Hobbies you enjoy that DONT get you paid

Off Topic
16yFollow

Hobbies you enjoy that DONT get you paid

Mark UpdegraffBusiness Member
Real Estate Broker · Rochester, NY · Member since 2010 · 1k+ posts · 706 votes

Life is too short to not have a little fun!

Me (don't worry I'll keep it short and sweet!):

Glassblowing (well, actually flameworking), here I use a propane / oxygen / compressed air mix and a German torch to heat up rods of glass in to a molten state, mix them around a bit, and have lots of fun. The flame is about 5K degrees F.

Skiing: not much to report here, I tore my ACL a couple seasons ago, so I haven't been raging the mountain too much, but plan to get the surgery and be back on the hill next year.

Texas Hold'em: IMO, the best game ever!

Frisbee Golf: IMO, the best sport ever ;-)

And of course, all things "The great outdoors" Especially things that involve water!

Podcast Guest on Show #112
Updegraff Group Realty4.746 Reviews
WebsiteView Page
1Reply
95 views

Most Popular Reply

Steve Babiak
Real Estate Investor · Audubon, PA · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 8k+ votes
16y
Originally posted by Tim Wieneke:
... Photography is another one. I miss having a darkroom - everything's digital now. I prefer black and white over color. That camera was worth it's weight in gold at college. You could approach the hottest girls and break every rule of flirting because "you're a photographer". Nothing breaks down the defense walls they put up like a camera...lol So...in a way...that one kind of did get me paid. :lol:


Tim,
I think I caught a typo in that last word - change "p" to ...
5Reply
See this reply in the discussion

32 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • Ali Samana
    Real Estate Investor · Frisco, TX, TX · Member since 2010 · 388 posts · 138 votes
    16y

    Mark Great thread:

    1. Golf (I don't go too often, and I stink at the game)

    2. No Limit Hold'em. Typically I am up so this does pay me a little bit. Planning on playing in the main event in either 2011 or 2012.

    0Reply
  • Mark UpdegraffBusiness Member
    OP
    Real Estate Broker · Rochester, NY · Member since 2010 · 1k+ posts · 706 votes
    16y

    Hey Ali, I envy you! I will definitely play in the WSOP, but not in 11 or 12... much to do before then!!

    Podcast Guest on Show #112
    Updegraff Group Realty4.746 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    0Reply
  • Timothy W.
    Attorney · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2008 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    16y
    Originally posted by Ali Samana:
    2. No Limit Hold'em. Typically I am up so this does pay me a little bit. Planning on playing in the main event in either 2011 or 2012.


    Talk to Jason on that one.
    0Reply
  • Timothy W.
    Attorney · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2008 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    16y

    I've spent probably 3 houses worth of money on fishing. Not a dime of that is considered waste. :mrgreen:

    Buckskinning - that's where we dress from 1800-1840 and camp in, eat with, wear stuff from that era. I watched Jeremiah Johnson one too many times as a kid. I also like the modern camping when women are in tow (not too many of them care to wear canvas and deer hide...lol)

    Blacksmithing and Bladesmithing is another big hobby of mine. I got into this before Buckskinning. I do it 1800's style on a charcoal forge and anvil with hand tools (little or not electrical tools). I started making knives, then made cookware and other camping implements.

    Shooting - pretty much a given. Rifles, pistols, blackpowder, bows, whatever. I haven't made a firearm yet (future project) but I've rebuilt old beat up ones into decent shooters.

    Hunting - I have done hunting with a rifle, pistol, bow and knife (not at the same time...lol). My favorite is hunting wild boar and my favorite method on boar is with the knife. I'm working on a knife currently that when I finish, I'm taking on my next hunt. Then I'll have taken a boar with a knife I made. This was probably from watching too much Jeremiah Johnson and Predator at the same time growing up. :lol:

    I'm also into writing poetry and had a couple sonnets published but went into more free verse after that. Thankfully this is one hobby that while it doesn't get me paid, doesn't cost too much to pursue. I also do some pencil drawing when the mood strikes but that hasn't occurred much lately.

    I enjoy the Hold'Em too but more as time hanging out with friends than the pursuit of the game.

