# Things you enjoy to do... but completely suck at.

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-enjoy-to-do-but-completely-suck-at/472178
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [November 11, 2008, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-enjoy-to-do-but-completely-suck-at/472178 "2008-11-11T12:37:17Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-enjoy-to-do-but-completely-suck-at/472178/1 "2008-11-11T12:37:17Z")

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Inspired by [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=492228) thread which is about [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owAj5LiXG5w&feature=related) YouTube video of some 15 year old kid playing Pachebel’s Canon in D on the guitar.

I like playing the guitar, but there is no way in friggin’ hell that I’ll ever be one-tenth of one percent as skilled/talented/dedicated to the instrument as the kid is. To me, it’s an accomplishment if I can play _I Want to Hold Your Hand_ without _too_ many mistakes. :o

What about you? What do you like to do, even though you know you’re not really all that good at it?

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### Author: ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-enjoy-to-do-but-completely-suck-at/472178/2 "2008-11-11T12:47:23Z")

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I promise this came to mind from your title alone and not from your post but for me too it’s playing the guitar. I love it and have reached a mildly tolerable level but I’ll never be a WordMan, Crotalus, AnArky, fishbicycle or someone anyone links to on YouTube.

Except in my dreams. At least in there I’ve got mad skills.

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### Author: ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-enjoy-to-do-but-completely-suck-at/472178/3 "2008-11-11T12:58:37Z")

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Sing

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### Author: ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-enjoy-to-do-but-completely-suck-at/472178/4 "2008-11-11T13:24:41Z")

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Playing bass guitar.

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### Author: ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-enjoy-to-do-but-completely-suck-at/472178/5 "2008-11-11T13:37:15Z")

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I love to sing. People would pay me not to.

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### Author: ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-enjoy-to-do-but-completely-suck-at/472178/6 "2008-11-11T14:30:15Z")

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Add me to the singers. Also science-y things. I love science but the math renders me unable to be involved in the science world in any real way. In my fantasy life I wear a lab coat and perform detailed scientific experiments to help find a cure for cancer or other such noble things. In my real life I watch Nova specials on PBS and absorb all of my science through there.

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### Author: ![Silence\_of\_the\_clams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Silence\_of\_the\_clams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silence_of_the_clams)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-enjoy-to-do-but-completely-suck-at/472178/7 "2008-11-11T14:30:23Z")

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Me too. I only “sing” in the car when I can’t be louder than the radio 😉

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### Author: ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-enjoy-to-do-but-completely-suck-at/472178/8 "2008-11-11T15:22:20Z")

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Draw. I love to draw stuff, but other than a few cartoon-ish things, I totally suck wind.

Actually, even the cartoon-ish stuff sucks.

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### Author: ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-enjoy-to-do-but-completely-suck-at/472178/9 "2008-11-11T15:29:31Z")

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> [@pbbth](#):
>
> I love science but the math renders me unable to be involved in the science world in any real way. In my fantasy life I wear a lab coat and perform detailed scientific experiments to help find a cure for cancer or other such noble things. In my real life I watch Nova specials on PBS and absorb all of my science through there.

> [@LiveOnAPlane](#):
>
> Draw. I love to draw stuff, but other than a few cartoon-ish things, I totally suck wind.
> 
> Actually, even the cartoon-ish stuff sucks.

Both of these, plus singing (I don’t suck, but I’m not _good_, i.e. I’ll never be a soloist, but I’m good enough to sing in a choral group.)

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### Author: ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-enjoy-to-do-but-completely-suck-at/472178/10 "2008-11-11T15:31:40Z")

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Add me to the list of singers. My abilities are similar to **TroubleAgain** ’s, but does that stop me from singing along to my iPod while walking around? Apparently not.

