what's your hobby or profession?

[Trinity]

Wondering what people are into on the board now that we have more folk showing up.

I'm into music, Christianity, recovery, theater, racing, as in me doing it with a car, horsepower, football, joyrides with the top off (no not mine silly they'd arrest me), and night time candles and insence and mood lighting and tv and stuff.

Professionally I have my own business which has tanked, its one where I work from home, am out as trans to my main employer, and I can keep to myself without any problems.

Its a great life.  I live in FL and am a semi retired triple threat actor and mime and work construction for my survival.

So, lots of fun stuff that's like, I started actually living right around when I transitioned, midlife crisis was a bitch lol.

But cuirous what folk are into, I know there are some pro musicians on here, and all kinds of talent, just wondering what turns folk on.

Good day today and I am loving being alive right now.

Too much about me, just trying to get the convo started here

And yeah, I stayed married and didn't off myself, screw the trans narrative.

Hugs

[Iona]

Hey, I post so little i might as well answer this one too (thanks for starting a whole lot of conversations, trinity!)

I did office work for the best part of 20 years when I was living in London, which was rather soul destroying. But for the last couple of years since being in canada, I've been working in a garden centre/nursery. Which I find far more fulfilling - if often exhausting.

And I also grow my own vegetables at home, when the weather obliges. Otherwise, well, I'm trying to write. Let you know how that goes...

[nyx]

Already wrote something in my instruction but if you are interested, I'll tell you more.

Profession-wise:
after school, I first began to study philosophy at university. But because I come from a poor family and wasn't fast enough at studying, I didn't have the money to finish it. Spent one year unemployed searching for a suitable job training - that said, you must know that in germany you are nothing without a licensed job training or university degree so your future depends on getting qualified or else you'll be poor (either working hard and still poor or unemployed) forever. At the time, I didn't have the german citizenship yet - because when I was born, we still had a law that made your citizenship the one of your parents even if you are born in germany. My parents are both children from US soldiers that were stationed in germany during the cold war so they are american although they've grown up here which made me american, too. I was born and raised here but on the paper, I was a migrant which makes it hard to find a good job because, well people are stupid and full of prejudice which won't become better if you're a university dropout. So all I found was a job training at a supermarket which was quite hard. I have always been unathletic and overweight because I used to be ill all the time during childhood so it was especially hard on me. But the training got me the chance to get the german citizenship (you only get it when employed and still have to pay money for it) which was the only good thing there was to it. My superior treated me like shit and after a year, I had a mental breakdown and quit. So I was unemployed again but at least german now. Another year passed in which I was close to another suicide plan (but didn't do it!) until I found the place I am in now. Funnily, it is the public employment office where I started my academic studies to become an employment officer. I am really good at it and I think it is partly because of my own experiences with being at the bottom of society. This year, I will finish my academic degree as the first afab person in my birthline. My salary will be more than that of the average german which fills me with some kind of grim satisfaction - not because I want others to have less than me, it's because I feel like I have in a way outlucked the system. I hope that one day there will be more diverse people working in this office who really care about the poor and do a good job for the sake of social justice, but me being here feels like a little step in the right direction. Of course there are many coworkers who are already doing a good job, but I think there is still space for improvement. I will try my best to be part of that.

Hobby-wise:
I draw. People told me I should become an artist, but I never wanted to be one of these extravagant people who make their whole life about expressing themselves (I know you don't have to be like this to be an artist, and even if you are like this it isn't a bad thing, but somehow this was my imagination of studying art at university when I was younger) - I just wanted to be me. So I considered myself an antiprofessional artist who is proud to be not a pro. Sounds stupid, doesn't it? But well I like it that way. Sometimes people catch me drawing and are impressed by my skills (which aren't really high level but to those who aren't into it seem to be quite good) and I keep telling them I'm just doing it for fun. At the moment, I'm kinda shy about it so I won't show anything here, but maybe I will when I feel more confident... 
I like listening to music, especially the loud kinds with guitar, bass and drums but it is quite mixed. My parents are both talented rock musicians but never had a big breakthrough so they couldn't make a living of it. I didn't inherit any of their musical talent however. But I like musik. 
I like books. Especially fantasy novels (as many of my generation, I grew up with Harry Potter and stuff) but also some classic stuff. Big fan of Franz Kafka. Mangas are cool as well but I am very picky, don't like all of the mainstream stuff.
I also love movies and anime, my all-time favourites being the works of Hayao Miyazaki! I watched all of them and can't really pick a favourite, the castle in the sky, nausicaa of the valley of the winds and princess mononoke would be on the higher ranks if I had to choose.


another big thing in my life which is neither job nor hobby is my drive to fight for non-human animals. I am an activist although not much on the streets these days. The cats I live with are all rescues and I am planning to take care of more rescued animals by the time I can buy a house of my own. Thought about discarded laying hens, but need an own garden first.   I think if we would all be kinder to our non-human siblings, the world would be a much better place to be. But of course we must be kind to our human siblings, too! My agenda is the total liberation of all sentient beings, human and non-human, even if some of you think this is impossible - it isn't, I am convinced of it and will rather die trying than give up on this. If you read this and don't agree with me, it's ok but I'd love you to try to understand that this is about freedom, not about calling out others.

