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172 replies

Cooking. Gardening.

"literally" everything else I do is online :)

1

Playing guitar, riding a bike, reading a book...

But who am a kidding, when I play guitar i often plays chords off the internet to the background music from YouTube. When i ride my bike i listen to podcasts. And when I read a book, i do it on Kindle.

1
ogy
fedia.io

i go stand in a forest for an hour every week. i don't walk, run, or do anything interesting. i just stand there, watch and listen

57

The tree in the forest trying not to laugh and give away its sentience while you stare at it like this

46

I hike on trails near my house, but I make sure to look around and take in the small things. Even if I’ve been on the trail a thousand times, there’s always something new to see.

9
onionguyreply
lemmy.world

Interesting practice of mindfulness! How did this routine of yours come to be?

6
ogyreply

I was going for forest walks at the time to help deal with my depression and for some reason just tried to be as quiet as possible one day. It was the best and I realized I didn't actually like the fitness part of the walk. Being as slow and quiet as possible felt much better

3
HeHoXareply
lemmy.zip

This is how you get the best animal sightings

4
ogyreply
fedia.io

yeah I see birds closer than I've ever seen them before

3
HeHoXareply
lemmy.zip

If you're interested in ramping that up a bit:

  • edge habitats: try to pock spots where ecosystems meet, like forest meets field
  • wind alignment: stay upwind downwind (how did I do that) if possible
  • stillness (what you're doing): 10-15mins of stillness between slow movement
  • pinch points: check the map and try to find spots like where a ridge narrows that funnel animals
  • tracking: look out for tracks, poop, etc

Investing in a little popup blind or camo netting or something to hide in can be magic

3
ogyreply

dude thank you this is very cool! I've noticed the forest meeting the field being interesting but hadn't thought past that

2
feddit.uk

Reading and hiking are the two main ones for me.

40
GreyShuckreply
feddit.uk

On holiday this week, so I have a new read: Father Goriot. I have hardly started so far.

4

Great read! Not fun, but you went for Balzac so I assume you know what you are getting yourself into. Enjoy!

2

Photo walks. Your whole point just becomes to go out and take in the scenery. Makes you slow down and appreciate your surroundings in a way that a walk doesn't. If you're after wildlife you have to move with intention, lest you scare the subject. If it's a more static subject you've more time to take in the light and shadows, frame your background.

35
lemmy.world

Running. Just one foot in front of the other. Bonus points for running in a new place and taking in the sights.

26
lemmy.world

What does your mind do when you’re running? Can you just clear all thoughts and focus on breathing and one foot after the other.

Or does the repetition make you spiral on every bad decision from the last 20 years like me 😅

5

My mind is writing books or short stories that will never be set on a paper, inventing new things that I have no idea how they'd work, but most importantly, my mind is busy arguing with others, and winning every argument :)

4
RBWellsreply
lemmy.world

I am like you, running is good exercise but too boring and I can't stop thinking. Aerobic dance like Jazzercise is perfectly calibrated so that I can just follow/do and not think but the class near me ended, they are only out in the suburbs now. Yoga is good if it's the challenging vinyasa flow with music, I can sometimes get into that perfect mindset. But fucking Jazzercise was oddly perfect and is gone.

4
pawb.social

Adult band program at a School of Rock franchise.

Weekly 90 minute rehearsal, and we put on a show every 3-4 months. Our big show is today, I'm playing keys on seven songs this time around.

Also, separately from that, I play bass in a cover band that I met through the School of Rock program.

Music's some good shit.

20
piefed.social

I discovered School of Rock in Denver, and they do shows at Red Rocks too. I think its such an awesome idea. I attended one free lesson last year and haven't gone back yet, but I have been trying to dedicate some time to guitar recently. I find it so difficult to maintain the motivation to practice as an adult. any tips?

3

My motivation is all around deepening my enjoyment of music I already know and love. Listening to a great song is awesome but playing part of it on an instrument is so much deeper of a way to engage with and enjoy it

3
lemmy.world

I haven't dreamed when sleeping for a few years really now

Been reading dungeon crawler Carl and it's the first time I'm dreaming mostly every night now. Just more relaxed

19
Enchantedreply
lemmy.world

Taking some magnesium supplement will fix not dreaming right up!

