I started folding paper in high school from a book I got. Since then I've done more research and experiments with different materials and modular origami. Some of the materials I've worked with include:
If it's thin and even vaguely flexible, I'll try to fold it. Almost obsessively. I've got some cool pictures.
My favorite model is the crane - I've folded literally several thousand of those. Currently, I've got a fish tank with 3,500 cranes in it. With that much practice, I've gotten to the point where I can do a couple of tricks, including folding a crane with my eyes closed or with one hand (I usually have to sit on my other hand to keep it from helping out).
I've also folded some giant cranes out of desk calendar pages and tiny ones from a 1/2 inch square of paper.
I'm pretty good at making edged weaponry, but that's about it. I've made a couple of wooden swords and a letter opener - but otherwise my chiseling skills aren't that great. I've carved some okay walking sticks and did some cool stuff with driftwood - but I don't really have the workspace to go whole hog on this kind of thing. Oh, and I've made a few vampire stakes. You know, for the trips to the basement when the power goes out.
And I've also undertaken some large wood projects. The first was a few years ago when I built a dead lift platform for my former room-mate. Looks like crap, but very sturdy. It easy supports his weight, plus as much weight as he can lift. I've also built chaise lounge - which eventually turned into a bench. I also built a headboard for my bed.
I started swimming a while ago at the pool at work on my lunch hour. When I first did it, an 1/8 of a mile nearly wiped me out. I literally almost passed out in the Student Union while trying to get some lunch. But, I stuck with it and eventually made progress. Now, without too much effort, I can swim over a mile in under an hour. Not bad.
I'm a web-dude - I'm supposed to have a website and I'm supposed to change it. Here's the Design Archive.
I do a great deal of reading and as a consequence (at least for me) I sometimes get the urge to do a little writing. I dunno, maybe I get full of words. Most of the writing I've done is longhand - I'm embarking on a quest to actually re-type this stuff and start sharing some of it. I'm also working on a comic strip I wrote while at the beach - I'll need to take some action figure photos to illustrate it since I can't draw for crap.
Whenever I'm feeling cranky or just a bit stir crazy (or both, which is really scary), I usually take myself for a walk as a sort of therapy. Depending on my mood, I may end up going several miles though town until I start to feel a bit more like myself. I'm also a big fan of hiking in the woods, especially up and down hills. My record is about 17 miles looking for a bookstore when I was at college in Miami, FL.
I've also been working out on an elliptical trainer. Usually do about a mile to a mile and a half a couple times a week.
I'm generally a sort of crafty type person, so I like to try new stuff. Got a few photos of things I've tried. I also mimicked a Mark Rothko painting.
okay, so, I'm still collecting comics. Hey, I've got a job, I can do what I want. Recently, I've been "boarding and bagging" my comics to better protect them. The supplies alone on that project are staggering. Once I'm caught up on protecting the comics, I'll work on putting together some kind of organizational format to them. Maybe even a database. Wait - I'm going to build a database organize my comic book collection? Okay, I'm a geek.
I sort of stopped collecting when they canceled my favorite comic - the
Flash. They've started it back up again and I'm collecting again, but it's
really not the same.
