Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with boredom

Bad case of the Don't Wannas.

Calicatt — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:38:19 -0800

Why do I suddenly not care about anything? Could it be post-depression anhedonia? [I hope not] Been trolling around through the askmefis most of the day but couldn't find one exactly my situation, so I'll slap one down.

Last few weeks been feeling like this:
Wake up: I don't wanna get up. Ugh, just gotta get to work.
Go to Work: I don't wanna work. Ugh, when can this be over.
Get home: I don't wanna clean, cook, work on projects, forward my writing career, etc. etc. Ugh, when can I go to bed?
Go to bed. zzz
Wake up: UGH, I DON'T WANNA GET UP!
Etc, etc, repeat repeat

To be clear: I am getting things done. My work is not amazing but sufficient. My writing life isn't super productive but I'm writing most days. My house is in an OK state of clean. I could continue this way with no major catastrophe. It's just that while I'm doing these things I'm just waiting and waiting until it's FINALLY OVER, and then when the next thing starts omg I just want that to BE OVER...etc etc. Even when I'm doing "fun" things, like hanging out with my friends, I am having an OK time on one level, but on another level I just can't wait to be done.

Some notes:
LoooooOOoooOoong history of depression, finally gotten under control about three years ago via Wellbutrion. Been pretty happy. I'm wondering if this isn't some lingering bizness, but I hope it isn't, as it took me year and years and years to find something that has gotten me above constant despair, so I really don't want to mess with that.

I'm hoping this is just a normal person problem. And someone will have some words of wisdom?

If you're bored then you're boring

like_a_friend — Mon, 06 May 2013 09:14:14 -0800

An earlier poster mentioned this attitude in a thread on boredom and it prompted me finally to post a question that's been simmering a while. I'm super-boring, but not bored -- it doesn't bother me when I'm on my own, but I'm starting to get a complex about it, vis a vis other people. Help me to have any interest, any interest at all! (Or to feel better about not having any.) Novel inside. So, over the past 5 years I've become aware (mostly through dating and AskMeFi, actually) that people apparently have hobbies? And passions. Lots of them have more hobbies and passions than they could possibly have time to indulge, even.

I have no hobbies, and no passions. I was educated in a competitive pressure-cooker environment where we were all heavily enjoined to become Titans of Industry and/or Visionaries of Art. My friends from youth are wildly brilliant and many of them are successful to the point of significant fame.

But I rejected a lot of that teaching (and truly, a lot of it was elitist nonsense) and then in my mid-twenties hit a patch of Real Life, Yo (deaths, divorce, serious illness, clinical depression, job loss) that most of my friends have yet to experience on any level. So I have long felt like hey, given what I'm working with here, the fact that I get out of bed and stay out of it for like 15 whole hours is pretty great.

But lately, as I ruminate on my dating history and my current friend circle, it's starting to rankle a bit. I date these talented and passionate men, mostly because then I can kind of feel like I'm engaged with something. But I have nothing to offer in exchange, really, except interest and support for whatever it is they're into.

And I get the sense that nobody likes a co-pilot? But that's where I'm a viking. I'm easygoing and amenable to just about everything, and smart enough to catch on to whatever, but I just don't care enough about anything to pursue it on my own, and in fact become quite bored with it if I do.

In short, I am boring, but not bored. And I think I would like to become Less Boring, but fear that doing so will make me More Bored! So MeFites, share your stories of People Becoming Interesting, or alternately, stories of Boring People You Have Loved.

Help with a 12 month attention span?

Isn't in each artist (7) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:56:28 -0800

I seem to get 'bored' with everything in my life - friends, relationship, job, country - every 1-2 years. I then make major life changes and it is starting to seriously affect me. Has anyone else experienced this situation? Does it get better? If not, do you have some good coping strategies? Since finishing university I've noticed that I can't stick to anything for more than a year or two. Jobs that I've been really enthusiastic about, hobbies that I've enjoyed and mastered, new places, new people (both friends and SO's).

