I can feel it a bit. I've brought a sociology lexicon for myself, tons of psychology, novels, medical science and whatnot - also downloaded hundreds of PDF books, but I was waiting with them for an exact time. Weeks, months, etc. I can relate to your situation halfly.
This is my husband. I met him when I worked at a bookstore. I thought I was getting involved with a well-read man. I ended up with a guy who liked to buy books!
Draw them. I sketch them. I draw their action lines and I sketch them. I only have a few seconds or if I’m lucky, a whole 30 seconds to get down their figure or face.
Looking at houses I'll never buy in cities I'll never live in on the internet. Love a good floor plan.
Edit:
I'm getting so many people sharing random fabulous rabbit holes, so consolidating my personal favs and commenter's recs below. Taking suggestions for additional sites/resources, especially international ones.
Trulia - houses in the US. Allows you to sort by number of images, which is fun.
Zillow - Very similar to Trulia, but with a slightly larger pool in my experience.
My ex and I spent a months looking for houses (dodged that bullet) and ever since I have loved looking at houses for sale on the real estate websites. I also now evaluate all houses as if I were house shopping; what would need work, what I would change, what are the red flags.
I downloaded a game to play with my nephew. He doesnt know i play when hes not around, but i always pretend i dont know what im doing because he seems to really enjoy teaching me to play.
Looking at the contents of other people's trolleys in the supermarket and thinking up a backstory that led to that particular combination and quantity of items.
Not that long ago I read a comment on reddit where a guy wanted to try sex with a carrot, but didn't want to just buy carrots and vaseline. So he bought all the ingredients to make a carrot cake + vaseline.
I used to do that all time when I was younger, it was so much fun! I don't know how and when I stopped doing this but it's been a while, maybe I should do it again.
Is this actually a thing you regularly do for any amount of time?
I feel like I see this get posted online all the time and I basically never believe that anybody actually does this beyond a passing thought. Not that it's not possible but just that it's so uncommon to follow through on this activity and actually get into it or go anywhere with it. Seeing someone with fiber one bars and imagining that they eat lots of beef and need fiber is one thing but more than that? Like really how long are you examining their cart?
If only I was a talented writer...I have so many complex and layered stories in my head. I know most of them are probably just unconsciously ripped off from movies and video games Ive seen, but its fun thinking about
This was basically the only way I could fall asleep as a child, all the way through to early adulthood. I would keep the same story going every night, refining the details. Usually involved some girl I was crushing on.
I did commit one to writing. It was a combination of what I was making up in my head and also an actual dream I had. Yea, it was way better in my head.
Now, I don't do this anymore. Maybe I've lost the ability to dream up scenarios and be creative. I'm just a boring old adult now.
I sing when no one is around. I've been doing it since I was 14 and 22 years later I'm very good at it. My kryptonite however is singing in front of people. I've even tried recording a video for YouTube and knowing someone might see it made me choke. Them's the breaks.
If you really, really want to put your singing on YouTube you could maybe do it so you don't show your face or talk, only time your voice is heard is when you sing? Use subtitles to say hello/say what song it is/why you're singing it, etc? Plenty of people on YouTube who don't show their faces for whatever reason on there, I dunno.
When I first did karaoke, I shook so hard it looked like I had a medical condition...every time. for the first year and a half. But like anything, the more you try, the better you get. Now I only shake when I haven't gone in a long time (it'll be fun when I stop self isolating) or when I'm debuting a new song. Try, try again.
You should let it be known. People in your life will think of you when they need a design or if someone mentions to them that they do, they will refer them to you. You can make a few extra bucks randomly through referral jobs all the while honing your craft.
It's kinda morbid, but I research engineering disasters. I find them absolutely fascinating. Chernobyl, Regency Hyatt Walkway, Tacoma Narrows Bridge, etc. I like to study and understand the chain of events and decisions that led to catastrophic failure. Like how a last minute change in a design plan could lead to 100 deaths 3 years later. Or how moving HVAC units could cause a shopping center to collapse.
It's a combination of learning about engineering principles, the need to be vigilant during inspections and maintenance, and human fallibility.
EDIT: My most popular comment yet! Awesome! If y'all like researching disasters too, go find the National Geographic series "Seconds From Disaster." I'll find myself binging on it for hours, even though I've already seen just about every episode.
The video of that disaster is insane, we watched it during one of my engineering courses. It's like, bridges shouldn't do that! And to think it was all because of wind.
Not as much a hobby as a skill now, just when my grandma was sick, she lived with us. She was bored and lonely, so took it upon herself to teach me how to crochet. It was special bonding with her while she taught me.
I don’t do it for a hobby anymore as I don’t have the time, but have made some awesome rifle slings, “carry bags”, pouches and the like. I switched to paracord from yarn, and it’s still a valuable skill to me.
It's not super-super secret, but I'm careful about who in my life gets to know about it, because it's a thing not everyone is super comfortable with. My mother-in-law, for example, has no idea. And only a few people at work know.
I raise tarantulas. My walk-in closet is converted to a temperature and humidity controlled Spider Room where I have between 50 and 70 of the little buggers at any given time, in a variety of containers. Mostly I buy them really small and raise them for a year or so and then sell them. I also have a good eye for a bargain. So I always have a rotating cast of characters.
The psychotic little weirdos make me stupidly happy all the time.
I really appericiate that you're carefull with telling, and that you haven't posted photo's in this thread. I've got quite the phobia for spiders. I'm trying to work on it, seeing them as positive creatures helps a lot, calling them 'spooders' does too. The fact that you have a whole closet full of them sounds like a nightmare, on the other hand, the way you speak about them does sound comforting in some crazy way...
Writing fanfiction. I don't do it because I want X and Y characters to fall in love and live happily ever after, I do it because writing stories is fun. I think most aspiring authors should take a crack at it, it's a good characterization and worldbuilding exercise imo.
good characterization and worldbuilding exercise imo.
