# I am so unbelievably bored **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 14, 2008, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-unbelievably-bored/433524 "2008-01-14T20:48:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-unbelievably-bored/433524/1 "2008-01-14T20:48:59Z")
Honestly. I have mentioned many times how much I like my job. I really do. It’s easy, it’s part-time (most of the time), I get full-time benefits (sick days, vacation, insurance, 401K), but egads, it is so boring this time of the year. Seriously. I have read every single post on the SDMB in MPSIMS, IMHO and the Pit. I have perused Fark, ILoveBacon, and DamnInteresting. I have surfed Myspace, Googled everyone I have ever known and played all my turns on KoL. I have even played my 200 turns of Twilight Heroes. I am so bored. I still have 2 hours and 19 minutes to go. Although I let the kids stay home today, my daughter is not online right now, and everyone else is either working or sleeping that I normally chat with on googletalk. My phone hasn’t rung since 2:22, it’s 2:42 now. No one has opted to ask questions via chat since 1:49. So, although I do Returning Customer orders, New Customer orders _and_ online chat for our website, I am still bored out of my skull. Wikipedia bores me, as does the IMdb. I have surfed Craigslist, and short of clicking on links with pictures – my cubicle is on the main hall, no way I want to do that! – I’ve read everything posted there in the last 3 weeks. ARGH! I can’t play any online games that have sound, as I have to have my speakers on to hear my chat alert – in the unlikely event that I get a chat – and obviously, it gets old turning my speakers down until I figure out how to turn the sound off on games, so Pogo, Shockwave and YouTube are out. Someone entertain me. Or at least tell me what entertains you that is SFW and without sound. You will be my hero until I am bored again tomorrow… ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-unbelievably-bored/433524/2 "2008-01-14T20:55:33Z")
Honestly? I have my iPod in my pocket and run the headphone cord inside my hoodie that I wear because they keep it cold enough to hang meat in here. I am not supposed to have it (though I am sure they have noticed and just don’t say anything since I am still productive and all) but it really makes spending the whole day staring at a computer screen and answering phones a lot easier. Also, you might want to go to the dollar store and pick up some cross word puzzles/word searches/play doh/whatever you can do at your desk. I used to keep a drawer full of 100 piece puzzles in my desk at my last job and people would come by to borrow them from me when they got bored too. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-unbelievably-bored/433524/3 "2008-01-14T21:03:28Z")
I could dress up as a bat and dance for you…? ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-unbelievably-bored/433524/4 "2008-01-14T21:04:31Z")
[QUOTE=pbbth] Honestly? I have my iPod in my pocket and run the headphone cord inside my hoodie that I wear because they keep it cold enough to hang meat in here. I am not supposed to have it (though I am sure they have noticed and just don’t say anything since I am still productive and all) but it really makes spending the whole day staring at a computer screen and answering phones a lot easier. Also, you might want to go to the dollar store and pick up some cross word puzzles/word searches/play doh/whatever you can do at your desk. I used to keep a drawer full of 100 piece puzzles in my desk at my last job and people would come by to borrow them from me when they got bored too. [/QUOTE] Thanks for the ideas, but I could never have music going – our call center is way too quiet. If it’s loud enough to hear, my cubicle neighbor will hear it. There is seriously a shush factor here. As for crosswords and the like – i need to pick up some new books, it’s reading time this time of year. I should do that soon. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-unbelievably-bored/433524/5 "2008-01-14T21:11:27Z")
How about headphones for your computer? That way you could play games and not be obtrusive. StG ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-unbelievably-bored/433524/6 "2008-01-14T21:22:06Z")
[QUOTE=StGermain] How about headphones for your computer? That way you could play games and not be obtrusive. StG [/QUOTE] No can do, as I have to wear the telephone headset. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-unbelievably-bored/433524/7 "2008-01-14T21:28:37Z")
[This](http://www.who-sucks.com/food/101-frightening-ice-cream-flavors-from-around-the-world) should keep you unpleasantly occupied for about 15 minutes. Warning: A bit gross. ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-unbelievably-bored/433524/8 "2008-01-14T21:34:26Z")
I am also bored. Posting Haiku might help out I await your post. HAIKKUUUUUuuuu!!! ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-unbelievably-bored/433524/9 "2008-01-14T21:36:27Z")
It’s my slow time of year, too. So, I just signed up for another semester of classes, 15 credits online. I go through the local State University system, and I recommend it highly. Come April, May, when I am thoroughly busy, I’m going to hate myself, but for now it’s great, and typically my grades are always good enough that worse comes to worse, I can skate the last month and still pass. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-unbelievably-bored/433524/10 "2008-01-14T22:31:38Z")
I’m in pretty much the same position; I work in a customer-facing job (tech support mostly, some customer service) and the volume can be pretty slow a lot of the time. I won’t recommend a whole lot more sites to visit, because I find that I have the same trouble… I just get bored surfing the 'net too much. Some things I do, or have done: - Bring boring financial stuff to work, like organizing bank statements and filing your taxes - Write shopping lists - Pay bills and shop online - Bring in real books; I prefer nonfiction or light fiction since you can be pulled away frequently - Bring in strategy games; stuff that can be put aside easily, like a SimCity game (sound can be set to zero) - Bring in stuff at home to put on eBay - Bring in and open your mail - Clip coupons (I don’t even end up using half of them, but clipping and organizing saves me a bit of money, I guess) - Read the paper - Catch up on personal email - Fill out stuff to get free samples by mail (use a fake email address) - Play a portable video system like a PSP - Listen to my iPod (even if it’s only in one ear) ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-unbelievably-bored/433524/11 "2008-01-14T22:46:21Z")
