Whats your weird hobby?

Burlesque · 21-10-06 20:07:16

Snuff is also called snus in Sweden. I really had no idea that our type of snus (which is moist rather than dried, just to clarify for someone without Dauphinb2's experience) even existed outside Scandinavia, even though I have noticed that curious tourists have often heard of it and want to try it. As far as I know Skoal and Copenhagen are not available here.

I saw a TV show a few years ago dealing with the kind of large-scale rockets you're talking about, Dauphin. They are impressive to the point of being creepily scary. I really like your pictures. Any chance of you posting a photo of one of your own constructions?

Are there a lot of rules and regulations surrounding the acquisition and use of fuel? I imagine there must be, and I hope they're closely followed so that no rocket scientists begin to feel that you're playing around with chemicals that only they should have access to. We wouldn't want to wind up with a didgeridoo type situation.

Burlesque.

Last edited by Burlesque (21-10-06 20:11:52)

dyslexius · 21-10-06 22:31:48

Burlesque wrote:

...See, Dyslexius, how much fun this forum gets when one does not use smileys anymore? Was I joking? Was I perhaps insulting you? Did I perhaps even issue a challenge?

Your ambiguity is a breath of fresh, um, fresh...
wait, oh wait... I smelt it here somewhere...

--dyslexius

Burlesque · 21-10-06 23:10:26

Let's just say that it's fresh. As in "don't get fresh with me".

Burlesque.

bodyhead · 22-10-06 01:29:41

Burlesque wrote:

Snuff is also called snus in Sweden. I really had no idea that our type of snus (which is moist rather than dried, just to clarify for someone without Dauphinb2's experience) even existed outside Scandinavia, even though I have noticed that curious tourists have often heard of it and want to try it.

That's because (in case you didn't know) it's banned in the rest of the EU, the excuse being that it causes possibly a 0.01 or something increased rate of mouth cancer. The fact that it can be an excellent substitute for cigarettes and thus could greatly reduce heart disease and lung cancer is beside the point, apparently.
I know the manufacturers are constantly lobbying for it to be made legal in the rest of the EU.

Burlesque · 22-10-06 01:45:44

I didn't know it's been banned, actually. Evermore severe restrictions on smoking are implemented every year now, so I suppose tobacco itself will be outlawed in the not too distant future. When the day comes when I can no longer get hold of cigarettes, I'll probably butcher a few people in a number of gruesome ways, but that's a small price to pay compared to all the deaths caused by smoking.

Hey! I just thought of another weird hobby of mine: I hijack forum threads!

Burlesque.

richard · 22-10-06 06:46:49

This forum is taking a decidedly pervy downturn.

Burlesque · 22-10-06 12:21:42

Weeell, Richard, someone has to post something.

Burklesque.

Adagio · 22-10-06 12:35:39

Burklesque?

Burlesque · 22-10-06 13:25:26

A bastard is still a bastard by any other name.

Brussels-queue.

Last edited by Burlesque (22-10-06 13:26:56)

Cate · 22-10-06 13:27:38

All my hobbies seem to have been swallowed up by my arts practice including paper airplanes, toy trucks and observing/documenting construction and other industrial sites. Hobbies wise I think I'm pretty bland with reading as my favourite.

Kate · 23-10-06 05:16:02

I like to follow bands from 1997 across the country...

I also rather enjoy cleaning ovens, floors, and baking. I'd make a great wife.

Will · 23-10-06 11:37:46

dauphinb2 wrote:

I've always wanted to try the didgeridoo, because it just sounds so fvckin' cool! But when I finally got around to Googling to see what it would take to acquire one, what I found was a lot of fairly heated debate over whether that was an acceptable thing to do: The gist was that, in addition to being a musical instrument, the didge is a deeply significant religious artifact to Australia's indigenous people (is "Aborigines" an acceptable term?), and that it would be an insulting act of cultural imperialism for a "whitefella" to get a real one. Of course, one of the drawbacks of "the internets" (as our benighted President calls it) is that you're never quite sure whether what you're ready is worthwhile, or just (like many of my own postings ) crackpot whooey. Will, any thoughts on the sacredness of the didge, or the worthiness of owning one "merely" to make music? Enquiring minds want to know.

