Rachel and I were discussing a couple of days ago that we seriously need hobbies. But hobbies take desire and commitment.

I teach about 14 hours a week and hold about 10 office hours. So, I honestly only work 24 hours a week. I grade about 900 essays over the course of the semester (that’s kinda scary now that I think about it), but most of them are short, and when you consider I have 160 or so office hours per semester, it’s not really that bad.

I have no research responsibilities. I have grand plans to research, but I have no real desire to do it. I do end up doing it though. And I do other work stuff. Hey, I even carpeted the upstairs loft (a miracle for anyone that’s seen me do anything of that sort) with the help of a friend.

I asked Jon the other day if he had any ideas. He replied that I could read or write. Right. That’s what I’ve always done. But I’m looking to expand my horizons here. Any other ideas that don’t waste money and are productive.

I mean, my most productive hobby is playing with my stocks, but there’s only so much I can do with that before I start scaring myself.

We’re going swimming everyday, but I can only do that for a bit before I get bored.

We watch about 5 movies a week, and that’s totally not productive.

It takes a lot to impress me or catch my attention. I don’t want to do anything where my life is at stake.

Surfing the net is a waste of time, and I’ve even taken up politics as a hobby lately. I think I’ve read every Bush and Kerry published this year, and I even find myself reading CNN.com, rasmussenreports.com, and electoral-vote.com every single day. This shouldn’t be. Help me.