Coffee Talk #98: Your Non-Gaming, Non-Nerd Hobbies

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Lost, the kick-off of the the Mayweather-Mosley press tour, or teenage girls in Japan throwing knuckleballs, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Today’s Coffee Talk is a special request from RPadholic bsukenyan. He recently revealed to other RPad.tv readers that he’s an avid collector of pennies. This hobby definitely falls outside of the realm of the gaming, gadgets, and geek culture that’s discussed on this site. Do you have any hobbies or interests that are “different”?

As for me, I don’t think I have any hobbies that you don’t already know about. You guys pretty much know what I do: games, tech, pro-wrestling, American Idol, MSNBC, and travel.

I guess I’m a little insane when it comes to taking advantage of frequent flyer programs. Yes, I’m one of those guys that frequents the FlyerTalk forums, tries to take advantage of every United promotion, and goes on mileage runs. I actually spent a day flying to New York and back because there was a double qualifying miles promotion that would get me over 150,000, earning another pair of system-wide upgrades that can be used on international flights. In a way, I treat it like a videogame; I want to get the best score I can and take advantage of bonus multipliers.

So in the spirit of bsukenyan’s penny hobby, let everyone know if you have any similar interests or hobbies. Do your non-gaming, non-nerd activities somehow relate to games? Discuss!

Author: RPadTV

https://rpad.tv

49 thoughts on “Coffee Talk #98: Your Non-Gaming, Non-Nerd Hobbies”

  1. You gotta rock that star power when you can, get that 8x's ,multiplier.

    As for me, Movies are usually my other thing seeing that a work at a movie store. A friend of mine told me to start watching Bleach, which actually is pretty good.

  2. Lost was epic last night and I gotta go with my love for the astros rockets Texans and longhorns

  3. All of my hobbies can fall in to "geek culture".

    I collect action figures, but I'm not the typical action figure collector. I have no Star Wars stuff for example and I take almost everything out of the package.. I collect things along the line of horror, comics, and characters I think are generally cool. I have a particular passion for McFarlane Toys (I love the way they smell when you open them).

    I do leave some stuff in the package, I have a Chris Benoit action figure that I'm holding on to as well as some other rarities.

    Music (as most of you know) entails a large part of my interest. I love music memorabilia mainly in the form of t-shirts. Buying t-shirts from bands at the concerts you go to is probably the best way to support a band nowadays.

    I also play chess. However, it got to the point where nobody that I knew was willing to play me.

  4. @ Lost last night

    Totally epic. I have a feeling they're gonna kill Ben next week. I'm gonna hate that.

    However, I must say it's unique for a show to kill a character off the season following the actor' Emmy win for that character. Then again, since it's the final season, they might as well kill him.

  5. @topic

    non gamer/nerd hobbies. does fantasy baseball/football count as a nerd hobby? it's mainstream now? watch tv like lost…wait this nerd related isn't? i'm going to think about it more. come back to me later.

    @n8r/redtailman

    I have to re-watch it again later today. i'm still sticking with my re-incarnation theory that seems plausible to explain why Claire-sseau knows Locke isn't Locke. Also, why Sayid trusts Locke.

  6. @smartguy

    lol i was hoping kate got killed when smokey was going off on the temple.

  7. Errrrrr I love filling my hours with gaming. But when I'm not doing that, I like to read fantasy novels and manga, watch anime, been on again off again self taught guitarist, knit, and make hemp and/or bead jewelry. My husband and I also together have a small collection of wizards and dragons .

  8. All of my hobbies are nerd related. My hobbies ara video games , anime, manga, my PC, and all the random collectibles related to those hobbies. I do have a thing for steel video game cases though.

  9. @N8R

    currently I'd have to guess au'natural. She has been out there a while.

    I think Claire will kill Kate.

    No other fishermen here?

  10. well as Ray stated above pennies are one of my main hobbies. My oldest one is from 1856, and one day I hope to have my collection start at 1793 (the first large cent penny in the US). I have a mostly full collection from 1909-current day, missing mostly key dates which can run from anywhere from $20 a coin to $700 or $800-ish depending on the find. Earlier dates than that cast in that same range or higher, so as that is expensive I try to find higher quality coins than what I already have.

    When I am not collecting pennies or playing games I always have to pick up at least one deck of cards whenever I travel anywhere. I have about 80 or so decks ranging from tourist hot spots to a funeral home based out of Chicago. Another collection that is a much smaller endeavor of mine is shot glasses, which I pick up if I find one that looks unique.

    @N8R

    I always loved playing chess, I got a really nice hand carved wooden set one year as a present, my only downfall is I never really got good at it. I still love a game every now and then though.

  11. Okay, i've got it.

    I play some sports recreationally, basketball and baseball. I go to the movies, bar hop, play some cards on the weekend at the casino or home games.

    @n8r

    I think smokey didn't kill kate because he needs kate to tell Claire-sseau where Aaron is and i'm sure he wants Claire-sseau to have the pleasure of killing her, as well. My main question is why did Dogen's death allow smokey to enter the temple even with the ring of ash around it?

