September 9, 2008
Pick up a Hobby if You Don’t Have One Already
I found that I had more downtime than I expected. I guess playing sports in high school took up so much time and now that I wasn’t doing any of that I sat around and watched a lot of TV… that got old fast. I love making things so I started knitting a whole bunch, scarves and stuff, which ended up making cheap and cute Christmas presents. It sounds kinda grandmaish, but it’s easy and kinda mindless but you end up making some really cool things. I just finished making a blanket this past year. Knitting-warehouse.com has several different beginner’s knitting kits. Fiona, didn’t you get one of those for Christmas or something? My mom started recommending books for me to read, which was nice because they weren’t for school and it helped me fall asleep at night. Some of my new favorites are Same Kind of Different as Me, The Secret Life of Bees and The Glass Castle- ask for them at Barnes and Noble or Borders.
yes you definitely need to fill ur downtime with productive stuff instead of tv. And yes, I got one for Christmas & literally knitted the entire break & school year. You (Rae) actually taught me to knit one day when it was snowing outside! I got hooked & couldn’t stop. Whenever I got sick I would sit in bed watching the 24 series & knit- my friends started calling me grandma. You (Rae) also told me about this cute shop in Dallas, Shabby Sheep, where u can buy all sorts of yarn & get lessons! Anyways, besides just knitting I love playing intramural sports or going on walks/jogs w friends. Try to be outside on pretty days to catch fresh air. Another thing I started doing w my free time is trying to learn Spanish, which helped bc my neighbor in my freshmen dorm was fluent. Instead of sitting around watching aimless tv, find one show that u & ur friends all love & have a once-a-week show get together. We did this w Grey’s Anatomy- we’d all meet in the girl’s room w the biggest tv, order pizza, & watch it- so fun.
That sounds like so much fun! Last year in our apartment all 5 of us crowded on the couch for The Hills. But we never did pizza – that’s a nice little touch! And my mom gave me both Same Kind of Dif. and The Glass Castle for Christmas… soooo good! Freshman year our dorm was right behind a cute little neighborhood and we would go on runs in the afternoon. We also got really into board games. I know it sounds weird, but they really are fun! And its something different…in fact we got so into Pictionary during finals week (ALOT of down time!) that we picked it up whenever we had twenty minutes that the four of us were free. Even if it was just after breakfast! Its also fun to play at the gym, but not while you’re working out. They have racket ball (which is even more exciting if you don’t know what you’re doing!) and usually a great pool to lay out by! Its also fun to find places outside where you can go to relax on pretty days. In Austin I love going to the greenbelt or to Mount Bonnell with a friend. Its beautiful and fun to be away from the dorm or apartment!
We did the Grey’s Anatomy thing too, it was fun b/c we’d go to dinner before and then come back, watch it and then discuss what we thought was going to happen next week, haha! Since it was on Thursdays we’d usually go out afterward so it always made for a fun night. Glad to know that I got you hooked on knitting Fiona. Board games are so much fun, we always played Catch Phrase. It’s so much fun and we’d just sit around laughing at the funny stuff people would say. Intramurals are soooo fun too! Even if you’re not good at the sport you’re playing. I played volleyball intramurals and we were champions for 2 or 3 years in a row, haha! It was also a good way to meet the older and younger girls in my sorority.
Catchphrase is a must have. Play it before u go out with your friends at night- it’s a good little pre-party game.
