My Hobby and Sports Interests
Perhaps I have too many interests - is there such a thing? Even though I am not working at the moment I manage to quite happily fill every day with things that interest me. I try to base my philosophy roughly on the ideas laid out in "The Joy of Not Working", by Ernie Zelinski. He espouses leading a simpler, less fast paced, more relaxed and fulfilling lifestyle, in part by trying to live in the present, making the most of small things, living frugally, etc.
Most of my hobbies are based around various outdoor sports, radio electronics, computers, astronomy and classical music. In terms of sport I would say that orienteering ranks as my preferred sport, followed by archery, cycling, running and golfing.
In the summer of 2003 I fulfilled a desire to do something challenging and adventurous: I cycled across Canada from Victoria BC to St. Johns NL, a distance of almost 7700 kilometres. That journey also raised some public awareness and donations for my favourite charity: Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders).
At left are some good links to each of these pastimes.
Amateur Radio and Electronics
If you are interested in radio, electronics, computers, technology and/or physics then amateur radio is a wonderful hobby. Despite the ease of international communication afforded by the Internet there will always be a place for radio to enable communication with remote areas, less well developed regions. Besides radio is fun! The advent of inexpensive computers and the Internet has brought new modes of radio communication to the fore: packet radio, PSK31, radio-email, satellite communication and many other modes. There are almost endless aspects to this hobby which would satisfy anyone with a technological bent. I have been a "ham" radio operator since I was 15 and have enjoyed conversing with people all over the globe, especially via the oldest radio modes known to man: morse code. It is a challenge and requires only very minimal inexpensive radios and antennas to be able to send signals thousands of kilometres. Morse code is also the most efficient method of long distance wireless communication, even if it is a bit of a dinosaur. My amateur radio callsign is VE7EA.Given that I am not really much of a chatterbox I don't actually spend that much time "on the air". Most of my time is spent tinkering with electronics. I have set up a small electronics workshop/radio shack in one half of our laundry room - there I have many instruments which I have constructed myself or have refurbished non-working test instruments.