    Photography is another one. I miss having a darkroom - everything's digital now. I prefer black and white over color. That camera was worth it's weight in gold at college. You could approach the hottest girls and break every rule of flirting because "you're a photographer". Nothing breaks down the defense walls they put up like a camera...lol So...in a way...that one kind of did get me paid. :lol:

    3Reply
  • Mark UpdegraffBusiness Member
    OP
    Real Estate Broker · Rochester, NY · Member since 2010 · 1k+ posts · 706 votes
    16y
    Originally posted by Tim Wieneke:
    I've spent probably 3 houses worth of money on fishing. Not a dime of that is considered waste. :mrgreen:

    Any kind of fishing in particular? My father is big into it, I'm slow to pick it up. I did do some spear fishing this summer, and that was AWESOME! Nothing better than sneaking up on your prey while holding your breath and drawing a spear!! I also just read an article on a guy that goes Tuna fishing in a Kayak!!! I'll see if I can dig it up for you to read, crazy!
    Originally posted by Tim Wieneke:

    Buckskinning - that's where we dress from 1800-1840 and camp in, eat with, wear stuff from that era. I watched Jeremiah Johnson one too many times as a kid. I also like the modern camping when women are in tow (not too many of them care to wear canvas and deer hide...lol)

    Never heard of this before, sounds fun. What do you do without your cell phone (kidding)
    Originally posted by Tim Wieneke:

    Blacksmithing and Bladesmithing is another big hobby of mine. I got into this before Buckskinning. I do it 1800's style on a charcoal forge and anvil with hand tools (little or not electrical tools). I started making knives, then made cookware and other camping implements.

    Shooting - pretty much a given. Rifles, pistols, blackpowder, bows, whatever. I haven't made a firearm yet (future project) but I've rebuilt old beat up ones into decent shooters.

    Hunting - I have done hunting with a rifle, pistol, bow and knife (not at the same time...lol). My favorite is hunting wild boar and my favorite method on boar is with the knife. I'm working on a knife currently that when I finish, I'm taking on my next hunt. Then I'll have taken a boar with a knife I made. This was probably from watching too much Jeremiah Johnson and Predator at the same time growing up. :lol:

    Very cool! I had wild boar for the first time in Portland. It was the best piece of meat I've ever had the pleasure of consuming! I'm pretty sure it was the filet, it combined my love of pork with my love of beef :D Do you do any damascus work? I love the folded metal look. What is the largest blade you've ever made?
    Originally posted by Tim Wieneke:

    I'm also into writing poetry and had a couple sonnets published but went into more free verse after that. Thankfully this is one hobby that while it doesn't get me paid, doesn't cost too much to pursue. I also do some pencil drawing when the mood strikes but that hasn't occurred much lately.
    Me too, though not published, and nothing too current... for some reason I love to sketch mazes by hand...
    Originally posted by Tim Wieneke:

    I enjoy the Hold'Em too but more as time hanging out with friends than the pursuit of the game.
    Ditto, but I don't mind taking their money either!
    Originally posted by Tim Wieneke:

    Photography is another one. I miss having a darkroom - everything's digital now. I prefer black and white over color. That camera was worth it's weight in gold at college. You could approach the hottest girls and break every rule of flirting because "you're a photographer". Nothing breaks down the defense walls they put up like a camera...lol So...in a way...that one kind of did get me paid. :lol:

    I totally forgot this one! Probably because I'm still shooting on a Nikon D50 which is annoying at best! Love traditional style, but also hooked on digital. Have you ever used a Wacom Cintiq? Amazing device, I don't own one, but I used one for about a month. Do you have an on-line gallery?

    Cheers!
    Mark

    Podcast Guest on Show #112
    Updegraff Group Realty4.746 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    0Reply
  • Steve Babiak
    Real Estate Investor · Audubon, PA · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 8k+ votes
    16y
    Originally posted by Tim Wieneke:
    ... Photography is another one. I miss having a darkroom - everything's digital now. I prefer black and white over color. That camera was worth it's weight in gold at college. You could approach the hottest girls and break every rule of flirting because "you're a photographer". Nothing breaks down the defense walls they put up like a camera...lol So...in a way...that one kind of did get me paid. :lol:


    Tim,
    I think I caught a typo in that last word - change "p" to ...
    5Reply
  • Mark UpdegraffBusiness Member
    OP
    Real Estate Broker · Rochester, NY · Member since 2010 · 1k+ posts · 706 votes
    16y

    http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/23/sports/23fishing.html

    Podcast Guest on Show #112
    Updegraff Group Realty4.746 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    0Reply
  • Nick J.
    Residential Real Estate Broker · Payson, AZ · Member since 2009 · 3k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    16y

    Great topic.

    Video games and Paintball for me.

    0Reply
  • Jon Holdman
    Rental Property Investor · Mercer Island, WA · Member since 2008 · 22k+ posts · 14k+ votes
    16y

    I seem to never end up doing anything for too long. At the moment renaissance fairs are one hobby. Similar to Tim's buckskinning but about 300 years earlier. Some fairs allow camping, but our local one only has room for vendors and crew. Interestingly, there's a real estate aspect to this, too, since vendors have to buy their shops in the larger fairs. Building codes are a big deal, since you have to comply with both the current building codes as well as maintaining the property's appearance to fit in with the fair theme.

