Hobbies are ways to relieve stress and express ourselves. Each activity has an impression of our personalities stamped upon it. These pastimes take on such a variety of interests, I thought it might entertain the reader to highlight some of them. At the state fair in Wisconsin, they have a mooing contest. Some of the participants wear appropriate costumes, and the money raised goes to charity. Some folks entertain others by imitating animal sounds such as chicken clucking and elephant vocals.

Trainspotting involves waiting for a train and copying its number. You then make an inventory of date, time and place and see if this train shows up somewhere else or at another observation area.

Some of the more adventurous personalities ride roller coasters as a hobby. Travel coaster groups often tour amusement parks around the world seeing how many coasters they can ride in a season. One of the most bizarre hobbies is Chuck Lamb’s videos of him faking his death. He is referred to as the “Dead Body Guy.” I’m not sure why you would have this as a hobby. It attracts attention, but I’m not sure it’s a stress release.

Some folks are just craving attention. They see how many times they can appear on camera behind the scenes in news casts. They follow the camera crews to their location. Remember to wave. I like the people who just walk up to a complete stranger who appears to be in need and hand them a ten dollar bill. They enjoy the reaction as well as an occasional tear. I remember a radio station that would pull people over and give them one hundred dollars and broadcast the reactions. Paying it forward can be contagious.

You also have your autograph seekers who wait outside concerts and sporting events. In recent years, bobble heads have been specialty items. How about a Richard Nixon Bobble Head? Every fireplace mantel should have one. Beetle Fighting; you can actually find fighting beetles online and stage a fight. Wonder how you train them?

Here is a list of some other unusual past times: Raisin Tossing (flap drags), stone skipping (the record is 52 bounces off the lake with a flat stone), fork bending, collecting air sickness bags, and Boffering (Combatants wear padded costumes and fight each other with weapons that look like giant Q-Tips). My father would carve full size carnival horses out of wood. My hobby is writing and physical fitness.

I found some hobbies celebrities enjoy: Angelina Jolie collects daggers. No wonder Brad Pitt is always home on time. Jennifer Love Hewitt writes comic books. Jessica Alba is an avid scuba diver, and Morgan Freeman likes sailing. Whatever hobby you choose, make sure it provides you with relaxation and helps alleviate the daily stresses of life.