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ASIDE FROM VIDEOGAMES AND ART, what makes you happy in life?

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Joseph Silverman
polycounter lvl 17
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Joseph Silverman polycounter lvl 17
I mean we all know everyone here is into drawing pictures and playing TF2 but what else in life do you guys find fulfilling? We all post a lot around here but our non-game interests rarely come up except in specific threads so let's form a trust circle and share a little bit.

I have a tremendous appreciation for early (80s at latest) Ska and Punk music, listen to Jazz music a lot especially if i'm down, and am fascinated as a spectator and interested as a participant in Boxing, Kickboxing, MMA, Judo, and other similar fighting sports. Even though all of the UFC events in august are gonna suck.

What about you guys?

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  • PixelMasher
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    PixelMasher veteran polycounter
    in the words of Mr. Garrison "honestly.......Poontang."

    haha seriously though, I love reading, both fiction and non fiction, lateley I've been reading up on screen writing and practical effects like Stan Winston studio and ADI etc. really interesting stuff about creating practical visual effects and the crazy on set stories.

    I always find that some of the most inspiring people around are always constantly reading anything and everything, so I try to follow their example.

    On a more lighter kick back and relax note, I love sampling new beers and love seeking out interesting places to eat. Sampleing new music is also a pretty enjoyable thing for me too, either at work or just chilling at home.

    oh and finally I've recently gotten really into poker, playing small cash games with your buds is always a wicked time, more about calling each other's bullshit and smack talking than the actual cash. that plus beer.
  • Jesse Moody
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    Jesse Moody polycounter lvl 17
    Ahhh yes good thread idea..

    Well let's see..

    Spending time with my family and kids, traveling, conventions, movies, model building, prop building, reading, working on my car, UFC, sports, cooking / bbqing.

    But mostly this summer it has been golfing. I love to golf. Still around a 20 handicap but its great fun, gets me out in the sun and when you hit that perfect tee shot or sink a nice 18 foot putt you feel amazing.
  • crazyfingers
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    crazyfingers polycounter lvl 10
    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSE9nyiIst6YMoi-cz7LUTwn7uo80LCZ-erteEOCD3kDW3zFuQ&t=1&usg=__ZWiCJI_sdLdwRqXKCEdd1VNXYF0=

    Watchin' my kid learn to walk and talk the past few months is pretty cool too ;)

    And of course good music or a good stand up routine!

    [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u2ZsoYWwJA[/ame]
  • danshewan
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    danshewan polycounter lvl 8
    But mostly this summer it has been golfing. I love to golf. Still around a 20 handicap but its great fun, gets me out in the sun and when you hit that perfect tee shot or sink a nice 18 foot putt you feel amazing.

    I've wanted to get into golfing for a few years now, but I feel it's like fishing - where the hell do you start if you've never picked up a club / fishing rod in your life? Maybe I'll finally get to it when I get to the States.

    As for me, I'm a keen reader, both fiction and non. Haruki Murakami is a favorite fiction novelist of mine, and I'm a big fan of 80's B-movies and new wave music. I also love getting outside and feeling the sun on my face, which begs the question of why I've lived in London for so long. Again, hopefully remedied by the impending move.

    Above all else, spending time with my wife really makes me grateful for every morning. It's been a tough four months, her over there and me stuck here. At the risk of sounding like a sap, seven years on I still feel like I've won the lottery every time I see her.
  • seforin
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    seforin polycounter lvl 17
    well I enjoy working out (I think me and Brad myers are the guys who actually advit about this?) I also Enjoy Dancing Salsa and going out once in a while doing that. Traveling is a big one for me, Love to see new things and not be at home all day.Im also a Big collector of retro games and memorabilia , And of course Wrestling bears and my knife fights in the jungle :p
  • JacqueChoi
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    JacqueChoi polycounter
    Girl and Food.
  • ZacD
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    ZacD ngon master
    Food, sleep, soda, movies, music, looking at art.
    SupRore wrote: »
    I have a tremendous appreciation for early (80s at latest) Ska and Punk music,
    I listen to a wide variety of punk, from early stuff to post punk, ska included.
  • Sean VanGorder
    Outside of game art, music (metal, hardcore) is pretty much my life, well, at least it used to be. Had a couple bands in high school, but since moving to Pittsburgh for school, I haven't really had time for a band, or to even play guitar that much anymore. So now you can find me with my headphones on 24/7.

