Trying to get back into old hobbies

On Friday, I had a depressing conversation with my boyfriend. It started out as a conversation about what to eat for dinner. He was afraid that if we didn't live together, I would never eat; he felt as though he had to always decide what to eat; I felt like he was pickier than me. While I am happy to cook and clean-up dinner (less happy about the clean-up), I just can't pick what to eat.

That conversation morphed into me explaining that I cannot think of what to eat for dinner or make for dinner because I am not a creative person. He, annoyed, pointed out that I was creative years ago when we met. I explained that the creative time in my life was just a fluke. He rolled his eyes, sighed, then said that this is obviously un-true.

Outside smoking, he asked why I stopped writing, and drawing, and painting. I explained that it was obviously because I don't have enough time- between cooking, cleaning, working, sleeping. He pointed out that for the last few years I have had the same routine:

Wake up (grudgingly)

Get ready for work (grudgingly)

Go to work (grudgingly)

Work (not so grudgingly)

Go home (happily)

Find food to cook for dinner (non-creatively) / or go to grocery store to get food for dinner (ambivalently)

Make food for dinner (happily)

Eat dinner with boyfriend (happily)

Watch t.v. (ambivalently)

Watch t.v. until it's time for bed (ambivalently)

Get ready for bed (grudgingly)

Read before bed (sleepily)

Fall asleep with the light on until the book hits the floor

My boyfriend pointed out that I do not have any hobbies. Horror movies and cats don't count as hobbies, apparently. He urged me to go to the Dictionary of Great American Hobbies, turn to page 32 and take-up that hobby. When I pointed out that there is no Dictionary of Great American Hobbies, he asked me why I don't get back into the hobbies that I once enjoyed.

As I've been feeling uniquely under-creative for any of the hobbies that I had before, he pointed out one of my previous goals: collecting thrift-store paintings, and adding elements to them to make them amazing. I agreed that I would probably still really enjoy doing the project.

Yesterday (Saturday) we went to a Salvation Army, two Goodwills, and Deseret Industries (a Mormon Thrift store). The Salvation Army produced two paintings (well, a print, and whatever the metallic/hollographic pictures are); the second Goodwill produced a delightful painting of a lady skiing with her dog; Deseret Industries produced an $8 overhead projector.

Today's the day I start!!! My progress on the paintings can be documented at: http://thriftstorepaintings.blogspot.com/