In case you haven’t read my previous blog posts I tend to blog quite a bit about my hobbies. I tend to consider myself a jack of all trades, as I like to think I know enough about most subjects to at least get me in trouble. My hobbies include, motorcycles, marksmanship, anything with an engine, spending time with family, video games, juggling, working on electronics, wood working, car stereos, designing gadgets, and even photography. Some of my hobbies are projects that I have around my home that are all in some stage of being done. I tend to float from one to the other when I start to hit a wall on one I will simply walk to another and work on it to help get a fresh mind with the first. Slowly but surely they all get completed in a timely manner and I’m always pleased with the outcome.
One of the projects I currently have is a 1970’s pinball machine my parents had in their basement. While it halfway works it is a true wiring nightmare. This is one project that may get terminated due to the cost of repairs needed. However, I do love the hum all the electro-mechanical switches make when you kick it on. It’s not like all the new computerized units where you don’t hear the relays arching and the levers kicking. I am normally tinkering on this during the winter months when it is too cold to be out in the garage.
The two hobbies that I feel help me to relax and bring the most enjoyment are photography and motorcycles. That’s why whenever I am out on a ride as soon as we stop the camera comes out. Or in most cases now, the GoPro gets slapped on the bike before we leave with a full battery and empty memory card. When at Deal’s Gap last week I was running three cameras, one on my bike, one on the bike my brother in-law was one, and one on my father in-laws Honda Pilot. Since I was in the lead and I am a little more advanced in riding than the others I was only in their video until we got to the start of Deal’s Gap.
When I was going through “The Gap” there are all kinds of overlooks and views that you can pull off an overlook the Smokeys. For this trip I was more focused on letting my knee pucks touch that lovely Tennessee asphalt. Now for the rest of the trip I was the guy behind the camera the entire time. I was constantly snapping pictures of Madelyn and my wife, Beth, along with all of the in-laws. I took hundreds of pictures through the week and well over 30 GB of video on the GoPros.
The problem then comes to time to process all of these. As I type this blog in one window I’m converting the video from my father in-laws trip through Deal’s Gap in another so I can post it to Youtube. Time seems to be getting less and less available for these hobbies and life doesn’t seem to slow down at all. I find that most nights I will be sitting on the couch much like Lee Evans was in his blog yesterday, and have a laptop on trying to either weed through pictures or process and edit video. While this does get stressful because I feel that I am behind on getting videos out and pictures sent to family, it is still relaxing because as I am looking through the pictures or clipping videos I get to relive those moments. The reason I am always doing this at night after Madelyn has gone to sleep and Beth and I have discussed the days events and what the next day holds, is there is no time like the present for family or friends. You never know when that time will end. So whether you’re in the middle of a sentence in your blog, or making that final cut for that furniture project make sure you take a minute to just be together with the ones you love, turn off the phones, TV, and all the other technology.
Brian Farno
Application Engineer / Jack of All Trades
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF
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