What are your leisure pursuits?

December 1, 2009
By

skydiivingI feel the bloggernacle gets a little obsessive and potentially can take over all the aspects of our lives.  We start to see all our life through a Mormon filter. I was just curious what a lot of you do during your free time? I recently met Jeff Spector a fellow blogger over here in London  he is a drummer in his spare time which I thought was brilliant.Watch Here

I love the mountains and hiking but don’t get a chance to do much of it unless I go back to the states. I would really like to get into extreme skydiving but am a coward and afraid of heights.  Watch Here

It would be good to know what you do in your spare time (Besides Service to you fellow man:)or what you would like to do however small or grand -if its on youtube even better?

  • http://www.agelfortune.co.uk John Deighton

    ALways wanted to try Sky Diving or Base Jumping, but with a wife and 6 kids, my insurance would be a worry, so I’d better leave that to the eternities! One of my missionary buddies does Base Jumping, he gets on average around 6 seconds of freefall before having to open his chute around 400 foot from hitting the ground, talk about dicing with death!

  • Rico

    I am fairly easily pleased. Nothing to interesting. Reading (everything- but particular sociology, philosophy, poetry and american fiction) and writing (I would like to write sociology, philosophy, poetry and american fiction). Music (live if I can). Films.

  • MrQandA

    Rico – “american fiction” just admit you like reading the Twilight series, no one here will hold it against you. haha

  • Rico

    ok ok, i admit it. In fact i think she stole some of the idea from me as well.

  • http://markhansenmusic.blogspot.com Mark Hansen

    I have too many hobbies and nowhere near enough time. I love to write songs. (http://markhansenmusic.blogspot.com) I love to play card games. (http://chapterandversegame.com) I love cooking in my dutch ovens. (http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com) Unfortunately, I try to blog about all those things…

  • brjones

    #1 – John, if your insurance wasn’t affected, is that really something you would try? This raises an interesting question for me, which I hope doesn’t stray too far from the point of the post. I’m sure many people here are familiar with the tragedy in Utah last week of the man who got stuck in a cave and died before he could be rescued, leaving behind a pregnant wife and a small child. Things like this always make me wonder if it’s worth it to engage in risky recreational behaviors. My point is not to criticize the victim in this case, particularly since his behavior wasn’t all that extreme. But I had a conversation with some friends late last week about this, and there was some disagreement about whether it’s appropriate for people with dependent families to take such risks. I’m not really making a statement either way – like I said, it just got me thinking. Anyone have any thoughts on the matter?

  • James

    5 “whether it’s appropriate for people with dependent families to take such risks”

    I think even the brethren have come out with something on this years ago telling us not to get involved in life threatening sports. But I couldn’t find it!!

    I guess its a fine line for some adrenalin junkies whether to shrivel up and die of boredom or preserve your self for your family but be totally stale on the inside.

  • J.Ro

    Fixing things, just about anything. Mostly cars, which are much more enjoyable when I’m doing it by choice and not necessity (for example, when my starter goes out and I have to be able to get into the office for a morning meeting the next day).

    But I don’t seem to have much free time lately.

    And regarding the man who died in Nutty Putty Cave, one of the big misfortunes is that the cave wasn’t managed well. That gets into a whole debate that has gone on for years with the locals. But there are certain parts where people have been injured or killed time and time again, and those parts should have just been blocked off. Which is not to say that he wasn’t responsible either. I don’t think it’s reasonable for someone to just stick with the boring side of recreation because of a family and kids. You might just need to tame down your recreation a bit. I still go rock climbing, mountaineering, and mountain biking sometimes, but I put a lot more thought into safety (avoiding things like getting lost in the desert without water). It seems to work well enough.

  • SteveS

    I’m a marathoner and road cyclist (and one day may be a triathlete), an avid reader, a sometimes-journal blogger, a singer and mediocre pianist.

  • Cowboy

    “But I had a conversation with some friends late last week about this, and there was some disagreement about whether it’s appropriate for people with dependent families to take such risks.”