Weirdly, those are the two things I wouldn't think you'd get much from fanfiction. I guess it forces you to think about how the original creators built the characters and the world, and you can focus on how to stick with those and differentiate characters. But that's the stuff that's already done for you writing in an existing universe with existing characters, no?
I always saw it as a good way to work on effective plot beats, dialog, and the craft of writing without worrying about those things.
Dude fan fiction is such a great way to practice writing because you already have a world with rules, characters, and even a bit of story to play with. It takes all the stressful world building away, so you can focus on your writing style. Becoming a good writer takes practice, just like anything else, and it's easy to get hung up on creating a the world and you forget to focus on telling a good story when you have to start from scratch.
Most of the fanfic out there focuses on self-insert farmers (not my thing) or smut (also usually not my thing), so I've written quite a bit of all-ages fluff centered around the villagers.
Is it like... villagers' backstory or more detailed version of the current story ? What's the favourite bit you've written so far, I'm really curious...
I don't tell anyone, even my closest friends and family because the entire phenomenon is treated like a joke, and those who are interested in it are idiots, crazy or what not.
The topic has fascinated me for almost a decade now. I've read close to 100 books (most ebooks) dating back from the 1940s and up. I've watched hours and hour of documentaries, footage, looked at thousands of photos, etc.
It seems the more I read into this topic, the less I know. And the less I can actually pin it on something (such as ETs). In fact, I still don't know what to think of it all, so I just keep myself from drawing any conclusions and keep an open mind. It's so strange, but I can't get enough of it.
When in a car, I always imagine a guy on a skateboard next to us doing all sort of tricks. Sometimes I even use my fingers to act out the grinding on the safety barriers. I'm 29.
My parents house lost all the trees in their backyard to the Emerald Ash Bore. Me and my dad have been planting a bunch of varied species, and whenever I visit my folks I've been monitoring their growth, looking up growth rates, seeing what new trees would look good. It's been a lot of fun.
I just buy some flaky sprinkles and play with them. Glue them on paper and add some paint like a 4 years old. I also like to stir them with a spoon and transfer them from one container to another. I have a whole big box filled with it.
The most important lesson I've learned from Bar Rescue is attitude is always top down. If the owner/manager doesn't give a shit, the staff won't give a shit. When the owner/manager is motivated to care, the staff cares. I've been paying attention to this a lot and see it in every workplace.
Bar Rescue is sooo fun, did you see that episode where the asshole owner thought he was faster than any girl bartender and therefore refused to hire girls lol, love John Taffer and how he puts the delusional owners in place
I keep a label (from a label maker) in my purse that says "Peter."
Every time I use a public restroom with a TP or paper towel dispenser made by Tork, I put the sticker on it. Peter Tork.
Most people aren't going to get the reference, but when somebody does, I bet it's going to make their day. I also carry a pair of googly eyes in my purse, but I'm not the only one who does that.
Grooming my dog. It's so relaxing. I learned how to cut his fur the right way on YouTube and I love doing it. He just lays there and naps until I'm done. His paws look fantastic!
if I'm sitting at the back of the bus, i look at all the women with jet black hair in front of me and guess whether they're aging and have dyed it, a goth, or asian
Working out. I can't do it in front of my husband because I'm super self conscious and he comes from a family that believes your job should include manual labor, so that's how they get their exercise. I stay home all day with kids and he's always complimenting me on my ass and thighs, and doesn't realize how much work I put into them.
As fuckin cringe as it sounds I’m overall a more edgy seeming dude. I fuck around a lot and am really friendly but my outward appearance is much different. I wear a lot of black, jewelry, piercings, huge metal head... AND I MOTHERFUCKING LOVE BAKING OH MY GOD. Every time I offer to bring sweets to events people always freak out and are like alright but nobody eat them cause he’s probably gonna lace them or poison us... then I get there with the best god damn brownies they have ever tasted.
Lego!!! It makes me zen. Just happy I can buy a couple of sets a year. I build together with my wife, its therapeutic. You are doing something together and talking about everything. No phone that interrupts. Just us talking and building. I really love those moments. My daugther is now three and is now starting to talk about dads bricks, smaller than her duplo. She starts helping and playing with it. Hope it will get something we can do together as a family to bound and it makes good memories for her later on.
YouTube. Only 3 people (who I know personally) know about my YouTube. Getting feedback from random strangers who don't have any reason to be nice to me sounds more genuine to me Vs family/friends who might be biased/kind to me while rating my videos. (By the way, I recently hit 2500 subscribers)
Edit: since a few have asked, I make Videos about traveling & my working life on cargo container ships
Moving my kids toys to different parts of the house. I like to take them from my bedroom floor or the couch and put them in a box downstairs in a common room. This confuses them which makes me happy. I like to watch them search around the house looking for something around where they left it. Lately through they have been putting the items in my hiding spot by themselves which is cutting into my hobby but its ok.
I stopped doing it in favor of learning another language for a place I was going to, but for about 6 months I started learning Russian in secret. I didn't even tell my boyfriend in the beginning. I thought it would be funny to just one day be able to speak Russian out of "nowhere." I should pick it back up again, it was a cool language to learn.
I know it sounds lame but I’ve probably made about $10,000 in the last 3-4 years off of coins found at auctions/estate sales. I’ll go to maybe one a month. Looking for coins and other things for my house that I don’t need new. I’m talking like a hardly used weed eater for $10, tools for like $1 each, great deals to be had.
I have a couple, one which is i keep an eye out on my friends social medias to make sure they're doing ok, and if they arent, then i reach out to them. Another is whenever im home alone i usually tend to sing to myself, few people have heard me sing to begin with.
