Hobbies, Interests, and Neurotic Behavior

Is it possible to have too many hobbies or interests? I think it is, you just don't hear that much about it. Or possibly, people aren't nearly as neurotic as I am. As I am in a perpetual state of organization and removal of excess, I recently began to notice that I have acquired an excess of hobbies/interests.

CURRENT HOBBIES & INTERESTS
Brewing Beer
Collecting Designer Vinyl Toys
Reading/Audiobooks
Reading Comics/Graphic Novels
Computers/Technology
Home Theater/Audio
Electronics/Arduino
Video Games
Playing Guitar
Scaring People

I'm considering putting one of these hobbies on the chopping block.Let's explore each interest to see if I can make a decision. I'll rate each hobby using three criteria, on a 1 to 10 scale. 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest. An average will be calculated for each hobby. The hobby with the highest score will likely be dropped.
The criteria:
1) Cost
2)Time spent on hobby
3)Subjective level of enjoyment (Reverse scoring)

Brewing Beer: This is a hobby that I really enjoy. I've brewed a few different types of beer, and only had one batch not turn out perfectly. It requires a lot of space, but not much in the way of time. I would estimate that a 5 gallon batch of beer consumes about 6 hours of my time in total. This hobby has the potential to become increasingly expensive in the future too.
COST: 5 (Potential 10)
TIME: 3
ENJOYMENT: 9 (Reverse score = 2)
AVERAGE: 3.33 (Potential 5)

Collecting Designer Vinyl Toys: An increasingly expensive hobby. I'm dropping $10 on a single vinyl toy. Then it just sorta sits there and collects dust. I really enjoy the thrill of opening a blind box, supporting artists, and supporting small businesses. However, I'm starting to think that the money I spend could be better used elsewhere.
COST: 7
TIME: 2
ENJOYMENT: 6 (Reverse score = 5)
AVERAGE: 4.66

Reading/Audiobooks: I listen to audiobooks nearly everday. It's part of my morning commute. They don't cost me a dime, they make better use of my driving time, and I get to learn/hear a story in the process.
COST: 1
TIME: 5
ENJOYMENT: 10 (Reverse score = 1)
AVERAGE: 2.33

Reading Comics/Graphic Novels: My most recent interest. Again, this is a hobby that costs me nothing financially, but costs me hours that could be spent doing something else. In addition to that, it's truly an exercise in escapism and making up for a less than happy childhood.
COST: 1
TIME: 5
ENJOYMENT: 10 (Reverse score = 1)
AVERAGE: 2.33

Computers/Technology: Probably one of my biggest nerd passions and easily one of my oldest interests. I've built a few computers for scratch, I love reading about new and emerging technology, and researching the best new gadgets to add to my collection. Unfortunately, I spend countless hours scouring Engadget, Gizmodo, Cnet, Amazon reviews, etc. Again, I could probably make better use of this time.
COST: 1 (Potential 10)
TIME: 9
ENJOYMENT: 7 (Reverse score = 4)
AVERAGE: 4.66 (Potential 7.66)

Home Theater/Audio: Again, this is similar to my interest in computers and technology, but focused on my home theater.
COST: 1 (Potential 10)
TIME: 7
ENJOYMENT: 7 (Reverse score = 6)
AVERAGE: 4.66 (Potential 7.66)

Electronics/Arduino: Here is a great example of an interest that never quite got off the ground. I have countless hours and dollars spent on this hobby, with very little to show for it. A part of me simply wants to finish an actual project and call it COMPLETE!
COST: 4
TIME: 5
ENJOYMENT: 3 (Reverse score = 8)
AVERAGE: 5.66

Video Games: The biggest time waster in the my life. I only play video games a few hours a month, but when I get wrapped into a new game, my entire day/evening is consumed with the game. I end up not paying any attention to my wife and I also skip out on home-related responsibilities. my only problem with giving up video games: I have so many incomplete games! I feel obligated to finish them...
COST: 1
TIME: 8
ENJOYMENT: 8 (Reverse score = 3)
AVERAGE: 4

Playing Guitar: My oldest interest. I've been "playing" the guitar since I was 14. I'm still terrible. I never took the interest seriously enough to stick with my lessons. I don't practice enough. I've been playing the same songs for years. I haven't written a new song in YEARS. Owning two guitars seems completely unnecessary. I've been considering selling my electric guitar for a while now...
COST: 1
TIME: 2
ENJOYMENT: 5 (Reverse score = 6)
AVERAGE: 3

Scaring People: You better believe that I'll never give this up.
COST: 1
TIME: 1
ENJOYMENT: 10 (Reverse score = 1)
AVERAGE: 0.33


With the results calculated, there are some obvious hobbies that should be dropped.
1) Electronics/Arduino. This hobby has the highest average score, meaning it's the most expensive, biggest waste of time, with the least amount of enjoyment. I've decided to finish a single Arduino project to make the initial investment worth while, and then sell the leftovers.

