The Great Outdoors

(Not really the topic, but couldn't resist)

After a two-year hiatus I started playing golf again. The good, and bad, news is I am not far off of where I used to be talent wise. However, its cool because I am definitely not one of those guys you see who dress like Rory McIlroy or Tiger Woods. I have been golfing since I was about 13 and have never paid for one set of clubs. I started using my grandfather's set and then my uncle's. Once a friend of mine got a new set he was gracious enough to pass along his old set to me, and the same happened a few weeks ago. Eighteen years of cheapness and counting!

I also think golf gets a bad rap some of the time. Granted it can require a good amount of money to get going, unless you want to be a cheapskate like myself. However, I grew up in Michigan, which has a lot of public golf courses, both nice and more "cost effective." Even out here in Oregon, I paid $10 for a 9-hole course on Sunday. It can be a nice hobby if you do it correctly.

However, this post is not strictly about golf, more so the outdoors in general. I realized when I was out playing this past Sunday how much I enjoy golf, but a majority of that joy comes from the simple act of being outside. Even when the conditions aren't the best, a bad day outside beats a good day inside almost every time. 

I think it's what draws me towards the hobbies and past times I choose: hiking, camping, golf, snowboarding, and even hockey. Its been awhile since I played hockey, but I always loved playing pond hockey or on an outdoor rink. Even if I just take a book outside, the fresh air and natural light helps a lot more than sitting inside, straining my eyes with artificial light. 

I think its something lost these days. I know I sound like an old man, but it seems like all anyone wants to talk about is TV shows these days. "Oh man have you seen Narcos?! Its sooooo good, I watched all 10 episodes in 2 days!" I have done things like this in the past, but I always felt like I had wasted a tremendous amount of time. 

When I got to Portland, Xfinity/Comcast wanted me to pay an absurd amount to have a technician come out to my apartment to "fix" something which I had nothing to do with. I immediately canceled my account, thinking I would find an alternative later. Although on occasion I miss it, I have not once missed it enough to call up Comcast. I will have plenty of time to watch TV shows when I am too old to do any of those activities I mentioned before.