My wife and I love to travel so we spend a lot of time researching vacation destinations and pricing. We have been to the Bahamas, Cancun, Barbados, Jamaica, and Las Vegas since we got married in 1999. We are going to the Dominican Republic this fall, considering Amsterdam in February, and for sure are going to Hawaii for 2 weeks next fall.
I also spend time watching WWE, movies, sports, etc. Along with taking ongoing education types of tests for work (insurance).
[quote]got_beer? wrote:
Buckeyed Girl, What is engineering psychology? Being an engineer, I’m a little curious as they don’t seem to go together.[/quote]
Not trying to hijak the thread, but to reply- essentially it’s the application of psychological principles to human-computer interaction. Also known as human factors & ergonomics. You could think of it as a meeting between IE and cognitive psych. :o)
Work, gym, father, husband, home-owner, etc aside…
Read. Write. Video games. Hang with friends at local cafes. I’ve also recently re-discovered the library, not for its vast selection of knowledge ripened books but for its sizeable selection of mind-numbing television shows on DVD. A-Team. Wonder Woman. Xena. South Park. I don’t know if I’ll ever watch commercial tv again.
[quote]BuckeyeGirl01 wrote:
essentially it’s the application of psychological principles to human-computer interaction. Also known as human factors & ergonomics.[/quote]
There’s something of an important difference, actually. HFE is about capability, such as whether a keyboard command for “Open File” is available to those who can’t use a mouse. HCI, on the other hand, is concerned with sensibility – like whether that command is “Control-O” or “Alt-Shift-F12, Insert, Insert, Enter”.
No degree in it, myself, but I’ve got several years of professional experience in both fields. My company’s currently engaged in the design and implementation of an ergonomic solution tracking system for a physical therapy company, so we do a lot of HFE and HCI analysis… if you’d like to PM me, I’d be very interested in hearing about your plans for a dissertation and any “aha” moments you’ve had on the subject that aren’t covered in the literature.
Which is pretty much what I do outside the gym, anyway: run my company. Other than that, I spend most of my non-work time with my wife and infant son.
Work, of course. Also read, write, contemplate the universe, run, cycle, play with my daughter…
And in my spare time I eat and sleep.
I collect comic books and work six days a week
Now that superpimp has broken the ice for me:
Comic books are a big “hobby” (well, more of a pack rat-like obsession, really)
Read a lot, fiddle around the house with projects.
Favorite (public) thing to do outside of gym is hold hands with my wife at a restaurant and have other people bring us good food and drink.
A night of great conversation with friends is pure gold.
morgan, stand up comedian? man, where would the world be without people like you!
me:
-snowboard extensively during winter months
-road trip
-hike/camp
-watch movies/TV shows on DVD
-truck-on with higher education
-have kinky, nasty sex with girlfriend
-geek out too my next nutritional/training phase
and didn’t the comic book guy from the simpsons call himself “the collector”
Two words: Fantasy Football!
Work full time as a regulator for the state. My husband and I collect and restore antique motorcycles. We don’t own any bikes that don’t have historical plates on it. Indians tend to be my favorite (we own 5 REAL ones). Gotta love those flatheads. Yeah, we’ve got some Harleys too, and other makes.
I am a master gardener and have waterfowl for pets.
No time for 'puter games (although I used to be a Tomb Raider fan back in the day).
I work fulltime as a Health Coach/trainer at my gym. I workout 4 days a week, cutting now, will be bulking or trying to add mass again the fall. I read this site an AWFUL lot, new stuff and old stuff (I have probally killed at least 50 trees with all the articles I have printed at work from here and other various sites). I am literally just obsessed with fitness and the lifestyle. Im constantly doing research online.
I watch tv about 1-2 hrs a day…mostly Seinfeld, Fresh Prince etc.
Spend the weekends with my fiancee, sleeping in,…going out to dinner, taking bike rides, walks, playing with her Jack Russell.
Lot of married people on here with kids, never knew that before. 
I’m jealous of all the married people with children on here who find the time for workouts and other extra-curricular activities. Between my wife, two year old (going on sixteen) daughter, new house, and full time job, my spare time has disappeared. I sometimes get up at 4 in the morning so I can at least get in 2-3 workouts a week.
How do the rest of you married people with kids do it?
We don’t have any kids yet, but my wife and I go to the gym together.
When not at the gym or eating like a mad man/health nut, I am at VCC, working, helping out at church, and most of my time is consumed by my band.
Our music is my life. Check out our small website and drop a line if you like the song on it and I will send you the rest of our demo.
I must be a huge dork because I don’t play any videogames, a habit I kicked in college. I probably wouldn’t even understand how to play most games today - I know the controllers have a lot more buttons than they used to, at any rate.
Interests besides work and working out: my fiancee, reading, WWE, sports (mostly football and baseball), fantasy sports (again, football and baseball), poker/blackjack (not a hobby in which I can indulge too often - friendly games for poker, blackjack on the occasional casino adventures), wine, politics, cooking and travel (researching trips is almost as fun as taking them for me).
SoldierSlim,
Comic Book Guy on “Simpson’s” is, of course, an ironic icon. Most of us with an interest in periodical graphical literature are really low-BF T-Men.
“periodical graphical literature”; wow; I never realized before how that sounds like we subscribe to porn mags!
Both my children, although still living in the house are going to college and working, so after years of never having any additional time outside of work, housework, and workouts; I finally find myself with more time to fill.
I like to read, but usually only about half hour before sleep. When awake, I usually need to be moving.
I have discovered gardening, and get up one hour early every day to work in my yard.
I have two young Shelties that I’m both conditioning and training for agility…it’s a lot of fun, and takes the place of a lot of cardio.
I like in-line skating, but am lucky if I find a couple of hours a week to get out on the blades.
My mother is recently widowed, and I try to designs things for us to do to get her out of the house.
This barely leave much time for sleep, but it’s a good life.
In my spare time, I:
Play in a softball league
Play guitar and write music
Lounge on the beach with my wife and 2 daughters
Get creative in the kitchen (that’s cooking-keep your minds out of the gutters)
Read
and last but not least, Host the occaional wine and cheese tasting.
[quote]erikeve wrote:
How do the rest of you married people with kids do it?[/quote]
Just be really anal about where you spend your time. Most people waste a lot of time on stupid shit. At any given point in time, ask yourself whether there’s anything better you could be doing, and if there is – go do it.
The single worst thing you can do with your time is nothing. Ever see someone put food in the microwave and then just STAND THERE until it was done? That’s really fucking stupid. Don’t do that. Ever. And yes, you can do something useful in a minute and a half; time yourself on a few things and see how long they really take.