Since We're All Old Now...
 

What "adult" things have you taken a fascination in? Activities, projects, endeavors, etc.

I found a fondness for simple but effective landscaping around my house. I hated it as a kid but as an adult, I take great pleasure in subtly having the nicest yard in my neighborhood. It's one of those things that you HATE doing but once it's done, you feel incredibly accomplished.

The other thing I've gone down the rabbit hole in is house plants. Lots and lots of house plants. I especially like making non-houseplant plants into houseplants. If it ONLY grows outdoors, I take that offensively and will aggressively prove that I can grow something indoors exclusively.

Can you tell I like plants?


What about you guys, what keeps you busy in your free time nowadays?

Re: Since We're All Old Now...
 

sewing, crafting.

I just made a card for my friend's new baby and it made me feel so old! Like they are celebrating this pregnancy because everyone involved is old enough and fully capable of taking care of a baby.... feels old man

Re: Since We're All Old Now...
 

My schedule is very busy since I currently work full time (recently completed one project and still supporting another) and attend university part time. The combined amount of time spent on work and classes totals around ~30-40 hours/week of actual work (primarily developing coding, reading academic papers, studying maths). Seems like quite a lot, but fortunately I really enjoy the work and I continue to look for more challenging things to do haha.

The rest of my time is spent playing this game and stepping files to de-stress, connecting with close friends and family through phone calls and go out (with proper social distancing protocols), and continuing to learn how to cook. I have a grocery store directly underneath my new apartment, which makes grocery shopping extremely convenient for me. Recently, I've been thinking about picking up the violin again to relive my old high school years, but I'm not sure yet. I also definitely need to step outside of the apartment more so that I can get some fresh air.

Re: Since We're All Old Now...
 

drinking :)

Re: Since We're All Old Now...
 

Oh man I know exactly what you mean. I make professional diaper cakes as a side hustle.... and the weirdest part is it's extremely fun to do. Being an adult is weird.. Haven't done it for a year or so but here's one of my pride and joy projects.

Re: Since We're All Old Now...
 

You definitely have enough going on to keep you busy, dang. I fully support the violin idea. That's one thing I wished I had a better ability at, playing a musical instrument.

It's been 10 years but I'm starting to enjoy a beer or two again here and there. Starting easy with some Bud Light Platinums before I try hitting the IPA's again.

Re: Since We're All Old Now...
 

since i'm an adult now i take finance very seriously
instead of buying stupid shit i'm thinking more about if i really need something or not

Re: Since We're All Old Now...
 

I'm fighting being almost 30 by continuing to do the shit I did when I was younger:

- Playing on multiple competitive kickball teams
- Playing video games online with a group of close friends
- Getting actively involved in film/shows that I love
- Working out a lot

But have added things like:

- Dinners with the in-laws
- Watching trash reality TV that I've actually come to enjoy due to my wife
- Talking actively with liquor store owners to find optimal drinks (mezcal, bourbon, tequila, etc.) to be able to drink on the rocks but also still experiment with some mixology

Re: Since We're All Old Now...
 

based

Re: Since We're All Old Now...
 

I'm definitely better about it myself but I still have impulse buying problems on occasion. I've never missed payments or bills but man have I had months where I put myself into some serious financial depression.


Man you and I both on keeping up with our youth. I refuse to give up my dirt bikes and video games. Both offer me a haven from reality that I've visited since my childhood and I don't think I'll ever give them up.

I had my fun with liquor in my youth and even now I'm just not capable of finding excitement in it yet. Having almost gone to jail because my brothers and I sacked a town (sorry to the folks in Hardin, Montana) while smoked on 6 beers and 12 double stack Jagerbombs. That experience, while one of my favorite memories of being with my brothers, it was the point I said no more to liquor. They probably still remember us there, 9 years later....

Re: Since We're All Old Now...
 

Yes! House plants. My partner keeps complaining that we're "running out of room".

Also, growing up - my mum was always an exceptional gardener, and I used to kill everything I tried to grow. Suddenly I've become my mum, and can grow all the things. It's sooo satisfying being able to pick vegetables/fruit/herbs that you've grown.

Otherwise I still have all the same hobbies. Playing lots of instruments (guitar, violin, drums, piano, uke, harp), took some cello lessons for about a year, my next endeavour will probably be trumpet/sax.

Not much has changed! I just feel like the household chores become more of a nuisance when you move out of home.

Re: Since We're All Old Now...
 

I spend a lot of time memorizing song lyrics.

Re: Since We're All Old Now...
 

Finance!

Re: Since We're All Old Now...
 

These are the things I do right now:
- Studying in uni
- Programming mini side projects
- Playing the clarinet occasionally (also in preparation for my Grade 6 exam)
- Learning Grade 6+ music theory
- Solving internet riddles (recently gotten to level 99 in Zest, still stuck on level 60D in Inward Hellix :P)

Re: Since We're All Old Now...
 

- Housekeeping and improvements in the layout of furniture and space usage. My mother has always been terrible at this and now that she's doing chemo and needs to rest more, I started seeing many areas of improvement, things to let go of, places to optimize. And I have the means to actually make these modifications by using CNC woodworking machines I have access to.