1

I already take supplements. My issue is that my mind tends to constantly think. I used to read a lot (and dreampt constantly then).. So, I think this is the main factor

2
lemmy.ml

This might sound weird but, before bed I try to do basically nothing, I just sit on the couch & let myself relax, maybe with a little reading on the side.

18
onionguyreply
lemmy.world

Really interesting way of meditation. Doing nothing is really hard.

6

Smoking weed, hooking into my mp3 player, then going to the park to vibe on the swing

18

I build things, electronics mostly. Then the next day I get to admire what yesterday-me built.

15
lemmy.world

Off-what? You mean in meatspace?

Jokes aside: Reading. Designing and playing Pen&Paper RPGs. Cooking.

15
lemmy.world

Would you mind talking a bit more about your approach to cooking? I take some satisfaction from being able to cook and sometimes from the feeling of improving my skill as a cook, but mostly it feels like a necessary chore.

4

Sure! But it's not particularly sophisticated. Other than staple recipes (like e.g. vegetables stews) I learned while growing up, when there's a product I was previously dependent on buying ready-made that gets enshittified by the food industry so much I'm unwilling to pay the full asking price, I start looking into the recipe for it and experiment to calibrate quality, time efficiency, and material cost to the exact tradeoff I consider best for me. Frozen pizza vs self made pizza being one example.

My joy in cooking, aside from the above optimization process I find fun, comes from knowning I pay less money to eat a better quality (and almost always less unhealthy) meal than I'd otherwise be able to. Once I have a recipe dialed in, it also requires virtually no thinking to get done, which is the opposite of my daily work; that's the "unwinding" for me. I can then also combine it with listening to some audiobook or TTRPG actual play / podcast.

Due to this depth-first approach my actual list of recipes isn't incredibly large, but it's enough to never get boring by now, at least.

1
piefed.zip

I've gotten into camping solo with my motorbike at an absurd pace this year and it's basically become my main way to disconnect, reset and chill. I think 3 months ago was my first trip and time camping? With a popup tent that sets up in 1 second, chair and self inflating mattress, sleeping bag and pillow, stored in a big bag on the passenger seat of my bike. Since then I've gone camping whenever the weather permits. Last week I did a 5 day tour, travelling from campsite to campsite. I have 4 tents now, 3 different chairs, 3 types of tables, a cot, 3 inflatable mattresses, the self inflating mattress, a foldable fire pit, ground sheets for every tent, fire sheet, food prep utensils, 3 power banks, a portable fan (MVP in Japan's humid weather), 2 sleeping bags (one for winter), a tarp, 2 side bags to haul more stuff on my bike and a firewood stove. I don't really regret any purchase because I can make use of everything by mixing and matching depending on my mood and wants since everything I take multiple off usually has trade-off between convenience or space e.g. if I feel lazy I put the popup tent on my back (it folds into a neat circle and has back straps), meaning all my space can go to an instant setup chair, large table and self-inflsting mattress.

My 4 tents:

  • 1 second setup pop-up tent
  • Smol 1 person tent with fly sheet
  • 3 meter tall teepee style tent (hey, I wanted to be able to stand) that almost maxes out my bag space on its own.
  • A really versatile but semi large 1 person tent for the winter with an inner tent, a chimney chute for the stove and lots of options for how to use it, don't really need an extra tarp with it.
  • Honorable mention: a hammock tent that I haven't had the chance to use yet.

Haven't even used the stove and the tent with the chimney chute yet, literally just got them in anticipation of winter camping and vibrating with excitement at just the thought of finally using it. Same with the tarp, I didn't realize that's what those roof structures I saw others use were called (I'm ESL I thought tarp was just used for something you sit on) and I'm excited to use it next time to shield from rain.

It's so relaxing. Nothing feels better to me than sitting on my chair, chucking Soju while the fire rages on for hours, then cooking on the coals (just sausages and potatoes wrapped in foil), eating, drinking more, burning more light firewood trying to get the biggest flames on the site that my fire pit allows for, then once I've burned through it all, retreating into the tent, turning on the fan and sleeping like a brick. Oh and during setup and pack down being able to listen to an audiobook.

