Not so manly pursuits?

[N80]

Okay, let's admit it, this place is a veritable cauldron of testosterone and chest thumping. Tractors, guns, trucks, tools, hunting, tractors, engines, plows, dirt, grease, blood, hydraulics, obnoxious bumper stickers, tractors, etc etc.

As a group, we make Tim 'The Tool Man' Taylor look like a sissy.

But surely, in a group as diverse as this some of us must have some hobbies, interests or pursuits that do not qualify as manly, tough or rugged. Some of us may even have some downright, well, um, hmmmm, how to say this...girly hobbies.

So let's have it. Time to fess up. What are your less than manly hobbies? Who is man enough to admit it? You go first!

 

[motepoc]

George,

I was going to say, "cook". But then I got to thinking, Emeril cooks. I cry during some movies, Brian's Song comes to mind. Does that count. Sometimes I even cry when I hit my finger with a hammer or something else big and heavy. How about that.

Tom

 

[hazmat]

Not really a hobby, but I enjoy time with my daughter (2), even when she wears pink.

 

[N80]

No, no, no, no , no. That's not what I'm talking about. Daughters and grandchildren don't count, besides that's not a hobby, we have to do that stuff and we love it. Brian's Song does not count, real men are required to shed a tear for that one.

Cooking is close. Cooking on the grill, making barbecue, etc, does not count. That is very manly. Gourmet cooking is different, I'm thinking about giving it a try myself. It isn't sissy or girly by any stretch, but you're not going to throw in that you made a perfect crepe suzette while you're hanging out with your tractor buds.

I'm talking about stamp collecting, knitting (like Rosey Greer), reading poetry, bird watching, etc etc. All great things, but none of which is usually accompanied by chest thumping, spitting or butt scratching.

 

[dmccarty]

Dang, the first two answers to the question was being with the kids and cooking.

This weekend we are planning on combining both and going to BugFest. I'm going to eat bugs. My oldest likes to watch Bizzare Foods but she is chickening out, so to speak, about eating bugs.

Someone else will have to cook the bugs cause I ain't eating raw bugs.

Later,
Dan

 

[randy41]

cooking involves the skilled use of tools .

 

[jdbower]

Hmmm... Girly things... This one time I once drove a Ford, but it was a rental

I have been known to make a cheesecake or two, but my current kitchen is too small for much of anything besides microwaving these days. Photography could go either way, I tend to prefer the abstract artsy-fartsy macro shooting but there are expensive toys involved and nothing's more manly than expensive toys. I also write, but mostly manuals and technical articles instead of about those things chicks have (no, those other things - I think they call them "feelings"). Other than that, mostly manly stuff like building things, digging holes, and wearing women's clothes out to bars.

This weekend we are planning on combining both and going to BugFest. I'm going to eat bugs.

Yum, the other grey meat!

 

[N80]

JD, photography? Are you kidding? Do Nikons come in pink? I think you can get a skirt with a Nikon logo on it!

(Inside joke folks. JD and I are both into photography, primarily with Nikons. And if you think photography is girly, tell it to Robert Capa Robert Capa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Okay, my turn. First, like I said, thinking about doing a little cooking. Love Mario Batali's show. Other not so manly hobbies: Southern Literature and literary criticism. Some poetry, but James Dickey is my favorite and he was almost hyper-manly. I also do a good bit of dabbling in theology and philosophy....mostly on a very shallow level. I collect Audubon prints, but hey, talk about a real man, Audubon was tough. I'm also a bit of a bird watcher.

 

[drssg]

OK, I'll bite.

I do a type of horse back riding called dressage, which is predominately practiced by women in the US. This isn't me, but you get the idea. Is that unmanly enough to qualify?

On the positive side, every heterosexual male I know in this sport has a wife and/or girl friend that is much hotter than he deserves. I don't think my wife would have originally gone out with me if she didn't know I was into horses.

 

[Mith]

I ring church bells, not sure if you guys have them like the ones we have, I think the English ones are different to elsewhere, but either way. Not sure if its manly or not. Some of them weigh a couple of tons, so as you can imagine, its a bit of a workout

 

[DocHeb]

Once you pay the $$$ that original Audubon prints go for, you transcend girliness and become either an wise investor or a selective connisseur. Both of these are gender neutral.

 

[dooleysm]

My friends make fun of me for putting out a vegetable garden, of course these are guys that live in the city and rarely make it outside, so I don't pay any attention to them.

I love watching the food network and enjoy cooking (almost as much as eating).

Other than that, it's hunting, fishing, tractoring, building stuff, playing basketball, and being a dad.

 

[jimg]

Hmmm... Girly things... This one time I once drove a Ford, but it was a rental

.

 

[LMTC]

After several hand/wrist surgeries in the early 80s I learned to crochet and weave to exercise my hands regularly, even when sitting. Have to admit, I kind of enjoyed the crocheting. Not quite on the level of woodworking, but just making something is somewhat satisfying. After several years of recuperation I re-established my manliness by making all of our bedroom furniture using only a pocketknife and a heavy stone to drive the nails.


Ok, I lied about the tools....I had a pretty good assortment of power tools, but I did make a bed, dresser, armoire, desk, and a couple of night stands.

I also love to cook.

 

[N80]

OK, I'll bite.

I do a type of horse back riding called dressage, which is predominately practiced by women in the US.

My daughter rides dressage some and does hunter/jumper. Rarely do we see any men at the regional, low level shows. But when you see the high end shows on TV there seem to be plenty of men doing both. You see men and women doing cross country, all of whom are far tougher than I.

 

[N80]

Once you pay the $$$ that original Audubon prints go for, you transcend girliness and become either an wise investor or a selective connisseur. Both of these are gender neutral.

Yep. And due to that price, I have a grand total of TWO (originals)! But in my mind, two makes a 'collection'. I also have an original Alexander Wilson print as well. Much older than Audubon but a more primitive style. They don't fetch as much but it was a gift anyway. I had dreams of collecting more Audubons but the prices keep going up and my money has since been diverted into property, tractors, etc. So my 'collection' will likely remain at two for quite some time.

For those who are unaware, Audubon "originals" refers to his first series of prints made in England. I don't remember the actual number made, but somewhere in the range of 300 maybe. The big birds and the extinct birds fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars. Smaller, less common, less colorful birds sell for far less. Audubon's original water color paintings, from which the prints were made are in a collection at the New York Historical Society (with a few exceptions) and have never been valued. I'd guess the larger birds would be in the multi-millions. But they will never be for sale.

 

[N80]

I ring church bells, not sure if you guys have them like the ones we have, I think the English ones are different to elsewhere, but either way. Not sure if its manly or not. Some of them weigh a couple of tons, so as you can imagine, its a bit of a workout

I've rung our church bell many times. It is probably several hundred pounds and doesn't take a body builder to do it, but I consider it a fairly manly thing to do. There's no rule against it, but none of the women members ever ring it. Besides, Quasimodo was a bell ringer and he was no sissy.

 

[shvl73]

After several years of recuperation I re-established my manliness by making all of our bedroom furniture using only a pocketknife and a heavy stone to drive the nails.

Wayne,
This one is a classic!

 

[dmccarty]

Yum, the other grey meat!

Hmmm.... Not sure I would eat those bugs! I'm afraid they might eat me.....

Later,
Dan