Cooking

Cooking is both a hobby and an art. Putting the right ingredients together to make something that looks, smells, and, most importantly, tastes great! Each part in and with the other dishes must compliment each other. Some have a natural talent, like my brother, and for others, like me, it takes time to master and understand.

In either case, cooking is a wonderful hobby. There are so many different types of cooking and so many fusions as well. There is plenty room for exploration and experimentation. If you think this seasoning or that vegetable would go good, then do it! There is nothing that can stop you from making the dish your own. Many famous cooks take two different cultures of food and mash them together. The mix can be amazing.

Cooking allows you to be creative and imaginative! Throwing different things together may give you a wonderful surprise in the end. If you do not have a specific ingredient then you can improvise and try something to replace the missing ingredient or cook the dish without this ingredient. The plate is you canvas and the entire food world provdes your materials. Go out there, get what you want, look in the pantry, and start cooking!

J.R.

Juggling – Two in One Hand

Juggling two balls in one hand is easier said than done.  It is simple to explain but it takes practice to fully master.  If you have been practicing with the three ball cascade then this is not too difficult.  You will only have to focus on one hand.  I suggest using two balls that you can hold in one hand at the same time.

Start with the two balls in one hand.  For learning I suggest to use your dominant hand but it is useful to learn with both hands.  Palms up.  Hold softly one ball in between your middle, index fingers, and your thumb.  The other ball will be held tightly between your ring and pinky finger.

Video Games

Everyone has their own viewpoint on games.  Many feel that they are a complete waste of time and make us brain dead.  Other absolutely love to play video games.  I, personally, prefer a more balanced view.  I feel that games are a fun way to spend time and some can really increase our brain function if they involve puzzles or strategy.  If it is a game that is family friendly then it can serve as a fun night for the entire family.  On the other hand, some games are pointless, and we should not waste all our time playing video games.

I feel that video games can be a great hobby.  There are so many ways that video games can be a hobby.  If you like a certain type of video game you can spend much time finding, buying, and playing this video game(s).  Also, if you are like my brother and I, you may like the older game systems and games.  We have so much fun looking for the older styles games for different systems.  Some of the best games we have are on the NES, also known as Nintendo Entertainment System.  We love the old 8 and 16 bit games.  Some good times.

Write a Letter!

I have a good friend of mine that lives in Pennsylvania, which is a long way from Colorado!  One of my favorite things I do is writing letters to this friend.  She is my pen pal.  I sometimes think that pen pal sounds really boring but it is a lot of fun.  I get to write about what is happening in my life and ask her questions.  Then I can even send her pictures and gifts.  I love going through the store and seeing something that I think would be great for my friend.

Writing a letter also show much consideration in the fact that you took the time to physically write to them.  It is something they will treasure.  You don’t have to get a card or a gift.  Just write on a piece of paper about your life.  Trust me they will appreciate it!

Then there is the fun part of getting mail back.  I keep every letter a get from her.  There is nothing better then getting that envelope with my name handwritten on it in the mailbox.  Then reading all the things that are going on in her life and seeing the pictures she drew for me.  Writing letters is something that does not take much time but means so much!

J.R

Balloon Animals – Balloons

Some may think that the type of balloons you use do not matter but I have learned that they really do. Yesterday we were having a get-together and I went to our grocery store to buy balloons since I had no time to go where I usually go. These balloons were the ones I actually first learned with to make the basic balloon patterns. They actually did not pop on me at that time.

Yesterday, almost all of them pop before I could finish! I guess I have gotten use to twisting balloons that I am not afraid of them popping on me. I need to be gentle with these brand of balloons. I don’t like that. So different brands need different considerations. Each person will have to decide which brand that they will want to use.

Another thing to account for is how you take care of your balloons. If you keep them somewhere extremely dry or in the sun it can cause them to wear out and pop when you blow them up. Obviously, be careful not to get holes in them. One aspect that most people do not realize with balloon animals is that the balloon’s walls can weaken easily. Avoid blowing up and deflating the balloons completely. I personally have noticed that when this is done a few times, the balloon is more likely to pop. That also happen yesterday as the teens were playing with and blowing up the balloons.

I was okay with them playing with the balloons and all that. It was just interesting to see them blow up the balloons again and again. Then when the balloons popped, the teens did not understand why. It was actually quite humorous and in the long run everybody had fun, which is what matters!

J.R

Balloon Animals

A great hobby that is great if you love creativity and children is making balloon animals.  It also goes well with juggling.  I really enjoy making balloon animals.  Almost any animal you can think of can be made with balloons.  I have learned how to make balloon tigers, dogs, elephants, a T-Rex, humming birds, bees, mice, goat rams, snow men, and many more.  It is amazing what you can make!