God just writing this makes me giddy. I prepped my setup for my next trip, just need a break from autumn rain and catch a sunny site not too far away one of these weekends.

15
gilokeereply
lemmy.world

This is awesome! I'm in Japan too, how do you find good campsites?

5
fifireply
piefed.zip

https://www.nap-camp.com/ is what I end up using the most.
Truth be told I'm usually not the one finding the sites tho. I have an agent set up to monitor the weather, then look for campsites that allow my bike, then signals me if a good match happens in a certain radius around where I live. I know it looks at more sources, but nap-camp seems to come up the most. It made a skill for weather and site search in case I have requests outside of the usual monitor. So I can check a weather radar myself and go "find me some candidates for camping tomorrow near X".

I haven't gone enough to have a no-no list when it comes to campsites itself, enjoying the variety of them all so far. As much as I hate insects, I notice how vastly different insect life is on different sites, the constant cries of them at night now helps me sleep lol.

If you don't care about reserving things or dealing with other websites, honestly zoom into any place on google maps and I notice now theres tons of campsites, or just going to a part of the map and putting in キャンプ場 should highlight tons of options.

5
zip
pawb.social

On the one hand I'm a volunteer for the Red Cross which is a very satisfying and "in the moment" activity.

On the other hand I put on a mask and pretend to be a dog for a while

14
lemmy.zip

Going for a walk is an essential activity for me to reset. Riding my bike has a similar effect. I've started leaving my phone at home.

Reading as well. Something light-hearted if I'm seeking joy.

I have a small garden on my balcony. It's not successful right now but it's enjoyable to watch something green grow.

14
lemmy.world

What about playing FTL? :)

I'm with you on everything except gardening. It sounds appealing in the abstract, but then in the spring it turns into "ugh, too much to do" and "ugh, gotta get up early to water" in the summer.

Actually...what DID get you into gardening in the first place? Maybe there's something to it that I'm missing.

4

Ayy you got the reference!

I started because I wanted to grow Thai holy basil which I was struggling to find in stores, extended to different varieties of kind of pricey hot peppers, then a few flowers to keep it looking nice. I've had a few bad seasons over the years that made me almost quit but at this point it would feel weird to not have a garden to take care of.

The maintenance can occasionally be a pain but it's sometimes nice to have a good reason to get up early. It only becomes too much work if I get greedy and take on too many plants at once. I try to keep it to a small and manageable amount, and choose plants that don't require a lot of care.

1
lemmy.world

Cheap drum machine (korg volca drum), cheap synthesizer, plugged into mixer + no talent + no formal music theory knowledge == unlimited hours of enjoyment. Someday, I might even make something I like.

13

M Vave FM1. $61 on AliExpress, and it's a battery powered pocket dx7, fully compatible with all dx7 patches via sysex. Midi input via USB or trs, so be sure you get a type a midi to trs cable. First one I had was non standard and didn't work, causing all kinds of grief until I busted out a multimeter and the cable pin out to see what's what. For the price, it is a fantastic little toy and I've already learned so much about sound design from it.

3

Playing old versions of Tetris. Retro puzzle gaming in general, but I find improving at Tetris really satisfying.

13

i wanted to argue that tetris still needs a computer, but the headline specifically asks for offline, not computer free :-)

i like to play netris in the local network. does this count as offline? ;-)

3

Outdoor back-to-basics stuff has only proven more beneficial the more I have integrated it into my life.

Carpentry, landscaping, gardening, and taking care of my many animals all help me get fresh air and exercise in addition to whatever else I get out of the activities.

I am living the superposition of that meme where the resume or linkedin profile goes from Senior Systems Architect to Goose Farmer. My day job is software for embedded systems. At home, in addition to the indoor projects I am slowly transforming my little fenced-in back yard into a combination of oasis, hobby farm, and town from an old RPG or zelda game.

13

Gardening, dancing, sex, reading, exercise, cooking, riding the electric bike, going to see live music (people are always filming on their phones but I don't, prefer to just experience it).

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lemmy.world

I'm currently stood in a forest many km from the nearest inhabited place hunting for moose.

A few birds chirping in the distance. The leaves falling off the trees one by one. The sun slowly rising.