    Been learning metal working and machining. Not forging, but milling and turning.

    Blackjack and video poker would be my preferred games. I like hold-em, and would like to learn Omaha, but its time consuming and the action goes pretty slow. Our local casinos are tough games. Half the players and all the dealers know each other on a first name basis, so you feel like you're walking into a snake den when you set down. I generally do much better in Vegas. I think you get a lot more tourists who are "there to play" and that won't fold a loser because that's not playing.

    We like to travel, too. Not as much of that as in flusher times, but we went to Santa Fe over memorial day. We're trying to plan a longer Italy trip at some point in the future.

    0Reply
  • Timothy W.
    Attorney · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2008 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    16y
    Originally posted by Steve Babiak:
    Originally posted by Tim Wieneke:
    ... Photography is another one. I miss having a darkroom - everything's digital now. I prefer black and white over color. That camera was worth it's weight in gold at college. You could approach the hottest girls and break every rule of flirting because "you're a photographer". Nothing breaks down the defense walls they put up like a camera...lol So...in a way...that one kind of did get me paid. :lol:


    Tim,
    I think I caught a typo in that last word - change "p" to ...


    :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
    0Reply
  • Timothy W.
    Attorney · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2008 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    16y

    "Any kind of fishing in particular? My father is big into it, I'm slow to pick it up. I did do some spear fishing this summer, and that was AWESOME! Nothing better than sneaking up on your prey while holding your breath and drawing a spear!!"

    Just general spin fishing, fresh and saltwater. Some deep sea. Always wanted to try spear fishing. Closest I got to that was spearing bluegill with a frog gig in Missouri.

    " Do you do any damascus work? I love the folded metal look. What is the largest blade you've ever made?"

    No I haven't yet and I've been delaying it just out of sheer laziness...lol. I've got about another 200' of steel I need to finish forging up into stuff before I get into that. It is very cool stuff.

    "Have you ever used a Wacom Cintiq? Amazing device, I don't own one, but I used one for about a month. Do you have an on-line gallery?"

    I have not tried the Cintiq. I will check it out. No, I haven't had an online gallery. I take at least 100-200 pictures a week of insurance stuff so it's too much like work to me now... :lol: I do have a stack of photos looking at me that I keep telling myself I'll get online someday.

    You live good Mark. Your flameworking, what kind of stuff do you make? I had one buddy who made beads (popular with the buckskinning crowd).

    0Reply
  • Rich Weese
    Real Estate Investor · the villages, FL · Member since 2008 · 5k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    16y

    As Secretariat would have said if he could talk.

    STUD SERVICE.

    2Reply
  • Steve Babiak
    Real Estate Investor · Audubon, PA · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 8k+ votes
    16y

    Rich,

    You're starting to sound like Tim's photography now ...

    0Reply
  • Mark UpdegraffBusiness Member
    OP
    Real Estate Broker · Rochester, NY · Member since 2010 · 1k+ posts · 706 votes
    16y
    Originally posted by Tim Wieneke:

    You live good Mark. Your flameworking, what kind of stuff do you make? I had one buddy who made beads (popular with the buckskinning crowd).

    Thanks Tim, I make pretty much make pendants exclusively. When feeling whimsical I'll do some free form or hollow form. My newest creative endeavor with glass is actually making "paintings." I don't believe anyone else is doing it. Basically, I get a large 1/4" thick piece of boroscilicate (pyrex) float (flat sheet) glass and that becomes the canvas. I've fabricated some graphite mounts that hold it in place. I then use rods, stringers, and cut pieces and apply them to one of the sides. I'm enjoying this new application a lot, but I easily blow through a cylinder of O2 making just one piece (if I'm lucky). Most people don't realize the amount of effort things take, so they really are not marketable to anyone but people who appreciate flameworking. I've also done a chess set, which was fun!

    Here is a link to a few of my pendants:
    http://slackadelic.deviantart.com/gallery/#/dgm5o0

    You can browse some of my photos there too. I'm not active on that site... my photography has taken a back seat as well :-/

    PS - no problem sending you a pendant or two for your Buckskinning, feel free to PM an addy.

    ~m

    Podcast Guest on Show #112
    Updegraff Group Realty4.746 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    0Reply
  • Timothy W.
    Attorney · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2008 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    16y
    Originally posted by Rich Weese:
    As Secretariat would have said if he could talk.




    STUD SERVICE.


