To what extent is this a ‘hobby’?

[Galliardist]

I’d like to think so as well but with the rate of progression that’s an unrealistic outcome as it was only correctly diagnosed 5 yrs ago as spms after 25+ years of issues, I have my exit planned for as soon as I cannot shower myself that my mum/brother and close friend are aware of. Until then I’m continuing to stumble/crawl around my bungalow. A little over 20yrs ago I was Scottish mtb champ and raced all round Europe whilst working as a mtb guide/skills coach, nowadays I rely on my mum for washing/cleaning/shopping/make dinner/light fire, etc…etc.

The couple of people I know with MS these days are doing not so badly with current treatment, I guess I'm guilty of assuming - I should know better, as I knew someone in my teens who progressed quickly, and that individual cases are always different. I guess I can only hope it slows down for you.

 

[Somafunk]

I guess I can only hope it slows down for you.

Appreciate the concern but once it gets to spms stage there is no treatment available, my last mri scan showed multiple dead/non functional areas in brain/spinal cord and it can only go one way in my case which is total loss of muscle/motor function. On the bright side I can still wipe my own arse so it’s not all doom n’ gloom

If caught at an early stage such as relapsing remitting ms then treatment with a disease modifying therapy can be very effective at prolonging independence and leading a normal life but unfortunately the disease had 25+ years of doing whatever it liked to my brain/nervous system before being diagnosed.

 

[egellings]

I’d like to think so as well but with the rate of progression that’s an unrealistic outcome as it was only correctly diagnosed 5 yrs ago as spms after 25+ years of issues, I have my exit planned for as soon as I cannot shower myself that my mum/brother and close friend are aware of. Until then I’m continuing to stumble/crawl around my bungalow. A little over 20yrs ago I was Scottish mtb champ and raced all round Europe whilst working as a mtb guide/skills coach, nowadays I rely on my mum for washing/cleaning/shopping/make dinner/light fire, etc…etc.

What does SPMS stand for?

 

[Somafunk]

Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

The disease has 4 stages,
CIS - Clinically Isolated Syndrome (an initial symptom)
RRMS - Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (symptoms come and go)
PPMS - Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (Symptoms stay and very gradually build up)
SPMS - Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (Symptoms build and increase until 24hr care is needed - or you have an exit strategy planned - the one final thing I will have control over)

Anyway...about this "hobby of ours?.....

 

[MaxBuck]

Listening to music is my hobby. The hifi equipment is what allows me to hear it in a manner that reasonably approximates live performance. And the streamer allows me to listen to thousands of performers without bankrupting-level travel expenses.

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

Listening to music is my hobby. The hifi equipment is what allows me to hear it in a manner that reasonably approximates live performance. And the streamer allows me to listen to thousands of performers without bankrupting-level travel expenses.

Lots of great ideas from all sides here, and thought-provoking posts.

But this one has made me go “YES!” more than any other.

 

[Angsty]

I also have another hobby, which is studying technology and understanding the engineering behind solutions (including audio).

I second that notion. I probably have spent as many hours reading about audio equipment as I have spent in dollars buying it (well, maybe not ).

Nonetheless, I buy equipment occasionally, buy physical media more frequently and listen often. That all qualifies as a hobby to me!

Several years ago, my wife told a friend of hers I needed a hobby because evidently she didn’t consider my time reading about audio equipment to be qualifying. Soon thereafter, I started spending more money. Years later, she complained to another friend that I owned three(!) turntables.

I just smiled.

 

[Keith_W]

Several years ago, my wife told a friend of hers I needed a hobby because evidently she didn’t consider my time reading about audio equipment to be qualifying. Soon thereafter, I started spending more money. Years later, she complained to another friend that I owned three(!) turntables.

What you need is a hobby that benefits her

My wife LOVES my cooking hobby. I am also a "cleaning enthusiast" (yes, there are some of us who are weird and love vacuuming and mopping). She loves that too. She also doesn't mind me going swimming or cycling because i'm only gone for a couple of hours. Audio is OK for her because at least i'm in the same house. She doesn't like my model boat making because I disappear into the shed for hours, and most of all she hates the sports I play like golf and badminton because I am gone for half a day.

 

[Robin L]

Right now it's a hobby. In the past it was more akin to an obsession. For a while it was a means of employment. But, for the moment, I'm not interested in switching around gear to discern low-level differences in sound quality. I now use the gear I've got to listen to music.

 

[Madlop26]

View attachment 328029

The other guy should be murmuring:
....just one more upgrade, please just one more, I promise, have mercy, just one more upgrade.........

 

[sam_adams]

If I don't make any money from it and it costs me money to do it, it's a hobby.

 

[benanders]

Lots of arbitrary interpretations of “hobby.”

“The word hobby comes from the bird’s French name hobereau, which derives from hober, meaning ‘to stir’, a reference to the effect that the appearance of a hobby has on flocks of small birds”
Hobby Falcon

If I’m not hyper-judicious with the volume pots, my kit will rile the small bird who lives downstairs of me.
So by (certain) definition, yes, my stereo is a hobby despite my lack of upgrade desire.

 

[vco1]

Listening to music (and when I still had the time and peace of mind: making music) is my hobby. The gear is just there to make that possible. It's a means, not an end.