View Full Forums : Cool things to do after you quit EQ


Kinare
04-29-2003, 04:53 AM
I thought I would start a thread about things to do after you quit EQ. Yes, I know this is cheesy, but sometimes people need a muse of some sort to get started in a different direction after they decide to quit. What are you doing now?

Create container gardens or flower boxes to beautify your home. (http://www.windowbox.com/)

Clean the house for half an hour every day.

Get all the stuff you haven't used in a year, have a yard sale and donate the rest to charity.

Start exercising (good links for supportive websites would be welcomed).

Volunteer somewhere!

Pick up a good book.

Start writing in a diary. This can help you focus and vent to a notebook instead of your loved ones.

Any other ideas? I would think good ideas are activities that take up a lot of time, like EQ did.

BriennaMonk
04-29-2003, 05:11 AM
<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Any other ideas? I would think good ideas are activities that take up a lot of time, like EQ did. [/quote]

Play Shadowbane? Just kidding :)

Personally here's what I've done (so far):

1 - did a couple of small programming projects
2 - finished remodeling my son's bedroom
3 - started rewriting an old novel I had written the first draft of years ago
4 - replayed Half-Life single player from the beginning to end, now that I have a machine to handle it (which I didn't when it came out :) )
5 - trying to get back into reading on a regular basis. Currently reading Tad Williams' "The Dragonbone Chair"

I'm already a volunteer fireman/EMT/stormspotter so that's enough community service for me right now :)

chenier
04-29-2003, 09:39 AM

Miss Foxfyre
05-06-2003, 12:29 AM
This should be on the front forum. And permastickied.

Fvcking brilliant idea it was. Thanks, Kinare!


<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>What are you doing now?[/quote]

See below as I answer each quote. :D


<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Create container gardens or flower boxes to beautify your home.[/quote]

My husband and I started building a deck in our backyard. While we had originally planned on having a contractor do it, we decided that we could save the $12,000 fee, spend around $3,000 doing it ourselves, and keep our budget open for other home stuff like furnishings for the deck (I want to get a hammock in addition), new bookcases, probably recarpet one floor...

I can't have real plants and flowers indoors, or the cats will gnaw on them, but I am planning on making a hanging herb garden (kitchen) so that any time I want basil or whatever, I'm going to snip it from the pot.

Having the deck will increase our property value a lot, so yeah, it's something we both really want to do.


<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Clean the house for half an hour every day.[/quote]

Yup. I have a lot to clean, so spending a few more minutes each day saves me from sh it piling up.


<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Get all the stuff you haven't used in a year, have a yard sale and donate the rest to charity.[/quote]

I did this. I cleaned out my sock drawer, my underwear drawer, my T-shirts, my sweatclothes, old shoes, old clothes, old magazines, old books, old whatever. Most of the stuff was in fair-good condition, so a little touchup here and there by the Salvation Army was all it needed.



<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Start exercising (good links for supportive websites would be welcomed).[/quote]

Well I did this before, but I now spend more time on different KINDS of exercise. Instead of doing one thing or two things, I have that much more time to go swimming, do yoga or tai chi, and my husband and I picked up dance lessons once a week so we could get better and really learn one or two well. Those who can't afford a gym membership, god, just go out powerwalking or slow-moderate jogging! You can also buy a video and do aerobic training in front of the tv.


<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Volunteer somewhere![/quote]

Excellent idea. I signed up at two places. My experience with volunteer work so far is good and very positive, but you have to devote time to the actual training part, which can take two months, before you start getting your teeth in the work. Start early if you want to get into this at some point!

One of the orgs I volunteer at is Project Read (San Mateo County, CA), which is headquartered at one of the public libraries. The training was not long, but you do have to do it. This was a job I had to get fingerprinted for and for which the org did a good background check. But it is an awesome thing to do, and I don't know why the hell I didn't do this earlier!


<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Pick up a good book.[/quote]

Awesome idea!


<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Start writing in a diary. This can help you focus and vent to a notebook instead of your loved ones.[/quote]

Diary or journal. Fantastic idea. I do mine as a blog (i.e. weblog).


<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Any other ideas? I would think good ideas are activities that take up a lot of time, like EQ did.[/quote]

There's no limit really. Most people enjoy EQ for what it is, but I realized I spent too much effort on it when I should have been channeling my energy toward personal and family goals. The deck thing could not happen without me working on it and throwing my back into it, and let me be frank: doing more projects with my husband has helped us get more together/intimate time in our hectic life.

Start with any activity you have dreamt of doing but keep postponing.

Follow your instincts. Advance yourself in a pastime or hobby. Develop new interests and EXPLORE your options. Get off your ass! Get your SO involved maybe or find something new to do together. Learn a new skill at your leisure! Improve your cooking or learn how to make new stuff. Spend more time with your kids or teach them new things or learn something TOGETHER.

Got a digital camera? Start up on photography.

Or just read more. God, people don't read enough!

Kinare
05-06-2003, 06:56 AM
Thank you for the support Foxy :) I appreciate it. All very good ideas! My husband and I plan to buy a house when we move to Colorado, and building a deck seems like a rewarding endeavor.