    Rich I voted that up for being the first person on Bigger Pockets to put Secretariat into a sentence.
    0Reply
  • Timothy W.
    Attorney · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2008 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    16y

    Mark,
    I used to live in Boston and did some striper and cod fishing out of Plymouth and saw the tuna guys rig their boats. That tuna dude is nuts! I have heard stories of men in fighting chairs being ripped from a boat, chair and all and just disappearing into the deep. I have to admit I like the thought fo fighting a 200 lb. bluefin on a kayak....lol.

    Your work is beautiful and I appreciate the offer very much. I'll pm you later today and get your addy to send you some forged items.

    Tim

    0Reply
  • Mark UpdegraffBusiness Member
    OP
    Real Estate Broker · Rochester, NY · Member since 2010 · 1k+ posts · 706 votes
    16y
    Originally posted by Tim Wieneke:
    Originally posted by Rich Weese:
    As Secretariat would have said if he could talk.




    STUD SERVICE.


    Rich I voted that up for being the first person on Bigger Pockets to put Secretariat into a sentence.


    I had to Google define: Secretariat

    now I'm laughing!
    - an administrative unit responsible for maintaining records and other secretarial duties; especially for international organizations
    - thoroughbred that won the triple crown in 1973

    Podcast Guest on Show #112
    Updegraff Group Realty4.746 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    0Reply
  • Don Hines
    Investor · Little Rock, AR · Member since 2010 · 628 posts · 251 votes
    16y

    In my younger days, I was afflicted with racing cars. It didn't pay too well for me. But, I did get to race against some of the big names of the days. I didn't have the money to do it right back then. But, I had plenty of time to do it. Now the oposite is true. I miss racing more than cigarettes and snuff.
    These days I enjoy my musical freinds. We play guitars and sing at different functions or church services. I also love Crappie fishing. I have became such a good fisherman that my wife has calculated my cost per fish fry is down less than $1000.

    0Reply
  • Kevin Kaczmarek
    Real Estate Investor · Fishers, IN · Member since 2009 · 408 posts · 196 votes
    16y

    Working out, Playing Texas Hold-em and Watching Sports are all my hobbies, although somehow they all tie back to business or making money come to think of it. Oh well! Such the nerd I am!

    1Reply
  • Scott Karg
    Real Estate Investor · Jarrettsville, MD · Member since 2010 · 76 posts · 12 votes
    16y

    Boating! I live near the top of the Chesapeake bay, and there is a lifetime of exploring available here!

    0Reply
  • Alicia Holmquist
    Homeowner · Member since 2010 · 2 posts · 0 votes
    16y

    I love scrapbooking, cost me a pretty penny but doesn't pay me a thing.

    0Reply
  • Edwin Brown
    Real Estate Investor · Chattanooga, TN · Member since 2010 · 151 posts · 59 votes
    16y
    Originally posted by Ali Samana:
    Mark Great thread:

    1. Golf (I don't go too often, and I stink at the game)

    2. No Limit Hold'em. Typically I am up so this does pay me a little bit. Planning on playing in the main event in either 2011 or 2012.


    That's funny. That's exactly what I was going to write. Bad golf and poker aspirations. If only i could find a way to get paid doing that.
    1Reply
  • Mike McKinzie
    Investor · Westminster, CO · Member since 2009 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    16y

    As my picture shows, that is my BABY, 2003 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. That picture was taken on Imogene Trail at 13,114 feet. We also did Black Bear Trail that day. Black Bear is considered the KING of off roading in America. There are places if you miss the switchback, you will fall over 1,000 feet, what a rush. Off roading is probably my passion right now.

    I also enjoy hunting, mostly bird hunting. In my life, I have done some Sky Diving, Soloed an Airplane, am certified PADI SCUBA Diver, water skiied, snow skiied, and I love Cross Country Skiing, and much more. Indoor hobbies include Coin Collecting, Rock Tumbling and some computer gaming. I also love to read.

    Another outdoor activity I do a little of is Metal Detecting. I haven't made any finds that really make me money, maybe 20-30 dollars a year in loose clad change, but the occasional relic is fun to find.

    0Reply
  • Account Closed
    Landlord · Seattle, WA · Member since 2010 · 3k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    16y

    I enjoy hiking and camping though it has been awhile. As a kid I always enjoy blazing new trails. Lived close to an abandoned coal mine and ventured several miles inside. Not a good idea, but I didn't know any better at that age.

    I also love to draw and paint landscape scenes. I could never make any money at it because I am just to detail oriented. It's a great way to unwind and relax though.

    I also enjoy reading a wide variety of subjects.

    0Reply
  • Elisha Lowe
    Homeowner · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2010 · 123 posts · 66 votes
    16y

    Travel. I have always loved it. Gets me out of the humdrum of my daily life. Next personal trip Cabo San Lucas.

    0Reply
Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.
Log InJoin for Free