This is a pattern that I made today of a balloon pig.  There is a alternate and better way of making them.  I however believe a large part of learning anything is to experiment.  That is what I was attempting with this pig.  Now I know another way to make a pig and I know it does not look great.  I learned something from this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are many places you can go to find different patterns and tips on balloon animals.  I will also post some more       about this hobby.

J.R

Write A Novel!

As I have mentioned before, writing in general is a really great hobby.  I love to write whenever I get the time and the chance.  One of the styles of writing that is very important to me is fiction writing.  It is a way for us to communicate ideas and thoughts in a unique way.  This way is through characters and fictional events.  There are many different thing that we can communicate through fictional writing.  We can express our feelings, morals, ideas, and much more.

I have one main reason, though, that I love writing and because of it I will never stop writing.  When you write fiction you are creating an entire world all on your own.  You are creating themes, people, places, and events.  The characters are people you must and will come to learn.  You know everything about them.  Everything.

Then the twist.  Sometimes it doesn’t matter how much you know them, but you loose control over them.  These worlds and characters grow and develop.  You can change them as much as you want.  As the plot grows, however, certain events must take place.  The story takes its own life and breathes on its own.  Your characters chose their own paths.  It seems crazy that you are the one who started the book and by the end you are only a mere observer.

That is the passion within writing for me.  To start with a mere idea or character.  Then the world around it blossoms.  In the end you no longer tell it where to go; it selects its own course.

Give it a try!

J.R

Crocheted Monkey

This is a monkey I made for a friend. She decided to name him Kako. I found the pattern and asked my friend if she would like one. She agreed and quickly chose some colors for him. She then thought he would look great with a scarf and so she crocheted one herself.

I enjoy crocheting in general and it is a fun hobby. I do, however, find even more joy in giving something I made as a gift. Giving makes this hobby, and any hobby, more enjoyable. Do you have a hobby that makes great gifts?

J.R

Listening to Music

Anything that is often done in your free time can be considered a hobby.  If you are like some of the people I know who doesn’t really have a hobby, just remember you actually do.  Most people listen to music but they probably do not consider that a hobby.  Yet they more than likely do it often.  There is so many different types, from rock to opera, and everything in between.

I have enjoyed many different types of music.  I love rock and techno music, such a 30 Seconds to Mars and Phoenix.  I also love opera, my two favorites are Barber of Seville and Lucia di lammermoor.  And let me tell you something, if anyone tells you that listening music can’t be a hobby then ask them what a hobby is.  Dictionary.com defines hobby as “an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation” (Dictionary.com).  Music is made and listened to for relaxation and pleasure.  Without those two goals, lets say, then music would be useless.

My main point of this all, though, is that even the small things you may never guess as a hobby, in fact, could be one.  So think of those activities you do and see what hobbies you already have!

J.R.

Also remember, I believe that anything that anyone does with a passion is an art-form.

Two Great Books

I just finished a book a while ago and really loved it.  It is called How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu.  This is just a wonderful book and I have to say it is now one of my favorites.  It is about Charles, a time machine technician.  Through his journeys he is looking for his father or at least is trying to figure out where his father is.  His father disappeared when he created time travel, and soon after time travel becomes popular, leading Charles to his career thanks to his father’s invention.

There is much more to this story than that but I do not want to give any of it away.  If you want to know more you will have to read it.  It is a moving story that involves the complexities of science and a family.  If you consider yourself a nerd or geek, you will love this.  Charles Yu uses many scientific terms with abstract ideas throughout the entire novel.  It is a must read.

I have also read another novel recently.  Actually, I just finished it last night.  It is titled The Last Book in The Universe.  This sci-fi is written by Rodman Philbrick.  It is below my reading level, I do admit.  It is, however, a good book.  Set in the future of the ruins of the human race after a terrible earthquake called the Big Shake.  The conditions are very poor and terrible for the people.  Crime is everywhere and if you do not agree with the gangs in control you could loose your life.  The main character is a boy that is nick-named Spaz for reasons explained in the book.  He befriends the old man Ryter, a writer who maybe the last one on earth, on a long journey for a worthy goal.

It is a great book that is fast paced.  It brings light to the things that we take for granted everyday.  These are brought to life through eyes seeing them for the first time.  Great Read!

As I said writing and reading are great hobbies to have that pass the time.  It is good to read books for thought and for inspiration.  I hope to write about some more great books for reading.  If you do read these, I hope you find them as wonderful as I have.

Enjoy,

J.R.