What else do you do?

[jeremy c]

We all play bass, but often that's all we know about each other.

 

What else do you do? Day job? School? Hobbies?

 

[Rocky McDougall]

I retired in 1999 from the Automobile (Porsche) restoration business. My 1st interest, playing steel guitar, 1948 thru 1964. 2nd interst, boat racing 1952 thru 1960. 3rd interst, Drag racing 1955 thru 1964. 4th interest, Playing bass guitar 1964 to present. 5th interst, Flying, (owned a Cessna 182 Skylane) 1969 thru 1975. 6th interest,collection and restoration of WW II weapons (M-1 Garands & Carbines)1975 thru 1995. Also during most of these years I was heavy into photography, hunting, fishing and skeet shooting. There were a few more but I don't want to bore anyone.

Rocky

[SteveC]

I am in my 20th year teaching orchestra (4-5th and 9-12th grade) in town. Robin and I have been married for 5 years. She works for a bank as Customer Service Supervisor. Grace and Evan (see Family Pics thread) are the best thing to happen to us. We have a nice little house, fence, but no dog.

 

I spend as much time as I can with my family - which includes turning down gigs. I play in a cover band, church, jazz quartet and horn band.

 

More later as Grace is calling....

[TimR]

I spend all my time surfing the internet for pointless arguments.

 

I can't tell you anymore otherwise I'd have to kill you.

[TimR]

No. This year I've just got into running and completed my first half marathon today. I like to walk in what we call "mountains" in the UK, some of which can be quite serious in Winter, usually when I go.

Married with kids.

I work in Canary Wharf in London.

 

That should be imprecise enough for no one to steal my identity.

 

 

[The Geoff]

I'm retired & playing bass & guitar are now my major interests.

 

Previously I was a lecturer in Computing at Glasgow College of Commerce.

 

Other interests include photography and food!

 

G.

[Wally Malone]

Day gig, International Representative for the American Federation of Musicians. My job is to help and assist 45 AFM local unions. My territory extends as far east as Minnesota & Iowa and also includes Alaska & Hawaii. Although I have had other interest in the past most of my time these days goes into my job and playing bass. Not a lot of time for much else.

 

Wally

[Phil W]

Teacheer/Inclusion Manager at a Primary/Elementary School where I also coach football (soccer).

 

Hobbies and Interests: eating, restaurants, great coffee, geeky computer stuff, philology (not kidding) , languages, anglo-saxon history, human rights issues, global news etc

[slowfinger]

Used to be a civil engineer in local government, then switched to looking after computers when PCs came around. (not my best career decision, but a good life decision) I'm now a computer technician in a posh private school for mostly polite and well behaved girls, where I look after about 600 laptops and assorted desktop machines for students and staff. It's a pleasant, gentle working life. I am thinking about retiring in the middle of next year, when I will be 66 and a half years old.

 

My two children are grown up and have left home (the boy is in IT, the girl in astrophysics). I live happily with my wife of nearly 37 years in the house we bought 34 years ago in the leafy green eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

 

I daydream about travelling, go to the gym (so I'll look buffed in a sleeveless top when gigging), travel a bit in Oz practising to be a grey nomad, read a bit - particularly sci-fi (love Richard Morgan at the mo), and write long-winded posts in internet forums. I practice holding my bass and making low frequency noises.

[b5pilot]

I'm a senior designer at a company that builds special machines primarily for the automotive industry. Besides bass and guitar my other interests are computers and computer gaming, carpentry, arts and crafting. Just about anything that involves working with your hands I've probably dabbled in. I'm also a fan of movies and music.

[the_scuderia]

besides playing and writing i am a goal keeper for a rec league soccer team. work as a banker and i am a pretty good weekend wrench. looking to get a 1964 lincolon.

[Seamy ALB]

I work as a community development project manager for a small charity. I manage a pre school, homework club, adult education classes, health promotion projects, advocacy work for local disadvantaged people.

 

I am finishing a Msc in Rural Community Development. I'm currently building a new home on the family homeplace - we've been there about 200 years. I'm also getting to grips with being a Dad to my 1yr old Daughter and learning that the apple does not fall far from the tree, this scares me a little.

 

I like reading bio's, thrillers, legal, sci fi, music & cook books. I like to cycle when I get the chance. I love drinking also good wine, real ales(google that) and good whisky however the hangover plus above responsibility prevent that happening too much now.

[5 string Mike]

I am a Reliability Technologist for a heavy truck component supplier- whichc means I spend a great deal of time identifying failure modes and root causes for warranty issues. I'm involved in Reliablity, Warranty, a bit of Supply Chain, a bit ore of Engineering, it's quite diverse- most of the time.

 

Before that I was an automotive/ diesel technician for +- 12 years or so before I took this current job. I've had my hands in everything from high end Lincolns and Peterbilts to loaded garbage trucks and municipal sewage spreaders- I've got some good stories... The best thing about the whole experience is tha tI gained respect for a lot of things and a humbleness that I'm not above any job.

