Recently: increasing annoyance at technology slash our (my) reliance on it do to Normal Things I Enjoy.
Recent obvious example: laptop suddenly stops charging. Rearrange the next 48 hours to suddenly buy (on credit) new one, shipped in time to transfer everything over before the old one dies permanently. Was unable to transfer my music library off. Currently have dead laptop sitting on floor of bedroom; waiting for a solution to magically appear.
(Although I will say/give myself credit for being very Whatever about it. Even though I’m sure there’s stuff I’ll be desperate to listen to at some point, so far I haven’t missed any of it or felt like I need to freak out about it.)
Another example: was excited to get back to work on music after a few days away and the USB adapter necessary to connect keyboard to laptop suddenly stopped working. Not a super expensive or permanent problem, but still, WHY did it stop working, why do I now have to buy a new one and wait for it to arrive before making more of my dumb little songs.
(Small amount of frustration that simply Playing Guitar doesn’t scratch this itch for me; it’s the whole process of finding sounds, recording, editing drumbeats, mixing levels, etc that I enjoy, doesn’t translate to analog world.)
Also: I had an older iPad that I used/needed only for doing the crossword and reading comics on the Marvel Unlimited app. (A great value, an app I insisted was necessary for anyone who wants to read comics.) But at some point the iPad reached an age where the OS wasn’t updating anymore, and so app developers weren’t supporting it anymore, and so the Marvel Unlimited app simply stopped working. So the iPad instantly became an extra tray table without legs. I’m not buying a new iPad just to read comics. It occurred to me I could probably still read comics on my laptop (where I do the crossword now) but it’s not the same, so I just cancelled my subscription. (It was impossible to read them on my phone.)
Anyways, increasingly interested in non-tech hobbies. Writing still thankfully one; even though I mostly do it online, I don’t have to. And drawing still being my main current one. Multiple pencils cost a dollar, drawing notebooks cost about $10 and even that is an unnecessary extravagance. Aside from the pleasure I take in drawing every day, there’s the added benefit of feeling secure in the knowledge that I am setting myself up for success in a (the approaching) post-apocalyptic society by having a hobby that will transition very easily. One less thing to worry about, at that point.