Off Topic Discussions

[cpurpe91]

I have not been posting as much, but I do still spend a few hours of my time reading people's posts on here. I am still hoping the Apex Legends crashing issue gets fixed soon, and I can't wait to start saving to get on the AM5 platform.

Lately I have been outside touching grass, and just enjoying the little bit of nice weather we have until it gets too cold. Here are some photos of what I have been coming across on the trails. 

I don't pick them or anything, but these are some of the more photogenic fungi I have seen in the last month. 

What are your hobbies? What do you do for fun? 

[BigAl01]

I sense there is a fungus among us.

[cpurpe91]

You liked it just as I was editing it to ask what people's hobbies are at the end. 😄

[Axxemann]

These days, it's pretty much gaming. I took a pretty nasty fall at work a few years ago that did a serious number on my back and hips (I spent the last 25 years as a light/medium duty truck driver.)

I used to ride motorcycles, with a particular affinity for 1100cc monsters such as the 1985 Honda V65 Magna, 1192 Kawi ZX11, and 2001 CBR1100XX Blackbird. The Magna and the Bird were my favorite by far. It wasn't uncommon for me to burn $200CAD worth of gas on a weekend just going wherever my front wheel was pointed when I could keep it on the ground.

I also was a sport shooter and avid hunter. However (I don't really give a **bleep** what your political views are, because I think you're wrong no matter what, so let's leave that part alone,) given that the Canadian government has banned 95% of my guns, I don't get out to the range anymore, and drawing my bow is too much for my back to handle. I used to compete in IDPA, 3gun along with Service Rifle and Service Pistol and was known to be found getting some dirty looks from the $10,000+ over/under guys on the sporting clays ranges every other Sunday by shooting consistently high scores with an old Remington 870P.

If I manage to get fixed up enough that I can walk without crutches or a cane, I'd like to get back on a bike, or learn to fly a light bushplane. At least I'll be able to practice the bushplane stuff once I can get my RX580 working properly (or maybe snag a 6000 series card when prices drop below $300CAD for 8GB cards) in a flight sim!

[cpurpe91]

The injury is unfortunate. I never could bring myself to try riding anything with that kind of power. I drove a 125cc Kawasaki Eliminator from the early to mid 2000s. It got me where I needed to go and topped out at a respectable 70MPH for the size of the bike. I do miss just cruising for hours on end. It was a good time.

Hunting is what it is. I eat meat my uncle brings by during the season, and we have a freezer full of venison at any given time. 

Shooting as a sport always seemed fun but I never got into using firearms, beyond a paintball gun when I was a kid. 

Flight sims are taxing on any system. I would love to try one, but I never have the cash to put toward a new game unless I plan for it a month in advance. 

[Axxemann]

Yeah... The back injury sucks for sure. But the Magna was actually my first bike. I threw that thing around like I stole it, and a buddy of mine suggested I try my hand at sport bikes. Logically, I looked for something with the same size engine when I bought the ZX11, and then the Blackbird after that. It wasn't so much about the speed for me, since there were 600cc bike that could go as fast, corner harder and were probably cheaper on gas, but I'm a big guy, and I wanted a bigger sportbike so I wouldn't look like a gorilla **bleep**ing a football.

[cpurpe91]

That's understandable. Lol. I would get a bike but I live in a part of the US with weather that wouldn't be ideal to ride in all yeah around. We have great summers but we go from 80f to 40f and below really fast. 

[red5]

Well, I'm a car enthusiast, but having a huge car payment on the Mojo Ryzen Mustang wouldn't really allow me to rebuild my gaming LAN, so I sold it last fall. Now I drive a 2010 Ford Focus, but I still have the Ryzen vanity plates. I'm hoping car prices crater in the next couple months, and maybe I can find a more affordable Mustang. I had a 2003 Mach 1 after this 2020 GT, but it was pretty rare and collectible. I sold it after only a few months a made a couple $K on it. 

[cpurpe91]

That is one sick ride if I do say so myself. Did you take it to the track at all? It just looks beastly. Unfortunate you had to get rid of it. My dad and his friends used to tinker with fox body Mustangs. Eventually one of his buddies blew the engine racing eachother and got rid of it but it was fun being a teenager watching these guys get excited every time they got new parts. It was like watching a kid with a new toy. Good times. 

[red5]

Nope, never to the track.  It was definitely fast as ****!  My wife still gives me grief for getting rid of it LOL. Only performance mod was a Steeda X-pipe.  It had the Performance Pack 1 option, so had 6 piston Brembo brakes, 3.55 Torsen rear end, wider tires, bigger radiator, stiffer front springs, etc. 

[BigAl01]

I'm glad I limited my cars to ones I could afford.  I once helped a friend rebuild a 1967 Sunbeam Tiger with the 289 Ford engine.  It was a cool car and he wanted to keep it pristine without using bondo for dents and things.  We worked on it in my dad's external garage when I lived in Torrance, California.  I was taking auto shop courses at the time.  I later transferred to Electrical Engineering and got my BSEE, then followed by the MSEE; my AA was mostly in Auto Mechanics though.

[cpurpe91]

Most of the mechanical stuff I did was on my own vehicles, but it was usually because I broke something. I know just enough to keep a car going unless it has some catastrophic failure like a fault in the drive train, engine, or transmission.

[red5]

I could afford it, it's just a matter of 'should' I be affording it. I'm kinda trying to jumpstart my retirement accounts.  To be quite honest, I have a lead foot and I think it was only a matter of time before I got a reckless op ticket LOLOL 😁

[cpurpe91]

I completely understand the part about "should" I afford it. Lol I also feel you with the just being a matter of time. Before I got into all my accidents I drove really fast. I don't do that anymore. Lol It gets expensive.

[Albert364]

In addition to games, I love to draw. I started with simple pictures on paper with a pencil or just a black pen. Then I decided to try my hand at drawing with acrylics. And now I started to learn illustrator. I start by watching video tutorials and drawing from them. But already I start to draw something from the head. I found myself in it.

[cpurpe91]

Art is super therapeutic. So you draw on the PC then or did I misunderstand? I used to spend hours listening to music and drawing. I usually started out with no idea what I was going to put on paper and I would just go until it looked good enough for me to feel good about it. What do you draw or is it just random like what I used to do?

[wim-bart]

Wish I had time for hobbies. So much busy with all things in life I like to do myself, with friends and family.