This is affecting me adversely in several ways:

- I don't feel like I've achieved much. I'm currently looking for a job and my CV reflects my life; a bit of a mess with no narrative.
- I don't bother committing myself to things wholeheartedly, so e.g. I won't learn a new language in a new place, or take up a time-consuming hobby. 'Whatever, I probably won't be here next year anyway!'.
- I'm starting to feel dishonest making commitments to others. This is the biggy and applies in my professional and personal life. Becoming aware of the trend, I'm increasingly cautious about making big commitments like 'of course I'll deliver this multiyear project!' or 'let's be flatmates!'.
I'm concerned that I'll never shake this... and therefore never be in a position to have kids, as I'll be all enthusiasm for a couple of years and then lose interest. (I've already missed one opportunity and regret it keenly several years later. I still think it was the right decision.)
- Towards the end of a cycle, I lose all motivation. I start to know that I'll be moving on and I find it hard to maintain any pretence that I'm not. Work and relationships suffer and I let people down. This is happening to me now, particularly at work.
- I miss the places and people I leave behind, but I find it awkward to stay in touch. My 'old friends' are really the ones who persevere with me for reasons that I find pretty unfathomable. I've got a lot of funny anecdotes involving people that I'm no longer in touch with and wish I'd got to know better.

I'm asking this here because it's hard to discuss all this with the people in my life:

1) it's a privileged problem to have and I'm embarrassed explaining it face-to-face. It's the kind of thing that 17 y.o. me would probably have been proud of and it comes across like I'm trying to cast myself as a mysterious globetrotting loner. And of course this lifestyle is only possible because my appearance, education, accent, etc makes it easier to find jobs in new places.
And 2) it's basically putting them on notice that I will at some point be disappearing and will probably not stay in touch. This makes people understandably uncomfortable. Oh, and it seems like I'm inviting them to persuade me to stay.

Is this something others are experiencing or have experienced? Should I expect this to change? I'm already starting to dread my next 'fresh start' this summer, having to pull up the roots I've put down where I am - that's a new feeling, and hopefully positive. But I'm still perversely excited about it.

If it isn't going to change, what are good coping strategies? Should I just run with it and be more open about probable consequences? ('I'm super-excited about [X], but I should warn you that I will almost certainly find it boring in a few months, even though I find the idea unimaginable at the moment!') Or should I try to stick it out and make smaller changes at a time? (New job, but in the same place, or new hobby? ...I have tried this to some extent and it hasn't really worked).

POSSIBLY IRRELEVENT / OFFENSIVE SPECULATIVE MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS:
I was never diagnosed with ADHD as a child or medicated, but it seems probable that I had it to some degree (description of behaviour from family members plus family member who is a paediatrician telling me, unprompted, that they're sure I had it). I work with young people with ADHD and ADD now and find it very easy to put myself in their shoes. Assuming I did have it, the hyperactivity part disappeared during adolescence but I still find it difficult to concentrate on tasks for more than a short time. Possibly connected?

I hate my job and I can't leave. How do I cope?

deadwax — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 22:42:34 -0800

I am currently working long hours in a job that in a number of ways is driving me absolutely insane. I can't easily leave until mid year. How do I not go mad? Specific things that I am having trouble coping with:
*The work entails long hours - about 60 per week, over 6 days. I don't have a lot of non-work headspace time.
*The work is for the most part non-challenging and often menial. I was formerly a manager with a demanding job and I am very, very, VERY bored. This is leading to me not feeling very useful and my self esteem is not enjoying this experience.
*Despite being bored I often have a lot of demanding, time sensitive requests to fulfill, I alternate between next to nothing to do to way too much to do.
*I have little say in how I fulfill my job.
*I am frequently caught in between people with conflicting demands. There is a high level of angst and very little laughter.
*The work is not overly social and I could really do with working with people. I'm lonely as all hell.
*This job is a dead-end and accepting it a complete miscalculation on my part. The nature of the job is not something management has any interest in addressing. They know I don't fit the position.
*Leaving the job means leaving this town, which means living apart from my partner.

Leaving at mid year will be a vaguely graceful exit in terms of what I move on to next, time apart from my partner and money in the bank. I'm not sure I'm going to get there however.

Help? I could really do with some coping strategies.