  12. @tokz

    you are up in chi-town right? what casino's do you recommend in the area??

    what kind of cards do you play? I prefer texas hold em, and especially euchre=.

  13. @bsukenyan

    yes, i am. if you are looking to play sit and go's, there are many casino's near chicago that you can play in. Unfortunately, there aren't any in chicago. The government is afraid of mob-related tied casinos. I think our government is a mob of their own. i'm rambling, the casino i go to the the Horseshoe in Hammond, IN. It's only 15 miles from my house where the other ones are 25+ miles. For the past 2 years the WSOP circuit comes through there. I've only played single table satellites not in any of the events. I've won them but leave quickly, it's a good way to make $800 for an hour or couple of hours play. my strongest game is hold'em but i do play the other ones. If you plan on visiting chicago, i would suggest the horseshoe in hammond, they just remodeled it plus they have free shuttles that will pick you up from your hotel or you can catch at one of their stations.

  14. @tokz

    my fiance lives in merrillville, IN and that is where we will most likely end up living next summer after I graduate from BSU. I have heard that there are several casino's in the area but I hadn't really heard anything about quality. So I might have to check out the horseshoe sometime. The other thing I heard is that plenty of them are hiring, and I will be looking for work this summer, so I have a double agenda for being curios about them.

  15. @slickyfats

    1700 movies is impressive. One of my roommates likes to think he has a good collections, his is at about 400, so I think you slaughtered his collection is terms of size.

  16. @bsukenyan

    hahaha. I drive to merrillville a lot more than i would like too. My fiance lives by the Illinois/Indiana border. She likes going over to the stores over there more than Chicago. why i have no idea. I still get email alerts from Careerbuilder and the Horseshoe in Hammond is always hiring, i'm not sure if that's a good thing or bad.

  17. @slickyfats

    I've lost count of my original DVD collection. I think i was at 200 last not counting box sets.

  18. All @ topic.

    I play the old school pen and paper RPG's that some of you young'uns may not have heard of. I also paint miniatures.

    I like to cook, and I think I'm pretty good. Between my wife and I we are a well fed family. lol.

    I play fantasy baseball and football every year.

    I play guitar, or I try to. It's not very easy with a bulging disc in your neck unfortunately. Can't really feel my right arm right now. :-/

  19. @tokz

    my fiance lives right behind the mall in merrillville and only likes shopping there because the tax is so much less than downtown chicago, so maybe that is what your fiance is thinking of as well. But it is still more fun to take the south shore line downtown.

    I might have to look into the Horseshoe though for the summer. I'm not sure if their hiring is a good or bad thing either, lol.

  20. @tokz

    my fiance LOVES target, she will literally spend hours there looking at every single possible item that she could get. I try to avoid going there with her if I can.

  21. @tokz

    yeah there is something about that place, its a good store, but there seems to be some female obsession with the place. I'm pretty flexible about stores like that, and since Target is on the opposite side of Muncie from where my apartment is, I tend to just go to the wal mart right across the road.

    I really like the "lost" but just have not really had a consistent chance to watch it all, so I stopped after the second or third season and am just waiting for them all to come out on DVD so I can watch them then. I'm hoping my fiance will like the show then because tv shows is definitely not something we agree on for the most part. I can only think of two shows ("the game" which was canceled after three seasons, and "boy meets world" which starts coming out on DVD this fall). Hopefully "Lost" and "How I met your Mother" are shows she will begin to like as well. Personally it still drives me crazy when she puts in "Friends" or "Gilmore Girls" [side note, I think Gilmore Girls goes right along with Target in the category of female obsessions].

  22. @ bsukenyan;

    I've actually have a penny collection as well that started because I couldn't get rid of them, so I started putting them in a cup, then a small box, then a big bottle (that consequently broke under the weight) and finally, in a huge chest. I probably have thousands of pennies in that thing. Now, I keep it at my parent's house because I know that the copper in those pennies (especially the ones dated 1982 and earlier) are worth more than the actual penny! I can actually keep growing my collection until one day I decide to cash in and sell them all for their weight in copper… or so I believe.

    Aside from that, my other main hobby is helicopter flying. I fly an R-44 whenever I have time (and money). If anyone ventures into my neck of the swamp, I'd be happy to give you an aerial tour of Miami … provided you pay for it, of course.

    -M

  23. @ tokz;

    I am the one who mentioned the old X-Men 90's cartoon in a previous post. Thanks for the link. It's awesome.

    -M

  24. I love to work out. I'm in the gym 5 days a week for about an hour each time.

  25. @bsukenyan

    Thankfully my girl, isn't that girly. I thought boy meets world was already out on DVD?

    @iceman

    No problem, i try to contribute when i can.

