Nathan’s Hobbies
As an assistant professor I really only do these things sporadically but enjoy them when I do. If I do something twice a year, it gets counted as a hobby at this point in my life.
1. Hanging out with my wife.
2. Hanging out with my dog (with or without my wife).
3. Backpacking with my wife and slightly insane dog.
Humane Society of Illinois http://www.hscipets.org
Superior Hiking Trail in Minnesota www.shta.org (a modest goal of mine is to through hike this trial, post tenure, of course).
4. Baking Bread
(I am currently studying the way of sourdough under the dough master Dr.
Brent Roberts)
King Arthur Flour
I love my Kitchen Aid power mixer: www.kitchenaid.com The 250 Watt
model is built like a tank and does just fine for most 2 loaf recipes. So, unless you have a spare 400 dollars….
5. Raising African Violets (and plants in general)
I only own common varieties but they are a lot of fun.
African Violet Society of America www.avsa.org (great information)
6. Finishing/Refinishing Furniture
We buy a lot of unfinished furniture and I like sanding and staining during football games. Even an amateur like me can produce a much better finish than what you get in most stores. You get furniture that looks pretty good for less money and you can take some satisfaction in a job well done. If you are high on Realistic this is a good hobby. Be sure to wear a filter mask when sanding and an appropriate filter when using stains and final coats.
http://www.minwax.com/ for useful instruction and good quality finishes. I particularly like the Golden Oak oil stain and their polyurethane.
www.behr.com I like their Scandinavian oil based stains.
7. Fantasy Football
Selection of personnel and predicting performance, what could be more fun?
Professor Kuncel’s research has received TV news coverage on NBC, Fox, and CNN. Print coverage includes The Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, London Times, Chronicle of Higher Education, LA Times, New York Post, and San Diego Union-Tribune.