OT - Horology / Did you pick up a new interest or hobby during the lockdowns?
Yes, I know. Get your giggles out.
As we all know, the pandemic and resultant lockdowns have significantly disrupted the ability to do a number of the things we loved to do and were used to doing. At the same time, this has resulted in a rare opportunity to start something new and different. For me, the last six months has seen a growing obsession with vintage watch and close, and their repair and restoration. Initially, this was supposed to be a post asking whether there were other MGoReaders who shared that interest and would be willing to share some of their experiences, suggestions for someone new to the craft, etc. But then I thought that this particular interest is ridiculously niche, and it might be more of an interesting discussion to see whether anyone else has taken up a new interest that they wouldn't have but for the lockdowns, and if so, what and why.
April 29th, 2021 at 11:35 AM ^
My ex-wife picked up horology long before the pandemic started.
April 29th, 2021 at 11:45 AM ^
This comment wins the internet today :)
April 29th, 2021 at 12:20 PM ^
Or would that be Johnology???
April 29th, 2021 at 12:23 PM ^
The thing about horology: it’s a good time. Juwan also a big watch guy. Dude flexes every game. I have no doubt his collection is in the seven figures. His gold Patek Nautillus is over $100k on its own.
April 29th, 2021 at 11:43 AM ^
All I can say about a post like this: It's about time.
April 29th, 2021 at 11:44 AM ^
Ever listen to the S-Town podcast? Interesting horology angle to it.
April 29th, 2021 at 11:50 AM ^
Big S-Town fan here. I also immediately thought of it when I read the OP title!
April 29th, 2021 at 12:28 PM ^
Not being much into podcasts, I've never heard of it before. Thanks for the suggestion.
I got into S-Town when it first came out but had very mixed feelings about it after binging my way through. It was set up as something of true crime drama, but took an abrupt turn and became more of a character study of one (interesting) guy, John McLemore.
Unfortunately, the podcast went off the rails in what seemed like a never-ending obsession with McLemore's sexuality. Of all the things about the guy, that was the absolute least interesting aspect.
FYI, there was a lawsuit against the producers as a result of the podcast... I can't recap because it would have to include a major spoiler, but you can read about the suit here and the resolution here.
I listened to it when it was released too. Covering the topics it did was fine, but starting it off as a crime story and then exploiting a man’s suicide as a surprise hook seemed wrong to me. I was surprised how little criticism they got for it.
Double Post
April 29th, 2021 at 11:45 AM ^
Got into coffee roasting. Been a coffee nut for a long time, but finally decided to take the plunge into roasting my own beans. Built a coffee roaster and am enjoying ultra-cheap coffee now, compared to buying high-end roasted beans!
April 29th, 2021 at 12:23 PM ^
Ever had a coffee enema?
The worst part of waking up, is Folgers in your butt.
Username checks out!
That's pretty cool. Not a big coffee drinker but I always think something taste better when you've been able to put your own spin on it.
I've been collecting and cellaring bourbon barrel-aged beers for the past 3 years or so but over Covid it really go out of hand. Currently I'm around 50-60 different 375ml or 22oz bottles and some in the collection cost up $45-50. It's about 4 large beer boxes in the closet and yet it's the only thing my fiance chooses to bitch as "taking up too much space". Not the hundreds of pairs of shoes sitting right next to them.
Buy a stove top perculator life changing
April 29th, 2021 at 11:45 AM ^
I started buying/trading watches a few years back and love it, although I recently sold a few pieces to help fund some expenses for our new home construction. Hopefully I'll be back in the market before too long.
Onanism.
Not exactly a new pursuit but hell bent on perfecting it.
Nothing good will come if it's bent, mate.
hey, man, you gotta dance with what brung ya.
April 29th, 2021 at 11:47 AM ^
I wouldn't call it a hobby, but I started playing with making mead and hard cider a few weeks ago. I've never done any fermenting before so I am playing with some small 1 gallon batches. My first batches should be ready for consumption in about another 2 weeks.
April 29th, 2021 at 12:03 PM ^
It becomes like a science experiment. I've been making beer and wine for probably 7 years. For a while I was making ginger ale and Sprite/7 UP from scratch. That led me to a forum that focused on beer and wine, and someone posted a recipe for hard ginger ale. I plan on making a batch of that for the summer.
"They say the recipe for Sprite is lemon and lime. I tried it at home. There's more to it than that. 'Hey, you want some more home made Sprite?' 'Not till you figure out what the fuck else is in it!'"
RIP Mitch
April 29th, 2021 at 12:35 PM ^
I'm about ready to bottle my first batch of Acerglyn. It's been sitting in the secondary fermenter since January.
April 29th, 2021 at 11:49 AM ^
I was let go from my job last summer as part of a reduction in force. While unemployed I decided to make myself more employable by learning SQL, something I'd been interested in for years but never had the time learn. Because of learning Oracle SQL I was able to get a job back at my old employer in a division that was able to hire again. Only unemployed 4 months.
April 29th, 2021 at 11:50 AM ^
One of our readers invited me to join his friends' D&D game on Sunday nights. I'm loving it.