  26. @iceman

    I would love to have such a large amount of pennies, lol. I always like to keep my change, especially when it is in pennies. That is pretty impressive to have to have moved it to a chest though. You don't see too many people who have that many anymore. But yes the pennies pre-1982 have roughly 95% copper with a 5% zinc coating, and some of the 1982 pennies and all pennies after that year are 95% zinc with 5% copper, worth much less melted down. And the melting down process is a little of what makes some wheat penny dates so key, because there were by far fewer pennies made of some mints/years and plenty of people cash in the melted down copper for more than a penny per penny.

    My friends constantly tell me I know far more than any person should know about pennies.

  27. @tokz

    the first 3 seasons are on DVD, but they are outrageously priced (I believe between $125-$150 per season on amazon, used). This is due to who owns the copyrights to the show, and Nickelodeon owned the first 3-4 season, while Disney owned the remaining seasons. Disney has since bought the rights to all of the seasons and should be preparing to release the entire series starting this fall. Hopefully they do not release each season slowly and they will just get the entire series on the market quickly.

    and count yourself lucky that she is not a Gilmore Girls fan, lol.

  28. @tokz

    It has been a while since I have looked this up, but if I recall correctly it goes something like this:

    Nickelodeon aired the first three seasons.

    Disney bought the rights and aired seasons 4-7.

    Directly following the last season, ABC family began showing the series again from the very beginning until the very end.

    Essentially the series aired twice back to back and then has not been shown anywhere since then. I believe all of this started in 1993, making 2007 the last time that this has been aired anywhere.

  29. @tokz

    yeah those boys are pretty successful, parents made a couple gold mines. I could be wrong about the Nickelodeon part, but I just seem to remember reading that part somewhere. If it was there though, it would have only been there from 1993-1996. But ABC is where I remember watching that show as well.

  30. @Topic
    I like to fish and cook. I also work out a lot.

    @lost
    I hope Linus doesn’t get killed. I was really hoping Sayid was going to stab Kate since she was the first person he saw.

  31. @ Smartguy/tokz/redtailman

    There’s something about Kate or else the smoke monster would have killed her. It’s odd because Jacob touched her yet her name was not on the wall of the grotto cave.

    Claire-sseau (if she were on GHM, I’d guess brazilian) might do her in though, but I doubt it.

  32. @smartguy

    I have gone fishing several times with both of my grandfathers and other people I know, but that’s about all of the fishing for me. It was a fun experience when I went though. Mostly just bass fishing, some bluegill.

  33. My hobbies are generally regards a nerd and gaming I guess. I collect video games and video games consoles. I have kept every game and console I have ever owned (except for when I had to sell my original PSP).

    I also collect movies. My movies list just topped 1700. If I don’t have it I go get it. Oddly it took me 2 months to find the movie Toys locally, I had to go to Fry’s. I generally try and dig through those $2-$5 bins at Wal-Mart and sometimes there are good movies in there, which is where I found Big Trouble in Little China.

    Also when Fallout 3 came out I got into buying old and new metal lunch boxes. I don’t have many but I plan on making space for a collection soon.

    And lastly I have a literal Wall of Computers. I have 10-20 old PC towers, some empty some complete, and boxes of spare components stacked up covering and entire wall. Whenever someone goes to throw away a pc I just ask for it. If nothing else its good for screws and cables. For a while I was building them and giving them away to people. Now that school is going I haven’t had time so my pile has grown outrageously large.

  34. @bsukenyan
    I think mine likes it because the selection at Target is better than the one by Calumet City and the 24 hour Meijer in Highland.

  35. For me, running, a little bit of woodworking, listening to 50’s, 60’s jazz, hiking/camping at our state parks, reading…used to collect interesting, unusual knives,…that’s all I can think of right now.

  36. @bsukenyan
    I think all women love target, mine was trying to get me to go at 730 with Lost coming up at 8. I refused to take her, she has her own car but wanted me to take her so I can miss Lost. She’s anti-Lost but she likes every other show I like. I rambled and “Lost” my train of thought.
    Oh women love target and they will do anything; and make you miss anything when they need their target fix. She just needed hair dye too, which she picked up at walgreens after Lost was done.

  37. @buskeyan
    how in the heck did Nickelodeon have the rights to this show? Didn’t ABC air this?
    I do consider myself lucky, that’s why she’s a keeper.

  38. @bsukenyan
    I don’t remember this airing on Nickelodeon. I just remember it from ABC. those savage kids are very talented.

  39. My only non nerdy hobby that comes to mind is Soccer

    I follow Chelsea and the Mexico National Team Pretty religiously

  40. I have my entire catalog of movies Alphabetized and I have them all list on an Excel spread sheet. I have all of my newer consoles games listed that way too. I tell even I do that in case someone wants to borrow one they have a list to look at and I can mark my list as "rented" but mostly it because I am OCD about that stuff.

  41. "Hobbies"? I collected knives, Movies, music, TV and I guess technically I collect coins…tho it's more just coincidental collection of coins…

    Um… I think the rest ALL falls under geekdom.

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