[calamity]

Adult ed classes here are free now!  If you need prerequisites or something the science, math, english are on line.  This may vary nationally or even among school districts but worth checking if people are re-training.  Some community colleges here have elder college [free-ish if over a certain age--I would rather pay than admit my age  ].

Thank you for coursera.  I flunked guitar but the art course was great.  Philosophy next.  I'm taking all the courses I had no time for at university.

[Snowdrop]

Love this.  Cant wait to see what the links hold.  Very exciting.  Thank you.  Dont have anything to add right now, but hope to.

[justbelieve]

Great thread! thanks for sharing.
By the way.. my H started playing the games on Luminosity a few months back. How weird! Good luck with improving that MLC brain! Lol

[in it]

There's a great site for crossword puzzles also at boatload.com I think that's what it was called.

[Ready2Transform]

Bump because I updated the list of course resources with a great new one.  I don't know how I missed this link for crosswords, In It, but that's going to be a huge time suck now.  Thank you!    Love those!!

[in it]

I signed up for Communication Science  a while ago but it doesn't start until after the first of the year.. THANK YOU CALAMITY for posting the info about Coursera on here!!

 I am really excited about it!!! Almost feels like I might go to college right in my livingroom!

[toughtimes]

Yay I love this thread. Thank you so much. I did coursera course thanks to anjae recommending it. Ted is awesome.
Thanks ready2 for starting this. I will try and think of any links.

[TTD180]

This is a good idea When I'm shut in, I look for competitions to enter either in the newspaper or online, local comps are the best as they have fewer entries. I also look for freebies when I've got some time to spare, when I'm not on forums that is

[Darth Obo]

I did a search and couldn't find anything on this topic so if this is a repeat, my apologies.

One of the first things we are told in the early stages is to GAL (Get a Life). Some of us may have already had activities, but if you were like me, I had really "lost" myself over time and had fallen into a repetitive cycle, with very little, if any, self-sustaining activities that made me happy!

Sometimes, GAL might be one of the hardest things to get started; we get so wrapped up in our MLC'er and our sitch, it's hard to focus on ourselves and come up with ideas and things to do (this was my problem early on)! A good GAL hobby can also turn into a fun way to make some extra cash on the side if that's your preference / need!

This thread will hopefully encourage you to share you GAL activities and ideas to help out vets and new friends who find themselves here; a way to help them kick-start their GAL! Get away from your sitch for a bit and let us know what YOU are doing for yourself, or, get some ideas to get you going on YOUR path! This is for you / LBS; leave you MLC'er on your thread!


I'll get it started:

Social GAL: Since I am a Military Vet, I joined my local VFW. This was one of the best things since I really had no social life outside of a couple close friends & work (if you can call co-workers social). This let's me connect with other vets, share stories & memories, shoot some pool and participate in volunteer work that supports our post and fellow veterans. I have made a lot of new friends at this and it's a safe environment for me!

Hobby GAL: Took up Archery with D10. I have always wanted to get into Archery (have been a huge fan of recreational firearm shooting already) and this gave me something to do & connect with D10. Additionally, the local 4H has free archery shooting / lessons that I can take D10 to so she can interact with other kids her age with the same interest. I live out in the county so I have the additional benefit of shooting in my own back yard and can do this daily just to relax and relieve stress! Plan on deer hunting this fall with friends and putting my skills to practical use!

Hobby GAL: Building Cigar Box Guitars! This is a new one within last couple weeks! I have played guitar for years (self taught) and took a years worth of lessons after I retired from Army. Always wanted to build my own guitar and CBG's are so cheap and easy, I finally built one recently using some pictures, a couple of instructional articles and my own knowledge on the mechanics of the instrument. The thing actual works and plays good for being made out of "junk" parts, about $10 worth of wood and a box! This gave me a huge boost from the feeling of accomplishment and can't wait to build the next one! Already have a couple of build requests from friends for themselves and as gifts! There is also a couple places where I can put these up for consignment and make a few bucks to sustain the hobby for a bit!

Practical GAL: Home improvement projects. Who says you can't continue to refine your home or that new apartment! Nothing says personal touch like a custom mod or piece of furniture unique to your own style and crafting! Currently, I am planning an entire set of patio furniture made completely from recycled wood / pallets. Lot's of cool design ideas on the internet as well as "up-cycling" ideas for old furniture you may have or find for cheap and a yard sale!

Ongoing / rejuvenated Hobby GAL:

Guitar playing: Had got out of practice and hadn't played much in a while. Got myself back on a practice routine and with the new CBG hobby above, has me playing every day now. I find music very soothing and I get lost in my playing. I just let my finger roll and can stay occupied for hours. D10 takes after me with the love for music and I have been given the opportunity to teach her since she is interested!

Jewelry making: Yep....kind of an odd one for a guy! I have always loved chain-mail jewelry (especially Byzantine chain) and Viking / Norse "rope" jewelry. Got into this for a bit and then let it sit for a while. I have started this up a little again; looking to combine this hobby with the CBG hobby to make "inlay" work on my instruments! Since we live near the ocean and I love the beach, started collecting see shells and using them to make stuff for D10 & friends!

Firearms Shooting: Started hitting the range occasionally and blow of some steam, literally! This isn't for everyone, but there is something empowering about blowing holes in a target and a sense of satisfaction when you can put all 50 rounds through the bulls-eye!!!


~OBO~

[birdwatcher]

I like that you posted this topic!!
I have been struggling with this a bit myself.
I wrote down a list of things I like and then see where that leads me.
I'm pretty new but I did start on going out with girl friends to lunch which I had never done in this town.
I painted the ceiling and am prepping to paint the walls of the house.
I made a list of projects to do with the house and dug up an entire flower bed outside last Saturday.
Some other options I came up with are church and a divorce support group that meets for 6 weeks.
Also remembered I love to bake so I am going to make home made dog treats for the pets.  I don't have kids and I'm shy so it has been hard to just jump in from being a homebody into doing different activities but it does help with the distraction aspect - taking my mind off of the sitch. Baby steps for me. 
Volunteering is another good option