“I think too much and write too little. Until now.”
— Daniel
— About me
Who is behind the Schnipser?
Hey there, I am Daniel – a nerd and gamer with heart, a family man and an ideas smith. My friends often call me Schnipser. I see myself as an “average” guy with a slight tendency towards altruism.
My wishes and dreams are those of millions of others. So far it always stayed at the idea stage – I never actually implemented anything, yet my ideas were later successfully realised by others. So just listen in. My ideas are in the World of Ideas category.
Since my other passions are books and gaming, there is a blog category for those too. Everything that takes my fancy ends up here: novels, crime fiction and above all fantasy. As an avid train commuter I do most of my reading on a Kindle that has been with me since 2012 – the second one; the first lasted over ten years before giving up. Driving I leave to my wife or my kids.
Between ideas, books and gaming, I set myself a different goal every year – one I pursue only within that year until satisfied, then move on to the next. What has been on the list?
A creativity year: drawing 1,000 things, then adult paint-by-numbers, and finally painting ceramics. My wife was fine with it at first – until she decided she would rather go to her women’s group without me. Go figure. Ceramics was great fun and I get a lot of praise for it. I use a long-forgotten technique: tracing with carbon paper and underglaze pencils – endless possibilities. Drop a comment if interested and I will share tips for free templates.
Other years: a fishing licence, an inland and coastal skipper certificate, a climbing certificate, a golf certificate. Sporty years: six-pack attempt, golf, several table-tennis seasons in a club (kids who have played since age six still beat me every time), badminton, squash, and several years working through the Spiegel bestseller list.
Several years of a Master’s degree – yes, I wanted to prove something to myself later in life. No walk in the park; all studying pushed to the evening slot of 8 pm to midnight.
And relatively late, a passion from before the kids returned: gaming. When my first child was born I promised myself I would never wish I had spent more time with them. The PS5 reignited everything – I had been a PC gamer before, but constant upgrades wore me out. Just play when I want, on the sofa in front of the 65-inch TV. My youngest was already 12 when it started. Nearly 2,500 hours in the first year according to the PlayStation year-in-review. I know… Now mainly Diablo 4, Warzone, Fortnite (thanks to my son and Battlefield – in moderation.
Most expensive year: crypto day trading – started well, went completely sideways, lost my entire stake.
I look forward to your comments – I read every single one.
— Daniel