What do I do in my spare time?
I do not have many hobbies in the traditional sense of the word. I collect Altiod tins, am a member of TSF (though this semester I am not an active member due to time constraints) and enjoy various crafts, though I tend to move between activities. Among things I enjoy doing that I would not classify as hobbies per se:- Going to the gym
- Going out with friends to bars and clubs
- Going on road trips, even if it is just for the night
- Watching intellictually stimulating television
The one thing that I have continued to do in my college career that I consider a hobby is to collect Altiod tins.
Altoids are British-made mints that come in metal tins. The company has, over the years, made various changes to the artwork on the tins' lids. It has introduced limitted edition tins for various advertising purposes as well as updated the basic look of their tins. New flavors have also been introduced in recent years.
The history of the Altoid is written on a piece of paper that comes inside each Altoid tin. The text reads as such:
"Altoids, the Original Celebrated Curiously Strong Mints, were first produced in England at the turn of the 19th century during the reign of King George III. Smith & Co. (est. 1780), the small London firm that developed the original "curiously strong" recipe, later became part of Callard & Bowser, a prestigious English confectioner founded in 1837.
Altoids peppermints are specially formulated peppermint lozenges many times stronger than ordinary mints. Their curious strength comes from the generous use of real peppermint oil, as prescribed in the original recipe developed by Smith & Co. at the turn of the 19th century.
Today, all Altoids varieties including: Peppermint, Wintergreen, Spearmint, Liquorice, Cinnamon, and Ginger are made to the same exacting standards as the original Altoids recipe developed more than 200 years ago."
If you were wondering, I do eat the altoids from the tins. They are too delicious to not enjoy. I started collecting the tins in early middle school and continue to save the tins when ever I buy one. In the past few years, I have expanded my collection of tins from the simple tins I have purchased from local groceries to a more global scale. I have ordered some of the limitted edition tins using eBay from users all over the world.
What do I do with all of the tins? Most of them sit in Abercrombie and Fitch and other large, sturdy paper bags from various clothing stores in my closet but this does not mean that I do not love them. I do have a selection of the more rare and varied tins on display in my apartment. I have placed them in a wooden container with legs, under a hard plastic lid and am currently using it as a coffee table. The table contains all of the basic flavors of mints with various lid designs, including both limitted edition tins as well as a display of the marketing changes over time. There is a picture of it above.