OMG babies are kind of boring

forza — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 16:12:14 -0800

How do I entertain my 3-month-old without dying of tedium myself? I have a wonderful 3-month old son, who I love a lot. However, spending an entire day with him is still really freaking boring a lot of the time. Although I find him fascinating in the abstract -- I love trying to figure out what he can and can't do, thinking about his cognitive skills and theories of the world -- the minute-to-minute details of playing with objects, sticking objects in the mouth, being held up, looking at things, ad infinitum really wear me down. Since realistically he's not going to be qualitatively that much different for many months until he begins walking and talking, I'm looking for suggestions of things I can do with him that will add some interest to our days.

Things we do right now:

- He loves loves loves to be made to stand. Probably about 40% of his waking hours are spent standing, propped up by us. He can hold himself up by only holding onto one of our thumbs with one of his fists at this point. This is, as you can imagine, kind of tedious for us. We have gotten him a Jolly Jumper and a walker, both of which he also loves, although we don't want to overuse either.

- He also loves to listen to music. My partner plays the guitar, which is good for many minutes of fascinated listening. He also likes to be "danced" to anything, especially if it has a strong rhythm. AC/DC is a favourite. This is also a good time suck, but you can only dance for so long, every day, without your brain turning to mush.

- He likes to hold objects and put them in his mouth. If we put him in his chair with some objects he will self-entertain for 10 minutes or so, several times a day. Will last a lot longer if we "help" him hold the objects, or interact with them at the same time. This is boring but consumes a lot of the day. We try to vary the objects but there are only so many that are safe for him to put in his mouth. Mainly this involves a lot of toys, fingers, cloths, and safe kitchen utensils. Other suggestions here welcome.

- He loves to go "out" and look at people and things. Hikes, parks, wandering around malls, it's all good. In fact, if he spends a day just around the house he is really fussy from boredom by the end of the day. The issue with anything outdoors is that we're in Australia, so it's often super hot and the UV index is extreme. So we try to minimise outdoor time even with sunblock on. As for malls and stores, we pretty much try to visit one or two every day. I am SO sick of wandering around these kinds of places. I vary it between the mall, Target, the grocery store, IKEA, the hardware store, the library, and the pool. Pretty sick of them all at this point.

Things we have tried but don't work well:

- He is high energy. Just putting him in a backpack and "going about our day" is too boring and doesn't let him move, which again, he wants to do all the time. Also, our day often consists of sitting in front of computers, which he is not a fan of.

- He doesn't like the car very much. Either falls asleep or starts squawking after a while of driving. I think it is not stimulating enough(?). Thus, long trips are out.

- He likes to read books but only in small doses. I think he's still a bit young to get much out of them other than gnawing on them and turning the pages.

- He can occasionally be induced to whack at my iPad, but it's not that interesting, and I don't want to get a 3-month old too dependent on screen time anyway.

- We have one of those little gyms where he lies on the floor and swats at dangling objects. This is okay but only for about 15 minutes total all day.

- We do do tummy time, many times a day, but he's not a huge fan and it is more of a chore than anything.

- We often make sounds back and forth to each other but he's mainly only into this while doing something else as well.

- He is in daycare 2 days a week and likes it, but we can't do more than that.

- We do not have a TV.

So… I realise that to some extent the answer may just be "babies are indeed boring" and we're doing about what one could expect. I also realise that all these activities sound like they fill a day, but every day of the same thing, and with many hours of them over and over again, is still really dull. So if any of you have found awesome activities that work to pass the time with your pre-walking, pre-talking, loves-to-move-around baby, I would love to hear about them.

What are some good, non-battery-draining iPhone/iPod Touch games?

rachaelfaith — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 21:15:40 -0800

I'll be on three flights in the next 11 days, and although I'd like to sleep through every flight, I doubt that'll happen. I have an iPhone 4 and a 3rd-gen iPod Touch at my disposal, so I'd like to throw some new, non-battery-killing games on them before I go. However, many popular games are graphics-intensive and battery-draining, and I'd like to keep my phone going as long as possible. Things I have and like and probably are least likely to kill my phone: Flood-It, Flow Free, Unblock Me.

iPhone 4 is running the latest iOS, poor old iPod Touch is running the best it can get, 4.2.1, which doesn't support many newer games.

I love word games, but most of the ones I try have moving animations and such. Totally down for any word games that fit my criteria, though. Puzzle ans strategy ames are great too. Oh, and anything else that isn't a game but might stimulate my mind (that isn't a video) is also welcome!

