Top Ten Tuesday: Things I Love Doing That Don’t Involve Books
Book Memes

Top Ten Tuesday: Things I Love Doing That Don’t Involve Books

Line @First Line Reader

“Shadow Market nights were Kit’s favorite.”

First line in Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

It’s time for another Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is a non-book freebie so I thought I’d take the opportunity to share a bit about myself. I don’t exactly spend all my time reading or writing for this blog so today you’re getting a list of all the things I love doing when I’m not reading. Enjoy!

Duolingo

I don’t have games on my phone, I just have Duolingo. Learning a language by just spending 15 minutes a day on that app is actually brilliant, especially for a slightly language-obsessed person like me. I have no ambitions about being fluent in any of the languages I’m trying to learn (currently German and Korean) because Duo still has some flaws in that area, but I find it super interesting to just know some words and be able to recognize languages when I hear them. Puzzling out what is being said when you don’t understand the language perfectly is the fun part anyway.

Watching Sports

I’m primarily a football fan but I watch a lot of cycling and Formula 1, too. There’s just always something to watch and I must say that I’m guilty of spending entire afternoons on my couch just watching one game/race after another. I’m aware of my addiction and trying to work on it. However, I do need to be watching my two favorite football teams Copenhagen and Arsenal (don’t talk to me about Arsenal at the moment because I’m too stressed about it), and I try to plan my weekends around their games. That’s allowed. I’m not obsessed. These games only control my mood on the weekends. It’s okay.

Taking a Walk in the Forest

I’m privileged enough to live a short 15-minute walk from a forest and it’s a forest that’s right by the beach so some places will also provide an ocean view. It’s kind of hard to justify walking somewhere else. No matter the season, it’s always beautiful and always feels serene despite its popularity (walk to the side or you’ll be hit by a runner). I should go there more often because it’s so calming and I tend to be stressed for no reason so walking in the forest is the perfect remedy.

Listening to Music

This is often combined with the aforementioned walk but I also listen to music while at work or doing anything really. Currently, my repeat playlist on Spotify is alternating between songs by BTS, Måneskin and new Eurovision artists.

Eurovision

Speaking of Eurovision, I think it needs its own spot. It’s, of course, not an all-year interest of mine since the competition takes place in May but I also care about it way too much during that time. It’s an interesting way to get an update on the state of Europe because how else am I going to know if countries suddenly have beef with each if it wasn’t for the fact that they don’t give each other points in the Final anymore. And there are usually some small cultural tidbits that go along with the songs and I would never have known these things if it wasn’t for Eurovision.

TV Shows

Yeah, I’m also subscribed to way too many streaming services. I’m not great with movies, but I enjoy watching an episode of something while I eat. It takes me a while to get through shows that way because I’m also fitting in the weekly released episodes of certain shows. So a season with ten episodes can easily take me several weeks to get through unless it’s something that has me completely hooked so I watch it as fast as I can (*eyeing 1899*). I’m currently watching Kindred while catching the weekly episodes of The Mandalorian and 9-1-1: Lone Star.

Watching Movie and TV Show Reactions/Criticisms on YouTube

I did just say I like watching TV shows but in reality, I think I watch more of these reactions and reviews of the TV shows than the actual TV shows. I can easily watch an hour-long video about a deep dive into a show I’ve watched. I don’t even need to have liked the show and the video could be one long rant but I’m addicted to that stuff. And to be honest, if it’s a rant, I don’t even need to have watched the show, I’ll just go get the popcorn ready.
The reactions are a little different and I don’t completely understand why I like those except that I think some YouTubers are just very engaging and also manage to review it in a way while watching.
My current favorites are Dylan is in Trouble and Friendly Space Ninja.

Watching Football Themed Videos on YouTube

Yeah, I’m on YouTube a lot but watching videos about football is a more recent development actually. I watch a lot about Arsenal such as highlights and analysis videos but I’m also into deeper discussion videos about some random topic I know nothing about. A channel that does that really well is Football Iconic. He can make me interested in absolutely anything. Another channel I follow is HRVizak because he makes a lot of content about national teams.

*Insert My Most Recent Obsession*

I know I’m not the only one who does this but I tend to get hyper-fixated on one thing for a couple of months at a time and it reaches a point where it consumes my life and it’s all I can think about. So whatever that is, it, of course, also takes up a lot of my time. I had a long phase where it was BTS but I’ve now moved on to cruising. I’m going on a cruise for the first time in August and my brain seems to think I need to become an expert before going.

If you’ve followed my blog for a while, some of these might not be very surprising considering I like making bookish posts related to my other interests. But let me know if we have any in common! If you also hyper-fixate on something, let me know what your latest obsession is!

Published by Line @First Line Reader

20 thoughts on “Top Ten Tuesday: Things I Love Doing That Don’t Involve Books”

  4. Wow, these all come as such a huge surprise! 😂

    I’m happy to see that the Duolingo obsession is still going strong, though, and that I’m not the only weirdo who doesn’t have any games on their phone. Well, except for chess, that is… 😅 I decided that playing chess was intellectual enough to count as “quality learning time” instead of procrastination, so that was allowed to stay when I deleted all other games several years back. I needed something to help with my Candy Crush seperation anxiety! 😇

    Also, even though I suppose mountains aren’t too bad either, I’m supremely jealous of you living that close to the ocean! Beach proximity is probably the number one thing I miss about growing up in Florida, so I completely support finding it hard to justify walking somewhere else 😁

