The coronavirus has demonstrated that much of life is out of my control, but I do have the ability to choose how to spend my time. I’ve leveraged my new free time to return to some old hobbies and pick up a few new ones. In this post I will highlight how I’ve been spending my free time; if you enjoy any of these hobbies, I’d love to hear from you!
Brewing Beer
This is something I’ve wanted to try for some time. Now that I’m at home and no longer subjected to my apartment’s tiny kitchen, I decided to give this a try. I’m pleased to report that my first batch, which I’m calling the Apocalypse Amber Ale, turned out extremely well. Next up is a Bubonic Blueberry IPA, then a Pandemic Pilsner.
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| Bottling day |
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| The first glass |
High Carb Cooking – From Scratch!
I’ve also done lots of cooking, including making homemade bread and pasta. Both foods have amazingly few ingredients–flour, water, and eggs for pasta, and flour, water, sugar, salt, and yeast for bread. Yet tiny variations such as how long I knead the dough or even the atmospheric pressure can have a huge impact on the end result. I’m trying to work through these variables and each time I’m getting a little close to getting it right.
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| Stretching the dough |
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| The finished product |
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| French bread |
Wood Working
I’ve enjoyed wood working for the last several years. I started this hobby because my roommates and I wanted a nice dining room table–without paying for one! Last summer I wanted to make an Adirondack chair but never got around to it. With the beautiful weather we’ve had recently, I decided now is the time to finally build that chair. I’ve finished constructing it along with an accompanying footrest but still need to sand and paint them. Let me know if you have any suggestions for the color!
As Dr. Gregg noted in a recent podcast, we may never again have this much time to focus on developing ourselves, so I’m making the most of it!
Eric Bush, of Louisville, Ky., is a member of the McConnell Scholar Class of 2020. He studies political science and finance at the University of Louisville, where he was named the most outstanding graduate in finance and earned the political science's O'Sullivan Award.
As Dr. Gregg noted in a recent podcast, we may never again have this much time to focus on developing ourselves, so I’m making the most of it!
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By Eric Bush 
