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I was chatting on the phone last night with rSplash40. He was getting over a family bout of flu, and I am temporarily disabled. We both observed that geocaching tends to make people obsessive, or rather that obsessive type people are attracted to geocaching. I asked him what his obsessions were before caching (we’ve both been at it only a couple of years, but seems like we’ve been doing it all our lives). Anybody care to share their pre-geocaching obsessions?
I’ll start. As many of you know, I play the violin. At one time I performed regularly with six ensembles, and also did freelance playing. Often times I would be rehearsing or performing six night a week, in addition to my regular daytime work. I still perform, but have learned to limit my performing to allow this newest obsession of geocaching into my life.
All right everyone, confess your past obsessions. I’m looking forward to your stories.
Geez Frizz you’re really onto something here.
Here goes, When I was in my early 20’s I spent too much time in the tavern so I decided I needed to do something constructive. SO I went and got myself a Brew your own beer kit. (Hey it got me out of the tavern) I was quite into that and could not stop thinking or absorbing anything related to brewing. My home brewery got to the point if I was going to spend a whole day brewing I would make it worth it. So I upgraded to a halfbarrel sized brewkettle. ( 5 Gallons just didn’t last long enough with a good batch.) After about 8 years of that I decided the kids were too little to play around 15 gallons of boiling sugar water. So I sold off the brewery and started to buy Woodworking stuff. (nothing like power tools to justify the kids safety)
I have been doing a few projects for myself, coffee tables, bookshelves and a dresser. I work slow with it but it gives me quite a bit of satisfaction when a project is completed. I still enjoy the woodworking but just have a hard time carving out the time. Especially since I decided to start hunting lost tupperware. I guess if I had a heated shop it would give me the time to build things in the winter. (Hey look a new obsession, Honey can I build a shop?) Sorry did you hear that.
So now I chase tupperware. Of course I can’t let it stop there. When I find a nice stick out in the woods I have to pick it up and make a hiker out of it. I guess I am combining geocaching and woodworking into one big obsession.
Well Frizz was that enough?
Hmm things that have kept me occupied pre-geocaching and they still do are firearms.. I’m pretty a pretty big gun enthusiast. I spend countless hours on the net surfing for the next deal for some thing that i don’t need.
Also as my name suggests I’m a pretty big Jimmy Buffett fan and i spend countless hours relaxing to his music as i am right now on
Insert Plug HERE
Books, chocolate.
Well all I can say is GAMBLING!
As you can tell from many of my cache names, I have been obsessed with Neil Young’s music for a long time, so havent given that up. Even my caching handle, “zuma,” is taken from a Neil Young album. I doubt if I ever will give up my interest in Neil Young. (I made poor Seth listen to Neil’s new CD several times on our trip to Iowa.)
I was once obsessed with working in Emergency Medical Services and training paramedics, but that is all a past life now. Now I work just enough to buy gas for the geomobile and dog chow for the geohound.
zuma
As you can tell from many of my cache names, I have been obsessed with Neil Young’s music for a long time, so havent given that up. Even my caching handle, “zuma,” is taken from a Neil Young album. I doubt if I ever will give up my interest in Neil Young. (I made poor Seth listen to Neil’s new CD several times on our trip to Iowa.)
I was once obsessed with working in Emergency Medical Services and training paramedics, but that is all a past life now. Now I work just enough to buy gas for the geomobile and dog chow for the geohound.
zuma
zuma is obsessed with posting on the forums… 😀
Lets see, right before geocaching was , my name sake – my Ranger Splash. Found it on the web in y2k, somewhere in ohio, bone stock, 38k on the clock. Brought it home, dropped a blower, injectors, bigger maf, rear locker, SVO diff cover, rear disc brakes, roller rockers, wires, etc,etc,etc. Was one helluva fun truck to drive, to be able to punch it at 30mph and go sideways… nothing like it. the 1320 was my 2nd home for several years.. my proudest moment with it – no tickets!
That kid who bought it has no idea what he has.
Prior to that I was a car stereo fanatic, for about 10 years, I built, competed and judged car stereo systems. Managed a few firsts and best of shows, plus a trip to the finals one year. And yes ppl, there is much more than how loud they can go. I can say for certainty that I will probably never spend as much money or time geocaching that I did with car stereo’s. Definately not money anyway.
I’m not sure this site has the bandwidth for me to list all my past / present obsessions. Suffice it to say there are…..many. When it comes to OCD I’m undiagnosed but certainly afflicted.
Snowshoeing, biking, hiking, photography, raising kids, Packer games, arts and crafts, parenting, camping…
pretty much do all of them yet but to a lesser degree…
TEI guess I suffer from serial monomania.
My first big epiphany was at 21 when I found rock climbing through a friend. After that it was every day of every weekend, skipping weddings, holidays, you name it. I left a wedding right after the receiving line once to head on a climbing vacation, and I remember a fine Thanksgiving in the Red River Gorge in Kentucky eating a tinned turkey breast in the dirt. Several fantastic years that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
Then I messed up my ankle at Horsetooth Reservoir in Colorado after taking a winger off a boulder, and tried to heal and climb hard again, but I couldn’t quite get back to my peak. One of my climbing partners got married, one moved to Maine, and I slowly drifted…
And then found whitewater kayaking. Same story. Every day of every weekend, hooking up and heading for the next river. That too went for several years and started to fade when regular partners moved on and new faces showed up.
Then there was another slow period for a year or two, and now geocaching has come along. And after the pattern I’ve followed in other interests, it was nothing to fall into old habits and just keep going…
The big question is whether you approach it as a passion or an obsession. One’s healthy the other’s not, but heck if I know, I’m going caching.
Sports officiating….high school and college basketball, high school football, baseball and softball.
Of course I still do that, I just am more picky about the games that I ref, no more reffing 7 days a week for me.
Before that golf. I used to play a lot, 18/27 holes a day 5 days a week. Now I golf less than 10 times a summer.
My next obsession will probably be my first child when he is born in September.
I have many activites that I enjoy — geocaching being one of them — but I’ve always tried not to be obsessive about anything. Enthusiastic and passionate are good, but obsessive people scare me a little.
Great topic! Definitely hit my nail right on the head!
Currently, all of my passions seem to fit together nicely. In warm weather, I geocache. In cold weather, I scrapbook. At all times of the year, if I am sitting in front of the TV, I crochet (no, I am not 80 years old). I don’t have time for anything else right now. Except maybe the occasional Sudoku.
In the past, I was obsessed with photography (still use it to scrapbook), cross stitch, word puzzles, reading….I am sure there are more.
Now if only I could learn to be compulsive about cleaning my house I would feel better about myself….
Sara
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