I would love free apps, but will reluctantly spend a few bucks to defeat boredom.

Making my dog happy on a rainy day?

echolalia67 — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 08:48:47 -0800

How do I keep my puppy entertained on a rainy day? My 6&1/2 old puppy (see this previous post) has turned out to be ... rather interesting. She is not particularly high-energy and doesn't seem to take much joy in long walks. She is, however, really interested in romping and socializing with other dogs. With the rainy weather we've been having, she seems to regard walks as unpleasant obligation, something she does because I'm making her. She doesn't like going out in the rain and in particular seems to hate getting her feet wet.

Worst of all on these rainy days, there are almost no other dogs out on walks when we're out. Interaction with other canines is what motivates her; romping and roughhousing with them provides her with the physical and mental stimulation she craves.

Without time in a doggie mosh pit, she goes crazy at home, no matter how long her walks might be. She teases the cats, chases my son, tears every piece of paper she finds to shreds. Clearly, she's bored.

I've played tug-of-war with her, filled kongs with treats, given her squeaky toys; all of these help somewhat but just don't satisfy her the way a good chase and play fight with another dog does. Suggestions?

I've got some real estate here in my bag

SassHat — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 10:47:58 -0800

Long bus / train trip with a couple of long stopovers. How to amuse myself? Things to do in Buffalo & Chicago? I'm taking a bus > train > bus trip with stopovers in Buffalo for 5 hours (the Amtrak station near the airport) and in Chicago (Union Station). Mainly looking for ways to stave off boredom & essentials to pack. And while the answer may be "nothing" - what can I get up to while I'm stopped in Buffalo and Chicago?

1. What are the best ways to keep occupied on a long trip

2. I just got an Android phone - best offline apps / especially diverting things I can put on my phone?

3. What are must-pack items for a series of bus and train trips?

4. What should I do in Buffalo for ~5 hours on the way out and Chicago for 6 & 7 hours respectively on either end of the trip?

N is for Neville who died of ennui while working a $10/hr temp job

Jess the Mess — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 11:54:03 -0800

How can I entertain myself at a super boring temp job? I just agreed to take a short temp assignment that's kind of unusual. It involves a whole lot of downtime and nothing to do during it. The temp agency lady said they needed someone who could "remain professional" during that downtime. I'm guessing she doesn't mean "refrain from performing an impromptu striptease on the table" but more like "no reading or using your smartphone".

There will be no computers for web surfing and I'm not sure if I'll be working with anyone else, so I may not even have anyone to converse with. I'm also assuming there won't be any extra work to do since it's not liking I'm filling in for someone in an ongoing role.

Assuming my assumptions are correct, how am I going to keep from going crazy? I can entertain myself with my own thoughts for about an hour or so but I have five days to fill. How do people like security guards do this kind of stuff day in and day out? Are there games you can play in your head?

Bored in Ann Arbor: How does one find new things to do?

254blocks — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:53:35 -0800

Bored in Ann Arbor: *How* does one find new things to do? So, I'm a medical student who lives in Ann Arbor ... and I'm bored. Like, super seriously ridiculously majorly bored. All I do is go to school/work, stay there for hours on end doing whatever they want me to do, and then get home anywhere between 6 and 9 and try to push myself to study, but usually end up failing. Sometimes, I say "fuck it" and play video games for hours on end, making my next day at work that much more miserable.

This isn't to say I don't like my work. I just ... need some additional stuff outside of med school to look forward to in life. I need stimulation outside of med school. I feel like if I had something interesting that I knew I'd be doing later this week or so, something to focus on and say to myself "Cool, I'll be doing X on Friday, nice", I wouldn't waste so much time on a day-to-day basis doing random, stupid shit.

But ... I don't know *how* to find things to do. I mean, this is Ann Arbor. There are supposed to be comedy clubs and music venues and museums and God knows what else to see and do here. I just don't know how people find things to do when they haven't grown up in the city that they're in. There has to be a website or something that lists this stuff?

So, HiveMind, this becomes a 2-part question:

1) What sources (websites especially) can I use to find events that are happening in Ann Arbor or surrounding cities, like Detroit (music, comedy shows, exhibitions, anything), but also museums/other locations that I might be interested in? Are there are specific websites that are good for each one of these things, or is there one website that consolidates a bunch of this information?

