

I met my boyfriend almost 10 years ago in college.  He was handsome, sweet, and overall a hilarious guy that was fun to hang out with.  However, it wasn't until we started to date (fast forward 8 years) that I realized that he not only had a lot of hobbies, but that a lot of them were pretty nerdy.  In fact, when my mother would learn about some of his hobbies she worried I was dating someone from the "Big Bang Theory."  I assured her I was not, but that she loved that show so she'll love him too.  (And she does...)

Not only was he one of the inspirations for starting this hunt for a hobby, but he also inspired me to try out some of his hobbies.  While he loves many things (that wouldn't even be considered "nerdy"), his many passions are around podcasts, comic books, and video games.  This, plus a snow day, means I'm trying out my first official hobby with video gaming!

As, stated in the Logistics part of this blog, I will make a goal to complete and then decide to keep it or keep hunting.

Goal: 2 Video Games (played to completion)

I started with a video game called "Doki-Doki Universe"

My boyfriend just found a PS4 and has been enjoying downloading various games onto his new gaming system.  This was one of the first games he downloaded and while watching him play, at first I thought he was crazy.  What was this kid-like game that he was playing and why was his goal to give people hugs and summon presents (from balloons to flowers to poop...)?  However, the more I watched, the more I became intrigued and would laugh/interject along side him like a backseat driver.  He played the whole way through the game, so I asked if I might give it a try.

Lesson #1: How to Use the Controller

We are at the beginning stages, my friends.  Once I learned what the buttons did (although I still find myself having to look down every once and again), I was off to learn how to turn on the console.  (I was serious when I said I had a lot to learn.) He taught me how to get to the game and how to navigate.

Lesson #2: The Concept of the Game

Doki-Doki Universe is a philosophical adventure that allows the player to take on the character of a robot (QT3) and travel to different planets.  You must find gifts of presents (that you summon for other characters on each planet) and have goals to help out the characters on the planet.  The main goal is to help out each planet and gain friends or be turned into pieces of metal at a scrap-yard.  So while there are times the sarcastic side of me wants to be a jerk and choose the hilarious options for my own amusement, I don't want to become scrap metal.  Although the interesting part is that at times you need to get a character to like you to earn presents, while other times you have to get them to hate you.

Lesson #3: Turning Off the Game

I found that I came home every day this week and after relaxing for a bit, catching up with my boyfriend on how our days went, I felt the itch to play just one more planet and make just one more friend.  This game is slowly becoming addicting and I have to learn not only how to stop after one planet (okay maybe two small ones).  I also have to learn how to turn off the console, which he has to remind me almost every time.

So far my rating is to keep this hobby, but this is only 1 of 2 video games I have challenged myself to complete.



As said before, feel free to leave comments below.  Suggest video games for me to try, or even better, suggest more hobbies for me to try.

Now if you excuse me, I've got another planet of friends I need to make...

The Logistics

While this blog may explore how teaching took over my life and ghosts of hobbies past, the main format of this blog will be me searching for new hobbies that I may enjoy.

I'll take a list of bobbie, pick one, and dedicate a certain amount of time to the hobby, complete with an end goal or project.  I'll rank the hobby and make a choice to keep it or keep hunting.

I have started a list of potential hobbies, but the best part of this experiment would be to have my readers give suggestions of what I should try.  Perhaps there's something you enjoy and think I should try.  Feel free to leave a comment or follow my Facebook page and send me suggestions.  I'd love ideas that I may not be thinking of!

So far, here's my list of potential hobbies I'll be trying out:

• Cooking
• Baking/Decorating Cakes
• Gaming (my boyfriend will love this one)
• Jewelry Making
• Knitting/Quilting/Sewing
• Painting
• Playing guitar
• Running
• Yoga
• Photography

I look forward to hearing suggestions and look forward to getting started!

An explanation please...

Hunting a hobby.  Why would anyone need to hunt for or search for a hobby?  Aren't normal people led towards natural interests and hobbies that sustain them for the majority of their lives?  Maybe I'm not a normal person, or maybe I'm a very normal person who is in search for something more.  Either way, I've decided to document the journey (and quite possibly hilarity) towards finding a hobby that is mine.

When I was younger, I was always into a lot of different things.  I took dance for several years (thank goodness I can't find the pictures that document this hobby because I'm sure they're good for a laugh) until I decided I wanted pretty feet instead of permanently blistered feet... and let's be honest the lycra, non-flattering jazz outfits complete with sequins weren't quite the fashion statement I wanted to be making throughout high school.  I tried different sports, soccer being a main one, until I realized the older you got, the more they expected you to run.  I wasn't a big fan of running.  I also really hated that I had soccer practice after dinner time and a big helping of mac and cheese plus two miles of a "warm up jog" didn't do well for my stomach or enthusiasm of the sport.

The older I got, the more I was surrounding myself with hobbies and interests that consumed a lot of my time, which I can share in a future post.  The true meaning of this first post is an explanation of why now, at almost 28 years old, I need a hobby.

Here it is in one simple sentence: I became a teacher.

Let's not argue the fact that "You're job shouldn't be your life!"  Or the best loved argument of, "You get a whole summer off! What did you do with all your time?!"  Simply put, I was a teacher and teaching became my life.

More posts are sure to follow with more explanations of how my job became my hobby, but I found myself at a crossroads this past year.  I found myself in a position where teaching no longer could be my life without it ruining me, bringing me down, and making me hate the profession.  So now I look forward to the opportunity I have to bring new things into my life: positive forces, new opportunities and above all, a hobby.

My goals for this blog?  To learn how to not allow a job to consume my life anymore.  To try new things and share my experiences.  To find successes and failures in these attempts.  To find a hobby (or hobbies) that I can call my own.

Hobby Attempt #1: Blogging