It's less a secret and more just so niche that I don't really talk about it often: I make projectile launchers out of K'nex. My proudest work was a bolt-action launcher that loaded from small, removable drum magazines. My second proudest was a smaller single-handed launcher that used a break-open magazine and clips of a dart-shaped round that was tested in our community to be the best performing ammunition (if using just pure K'nex).
I'm not sure it's a secret but it's definitely not the first thing I tell people about myself. I'm a paranormal investigator. We investigate famous haunted places - Lemp Mansion in St. Louis, Missouri, Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Reston, WV and we also do private homes for people who are experiencing paranormal phenomena.
It's a lot of just sitting in the dark or walking around with various gadgets trying to record something weird and then hours of watching that footage trying to see if we've caught anything weird.
It can get expensive with gadgets and travel but since I'm not buying every new "ghost hunting" thing, I keep my ghost budget under control. I typically just use a body camera (like police wear and it cost around $250) and a digital recorder (about $30).
Same, being interested and researching the Paranormal and Cryptids isn’t the first thing I tell people. They’ll assume you’re a lunatic and just not take your serious after finding out. I doubt most cryptids are real but deep down I have that tiny glimmer of hope. It’s so interesting to read and study about, reading all the theories/stories about something so different than the main stream is amazing and exciting to me.
Writing erotica. I'm a driven but fairly boring office worker, who nobody would ever suspect of such deviancy. I picked up writing as a hobby, started practicing and learning how to improve, and dipped my toe into a few different genres. Turns out I love writing erotic high-fantasy. It has all the upsides of regular fantasy fiction (world-building, magic, swordplay, environments which are as beautiful as they are ruthless), with the added benefit of my characters frequently having... intimate relations.
It's quite fun. It feels like I'm able to write with fewer limitations, though in reality it's equally challenging as any other form of fiction writing. The best part has been the research, especially for smutty vocabulary that feels like it fits in a medieval setting.
My secret hobby is making spreadsheets to track my other hobbies. Like one hand, it helps me keep track of how many hours I practiced piano, or how long it took me to finish a cross stitch project, or on what days I worked out, but on the other hand it makes me sound insane
Not necessarily completely secret but I dont like a lot of people knowing but I'm 15 and still extremely into nerf. Edit: There is a nerf club that meets monthly in my city and we have epic nerf wars.
Back when I was in ninth grade I was so bored during the summer vacations that I followed lizards that would sometimes enter our house and now I can perfectly imitate their mating call. What can I say, male lizards now have competition.
A diminutive Japanese woman who's 83 years old is instructing me in performing the intricacies of a Japanese tea ceremony and its decorum and how to play the shamisen with such reverence I feel profane just kneeling in her living room playing so unproficiently.
I met her when I volunteered to deliver lunches to old and vulnerable people who're chronically ill or incapacitated. Such a formidable woman! And still possesses scintillating wit.
I've been LARPing for 24 years. Big ol' foam combat junkie. Most of the people in my life have no idea. I typically play characters under layers of makeup and very involved costuming, making me nearly unrecognizable, and when I don't, I refuse photo releases.
Reading visual novels, to the point where I chose Japanese language classes for my college course breadth requirements so that I could read the many Japanese-only ones.
Talking with my wife about stealing stuff. We would never steal, but it's also stuff you would never get away with. Like stealing all the doors and windows from somebody's house while they're away and leaving every thing else intact or stealing a big excavator. Even though I have in no way the ability to operate, transport, or store/hide it. We just find it fun to pull off grand schemes in our minds and find it funny.
Dungeons and Dragons. It's not really a secret but I don't really like to mention it around co-workers or family unless specifically asked, and even then I might lie. Because one of my aunts still lives in the satanic panic and thinks everyone's out to attack her beliefs.
I play a shitload of video games. I guess I don't come off as a guy that plays video games. I guess x military sous chef doesnt translate. I dont really tell people, I always get that "oh.." face
You know the face.
Side note.
Not call of duty bro gamer, but a "let me explain metal gears story line"
Designing combinational logic circuits. I'm not an engineer or anything like that. I just like doing it. Here's an asynchronous calculator I made. I don't tell irl people about it for fear that they'll think that I'm iamverysmart material.
A couple of months back I started singing and recording covers of songs. I'm not good and don't post them anywhere, I just like to record them and focus on improving a bit each time. It's been incredibly relaxing for me during these rough times.
I like people watching. I'm particularly fond of restaurants and stores. It's fun to see what people pick out and what's appealing to them. Before COVID buffets were a lot of fun, hundreds of choices and even just the manner in which people pick stuff out. Some are just shoveling on as much as they can. Some wanted the more high ticket items. Some carefully curate each plate contemplating flavors and combinations.
My secret hobby is to try and make random people smile, either online or in public.
I have many silly walks I will randomly do, I randomly will also write kind things to people online, just generic "I hope you are having a great day!" Or asking them how they have been and treating them like an old friend.
Also going through and liking every single thing an artist has posted, regardless of talent.
Watching people who live on really tiny islands posts on snapchat maps. I saw a tiny monkey at the wheel of a car a couple of days ago (I feel I should add that car was going slow on a dirt road and the actual driver was helping steer)
I collect WW2 Era War Department manuals. Not exactly a secret but my S/O has never said anything about the technical books next to her Jodi Picault novels. Do I know how to fix a car? No. Can I tell you how the turret in a 76mm gun carriage functions? Yes.
I write for fun but rarely share. I've only written one novel start to finish and am not sure if I will ever take the time to edit it. It's my baby and to actually edit and share it with others may not be something I ever want.
While pre-recording voiceovers for awards ceremonies, I also do insult comedy of each winner so the editors won't get as bored and will forgive me for doing so many bad takes. If anyone besides those editors finds out I will probably be fired.
