How's this for a title: Lost a Job but Gained a Hobby?

So it's been a few weeks and eventful that's why I haven't posted.  The job loss was not a shock I saw it coming for 6 months plus.  I had been planning for this and have saving and a plan which I may elaborate on.  For now I will say that I am pursuing several parrellel paths and each is promising to get me to the next level in my career.  The weeks I have been off I have felt better than I have for many years.  This is how I can tell I would be a great indepedantly wealthy or retired person.  I have a schedule set for week days.  Work in the morning, walk the dogs, then the afternoons gym, usually followed by cooking dinner.  The lack of the day to day stress of work is a feeling I have never felt before.  Of course a weeks vacation here of there is ok, but there was always that looming back to work Monday.  This is an entirely new feeling that has been so far great. Should I be more worried? probably so, but for now I am enjoying my "faux-retirement".   I also have begun learning a software language which I had on my to do list for years.  I found a class (insert Stanford online link) to learn Java.  I picked it because it is used for mobile app development.  This project is mostly for self improvemnt and now I have the time I am getting it done.  The other part is a small personal project that I will outline on another post when it gets closer to time (i.e. when I learn enough to start writing it).

So was learning Java the hobby? nope!  As if I needed another hobby in this time of financial uncertainty.  Well true to form I have been influenced to take up Golf.  I had hit balls in college at a driving range and it was a good time.  Around graduation set of clubs was given to me and I went a few times, but not having a partner it sort of died off.  In a cleaning mode one day led to the donation of the unused clubs.  Well 15 years later I find myself back at the range and basically as I do with every hobby into it big time.  Thanks to my cousin as he pushed this onto me.  I can't say I regret it.  I am taking a measured approach in that I am only buying a few clubs and the bare minimum to get on the course.  This is not my usual hobby MO of sinking lots of $ into it.  So far I have been to the driving range a few times and plan on my first round in the next couple of weeks.  In the short time back at the ranges I can say I have had some beautiful weather since the horrible winter and I have seen some beatutiful scenes (see pic below).

Other than that I have help my parents with a deck fix up project (see pics below) and done a few projects around the house (flat screen behind the wall install, gardening, got motorcycle out).   I have a big project that it seems I am procrastinating on which is wash, polishing and waxing the boat.  I wasn't going to put it in this year, but as the time came I said I have the time to save the cost of the detailing and frankly I don't think I could live with not fishing at all this year.  So there you have it and more to come.  

Insert picture from Rocky point
Insert pictures of deck
Insert picture of wall mo

Two new hobbies

Ok as many people know I am a serial hobbiest.  A friend at work has been asking me to try out their gym.  It is a Thai Boxing gym.  I finally went.  I had been slacking on my working out and gained 15 lbs since the spring. I had been going regularly but the intensity enough to make a difference.  Now I have a true hour workout that is intense and I hope to gain a new skill in the process.  It has been hard due to the nature of the workout, lots of aches and pains from using new muscles but actually my cardio has been keeping up pretty well.  We'll see how the weight loss goes but I don't think my body has a choice but to lose doing this.

The second one I have taken steps to start but not actually done it yet and that is reloading.  I got two new rifles this year and ammo is actually still hard to find due to hoarding because of gun control crackdowns causing fear, but that is another subject.  I have purchased the majority of the items I need but I still need a few things.  The first is  a good reference book.  The library doesn't have anything on it which I am surprised or is this part of the conspiracy against gun rights?  I hope not, but it is odd.  I would rely on the old internet, but when it comes to a potential safety issue I think I am going back to the old analogue book for this one.   This hobby isn't about saving money because It probably going to take 1000s of rounds to break even.  It is more about tuning to get the best performance and availability.  Again we'll see how it is goes or I will be typing with one hand or eye in the next month or so...