    I also like to skate a lot. Living downtown in a city is nice when you just wanna go out and skate after a day of sitting in front of the computer.

    Oh yeah, I also try to get to the gym daily.
  • Joseph Silverman
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    Joseph Silverman polycounter lvl 17
    seforin wrote: »
    well I enjoy working out (I think me and Brad myers are the guys who actually advit about this?)

    Cholden too!

    I'm lifting atm but it's only cause i cant train boxing or jiujitsu where im at, i'm not really that into it. It's still cool though, more 'nerds' should find time to work out a lot.

    Zac, cool. I maintain the stance that The Clash is the greatest band in recent history for bridging all of the punk/pop-punk/ska/reggae gaps right at the start of things.
  • TomDunne
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    TomDunne polycounter lvl 18
    To crush my enemies, see them driven before me, and to hear the lamentations of the women!

    Also, paraphrasing movie quotes on internet forums.
  • danr
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    danr interpolator
    This year I'm almost definitely buying a boat. Ouse, derwent, and any number of pubs on the riverside. That'll do me.
  • Sean VanGorder
    SupRore wrote: »
    more 'nerds' should find time to work out a lot.


    AMEN.

    I grew up playing sports (football and basketball the whole way through high school) and had to be in the gym everyday. Then I came to AIP for Game Art and Design and it was definitely a strange change in setting. Went from being surrounded by a bunch of muscleheads to a bunch of level 12 paladins.

    I don't work out for sports anymore, I do it because it just makes you feel better in general. It gives you more energy and makes you feel happier overall. Some of the students around here get winded from walking up a set of stairs and can barely stay awake in class.
  • ZacD
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    ZacD ngon master
    SupRore wrote: »
    Cholden too!

    I'm lifting atm but it's only cause i cant train boxing or jiujitsu where im at, i'm not really that into it. It's still cool though, more 'nerds' should find time to work out a lot.

    Zac, cool. I maintain the stance that The Clash is the greatest band in recent history for bridging all of the punk/pop-punk/ska/reggae gaps right at the start of things.

    Not a huge clash fan, I mean I like their stuff and I'd see them in concert, but I don't know many of their songs, I listen to stuff like
    The Filthy Thieving Bastards, NOFX, Dillinger Four, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Dead Kennedys, Bad Religion, Flogging Molly, Leftover Crack, Streetlight Manifesto, Rancid, Dropkick Murphys, Social Distortion, Etc etc
  • Joseph Silverman
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    Joseph Silverman polycounter lvl 17
    Get ahold of some cds and listen, man. Their music is VERY diverse and you wont like all of it but at least parts of it informed the sound of a lot of those bands. They are, to my knowledge, the first band that blended the early ska sound with punk music.

    I heard a little leftover crack with some friends i was visiting out of state -- Gang control and a few other songs -- and i really liked it. Any of their music you'd recommend?

    Here's a sample of some stuff i think you might like:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyv16mZakVE

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIuS2LCWNh8

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLxM47cCTFc

    and then there's always the weird stuff and pop songs
  • EmAr
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    EmAr polycounter lvl 18
    I'm out of happy right now but here it goes. I enjoy playing with cats. I also like discovering music I had never listened to. Jazz, metal, techno, classical... I like them all. Also, I play the guitar, write music.
  • Joseph Silverman
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    Joseph Silverman polycounter lvl 17
    EmAr wrote: »
    I'm out of happy right now

    hey was trying to reply to your original post but you edited it before i hit quote. Anyway man that's how life goes sometimes, i'm sure most of us have felt that way one time or another, trying to do art for a living is a special kind of torture.