So much for now, best wishes to all of you! -Nyx

[Droomvlucht]

Jan 24, 2021 19:55:20 GMT 8 nyx said:

another big thing in my life which is neither job nor hobby is my drive to fight for non-human animals. I am an activist although not much on the streets these days. The cats I live with are all rescues and I am planning to take care of more rescued animals by the time I can buy a house of my own. Thought about discarded laying hens, but need an own garden first.   I think if we would all be kinder to our non-human siblings, the world would be a much better place to be. But of course we must be kind to our human siblings, too! My agenda is the total liberation of all sentient beings, human and non-human, even if some of you think this is impossible - it isn't, I am convinced of it and will rather die trying than give up on this. If you read this and don't agree with me, it's ok but I'd love you to try to understand that this is about freedom, not about calling out others.

I was going to ask what you meant with non-human animals but then I realised you surely mean with this that humans are animals too? I recently read a book about it: Dierentalen by Eva Meijer. But I don't think it's translated, unfortunately. 

I love your nickname by the way even if I probably pronounce it wrong and have totally different associations with it than you. 

[nyx]

Feb 3, 2021 18:14:50 GMT 8 Droomvlucht said:

I was going to ask what you meant with non-human animals but then I realised you surely mean with this that humans are animals too? I recently read a book about it: Dierentalen by Eva Meijer. But I don't think it's translated, unfortunately. 

I love your nickname by the way even if I probably pronounce it wrong and have totally different associations with it than you. 

Yep that's what I meant. Just trying to see each sentient being as equal. Humans might be considered smarter but I prefer to think they are just different and who should be the one to judge. Maybe getting a bit theoretical here, but this is my way to think about stuff... ^^'

Thank you, I actually chose the nickname because it sounds cool to me... I pronounce it very.. german-like? Like the y as ü But I have no idea how other languages would pronounce it.

[Droomvlucht]

Feb 3, 2021 18:25:30 GMT 8 nyx said:

Feb 3, 2021 18:14:50 GMT 8 Droomvlucht said:

I was going to ask what you meant with non-human animals but then I realised you surely mean with this that humans are animals too? I recently read a book about it: Dierentalen by Eva Meijer. But I don't think it's translated, unfortunately. 

I love your nickname by the way even if I probably pronounce it wrong and have totally different associations with it than you. 

Yep that's what I meant. Just trying to see each sentient being as equal. Humans might be considered smarter but I prefer to think they are just different and who should be the one to judge. Maybe getting a bit theoretical here, but this is my way to think about stuff... ^^'

Thank you, I actually chose the nickname because it sounds cool to me... I pronounce it very.. german-like? Like the y as ü But I have no idea how other languages would pronounce it.

Everyone who read that book would have the same opinion. It's really amazing how some animals can communicate with each other or feel stuff, elephants and dolphins for example.

I'd pronouce it with the i, so I get niks, which means nothing in Dutch

Anyways, my hobbies are reading, foruming, play with the children and doing jigsaw puzzles. Good lockdown hobbies I must say. And I'm interested in birds and languages.

[Ativan Prescribed]