2) Designer toys, Computers/Technology, and Home Theater/Audio all tied for second place. I've decided to limit myself to 1 or 2 vinyl toys a year, only buying the figures I really want. I'm also going to try to limit my time researching gadgets that I will never buy.

Motivation, Success, and Haters

A few years ago I had someone in my life tell me that "you're not going anywhere". Admittedly, that was true at the time. I was a few months away from graduating from college, I had no idea what I was going to with my life, I had no job lined up, and I was an emotional mess.

It was really hard to hear at the time, but hearing, "you're not going anywhere" was the one of the most motivating things I've ever said to me. It was unintentionally motivating, I'm sure, but look how far I've come since then.

I'm married now. To a doctor. I married the most beautiful, smart, and kind woman in whole world. That's awesome. She's awesome. WE are awesome. I love her more than I thought possible. She's the best thing that has ever happened to me and I've never been happier.

I oversee HR for a multi-million dollar business. My employer is sending me to Costa Rica! That's an awesome opportunity for me. I'm working toward a PHR certification too.

I'm taking night classes for two master's degrees. Okay... well, maybe I've been slacking on classes lately, but the intent is there. I'll have those degrees in two years or so...

My relationship with my friends and family has never been better. I have an amazing "urban family" here in STL. I'm closer to my Dad, Mom, and Brother than I have ever been.

I guess when it comes down to it, sometimes the hardest things to hear at one point in your life will one day make you look back and smile. I'm smiling because I have I have accomplished so much in the last few years. I'm proud of how far I've come and how far I have yet to go. And at the end of the day, you know what they say, "haters gonna hate".

Married Life, Beer, and Work

Here are some of the recent things that have happened in my world...

My boss left the organization for another job. In my opinion, it was a big lose for the company, our department, and me personally. She was a great manager and mentor and will truly be missed. Luckily we live in roughly the same area, so we will surely bump into each other at some point.

Kim and I have been married for over a month now. We celebrated our first month of marriage by going out to dinner at Mosaic Bistro in Clayton. The food and drinks were wonderful. As for the first month of marriage, it has been great. Living together before getting married was definitely worth while. Some might attribute the first month of marriage to the 'honeymoon effect". While there may be some truth to that, I feel that Kim and I come from a place of mutual respect. That's what makes our relationship work at a deeper level than I see in other couples.

I brewed another batch of beer. In about 5 weeks I should have about 50 bottles of wheat beer. The brew session went fairly well. I have a new piece of equipment - an immersion chiller. The chilled made the process of cooling the wort MUCH easier. However, I should have left the chiller in the brew pot a bit longer.

Work has been pretty darn busy lately. There are lot of projects going on. It's not that fun, but at least I have some job security. The downside... working 5o+ hour weeks. Oh yeah, I'm a "manager" now. Our summer intern reports into me.

I've been considering a new laptop. I've had mine for 3 years, and it technically works fairly well. However, I would like to upgrade it. Something with an HDMI port, a bit more processing power, and other assorted features would be nice. It's just hard to justify spending over $700 to replace something that isn't broken.

That's about it I guess. More updates to come? We'll see...

Honeymoon Recap

We have returned safely from the Dominican Republic. We spent 7 days and 6 nights in Punta Cana. The resort was great... probably the most relaxed I have been in a really long time.

**More details to come**

I Just Got Married!

30 Days...

I'll be a married man in 30 days. The reality of that sentence still hasn't hit yet... It probably wont sink in until the honeymoon is over and we've returned to our apartment in Ballwin.

Thinking about the wedding and everything that needs to happen between now and then is a bit overwhelming. I'm trying to manage the stress by tackling one problem at a time. Tonight, we're taking care of the reception music. Next weekend, the marriage license. To be honest, Kim has done 99% of the planning, and I really don't know how she did it with a smile on her face.

In any case, I'm one hell of a lucky guy. I'm going to marry the woman of my dreams. They just don't get any better than Kim.