What makes a maker?

[WithLove]

I wonder if the lack of involved women influenced my choice of hobbies. Aside from cosplaying, most stuff that I do in my free time or discuss on the internet is 'manly' stuff with few or even no female enthusiasts.

 

I mean, with all due respect, pretty much everything you've spoken about so far are hobbies of mine, too. Or at least ones I am interested in. So, there are women out there that like the same things you do. "Manly" hobbies (like guns, motorcycles, video games, etc" are ones in which there are a lot of increasing interest from women.

 

Have you tried Meet up?

[maker]

I suppose my view is somewhat distorted, most women that I know consider guns, cars and similar hobbies to be 'childish' and signs of a guy being immature. I suppose there are women out there who are interested in the same things as I am, the numbers however are against me.

I've considered meetup before but there are literally no meetups in my country outside of the capital, not a single one where I live. That means an hour and a half or even two during traffic and I'd be already setting myself up to be the one who bears the burden of driving over for any possible dates.

[WithLove]

Well, if nothing happens for awhile and you get to be truly unhappy with your location, maybe you could consider moving to the capital or a neighboring, more popular country. Would that be an option for you?

[maker]

If I don't count some of the failures, pretty much nothing has happened since I moved here in 2010. Moving again would be tricky, I have a job that I really like, I already have new friends over here and other than the lack of opportunities for dating, it's not such a bad place to live. I might end up moving to Germany but right now it isn't an option, I'd be completely screwed with my subpar language skills.

I'm afraid that it's all one big cause of 'grass is greener' syndrome and uprooting myself wouldn't solve anything in the long run. After all, I've managed to live through 27 years without a romantic partner, maybe it is a little late for change and I should accept things as they are.

[WithLove]

I think calling it quits at 27 would be foolish. My cousin married her husband at 31 and didn't meet him til she was older than you are now. Have hope.

 

What other activities would you be interested in taking part in? Do you like outdoorsy stuff? A surprising amount of women likes things like hiking, kayaking, etc. (or wait..... maybe that's just me again. LOL)

[maker]

I'm still on the fence about that one and just taking a peek at the dating ads in the immediate vicinity don't fill me with hope. Suffice to say that I'm much better off being single.

I do like being outdoors, though I was never that interested in sports. If things go well with my current commissions, I'd like to buy the parts for a remotely controlled quadrocopter and take it out at least once a week. It's a far cry from sports but better than nothing.

[maker]

Try out new things in life, they said. It will be fun, they said. I just came back from a company event where we could enroll in a 'friendly' tournament of zorb soccer/bubble soccer. On top of having boatloads of fun, I now have a concussion. Who would have guessed when it's essentially a contact sport combined with soccer.

[maker]

Sometimes one needs to just listen to others to learn a valuable lesson. I got to chill out after work with some guy friends from work and one in particular is downright famous for being a very successful player. A tally that goes into the hundreds.

It turns out that he managed two different women in the day he took off from work, we've discussed it a bit when I gave him a ride back home and he apparently does not see them as anything more than sources of free (or relatively free) sex, no potential beyond that.

Is it wrong that I don't feel even remotely bad for his steadily growing group of 'conquests'?

[maker]

OKCupid, the gift that keeps on giving. Today I've been told off by someone who identifies as a Polyamorous, vegetarian, anarcha-feminist who also chose to grace her profile with this lovely line: I hate men and I am completely disgusted by the garbage you think it is appropriate to waste my time with. Total cutiepie with a heart of gold. So, what was my evil deed, worthy of name calling and being told that I'm oppressing and harassing her with my toxic masculinity? I visited her profile since it was linked to me through the ty mail newsletter with week's recommended matches.

I don't even know if these people are for real, but even a second read through that garbage of a marxistic profile had me laughing.

[WithLove]

^ Oy! Why are people like that even on OLD? Do they really think they will find anyone?

 

Re: your player friend - don't feel bad for them. They willingly participate in his game.

[IAmFCA]

^ Oy! Why are people like that even on OLD? Do they really think they will find anyone?

 

Re: your player friend - don't feel bad for them. They willingly participate in his game.

 

Seriously. "I am hateful. I judge, hate, and dismiss anyone who embodies any of these 137 traits. I just want to be loved as I am. Too bad you are not worthy of the same." Oh, really? Too bad you are too ignorant to see your own hypocrisy.

 

Maker, I have never found a match on those stupid emails. In fact, what worked best on OKC is when I made myself invisible, scrolled through other profiles, and allowed them to see me by liking them. I suppose if we all did this, nobody would see anyone, but it worked for me. Good luck out there. The two men who have most captured my imagination are men I met on line, one on OKC and the other on Bumble. In each case I reached out first.

 

I know there are differences about what works for men and for women (assuming hetero construct); the bigger picture for me is, whoever I picked was better than who OKC picked.

