It started back in 1993 when I taped some Saturday morning cartoon shows so I could understand what they were talking about on the alt.rec.arts.animation Usenet group. One of the shows was based on the video game character, Sonic the Hedgehog. Though it only lasted two seasons, I found myself getting to be a fan of the characters and situations. At some point I let the librarian in me get talked into compiling the Sonic FAQ File, and then I began writing fan fiction or "fanfic" for short -- stories based on the cartoon characters. That's how hobbies are born.
Sometimes, though, hobbies can get VERY serious...