    I highly recommend using this thread for ideas of new stuff to get into! We're all similar enough kinds of people that something in here has got to appeal to you, and trying new shit almost always makes life better.
  • [HP]
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    [HP] polycounter lvl 13
    lol, I'm starting to think if I have a life outside game art. Since i moved to Germany my life changed drastically. I used to go out a lot more, go to the cinema almost every weekend, be with my girl every day, ride my car, go to the beach, etc.

    Now I pretty much leave work late, and live a geeky life. The few free time that I have is invested in practicing texturing, modeling, improving workflow, and sometimes playing some games.
    Weird thing tho, is that I actually feel happy with the life I've been living. Working on games is something I've always dreamed of and I'm investing all time that I have on my career which is something that will reflect in your life in years to come.

    I recently got a new hobby tho, photography! Which is a great thing to make you go outside and discover new places you've never been.

    Fortunatly, my girlfriend is done with her course and she'll be joining me here in germany in a few months, should be interesting! :)
  • Entity
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    Entity polycounter lvl 18
    Mad Men, that's all I have to look forward to these days :P
  • Mark Dygert
    Taking my daughter on hikes or just to the park. Watching her mind explode as she explores the world around her. Such an amazing thing the head of a 3 year old.
  • EmAr
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    EmAr polycounter lvl 18
    Thanks SupRore, I really appreciate your time :)
  • crazyfingers
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    crazyfingers polycounter lvl 10
    [HP] wrote: »
    lol, I'm starting to think if I have a life outside game art. Since i moved to Germany my life changed drastically. I used to go out a lot more, go to the cinema almost every weekend, be with my girl every day, ride my car, go to the beach, etc.

    Now I pretty much leave work late, and live a geeky life. The few free time that I have is invested in practicing texturing, modeling, improving workflow, and sometimes playing some games.
    Weird thing tho, is that I actually feel happy with the life I've been living. Working on games is something I've always dreamed of and I'm investing all time that I have on my career which is something that will reflect in your life in years to come.

    I recently got a new hobby tho, photography! Which is a great thing to make you go outside and discover new places you've never been.

    Fortunatly, my girlfriend is done with her course and she'll be joining me here in germany in a few months, should be interesting! :)

    It's posts like this that keep me sane
  • metalliandy
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    metalliandy interpolator
    TomDunne wrote: »
    To crush my enemies, see them driven before me, and to hear the lamentations of the women!

    Also, paraphrasing movie quotes on internet forums.
    Damn you!
    Thats exactly what i thought of when i read the thread title :P
  • Autocon
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    Autocon polycounter lvl 15
    A lot of what [HP] said rings true for me since moving to Seattle.

    Although I still love hanging out with friends and doing random stupid things, listening to music, general relaxing and going out with cute scene chicks.
  • Rens
    Happy.. heh.
    I feel empty, day in, day out.
    Spend years on becomeing someone, only to find out i have nothing.

    My head is clouded with anger and frustration, and i like to take that out on riding my ATB bycicle. Doing 30 miles an hour in city traffic, and soon visit some mountains to downhill. Riding on that edge of loosing control is the one thing that makes me feel alive.
  • slipsius
    something you dont hear often coming from gamers.... i like to do outdoor stuff. camping, hiking, biking, rollerblading, kayaking. all that sorda stuff
  • BlackulaDZ
    I enjoy longboarding, playing bass guitar, music (yay metal) and watching terrible sci-fi movies.
  • Joseph Silverman
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    Joseph Silverman polycounter lvl 17
    Rens wrote: »
    Happy.. heh.
    I feel empty, day in, day out.
    Spend years on becomeing someone, only to find out i have nothing.