Well, there are two schools of thought here. Now I wasn't aware that the didgeridoo was in anyway a religious artifact in itself, though I do know the history of the didgeridoo being used for cerimonial purposes and as an instrument during religious rituals. I was never aware of any animosityfrom any section towards a "whitefella" owning and playing one. However, it is a fact that the production of authentic Aboriginal artwork (of which I include the didgeridoo) does provide a large industry for the Aboriginal people, many of whom, as sad as it may sound, have found it hard to fully adjust to new Australian way of life. This is for many reasons, not least the terrible history of what they have endured for so long at the hands of white settlers, but it is a sad fact. Now this is not to say that I bought any Aboriginal artwork out of some sense of trying to do the right thing. I bought a didgeridoo because I wanted one for both decorative reasons (it's a beautiful piece of art) and to be able to play it. However, I'm a big believer in doing something right, and for that reason I made sure I bought the genuine article. From a termite hollowed eucalyptus stem which was then decorated by an Aborigine artist. It was a lot more expensive than a lot of the numerous cheap fakes out there, but I believe that in this case I got what I paid for.

dauphinb2 wrote:

In addition, I'd still be interested learning how to play one, if it's possible to do so in a socially acceptable way. Someone mentioned "cheap imitations," which sounds like it might actually be the right thing for someone just casually curious, as I am. Any word on how I might score an inexpensive didge suitable for a learner/dabbler?

Well, this is where you and I might see things a bit differently. There are numerous stores in Australia selling fake Aborigine artwork and didgeridoos. It's a huge industry, however it's an industry that belongs mostly to Indonesia, as that country is the main producer of fake Aborigine artworks. It's simply mass produced in factories and shipped over to Australia where it's sold on to less decerning tourists. Most are made from plastic, bamboo, leather, and the artwork is simply terrible when held in comparrison with real Aborigine art. Hey, they exist, and as long as there is demand then they will continue to do so. I just feel however that if you came to Scotland as a tourist and wanted to leave with genuine Scottish bagpipes for example, you'd be a little annoyed if you found a "made in China" tag attached to them if they had been sold on as the real deal.

Last edited by Will (23-10-06 11:43:32)

blissed · 23-10-06 19:16:47

This would be OK if you just want to learn how to play one. If you got on well you could then buy one hand crafted.

http://www.didjshop.com/shop1/make_your … ridoo.html

http://www.didjshop.com/forum/index.php?t=tree&goto=619

index.php?t=getfile&id=66

.

Last edited by blissed (23-10-06 19:25:31)

nihpuad · 23-10-06 19:18:40

Will wrote:

Well, this is where you and I might see things a bit differently. There are numerous stores in Australia selling fake Aborigine artwork and didgeridoos. It's a huge industry, however it's an industry that belongs mostly to Indonesia, as that country is the main producer of fake Aborigine artworks. It's simply mass produced in factories and shipped over to Australia where it's sold on to less decerning tourists. Most are made from plastic, bamboo, leather, and the artwork is simply terrible when held in comparrison with real Aborigine art. Hey, they exist, and as long as there is demand then they will continue to do so. I just feel however that if you came to Scotland as a tourist and wanted to leave with genuine Scottish bagpipes for example, you'd be a little annoyed if you found a "made in China" tag attached to them if they had been sold on as the real deal.

I probably wasn't very clear: I definitely wouldn't be interested in "fake"; what I would be interested in instead is an honest "cheap imitation." That is, I probably can't justify spending what a genuine, fine-quality instrument/artwork would cost, but I'm curious to try making that sound. Think of it as the equivalent of buying an inexpensive (probably plastic) student clarinet instead of a fine rosewood one. Or, put another way, I'm not looking for a fake Rolex; I'm looking for a real Timex.

Maybe it's just not possible: Maybe the sets of "cheap enough for a dabbler like me" and "worth even messing with" don't intersect... but you can't blame a guy for asking.

BTW, the last thing I want is to be undercutting Aborigines' ability to make a living. When I'm in the market for Aboriginal art, as opposed to a beginner's musical instrument, I'll be sure to get the real deal, and from a fairly traded source.

Will · 23-10-06 19:53:58

Hey dauphinb2, I apologise if it came across that I was having a go at your intentions with regards buying a didgeridoo, because that certainly wasn't the case. I ended up just going on a bit of a ramble as it's something I got quite interested in when I was in Australia. I wasn't meaning to suggest that you would be looking for fake gear, and I admit that I did perhaps read it a little wrong. I just got into quite a passionate discussion (both in agreement) with the woman I bought my didgeridoo from in Queensland about the evils of the fake goods trade in Australia.

Dynamo · 24-10-06 13:12:16

Ive had too many hobbies in the past to list them all. The most important one I suppose has to be being a railway enthusiast though. Firstly, I've never been a "spotter" which to me always looked like a hobby for accountants. I never could see the point in just taking the numbers of locomotives or wagons and coaches.

I say its the most important one seeing as I used to volunteer my services on one of the local preserved railways and I've fired and driven trains on there. I also work for a railway company as a driver now because of my connections with the preserved railway. The shifts can be really horrible, but I'd rather drive trains than have to work for a living.

One of the most common hobbies with guys I work with is called Tail Watching which is the equivalent of being a railway enthusiast, except that they follow aeroplanes instead. They are always galavanting around the country and parking up outside airports and RAF bases with their scanners to listen to the conversations between air traffic control and the pilots, and cameras to record the planes landing and taking off.