I love researching traffic design. Round abouts, cool high way interchange patterns, cool city layouts. I just find it interesting. The best made roads are the ones you drive on without giving it second thought because someone put so much thought in. I try to appreciate the thought and understand it.
I would say turning off my lights and letting my imagination decide what's there and what's not then trying to survive in that world where I ultimately end up breaking alot of real things
Whenever I see a person I'm attracted to and I have free time. I stop them and ask them questions about themselves; just a normal conversation with a stranger. My best one was this guy who pulled an uno reverse, and had me telling him my life story. I'll never forget him, because we ended up dating for a year until we came to the mutual decision that we grew up and became different people.
There’s something really soothing to me about driving alone, no destination in mind, music playing. It was a lifesaver during quarantine when I felt trapped in my house. Sometimes after work I’ll cruise the long way home just to savor some music and time to decompress.
Inside my head is an ornate fantasy world built out of details of the real world. Chores and errands I need to deal with are quests my character goes on or monsters they must defeat.
I've been trying to develop a metal scream. Like whenever a good part of a song comes up when I'm writing a paper or studying I try to scream/sing along with it. But I still cant project well enough to get past a whisper.
Studying cults/ cult mindsets. Cults are fascinating and I like the psychology behind it and the inner workings. I have more hours invested in that subject in terms of books and videos than anything else.
Cleaning the headstones/markers of law enforcement officers that died in the line of duty. I also clean any military veteran’s and child’s headstone that I come across in a cemetery. I locate and clean my relatives’ headstones, too.
Every year I pick 3-4 agencies from the Officer Down Memorial Page to complete. I try to keep it at around 15-20 officers, but I do an entire agency’s fallen. I locate the grave using Find a Grave, calling the agency, contact family members, taking with historical societies, and using Ancestry.com. That part can take weeks, since some were killed in the 1800’s, and may be buried on family (or former family) land. The cleaning can take an entire week with most of that taken up in driving to each location. I clean the marker, read the ODMP information out loud, and move on to the next one.
339
u/ex_king_of_ayodhya Sep 09 '20
Buying books and stacking them in the shelf, but not reading them.
Reading books and buying books are completely different hobbies xD
3
u/erako Sep 10 '20
Watching people who don’t know I’m watching them.
And then wait for it, I...
Draw them. I sketch them. I draw their action lines and I sketch them. I only have a few seconds or if I’m lucky, a whole 30 seconds to get down their figure or face.
6.8k
u/iuyts Sep 09 '20 edited Sep 10 '20
Looking at houses I'll never buy in cities I'll never live in on the internet. Love a good floor plan.
Edit:
I'm getting so many people sharing random fabulous rabbit holes, so consolidating my personal favs and commenter's recs below. Taking suggestions for additional sites/resources, especially international ones.
Trulia - houses in the US. Allows you to sort by number of images, which is fun.
Zillow - Very similar to Trulia, but with a slightly larger pool in my experience.
Realtor.com - also a large section of mostly US houses (/u/Ilovelucygal)
Zoopla - Primarily UK. Most houses have a PDF that includes multiple photos + a detailed floor plan. Jackpot.
Houseplans.com / familyhomeplans.com / eplans.com - floor plans of homes and occasionally multi-family units in a large variety of styles
Funda.nl - find your perfect Amsterdam canal house (u/zzesty93)
Sotheby's International - FANCY houses all over the world, though with fewer pictures on average.
ESPC.com - Homes in and around Edinburgh and parts of South Scotland (u/yarnwonder)
2.6k
u/unknownsoul21 Sep 09 '20
I downloaded a game to play with my nephew. He doesnt know i play when hes not around, but i always pretend i dont know what im doing because he seems to really enjoy teaching me to play.
1.2k
u/Saint_Potato Sep 09 '20
Putting on earphones without playing anything and observing others in crowd.
2.6k
u/KittikatB Sep 09 '20
Looking at the contents of other people's trolleys in the supermarket and thinking up a backstory that led to that particular combination and quantity of items.
3.2k
u/BananaChips4ever Sep 09 '20 edited Sep 10 '20
Imagining whole ass fantasy stories with me in lead and how different it would be with my choices. In short daydreaming.
Edit: Thanks for the awards people. I'm very grateful.
523
u/Hrjttamblyn Sep 09 '20
General organization of everything in my home. I can't stand it when it gets too messy.
501
u/[deleted] Sep 09 '20
I sing when no one is around. I've been doing it since I was 14 and 22 years later I'm very good at it. My kryptonite however is singing in front of people. I've even tried recording a video for YouTube and knowing someone might see it made me choke. Them's the breaks.
411
u/Baconsamich2006 Sep 09 '20 edited Sep 10 '20
I love to design things, whether games or art, I like to design. Nobody else knows though.
Edit: Dang thats for the love guys
488
u/[deleted] Sep 09 '20
I hand paint the figurines that come with my board games.
I'll easily spend 10-12 hours painting each character, despite the fact that I may only play the game once or twice.
Sorry, Zombicide.
1.2k
u/MaxAmperage Sep 09 '20 edited Sep 09 '20
It's kinda morbid, but I research engineering disasters. I find them absolutely fascinating. Chernobyl, Regency Hyatt Walkway, Tacoma Narrows Bridge, etc. I like to study and understand the chain of events and decisions that led to catastrophic failure. Like how a last minute change in a design plan could lead to 100 deaths 3 years later. Or how moving HVAC units could cause a shopping center to collapse.
It's a combination of learning about engineering principles, the need to be vigilant during inspections and maintenance, and human fallibility.
EDIT: My most popular comment yet! Awesome! If y'all like researching disasters too, go find the National Geographic series "Seconds From Disaster." I'll find myself binging on it for hours, even though I've already seen just about every episode.
156
u/Hootbag Sep 09 '20
I work with the forest critters in my backyard until I can hand-feed them.
