Anything Once
I always say that I'll try anything once.
This is not strictly true since there are whole areas of activity that I have no interest in ever exploring, but I do like to dabble in new hobbies.
Like blogging. Last summer, I announced that I would try blogging "at least for the few weeks that my attention span will probably hold out."
The problem is there is no reason for me to blog, or for anyone to read this. I don't have a particular cultural rant or political spin or even a specific project to journal about. Nor do I have a huge network of friends and family that would have no idea what was going on in my life or what movies I liked without an online update. So I make no promise to post anything unless I find myself with too much free time. (After all, it does says occasional musings up at the top.)
As it happens, I happen to have some free time again. And so I've been chalking up new hobbies as quickly as my bank account will allow.
This week I added both beermaking and winemaking to my repertoire. I like wine and I like making things, so it seemed like a fun thing to try. (Then again, I like food too, yet I don't feel particularly inclined to cook. Go figure.)
Anyway, Tabitha bought me some books on winemaking for Christmas, and thanks to The Home Wine, Beer and Cheesemaking Shop, I now have six gallons of White Zinfandel fermenting as well as a gallon of spiced apple wine.
The problem is that wine takes six months to a year before it is ready to drink, often even longer. So while waiting, I decided to try making beer. I didn't bother reading any beer books--just bought some large pots and a recipe for five gallons of a London style ale. Beer is a little more initial work, requiring an afternoon of boiling various ingredients, but it's ready to drink in a month or two, which I'm looking forward to.
I have no idea whether these new hobbies will become something I stick with for years (like yoga) or just a few weeks (e.g. racquetball) or maybe something I pick back up every once in a while (such as tennis or blogging).
For now, the fermenting beer and wine smell great, and I'm hoping the bottles will make nifty little gifts.
In the meantime, I need to find a few more hobbies to try.