Thursday Hobby Throwback

They say at the heart of any man beats a thirteen old boy.

That many of the hobbies and interests that you have carry through to the rest of your life.

That seems generally true.  I know how shocked I am when I see myself in the mirror - that is not what I think of myself most of the time.  That is until I realize how much my foot hurts or that my back doesn't do what my back used to do.  Or I'm driving at night and realize I cannot see in the dark as well as I could.  Or the dawning realization that I can't eat like a college student anymore.

But hobbies and interests?  Yeah, they're about the same.

Here is an inventory of things I was into as a teenager and whether or not they are still a passion.  This does not include any romantic interests in the opposite gender (for me - for you, it may be a different romantic interest).  That is a given.

Baseball Statistics

I loved baseball statistics.  I followed them in the newspaper.  I participated in a play-by-mail baseball strategy game.  I earned my varsity letter for being the statistician for the baseball team.  It was one of the few signs in my early life that I might have some ability to be an accountant.

Now?  Sadly, that passion is gone.  Newspapers rarely track that information anymore, and I do not have the discipline to look them up on the internet.  If there is a good baseball statistic site, I don't know about it.

Probably now that I'm a CPA, I've reached my fill of flashing numbers, so to spend time with it as a hobby holds less interest.

Acting

I've always "performed," onstage or off.  My first play was as a freshman in high school, when I dropped out of football, discovering a play tryout, thinking two things - 1) theatre involved less running (true), and 2) chicks dig actors (not true - at least high school actors).  When I came out for the curtain call of my first play (Harvey, playing an 80-year-old judge), and I heard the swell of applause, I was hooked.

Now?  Yep.  Life long passion!  It's getting harder to find roles, but I still like to perform at least once a year.  It's getting harder and harder to memorize, and it's disruptive to developing a steady routine, but when  I get in the zone?  Almost nothing like it.

Science Fiction Magazines

I used to routinely get science fiction magazines, starting from the time I was about 8.  I even had a subscription to Worlds of If for several years.

Now?  I can't say I never get them, but it's pretty rare.  I still have a dream in the back of my mind that I would love to have one publish a story of mine and see my name on their cover.  A few of these magazines still exist (e.g., Asimov's,  Analog), but they are pretty hard to find.  Fewer and fewer outlets carry them.

Writing

I've wanted to be a writer since at least 7th grade.  It's when I first adopted the pen name, T. M. Strait, emulating my favorite writer at that time, H. G. Wells. I wrote sporadically, never really finishing anything.  As a freshman in high school, I first conceived of History of the Trap.

Now?  I write more than ever.  History of the Trap has become a reality and is my best selling book (that means a whole lot less than you think it does).  My blog has over 2,000 entries.  Whether anyone pays attention or not, it is my greatest passion, and I will do it as long as my mind allows me to string together words.

Comic Books

I started reading comic books in Kindergarten, fascinated first with Classic Illustrated, Jr., especially the ones involving princesses, and although this may no longer be considered politically correct, I was obsessed with rescuing princesses - those were my favorite kind of stories.  I later grew into the Marvel revolution, and a fondness for Superman, the Legion of Super-Heroes, and many more.

Now?  No, I did not grow up to rescue princesses, but my passion for comic books has remained constant.  To this day, I still receive new comic books monthly from a mail service, Westfield Comics.  I still collect Superman.

------------------------


Other passions that stem from those teenage years?  Politics - still follow and think about constantly, but it is much more depressing with Trump daily ruining our country and the blind allegiance of the Trumpeteers eating away at me every day.

Movies - used to go to the movie theatre at least once a week - first with my parents and then on my own when  I could drive. Now it's fewer than a dozen times a year, but part of that is there is so much more available that you can see at home.

Science Fiction - my favorite genre then, my favorite genre now. 


That's all I can think of right now. 

So, yes, I can say, at least for me, the thirteen-year-old boy is still alive and well.

Even if he is just a little bit creaky and gray now.