2) What *process* do you use in order to find said websites? I ask because if/when I move to a new city, I'd like to be able to find things to do without relying on MeFi (although I love you all).

Bringing awesome back.

Ziggy500 — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:02:13 -0800

What are some everyday ways I can awesome-ize my life? I've got a bad case of late 20s / early 30s restlessness, and would love nothing better than to quit my job and go travelling around the world in a hot-air balloon while having a ton of affairs.

Of course, I can't do that, because I have a job and a mortgage, but there must be other, smaller ways I can make my everyday life just a little more bright and interesting.

As it is, I see my friends and family a lot, participate in activity-specific meet-ups, and write (although I am sorely feeling the lack of inspiration). I am also interested in cooking, baking and photography and I do a fair bit of these. I live in a reasonably big city with a lot of cool cultural things going on, which I make adequate but not excessive use of. I have a job which quite frankly I hate. But everything else in my life is pretty good. Having said that though, I still feel a little bit as though the awesome has gone out of my life.

Anyway so my question is, what are the little things you do everyday that keep life from being boring? Little joy-injections, I guess.

Free PACs for Everyone

snapped — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:25:54 -0800

Is there any cost involved with starting a Political Action Committee? I'm thinking of starting my own PAC in order to document the experience and sort of see all the ins and outs of what is involved. What I don't want to do is spend money (other than incidental stuff like buying stamps) on it. I have no plans to raise any money, or use it for any real political purpose, it's more of a boredom/curiosity thing - hence the unwillingness to spend any money on this enterprise.

My question is specifically if there is any hidden (or not so hidden) cost involved - not if this is a good idea, potential things I should do, how to document it, etc.

If it matters, I live in Louisiana and do not own a business or am otherwise associated with a corporation.

What items should I not forget to bring for a 15-hour flight? Also, as a non-gamer, are there iPad games you'd recommend to make the flight go faster?

critzer — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 09:02:33 -0800

What items should I not forget to bring for a 15-hour flight? Also, as a non-gamer, are there iPad games you'd recommend to make the flight go faster? I keep thinking there are small things I'll wish I'd thought of -- earbuds, neck pillow, etc. But I've never been on a flight this long and don't want to feel anxious or bored. I'm loading up the iPad with some reading, and maybe some games. Heck, not even sure if I can plug the thing in to recharge on the flight. In any case, are there items you wish you had brought on a flight this long?

Am I making my dog depressed?

kanata — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:41:08 -0800

Am I harming my dog by not walking it every day? And why won't she play with her ball anymore? I've had my dog Annie for a month and I love her lots. I asked previously about mental illness and pet ownership and she's been a life saver. I'm finding though that about once a week my depression is so bad I can't walk her. She usually gets an hour walk in the morning and 45 mins in the afternoon. However, that one day a week I just can't seem to get out of bed. Is this harming her? She just sits around the house on the back of the couch on these days staring out the window and sighing. Am I making her depressed?

(I looked for dog walkers in my town but no one is listed on any local sites and I know no one who could do it).

I still take her out in the yard on these days and that's where my second question comes in. She used to love chasing tennis balls and bouncing around the yard. Now she just ignores them or if she runs after it she brings it to the door and drops it as if she is hiding them from me. Is there anything I can do to instill play in her again?

I tried one of those balls that dispenses treats when you push it around but she just tries to chew it (like the 1,000 chew toys she has).

I'm a first time dog owner and just worried that my depression is harming her.

How do I make friends and start enjoying life?

Anonymous — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:23:41 -0800

I'm in my 20s and I always thought my life would be better than this by now. I'd love some advice on how to make friends and be happier and improve my life generally. I don't think I'm depressed. I had depression in my late teens and I spent months self-harming and drinking too much and I used to regularly have to sit down and give myself a pep talk halfway through getting dressed because the idea of putting clothes on and leaving my bedroom seemed completely beyond my reach. This isn't like that - I'm functioning. I'm just not happy, and it feels like I've spent years hoping that soon I'll make some friends and have interesting hobbies and people will like talking to me and life will be fun.