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### Author: ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-enjoy-to-do-but-completely-suck-at/472178/11 "2008-11-11T16:01:02Z")

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Guitar was the first thing that came to my mind, too. I’ve been playing guitar since I was 16 (I’m 29 now), and while I can play the notes, I’ve never been able to make the music (to quote Charles Emerson Winchester III). Additionally, I got in the bad habit early on of using my index and pinky to make power chords instead of my index and ring finger. I’ve got smallish hands for a guy to begin with, and using the index and ring is just plain uncomfortable.

I will also add drawing to my list. I’ve been praised over and over again for my very clear and neat mathematical graphs and drawings, but I’ve never been able to draw anything artistic really well. Too bad, too… I have stuff floating around in my head that I would LOVE to put on paper.

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### Author: ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-enjoy-to-do-but-completely-suck-at/472178/12 "2008-11-11T16:05:45Z")

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Didn’t we do a thread like this about a month ago or so? My answer is still the same: capoeira (think Brazilian martial arts/dance/acrobatics combo).

Yet I’m still doing it.

And now I’ve killed the thread

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### Author: ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-enjoy-to-do-but-completely-suck-at/472178/13 "2008-11-11T16:09:50Z")

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> [@pbbth](#):
>
> I love science but the math renders me unable to be involved in the science world in any real way. In my fantasy life I wear a lab coat and perform detailed scientific experiments to help find a cure for cancer or other such noble things. In my real life I watch Nova specials on PBS and absorb all of my science through there.

This is me as well. I absolutely LOVE mathematics. It’s just so elegant. I wish I could understand it in a fundamental, universe explaining way, but I’m pretty much stumped after the high school level.

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### Author: ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-enjoy-to-do-but-completely-suck-at/472178/14 "2008-11-11T16:13:12Z")

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Draw. I’ve gained a _little_ skill, at least at smaller pieces, as I spent most of my schoolyears practicing in the margins of my notebooks, but even at my best I barely approach mediocre.

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### Author: ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-enjoy-to-do-but-completely-suck-at/472178/15 "2008-11-11T16:15:16Z")

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Golf. I don’t think I’ll ever get better than shooting in the 110 range. I’ve broken 100 a few times, but that’s about it. Of course I’d need to play a lot more than I do now, and actually get out to the driving range once in a while too.

But I sure do enjoy it, immensely.

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### Author: ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-enjoy-to-do-but-completely-suck-at/472178/16 "2008-11-11T16:19:10Z")

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Play squash - two and a half years of playing and I’m still in the bronze league in my club. ☹

Doesn’t matter though, I love playing, it keeps me fit/trim and I’ve met some great friends doing it.

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### Author: ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-enjoy-to-do-but-completely-suck-at/472178/17 "2008-11-11T16:22:48Z")

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Another for drawing. The ironic thing is that I used to do calligraphy, and could easily and beautifully render letters in a variety of calligraphic alphabets. Ask me to illustrate anything with a picture, and I’d produce something that looked like it came out of a first grade art class. I did get to the point where I could “dress” my calligraphy with simple, cartoony flower-and-vine borders or Celtic knotwork, but that was about it.

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### Author: ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-enjoy-to-do-but-completely-suck-at/472178/18 "2008-11-11T16:34:41Z")

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Really nothing that I can think of. I don’t tend to enjoy things that I’m not good at. I’ve always been a bit of a perfectionist (something my mom noted when we spoke on the phone last week)

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### Author: ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-enjoy-to-do-but-completely-suck-at/472178/19 "2008-11-11T16:39:17Z")

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Playing pool. I’d love to be a hustler and, whenever I play, I pretend that I am one, much to my husband’s amusement since I lose every single time. I used to get mad, but now I just laugh at how bad I am.

I also used to sing acapella. Sadly, I am out of practice and now sound like one of my cats howling.

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### Author: ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-enjoy-to-do-but-completely-suck-at/472178/20 "2008-11-11T16:49:25Z")

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> [@pbbth](#):
>
> In my fantasy life I wear a lab coat and perform detailed scientific experiments

That is _so_ sexy

I only play guitar to amuse myself and annoy my friends

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