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As for the hobby I have that is by far my biggest thing, which sometimes people have negative opinions about...
Fandom, friendship, and following of the band GWAR. I've seen them live 26 times (soon, 27) and I've traveled thousands of miles and spent thousands of dollars to go to their shows and events, I've been friends with them for about six years now. I have dozens of shirts, patches sewn on my purse and my bookbag, a hat I wear everywhere, stickers on my vehicle and other stuff...pretty much anything I want to emblazon as my own, has GWAR all over it. In recent years I've played a part in coordinating the fans into a more cohesive family of people and we organize to meet up at shows all over the US. Last August I flew to the GWARBQ in Richmond, VA and some 40 or so of us took over a hotel and spent the weekend hanging out. And I collect anything related to GWAR that I can, and there is LOTS of stuff out there. I have a piece of original art by the singer, a pair of fishnets he wore on tour, some vintage vinyl...etc. But my biggest investment in this hobby is traveling and accumulating shows. I've decided I want to try to see a concert in a state I've never visited on every tour they do. I love travel and I love these concerts and seeing these people...so whether the travel justifies the show or the show justifies the travel, I don't know anymore. Adventure! It's great.
The band is really weird and offensive (at least they try) so that's one obvious reason why people might have a hard time with it. But most of the offensive content is satirical in nature...it's rather like an elaborate inside joke, you either "get it" or you don't. *shrug*
Railroad buffs such as myself have faced a closer scrutiny by police since 9-11-01.
I can relate to this. You would not believe the looks I get from people when they see me sitting/standing beside the tracks or wherever I might be waiting for a train. If I see someone with a tripod, video camera/camera I'm smart enough to figure out what they are doing. I get "checked on" by the local authorities more than enough. Once they see what I'm doing it's always a smile and "have a nice day".
I was able to experience a small slice of heaven on earth last week also known as Folkston, Ga. It felt so good to be able do some serious railfanning/benching with people who enjoy the hobby. What the people who are constantly staring at me don't realize is the fact that there are thousands of people who enjoy this hobby. Some towns like Folkston and Locust Grove, GA have even built railfanning platforms complete with grills, wifi, scanners, etc to cater to the people that come to their town for that very purpose.
Having said all that my longwinded answer is my railfanning hobby gets frowned upon by some...
Location: West Los Angeles and Rancho Palos Verdes
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Quote:
Originally Posted by builder24car
I can relate to this. You would not believe the looks I get from people when they see me sitting/standing beside the tracks or wherever I might be waiting for a train. If I see someone with a tripod, video camera/camera I'm smart enough to figure out what they are doing. I get "checked on" by the local authorities more than enough. Once they see what I'm doing it's always a smile and "have a nice day".
I was able to experience a small slice of heaven on earth last week also known as Folkston, Ga. It felt so good to be able do some serious railfanning/benching with people who enjoy the hobby. What the people who are constantly staring at me don't realize is the fact that there are thousands of people who enjoy this hobby. Some towns like Folkston and Locust Grove, GA have even built railfanning platforms complete with grills, wifi, scanners, etc to cater to the people that come to their town for that very purpose.
Having said all that my longwinded answer is my railfanning hobby gets frowned upon by some...
I collected WWI&II firearms which caused a stir sometimes among very politically left co-workers when this nugget of information was revealed regarding hobbies.
I enjoyed racing my non-DD car at the track into my early 40s and this was seen as unsuitable for someone not in their teens or early 20s. If I were into SCCA or similar that would be fine as participants there are generally from the monied class but not strip drag racing as that is seen as uncouth.
See, there you go, is one of your eyebrows raised when you ask that question? Or is it a question prompted by genuine interest - LOL. I'll go for the latter <g>. Yes, it's termed 'Locksport', and in my retirement I find it a fascinating and engaging hobby, and I learn which locks are worth buying and which are not, and security ratings listed on some locks are a complete joke.
I worked at a nuke plant and we used Folger Adams keyed lockways for all important doors. Is that a difficult lock to pick? Does your hobby also include combination locks as in safes?
Martial arts are looked at a bit sideways by most people. Sure it isn't surprising to hear that the neighbors 10 year old takes karate but not very many adults take martial arts practice seriously so when I tell someone that I practice aikido very seriously it gets interesting reactions. Someone recently asked me what I do for fun and I said I like to swing sticks at peoples heads and throw them across the room....
I also have a horse and am very invested in horsemanship. This is another hobby that gets interesting reactions although not usually negative. But people have often remarked on "better" things I could do with my money.
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