As it is, I have hardly any friends and can't seem to make more. In fact, people seem to actively avoid me. I've had two family members visit my city recently and either not even tell me they were in town or mention it and then ignore various messages I sent suggesting we meet up. To be honest, I don't think I'd seek me out as a friend either. I'm pretty boring. I used to have hobbies but I've recently moved cities and can't seem to make myself start any of them up again. I'm shy and it would just mean meeting even more people that don't want to be friends with me. So I spend half my life hiding in my room wasting time on the internet and not doing work or housework or exercise, and feeling guilty about being lazy and unmotivated. I'm not passionate about anything - I feel like I'm drifting through life.

I have a great family but I can't talk to them about this. They're all really cool, upbeat people and they're busy with their own lives. Also, every time they ask how I'm doing I panic and say that 'life is great! and all my new friends are great! and I'm so busy and productive, yay!' and then they go on and on about how nice it is to hear me so happy.

I've had a few sessions of therapy before, but it was for major things and I'd feel really stupid turning up at a doctor's or therapist's office saying 'I can't make any friends and my life is boring and sometimes I cry because nobody likes me'. I feel self-indulgent enough even writing this whiny mefi question - I know there are a lot of people way worse off than me.

So, apart from that, what practical steps can I take to make my life better and be happier and make people like me more? (I'm already doing some volunteering, before anyone suggests that. And I've read most of the commonly recommended books like 'How to Win Friends and Influence People' etc.) Or do I need to just stop whinging and resign myself to the fact that I'm never going to be the fun happy person with loads of friends and that I just have unrealistic expectations of life?

Thanks in advance for any advice! Even 'oh, honestly, just get over yourself!' comments would be appreciated - I probably need a healthy dose of perspective. Throwaway email address is pohutukawa.trees@gmail.com, if anyone doesn't feel comfortable posting below.

Super-successful fears for future

mistertoronto — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:18:33 -0800

Where should/is my career-life headed next? I work in the journalism industry in Canada, in my late 20s.

I've been uber-successful very early in my career, multiple national and international awards, a promotion, a raise, respect from peers and colleagues, speaking engagements at conferences, leeway with vacation time from my manager and a lot of one on one time with the senior management. In many cases when meetings occur I'm the lowest one on the totem pole, but essentially the one trusted to make the decision of the meeting happen. I'm the Golden Boy.

What happens to these very early successful and ambitious workers? burnout? move to a different company? management? etc? What are some of the examples of what this means for the next 5-10 years of my career? Do they actually expect to maintain this pace the entire time? Do you see a lot of early success-ites buckle down just ride it out as long as possible?

Where should/is my career headed next?

Am I doing enough for my dog?

peripathetic — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 14:09:06 -0800

How can I ensure my puppy's quality of life while we're both trapped at home? A month ago, my partner and I--both first time dog owners--welcomed a 3 month old French bulldog puppy into our lives.

As I'm not currently working, I stay home with the puppy. I prepare her meals, watch her, walk her, and take her out to potty every few hours (we live in an apartment). The puppy, however, frequently seems bored at home. We have a number of rubber chew toys that she'll pay attention to, if only for a few minutes before she wanders off in search of something new to gnaw on (which I try to discourage through distraction). She'll be in a playful mood a couple of times a day, but I can only tickle her tummy and toss toys for her to retrieve for so long. Sometimes, she doesn't even seem interested when I try to engage her in play either.

We try to take her out with us whenever possible to get her used to new sights and sounds, but is all this enough for her? We're crate training her, so we'd like to have her stimulated during the day and tired out by the time it's bedtime. I'd take her to puppy socials and such, and we'll check out dog parks once the vet gives us the green light, but right now, my partner and I only have one car between the two of us, which he uses to get to work.

Perhaps I'm anthropomorphizing her, but could I do more to make her life at home better or more interesting? I want to raise a healthy, happy, well-socialized dog with strong bonds to her humans. Please advise!

Keeping those summer blues away

Echobelly — Fri, 27 May 2011 12:30:24 -0800

I'll be away from my friends for the summer while working, and I'd like to pick up a hobby. I don't even know where to start. I have a general interest in learning more about the following:

- gardening
- bicycles
- guitar
- drawing
- programming

At the risk of stretching myself too thin, I only plan on looking into these in the most basic sense. I have the basics needed for each thing (room for a garden, a bike, an acoustic guitar, hands), I just have no idea where to go to learn about them. If anyone could point me in the right direction, it'd be greatly appreciated.