    In general, your list is extremely relatable, except perhaps for the sports and Eurovision sections. Although I would never miss the Euros or the World Cup, I just don’t really get that excited about more local soccer teams 😅 Maybe because my entire family supports Bayern München and they usually win anyway, so it gets kind of boring? However, before you refuse to talk to me ever again, at least you and Nefeli are slowly converting me towards enjoying Eurovision! That has to count for something, right? 🙃

    And I totally do the hyperfixation thing 🤣 Since I currently have no free time, I don’t really get into the the things as much as I used to, but I still fall into YouTube and other research rabbit holes to find out everything I can about whatever it is that I currently find interesting! At the moment, that’s rock climbing 🙈 Considering I am scared of heights and have the weakest muscles ever, I’m not sure why I think it’s necessary to watch hour-long videos of people doing nothing but scramble up horribly difficult boulders that would probably kill me instantly, but it’s really fascinating! 🤩 But anyway – I really hope you enjoy your cruise! Being prepared doesn’t sound like a bad idea, so I’d say that obsession is actually very useful! 😉

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    1. I just hit a 150 days streak on Duolingo so it’s definitely still going strong 😁 And I do think chess is allowed!

      Growing up, I distinctly remember the time I realized that not everyone in the world has easy access to a beach. It’s just so normal here that I assumed everyone could go to the beach whenever they wanted to but then I suddenly felt very bad for the people in central Europe 😅 But yeah, the mountains “aren’t too bad either” 😂😉

      And hey, Bayern München isn’t just easily winning the league this season so maybe now is the time for you to get into club football? 😉 But I get how it can be a bit boring. Copenhagen wins a lot but definitely not every season and there are still the European games to be excited about. And you and Eurovision is still a work in progress so I would still need to talk to you to continue the project of turning you into a full-fledged Eurovision fan 😁 (If you would like to share your thoughts on Germany’s entry this year, I’m actually extremely curious 😅)

      And rock climbing? Sure 😅 I guess it can be intriguing to watch someone do something you’ll never do yourself. Then you still kind of get to experience it. And thank you! I do find a lot of useful information about cruising and considering I’m traveling alone, I need all the help I can get. It’s just that the rabbit hole it really deep 😅

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      1. My German Eurovision entry thoughts? Well, I’m at least not horribly embarrassed by it like I was by the last couple of years’ songs, so I suppose that’s something? 😂 I do think the mix of styles is interesting and I really like the more melodious bits, but I’ve just never been the biggest metal fan and could do with less screaming 🙈 And although I like the lyrics, they are a bit repetitive – they could’ve come up with more than that! So overall, I guess I’m pleasantly surprised but not blown away, either 🤷🏼‍♀️

        And I would actually love to try rock climbing eventually! You know, in that far off future when I have more time 🙃 Just probably not without rope on a 500 meter cliff face where you need lots of strength… I need something that requires almost nonexistent athleticism and where I know I can’t suddenly jump to my death and die! 😁😅

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      2. I just have a feeling that some Germans ARE horribly embarrassed by that song but I’m glad to know that you aren’t 😄 I would never listen to the song voluntarily but I respect the choice so much. There’s personality in it and I think that’s great after last year’s bland performance.

        Rock climbing that requires almost nonexistent athleticism? Well, you just let me know when you find that 😅 Sounds like you might need to start with regular climbing on a wall 😂

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  10. Hello, are we the same person?? I literally could have written this post myself, our interests are exactly the same 😂.

    Duolingo is such a fun way to get to know new languages. It’s been some time since I opened the app, though, because I had to come to terms with the loss of my streak in Italian and now I’m scared of the bird for neglecting it for so long.

    As for planning weekends around sports games, that’s a totally normal thing to do. Nothing wrong with letting football clubs control your free time. It’s fine. Totally healthy.

    I do love walking, too. We have a little grove nearby (sadly no seaside) and going for walks there is definitely doing so much for my mental health. I totally relate to you walking in the forest to battle stress.

    I honestly don’t understand how people do things without background music or TV. I need to always have something playing. Is it because I can’t be left alone with my thoughts for too long? Maybe so🤷‍♀️. And Eurovision definitely counts as a separate hobby! How else are we going to both discover new music and keep up with the continent’s geopolitics in an entertaining way?

    I’m so glad to find another person who enjoyes reaction videos. Whether it’s about movies, TV shows, music, or sports. I love seeing people react and comment on things. Rants are the absolute best, escpecially if it’s about something I didn’t like either. I also love to watch reactions to things I absolutely adore just to see other people get excited about them too!

    Going on a cruise sounds so fun. It would consume my life too. I hope you have fun on it!

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    1. You have impeccable interests then 😂

      Being scared of the bird is no joke. Its passive aggressiveness can be nightmare-inducing so I completely understand your fear 😅 And yeah, keeping my streak going is the biggest if not the only motivation I have to do it every day 🙈

      As a fellow football fan, I’m glad you can confirm that my habits aren’t in any way unhealthy 😁

      Also so true that TV and music are there to keep us distracted! Those thoughts need to be kept at bay!

      I totally get what you mean about seeing people react to things you like! That can be just as great as the rants because it’s almost like you get to experience that amazing thing again for the first time. And speaking of reacting to things you like, I have to tell you that I’ve watched the first three episodes of The Great AND I’M IN LOVE! It’s so ridiculous I couldn’t even imagine it beforehand but it still has some seriousness to it and the balance is just perfect! People smashing glasses, Sweden as the enemy, everyone saying “indeed” when they mean “fuck you”, ALL the actors – I love everything about it and I just need to thank you for bringing it to my attention 😄😍

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