I have plenty of hobbies and which one gets preferred over the other depends on the availability of time and state of mind. Here are a few:
1. Woodworking
I like Scandinavian/Danish furniture and my woodworking projects also follow design consisting or linear shapes and joints, mildly rounded edges and finished in natural tones and with semi-gloss lacquer or varnish. My favorite woods are the beech, birch and maple.
2. Photography
My collection of cameras (4x5 Toyo View, Mamiya 645 Pro, Olympus OM series, Polaroid Land etc.) have now become obsolete and replaced by brainless clickers - the digital cameras (Nikon and Canon). So instead of thoughtful photography limited by time and expense of film processing, I now indulge in capturing plenty of moments. I also did “manipulative photography” on Polaroid SX70 film that allowed dye manipulation and image transfer. Polaroid shut down the assembly line, however this film is now once again available – thanks to the Impossible Project.
3. Pottery
I enjoy both the slab construction as well as throwing on the wheel. Prefer reduction firing at cone 10 – 12 in gas and wood fired kilns. Other variations include Raku.
4. Artwork
Free sketching with charcoal, abstracts and mix-media.
5. Soaring
Like soaring instead of powered flying because of noise free flying. Have not done is a long time and need to get back to it..
6. Reading
I do like to read (and write) both fiction and non-fiction with historical context. Technical books aside, following is a sample of what I indulge in spare time or during long air travels:
Poetry: Sylvia Plath, Robert Penske
Literature: Herman Hesse, Tolstoy, Charles Dickens, O Henry, plus a number of other authors.
Political: Estienne de La Boétie, Alexis de Tocqueville,
Philosophy: Nietzche, Jean-Paul Sartre
7. Music (listening)
The only musical instrument that I play is the stereo system. I like Carver audio components.. Classical - Opera: Willibald Gluck, Verdi, Puccini, Wagner, Henryk Gorecki. Jazz – front spot at The Preservation Hall in New Orleans… and contemporary music by composers like Philips Glass and Charles Ives.
8. Cooking
Fool-proof recipes based on engineering principles are delightful. Culinary thermodynamics.
9. Trekking/Camping
Experience tells me that it is better to have a camper rather than a tent on a rainy day… A long time ago when I started trekking in the mountains of Northern Pakistan, weather never was a concern. Now it is an important aspect of camping. Campsites are still better than primitive camping.
10. RC Airplanes and Rocketry
They used to be called RC model airplanes. I started out with line controlled airplanes and later graduated to radio controlled. Now they have exotic names such as UAVs, MAVs, UASs, etc. I encourage students to have hobbies and this one is a must for experimentalists..