12
zxqwasreply
lemmy.world

Mobile reception is fairly good and the hours are long.

7
lemmy.world

Ah, the beautiful moose. Majestic, stately and proud. Such a pleasure to see them in the wild.
I'm sure killing one would be very soothing.

-1

The time waiting around when nothing happens is soothing. Then excitement when it gets close. Then I'm not sure how to describe the emotion, the glee a predator feels catching it's prey? Then a bit of sadness because you ended a life.

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lemmy.world

Not much. It feels like everything has to involve the internet. Reading i guess?

11

Try shutting off the phone and unplugging the router. I guarantee youll find things to do and probably reverse some of the brainrot!

Sometimes I think kids think the internet has existed as long as humans. Its literally a brand new thing compared to humanity. We do not need it.

I'm so damn glad I didnt have it at a young age !

8
piefed.zip

Turning on music and cooking something. Watch me scramble my eggs while belting out some System of a Down. "DISORDER! DISORDER!"

11

I mean, do video games count? Theres millions that aren't online.

Otherwise, reading gardening sewing woodwork music singing drawing painting walking cleaning board games calling a friend write a letter cook food

The Internet and tech bros have fried everyone's brains.

11

Music. I have a degree in Music History, but I haven't made a living with it for 25 years, although I still loved music.

During COVID, I was bored, and eating, so I took up guitar again, after leaving it behind decades ago. I've played every day since, and not only reached an intermediate level (far better than I ever was in the past), but I've also lost 100 pounds, by picking up my guitar instead of going to the fridge.

Now I'm experimenting with recording, using cheap used gear, and having a blast.

10

Writing is an underrated activity. Just taking a piece of paper or some note taking programme on your lapotop (offline) and jot away about whatever there is in your head. No rules, no daily routines, just thoughts and reflections taking some kind of material form whenever there is time and need for it.

Same for walks around the neighbourhood you live in. Taking a longer way to go to the bakery, seeing the trees and thinking about stuff.

I think there is no better way to face stress than truly being in the present.

9
lemmy.world

I recently started teaching myself piano. There are great adult method books that make the process pretty straightforward. Modern digital pianos are fantastic and be can used with headphones too, which lets me practice without annoying the rest of the house.

9
sh.itjust.works

Any suggestions? I've owned a piano for years, even took a lesson or two, but no dice.

I can play a couple snippets of songs, but that's it. No real skill or ability. And I can't read sheet music.

3

band program! some music schools do it. I'm in an adult band program at a School of Rock near me.

I'm a bassist at heart but I've always enjoyed keys too, so when I signed up for thr band program I decided to lean in hard on keys. It's been just the right amount of motivation and challenge and I've definitely skilled up a lot

also I can't read sheet music either hahaha. kinda starting to grasp what notes are on what lines but I'm way more used to playing by ear, or using tabs for bass guitar

4

I'm using the Faber Adult Piano Adventures books, and am having a great time. I try and learn one new piece each day (they are short pieces -- at most about 1 to 2 pages). The method books are great because they start from absolute basics and build as you go, so as long as you are honest with yourself and don't skip ahead until ready, they are a great way to learn, especially if you are interested in learning to read sheet music.

Aside from that the biggest help has been listening to a lot of classical piano music and that has also been a rewarding experience on its own.

2
piefed.world

Gardening, walking in forests :)

Litter picking is also a very in-the-moment activity, like an IRL hidden object game.

I'd also say that I read a lot, but I do it on an ebook reader, so it doesn't feel properly offline 😅

8

Thanks :) I really like that it has an immediate positive effect. I typically work on digital documents and long projects, so it's at most a couple times a year that my work has a tangible end result that I can leaf through. Litter picking gives immediate satisfaction :)

It reminds me of a scene in Iain Banks's sci-fi novel Use of Weapons:

::: spoiler hidden for length
Later, he had wandered off. The huge ship was an enchanted ocean in which you could never drown, and he threw himself into it to try to understand if not it, then the people who had built it.

He walked for days, stopping at bars and restaurants whenever he felt thirsty, hungry or tired; mostly they were automatic and he was served by little floating trays, though a few were staffed by real people. They seemed less like servants and more like customers who'd taken a notion to help out for a while.

