All over the internet people are revealing interesting activities that keep them busy during this time, and some have taken new hobbies and even career interests. If there's ever a silver lining it's in the fact that quarantine has given me time to enjoy my own time versus the time I spend on others. I keep myself so busy in college I rarely do anything for myself, since I view those meetings and responsibilities as "for my benefit." While this may be true with regards to my enjoyment of being busy, I haven't had such a relaxed do nothing time period in over two years in 2018 before my mother was diagnosed with cancer.
So here's some really interesting and uncommon things I've been doing to keep myself going.
Pole Dancing
This one is a shocker right out of the gate. People usually associate the pole with clubs and dollar bills, but after watching hundreds of videos for weeks, I had a strong urge to learn this art. I felt it to be underestimated and extremely graceful. I figure skated for a bit until I moved and I saw similar gracefulness in pole dancing as I did in figure skating.
So I went on Amazon and bought a pole. Here is the one I bought: Yahee Tech Topeakmart 108inch
It works perfect even on my popcorn ceiling. I can put my full weight on it, climb, flip and more. Learning pole dancing is actually very hard. I'm using muscles never used normally, but I can feel myself building an insane amount of strength in areas I previously lacked.
Droning
One of my favorite memes is the "2020: . . . . 3020: . . . . " template. I think it's interesting to compare our expectations of the future versus the perception of now and immediate future. Yet there are crazy hobbies out there that feel very 3020. People are injecting CRISPR fragments into their bodies to genetically self enhance themselves. It's working too.
However on the less extreme of 21st century futuristic hobbies is droning. I ended up buying a simple $400 Mini Mavic drone from Walmart and was planning on returning it after I got my short fun out of it. Now I'm here 2 weeks later well past the date of return, and I have grown incredibly attached to my drone. I gave my drone female pronouns and call her "Nuggie" because she looks like a little nugget. I freak out whenever she flies into a tree. It's crazy actually. And the pictures and videos she is capable of are oh so gorgeous.
Here's a link to a YouTube video of the most recent drone video I've made. I plan on using my drone for a plethora of future artistic projects, and I even want more! I think droning is a very serious new hobby of mine with pole dancing. And I would have never made the decision had quarantine not happened.
Cleaning
This one is weird. It's not an odd hobby and it's not really a hobby at all, but since I live alone and won't be living alone for the next three years, I have gained a value for cleanliness. I used to leave dishes in the sink, not wipe down stuff and not clean the floors since that was always something my mother did. Even after I was on my own I never valued cleanliness. But as I'm growing up finally to an adult I've been overtaken by this obsession to maintain a visually pleasing home.
And it's really nice actually. Coming home to a place completely to my own that is actually clean. To know that I'm the one keeping it that way feels surprisingly nice. Perhaps it's just a sign of me getting older.
Recipe Making (Bonus)
My own creation~
In the dorms I never had time to make my own food. I was too lazy and sloppy. In fact cooking was always a bore to me because I'd be exhausted after so I would never clean up and it would be a mess for days on end. But since I've finally learned how to be clean, I've been crafting my own variety of foods. I try mixing the weirdest things I can into a sautee pan and hope for the best.
Whats more is that I never use the internet. That is, unless I'm worried about toxins in meat or burning anything. It's actually quite pleasant I find. I've even (almost) perfected a burger recipe using very slow caramelized onions, jalapenos and a variety of other additives. Currently i'm in the process of making my own sauce which has been a trip in its own right.
Writing this right now motivates me to get back to the kitchen and try more varieties.