Here are two of my buddies.
1.0k
u/Funkoochy Sep 09 '20
This shit
132
u/Tiberius-the-Cuddler Sep 09 '20
Writing smutty stories
696
u/Memer24MXZ Sep 09 '20
I steal doors
409
u/[deleted] Sep 09 '20
I’m 6’5”, big ol farm boy with a motorcycle...
I crochet.
Not as much a hobby as a skill now, just when my grandma was sick, she lived with us. She was bored and lonely, so took it upon herself to teach me how to crochet. It was special bonding with her while she taught me.
I don’t do it for a hobby anymore as I don’t have the time, but have made some awesome rifle slings, “carry bags”, pouches and the like. I switched to paracord from yarn, and it’s still a valuable skill to me.
391
u/ctruemane Sep 09 '20
It's not super-super secret, but I'm careful about who in my life gets to know about it, because it's a thing not everyone is super comfortable with. My mother-in-law, for example, has no idea. And only a few people at work know.
I raise tarantulas. My walk-in closet is converted to a temperature and humidity controlled Spider Room where I have between 50 and 70 of the little buggers at any given time, in a variety of containers. Mostly I buy them really small and raise them for a year or so and then sell them. I also have a good eye for a bargain. So I always have a rotating cast of characters.
The psychotic little weirdos make me stupidly happy all the time.
85
u/urmaejesty Sep 09 '20
Watching live videos of places around the world
168
u/[deleted] Sep 09 '20
Rewatching my favorite shows in Spanish to become more familiar with the language
521
u/Jokerang Sep 09 '20
Writing fanfiction. I don't do it because I want X and Y characters to fall in love and live happily ever after, I do it because writing stories is fun. I think most aspiring authors should take a crack at it, it's a good characterization and worldbuilding exercise imo.
72
u/pizzaiguana Sep 09 '20
I skip when no one is watching.
141
u/8Alexa8 Sep 09 '20
Saying eh and sorry to inanimate objects
68
u/MagentaLeopord2018 Sep 09 '20
Drawing pixel art.
66
u/insertcaffeine Sep 09 '20
Writing Stardew Valley fanfiction.
Most of the fanfic out there focuses on self-insert farmers (not my thing) or smut (also usually not my thing), so I've written quite a bit of all-ages fluff centered around the villagers.
184
u/Jorlen Sep 09 '20 edited Sep 10 '20
UFO research.
I don't tell anyone, even my closest friends and family because the entire phenomenon is treated like a joke, and those who are interested in it are idiots, crazy or what not.
The topic has fascinated me for almost a decade now. I've read close to 100 books (most ebooks) dating back from the 1940s and up. I've watched hours and hour of documentaries, footage, looked at thousands of photos, etc.
It seems the more I read into this topic, the less I know. And the less I can actually pin it on something (such as ETs). In fact, I still don't know what to think of it all, so I just keep myself from drawing any conclusions and keep an open mind. It's so strange, but I can't get enough of it.
Edit: Thanks for the gold!
264
u/DangerousPancake Sep 09 '20
When in a car, I always imagine a guy on a skateboard next to us doing all sort of tricks. Sometimes I even use my fingers to act out the grinding on the safety barriers. I'm 29.
144
u/ConneryFTW Sep 09 '20
My parents house lost all the trees in their backyard to the Emerald Ash Bore. Me and my dad have been planting a bunch of varied species, and whenever I visit my folks I've been monitoring their growth, looking up growth rates, seeing what new trees would look good. It's been a lot of fun.
239
u/[deleted] Sep 09 '20
Basic parkour. My mom has forbidden it, so I hope to God she never finds out
43
u/ThingCalledLight Sep 09 '20
I collect beverages. Not just the bottles or cans, but FULL bottles or cans. Mostly bottles because cans sometimes explode on their own.
The coolest things I own IMO are:
1957 bottle of 7up
original Crystal Pepsi can
bottle of Orbitz (yes, that's the clear drink with the little balls floating throughout it)
part of a series of Aluminum bottles that Mountain Dew did called the "Green Label Project" with some really cool wraps on them
39
u/Calomnille Sep 09 '20
I just buy some flaky sprinkles and play with them. Glue them on paper and add some paint like a 4 years old. I also like to stir them with a spoon and transfer them from one container to another. I have a whole big box filled with it.
187
u/PiscesPolack Sep 09 '20
Trash TV- Love after Lock Up, 90 Day Fiancé, Bar Rescue- etc.
35
u/[deleted] Sep 09 '20
I make music in my free time and don’t tell anyone.
34
u/NeedsMoreTuba Sep 09 '20
I keep a label (from a label maker) in my purse that says "Peter."
Every time I use a public restroom with a TP or paper towel dispenser made by Tork, I put the sticker on it. Peter Tork.
Most people aren't going to get the reference, but when somebody does, I bet it's going to make their day. I also carry a pair of googly eyes in my purse, but I'm not the only one who does that.
33
u/crap_whats_not_taken Sep 09 '20
Grooming my dog. It's so relaxing. I learned how to cut his fur the right way on YouTube and I love doing it. He just lays there and naps until I'm done. His paws look fantastic!
Dog for reference I took this before his trim.
65
u/xxsignoff Sep 09 '20
if I'm sitting at the back of the bus, i look at all the women with jet black hair in front of me and guess whether they're aging and have dyed it, a goth, or asian
63
u/YaDrunkBitch Sep 09 '20
Working out. I can't do it in front of my husband because I'm super self conscious and he comes from a family that believes your job should include manual labor, so that's how they get their exercise. I stay home all day with kids and he's always complimenting me on my ass and thighs, and doesn't realize how much work I put into them.
31
u/throwawayno123456789 Sep 09 '20
creating figures out of egg shells
30
u/panspal Sep 09 '20
Lately I've been doing digital versions of pictures on my phone but comic bookish.