'Of course I don't have to do this,' one middle-aged man said, carefully cleaning the table with a damp cloth. He put the cloth in a little pouch, sat down beside him. 'But look; this table's clean.'

He agreed that the table was clean.

'Usually,' the man said. 'I work on alien - no offence - alien religions; Directional Emphasis In Religious Observance; that's my speciality... like when temples or graves or prayers always have to face in a certain direction; that sort of thing? Well, I catalogue, evaluate, compare; I come up with theories and argue with colleagues, here and elsewhere. But... the job's never finished; always new examples, and even the old ones get re-evaluated, and new people come along with new ideas about what you thought was settled... but,' he slapped the table, 'when you clean a table you clean a table. You feel you've done something. It's an achievement.'
:::

2

Haha I live in Glasgow, so it's often not fully dry, and I have to turn bottles and cans upside down to let the rainwater pour out before bagging them.

2
lemmy.world

I love forests, especially when the terrain is rugged enough to straddle the line between hiking and freeclimbing.

For books, I like the feel of turning the pages by hand, but I won't begrudge anyone their e-reader!

3

Yeah, I enjoy feeling/smelling paper books, but ebooks win me over by their overwhelming convenience 😅

1

Riding my bike to the coastal parks in my city and watching all the people watch the ocean.

If both of those are inaccessible I usually just play video games. Right now my favourite is Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core. Other times I'll play Factorio or Satisfactory if I'm in the mood.

I also like to study a lot, but usually that means going to a cafe which is expensive. >_<

8

Make music. I’m technically still on a computer, but I don’t need to be online for it, so that counts I guess?

8

Bike rides

Hikes

Making love

Cuddling

Wanking

Reading

Taking a nap in a hammock

Exercise

Fishing

Video games (single player)

Movies

Petting our dogs

Getting a massage

Wildlife and macro photography

Meditating

Just not doing anything at all for a bit

8

Not sure if this counts as “offline” but I play video games, read books, edibles, and because I’m in my late 30’s I’ve recently picked up bird watching!

8

Spending time with my horse is my favorite activity. It's so relaxing and I forget all of my troubles when I'm at the barn

8

Playing music! I always feel better after sitting down at my drum kit for half an hour or so. I think it works with any instrument though.

8

The ones I've talked to are fine with it. I've dampened the sound as much as I could, and I only play between 11 and 8, though rarely that late. One neighbor mentioned they enjoy it, I suspect the rest merely tolerate.

4
lemmy.world

DJing, snowboarding (haven't gone in years, though), and driving sports cars. (I love my 350Z)

Edit: Who downvoted my hobbies? Why?

7

My instance doesn't have downvotes but a lot of people don't like sports cars. Unless you're driving exclusively on closed tracks, have a quiet sports car and drive without exceeding speed limits (possible but not what people imagine when they see "driving sports cars") you're adding to noise pollution that literally kills people and are putting other drivers in danger. Driving is dangerous enough without people racing on public roads. So I imagine it's because of that.

3

I volunteer at a wildlife rescue and study music. Both are challenging physically and mentally, and it takes my mind off of other things when I'm doing them.

They give me pride and a sense of satisfaction when I have success, and my coworkers or teacher give me support when I'm having trouble.

Having a strong support structure while doing something that requires my full attention just does something good for me mentally.

Volunteer work I strongly recommend to anyone. I avoided it for years even though I thought it might be fun because even so, why would I want more work?

What I do at the clinic is more challenging and demanding than my real job, but unlike my real job, this is actually something I'm passionate about, everyone I'm there with also wants to be there 100%, and all our effort goes into saving the lives of animals and making our local environment a better place. Every time I go, I can actually see the world becoming a better place then it would otherwise be if all of us weren't there.

I imagine this would be applicable to most any type of volunteering like helping kids or the elderly, cleaning up neighborhoods, or feeding people, etc. A lot of activities can just serve as distractions, but the intense work makes me physically and mentally feel I actually did something, and every animal that recovers and goes free is a result that is inarguable.