 

At home, I've been married for 6 years with 2 step kids and 2 of my own ages 11 to 3, all boys. I'm active in my church (is where I spend most of my bass time) and in stuff with the family.

[JBFLA]

Environmental Microbiologist for local Gov't; this includes Public Health (Drinking Water) and Environmental (Everglades, Intracoastal Waterway quality, etc.); 18 years.

 

The Internal Politics drives me crazy; the fact that I'm doing something good for a great number of people (and the environment) makes me stay.

[Cthulhu Fhtagn]

US Navy, Retired. Currently employed as a Radiological Controls Supervisor at the CERCLA (that's an acronym for the big hole in the ground your tax dollars are being thrown into) site in Hanford, Wa. I need a bushel basket to catch all the stimulus money that's being thrown at me (yes, I feel for those doing without because they aren't at the government teet.) I'm too low a level to get involved in the daily politics that one sees at a government run, low bid independant contractor operated facility.

 

I play bass, putter around my house and cook out on the grills alot. I spend time spoiling my dogs. I visit a lot of the local wineries in Western Washington and my wife and I are kinda tight with some of the wine makers and owners. We have quite a diverse cellar full of local varieties.

 

Snore ...

[davio]

I am a Reliability Technologist for a heavy truck component supplier- whichc means I spend a great deal of time identifying failure modes and root causes for warranty issues. I'm involved in Reliablity, Warranty, a bit of Supply Chain, a bit ore of Engineering, it's quite diverse- most of the time.

Sounds like the opening of Fight Club.

[davio]

I'm interested in pretty much anything I can get involved in. I love making things whether it's built with my hands or on a computer. I love to travel but I hardly ever get the chance at this point in my life (read: I'm broke and have been for some time now). I used to cycle quite a bit but I got rid of my bike when I moved to Boston and I haven't gotten another since.

 

In my short professional life I've done clerical work for an attorney for several years, managed a shoe store, worked in a fancy seafood restaurant, did call center credit card customer service, worked as a bank teller and most recently worked in recruiting for the same bank. Now I'm a bum almost weened from unemployment on gig money and I'm going back to school online to get my BS in accounting. I've already spent 5 years in 4 majors at 3 different colleges trying to figure out what would hold my interest long enough for me to graduate. I feel like I love to learn about new subjects but I'd rather get a healthy general understanding and move on. Jack of all trades, master of none. People seem surprised to find that I can fix their ceiling fan, install a new sink and fix their computer while talking about some obscure subject or cracking crude and tasteless jokes. I think it's pretty normal.

 

I've also developed a great appreciation for craft beers in last year or two. There are a good number of places around here that are practically like libraries of the beer world...it's a beautiful thing.

 

I'm starting to bore even myself so I guess that's all.

[EddiePlaysBass]

Bank employee by day, vigilante crime fighter by night I kid: I'm not a bank employee :grin:

 

No, seriously, I work for BNY Mellon's Brussels branch and have done so for 4 consecutive years now. Slowly looking at different options and hoping to get into HR (selection & recruitment) at some point, but not really working towards that as much as I should be.

 

As far as hobbies go, I have recently revived my love of comic books (Make Mine Marvel !) and have started collecting most of the hardcover editions of Marvel's Ultimate Universe. That collection is slowly nearing completion and I'm quite happy with it.

 

Other than that, I take an evening course in Italian, along with my girlfriend. Being half Italian I somewhat speak the lingo but not enough to my liking. I also periodically try to learn Norwegian, but somehow always manage to find other things to do (like the dreadfully boring Facebook or this here forum.)

 

[Davo-London]

I tried to learn Norwegian once. Not a good decision. Even for someone in the oil business. Oh yeah that's what I do. I'm in the oil business, trying to find new and better ways to exploit the worlds natural resources. I'm Abu Dhabi right now enjoying the heat.

 

Other than that I like cryptic crosswords, women and song. Oh yeah and I love comedy.

 

Davo

 

[EddiePlaysBass]

Hey Davo-L, why was it not a good decision ? I'm fine with reading and (to an extent) writing as long as it's fairly simple (and short) texts, but pronunciation is a killer. Wonder if I'll ever get that down. Provided I actually get back on track with my studies

 

I forgot to mention I :heart: beer. Long live Belgium for that !

[jcadmus]

I'm a public relations manager for a large IT company.

 

But nobody knows what that is, so I normally just tell people I'm a welder.

[Juancarlin]

My turn here. After abandoning Psychology studies at the University (Once I finally discovered it was not the career for me) and playing clubs and parties since I was 14, I worked teaching music for several years at a school who was sponsored by Roland Musical instruments here in Caracas. Then I went as a full-fledged playing musician with some well known artists here in my country, for some years more. After that, in the middle 90s, I tried to move to Spain, where I have half my family, with hopes of making a music career in there. It didn't worked, and when I came back, spent a couple years more playing clubs and parties, trying to live solely on making music, but man was it a bad time around here for doing that. If it were not for my parents, I would have probably starved back then.

