Just can't get enough

There are people who carry a life-long passion for a particular activity or hobby. People like Robert "Raven" Kraft from Miami, who has run the exact eight-mile run for 30 years. Or my friend, Yvette, who has done martial arts for almost 20 years. Or, my friend Alex, who has used Macs pretty since they came out, in spite the loss of self-respect.

My sole reliable devotion in life has been to treating hobbies like a cheap Las Vegas buffet. I am a lifelong johnny-come-lately, a jack-of-all-trades, or more accurately, a master of mediocrity. I admire people like "Raven", Yvette and Alex (blame the Mac and not the Mac user), but they don't know what they're missing by not spreading themselves thin.

By being able to claim a passing experience with just about anything, interesting anecdotes are always available for any occasion. Like the time I biked for eight hours straight during my biking phase, or the time I tried to provoke Dolph Lundgren to assault a writer during my stint as an editor, or how about when I skinned a rabbit behind a dumpster during my art student years - all good times sure to bring on a good chuckle and camaraderie.

As well, being a "generalist" keeps people's expectations of you surmountably low. You are constantly viewed as an ingenue in any field. Helpful experts are so busy patting your head or tying your shoe that they barely notice the knife in the back or the kick to the groin. The satisfaction you feel can only be compared in cinematic terms with Darth Vader's offing of Obi Wan Kenobi.

My last great hobby was running a half-marathon, which came about in late September. Having achieved a little bit of success, and beaten my former running mentor, Raymond (Flocons), I was feeling a little lost during my free time. Then I remembered Raymond's blog, Who pissed in your cornflakes?. Blogging has definitely become my latest obsession. Thanks, Raymond!