Real life hobbies and jobs

[MJIthewriter]

Since we have a varied community of people with different interests and abilities, I thought it would be neat to start a topic where we can talk about what things we do away from medhelp.

I'll start off with a few of my hobbies:

Growing African violets: I have somewhere over 100. Most of them are small/medium sized. Over 50 are hybrids I started from scratch that is from pollination.  Between 20-25 have bloomed.  Some of the rejects I plan to donate to my grandma's church to sell to help with their funds for their building and their missions. In a way by donating some plants I help the church be able to feed and shelter homeless people.

Writing:  I write off and on about insect folk. They deal with human like problems as well as the main plot. There are different themes that show up in the series. Some of the themes have to do with history, wars, racism, and a variety of other things.  Things happen, for the better or worse of the characters, but the situations help shape the characters to who they are and shape the main plot. I have some of my characters shown in my photos, but they are set for friends only.

Drawing/painting:  I draw and paint my characters or other things that come to mind.

Photography: I love taking photos of flowers, plants, insects, nature and animals.  You can see those in my photos.

Hobby wise I sort of rotate my time spent on each. If I'm busy photographing then I'm not writing or drawing. If I'm drawing, then I'm not writing and so on.
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Work:  I work in the e-commerce part of our Goodwill/Easter Seals building. It's a work-study program so it's not an actual job, but I get paid for it.  Some of the things I do is sort through jewelry, price items, and take photos of the products they put on shopgoodwill and eBay.

[jenmom]

Gardening: I start gathering the seeds I want to start in February, put my little greenhouse up in my dining room and start the early plants in March. I grow lots of vegis and herbs that I then can, freeze, or dry. I also start a few annuals for my flower beds. This hobby keeps me the bussiest. After the last vegi is processed and the gardens are all cleaned out and put the bed for winter, I feel like I take a little vacation till spring, but I love doing it.

Crochet: I started by knitting and moved onto crochet because it's easier. I've finished several projects and have quite a few more I can pick up and work on if I want to. It's my winter hobby.

Scrapbooking: I've put together scrapbooks since I was a kid. I like taking photos and saving memories this way. My family is the main focus of my books now.

My Job: I don't really have a formal job. My husband "runs" his own plumbing company and I take care of everything else except the actually plumbing (unless he needs an extra hand and is caught up short, then I fill in there too as dumb labor). It only takes me few hours a week usually. I guess I could also say I'm an unprofessional seamstress as I have been asked to do some simple sewing projects and alterations and actually been paid for it.

[kiddthekatt]

I collect teddy bears (mostly Boyds and I have a nive collection of Steiff) I have over 2500 teddy bear figurines and stuffed teddys.  I quilt and I love to restore vintage and antique quilts.
   I write non-fiction and have been very fortunate to have sold quite a bit of my work. I'm retired, after working 25 years at our local newspaper( beat reporter). I also collect vintage doillies and lace table covers. I love to spend time with my husband and grandson

[HelpinUtah]

I work as a collections manager for a large dental company here in Utah.  We have 9 offices altogether.  Unfortunately, we have to take our patients to court who refuse to pay and we do that in small claims and so I go and represent the company.  I also help train new managers, assist our corporate office with the way some of our insurances work here. I assist the offices to get their receivables down.  It's actually quite a nice job. I try to look at it as helping people.  I'm not a grouch with people - I know what it's lke being down on your luck.  So, I treat everyone with respect.

My hobbies include, crafts (especially making homemade cards), reading, walking, watching movies with my hubby, spending time with friends and family.

[ILADVOCATE]

Poetry and other writing. Reading both fiction and non fiction. Attending jazz concerts. Composing music on my synthesizer. Doing collage work (posted some on my journals). Since I am homebound I do some minor telecommuting doing internet research for income. The advocacy I do as a volunteer takes up the bulk of my time and interest though.

[MJIthewriter]

Up for sharing some good ghost stories? I'd be interested in hearing some.  Some time you need to ride to Milwaukee. At least one time they had a big Harley event and they all went to the State Fair. It was quite a noisy time. Being sensitive to loud noise, you can imagine I kind of stayed in the house a bit or covered my ears.  It was funny to see the non-Harleys.  You can spot them parked almost a mile away because they'd be in isolated spots in the parking lot. No one wanted to park near them. I went to a Harley plant as a field trip once. That was kind of neat. It think the place helped build engines.


TrudieC, I dabbed into stained glass for a couple projects. It was quite fun. I made a lamp once. It was supposed to be a flower, but it sort of looks wilted. It works though and it looks pretty lit in the dark. Some time I'd like to go back into it if I had the space. Sounds like a neat job. My dad used to do computer related stuff.

Cherie762 soon collecting sounds pretty neat. Do you collect those tiny tourist ones or old fancy ones?  At Goodwill we get a number of sets and it's neat to see some of the older ones that have flower designs and stuff.