    I think balance again is the word here. James I believe it was President Hinckley who spoke on “extreme sports”, though he characterized it as “thrill seeking”. I believe this is an entirely appropriate way of looking at our activities and determining what is reasonable and what is stupid. I know of two instances where in High School football, injuries were incurred that resulted in either death or serious disability and lifelong dependency. Even so, I am not about to advocate that people should not play football. On the other hand, I also know of a man who died in a hanggliding accident. He left behind a small family with only moderate resources, that depended entirely upon him. So, in response to the question, if you are a father and husband it is absolutely irresponsible to take risks. Every time a father and husband calculates the risk of a stupid thrill, they should also take into consideration the impacts of those who directly depend on them. I will not be jumping out of a plane anytime in the near future.

    Side note: I have been in the nutty putty caves several times, and what happened to this man is sad and unfortunate. However, given how recent this event was I should make special mention that my comments have no applicability to him whatsoever. I believe he is the first fatality at the caves in the forty years that countless people have been exploring them. As far as caves go, Nutty Putty caters quite nicely to amateurs and so he should have had little expectation that such an outcome was likely. I would chalk this circumstance up to the freak football fatality. It is unfortunate, my heart goes out to his family, but I don’t think there is the classic “valuable lesson” to be learned here, as he conduct was not unreasonable.

  • Jen

    I love to dance, exercise, read, ski, take pictures of people and travel.

    Since there are comments on the Nutty Putty incident, I want to throw in my two cents. I read that the man who discovered the cave actually got stuck in the same place as John Jones and a friend helped him out. Also, several years back there were two other rescues from the same spot. I think it was irresponsible for them not to close off that part of the cave with several other incidents in the past having already occurred. It seems obvious to me that the size of the person makes a difference in whether they would get stuck or not, so it was risky to leave that section open not knowing who would attempt to go through that part again. I don’t think that John was taking irresponsible risks, but I do believe there was irresponsible behavior with management not warning others of people having been stuck in that spot in the past and needing to be rescued.

    I agree with you Cowboy that it is irresponsible to take risks if you have people dependent on you. But, I also think that if a person is one that takes extreme risks and does so on a regular basis, that this should be a consideration if a person is thinking of marrying them in the first place. I don’t think it is fair to ask someone to change if that is something they truly desire and want to do. In other words, I wouldn’t want to be the cause of another person’s unhappiness by asking them to stop doing what they love. I would have to probably pass on marrying that person altogether.

  • Jeff Spector

    Music, Music, Music, Genealogy, computers

    Nothing real risky there unless you find skeletons in the family closet

  • Hawkgrrrl

    I like to oil paint, read, tap dance, travel and watch TV. I am not a fan of extreme sports – I’m a big chicken.

  • James

    4 Rico I think we have meet you before , my daughter says you have unusually large eye teeth.

    7 JRo Being handy sounds like a great hobby – I am useless!!!

    8 Steve S Healthy pursuits- When I was back in salt lake I met Barbara Sherwood one of Utahs best triathlets do you know of her?

    9 Cowboy can your find that article? Tried googling it but didn’t find the talk

    10 Jen what if the person became a thrill seeker after marriage? Its like they didn’t plan on it but they just got the bug. Its sort of like marrying someone in the church then all of a sudden they lose their testimony and become an atheist.

    11 Mr Spector we need YOUTUBE proof of the you are truly a rocker, not just a wanna be!!

  • James

    12 Hawkgrrrrrrrrrl “I’m a big chicken.” I’ll vouch for that!!

  • James

    Jeff Spector in Tonga on the drums – This is very cool!!!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9xgXmEt11A

  • http://adventures-in-mormonism.com bfwebster

    Reading and browsing the web. Of late, going to the gym. Watching the occasional TV show or movie. ..bruce..

  • Jen

    James-

    I knew someone would say that!!! :) For me, once two people get married, you take the good, the bad and the ugly. Come what may, you do your best to work it out. Honestly, if my spouse decided to start taking extreme risks, I would do my best to discourage him and try to get him to focus on something else he enjoyed but had less risks. I know that people change after marriage, but from what I do know about extreme sports and people involved in them, it is usually something they do from a young age and tends to be a significant part of a person’s personality. I think it would be something that was fairly obvious about a person before marriage compared to something less obvious, like whether a person would lose their faith later in life.

  • Jen

    Oh, interestingly, the few people I do know who are involved in more risk taking sports, are not as involved in relationships wiht other people. In other words, the sport is their main focus and priority. I am not saying that is true for all people like this, but I have noticed that their time revolves around the sport more than family or friends.