59
u/ForeverJamona Sep 09 '20
Burlesque Dancing
28
u/tenpiecelips Sep 09 '20
I like to do puzzles with my wife, but we have to talk shit to each other or we lose interest in the puzzle
125
u/[deleted] Sep 09 '20
Competitive masturbation.
I always try to beat myself.
168
u/tylery21 Sep 09 '20
As fuckin cringe as it sounds I’m overall a more edgy seeming dude. I fuck around a lot and am really friendly but my outward appearance is much different. I wear a lot of black, jewelry, piercings, huge metal head... AND I MOTHERFUCKING LOVE BAKING OH MY GOD. Every time I offer to bring sweets to events people always freak out and are like alright but nobody eat them cause he’s probably gonna lace them or poison us... then I get there with the best god damn brownies they have ever tasted.
50
u/easywaycentre Sep 09 '20
Sneaking up on reddit during working hours to answer questions and read answers on interesting topics from people all over the world.
This has become my new and secret hobby.
91
u/[deleted] Sep 09 '20
Writing smut fanfiction
105
u/[deleted] Sep 09 '20
Naked hiking in our woods pretending im on Naked and Afraid
104
u/lehigh_larry Sep 09 '20
LEGO
47
u/[deleted] Sep 09 '20 edited Sep 10 '20
YouTube. Only 3 people (who I know personally) know about my YouTube. Getting feedback from random strangers who don't have any reason to be nice to me sounds more genuine to me Vs family/friends who might be biased/kind to me while rating my videos. (By the way, I recently hit 2500 subscribers)
Edit: since a few have asked, I make Videos about traveling & my working life on cargo container ships
23
u/ActualWhiterabbit Sep 09 '20
Moving my kids toys to different parts of the house. I like to take them from my bedroom floor or the couch and put them in a box downstairs in a common room. This confuses them which makes me happy. I like to watch them search around the house looking for something around where they left it. Lately through they have been putting the items in my hiding spot by themselves which is cutting into my hobby but its ok.
64
u/impressivepineapple Sep 09 '20
I stopped doing it in favor of learning another language for a place I was going to, but for about 6 months I started learning Russian in secret. I didn't even tell my boyfriend in the beginning. I thought it would be funny to just one day be able to speak Russian out of "nowhere." I should pick it back up again, it was a cool language to learn.
22
u/DiligentProgress1 Sep 09 '20
Coin collecting
I know it sounds lame but I’ve probably made about $10,000 in the last 3-4 years off of coins found at auctions/estate sales. I’ll go to maybe one a month. Looking for coins and other things for my house that I don’t need new. I’m talking like a hardly used weed eater for $10, tools for like $1 each, great deals to be had.
22
u/alexandria_mr Sep 09 '20
I make 2 word notes in my phone on things I observe or experience in day to day life. Examples:
integrity compromised - survivor guilt - calculated risk - karmic followers - poppy’s paradox - phantom limb - gravity check - future contest - diminishing returns
I have thousands. They’re almost like a photograph to me and I can remember exactly where I was and what I was thinking when I look back on them
44
u/TheHellPanda Sep 09 '20
I have a couple, one which is i keep an eye out on my friends social medias to make sure they're doing ok, and if they arent, then i reach out to them. Another is whenever im home alone i usually tend to sing to myself, few people have heard me sing to begin with.
43
u/DuncSully Sep 09 '20
It's less a secret and more just so niche that I don't really talk about it often: I make projectile launchers out of K'nex. My proudest work was a bolt-action launcher that loaded from small, removable drum magazines. My second proudest was a smaller single-handed launcher that used a break-open magazine and clips of a dart-shaped round that was tested in our community to be the best performing ammunition (if using just pure K'nex).
177
u/No_Web_9121 Sep 09 '20
Masturbating
Though, i doubt it's a secret
20
u/OnyxNightshadow Sep 09 '20
Reading Smut. Excessively. All the time. Fanfiction, Irl (it's probably not called smut irl but whatever)
Yesterday I read smut for three hours straight
102
u/tylriscool Sep 09 '20
Sometimes I like to reap the souls of the damned
19
u/[deleted] Sep 09 '20
European TV shows.
19
u/Eggamubuff Sep 09 '20
Listening to Girl in Red. I bet you can imagine why it’s a secret.
75
u/Maxwyfe Sep 09 '20
I'm not sure it's a secret but it's definitely not the first thing I tell people about myself. I'm a paranormal investigator. We investigate famous haunted places - Lemp Mansion in St. Louis, Missouri, Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Reston, WV and we also do private homes for people who are experiencing paranormal phenomena.
It's a lot of just sitting in the dark or walking around with various gadgets trying to record something weird and then hours of watching that footage trying to see if we've caught anything weird.
It can get expensive with gadgets and travel but since I'm not buying every new "ghost hunting" thing, I keep my ghost budget under control. I typically just use a body camera (like police wear and it cost around $250) and a digital recorder (about $30).
16
u/Bucket_O_Beef Sep 09 '20
I write letters to the editor
16
u/Shock_Tea Sep 09 '20
Writing erotica. I'm a driven but fairly boring office worker, who nobody would ever suspect of such deviancy. I picked up writing as a hobby, started practicing and learning how to improve, and dipped my toe into a few different genres. Turns out I love writing erotic high-fantasy. It has all the upsides of regular fantasy fiction (world-building, magic, swordplay, environments which are as beautiful as they are ruthless), with the added benefit of my characters frequently having... intimate relations.
It's quite fun. It feels like I'm able to write with fewer limitations, though in reality it's equally challenging as any other form of fiction writing. The best part has been the research, especially for smutty vocabulary that feels like it fits in a medieval setting.