Constructive cures for cabin fever

Anonymous — Fri, 06 May 2011 17:16:21 -0800

I am caring for an elderly relative who needs someone nearby 24 hours a day. I'm left with a lot of free time that I'd like to fill with something constructive. What (cheap, indoor, offline) things can I do that will have satisfying results in the 4-6 weeks I'll be here? My relative and I already spend time together talking about things like historical events and his childhood memories, of course; I've also been cooking for him and trying new recipes. But when he's napping or watching TV or just wants some time alone, I'd like to develop skills in my weaker areas, such as math and physical fitness. I've been thinking about relearning calculus or taking an introductory logic course, if it's possible to make much progress on that in a month's time, but I'm open to almost anything, including useful life skills and unusual hobbies.

There's one big problem: he lives in Nowheresville, USA. Civilization and groceries are an hour's drive away. I can't leave him alone very often, so whatever I do can't require too much in the way of supplies or leaving the house. I could order a book or two from Amazon, but anything more than that would either be too expensive or too much to pack when I leave.

Other caveats:
* Technology: I have limited internet connectivity. Text files and small programs are fine, but downloading large files or watching videos is out (so no university lectures, unfortunately). I can spend as much offline time as I like on the computer, and I have a printer.
* Fitness: I have a healthy BMI and don't need to lose any weight, but I could definitely be in better shape in terms of stamina, strength, coordination, etc. Fitness suggestions that don't reqire equipment or going to the gym are most welcome! The more idiot-proof, the better.

My throwaway email is cabinfevermonth@yahoo.com. I may take a day or so to respond. Thanks in advance!

Asking anonymously because my family reads MetaFilter.

But I hate all my [recipes], I have nothing to [cook]!

stellaluna — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:02:33 -0800

Help me get over the food equivalent of hating everything in my closet and give me your yummiest recipes that make you think spring! It's too warm for soups and too cool for my summer go-to of tomato slices for dinner. What spring recipes do you love?

I currently:
-have access to a decent grocery store, and a health food store that sometimes stocks more...unusual items.
-try to eat whole foods, with an emphasis on lean proteins and veggies and fruits
-am cooking for one, although leftovers are good, especially if they are easily frozen
-am more interested in whole meals (dinner salads, frittatas, etc.) and less interested in "cook x protein, x veggie, x starch and there you go!"

I have spent the last two weeks browsing various recipe aggregators and food blogs that are usually great sources of inspiration (like Orangette and the seasonal browse feature of Smitten Kitchen) to no avail. Surely you have some ideas for me? And many thanks for past questions I may have missed that focus on this subject.

Melancholy for no good reason

roomthreeseventeen — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:24:50 -0800

How do you power through post-excitement depression? I hope this isn't chat-filter, but more "I'm looking for suggestions for a quick fix." Last week was my birthday, a visit with my little sister, who lives in Maryland, and then a long-anticipated half marathon trip with my DH to Washington D.C. (which ended in a personal record by more than 4 minutes!). My husband has been waiting to hear about a promotion at his job for more than two months, and just heard yesterday that it's still going to be a long wait before they make a decision.

Today and the near future: crickets. I find myself in a bit of, if not depression, general malaise that's been bothering me. Combined with DH's job stress and the lack of a goal race for another 8 weeks, how do I find some inspiration/motivation to knock me out of the day to day drone of waiting/training?

How should I waste a couple hours in Tampa?

medusa — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 17:54:54 -0800

What's the most interesting thing I can do in a couple hours in Tampa, Florida? I'm visiting Tampa very briefly for work. I just found out that my meetings tomorrow won't start until late morning; I am an early riser. So I have a few free hours - in the morning - and zero knowledge of what would be interesting to do in Tampa in that time.

