There are a lot of things I do outside of work in my free time, the things that help me recharge and put back all that energy I put into working. I am blessed that I actually love the work that I do, so its not too much of a drain most days (except for long meetings, I can't stand long meetings). Either way, love your job or hate it, we all have things that help us get back up to speed and unwind after (or before) the daily grind. Please inject into each of these the notion that they are infinitely better and almost exclusively undertaken with the company of friends and family. I will keep it to my top 5, but in order we have...
I think it couldn't have been more than a week of knowing each other before my wife, Christina, and I were throwing a dinner party. We served overcooked shredded chicken on a Caesar salad with dried up croutons, hot sauce that could've melted sheet rock, and some other forsaken ingredients I am sure we would laugh at today. Our wine pairing for the night... a Cab Franc from Mendoza, Argentina coming in at a whopping $4 a bottle.
The funny thing about learning is that even as I write this my cooking skills today most likely will be laughed at by a future version of myself writing another post about loving to cook, but its the pursuit and the passion that drives us- not just the results, although they are tasty. We love to entertain, invite guests into our home, treat them to fun dishes that we have paired into three course themed dinners, and in the moments when the food is served we pray for silence in hopes that our food is so good it stops conversations in their tracks.
I guess this is just the West Coast in me, but there is nothing like watching a sunset, then having dinner over a fire, and then dousing that fire only to see the billions of stars that paint the night sky. You can't get that kind of thing in the city, and while NYC has incredible perks to living here and is a hub of the most incredible people and places, it can't quite reproduce the allure of a star filled sky.
Hiking, camping, swimming, playing sports, riding bikes, and even just walking outside is something I am very fond of and try to experience as much as possible. I also enjoy grilling which, would you look at that, combines numbers one and two on my list of favorite things! I enjoy boating and fishing if the opportunity presents itself, but in my book there is hardly a greater outdoor activity than golfing and as quoted by Will Smith in
I don't think I have ever met anyone that doesn't "like" traveling, it just so happens that most times the travel we want to do we can't afford. Whether it be time, work, finances, or other committments holding us back it always seems rather difficult to get out and see this amazing world we live in. In the end though, a place is not a place but rather who you are with and knowing that makes my inability to see Peru a little more bearable... for now. Someday!
It seems silly to put these things in my list of hobbies, but I really do enjoy them. The same way that cooking and golf offer an opportunity to grow and learn each time you do them, even if its ever so slightly, these activities help me to understand my work better but also give me the opportunity to solve problems. Its like solving puzzles all day or playing chess with a grandmaster in the park.
As for photography, its more of a creative outlet. It lets me create and lets me see things in a way my eyes can't, but also show other people the way that I see things. Good art shows others the lens through which the creator views the world, and I like to think my photos do that too.
Yup, board games. Even Monopoly.
Settlers of Catan, Life, Yahtzee, Scrabble- all long time favorites. Probably had to do with growing up with them, or the hilarity of knowing how excited I can get about someone paying me four fake dollars when they land on Baltic Avenue and I have no properties on it. They are simple, sometimes mindless, let you hang out with friends without spending a bunch of money and you get to spend time with those close to you. Well, that is until someone goes bankrupt and storms out of the room anyways.