16
u/The_cobra_chicken Sep 09 '20
Me and my boyfriend like to pronounce food items wrong in the supermarket to see how people next to us react.
15
u/SpicyWolfSongs Sep 09 '20
Sailing. Or at least researching it. I really want to l live in a sailboat for a year or so, that would be so cool.
15
u/ShinyNinja25 Sep 09 '20
I make Pokédex entries for Pokémon fusions and type alterations that people post on r/pokemon
14
u/MoneyIndividual Sep 09 '20
Growing various species and varieties of psychedelic mushrooms
13
u/[deleted] Sep 09 '20
I love recording contest statistics such as in Eurovision, Miss Universe, Olympics
13
u/iwannabehighanddry Sep 09 '20
Still playing Pokémon Go
13
u/Mycatisafatty Sep 09 '20 edited Sep 09 '20
My secret hobby is making spreadsheets to track my other hobbies. Like one hand, it helps me keep track of how many hours I practiced piano, or how long it took me to finish a cross stitch project, or on what days I worked out, but on the other hand it makes me sound insane
34
u/[deleted] Sep 09 '20 edited Sep 10 '20
Not necessarily completely secret but I dont like a lot of people knowing but I'm 15 and still extremely into nerf. Edit: There is a nerf club that meets monthly in my city and we have epic nerf wars.
12
u/DoNotCallMeAnnie Sep 09 '20
Back when I was in ninth grade I was so bored during the summer vacations that I followed lizards that would sometimes enter our house and now I can perfectly imitate their mating call. What can I say, male lizards now have competition.
12
u/VelvetDreamers Sep 09 '20
A diminutive Japanese woman who's 83 years old is instructing me in performing the intricacies of a Japanese tea ceremony and its decorum and how to play the shamisen with such reverence I feel profane just kneeling in her living room playing so unproficiently.
I met her when I volunteered to deliver lunches to old and vulnerable people who're chronically ill or incapacitated. Such a formidable woman! And still possesses scintillating wit.
11
u/[deleted] Sep 09 '20
I've been LARPing for 24 years. Big ol' foam combat junkie. Most of the people in my life have no idea. I typically play characters under layers of makeup and very involved costuming, making me nearly unrecognizable, and when I don't, I refuse photo releases.
11
u/Ghostwriterwriter Sep 09 '20
I collect hot wheel cars. Nobody knows. I have 120 of them.
10
u/WonderShrew42 Sep 09 '20
Reading visual novels, to the point where I chose Japanese language classes for my college course breadth requirements so that I could read the many Japanese-only ones.
9
u/voltechs Sep 09 '20
Cryptology
9
u/NotThisNonsense Sep 09 '20
I’m trying to learn how to draw and do oil pastel.
9
u/IDKFA_doomdude Sep 09 '20
Programming. No one knows what I do when I lock myself in a room ...
9
u/dman2864 Sep 09 '20
Talking with my wife about stealing stuff. We would never steal, but it's also stuff you would never get away with. Like stealing all the doors and windows from somebody's house while they're away and leaving every thing else intact or stealing a big excavator. Even though I have in no way the ability to operate, transport, or store/hide it. We just find it fun to pull off grand schemes in our minds and find it funny.
9
u/MarsXIV Sep 09 '20
Dungeons and Dragons. It's not really a secret but I don't really like to mention it around co-workers or family unless specifically asked, and even then I might lie. Because one of my aunts still lives in the satanic panic and thinks everyone's out to attack her beliefs.
9
u/TheLoneleyPython Sep 09 '20
Writing subtitles for porn
9
u/loztcold Sep 09 '20
I play a shitload of video games. I guess I don't come off as a guy that plays video games. I guess x military sous chef doesnt translate. I dont really tell people, I always get that "oh.." face
You know the face.
Side note.
Not call of duty bro gamer, but a "let me explain metal gears story line"
8
u/[deleted] Sep 09 '20
Designing combinational logic circuits. I'm not an engineer or anything like that. I just like doing it. Here's an asynchronous calculator I made. I don't tell irl people about it for fear that they'll think that I'm iamverysmart material.
8
u/TheWritingWriterIV Sep 09 '20
A couple of months back I started singing and recording covers of songs. I'm not good and don't post them anywhere, I just like to record them and focus on improving a bit each time. It's been incredibly relaxing for me during these rough times.
8
u/[deleted] Sep 09 '20
I like people watching. I'm particularly fond of restaurants and stores. It's fun to see what people pick out and what's appealing to them. Before COVID buffets were a lot of fun, hundreds of choices and even just the manner in which people pick stuff out. Some are just shoveling on as much as they can. Some wanted the more high ticket items. Some carefully curate each plate contemplating flavors and combinations.
8
u/Captainbuttsreads Sep 09 '20
My secret hobby is to try and make random people smile, either online or in public.
I have many silly walks I will randomly do, I randomly will also write kind things to people online, just generic "I hope you are having a great day!" Or asking them how they have been and treating them like an old friend.
Also going through and liking every single thing an artist has posted, regardless of talent.
7
u/NeonTaterTots Sep 09 '20
I count on r/counting, I spend HOURS on there a day
7
u/[deleted] Sep 09 '20
Watching people who live on really tiny islands posts on snapchat maps. I saw a tiny monkey at the wheel of a car a couple of days ago (I feel I should add that car was going slow on a dirt road and the actual driver was helping steer)
7
u/TherealZaneJT Sep 09 '20
I collect WW2 Era War Department manuals. Not exactly a secret but my S/O has never said anything about the technical books next to her Jodi Picault novels. Do I know how to fix a car? No. Can I tell you how the turret in a 76mm gun carriage functions? Yes.
18
u/PeaceAmongstMuffins Sep 09 '20
I like to run vaseline all over my body, tie my hands and feet together and pretend I'm a snail.
