Pandemic Hobbies - what's stayed and what's out?

[Nicole Reichert]

I've personally gotten addicted to painting with oil paints and it has STUCK!

Along with that, what's stayed... is my gardening hobby. I've become such a green thumb and now the owner of about 4 ferns!! Along with that... HIKING! Here's me and some friends up at Hanging Rock in Victoria!

What's OUT....

I really gave cross-stitching a shot but it gave out... but I have some nice memories! I have a half done Snoopy that is yet to be finished :)

What's yours? And post all of the results of your hobby seeking!

[Andy Gladstone]

Great topic @Nicole Reichert!

IN: 

Journaling, Hiking & Working Outdoors on Summer Fridays.

• Journaling - is something that I always wanted to get back to as writing was my first passion - before reality set in and I went for a Computer Science degree.
• Hiking - My wife and I love the outdoors, our five children hate being dragged on outdoor adventures. During the initial pandemic we were all spending so much time together all week long we didn't feel guilty sneaking out for a few hours on Sunday to do a local hike. Sometimes the kids even joined!
  • My local recommendations: 
    • Cold Spring Harbor State Park 
    • Bear Mountain 
    • Caumsett State Park 
• Working Outdoors on Summer Fridays - My wife and I decided to add an umbrella and table to our front porch, and Friday mornings in the summer I work outdoors until it's either too hot or I need two screens. I love working in the fresh air and getting some extra Vitamin D!

OUT: 

Tackling an aggressive reading list (although I will prevail one day!)

• With the extra time saved on commuting, and frankly the fact that work did slow down quite a bit at the beginning of the pandemic, I went on a book buying spree. I love the feeling of paper in my hands when reading and loathe reading off a screen. I took two tracks - Classics and Interests. 
  • Classics - Think of all of those books we were forced to read in High School, but either never 'really' read (ahem, Cliffs Notes) or never appreciated because we were too young and immature to appreciate something we 'had' to do. Those books. I got through a few, but have some left, and not enough time to properly consume them.
  • Interests - Indistractable by Nir Eyal and Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. I am only 25% through TF&S - I think it has the most densely packed pages I have ever seen, and requires FULL CONCENTRATION. I guess I was too distracted to ever start Indistractable, and it continues to collect dust on my desk. 

[Marjorie]

IN:  Watercolor painting...

OUT:  Daily journal and daily meditating

What I need to bring back in:  Daily meditation

[Linda Milne_Togetha Group_]

Is that Hanging Rock, as in, Picnic at.... ???

[Monique vdB]

Great topic! I went through an Animal Crossing phase at the beginning and I don't play anymore, but some hobbies (like neighborhood walks and Zoom happy hours with friends across the country) have stuck.  My biggest one that I've stuck with is also painting! Like @Marjorie  I took up watercolor, which turned into watercolor portraiture.  I gauge my progress by painting pictures of my favorite actor, John Ritter.

First portrait attempt:

Latest attempt: 

[Andy Gladstone]

@Monique vdB you need to let us know which era each one was from! Three's Company, Hooperman or Hearts Afire! Nice work!

[Monique vdB]

@Andy Gladstone the first one is definitely Jack Tripper era, I think the second one is Hooperman-era. 😉

[Marjorie]

Wow, nice job!

[John Funk]

Awesome - and fantastic progress!

[Walter Buggenhout]

That is really something to be proud of! Awesome @Monique vdB! I love the eyes 💙 

[Kristján Geir Mathiesen]

We got a puppy so he is staying :)

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Out:  Having the idiot-box on in front of me, with lightweight stuff on it while working, because it disturbed my co-worker (here because she was forced to work from home for months).  I've not really gone back to it after she started going back to the office

In:  Keeping up with my reading - caught up on the regular magazines (there's now usually only 2-3 in the to-read pile instead of 30-40) and got back to a bit of book reading too

In:  Physical puzzles.  I enjoy crosswords and puzzles, mostly doing the crosswords in the magazines from the previous point, and finding games that are essentially puzzles on computers, but I've added something a bit more in-real-life:

[Andy Gladstone]

Nice physical badge collection to compliment the virtual ones!

[John Funk]

Picked up eating more than I should. Okay, maybe that wasn't completely new, but I have perfected it. And unfortunately, it has stuck - literally!

[Fabian Lim]

Out: playing soccer

In: peloton bike

[Vero Rivas]

Hi @Nicole Reichert 

  In the pandemic, my family and I became fond of going to the field, making legos and when we had to be at home we started playing bowling and we really had a great time

 

Cheers

[Walter Buggenhout]

I picked up two new hobbies during the pandemic: playing piano and tennis. And they are still here to stay. I still play the piano on a nearly daily basis for at least half an hour. And I got to know a new tennis partner that is at about the same level, so we try to play once a week; mostly single, but every now and then a doubles game as well. Great way to get to know other people as well.