7

Watering and repotting my plants ☺️☺️☺️ my first peppers are ripening and I'm so jazzed

I wanna set up a planted aquarium and then I can tend to those plants too

7

Biking is pretty fun and freeing. There's no gas to buy or heavy traffic. Writing is also great. I've been journaling recently and it's helped a lot

7

I love this! There's a family in my neighborhood that has three cats, indoor/outdoor. My wife and I check to see if they're about basically every time we walk in the neighborhood. The cats will saunter up to us for pets most of the time :D

4

I still do them but honestly things are so effed now they don't do much anymore. walks. baths. being in natural outdoor areas.

7

I like downloading a couple hundred tiktoks and scrolling them offline for a couple hours at a time

7

My main one is building with my Lego. I know, I know they are expensive NOW but back in the day they were cheap ways to play. Now, I've got ALL my Lego from when I was a kid and I'm building everything. Well, not EVERYTHING but a bunch! :-)

7

Beer. Genuinely. Drinks with friends (not daily or problematical) is, in my opinion, the absolute spice of life. It's not for everyone and the downsides are well documented and undeniable, but it's always worked for me.

6

Not doing anything is great.

Absolutely unscheduled time when you don't have anything planned.

Get away from the mindset that tells you that you have to be 'productive' or 'active.'

6
hikki.team

Cooking is awesome if I'm in a homey mood

BIking otherwise

6
lemmy.world

Oooohhh I just bought some cook books. But I went down a baking rabbit hole recently lol

3

Compared to cooking, baking is often a harder art, but it's extremely rewarding!

Enjoy!

3

I adore watching movies. I own so many physically and don't mind using streaming services (especially free ones like Kanopy). Just being taken to another world for a while or even learning a bit more about our own in documentaries is nice. Even if the movie sucks or is mid I'd still rather watch than keep 100% focus on life.

6

I bake. I like to try out new recipes, usually cookies, since they travel well and can easily be given to multiple people and enjoyed wherever. I'll be making cinnamon rolls today, though, since there's a breakfast thing at work tomorrow.

6

I've been working on a chainmail tabard for a year or so now, it's pretty cathartic

6

Walking, biking, hiking, going to concerts, reading, even going to the gym. Science fiction conventions, comic-cons, going to the beach.

6
lemmy.zip

Reading and running. Podcasts while I run and reading while I rest.

5

Currently reading Leviathan Wakes. Can’t put it down.

2

Gardening is my jam right now. Going out dancing. Trying new restaurants, but even moreso, trying new stuff in my kitchen (yucas fritas this morning, so good) Yesterday I went to the local water park and crushed so many swan dives from the 3m, felt incredible. Recently bought an e-bike and have been putting in ~10miles every other day, haven't even used the pedal assist just pushing the extra weight with my calories and loving every minute of it. Getting back into my meditation practice, getting back into lifting. On days where I really want my heartrate to spike I attempt to talk to the opposite sex.

5

Cooking. I truly enjoy it.

Don't get to do it that often though. My family hates my cooking.

5

Painting. You can get a decent brush set, as many colors of acrylic paint as you need to make just about any color you'd want, and a few canvases for around $40.

5

I go out to a pile of log rounds that were collected from downed trees around the yard that have dried all summer and have a go at them with my splitting axe.

It is the second warming from the wood. First warming was sweating while stacking the rounds, third warming will be hauling them from the piles to the front door during winter, final warming is the wood warming the house in the stove.

5
lemmy.world

i had to search sepak takraw, but it looks awesome! my foot skills are weak, unfortunately

4

it's really fun. my rec soccer/football team started playing 4:4 sepak takraw at practices (three teams with one getting to rest each match). that was the year we absolutely flattened the rest of the league.

4

Cycling and touring on dedicated bike paths and rail trails. Sometimes I just stay in my city and do a 40 km loop of dedicated path along the canal and the river. Sometimes I pack my camping stuff in my panniers and cycle a few hundred km on rail trails, camp in a national park or along the trail of allowed, and come back.

It makes me discover villages and regions I would never have.

I even do international trips for this. Last week I fled Montréal because the cycling championship closed my whole neighbourhood for two weeks, and I went in Germany/Belgium to cycle on the Vennbahn.