[QUOTE=Litoris] I can’t play any online games that have sound, as I have to have my speakers on to hear my chat alert – in the unlikely event that I get a chat – and obviously, it gets old turning my speakers down until I figure out how to turn the sound off on games, so Pogo, Shockwave and YouTube are out. [/QUOTE] Every Pogo game has a speaker icon very similar to the speaker icon on the bottom right of your Windows screen within. Very easy to turn it off, and each game remembers how you last left it, so you’ll only have to turn the sound on each game off once. Hope that’s helpful! ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-unbelievably-bored/433524/12 "2008-01-14T22:50:09Z")
[QUOTE=fluiddruid] I’m in pretty much the same position; I work in a customer-facing job (tech support mostly, some customer service) and the volume can be pretty slow a lot of the time. I won’t recommend a whole lot more sites to visit, because I find that I have the same trouble… I just get bored surfing the 'net too much. Some things I do, or have done: - Bring boring financial stuff to work, like organizing bank statements and filing your taxes – **don’t have W-2’s yet** - Write shopping lists – **no shopping needs at this time** - Pay bills and shop online – **no money with which to pay bills or shop, although I have perused ThinkGeek thoroughly and have a nice wishlist** - Bring in real books; I prefer nonfiction or light fiction since you can be pulled away frequently – **I need to buy some books, but that takes money, so this is on the back-burner for now** - Bring in strategy games; stuff that can be put aside easily, like a SimCity game (sound can be set to zero) – **not allowed to install things on my system, I R GRUNT** - Bring in stuff at home to put on eBay – **this is a good idea, excpet that, well, I don’t know that I have anything I want/need to sell on Ebay right now, I will consider this one** - Bring in and open your mail – **my PO box is in another town – it is a weekly trip to pick it up and it gets opened at that time** - Clip coupons (I don’t even end up using half of them, but clipping and organizing saves me a bit of money, I guess) – **ok, this is a great idea, but it would require me actually leaving my house to buy a paper on Sunday, and I live in BFE, so it’d cost more in gas than I would save in coupons** - Read the paper – **good idea, except if I want the news, I read it online, and there’s nothing interesting there today** - Catch up on personal email – **I was done with this by 8:17, I clock in at 8:15** - Fill out stuff to get free samples by mail (use a fake email address) – **what are some good sites for that now? I do have my spam email address that I use for my Mypoints thing** - Play a portable video system like a PSP – **no can do – electronic devices are outlawed, and since my cube is catty-corner to the COO’s office…well, I don’t get away with much, ya know?** - Listen to my iPod (even if it’s only in one ear) – **see above** [/QUOTE] Aside from sounding like I am dissing your ideas, they were all great ones. Keep 'em coming. Mostly, I am looking for new websites to digest. Those are always appreciated. **tdn** thanks for the site, but uhm…well, some of the ads are NSFW. Luckily, I noticed and minimised the screen. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-unbelievably-bored/433524/13 "2008-01-14T23:14:30Z")
\ Mommmmmmmmm! There’s nothing on the internet! \ ---
**Author:** ![Achren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@Achren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achren)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-unbelievably-bored/433524/14 "2008-01-14T23:27:23Z")
As for books - is there a decent library around? I always enjoy picking up a couple random books to read and have discovered some new favourite authors that way. ---
**Author:** ![ryobserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@ryobserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryobserver)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-unbelievably-bored/433524/15 "2008-01-14T23:34:21Z")
Can you tolerate reading onscreen? (I know some people find it too eyestraining.) If so, there has to be something you’ll enjoy on Gutenberg, or Arthur’s Classic Novels. It’s all free; try a few first chapters and see if anything grabs you. If you like science fiction try [freesfonline.de](http://freesfonline.de) or the Baen Free Library. Bartleby is a reference book site that also includes Shakespeare and the Harvard Classics. There are sites devoted to poetry, and probably every other genre of literature. Just Googling for individual titles often works, if the author has been dead long enough. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-unbelievably-bored/433524/16 "2008-01-14T23:38:40Z")
Keep a paperback or two on hand for those slow times. I also have a handheld Tetris game that is a great timewaster. See if you can beat your previous high score! Hours of mindless geometric fun. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-unbelievably-bored/433524/17 "2008-01-15T00:33:44Z")
[QUOTE=ryobserver] Can you tolerate reading onscreen? (I know some people find it too eyestraining.) If so, there has to be something you’ll enjoy on Gutenberg, or Arthur’s Classic Novels. It’s all free; try a few first chapters and see if anything grabs you. If you like science fiction try [freesfonline.de](http://freesfonline.de) or the Baen Free Library. Bartleby is a reference book site that also includes Shakespeare and the Harvard Classics. There are sites devoted to poetry, and probably every other genre of literature. Just Googling for individual titles often works, if the author has been dead long enough. [/QUOTE] **ryobserver** , Would you please recommend a palm server that’s low cost but excellent for downloading and reading Gutenberg’s books? I have already bookmarked the site and would love to start this intriguing adventure. Thanks for the tip!!! **BarnOwl** **Litoris** , I hope you don’t mind this brief hijack. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-unbelievably-bored/433524/18 "2008-01-15T02:24:08Z")
When I worked at a telephone answering service, it was either insanely busy or deadly quiet. For the latter, I had a notebook and started writing erotica. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-unbelievably-bored/433524/19 "2008-01-15T04:32:02Z")
[QUOTE=Savannah] When I worked at a telephone answering service, it was either insanely busy or deadly quiet. For the latter, I had a notebook and started writing erotica. [/QUOTE] Have you been published, Savannah? ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-unbelievably-bored/433524/20 "2008-01-15T04:43:48Z")
Sketch Book + Pencil = Doodle. Try it. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-unbelievably-bored/433524.md?page=2)