Zack's Website

My Egotistic and Esoteric Website

My Hobbies

I've got a whole bunch of hobbies.  Hobbies are things that are used to enrich ones life and just plain have fun and relax.  It'd be nice to do some of these things for a job.

Below are some of my interests...but really I enjoy doing the items on the sidebar to the right - as they have their own pages dedicated to lots of content.
  • Woodworking/Metal Working
    • I like woodworking, but mostly with motorized tools as this gets me to an end result with more accuracy and faster (which is the goal right?)
      For example, I built a new swinging bench using a router, chopsaw, and table saw and sander. The wordwook went quick the painting of the metal bench and multiple coats of lacquer took the longest. Did I say I HATE painting and staining?

    • I like metalworking, but don't do a lot of this because I don't have the proper tools, but enjoy it. I have the metal grinders, welding equipment and a little more accuracy is required (but easier to achieve) with metal work. Did I say I like welding, but STINK at it (it holds, but looks ugly)! I'd love a plasma cutter, but would probably be pretty dangerous with it! Hah! Oh, and shaping metal work is a pain....i hate that too!
  • Adult Beverage Connoisseur and Home Brewer
    • Home Brewer Enthusiast
    • Beer
      • Porters, Dark Lagers and Dark Stouts are my favorite
        • Sam Adams and Great Lakes Brewery make some great flavors
      • Don't really like wheat/gritty beers
      • Pale Lagers are good for a quick summertime refreshing beer
    • Wine
      • Mostly White and Blush wines
      • Champagne (Sparkling Wines)
        • Other than Brut
        • Some fruity champagnes are really nice
      • Merlot (only with a nice Fillet Mignon)
    • Liquor
      • Only like a Jack Daniels and Coke around Christmas time
  • Remote Control
    • Anything I can control remotely via radio I enjoy (unfortunately, I love crashing them too!)
    • Cars/Boats/Planes/etc. you name it I love it
  • Amusement Parks
    • My wife and I love roller coasters and the entire amusement park theme
    • The faster the better! The older I get the less spinning I like, so no more Rotor for me!
  • News
    • Mainly Technology and new stuff in that realm
    • Unfortunately, the evening news makes me see what a horrible society we've become sometimes (but it has its upsides).  I try not to watch any dedicated news channel anymore.
  • Stock/Options Trading
    • I dabble in the stock market.
    • The Stock Market (as my grandmother put it), is just legalized gambling. And she's got a point. There are scores of stories where retail investors game the market and institutional speculators attempt do the same and short the market. Anybody remember the GameStop/Reddit story of 2021? The 2008 Bailout of WallStreet? It's all capable of being rigged and crooked. Usually, the only real way to win, is to hold for the long haul.
    • Here's a snapshot of Gamestop on it's "Pump-N-Dump" rise and it's free-fall...I loved watching this. All the idiots that fell for the Internet/Reddit scam - you should have known better. This was easy to spot as a scam when it started! Sure, some people made money - but scores of people lost their diaper/student loan/mortgage money.
      • Why was this easy to spot? Think about it....it's a failing business. They are selling boxed games, consoles, etc out of classic brick and mortar malls. Those have been dead for years. All the games now-a-days are downloaded on your console system or phone - there's no reason to go to a store anymore. Once the SEC investigates, they'll eventually find some issues surrounding this scam - but it'll take years. You know how government works.
  • Chemistry
    • I was a college chemistry major.
    • It's been a LONG time since I was in the lab, but that was my favorite part. It was where you could actually put your hands on equipment and perform distillations, titrations, and all kinds of experiments that made you really understand the theories behind those lectures. I've got several books and enjoy them, but still, I favor the lab. Unfortunately, there's no reason for me to be in one now-a-days!

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