- Cooking. Same as above, I started to cook more and consistently strive for a good cycle of nutrients and foods while avoiding unnecessary fats and sugars. Also, my new girlfriend loves my food! Anyone should learn to cook just because it's a basic skill, but being able to make a tasty meal will definitely score with the ladies :)

- Being financially aware: my family was able to buy a house at some point, but they divorced soon after and ended up dilapidating all of the money through the years. This left us basically only a step above poverty. If it wasn't for my father's retirement (thus making him independent) and my mother's government aid (i live with my mother) keeping us afloat we would not be able to afford a house. The lack of planning and real strategy on how to earn money really hurt mother's side of my family and by association my future - for years I had to put my own money just to pay my mother's bills. So i'm much more aware of what i can and can't afford, and am building connections and many backup plans to be financially sound as soon as the pandemic ends.

Re: Since We're All Old Now...
 

oh i also do a lot of hiking and camping now.

Re: Since We're All Old Now...
 

A few others have already mentioned it, but I care a lot more about my finances than I used to. Forming a picture of how much to budget towards monthly expenses, how much to put towards savings (rainy day fund, travel budget, future home down payment, etc), investments, etc. Nowadays, a good chunk of the videos that I watch on Youtube are in some way related to finance.

I still don't consider myself to be a good cook, but in recent months I have been cooking more and in general also expanding on the kinds of foods I'll eat.

Younger me took exercising for granted, but as I have gotten older I realized it's not as easy for me to stay in shape and I have to make a more concerted effort at it. Have admittedly been very lax on this recently, but my schedule will free up soon so it's something I plan to get back into.

Got bit by the computer building bug a few years back. There is a certain amount of satisfaction in it where you spend time to research what you want, what will look good together from an aesthetic perspective, what makes sense within your budget, what parts you can buy on sale, then you put everything together and it boots up. I have an eventual goal of building a home server, but that is still probably a few years off. I'm not a car person, but getting into PC parts has made me understand how someone can get really into cars/car parts.

Re: Since We're All Old Now...
 

Holy shit it's TT! Dude long time no talk my friend!
I completely understand the no room problem. My previous SO was always up my ass about having no more room for house plants yet I still brought more home lmao. You can't keep a green thumb down!

I'm kind of jelly about your musical talents. I've attempted to sit down with various instruments but in the end, I get overwhelmed with the mechanics involved and fade away from them. Maybe some day I'll actually try harder...



You're one of THOSE people... lol. It amazes me when I'm in a car with someone and any random song will come on and they'll just sing along with every word, no matter the song. Like how...?!



+1 for fiscal resposibility!



Everyone and their damn music Q.Q making me green with envy over here.

I love puzzles but the more physical kind. You hand me a puzzle box or one of those metal puzzles where you have to separate the pieces and I'll spend days, nay, weeks if I have to until that shit is solved. I love a good exercise for the brain.



Bro there's a lot to unpack here and a lot to be proud of. The fact that you're helping out your mother like that is honorable and I'm happy to hear it. I can attest that there are few things quite like rearranging furniture and realizing how open you can make a room. You can really change the flow of a house just by simply improving the furniture layout.

As for the cooking, I envy you there. I'm not a TERRIBLE cook but I'm still learning. My previous relationship I was in, all 7 years of it, I spent very little time cooking. Outside of grilling, she handled basically all of the cooking. She was so much better at it than me so I barely engaged in it and she liked to cook anyway so most of the time she wouldn't let me lol. So 7 years of barely cooking made me hella rusty and I'm still figuring it out.

+1 for the financial responsibility. Seems to be a common theme with all of us.



I assume the modest clothing grew out of the desire for more comfortable clothing. If that's the case, I can completely understand. Most kinds of fashion get far outweighed when comfort is the goal. Throw me some cotton shirts and sweats and bam, I'm a lazy P.O.S. but I'm comfortable.



YO, I got me a camper a couple years ago JUST for the this reason alone. I needed a better way to enjoy my outdoors and having gone through 4 tents in 4 years (hard weather can be a real bitch on tents) I decided enough was enough. Got me a camper, haven't looked back. I can enjoy nature and not have to worry about holding my tent down in a wind storm at 2am in the mountains if one were to show up.



Indeed the finances seem to be common on peoples minds these days. I would guess that it was a natural progression of care over the years rather than a result of hardship years such as 2020 was for many folks. I could be wrong but I know in my case, I grow ever more aware of each dollar I make and spend as I age so I'm assuming its a natural evolution for everyone.

I'm in a similar boat with the exercise. I've grown a mild dad-bod and I can't say I'm proud. My job keeps me busy enough to maintain a good healthy physique but holy shit do I love to eat. I consume more calories than I burn in a typical day so that's not helping me at all. I've been working on lowering consumption and drinking a LOT more water and that's helped a lot. I'm down 32lbs in the last few months just from that alone but I'd really be happy if I could drop another 20. That'd put me in my prime weight.

As for the computer building disease... man I've been doing it for almost 15 years now. That excitement and enjoyment from building only gets more intense as you do it again and again down the road. I've built myself 5 computers and each time I revert to a 14 year old child on Christmas morning. I HIGHLY recommend budgeting your PC builds around black friday. I did that with this last PC I built and I stayed up till 3am when Newegg released their black friday deals that lasted all of 10 minutes. In those 10 minutes I saved almost $2,000 off retail over all the combined parts. The items I bought almost all collectively sold out in those 10 minutes so you have to be very diligent.

Re: Since We're All Old Now...
 

I AIN'T OLD YET

Re: Since We're All Old Now...
 

I got Otaku after 10 years, despite losing most all of my skill.