Stuff to do AFK

Something I would like to do if I had the space is start a vegetable garden. I have some indoor plants that I have channeled all my maternal instincts into caring for-- aloe, citronella & catnip (good for mosquito repellent), some vine plants, a Passiflora that stubbornly refuses to yield any blossom, and a few other easy to care for house plants.

I made a terrarium for my mother with a glass vase several months ago. If I were handy with tools, I would build something like this -- http://www.dwell.com/sites/default/file ... k=NVi0QVVk

Maybe you can do the things you already do, but outdoors? Like surfing the Web at Starbucks... or reading a book in the park.

Besides that, I suggest cycling, which I think is a great activity.

Anepsios wrote:Well this is a tad depressing. I couldn't even convince myself about any of these

guess.who.loves.you wrote:Maybe you can do the things you already do, but outdoors? Like surfing the Web at Starbucks... or reading a book in the park.

I did buy a Kindle just so I could read my books out in the sun. A Starbucks is no outdoor place, though!.. Unless I get the option to be completely alone in the place and to self-serve. I wouldn't even mind paying for the coffee!

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My favorite ones so far, not necessarily in order of preference, followed by their respective caveats or other observations:

• Going out into the woods (no woods anywhere near here)
  
  
• Geocaching (currently unfeasible, but might fit perfectly within future travel plans)
  
  
• Golf (maybe in another life )
  
  
• Racquetball (doesn't seem very popular in my country; it's apparently more like a thing to be found in resorts and such)
  
  
• Random online courses with virtually no pressure (may start a few; probably not going to follow through with any)
  
  
• Photography + bird-watching (definitely something I may be interested in developing in the future as a serious hobby, worth spending serious money on)
  
  
• Calligraphy (probably the same caveats as random online courses; I've played with beginner Arabic calligraphy in the past, it was interesting but didn't last long)
  
  
• Unwittingly destroying electronic/mechanical equipment (limited supply of things to be destroyed without consequence...)
  
  
• Growing plants at home (if I ever settle down in a decent place of my own, I'll certainly do it)

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My own suggestions (to other people, and for personal future reference):

• Playing and/or composing music (this has been an obsession several times in the past, but never yielding much satisfaction; I'm probably not trying it again in a foreseeable future, even though I'm tempted to)
  
  
• Ping-pong (I love it! and I am good at it — unfortunately requires another player)
  
  
• Foosball (I'm not very good at it, but it's fun anyway — same thing though: requires another player)
  
  
• Running for hours at a time (already do it semi-regularly, as described [here])
  
  
• Visiting alternative decor shops and second-hand stores for ideas about stuff I might be interested in trying to make on my own (can't see any caveats about this one!)

your last bullet reminded me of an old hobby of mine, antiquing. it's a lot of fun. You learn to date china and stuff and it's fun when you find something valuable that someone's selling for a dollar cause they don't realize it's worth 100.

Obumbrata wrote:your last bullet reminded me of an old hobby of mine, antiquing.

Would you have any tips for total beginners? Or do you think it's more like something you can only discover on your own?

Have you got access to a yard where you live? Yard work is moderately physical, shows nearly immediate results, and gets you out of the house daily. This is the perfect time of year if you want to plant things.

Even if you don't have a yard, you can still container garden. It's not the same, but it's fulfilling and relaxing.

I get out and walk. The small hours of the morning is my favorite time. It's dark and quiet. There are very few people around, because the neighborhood where I live is pretty rural. Even when I lived in a bigger city though, walking at night is almost like a different version of the place in daylight.

Jigsaw Puzzles.

anagram wrote:

Obumbrata wrote:your last bullet reminded me of an old hobby of mine, antiquing.

Would you have any tips for total beginners? Or do you think it's more like something you can only discover on your own?

Hm, I'm still a rookie myself. My mom collects antiques, especially china, and she taught me a lot of what I know. The first thing she taught me was how to identify and (approximately) date a Moorcroft. She taught me how to identify and name different styles (like art nouveau and art deco and whatnot. my mom and I both love art nouveau, and focus mainly on that stuff). Also how to name specific patterns and images used in ceramics. I also have this really big compendium of all sorts of antiques, and their market value and rarity. I learned quite a bit from that book, and managed to score a Lalique glassware dragonfly vase for pretty cheap from someone unfamiliar with Lalique that made me happy. For a beginner though, you can find good guides online. For example http://www.antique-marks.com/ is good, and I've used it for a lot of dating and mark IDing.
I imagine antiquing must be quite culture-specific, and I don't know how the canadian antiquing scene differs from the brazilian antiquing scene (you're in brazil right?). But the best advice I could give to you would be to go to an antique store (or better, an antique fair/ flea market where all the crazy traveling peddlers congregate) and find things you like. Then look around for variations on the theme (same manufacturer or style or design or whatever). And just look closely at things. You can tell when something's old if you look closely at it, and you can tell if something's hand-painted. Little exercises like that are fun.

Warnings:
NEVER buy anything expensive (even if you think you can resell it at a much higher price) or that you don't actually want or like. I usually don't buy anything at all unless it's a good deal and I want it, it's just a game for me (and beginners should treat it as a game too).
Some antiquers are super nice, and some are ######6 nuts. Watch out for the nuts. Also watch out for pushy and manipulative sellers, don't get swindled.
Antiquing does require you to talk to people sometimes. So it's not exactly the ideal schizoid hobby. If you're spending money, be prepared to bargain and barter. I almost never buy things so I can avoid this.

Holy $#%^, I can't believe I just wrote that much about antiquing. I'm such a loser

OneRinger wrote:Jigsaw Puzzles.

also you can do the projects where you build cars or ships or models of some kind

Obumbrata wrote:Also watch out for pushy and manipulative sellers, don't get swindled.

Caveat ruinam

I must say I got a little more advice from you than I was expecting. Thanks!

I'm such a loser

Well, not if you're making good deals!

questioning_life wrote:also you can do the projects where you build cars or ships or models of some kind

Yes I've thought about that kind of thing, but in terms of feasibility it's really just the same as the bonsai... I might even get to almost finish a model, only to crush it to bits on some random cloudy day.