I'm staying downtown, just across the river from the University of Tampa. Is it possible to go running along the river? Is there anywhere really awesome to have breakfast?

bored/unemployed/broke - what would you do?

sartre08 — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 04:14:32 -0800

how do you/have you structured your day as an unemployed person who is not necessarily looking for work? due to a variety of exceptional and stressful circumstances I will no longer be studying this semester and have no job, and will be unoccupied until mid-july of this year.
money is not really an issue as the government is providing for my living expenses, though things will be tight - I won't be able to take up any expensive new hobbies or go out to do things that cost often.
the situation is exacerbated by the fact that recently my city was gutted by a natural disaster - I don't know how I could help out with volunteering stuff as it seems as though a lot of the rest of the city has this mostly taken care of, and all of the things I enjoy doing usually are out of the question now, especially as the weather gets colder here.
I've been working/studying non-stop since I left high school so I don't feel particularly bothered about the idea of just kind of doing nothing for a few months - I have heaps of movies I want to get around to watching, and a bookshelf full of books I haven't read.
I'm worried that the novelty of being housebound and reading all day with the occasional excursion to the supermarket or to go for a run around the local park will wear off quickly though.
the job market in my area is not good at the moment so I won't really have the option of easily walking into any sort of employment should I get bored of it, especially since I'll just be quitting any job I get come July.
what I'd like is some ideas and strategies people reading this have used to stop themselves going crazy during periods of unemployment?
anecdotes of how you spent your day and things you did to keep yourself occupied would be good, even if you just slept until lunchtime and read until bedtime everyday, as long as doing this didn't make you feel like crap!

I need a "stuck in the school library" hobby.

biochemist — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 11:55:10 -0800

I'm looking for a project that can be done mostly on the computers at my school. I'm usually there for 8-9 hours waiting for a ride, and my schoolwork takes me around an hour to finish. I'd like to put the rest of that free-time towards something productive. I'll be using the school computers so I can't download any programs, but I do have flash drives to cart stuff around. I could probably borrow a laptop from a friend if absolutely necessary, but I'd like to try to avoid the complication of only being able to work on it when I can borrow something.

I wish I could give examples of what I'm looking for but I'm not sure myself. Just some type of long-term project with an end-goal that I can make measurable progress on while I'm sitting here all day. The project doesn't really -have- to involve computers, but space outside the library can be limited at times so I'm not sure how a physical project would work out.

I'll list my interests just in case, but feel free to disregard them b/c I'm up for trying new stuff too:

- I love problem solving. I also <3 math.
- I like things that I can build upon and I like working towards an end product.
- Umm... yeah, I can't think of any other interests that actually translate into something that can be done with computers.

Things I'm not interested in:
- Reading (Did this with all my free time in highschool and don't want to go back. x.x)
- Learning an instrument (I'm already learning one but it's too big for me to lug around to all my classes.)
- Writing (see the note on reading)
- Academic endeavors (like the online learn math sites, learning a language, etc. I don't mind learning new skills to do an actual project-like thing, but I don't want to, for example, learn calculus just for the sake of it.)
- Photography (I already do this.)
- Puzzles and cranes

How to keep the daily grind from grinding you down?

anthom — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 07:36:10 -0800

As a creative person working a day job completely unrelated to your chosen form of expression, how do you cope when the urge to create comes up while at work? I found a lot of tangential information from previous "passion," "work" or "creativity" tagged questions, but nothing seems to directly answer this.

Further details: I'm a songwriter/musician with a steady, but not-very-challenging day job working with Access databases. It's not my life's work or passion, but it supports me and my wife, while allowing a little time for music and other pursuits.

For a while, I've felt creatively blocked, having a difficult time getting any songwriting or other writing done. I chalked it it up to being given more responsibilities at work than I'm used to (above and beyond Access-jockeying). The additional mental bandwidth I needed to deal with this left me drained, frequently unable to do anything after work other than surf the web or watch TV. In the past few weeks, the extra responsibilities (and related stress) have gone away. I've spent some time slowing down and paying attention, trying to figure out what I really want to be doing. Amazingly enough, it's nothing to do with Access...

I've frequently had the desire to create something while I'm at work, but being in a job that requires a lot of "computer brain," I've had to push that desire down in order to function. I suspect this has also been a huge part of my block, so I want to avoid doing this if at all possible.

Does anyone have techniques for coping with an "inconvenient" creative urge when you simply need to be doing your job?