My Hobbies, Described in More Detail Than You Desire

While I have a wide variety of general interests, my actual range of hobbies is much narrower. My natural curiosity pushes me to read books, magazines, and Internet articles about many subjects but that doesn't necessarily mean all of my activities are related to what I read. I love birds, for instance, yet I am not a bird watcher nor do I belong to any sort of bird club or society.

My list of hobbies includes writing, drawing, making collages, taking photographs, reading, singing, walking, biking, shopping, eating, listening to music, traveling, and visiting theatres, museums, art galleries, libraries, parks, and areas of historical interest. I also regularly attend lectures, panel discussions, and other live presentations about numerous topics. Now let me describe each of these hobbies in further depth:

I write everything except for sports and technical articles, as I famously claim, but I've even written a few of those, too. My favorite genres are poetry, short stories, satire, creative non-fiction, and fashion articles. Hard news stories rarely interest me; I prefer to write pieces with a strong narrative voice or from some entertaining angle. The inverted triangle format is so dry! Writing is not only a hobby of mine but a professional pastime, as well. I regularly publish my writing online, update my fashion blog (Give Me Paisley and Parasols!), contribute to 'zines, and submit pieces to magazines, books, newspapers, and literary journals. I also self-publish books on Lulu.com.

As for drawing, I primarily draw people, particularly female faces, but I doodle just about everything. My drawings are more stylistic than realistic. Like my writing, I also submit my drawings to online and print venues but, unlike my writing, I generally don't receive payment for the illustrations.

More often than not, I incorporate my drawings into collages. I have my own special form of art that I call "digital collage," where I combine drawings, magazine & newspaper clippings, and photography on a computer program (such as Adobe Photoshop) and then edit all of the pieces together to form a scene. I do, however, also make traditional paper and glue collages with images I like in old magazines and newspapers.

Ever since my parents bought me a Nikon D-40, I have been much more enthusiastic about taking photographs. My father is a photographer so cameras have always been available around the house but I think owning my own professional camera motivated me to take photos on a regular basis.

I love to read about almost everything! Since my university participates in the Collegiate Readership Program, I get three free newspapers delivered to my dorm every single weekday: The Washington Post, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, and USA Today. I at least skim those everyday to decide which articles I want to read. The Washington Post "Style" section and USA Today's "Life" are must-reads. I also like The New York Times' "Styles" section, Washington Post Magazine, Newsweek, Parade, Vogue, Marie Claire, Lucky, WWD, Elle, and other magazines but mainly ones with cultural slants. I'm beginning to look at Ms. more regularly now, too, since it's available at my school library. School and local publications, such as Style Weekly, Brick Weekly, and Richmond magazine, have joined my reading list since I moved to Richmond. My favorite overall magazine is Bust; in fact, I might even intern there one day. I like reading play scripts and novels, too. From the month, I highly recommend Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking and Sarah Ruhl's Clean House. In terms of non-fiction books, I often read about art/fashion, social history, feminist theory, animals, careers, linguistics, anthropology/world cultures, psychology, and self-help. I have a habit of reading chapters out of non-fiction books to gain general knowledge but I rarely read one from cover to cover unless it's on a topic that fascinates me. For instance, a couple of weeks ago, I looked at In Focus: Careers in Performing Arts, but only bothered with the chapter on acting; the others didn't interest or concern me. Commonly, I skim Wikipedia and troll the Internet for trivial information and web comics.

As for singing, let it be known that I constantly hum, although I try really hard to control myself at work and in class. In 10th grade, when I left home for the summer to study Japanese at my current university, my mother actually admitted that she missed my humming, which was funny since she complained about it before. I've sung in a couple of choruses and also record my own singing. I post the songs online and sell the CDs to distros.

Walking is something I do everyday. I don't own a car but I don't mind because I own two perfectly good legs. But I don't only walk out of necessity; I stroll, too. I wander around neighborhoods, parks, and nature trails because I enjoy observing new and old places. Sometimes I bring a friend and other times I walk alone. Strolling alone allows me to focus on my thoughts without too many distractions. I bike much like a walk: both out of necessity and for leisure.