 

On 1996 I started teaching music at a school for mentally handicapped people that my mother founded in 1982 (She died on 2002), and eventually it also led me to work with them using computers as a learning/training aid. I finally stopped working at the school on 2005, after my mother died, when my dad and me resolved to give the school into the hands of my aunt and her daughter, who is also a Psycho-Pedagogyst, and who studied for that, unlike us -dad is retired, currently farm-working former architect-. On 1997 started working as a trainer in the wee early days of the Internet, at a local service provider. I eventually got promoted as System Operator (SysOp) of the company's system, which was formerly a BBS(*), and the company was sold to a multinational, of which I remain as Sysop/Webmaster/Tech op. It's not what I like the most, but 12 years after, is a job I can do easily. Now if I could only get enough willingness to get here on time (I know, it's psychological rejection). Since 2007 I also work as a news translator for the web page of a public radio station where I also have a radio show on Sundays (Which, by the way, is on a well-deserved temporary vacation after 4 hard years of uninterrupted work).

 

So, make it IT-field worker/Translator/Musician (although on my mind the order is exactly the inverse). Currently I am gigging a lot, but am scared enough of what I've been through as to return to Music playing as my main course. The IT job does not pay much, but my schedule, although crazy for some, allows me some flexibility for doing all these things I do. I can still dream, I guess.

 

Other interests: Cinema (But NOT going to the movies. I prefer to watch classic movies comfortably sitting at home, although I cannot properly associate the actor's faces and names). Food! (No wonder I'm a little overweight AND diabetic now). I love anything sea/water related, (but have so little free time and live somewhat far from the shore, that I have to watch my aquarium tanks and photos to remind me. Some day I hope I can move nearer to the sea I also love cats (right now as I write this, my beloved Alan is being neutered, mind you... no, mind him) and art in general, I guess. I used to read mch more than I do now, maybe if I win the Lottery (Which will happen anyday soon.. if I happen to buy a ticket!) I will have a nice house of my own, with a nice studio to make music on, and enough money left to assure me some spare time to do all those things again.

 

Whew... that was long -and probably boring- even for my standard writing. So enough of it already.

[Ross Brown]

I am the director of a large clinical laboratory. I specialize in molecular diagnostics. I majored in horticulture for a while until I realized that there would be little money in that. I still love to work in the garden. I married an interesting gal, so I still really like spending time with her. We spend a lot of time talking about what motivates people to do what they do. (She is a psycology major). I also like to study and refine leadership skills. If I read, that is what I like to read about.

[yourlord]

I do remote hardware support for IBM servers as my day job. My 2 main interests are bass and computers in general. I tend to focus mainly on Unix variants as far as OS goes, and I do some freelance work in system administration, system/network design, web development, and the like. I also do a little programming. My latest project is to write a hurricane simulation system for the free, open source, flight simulator project called FlightGear. http://www.flightgear.org.

 

If any of you enjoy flight simulators, check it out. My code isn't in there yet as I've just begun work on the module.

[jeremy c]

Thanks for all the great replies.

Since I started the thread, I should answer the question.

 

Bass playing and bass teaching has been my job all my life, but there are other things I do.

 

I've taught computers to children (ages 3-13) and I've edited textbooks and other teaching material used to teach about the common computer programs.

 

Competitive swimming is a major passion of mine. I swam as a child, in high school and in college (Division I). I am on an adult team (and have been for 30 years) and swim almost every day. I compete at the national level and even went to the World Championships once. (This is the sport of masters swimming which is age-group swimming for adults.) I'm on the board of directors of the team and serve as the secretary and newsletter editor, putting out a team newsletter once a month.

 

I'm happily married and we have 29 year old son who is on a Windows development team at Microsoft in Seattle. We love hiking in the mountains.

 

 

[rumpelstiltskin.]

work: OEM audio system design (automotive); previously MI power amplifier design

 

out of work: running, sports, volunteering

 

robb.

[kenfxj]

29 years as an IT professional, most of it in the financial industry. Happily married for 24 years. Father of three, 2 girls and a boy.

 

Most of my spare time (on weekends at least) is taken up by youth sports, particularly girls fastpitch softball. I used to coach until Katie got so good that I needed to find better coaching than I could provide. Now I happily sit on the sidelines and cheer. I've followed her all around the country watching her play.

 

I'm also an amateur astronomer although I've barely touched my scope in quite awhile.

 

 

[The Bear Jew]

I r an editor fur a livin becuz I wryt and spel real gud.

 

When I am not handling wurdz, I am a husband and dad.

 

The rest of the time, I rule the wastelands with an iron fist.

 

 

 

 

[yourlord]

Well if we're throwing in family info as well, I'm married (5 years) to a beautiful redhead who is 8 years my junior, and we have 2 kids, my step son who is about to turn 12, and a daughter who is 3.5 years old and whom demands very sternly to hear "daddy's song" every time we get in the truck.

 

 

[b5pilot]

Well yeah if we are tossing in family. Been lucky enough to marry a great woman who was been willing to put up with me for 24 years so far and I have a 28 year old step daughter.