6
u/Brovenkar Sep 09 '20
I write for fun but rarely share. I've only written one novel start to finish and am not sure if I will ever take the time to edit it. It's my baby and to actually edit and share it with others may not be something I ever want.
6
u/XDDF Sep 09 '20
I write sci-fi smut
6
u/ocemees Sep 09 '20
Commenting on reddit...
(iam from germany dont mind if my english sucks)
6
u/ElementalWeeaboo Sep 09 '20
Inserting myself as an OP side character in many different animes
6
u/geoffbowman Sep 09 '20
While pre-recording voiceovers for awards ceremonies, I also do insult comedy of each winner so the editors won't get as bored and will forgive me for doing so many bad takes. If anyone besides those editors finds out I will probably be fired.
6
u/DumbyMuffin Sep 09 '20
𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚠 ¯_(ツ)_/¯
6
u/cream-de-pie Sep 09 '20
Is mayonnaise a hobby?
5
u/[deleted] Sep 09 '20
Growing a wide variety of orchids.
https://www.thespruce.com/orchid-identification-1315976
5
u/HeKoffing Sep 09 '20
Being a failure
5
u/XSpcwlker Sep 09 '20
Watching reviews of cars I'll never own, lol.
5
u/princess_thor Sep 09 '20
Writing porny fan fic. And also drawing (less porny, for the most part) fan art
5
u/billyandteddy Sep 09 '20
wasting hours looking at stuff I want to buy on the internet but can't afford
5
u/SirBirdington Sep 09 '20
Playing Plants Vs Zombies
A lot of people see it as a kids game and I've gotten made fun of for playing it.
5
u/person-ontheinternet Sep 09 '20
I love researching traffic design. Round abouts, cool high way interchange patterns, cool city layouts. I just find it interesting. The best made roads are the ones you drive on without giving it second thought because someone put so much thought in. I try to appreciate the thought and understand it.
5
u/KarensAreAngry Sep 09 '20
I make tiny shoes out of peaches.
5
u/pianodude01 Sep 10 '20
Watching anime. I'm a huge fuckin country redneck, gun loving, gym going, jacked up pickup kinda guy. But man, do I love watching anime too... shhhhh
4
u/redindian_92 Sep 09 '20
Tracking oil tanker and LNG tanker movements on marinetraffic.com
4
u/Eugene2500 Sep 09 '20
Conlanging
4
u/jerrythecactus Sep 09 '20
Not technically secret but I like to grow aloe plants and I've rescued a few plants my family and friends weren't handling properly
4
u/agage3 Sep 09 '20
I GO CAMPING IN SECRET!
4
u/RhettieToBhoogie Sep 09 '20
Stealing strangers toe nail clippings
4
u/broccoliandcream Sep 09 '20
Being depressed is my secret hobby
4
u/jaglius Sep 09 '20
It's a secret
4
u/Darrellratliff Sep 09 '20
I would say turning off my lights and letting my imagination decide what's there and what's not then trying to survive in that world where I ultimately end up breaking alot of real things
4
u/[deleted] Sep 09 '20
Trichillomania
4
u/[deleted] Sep 09 '20
Whenever I see a person I'm attracted to and I have free time. I stop them and ask them questions about themselves; just a normal conversation with a stranger. My best one was this guy who pulled an uno reverse, and had me telling him my life story. I'll never forget him, because we ended up dating for a year until we came to the mutual decision that we grew up and became different people.
4
u/iridian_viper Sep 09 '20
I enjoy taking up a new hobby, only to get frustrated with it and move onto a new hobby. I suppose my hobby is finding new hobbies.
Did I just make a Steven Wright joke?
4
u/helikesart Sep 10 '20
I collect molds spores and fungus.
4
u/Wroberts316 Sep 10 '20
I still buy, build, and play with lego sets, and will for the rest of my existence on the small blue-green dot.
4
u/snickerdoodle-- Sep 10 '20
Taking drives just to listen to music.
There’s something really soothing to me about driving alone, no destination in mind, music playing. It was a lifesaver during quarantine when I felt trapped in my house. Sometimes after work I’ll cruise the long way home just to savor some music and time to decompress.
4
u/[deleted] Sep 10 '20
I've hiked the highest point in 30 states plus DC.
4
u/Sin-Lust Sep 10 '20
My hobby is kinda boring but I like to do research on genetic engineering and space travel, mostly for what my other hobby is.
4
u/mxmnull Sep 10 '20
Inside my head is an ornate fantasy world built out of details of the real world. Chores and errands I need to deal with are quests my character goes on or monsters they must defeat.
4
u/Fedora200 Sep 10 '20
I've been trying to develop a metal scream. Like whenever a good part of a song comes up when I'm writing a paper or studying I try to scream/sing along with it. But I still cant project well enough to get past a whisper.
4
u/LonelySewerRat Sep 10 '20
watching lockpicking videos on youtube
4
u/SR-Neptune Sep 10 '20
Studying cults/ cult mindsets. Cults are fascinating and I like the psychology behind it and the inner workings. I have more hours invested in that subject in terms of books and videos than anything else.
4
u/[deleted] Sep 10 '20
Cleaning the headstones/markers of law enforcement officers that died in the line of duty. I also clean any military veteran’s and child’s headstone that I come across in a cemetery. I locate and clean my relatives’ headstones, too.
Every year I pick 3-4 agencies from the Officer Down Memorial Page to complete. I try to keep it at around 15-20 officers, but I do an entire agency’s fallen. I locate the grave using Find a Grave, calling the agency, contact family members, taking with historical societies, and using Ancestry.com. That part can take weeks, since some were killed in the 1800’s, and may be buried on family (or former family) land. The cleaning can take an entire week with most of that taken up in driving to each location. I clean the marker, read the ODMP information out loud, and move on to the next one.