Here in Belgium, the pandemic situation is quite bad right now. So, actually there still plenty of time to engage in these kinds of hobbies. And I don't mind, to be honest 😊

[Dave Liao]

Somehow I ended up playing more Pokemon Go than before. It sure helped that a lot of us on Atlassian Community play. 😅

[nina_schmidt]

Same here 😊

[Laura Holton _ACE Rotterdam_]

How did I not know this, that's so great that there's a whole community within the Community! Here's to Pokemon Go 🙌

[Dave Liao]

Meta-community? Sub-community? Poké-community? 👾👻🤖🐰

[Linda Milne_Togetha Group_]

Groan, I just realised - I got addicted to Plants vs Zombies 2. 🙄

[Laura Holton _ACE Rotterdam_]

Meta-community 🤣

Don't worry @Linda Milne_Togetha Group_ I also had an unhealthy habit with Mario Kart 😅

[Linda Milne_Togetha Group_]

Coincidentally my family bought a property in the South East Forests in late 2019. Covid meant that we moved in much earlier than planned, so my life has completely changed, but they were changes we were going to make anyway.

In:

working from home 

establishing a garden

Out:

going to cafes & restaurants (not fussed) 

Things I should have done:

finishing some (even just one!) of those half finished jumpers in the cupboard

[Laura Holton _ACE Rotterdam_]

My hobbies consisted of long walks at times walking around 6/7 miles a day which was a great break away from the same four walls and my computer screen! Of course there were my wonderfully cute dogs who will always remain in. As for other things I got into cooking and making my way through cookbooks and trying to read (more than just cookbooks that is!).

It's pretty much all still in bar reading books, the 'to read' pile has grown way to big...

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

So... <geek mode one>  Have you seen the Dr Who episode with ms Robertson?</geek mode off>

[Dave Liao]

@Nic Brough -Adaptavist- BADWOLF! 🤓

[Laura Holton _ACE Rotterdam_]

If that's geek mode on @Nic Brough -Adaptavist- it means my geek mode never has an off 😂  Yes, the answer is yes!!

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Oh I can geek more than that on Doctor Who.  For example, I had an assistant in my previous job (whom you have seen on screen)

[Dave Liao]

EXTERMINATE (all JAC bugs)!

[Laura Holton _ACE Rotterdam_]

That's awesome @Nic Brough _Adaptavist_! Mine looks a little pale in comparison but still as cold hearted...

[Jack Brickey]

In - puzzles 🧩 

Out (temporarily) - kayaking and Kayak fishing but only due to an accident that left me unable vs. Covid . I am working on recovery so I can get back to it.

[Andy Gladstone]

@Jack Brickey my wife and I love kayaking! I hope you have a quick and speedy full recovery so you can get back out there on the water soon!

[Jack Brickey]

Awesome Andy. What type of kayaks/kayaking? In my youth we enjoyed whitewater but these days we take our Hobies out in the marshes of NC/SC.

[Andy Gladstone]

@Jack Brickey we live on Long Island, so mostly the Connetquot , Nissequoque and Carmans Rivers. The Nissequogue is our favorite - 5 mile paddle on a tidal river. Anytime we venture upstate or out of state we look for places to rent and get out on the water though. During COVID and this past summer we started taking up SUP as well, but only on serene lakes and bays!

I've never been kayak fishing but can imagine it is a relaxing day out on the water - need to try that some day with my sons (wife hates fishing).

[Michaela Staffova]

First of all, I'd like to say that I LOVE this topic!

IN: Covid and the ever-present isolation and home officing made me appreciate movement more. I've never been a huge sports person but during those months, I discovered the pleasure of being present in one's body. So yes, that is (hopefully 😅) staying. I also started my therapy journey thanks to/because of Covid and that I am eternally grateful for.

OUT: Live music events (for obvious reasons). And boy oh boy do I miss them. I also kind of forgot about yoga which is something I used to do a lot. Might be a good idea to pick that up again, that's for sure. 

[Kristin Lyons]

In: Reading (this has been a lifelong hobby but I'm still enjoying it!), owning and swimming in my own pool!  I've been wanting one for a while but finally made the leap this year.

Out: music festivals :(  something I definitely miss

[Brant Schroeder]

I used to travel a bit more hope to do it again as things settle down.  I still spend most my free time in the outdoors.

[Gaurav]

Great topic...

In this period, I kind of got back to my old hobby...Legos and spent more time on it