A Hobby.

Well, I have several hobbies.
I'm one of those sort of blokes that can get utterly obsessed with a hobby of any sort. That is the main reason I have refused many, many offers to play golf, because I know that I would be that guy who talks about nothing else. And I can bore for England as it is - I can't afford to be worse than I am now!

So - I occupy my time/relax/take my mind off the hook and pretend I'll call back later with the following things.
Birds and Games.

I've played games since I was in my early teens. I was just at the right age when Dungeons and Dragons arrived in the UK. I was bought the set by my dad and I remember being off school ill and him saying "Lets have a game then." I wasn't able to understand it, mostly because I was ill, but also because we had no real idea what the game entailed. He never did play, or understand, it.
I, however, was, once I got my head round it, completely hooked. We started with D&D, then the AD&D (Advanced), Traveller (Sci-Fi adventures), RuneQuest, Mechwarrior, Bushido... the list went on and on.
I played with a bunch of guys all through school, and when I went to college I founded a 'soc' for gamers and made some friends who are still amongst my closest.
I dropped out of the scene when I moved in with my wife, and away from the guys in college. And then a few years ago we went to visit some of the college gang who I'd not seen for a while. We chatted about games 'I don't play any more' I said, 'there's no group in HomeTown.' They told me about a game they play... 'Its online, mate, we all play together. Even the Yorkshire guys play' (2 guys moved north 15 years ago.)
I ummed and erred about it, and wasn't sure about playing. The Wifey handed me the game at Xmas... I installed it and the old addiction was back. A year or so later she moaned about how much time I was playing. I pointed out that she was the one who bought it. That went down well. But she didn't moan at me again.

The Birds.
When Number 1 Son was about 8 I saw a poster one morning at the railway station as I was on my way to work. The local country park was having an 'introduction to birds' guided walk. I suggested it to Number 1, and he said it would be nice to go.
We turned up, walked, looked at the birds, had warm drinks, and headed back to the house. I was buzzing. "Did you see the way that one flew?" I raved to him in the car on the way home, "Wasn't it beautiful? The feathers? The songs?" It dawned on me later that he had been quiet.
A sure sign that he was trying to be polite.
He's not in the least bit interested. I have been up at 4am in dark woods, in the rain waiting to hear a rare pheasant call. I've Driven at speed to see a rare Tern before dusk turns to night (We made it!) I've stood shivering in the wind and the rain, hoping a bird of prey was going to roost where it had been the night before.
I've learned the difference between a birder, a Robin-stroker and a twitcher. I've done all three. I been gripped off, I've dipped out, dropped on, had lifers and county catch-ups, and never, ever strung.

I love doing them both.
Its a shame that the agoraphobia often keeps me indoors, but if its rare enough - I can still get out.

Oh.
Dip/Dip out = To fail to see a rarity.
Gripped off = To dip when a mate sees the bird.
Drop on = to find a rarity, or see one soon after its found.
Lifer = a bird you've never seen before.
County catch-up = a bird that you've not seen in your home county before, but may have seen elsewhere - My worst was a Red Backed Shrike that I saw in a neighbouring county 6 years ago, and only saw at home this year.
String/Stringy/Stringer = To claim to have seen something that you probably didn't. To exaggerate a common into a rarity. The lowest of the low - not to be trusted.
Twitch = to rush to see a rarity, or to travel a long way to see a rarity at short notice.
Birder = a good birdwatcher
A Robin Stroker = someone who looks at the birds in their garden
Twitcher = someone who will duck out of work to drive to the other end of the country to see a rarity with no regard for anything, or anyone else. An extremist and fanatic. Best avoided.