Shopping is fun but I can't do it everyday for long periods of time. Ideally, I would shop for half an hour once a week (unless you count book shopping, which I could do for hours). I get tired of most shopping malls pretty quickly but I adore thrift shops, flea markets, and yard sales! Clearly, I'm a bargain hunter but I also shop secondhand because I'm a nostalgic person. I admire vintage and antique things for having a history that new merchandise doesn't. New York's Chinatown, Little Brazil, and Greenwich Village are a few of my very favorite places to shop, in addition to South Arlington and Richmond, VA.

Eating is a huge hobby of mine. Thanks to my fast metabolism, I eat throughout the day, not just at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My favorite foods include plums, chicken (as long as it's juicy! Legs and thighs are the best), croissants, biscotti, vanilla yogurt, corn, pumpkin pie, blueberry scones, broccoli, cod, tomato soup, chocolates (preferably ones that include peanuts or peanut butter but not coconut, unless you count Almost Joys), pastas (spinach lasagna!), cheeses (mozzarella!), dried apricots, duck, and cashews. Chinese, Mediterranean, and Central American cuisines are my favorite groups of ethnic food. Peking pork, veal parmigiana, and pupusas with fried yucca rank as some of my top dishes. I also like my mother's fried plantains, steak, quesadillas, and, well, nearly everything she makes. My family eats out on a regular basis, especially when we travel, so I've been to multiple restaurants. Chanoodle in New York Chinatown, Full Kee in Falls Church, VA, the Salvadorian franchise Pollo Campero, and Chart House in Old Town Alexandria, VA are just a few of my favorite restaurants. Costco's probably my preferred store for snack foods, for the prices and selection, although Wegmann's and Trader Joe's are fantastic, too.

I listen to music in the car and when I write or do homework. While I have an iPod, I rarely use it; the concept of being "plugged in" all the time bothers me. I prefer to be tuned in with the world around me or my own dreams. I mainly listen to rock, ranging from alternative to Southern to classic. Samples of artists I typically listen to include Queen, Modest Mouse/Ugly Casanova, Led Zep, Regina Spektor, Nirvana, Feist, Supertramp, Sparklehorse, David Bowie, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Madonna, and Bjork but, trust me, there are many more. Classical music relaxes me and my boyfriend and I like Nat King Cole for romantic evenings. For live music, I generally listen to folk/ethnic music because so much of it is upbeat. I try to save more serious music for private moments.

My family and I travel during every season. My sisters, mother, and I have been to nearly 40 states, whereas my father has seen 48 due to the nature of his work. I have been to Canada, Mexico, England, and Spain, as well. We also tour Virginia; it's such a varied state with rich history and culture that it's hard to truly visit and appreciate it all in a single trip. Some of my favorite places in Virginia to visit include Richmond, Colonial Williamsburg, Smith Mountain Lake, Old Town Alexandria, and Shenandoah National Park. Outside of Virginia, New York City, Miami, Montreal, London, and D.C. particularly resonate with me. I tend to be a city girl, but the deserts in the American West, the seashores of Maine, and Alaska as a whole really impressed me. Before I graduate from college, I hope to visit Scotland, Italy, France, and Spain for a second time.

Growing up in the D.C. metro area, watching live theatre has always been a part of my life. Now at college, I usher shows to watch them for free! As for going to museums, I grew up just a ten-minute drive from the National Mall so the Smithsonian spoiled me. I realize that most of the world's finest museums are not free but, when they are, I try not to miss them. Hopping from art reception to art reception is something else I like to do, sometimes for the art, sometimes for the live music, and sometimes for the free food, depending upon the show. Libraries attract me, too. I've been in libraries from Trapper Creek, Alaska to Camden Maine to St. Augustine, Florida---no exaggeration. Parks also entertain me. I'm not picky about them, either. I'm just as willing to visit a city park as a national park. Sometimes these parks may contain areas of historical interest, like Ft. Ethan Allen Park near my house, whereas others don't. I do, however, go out of my way to see buildings, cemeteries, and other sites of historical interest whenever possible. Sometimes the libraries and parks I visit have lectures or other public presentations going on, which frankly I consider a bonus.

All in all, my hobbies may not be as varied or physically active or conventionally exciting as many people's but I appreciate all the activities in my life. I dedicate time and effort to them because I believe in doing things with sincerity. I may not be the best at my hobbies, either, but at least I thoroughly enjoy them and try not to take them for granted. Each and every one enriches some aspect of my life differently.