Horses are probably the most tuned to people animals out there, if you are into horses, they are into you and even when you aren't, they can be more than you might realize at the time.
I learned how to gentle horses as a way of providing recue for the ones that nobody wanted, a lot of them turned out to be trained for riders and in the process of gentling them into good behavior again, they turned out to be excellent kids 1st horses.
Most of them stayed with the kids for their entire lives and some are very much still in possession of each other, horses adopt people, they become as attached as any family member would.
That said, if you have doubts about animals being sentient, horses are a step up from what most people think of as just animals who's behavior is based on survival, once you recognise just how sentient animals are, the effect is that we are much less than we think we are.
One of the things we used to do is take miniature horse to places for those with mental disabilities, and the effect was amazing, to the point of one person who never spoke at all other than just rudimentary stuff, just changed like almost overnight, a few times with one horse and she was talking like normal, happy and couldn't wait to see 'her horse' again, they also went to visit the kids in children's hospitals, and the horses took the time to stop and visit with each of the kids, there was no reward system for the horses, often the kids weren't allowed to touch them for health reasons.
But you could hear the chatter of the kids behind us and the hospital staff just loved having these little horses strolling through the halls, little booties on their feet and not once did they poop or pee while in the hospital, they knew, they are aware and not just some animal, they care.
But the same holds true for all the farm animals, because it was a rescue operation, the list of different types is long, and if you work with them, they work with you and that is all there is to the reward system, food is never used as a reward, its a basic thing, its in taking your time to know them that is your reward and theirs is in knowing you, yes animals are very sentient and when it comes to peoples amazement that ones like dolphins seem to be tied into the human psyche, they are at least and if not more aware of you that you are of them, makes me wonder if they see humans as this oddly sentient animal and don't really think we are as capable as we can be, the cruelty of people towards animals is why they fear us and stay away, but from my baby squirrel who loved to watch TV with me and always came when I called, from the highest branches of his tree, he would come leaping down and land on my shoulder like a feather, to 1600 lb horses that others wanted to put down because they were in their opinion just a killer horse, who given just the first inklings that trust in them was trust from them as well to becoming in some cases horses that took blue ribbons in the shows, yse they very much are sentient and just like people respond to the love shared with them, they share theirs as well.
I have had many different kinds of animals to take care of most of my life, and the scariest and meanest of all the animals is by far humans, myself included for the life I have lived, animals don't use weapons to subdue the world that is theirs, only humans use weapons capable of mass destruction, how sentient is that? Maybe to other humans, but not to the rest of the living things on this earth, and sure its survival and some animals eat other animals, but consider what we treat them like in meat factories.
Given a chance to show how sentient they are, they will, but it takes stopping that fear they have in them when it comes to humans, of all the animals on the planet, humans are the only ones who the rest fear all the time, just because your pet puts up with you doesn't meant it doesn't fear your retributions., just like other humans have a built in distrust for other humans, there is a reason for this.

[Ativan Prescribed]

I custom build guitars for something to do, from a premade body that is just wood, to stripping down old ones and making something better, there is a never ending supply of different things you can do with them.
Working on a Fender telecaster type right now, redoing the craptastic finish it came with to carefully reshaping the contours to make it kinda melt against your body in comfort, to thinking about the extras its going to get and how good I can make it play and sound.
Just a thing I decided to do and like most things, you get out of it what you put into it.

[nyx]

Feb 5, 2021 10:18:34 GMT 8 Ativan Prescribed said:

Horses are probably the most tuned to people animals out there, if you are into horses, they are into you and even when you aren't, they can be more than you might realize at the time.
I learned how to gentle horses as a way of providing recue for the ones that nobody wanted, a lot of them turned out to be trained for riders and in the process of gentling them into good behavior again, they turned out to be excellent kids 1st horses.
Most of them stayed with the kids for their entire lives and some are very much still in possession of each other, horses adopt people, they become as attached as any family member would.
That said, if you have doubts about animals being sentient, horses are a step up from what most people think of as just animals who's behavior is based on survival, once you recognise just how sentient animals are, the effect is that we are much less than we think we are.
One of the things we used to do is take miniature horse to places for those with mental disabilities, and the effect was amazing, to the point of one person who never spoke at all other than just rudimentary stuff, just changed like almost overnight, a few times with one horse and she was talking like normal, happy and couldn't wait to see 'her horse' again, they also went to visit the kids in children's hospitals, and the horses took the time to stop and visit with each of the kids, there was no reward system for the horses, often the kids weren't allowed to touch them for health reasons.
But you could hear the chatter of the kids behind us and the hospital staff just loved having these little horses strolling through the halls, little booties on their feet and not once did they poop or pee while in the hospital, they knew, they are aware and not just some animal, they care.
But the same holds true for all the farm animals, because it was a rescue operation, the list of different types is long, and if you work with them, they work with you and that is all there is to the reward system, food is never used as a reward, its a basic thing, its in taking your time to know them that is your reward and theirs is in knowing you, yes animals are very sentient and when it comes to peoples amazement that ones like dolphins seem to be tied into the human psyche, they are at least and if not more aware of you that you are of them, makes me wonder if they see humans as this oddly sentient animal and don't really think we are as capable as we can be, the cruelty of people towards animals is why they fear us and stay away, but from my baby squirrel who loved to watch TV with me and always came when I called, from the highest branches of his tree, he would come leaping down and land on my shoulder like a feather, to 1600 lb horses that others wanted to put down because they were in their opinion just a killer horse, who given just the first inklings that trust in them was trust from them as well to becoming in some cases horses that took blue ribbons in the shows, yse they very much are sentient and just like people respond to the love shared with them, they share theirs as well.
I have had many different kinds of animals to take care of most of my life, and the scariest and meanest of all the animals is by far humans, myself included for the life I have lived, animals don't use weapons to subdue the world that is theirs, only humans use weapons capable of mass destruction, how sentient is that? Maybe to other humans, but not to the rest of the living things on this earth, and sure its survival and some animals eat other animals, but consider what we treat them like in meat factories.
Given a chance to show how sentient they are, they will, but it takes stopping that fear they have in them when it comes to humans, of all the animals on the planet, humans are the only ones who the rest fear all the time, just because your pet puts up with you doesn't meant it doesn't fear your retributions., just like other humans have a built in distrust for other humans, there is a reason for this.

