One of the hobbies in which I engage is making music. Music used to be my profession. Music as a hobby is much better. Lately, I've experienced a renewed interest in making music. I think it's because my life has become far too sedate and predictable.
Nothing breaks a life out of a sedate and predictable routine quite like making music.
Just like the geometric absolute stating that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, the shortest distance to playing in a rock band is a set of drums. One of the really cool things about being obsessed with music is that just about every shred of sensory stimuli that bombards a young, impressionable mind is dealt with in terms of its musical qualities. I found a lamp in the den with a brass base that sounded almost exactly like a closed high-hat. As luck would have it, the end table upon which the lamp sat made a passable snare drum. In less than a year, my parents bought me my first drum set.