Spare Time Activities discussion

There is a lot of emphasis on what kinds of books authors tend to read, but I would like to see what people do in their spare time, if you have any!!!

Personally, I'm quite a busybody. Outside of work I tend to participate in a number of activities such as:

Monday night: Ninjutsu (Black Belt), one of my son's now trains with me too.
Tuesday night: Gym (Body Pump) It’s a class based exercise lasting 1 hour, using light weights with lots of repetitions.
Wednesday: Table tennis. I play table tennis in the local town leagues and also coach children in the sport. Both my sons also play.
Thursday: Gym (Bodypump) 1 Hour Class, followed by a 1 hour Circuit training class.
Friday: Table Tennis at a different club, but this time it includes all my family.
Saturday: House Chores and shopping with my wife.
Sunday: Gym (Body Pump) 1 Hour.

My wife also goes to the gym twice a week and participates in circuit training.

Also: My routine changes in the summer as we go to our caravan in the lakes. This is where I tend to find more time to relax, its prime time with my family and allows me lots of time to read and write.

I know I probably do a lot of physical activities, but for me, its sort of a way of life and has been since I joined the Royal Marines back in 1983. These years on, my motto is, I'd rather make friends in the gym than a bar!!

So, what do you do in your spare time.


Regards

Steven Preece
Author of
Amongst The Marines
And
Always A Marine

Hello there. I spend a lot of my spare time watching educational television and movies, reading, and writing. I enjoy documentaries about history and science. Recently I've completed a memoir of my thirty year career in Social Work - most of it as a psychotherapist.
I also enjoy photography - either taking pictures or enhancing them on the computer. Malcolm Watts

What the heck is SPARE time!?? I'm the mom of two college boys and run the household in addition to my writing career. There is very little spare time. But what teeny bit I can steal, I do a lot of business stuff like booksigning and talks at libraries etc.

I manage an occational lunch with friends.

Oh, and I'm taking my first trip to England, Steven! I'm going to the lake district in early April. Please keep it from raining while I'm there!

Lori

I spend a lot of my free time on folk music - I run a club, regularly attend another, and spend a couple of evenings a week jamming. I practise in between as well. Currently I sing, play bouzouki, viola and violin. I'm also studying druidry with the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, and I'm a volunteer for the Druid network. I run occaional druid rituals, walk, daydream... I'm seldom bored.

Lori: I'll book some good weather for around that time!!

Somebody once told me, if you want something doing give it to someone who's always busy!! I know this is true as although I find time for stuff outside of work, my feet don't touch the ground whilst I'm at work.

When I wrote my second book, a good number of people said to me: "Where do you find the time?"

To which I asked: ""Do you watch TV when you go home on an evening?"

"Yes" was the answer.

To which I said: "Whilst you're sat watching TV, I'm sat typing." "That's how I find the time."

I'm sure you'll all appreciate why I mean by that statement.

Best Regards

Steve

If I'm not reading--I'm usually:

Listening to music (all sorts--but mostly progressive rock and psychedelic rock)

On-line - posting at my blog or commmenting at friends' blogs, at the Maybe Logic Academy, Facebook, etc. etc.

Out walking with my wife around our village or down the local canal tow path. We've started going swimming once a week again (on Sundays).

I practice yoga three times a week as well--it definitely helps with stress.

I'd like to start practising guitar again and I will...just gotta dig it out of the cupboard. My sitar is still in Conn., waiting to be shipped over--once it does, I'll be going over the scales and building up the ol' callouses.

Hey Bryn: I like your interests. I've got some books about the Druids. I've only read one so far--but the others are definitely on my "to read" list.

Hmmm, Spare time - what a novel thought!
Currently I am not quite grasping this concept, as it seems that there are not enough hours in each day.
As a nutritionist with over 60 personal clients throughout the US, I spend alot of time on the telephone with them at different times to fine-tune their routine or counsel them through a transition.
As a counselor, there again, I spend alot of time on phone and email correspondences discussing changes, transitions and cyclic effects.
As a new author, I try to publish several articles weekly to keep my name in the mainstream searchengines.
As a hobby photographer, I use this for grounding and connecting to the beauty of nature, something I can not forget, as it is my muse and inspiration to HOPE.
As a wife, every Wednesday is scheduled as a 'date day' to spend quality time with my husband. As a grandmother this day is also a scheduled phone appointment with my granddaughter. Of course, the normal routine of cooking dinner, laundry and housecleaning is somehow fit into the daily grind.
Music is consistently playing in our home.
On 'spare time' occasions we do rent the occasional DVD's, mostly documentaries, comedy and drama. Date days are new movie releases at the theatre about once a month.
I have had no spare time to read fiction, just research and self-help non-fiction material for my own and clientele's benefit.
Did that answer your question Steven?

TK: It certainly did. And I thought I had a full calendar.....

