In real life, Norman has few hobbies. For a while, he was harvesting overnight Coffee-Mate crystals from his coffee cup and forming these into small but elaborate sculptures which he still keeps in a bonsai sand garden on a shelf above his desk. Norman discovered that the secret to growing a compelling crystal was finding the correct balance of sugar and Coffee-Mate and leaving only a small amount of coffee unconsumed. The best crystals form as the liquid evaporates over a long weekend or extended work from home.

This all changed when Norman's employers, or rather Norman's employers' health insurance provider instituted a new worker wellness program involving a new longevity plan known as "Biome in a Cup," which required employees to opt out from product-usage if they had health concerns, which Norman had not for a variety of reasons.

Biome in a Cup is a supplement you add to tea or coffee. It contains a number of essential vitamins and nutrients which provide various benefits for employees, which allows a reduction in overall cost of coverage. BiaC also contains a mix a prebiotics and probiotics which result in a healthy interbiome comediation between employees - resulting in less sick days and interpersonal issues. The only downside for Norman was that the BiaC program was introduced simultaneous with removal of all Coffee-Mate products from staff kitchens, for reasons on "non-synergy."

He had at one point been on a task force on related subject matter, but he had stopped attending, and so he never raised an objection, but this did spell an end to his hobby.