Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Auld Lang Syne Language

Happy New Year, lovelies! I thoroughly enjoyed the last couple weeks of 2007, which involved a lot of friend time, and family time, and a lot of touring around California, which—and I know I repeat myself—you just can't beat. It's so breathtaking, our state.
On New Year's Eve, in a friend's Russian Hill apartment in San Francisco, MT innocently inquired as to my hobbies (no doubt after I'd said something snotty about how busy I am and how robust my blessed life already is, dang, lay off). All I could think of to say on the spot was "working out" (which might be a kind of lame cop-out L.A. answer), and "blogging" (which is also kind of a cop-out, since my Internet self is a more composed, less-interesting, anecdotified version of my real-life self and adventures, and I haven't blogged much lately anyway, like I'm Princess Melissa or something). Then of course there is watching Project Runway while texting, but you don't have to tell me that's not a hobby. And hair is not a hobby; it's damage control executed with scientific precision. I like to think I am a good and dutiful friend to many among a close-knit but large group of folks, and I know good friends are an earned privilege. But a hobby? Not so much, I guess.

And of course there's work, which I have resolved to remember in 2008 is not a hobby, but a job—albeit one that happens to consume most of my time including evenings and weekends on account of events, and one that not coincidentally combines things that I deeply care about: writing, photography, and career. Still, how did I come up job-swamped and hobby-free in the waning weeks of 2007? The Sassy-reading 1989 version of me would not have seen that coming.

So I'm putting this out there to friends and strangers, this question of what my new hobby will be in 2008. Can you help me with a suggestion? I always lean toward hobbies that I can parlay/multi-task into being, say, money making as well as fitness promoting, or perhaps crafty and meditative and entrepreneurial and tummy flattening all at once. I'm into free-time efficiencies. But of course, I'm open to any constructive or fun ideas. Whether you know me or not and you've got one, hit me.

[Current potential hobby front runners are Italian language refreshing, healthy vegetarian cooking at a higher level, volleyball (which seems like cheating, because it's one of the blue-eyed boy's existing hobbies, and he'd be coaching me), tennis (same deal), hiking (fab, but achingly obvious)...]

I thank you in advance for your ideas. And I wish all of us more joy in 2008 than we possibly could have known was coming. Then bam—you got it.

5 comments:

Erica said...

You could train for a marathon (or a half-marathon, or a triathlon). It takes more time than just regular fitness running, it's definitely calorie-burning (although not necessarily weight-loss-promoting), and if you do it with Team in Training or similar you can use it as a vehicle for helping the unfortunate.

lunchbox said...

I second what capella said. You would be surprised at how rewarding it is to finish a marathon... and to do it for a cause makes it more rewarding. Careful though, marathons are addicting!

CcanadaSoon said...

how about a half-marathon. that's still 13 miles! gasp!!!!

i'm in the same boat. i decided to make my resolution jogging. sounds simple but when a girl hasn't hit the pavement since the presidential fitness tests of elementary school, simply jogging is a huge feat.

add to the challenge that i live in san francisco. which simply means it will be raining for the next few months. i guess i'll really make use of that gym membership - finally!

mexi melt said...

ok already with the christopher--it's me that posted that previous jogging blurb.

Avril Love said...

Ok, I totally have a completely fun, tummy-reducing, creative and meditative, if somewhat self-serving, suggestion. Help me scrapbook the Nomster's baby book. I'm really, really, really behind and it seems daunting. How is this tummy reducing, you ask? I made that up. But we could do some crunches after if you want.