Cheers

Steve

Steven,

That's perfect that you'll order up some good weather. I like the sun a lot!

As for asking a busy person, I think that's very true. When I was a nurse (13 yrs) everything got done when I was busy, if it was a very slow shift, sometimes you'd forget to give someone their vitamin!

By the way, I was a nurse in the US Air Force.

Lori

That's cool Lori. I occasionally visited a US Airforce Base in Ruislip in North London back in the late 1980's when I was based at the NATO Allied Command Channel in Northwood. I was part of the Royal Marine Fleet Security Detachment there.

I went back there for a visit a number of years ago. Copious amounts of beer were consumed that night and undoubtedly there were plenty of stories to tell for some time after!!

Of course, I wrote about them.

Cheers

Steve

I find not having a television is a huge advantage! They eat time and they don't give much back.

And when I was in the Air Force, we had some pilots from the UK temporarily at our base. Copious amounts of beer were consumed on this end of the pond too!


I just handed in a proposal to my agent about three Air Force nurses. Write what you know!

Lori

Lori,
those days were undoubtedly great days.

Work hard, train hard and most importantly play hard and live life to the full!!

Anyway:
I recall being in a military hospital once where the guy in the next bed was given some bad news by the doctor.

The Doctor said: "Mr Smith. I have some good news and some bad news for you." "Which would you like first?"

"I'd like the bad news first please." Mr Smith responded.

"Well." Said the doctor. "We've unfortunately made a mistake and amputated the wrong leg." "And therefore we'll now have to amputate the other."

"On no." Sighed Mr Smith, feeling somewhat flabbergasted. "What's the good news?"

The Doctor smiled at him and said: "The guy in the next bed wants to buy your slippers!!!"

Cheers

Steve

i work hard and play hard ..... i love diving thats my passion and i love motorcycles but getting a bit old and feel the cold more ... i watch a lot of movies and read books in bed ... and i really enjoy a vodka redbull :)

Diane,
during the journey in my life recorded in my second book I entered the world of the Ninja. You may now know that these years on I am a Ninja too.

Through them, I learn't that age is a figment of the imagination in that as long as your're fit and healthy you're still young. And as long as you don't start telling yourself you're old you won't be.

When you're 15 years old 20 looks old.
But when you reach 20 years old its not.
When you're 25 years old 30 looks old.
But when you reach 30 years old its not.
etc etc etc

This happens all the way through life. I recall a guy whom I spoke to when I was 27 and reminded him of something we did a few years before. His answer was, "I couldn't possibly do that now, that was when I was younger." Therefore, in his mind he had already told himself he was old and in the years that followed he seemed to continue on this path.

Some of the ninjas I train with are in their late 50's and mid 60's and they're still red hot with their ability and training. This shows there's logic in what I have stated.

As for the tipple....., well, its nice to let your hair down from time to time. Its a great way to relax.

All the very best

Steve

My spare time keep fit activities have taken a hit recently following an injury. Consequently I've been out of the Gym and Dojo for two weeks. During this time I felt very low as I also caught a bout of flu. However, two weeks on my energy levels are at bursting point again and I'm back in the Gym and Dojo and looking forward to the Caravan Season in the coming weeks so that I can start writing again.

I suppose it good to change your routine every so often as it stops you getting into a rut. However, with me, everything I do is full on, so I guess when a gasket blows I stop to repair it and then start moving forward again.

Yippeeee.

Cheers

Steve

Winter has nearly gone here in the UK so it'll soon be time to start visiting the caravan in the country and to get my laptop out again. I'm quite keen to complete a novel I've been working on for my two children and also to complete another military based novel that I have written but need to add more description to.

What about you guys? Are you working on a project at the moment or preparing to start one?

Cheers

Steve

I'm not sure how to post a message but at least I can post a comment!
In what little spare time I have I enjoy taking long walks, reading, writing, backpacking (when time permits) camping, hunting, making things out of paracord, hanging out with friends, watching an occasional movie, drinking an occasional beer (think Guinness), smoking an occasional cigar (G+V or better), or savoring a good wedge of cheese. I like learning new things, whether it be how to operate a certain type of machinery, a new way of braiding cord, how to field-strip my guns, how better to hone my knives, which plants are useful for whatever purposes, or any of a myriad of useful little techniques that certain people in my life show me.

Of course, most of the time I'm sitting in lectures or writing term papers. But these are, as the saying goes, a few of my favorite things...
PMZ

I don't seem to be writing much at the moment - possibly because its the easter holidays and i ahve a small boy to occupy! I've started busing again, which is fun.

sorry, should have read 'busking' - sleep and caffeine deprived and can't type!

I just realised last time I posted was a year ago. Once again its easter, the small person is on holiday, I'm still busking occasionally! Spent much of last week going for long walks, and all of yesterday afternoon reading a Shakespeare play with friends.