[maker]

Thanks WL, ITIC, I may have mentioned it before that I mostly browse the local dating ads and profiles on OKCupid for laughs. I've mostly given up hope and most women within reasonable range are just not interesting to me, not worth making an effort. But at least encounters like this brighten up my day, aside from being a reminder of what sort of cancer is third wave feminism. At least she gets bonus points for being upfront about her man hating. And of course she has an impressively long list of what her potential partner needs to have.

 

In rather unrelated news, I've received a raise today. No big surprise since this was just a formal confirmation of what was already arranged but still not bad. And my musket will have to wait till mid August because of a screwup at the company that I've ordered it through Good thing they were in such a hurry to get their 30% deposit but now that my money is in their bank account, they told me that the weapons are not really in stock and it will take the manufacturer another month or so to come up with a new batch.

[WithLove]

Congrats on your raise! And that sucks about the musket! Can you ask for the deposit back and get it elsewhere?

[maker]

Unfortunately I'm out of options. The only other source in my country is even worse in their dealing with customers and right now they've closed their store for two weeks straight, not even answering emails or taking phone calls. There was one more gun store that carried the full range of Pedersoli muskets and rifles but they're in financial trouble and unable to make an order with the manufacturer. At least I now have plenty of time to get the ball mould, casting pot, spare flints and cleaning supplies. Hell, this way I could even get a couple dozen cartridges ready in advance.

[WithLove]

That really sucks that you don't have any more options. Even though gun laws are regulated differently by each state over here, I still wouldn't have any problems getting what I wanted in a timely manner.

[maker]

Yeah, once again the size of my country is a detriment, not an advantage. The gun business isn't all that great because of subpar buying power and only a small number of companies can justify importing replica muzzleloaders that cost as much as two times the average wage. At least muzzle loaders with up to three shots are in the same category of weapons as airsoft guns and BB guns, only loosely regulated and available for sale to everyone over 18.

I've considered buying from a neighboring country but the prices are even higher and if you take Germany as an example, you're far more likely to get an official permission to murder someone than to purchase a weapon. Silly people, as if one could commit a mass shooting with a cumbersome musket that gets off 4 rounds a minute under ideal conditions.

[maker]

This weekend has been a solid start to my two weeks worth of vacation. Since the manufacturing plant closes for a couple weeks every summer, it's convenient even for us in the R&D to take at least a week off at a time when there's very little going on.

So far I've finished building a custom MDF cabinet to put under my 3D printer and I've visited a reenactment of the battle of Königgrätz on Sunday and had a blast. If everything goes as planned, I should be able to see Christopher Judge in person on Friday, something that's been a dream of mine ever since I started watching Stargate SG 1 back in high school, really looking forward to an opportunity like that.

It feels a little weird to be working on a cosplay prop project and not being able to share the progress with others because it was commissioned by someone who explicitly did not want it published. On the other hand, I shouldn't care less, as long as it brings money in the end.

[maker]

I'm probably just blowing my own trumpet here but hell, as if someone gives a damn about a journal, some might even find this funny. Today I saw a star from the show I grew up with, Christopher Judge who played Teal'c on Stargate. And to bring things to a completely different level, he did sign a plaque that I made (some of it 3D printed) even though there were way too many people both for taking pictures and getting his signature. Aside from not being able to sleep from the excitement, now I can really die without regrets. Perhaps some dreams do come true.

 

This ranks way higher in importance than getting laid or being in a romantic relationship, as weird as that may sound.

[maker]

I had an absolute blast playing Pokemon GO with friends today. Because that's what grown ups do, we walk around looking for virtual pokemon.

[WithLove]

Sooooo many of my friends are playing. It's insane. I want to but also don't want to get too wrapped up in it, which is what'll happen. But I have to say, I think it's great that so many people are out there getting more exercise than they normally would.

[maker]

I'm already hooked, there is no going back. Good thing I still have a week left of my two week vacation, at least I don't have to juggle pokemon hunting and work at the same time. If this brings more people to do something for their health and walk around, great! My legs are really hurting after three consencutive days of pokemon catching.

[maker]

Pokemon GO is starting to really wear me out, our group pretty much rules the city but every day spent out there seems more tiring. Still, it is the perfect distraction from any possible bad moods and a ton of fun to hunt for pokemon with friends. As I've already ruled out the very remote possibility of finding someone through an activity like this, it really helped me to just focus on the gameplay and have as much fun as possible while I can.

[WithLove]

I've only got 3 pokemon so far and haven't yet taken a stroll through my neighborhood. I live in a pretty bad one, so I'm reluctant to go out. I'm really bummed that there aren't any at or near my job site!

[maker]

The in-app achievement tells me I've already caught 399 of them. I really went all in with this game, partly because of how fun it is to run around and discover virtual points and pokemon out in the real world.

[WithLove]

Wow! Good for you! I'm going to get out there this weekend. My nearest Stop is my local library, 2 blocks away. Til then I'll have to make due with catching some on the way to my gym!