Kytelae
05-06-2003, 03:56 PM
Hey I live in Colorado! Decks are wonderful here, but make sure you have some kind of shade handy...

NegBB
05-06-2003, 04:48 PM
<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Thank you for the support Foxy I appreciate it. All very good ideas! My husband and I plan to buy a house when we move to Colorado, and building a deck seems like a rewarding endeavor. [/quote]

Don't forget the Adirondacks (spelling?)..

and DEFINITELY do not forget waterseal/weather protectant.

kenuon windrunner
05-08-2003, 06:11 PM
Kinare = Martha Stewart of EQ Retirees :)

Kinare
05-09-2003, 11:41 AM
Brie, how do you become a volunteer stormspotter? That sounds SO cool! I have always been fascinated by storms and well, that's definitely my cup of tea :)

Also, what kind of book are you writing? I would be interested in reading it someday (I read lots of books) :)

Panamah
06-10-2003, 09:15 AM
I have an edible garden... well, the snail like it anyway. :)

Actually, gardening is a huge love of mine and now that I'm quitting EQ I'm getting back to it. Oh lord... the weeds that took over the last 3.5 years! The sore muscles!

And I'm getting hooked on HGTV now. I'm trying to figure out just how the hell to design landscaping that doesn't look like Tunare barfed up her breakfast on my yard. And my house still has boring, plain white walls and doors and it's just boring! Need to decorate inside too.

And my spare room is packed with stuff, mostly dead computers and so on. Gotta do some sort of closet organizer...

Oh! I did fix a piece of broken drywall! That was actually a fun project.

Stormhaven
06-10-2003, 11:05 AM
I didn't quit EQ, but I quit raiding for a while. You'd be amazed how much time you get back if you just give up raiding and take up casual playing. Hanging out with friends outside of my raiding guild, BS'ing, going to old dungeons that you haven't been to in forever. It's neat rediscovering the old game again.

Outside of EQ, I've fallen in love with the Food Channel. Iron Chef, Food911, Tyler's Ultimate, Unwrapped, and Good Eats. It's all good - and fun to watch. I never got into HGTV (the whole "don't have a house" thing)... mostly because those home improvement shows are so misleading. The one I remember the most was the one that they put an outdoor pond + landscaping in some lady's backyard. The show was 30 minutes, and they somehow managed to do it all! They of course omit the drying cement, small back loader, and the horde of laborers in the background working for two or three days.

I also draw from time to time. However, my Gameboy Advanced SP is a very demanding master.

Aidon Rufflefuzz
06-10-2003, 12:00 PM
Hey now, I'll have you know a few intrepid 17 year-olds with some knowledge and someone elses pocketbook to play with can put in a respectably-sized koi pond in about a weekend =P

With the use of any backhoes (and concrete? Ewwww. Pond liner and landscape rocks).

Unfortunately it seems that if you tack on 10 years...you proportionately increase the amount of time it takes to put in a much smaller pond. I didn't know 27 year olds were supposed to complain about back pain =\

Panamah
06-11-2003, 10:03 AM
Yeah, water feature is going to be a part of it and this rogue is a lot older than 17... or even 27. But hey, 4 years ago I dug out a planting bed that was about 15' x 4' and 24 inches deep all by myself in hard soil with lots and lots of rocks! Was great exercise!

I'd love to get Koi fish. I wonder how big of a pond do you need for a Koi or two? And I wonder if my cats would eat them? Or would they just stare at them and say "Pretty!".

Stormhaven
06-11-2003, 11:12 AM
Err... Koi are big fish - usually starting around 10-12", depending on the species, they can be over a yard long. Most "koi" you buy in America are carp, not real koi. If you want to take care of them correctly, you need a very big pond - indoor fish tanks can only support two per 100 gal for the foot long koi. You can probably have four or five of the 6-8" versions.

They're big enough that cats usually leave them alone, but raccoons/foxes/coyotes (or med-lrg dogs) will eat/kill them.

Also, if you decide to keep anything other than plants and water in your fountain, you have to think about water conditioning -filtration, heating, etc (ie: $$$$$)

Kytelae
06-12-2003, 08:01 AM
I love my garden too, and it's part of why I play EQ so casually. This time of year especially, it gets most of my attention.

Panamah
06-13-2003, 02:10 PM
<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Kinare = Martha Stewart of EQ Retirees [/quote]
Insider trader? :P

Panamah
06-13-2003, 02:16 PM
Ok, forget the fish. How about a frog?

My cats have benefited greatly from me not playing EQ. Old cat with a bad heart has gotten all cuddly with me on the sofa. Something he and I haven't done for years, since he was a little feller... not that he was ever little actually.

Siamese cat is slimming down as I chuck rocks across the yard for him to chase. He loves that. I swear, he's half dog. If he'd just pick up the rock and bring it back...

I however am pretty worn out and banged up from my home improvment projects and taking a small tumble down the stairs carrying heavy boxes. I'm amazed I didn't break something, I'm sure big toes weren't supposed to bend that way...