  • James

    17 and 18 Jen What if some close freinds were going parachute diving the tandom ones with someone strapped to your back. They explained how safe it was and you went with them for an introduction and you saw pictures of the governor and famous people doing it? Would you do it if they seemed like competent instructors and sky diving school?

  • SUNNofaB.C.Rich

    playing guitar, working on Vans and motorcycles from the 60′s searching for New old Stock or hard to find antique car parts and military items from WWI through Vietnam, making decorative items out of military ordnance.

  • Cowboy

    Jen:

    I can agree with you to a point. If the marriage entails children, including the expectation that Mr. (or Mrs.) Extreme Sports provides the necessities while his/her spouse cares for the Children, then I find his prior behavioral patterns irrelevant to the question of is it still irresponsible. In which case I say yes it is, particularly if there is no real provision taken for his death – adequate life insurance (that will pay in the event of death by dangerous hobbies), etc. Not only is he irresonsible but a complete jackass to boot. On the other hand, if there are no kids then I can go along with your reasoning.

    Jeff Spector: Well done

    #20 – With a name that includes B.C. Rich, I would have to guess that you play guitar. This is an all time favorite hobby for me as well.

  • Jen

    James-

    “Would you do it if they seemed like competent instructors and sky diving school?”

    I think I would be willing to try that and I would feel fine about a spouse doing it as well. I’ve considered it before, but I do have issue with heights. I have noticed I have been getting better with heights though and I am not sure why. Maybe it gets better with age! :)

  • Douglas Hunter

    My pass time is Rock climbing, 30 years worth.

    “I think balance again is the word here. James I believe it was President Hinckley who spoke on “extreme sports”, though he characterized it as “thrill seeking”.”

    Thrill seeking has nothing to do with the risks I have taken. Its more like control seeking, or beauty seeking.

    “But I had a conversation with some friends late last week about this, and there was some disagreement about whether it’s appropriate for people with dependent families to take such risks.”

    I have had numerous friends and acquaintances who continued to take substantial(and in my mind unnecessary) risks in the mountains after getting married and having children, they are now dead. When a parent / spouse dies a violent, tragic, and unnecessary death of their own making it effects those who loved them for a very long time.

  • Floyd the Wonderog

    I teach Early-Morning Seminary. My leisure time is reading the paper and blogs while I eat breakfast.

  • mcarp

    The internet. Not only is it the source of all truth and knowledge, but it is the biggest time sink in the history of mankind.

  • sparekitty

    my favorite past time is probably reading but i spend a great deal of time flying down mountain roads on my bicycle–my reward for having ridden up! i also find riding my ATV a great deal of fun but admit (after two bouts of broken ribs) i’m more careful than previously because it takes longer to heal and plus, my kids need me. so yeah, we really ought to balance our risks in free time pursuits, just like balance everything else in our lives. personally i believe that this includes balancing our church activities too. church is not everything!!! will somebody please tell my bishop that?

  • Jorgy

    What free time?

  • J.Ro

    Jen (10) is correct about the caves: there are a couple particular spots that are quite dangerous, and a number of people have become stuck there. Search and Rescue seem to have become quite familiar with the cave :) . This recent tragedy is not the first death that has occurred there. If it happened where I think it happened, I’ve been there and looked straight into what seemed a ridiculously tight spot. I helped to plan a couple of boy scout trips there. When we planned the trips we made copies of cave maps for everyone and pointed out specifically where they were not to go.

    I’ve done more than my share of stupid things in the name of adventure, and the conclusion I’ve come to is that major injuries are just not worth it (they kind of kill the high anyway). You can have fun, be safe, and get that rush at the same time, but you have to think about what you’re doing.

  • JD

    Video games, I can’t imagine life without them!

  • http://abev.wordpress.com john f.

    James, interesting to hear that you and Jeff were hanging out in London!

  • James

    John i didn’t know you knew him? I would have got in touch- sorry dude!!

  • Jsmith

    I study and reenact medieval times. Altho’ one oddness I find in myself is that I am a devout LDS man in my day-to-day life and a sun-worshipping pagan warrior in my hobby. Freud would have some fun with that, no doubt; however, I love history and tourism and this hobby ties them together neatly.