The funniest story I heard about these tailwatchers was when one of them had made a series of recordings and put them all onto one tape. He lent it to some mates and a big gang of them sat and watched the aeroplanes for a couple of hours. There was a few blokes and their wives and their kids all happily sat watching these planes taking off and landing and performing stunts. Unfortunately, the tape that the guy had recorded all these extracts onto had been used to record something previously and during a ten second break between clips, all the viewers, kids included, got an eyefull of the guy who made the video and his wife having the times of their lives dressed in sexy undies while he played with himself for her.

Cheers. Dynamo.

Last edited by Dynamo (24-10-06 13:13:13)

nihpuad · 25-10-06 05:48:16

Will wrote:

Hey dauphinb2, I apologise if it came across that I was having a go at your intentions with regards buying a didgeridoo, because that certainly wasn't the case.

No worries, mate (if I might borrow a phrase). I didn't take anything you said amiss; I just wanted to clarify my own position. After I wrote my reply, then I saw Blissed's links, and now I'm thinking their DIY PVC pipe version might scratch my dabbler's itch (I kind of like the Blue Man Group overtones of making music with PVC). After that, the shop Blissed's links points to has genuine didges that just might, at the low end, be in my price range (though shipping to the U.S. would probably double the final cost!).

Edit: Here's an even better link (though less entertaining) to show what I meant about Blue Man Group and PVC.

Last edited by dauphinb2 (25-10-06 05:57:35)

nihpuad · 25-10-06 05:59:41

Dynamo wrote:

One of the most common hobbies with guys I work with is called Tail Watching which is the equivalent of being a railway enthusiast, except that they follow aeroplanes instead.

Hmmm... in the context of this forum, seems like "Tail Watching" ought to mean something else entirely!

Will · 25-10-06 18:14:25

Well dauphinb2, I don't know where you are based (what country) and how you would go about shipping in a didgeridoo from Australia to wherever you are, but there are cheaper genuine didgeridoos than the one I paid for if you were just looking to scratch a creative itch. The price of any didgeridoo is decided by a couple of factors, obviously the size of the instrument and the decorative aspect, i.e. the artwork on the didgeridoo. You can buy perfectly genuine instruments with little or no artwork on it, as well as smaller more managible ones. The only thing to pay attention to though is that with the size of the instrument the note it plays changes. The smaller playing in a higher note to the larger ones which have a deeper sound, the scale being from A-F.

Last edited by Will (25-10-06 18:16:06)

ainslee · 26-10-06 17:20:29

i picked it up while i was in sweden, then i ran out when i get home, so i order ir through notherner.com. and yeha its origins come from snuff i think. I don't know, there are plenty more swedes around here that could tell you more about it. dunno what youre on about burlesque lol, i cant have half a drag of a smoke and i die, now snus, that is heaven haha.

polarchill · 26-10-06 21:40:22

ainslee wrote:

i picked it up while i was in sweden, then i ran out when i get home, so i order ir through notherner.com. and yeha its origins come from snuff i think. I don't know, there are plenty more swedes around here that could tell you more about it. dunno what youre on about burlesque lol, i cant have half a drag of a smoke and i die, now snus, that is heaven haha.

You would have been worshipped as a goddess in the midwest. All the teenage boys were hooked on the stuff, and all the girls were revolted by it.
--
Polarchill "Well, actually, you would have worshipped for more than one reason, but that's beside the point"

Burlesque · 28-10-06 11:40:35

Many girls use snus in Sweden these days, but most of them use the kind that comes in little bags, so that it doesn't get as sloppy. Most guys have started using that kind too. In fact, there's a whole lotta snusing going on up here due to the smoking scare propagated by the authorities. Not that I mind. Smoking is bad for you. Don't do it. You will die horribly, and no one will feel sorry for you. They'll just say "Told you so" and be about their business, a-snusing all the way.

Burlesque.

antiface · 02-11-06 10:16:28

I don't know if this is exactly pertinent, but I'll give it a whack:

As a meteorologist, I like to go out on and forget all the numbers and computer models and satellite/radar imagery and just look up at the clouds, and imagine that I see things in them. Like, a happy face or rabbit head or something. It's silly but I need to do that in order to still like my job. Plus, it reminds me of when I was a kid in Germany and would look up in the sky and do the same thing.

Or, maybe I just don't want to grow up.

Burlesque · 02-11-06 10:24:06

I think that sounds like a lovely thing to do, Antiface. A lot of hobbies are a bit silly, and yours is no sillier than most.

(I of course see rabbit heads in my sleep these days, but that has nothing to do with clouds.)

Burlesque.

Last edited by Burlesque (02-11-06 10:24:17)

ainslee · 02-11-06 10:35:45

i spose this isn't a weird hobby but as a note of interest i love to play the saxophone. i also love dirtbiking, which i spose is a bit weird for a 19 yo girl city dweller

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