People watching

Last week we started talking about hobbies during the summer. Most people relate hobbies directly with the summer because they have holidays and also because the days look longer as they have more light. It is something psychological I guess but some people feel they have more time to develop their life just because of the hours of sunlight. Are you one these daylight vampires? If this is so, do you have more hobbies during the summer? Or do your hobbies slow down like everything else does?



I checked the Wikipedia definition of "hobby" and it goes as follows: A HOBBY is a regularly undertaken activity that is done for pleasure, typically, during one's leisure time. Hobbies can include: the collection of themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports, along with many more examples. By continually participating in a particular hobby, one can acquire substantial skill and knowledge in that area. The difference between an activity that is a hobby and another that is not is that you don't get paid for your hobbies. Knowing this definition, can you analyze what kind of hobbies you have? Have they all been the same ones all your life? Did they change with your age?




In Wikipedia I have also found an extensive list of hobbies. It is possible to find the most standard, like for example collecting stamps, knitting, playing chess or gardening. However, this list also includes some hobbies that don't sound that usual. For example, I found the gongoozlers. They are people who have an interest in water canals and the canal life, but do not actively participate in it. I have also found that some people's hobby is herping. Ugly as the word sounds, it is just the act of searching for amphibians or reptiles. Can you think of more exotic hobbies? Do you know someone who has a different type of hobby?



Checking the list of hobbies in Wikipedia made me discover I have more hobbies than I thought. A particular one I was surprised to find on the list is "people watching" which is defined as the act of observing people and their interactions, usually without their knowledge. This differs from voyeurism in that it does not relate to sex or sexual gratification.This is one of the cheapest hobbies you have I guess: just sit down and look at the passers-by. I practiced this hobby last week, and it was really entertaining. We went to a bar in the centre with big windows and looked, commented and laughed about the people on the streets. Is this a hobby you practice sometime? How do you think this hobby could become something professional? Can you imagine being paid for looking at people (and sometimes listening to their conversations)?
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