[Cherie762]

of course since Im recovering from surgery im not working but Im a cna and worked in post acute trauma, loved it.Want to go back  but giving myself more time,

I love my laptop, this website, i play MahJong, like to listen to music, read, cook, shop, play games with my kids, love to go for walks with my dog. i collect spoons have alot from many different places everyone I know buys me one when ever they go somewhere,I like to garden , and we go camping, I like target shooting Ive got the best aim in my family, and they are all men who hunt LOL

[Quinns momma]

One of my passions is Harley riding. I love the freedom to be out on the open road... It is very peaceful.
Also I would much rather read a good book than watch TV. :)
I also love to sell things on E-bay and study up on paranormal as my house is truly haunted and has been documented....   Creepy!!

Work... I am a certified fraud examier and medical coder. I work from home full time audting medical claims for improper coding.

[TrudieC]

My passion is food.  I collect cookbooks (and bookshelves to store them on), read food magazines, search for recipes on the net, shop in gourmet shops, take gourmet cooking classes and cook every opportunity I can get.  My husband and I are losing weight so I am applying all my cooking talents to cooking healthy and tasty foods for us.  I have eliminated processed foods from our diet and need to cook gluten free for my husband.  

Other hobbies are reading (books, mags, newspapers, internet), stained glass (haven't done any for a couple of years but now that I have broken my TV habit I will get back into some projects) and scrapbooking.

My current job is in sales of ERP software (software to help large companies run their accounting, inventory, service, projects, manufacturing and distributrion).  The company I work for has 5 owners, with 4 of them being people who have worked for me in my previous jobs.  I used to be VP of one company, was president of another software company that I brought into Canada, and had my own software distribution company for a while until my con-man business partner brought it down.  I specialize in start ups and love the challenge of building a business and team.  The software I sell is an Australian product and I get to work from home when I am not travelling to present our solution across North America.  Most of my prospects are here in Ontario Canada but I do travel across Canada and the US (and sometimes the Carribean).  I am pretty much on my computer 80% of my waking hours either with work, MedHelp, or fooling around on the internet.

[MJIthewriter]

I like picking up colorful pebbles.  I took a break today to pick up little agates on the ground by the alley.  Later I put orange ones in one jar and red ones in another jar.  I like holding them up to the light.  I'm a sucker for any quartz like rocks, anything that light shines through.

[margypops]

I also love rock hunting ,my Mom was the same and also at the beach, head dow'n looking for wonderful tactile stones and shells, very satisfying ,I am the only one now to do this as my mom passed on,Children have also always facinated me ,my own, now grown, and other peoples,, I love talking to them and simply listening to them, all ages, I walk in their shoes and sometimes I find it hard as so many children need help .I do believe the very easiest thing and the very best thing is for parents to listen and talk to their children, from day 1, the smallest Baby will be soothed by music and the quiet sound of a Parents voice .Animals are almost as dear to me and a lot of time I cannot watch TV as they throw at you some awful thing someone has done to a faithful dog, I love the lizards and the wild critters that come into my yard.PC and reading Hey thats it.

[jollyman069]

listening to music and going to concerts is a true love of mine and playuing poker is a close second, but above all is my kids and grandkids

[crecco]

  Rock Hunting: About 6 years ago, after listening to friends boast about the arrowheads they had found, I decided that I wanted to find one. After walking for 2 days in fields all over, I finally found my first one. Then I was hooked. I have since found it to be one of the most peaceful things I have ever done. I find a field in the middle of no where, no roads or houses visible and lose myself. (Oh by the way, I have since massed a very impressive collection of arrowheads and other indian artifacts)

  Reading: I have always enjoyed reading. After being dx with ovarian cancer 3 years ago, I have found that I do not have the energy I used to have. So now I enjoy my books even more than ever.

  My computer: In the last 3 years I have come a long way in my computer skills. I still consider myself somewhat of a computer illiterate, but I am learning, slowly but surely. Through message boards and forums, I have found some amazing friends. And by just surfing through the internet, I have found the vast amount of knowledge out there.

  Crafting: I enjoy making different crafty things. There is a great pleasure in seeing things that you made with your own two hands and a little ingenuity.

  Puzzels: I am also a jigsaw puzzel freak and esp enjoy puzzels by Josephine Walls.


  My job: I don't have one! But that is not all as good as it may sound. After my cancer dx, I was unable to work, so basically I do not do much of anything. The hobbies are good to a point but no matter how much I enjoy them, they still get boring after awhile. (Other than my computer, I guess that is why I spend so much time on it)
I recently decided that it is time for me to get a life again. After finding myself at home one Sat night, I was appalled to realize that I was watching a Hannah Montana concert on the Disney channel, and didn't even have my grandkids. I am now trying to get out and find things to do to help keep myself busy.