    My head is clouded with anger and frustration, and i like to take that out on riding my ATB bycicle. Doing 30 miles an hour in city traffic, and soon visit some mountains to downhill. Riding on that edge of loosing control is the one thing that makes me feel alive.

    I feel you dude. If you aren't scared of bruises, learn to fight! Strategic and fun and athletic and scary enough to get both the blood pumping and the mind going.
  • seforin
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    seforin polycounter lvl 17
    SupRore wrote: »
    I feel you dude. If you aren't scared of bruises, learn to fight! Strategic and fun and athletic and scary enough to get both the blood pumping and the mind going.

    I suggest boxing , Ive been thinking of starting classes for it in late summer when I get my body a bit more toned for taking hits.
  • Joseph Silverman
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    Joseph Silverman polycounter lvl 17
    seforin wrote: »
    I suggest boxing , Ive been thinking of starting classes for it in late summer when I get my body a bit more toned for taking hits.

    No reason to wait, dude! Taking hits is more about psychology and good movement/technique than being an adonis and boxing will seriously help with the toning. Plus you will hit pads and learn footwork for a long time before anyone tries to punch you seriously hard anyway.
  • MegaMoogle
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    MegaMoogle polycounter lvl 9
    seforin wrote: »
    I also Enjoy Dancing Salsa

    I love dancing. I used to take salsa and swing dancing lessons ^_^ I look forward to getting some free-time in the near future and taking some belly dancing lessons, get fit and have fun doing so!

    My other hobbies include watching thunderstorms, playing card games (especially Nertz, Egyptian Rat Screw, Texas Hold'em and the old standby, Speed) watching movies (especially a good scary one!) and every once in a while, curling up with a good book. I also tend to be addicted to puzzles, like crosswords and sudoku. :)
  • bounchfx
    music and friends, no doubt
  • Mark Dygert
    Sef, Kung-Fu Panda... the jelly roles help.
  • arrangemonk
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    arrangemonk polycounter lvl 15
    i like reading whitepapers and tech stuff (also tech blogs like hackaday)
    you might laugh at me but im totally fancy about shopping in malls and discounters
    i also like swimming in local waters (espially in them made by meteors or fault)
    but cooking really makes me happy, simply rubbing some spice on meat and put it into the oven for 4 horus(at 100°C) and everyone loves me :D
  • Joseph Silverman
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    Joseph Silverman polycounter lvl 17
    Vig wrote: »
    Sef, Kung-Fu Panda... the jelly roles help.

    5k37yr.jpg

    Fat old dudes are badasses too!

    Megamoogle, i sat down and read the entire run of Niel Gaiman's Sandman over a few days recently. Made me think maybe i dont read enough comics
  • MegaMoogle
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    MegaMoogle polycounter lvl 9
    SupRore wrote: »

    Megamoogle, i sat down and read the entire run of Niel Gaiman's Sandman over a few days recently. Made me think maybe i dont read enough comics

    I never read American comics, I read limited manga in high school (my best friend was big into it, and she'd let me borrow hers) ....but recently I've developed an interest in graphic novels. I just need a good one to get me started I'm sure. Any suggestions that won't break the bank?
  • Joseph Silverman
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    Joseph Silverman polycounter lvl 17
    I really dont read that many comics. A lot of people would say The Watchmen, but while it's good i actually didn't think it was all that special. If you like fantasy-fairy tale style stuff, especially modern supernatural stories, check out the first Sandman collection for sure.
  • Rick Stirling
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    Rick Stirling polycounter lvl 18
    Travelling. Learning. Reading. Drinking. LOTS.

