←back to thread

402 points cfcfcf | 2 comments | | HN request time: 0.409s | source
Show context
alnwlsn ◴[] No.44430287[source]
Reminds me of an estate sale I went to one time. Unassuming place, one of those tiny postwar homes about the same size as the one in this article - but with at least double or triple the density of this train layout in the basement. The owner must have been a very thin person, as the narrow winding paths around the basement in places measured no more than 8 inches, and the widest parts were only about 2 foot wide. In a 900 sq. foot basement, there was probably only about 50 sq foot of floor you could actually rest your feet on. The rest was all layout and boxes of trains and train accessories of all sorts - hundreds of tiny pots of specialty paint, miniature trees, "grass powder", special linkages and wheels, and more. Probably most of it got thrown away at the end of the sale.

People have hobbies, but I can't think of any circumstance in which I'd convert my basement into a deathtrap. There was less room than those hoarder houses you see on TV (but much more organized). It was genuinely concerning that they even decided to hold a sale there open to the public.

Truly one of the more bizarre things I've seen. Also, the upstairs? Mostly normal - you wouldn't even know the guy liked trains.

replies(6): >>44430643 #>>44431376 #>>44431637 #>>44432939 #>>44433647 #>>44435355 #
tenuousemphasis ◴[] No.44430643[source]
Sounds like he was neuro divergent and his wife made him keep his obsession in the basement.
replies(4): >>44431122 #>>44431453 #>>44433585 #>>44438581 #
specproc ◴[] No.44431122[source]
Is there anything particularly "neuro divergent" about having a hobby?

Anyways, I doubt his wife's making him do anything. Totally normal domestic arrangement to have a space for one's thing(s), whatever it may be. Well-conducive to a happy marriage, IMHO.

I'm not fortunate enough to have a whole basement to play with, but my study's piled high with my books, electronics, painting gear, art and models. I'm thankful to have a space that's mine. My SO didn't tell me to keep my shit here, I was like "dibs" on moving in.

replies(2): >>44431306 #>>44431319 #
latentsea ◴[] No.44431306[source]
> Is there anything particularly "neuro divergent" about having a hobby?

Hyperfocus can make one take hobbies to fairly extreme levels.

replies(1): >>44431470 #
rusk ◴[] No.44431470[source]
Indeed. And such hobbies are a healthy and productive outlet for this kind of energy
replies(1): >>44450136 #
1. latentsea ◴[] No.44450136[source]
That depends on what the hobby is of course. Also, it's not necessarily healthy. Being unable to switch your attention away from your hobby tends to cause problems in other areas of your life like neglecting the housework, your partner, your children, your health etc. That's part of the reason why these things are classed as disabilities.
replies(1): >>44461650 #
2. rusk ◴[] No.44461650[source]
These days the language tends away from “disability” towards “differently abled” - we can accommodate people with special needs and they can outperform “norms” in many fields.