Monday's for me. Playing a Cleric which took me outside of my Ranger comfort zone. Ton of fun to get back into a hobby I hadn't engaged in since High School.
April 29th, 2021 at 11:53 AM ^
Got really into woodworking. Making a lot of cutting boards, coasters, charcuterie boards. Now I just bought a reqtec pellet smoker so I'm getting into smoking meat. At least I'll have something to cut on my cutting boards.
April 29th, 2021 at 12:25 PM ^
Go Blue96 I just bought the Bull. What one did you get? I love it. Never smoked before but it is easier than I thought and the food tastes great. So many variables though. What wood to use, seasoning to use, etc...
April 29th, 2021 at 12:45 PM ^
I got the rt-590 from recteq. I'm also still very new to smoking but learning a lot from the internet. I did a 8.5 lb pork butt last week and it came out good. I basically just trimmed the fat, rubbed some mustard on it as a binder then used a sweet/spicy rub. Smoked it at 235 8 hours which brought it up to 160 degrees while spritzing it with apple cider vinegar/water every hour, then I wrapped it in aluminum foil and left it on for another 3 hours to get to 198 degrees. I had to turn it up to 260 at the end to get the temperature up in time for dinner. I also let it rest in a cooler for 40 minutes. I'm maybe going to try a brisket this weekend if the weather is decent. I don't expect that to be as easy as the pulled pork.
Check out Amazingribs.com. Great resource for all things bbq. Memphis meat dust recipe is my go to rub for ribs and if you ever decide to jump into homemade bacon (totally worth it but slicing it is a royal pain in the ass) the curing calculator is a must use
I have only done bone in chicken, chicken breasts, pork tenderloin and pork chops. all were under 3 hours. Going to try brisket this week end!! The recipe I am going to follow is about 16 hours I think. ( a you tube video). Really excited, but man I don’t want to screw it up, brisket is not cheap.
What did you watch/read to do the pulled pork. That is next after brisket.
Reddit has a pellet grill subforum that has a lot of great information. I found this youtube video there:
Dude am I in the future? Are you past me?
In this timeline I bought a Camp Chef but other than that, seems like you're in the same wormhole I got into 3-4 years ago.
P.s. Instagram is full of great BBQ pages. Grillin with Dad, Jess Pryles (hardcore carnivore) and Matt Pitman (meat church) are all good follows. Aaron Franklin has a few good videos on YouTube too.
Got a lot of cutting board ideas and tips from pages like Chopd and Feldthouse family woodworks too.
Have fun and try to keep your fingers!
Thanks. Saving up for that SawStop…
April 29th, 2021 at 11:53 AM ^
I’m happily married… my horing days are over
April 29th, 2021 at 11:55 AM ^
Taking this opportunity to replace the old carpet with floating hardwood floors. Doing it myself, we can go one room at a time which reduces interruptions and I can take my time. Replacing all of the baseboards while at it.
I kinda enjoy the aspects of doing some manual work. But joining baseboards at angles is a pain in the ass... especially with my miter saw which seems is not perfectly plum.
I also watch a lot of car rebuild projects on Youtube, even though I have no intention of doing that myself any time soon. Not sure why but watching someone fix/clean things is very relaxing.
April 29th, 2021 at 12:21 PM ^
This resonates with me. The bulk of my life is far removed from the mechanical world, and so taking something that is purely mechanical and taking it from a non-operative state to fully functioning is deeply satisfying.
April 29th, 2021 at 12:38 PM ^
It’s most likely your walls that are out, not your miter saw. It’s why the pros tend to trace the profile on the molding & use a coping saw.
I work in IT, so never "see" the results of my work. I think that's why doing home improvements is so satisfying--you actually can visualize the result. Though I will say that crown molding almost defeated me. Those inside joins took a while to master. A long while.
I guess you've already done it then or well into it. I'd definitely recommend underfloor heating with wooden floors if you can though. Maybe a bit too late. It's everywhere in Korea and it's awesome in the winter. Efficient too.
April 29th, 2021 at 12:00 PM ^
I got really good at moving across the country twice as well as breaking my elbow/wrist due to a workout accident and cashing unemployment checks. Thinking about picking up getting bitten by a dog and driving my car into the ocean, but not sure if I'll have time.
April 29th, 2021 at 12:22 PM ^
This was funny! +1
Jawohl!
April 29th, 2021 at 12:01 PM ^
I used to do a lot of triathlon-ing before I had kids and have used them as an excuse to be lazy ever since. I've decided that the pandemic provides the perfect opportunity to train for my first (and only) Ironman. This allows me to drink copious amounts of alcohol while still losing weight. All it takes is 14+ hours of exercise a week! It's so easy!
April 29th, 2021 at 12:04 PM ^
Growing my wool out
April 29th, 2021 at 12:23 PM ^
So now more manscaping???
April 29th, 2021 at 12:24 PM ^
Ewwww?
I haven't been to a barber since the start of the pandemic. Haircuts have been short DIY operations with a small beard trimmer. Reviews have been good. I may never go back (to the barber).