by Matt Bird

Created on: June 14, 2009

Oh dear. Not an easy list to make, this, with only ten spots to fill. I like a lot of games and a lot of hobbies - so I guess I'll just stick with my ten favorite things as of this moment, and not from the year overall. They all work rather nicely for summer days. They'll go in order of what time in the day I'm most likely to do them, and not in order of which I like best.

1.) Wake up and play some browser-based games. Before I get started on my work for the day I always open a game or two and do my daily rounds. It's a great way to wake up and get my brain kicking before I need to actually use it, especially since I have a day's worth of stuff to catch up on since the last time I logged on.

2.) Play some guitar. Having done a few hours of work I'll need something to take a break with, and often enough that's my guitar. Either I'll practice stuff I already know or go hunting for new, more challenging tabs I can try and tackle. This works well for just about any musical instrument, of course, so stick with what you know.

3.) Go for a jog. Barring the guitar I'll strap on my shoes and head out into the world, circumventing the neighborhood in a long arc. Sometimes I'll dip into a forest on the way back for an extra element of challenge. I'm not the greatest jogger in the world so I usually arrive home after two hours with a nice pain in my side and sweat dripping from every part of my body, but hey. I feel great regardless.

4.) Go for a walk in the forest. There's a long, lovely creek running down the middle of the forest, and I could walk along it for hours without getting bored. If you've got any wooded area near your house that you can take advantage of, do so - and especially now, while the weather's so nice. Just be sure to wear insect spray.

5.) Try some nature photography. Normally I head to the same forest for this, but there's been a groundhog living near my house so I don't always have to go far. It requires a bit more concentration and patience - well a lot more, actually - but if you've got a good camera nature photography looks fantastic with the right shot.

6.) Play cards. Often when I get home and before I head back to work I have a round of cards with my parents. We generally play SkipBo these days, though three-handed bid euchre isn't out of the question.

7.) Go for a bike ride. So long as it's not horribly windy out I'll head out after supper for a jaunt on the bike. The weather's cooled down a bit by then and I'll have recovered from my earlier excursions sufficiently to pedal.

8.) Watch some television. Not much more to say about this, really - I'll pop on the Discovery Channel every now and then and see what's on. I have to admit, though, that if it's not MythBusters I often just shut it off again.

9.) Play some video games. Lately I've been focusing on the Mega Man Anniversary Collection, though it varies. Sometimes I'll forgo this if I have too much homework or I'm just not in the mood.

10.) Round off the night on Youtube. I turn on my Wii, plug my USB connector into my computer and watch television shows I wouldn't normally be able to find. They usually stream pretty nicely, and though the quality isn't the greatest - okay, it's pretty bad - it's definitely not a bad way to end a day.

Mind you, not EVERY day runs like this - it gets broken up if I have other things to do, or if I get called out by friends - but overall this is a nice little list of hobbies and activities to keep a body occupied.

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