    I'm a happy camper.
  • Moosey_G
    I hang out with friends, smoke, airsoft, read, like blackula I like to watch a lot of "bad" sci fi movies. But thats about 40% of my time. And I don't even particularly like to do those things, I just do them to remind me I could have a life. The other 60% I spend in my room infront of my computer, slowly dieing. I feel pretty much like Rens most of the time, unfortunately I haven't developed an outlet. So I guess the answer is nothing really, I'm unsatisfiable.
  • seforin
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    seforin polycounter lvl 17
    Vig/Suprore: Yea Im just trying to drop weight is what I was getting at, for my height my current weight would put me against people who are atleast a good 4-5 inches taller then me. So they would have superior reach to me. (I took boxing back in high schoolish time) Im trying to get a bit more tonned up and lose atleast another 10 pounds so Im in a weight bracket where the guys I fight cant hit me from across the ring (being short sucks sometimes :p)

    Moogle: Funny you should mention belly dancing, the whole reason I know how to dance salsa is because my mom is a teacher back home in FL , and taught me a bit. She also teaches Flamingo and bellydancing...ever girl I knew back home wanted my mom to teach them :p If you lived in FL, I could have told her you were a friend of mine and she would give you a discount for her classes she teaches :\
  • Skamberin
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    Skamberin polycounter lvl 13
    Movies, music, reading, being outside when the weathers right, hanging with friends and being with my 4 year old little brother.
    I always feel empty though, so I instead try to make others happy while waiting for my own happiness :P
  • Mark Dygert
    SupRore wrote: »
    5k37yr.jpg

    Fat old dudes are badasses too!

    Megamoogle, i sat down and read the entire run of Niel Gaiman's Sandman over a few days recently. Made me think maybe i dont read enough comics
    Hahaha... I think he was running on mullet power too.
  • Justin Meisse
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    Justin Meisse polycounter lvl 18
    I'm going to attempt to cut back on video gaming at home and do some of my other hobbies like circuit bending/building experimental instruments and brewing my own beer.
  • PolyHertz
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    PolyHertz polycount lvl 666
    I like teaching, problem solving (wish had better math skills though), Going to the driving range, seeing movies, scouring pawn shops / flea markets / garage sales for bargains (though the advent of ebay made it harder), and listening to orchestrated music. Recently been starting to exercise sense I'm in doors too much and health has become more and more of an important issue to me over the last few years. Unfortunately I'm broke and only have a few hand weights, so have to be somewhat inventive.

    That said though, I'd sure be a lot happier if I had steady income and lived in an area with more to do then drink and hunt (which I don't do anyways).
  • eld
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    eld polycounter lvl 18
    Damn you!
    Thats exactly what i thought of when i read the thread title :P

    this
  • Wahlgren
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    Wahlgren polycounter lvl 17
    MegaMoogle wrote: »
    I never read American comics, I read limited manga in high school (my best friend was big into it, and she'd let me borrow hers) ....but recently I've developed an interest in graphic novels. I just need a good one to get me started I'm sure. Any suggestions that won't break the bank?

    The walking dead. Don't question it, just go out an buy them all in one go. You will not be disappointed. It's omgsauce sprinkled over awesomestake with epicness on the side.

    It's being turned into a tv show now that looks 100% true to the comic.
  • haiddasalami
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    haiddasalami polycounter lvl 14
    Reading, gardening, just taking a walk
  • Jon Rush
    I agree on Pixelmasher's poontang!

    Aside from that, my wife and kids... exercise... caffeine.
  • Taylor Hood
    Fantasy novels and music like HammerFall and ManoWar =] (And death metal)
  • Vailias
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    Vailias polycounter lvl 18
    Electronic dance music or just electronic music in general. Electro, progressive house, trance, downtempo, acid jazz. All makes me a bit happier for listening to it. I like the deathmetal and industrial sub genre's as well, but those are more "make me aggressive" than make me happy. I feel that there is hardly time for life outside of game art. Of course not spending half a day doing the very non game art related "work" thing would leave more time for a life. :)
  • Jaco
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    Jaco polycounter lvl 17
    I recently started falling of these. Also music, playing my geetah and squash (tennis occasionally). Poontang is also up there.
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