A Summer of Oddities

If none of the conventional hobbies are up your street, don’t worry; we’ve got your back. Here are some activities for the differently inclined lot

Air Sickness Bags for the (maybe) Artsy Type
Also known as barf bags, these plastic/paper bags that occupy airplane seat pockets are traditionally meant for those who suffer from air sickness nausea. For many others, however, they are collectibles (unused, of course). Plenty of people indulge in the hobby of collecting these bags; some have 6000+ in their collection. Want proof? Visit airsicknessbags. com

 

Taxidermy for the ardent animal fan
It looks like a real animal, it is made from a real animal, but it is very dead. Taxidermy is the practice of stuffing actual animal skins. All kinds of animals can be resurrected as dummies – birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, etc. If you have watched Psycho and know who exactly has this hobby in the film, but still want to try it, you sir, have our respect.

 

Hikaru Dorodango for the earth lover
Hikaru Dorodango is a popular Japanese hobby of creating balls of mud and then polishing them to a high degree of sheen. Literally, it is the creation of beauty out of nothing but dirt. The polished balls are largely earthen in colour, but when made out of different soils, the result is an enormous marble-like work of art.

 

 

Cosplay for the insatiable geek
Costume Play is nothing to be ashamed about. So you and your friends are crazy fans of a television series/film/book/cartoon – so much so that you dress up as your favourite characters and re enact scenes. Big deal. Everyone now does it in all the comics conventions.

 

 

 

 

 

Cuttery bending for the wannabe mentalist
Maybe there really was no spoon in The Matrix, but it is not THAT hard to bend metal cutlery. With your mind? Ah, no. That is not possible. With your bare hands? Yes. If the website forkbend. com is to be believed, there are thousands of people who have made bending forks and spoons out of shape their pastimes. If you want to try it out, the website has instructions on how to do it.

Cryptozoology for the desperate believer
Cryptowhat? This is the study of plants, animals and creatures whose existence is currently unproven.
The creatures on the list of cryptozoologists are the Yeti, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, Chupacabra, phantom cats, Mothman, and many, many more. Well, it’s not really ‘study’ if it is centred on conspiracy theories, is it? But all their ‘research’ makes for good reading.

 

 

Toy voyaging for the inner child
If you want to see the world but cannot afford it, there is a Plan B at hand – your toys can travel the world. Toy Voyaging is letting your toy play Tintin while you sit at home. Just hand over your toy to someone travelling and ask them for your to toy go on different adventures in the foreign land. There are hosts around the world who will do this for you. Visit ToyVoyagers.com to get started.

 

Nazi memorabilia for the ballsy collector
History tells you Hitler was not a great guy to hang out with. His regime, though stained forever by its horrific misdeeds, has nevertheless produced some artefacts that several people find aesthetic. Just ask Lemmy Kilmister, lead vocalist of the band Motörhead. He is a dedicated collector of knives, daggers, swords, guns, armour, flags, even uniforms, from the German military of WWI and WWII. Controversy has a new name.

 

Mooing for the bovine connoisseur
Fancy yourself as a bit of an expert when it comes to animal calls? You could join hundreds of people in the UK and US in the fine art of mooing. Imitating a cow is a thing. There are competitions and everything. Just look up Moo-la-palooza on the internet. Mooing hobbyists are dedicated to the activity, and past winners of mooing contests will tell you they practised for days before clinching the title.

Suing for the drama queen
Being able to file a lawsuit against anyone is a right accorded to all citizens in all democracies. But some people make a hobby out of it. Jonathan Lee Riches, an American, is in the Guinness Book of World Records for filing the most lawsuits ever. After his entry in the book, he filed a lawsuit against Guinness! He said they had no right to publish his work, his “legal masterpieces”. Here are some of the people/places/occasions he has sued: Plato, Nostradamus, Somali Pirates, Buddhist monks, the Eiffel Tower and Black History Month. Giving him company is Mohammed Tabibar Rahman in Australia, who filed over 50 lawsuit cases in 10 years. He has been so hardcore at suing that the Australian Supreme Court has banned him from taking anyone to court. Considering the snail-like pace of the Indian justice system, this hobby would probably not be very enjoyable here.

 

Volume 3 Issue 11