Awesome stuff.
Horses are such impressive creatures, it always makes me smile when I see them. When I grew up, it was a thing here that girls were horse-maniacs. Most of the girls I knew from school had their own horse and everything in their lifes was about them. Back then, I didn't like it because I was too poor to have such an expensive hobby and also didn't like girly girl stuff, it just made me want to be a boy. But I like all kinds of animals and as you described, horses have something special about them, they have a positive effect on humans I think. I just prefer looking at them or giving them a snack, riding is not for me.
Rescued animals are so great. It is awesome to see how they manage to recover and find trust in the ones that are kind to them. I don't believe there is anything evil inside them. When aggressive, it is a result of bad things that were done to them by humans...

[Droomvlucht]

Feb 5, 2021 10:52:16 GMT 8 Ativan Prescribed said:

I custom build guitars for something to do, from a premade body that is just wood, to stripping down old ones and making something better, there is a never ending supply of different things you can do with them.
Working on a Fender telecaster type right now, redoing the craptastic finish it came with to carefully reshaping the contours to make it kinda melt against your body in comfort, to thinking about the extras its going to get and how good I can make it play and sound.
Just a thing I decided to do and like most things, you get out of it what you put into it.

Wow that's so cool, building guitars!

[Ativan Prescribed]

Horses are used for therapy more than any other animal, they are used in prisons to help inmates adjust to life, they are used for mental disorders of all kinds, they are more of a go to animal than any other, you just don't see them being used that way very often, there is a bond that is more natural between humans and horse than there is between humans and cats and dogs, there is a much bigger level of respect between people and horses.

[charley83]

Hello my people! I'm stangely awake at 0630 and not sure I like it. I have been preoccupied with life and kinda lurking lately so figured I would chime in on this one.
1st off my profession right now is "stay at home parent". I have always worked in the medical/first responder field since I was a teen. I started at 16 being a firefighter and then trained to be an EMT by time I was 21. The after my first child was born I switched to a less stressfully and safer job as a nursing assistant. (Sadly a professional butt wiper made more than a firefighter) after 10+ years I decided to become a registered nurse. At the time I graduated and got my license to practice my oldest child started having mental health/behavioral issue (he had issues since he was 2-3 but puberty made things worse). So like any good parent I took a leave from all work and focused on my children while 'the husband' worked. Now 5 years later I am living with my best friend and her family with my 3 kids because 'the husband' decided that drugs were more important than the family. I am still a Nurse but not really actively working. Between my oldest son who is autistic and her youngest who has a condition called FPIES I am constantly "working".

Hobbywise I am all over the place. I read, draw, sew, crochet, knitt, torture kids.... You know all the weird grandma crafts. But I don't care. I fell in love with them when I was younger and never looked back. I am an instant gratification person so I mainly work on smaller projects.
Pretty much what I do. Reading takes up most of my free time. I do it for pleasure as an escape from the real world but I also make money on the side by reading and copyediting and also just giving honest reviews.

[koiandras]

I work as an administrator at a university to pay the bills and teach English as a foreign language in my spare time. I also study foreign languages and I'm currently taking German lessons to try and get that one up to fluency. I speak French, German and Italian to upper intermediate level, and I speak Spanish, Swedish and Hindi at beginner level. I've also dabbled in Welsh and Mandarin. I'm planning to learn Old English and Old Norse in the New Year and I've got a list of over a dozen more to explore at some point.

Other than languages, I enjoy reading, movies/TV, theatre, music, yoga and writing. I enjoy reading fiction, history, philosophy and popular science mainly.

[danishcouple]

Ham, amateur radio

cycling

Hiking

geo catching

Motorcycle riding ( Bmw r 1250 r )

[Ativan Prescribed]

Besides still making guitars (that last one was a long one, mostly because covid had me down) and am on to a new one that is a late 60's hollowbody that is getting the full treatment, I watch informative videos like this one: