I have 3 hobbies. Fly-fishing, Oil painting and listening to great music. I am looking at retirement in about 5 years. Combined with all the pains and joys of family life, I know that I will have no problem finding things to do in retirement. Having these kind of interests is not only worthwhile, it is critical to properly transition yourself from the cube farm to the trout stream.

The best feeling I have about the music/stereo hobby is that when I have friends over, they can see and hear my passion for sound reproduction. I'm not so sure they are complimentary when they leave, but when they are here, my gear blows them away.

When I read some of the posts here, I can sense the passion. Some are so passionate about the gear that one wonders if they can still feel the music. Some are critical of what others can or cannot hear. When I read these things I think about being catholic or American citizenship. If you ask 20 people about the basic requirements for each you may get an unbelievable range of answers. even among the catholics.