If anyone comes in the Montréal region just to do bike touring, I recommend trying Le P'tit Train du Nord, La Route des Champs, La Montérégiade, and l'Estriade. Even a bit further in Montérégie, theres La Campagnarde, going through very rural areas. There's also Le Corridor Aérobique branching from Le P'tit train du Nord, but it's a bit less accessible.

5
  • My partner & I do an escape room most weekends. (Great thing - when you start to run out of local rooms, it becomes an excuse to travel as well)
  • Going to Handball games (hai CSM! hai România!). This weekend was a rollercoaster as Romania lost to Denmark in the EHF Euro 2026 semifinals on Saturday, but beat Hungary in a cracking third- place play-off yesterday
  • The local Botanic Garden is a lovely way to spend an afternoon (there's a nice donut stand, which helps)
  • Tending to window boxes/balcony planters - takes the edge off the arrival of autumn/winter knowing that now is the time to start planting spring bulbs and the like
  • Gaming, natch
  • Art galleries
  • Cooking
4

Studying, walking/hiking (depending on weather), farming (weather again), single-player video games, gaming with wife (video and/or table games), listening around with an SDR (amateur radio), and probably more. Several depend on how my mental state is at the time

4

Nature photography. I'm not particularly good but I have my camera always charged and when I feel down I just go to the jungle and shoot up some birds. Makes me feel better every time - there's something in our old lizard brains that get relaxed by exposure to visuals of outdoor beings be it birds, trees or just grass fields.

Seek is great app for this which is basically Pokémon Go for nature photography. People are often surprised by how much diversity they have in their own neighborhoods and a bit of gamifications is all some need to finally get out!

4

I know it's still using a device but get yourself a 3DS. The social side of the console has been picked up again by a service called Pretendo and even some games like Mario Kart 7 can still be played online. It still gives you the ability to play online but the social side was pretty locked down on the 3DS so i would still say it's pretty offline all things considered.

4

I just got a DS and love it. Is a 3DS worth it also? Not sure how much different they really are

1

Backyard campfire. Paired with my choice of

  • Music
  • Other people
  • Edibles / etc.
  • Online chess

I just kinda go out there and vibe for an hour or so a couple times a week.

4

Trail riding at about 20mph. It's balls to the wall adrenalin. I also do road racing with a few cars, but that kinda thing gets expensive. My dialysis center hates me because I always have a new cut on my arm or several bruises. Not gonna stop my life just because my kidneys are pieces of garbage at 43.

4

Learning how to fix the old pile of boards I live in, now that I'm retired. The biggest thing I learned so far is how much you can get done with vey little when you don't have to pay for someone else's time/labour.

4

I love my time on my bicycle and my time spent fixing it up.

I really enjoy board games and ttrpgs

Also huge fan of getting the tar beaten out of me in my local kink scene, but that's not a hobby for everyone

Oh and the wife has gotten me hiking more with her, which has been good for us both

3

Sounds fun, but the people in the park may have a different opinion 😅

3

I walk my dog in the bush, I take lengthy rides on my motorbike, I take my dog to a nearby brewery, I create some unhinged performance art

Most of all, I laugh and love with my fiancée, talk shit about all sorts of weird and wonderful things, drink beer, fuck like nympho rabbits, admire natural beauty, listen to music and squabble over things while we cook

3

I want to know more about the unhinged performance art, but looking at your username I'm a bit apprehensive.

1

Pottery or papier-mâché. Or any other sort of creative type stuff. Also, digging holes. Wizardry and such. There's so much to do, really.

3

I play versions of computerized solitaire like Sawayama and Tap Solitaire with a paper deck, just to move cards around and make my mind think.

2

Anything crafty is great. It ranges from making something with my kid (this morning we did a mask with an old fabric that had too cool of a pattern to become a rag), or long knitting and cross stick projects, or random things out of cardboard. In the fall I like making our Christmas tree, I have made some with wrapping paper and aluminum foil, with clay, papier maché… this year I’m planning a toilet paper cardboard roll Christmas tree, we should have enough to get a decent size. I’m also looking forward to go leaf hunting to make Christmas cards.

2

the 10 minutes or so I have of free time between laying down and falling to sleep, in which I basically hope that tonight is the night and I don't wake up in the morning.

really helps me get to sleep, of course then i wake up and its all miserable again

1