You know, I really should learn to pick easier (and less expensive) hobbies. You know, things like knitting, or coloring with crayons, or underwater basket weaving. Instead, I choose things like chess, fencing, and flying.
Most of my hobbies come and go -- I crocheted hats for about a week, then forgot all about it -- but chess always comes back to haunt me, usually when I have no time to study it. When I signed up here, I was busy fencing for my senior project. I took a break from the site after graduating, then came back after Erik challenged me to a game. I'm hooked again. Except now I'm busy studying for my private pilot's license.
Instead of studying charts, I'm studying the King's Gambit. Instead of memorizing flow checks, I'm memorizing variations. Instead of practicing takeoff procedures, I'm practicing openings.
Oh, dear Chess.com, you've provided such a convenient place for my mind to be inconveniently distracted.
Much love.