I bought a new camera recently for a trip to Bhutan. I ended up getting a Nikon Zf which is great for shooting in full manual mode. There are some exceptional third party manual focus lenses.

It’s all very tactile and gets me out into the world. I really treasure the photos from it in a way I never did with smartphone photos. It’s also really nice to just leave the phone at home.

Sometimes I go for photo walks with a friend. We play with light and composition and just generally have a great time being present and creative.

I love walking around as a mental break from thinking. Preferably solo, but when at work I typically invite others as it is the socially approved event and makes me feel like I am being a good person, despite rumors otherwise.

At home, for fun, I enjoy working with plants. I get a joy out of re potting plants. I especially love finding out an experiment to propagate a plant worked. Ask me about my random Christmas cactus success. I was so thrilled, 6 months later I brought in to work a dozen little plants to share.

I spend an inordinate amount of time reading (fiction) when I'm not at work. always a nice break from anything else I'm doing.

Hand tool woodworking. Zero screens needed. All you need is about a 8x8 foot space that you can get messy.

MORE COMPUTER SCREEN!

Seriously, I just cannot get enough of making things. Hardware, software, CAD, whatever, I just love making stuff. The more I can make, the better.

I can't get enough of computers, either. I love it.

I wander. Take the bus somewhere far, spin around a few times, and just start walking for hours in a random direction. Pray there is a bus line near wherever I end up. Not having to plan anything feels very freeing

Making things, I made my daughters wooden practice swords, two-handed claymores. Now for Christmas I always make something. This year was cross-body bags with elaborate patterns. Fun for me, I’m just glad they put up with the eccentric choices.