What got me into my hobby? Well, the baseball cards and postcards just seem to come naturally. I think I am a cardboard magnet. I trade them with people I meet online and there is a constant flow of cards to and from my mailbox. The oil painting I have done off and on all my life. I go to a class which keeps me painting. Otherwise I would probably quit. I think it is important, though, to keep painting because if I quit I would lose what progress I have made. The writing I continue simply because it is more interesting in my stories than in real life. So I write to see what will happen next. What I gain from my hobbies? I keep busy. I always have something to do or visualize or imagine. I think that’s what hobbies are about, to keep us sharp and thinking as long as possible. Card collecting excercises my organizational skills and writing and painting excercise my creative skills. I don’t know how society views my hobbies. It certainly brings me together with an odd mix of people. The card collectors and painters and writers are all very different groups of people and I enjoy all of them with all their unique quirks. But I don’t know how they view me or my hobbies. I just enjoy each person for who they are. I hope you are getting the information you need for your essay. At least you are getting a glimpse of what makes other people tick. TTFN
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I’m a soap maker, a cold-process soap maker, which means I take fats/oils, water/milk, and lye to make soap. I also use essential oils to scent my soaps, and items such as calendula petals, rose petals, powdered oatmeal, poppy seeds, and cornmeal to give interesting texture and cleansing abilities (exfoliators).

I wanted to learn to make soap since I was 15 years old, but since I am a hands-on learner and learn best by watching and doing, I felt a bit out of my league with teaching myself. Then when I was about 38 years old, I came across a book about making home made soaps. I read through this book several times, began to buy and assemble items I would need, and within a couple of months I was making soaps. It is time consuming, can be expensive, and is something that you do not use right away as soap must cure out for several weeks before it is safe to use.

I also love the creative outlet that soap making allows me as I can make my own recipes, use other’s recipes, modify other’s recipes, and experiment with various fats and oils. Soaps can be made from animal fats such as lard and tallow (rendered beef suet) to vegetable and nut oils such as olive, vegetable oil, shortening, sunflower, almond, safflower and corn oils. Shea butter, hemp oil, and jojoba oil, cocoa butter, and coconut oil can also be used. It is a very diverse choice that I have to choose from.

I also love to bake and make all kinds of goodies from angel food cakes to gingerbread to homemade marshmallows. I also bake breads of all kinds such as quick breads made from fruits and baking soda to yeast-raised and sourdough breads. I have taught classes on bread making as it is such a fun and satisfying craft.

I love to make all kinds of bread, from the tradtional sour doughs to sweet and savory breads. I like to make traditional loaves, braids, bow knots, and even doughnuts and tortillas. I taught myself to make bread when I was 15 years old and have been experimenting with various flours. One is not limited to basic white flour as there is millet, spelt, rye, and amaranth, among others, that can be made into hearty loaves. A good hearty loaf of peasant-style bread is a great gift to take to friends.

I buy whole wheat berries and grind my own wheat in a hand-cranked mill that makes the best flour. In this way I get the freshest and most wholesome product with minimal work.

I love self-sufficiency and being able to make my own things without relying on others for all of my needs. Being a fiercely independent person, I have taught myself many, many things since I was a young teen. I have many other interests, but these two hobbies are ones I not only enjoy doing for myself and my family, but that I also enjoy teaching to others. There is a great deal of satisfaction in knowing one has made the items that one uses and consumes. And I know the quality of the products that goes into my creations. I can easily buy a bar of soap from the store, but how much better to reach for a bar of organic soap made from a combination of oils of my choosing, with the heady scent of lavender and patchouli to fill my nostrils. Or I might have a bar made from olive oil and nut oils, scented with cinnamon, clove, and orange. The possibilities are endless.
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Computer Programming:
I started off a couple of years ago when I was about 15. I loved playing video games and such and wondered "how do they actually make games?". A quick google search got me learning about different computer languages. I decided to take up C++, since, apparently, that’s what the pros use. I got an IDE (a program that would allow me to program with) and got some sample code off the net, hit compile and it worked. I started playing with it and got more and more interested as I went along. 4ish years later, and I’m still loving it. Now I play with graphics, trying to invent and reinvent techniques that may be useful or just get a good smile. You get some killer satisfaction when you see something on the screen and you know exactly how it works and you know how to manipulate it.
Now I’ve got a job as an IT technician at a school, that requires a couple of programming jobs here and there… and this is all to keep me busy before I go to university to get some serious qualification, and hopefully take it up as a career.
People often think as it being really nerdy (and I guess it is, since I can read 0s and 1s). It’s not super hard, but not meant for everyone, but I couldn’t live without it now.

Piano:
I started around the same time (15ish). My friends were starting a band and they already chose their instruments. Being the "tagalong" I was, I just picked a random instrument, that just happened to be the keys. We were really crappy for a long time and numerous members ended up leaving and switching instruments; I was the only one that stayed the same. Then, on my 16 or 17th birthday, I got my first electric keyboard (that was pretty sketchy). I bought another one later on that was much better and have had it ever since. I started getting lessons after about 3 years (I was pretty good before I even started). When I go to university, I’ll have to quit lessons… probably for good, but I feel comfortable enough to go on my own.
I don’t know why I play anymore. I don’t play to perform for people, I don’t play to compose… I just play because it’s fun. Because I always play with headphones on, only a few people actually know how good I am. And when they do, they are often in shock (that makes me feel pretty good). I don’t look like a pianist (most people say that, anyways) but it’s the other thing that my life would be empty without (I have played every single day for many years, not skipping a single day).
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