141 No need to be bored

NO NEED TO BE BORED!

Growing up I dared NOT say, “I am bored.” Suddenly I would have more to do than I ever wanted if I uttered these words aloud. Creative chores – matching socks, alphabetizing the spice shelf….or weeding, dusting, playing with my much-younger-than-I little sisters. 

I could find something to do really very quickly – usually an escape to my bedroom and a book. Fake homework was good, too. 

Now days, the World Wide Web and social media have become so ingrained in us that I rarely hear people complaining of boredom anymore. Not unless their batteries die.

I, too, have fallen into the web trap. Countless hours sitting in front of the computer (procrastination, maybe, or avoidance, but rarely boredom), made me want to share with you my favorite sites perfect for whiling away an afternoon or evening. 

And Facebook doesn’t count. I only check it a couple of times a week or scroll thru the pictures and rarely post anything.

And this picture was just too good not to include. I love bubble wrap. The sound is so satisfying – and perhaps irritating without saying a word! (Shame on me!) Bubble wrap and Velcro are also entertaining for a little while. Think I will categorize them in nervous habits – something with which to fiddle rather than twiddling the thumbs and not in any way comparable to the internet for entertainment. No mental stimulation required for these handheld objects. 

Here are my favorite internet sites for “intellectual stimulation.” If you don’t know these sites, I hope you will try them out. Let me know which ones you like or dislike. Should you have a favorite that I haven’t listed, send the link, please. I would love to try some new ones!

Savvy Glenne’s Favorite Internet Entertainment Sites

Sporcle.com – created in 2007, this site is packed with trivia quizzes on every topic imaginable from music and movies and books to history and science. I am ashamed to admit that the quizzes are fast paced and I often get a lousy score, but they are fun. I just got a measly 40% on hit songs “fill-in the missing word of the title” quiz. Good grief. That was embarrassing!

Whizzpast.com – fascinating links to short history lessons with many photos of the past. A great way to see history the way it was. Check out the Victorians at the beach. Not as prudish as one might think.

BoredomTherapy.com – absolutely full of clickbait ads, but some of the stories and pictures save you from reading all the tabloids at the grocery store check-out. Billed as a trending site for entertainment. Chock full of weird stories and pictures. Just fun.

TED.com – short (usually 10-15 minute) videos of talks by noted professionals in the fields of Technology, Entertainment, and Design. I enjoy these, but sometimes I can also flip through catalogs while I am listening. These are worthwhile.

DifferenceBetween.net – I stumbled upon this site trying to understand some economic terms and what they meant. I got hooked. Today I read about the difference between Islam and Muslim. It is more intellectual and scholarly than most, but a great reference site.

Wikipedia:Special:Random – this is it! My favorite! I used to rail against Wikipedia for its lack of confirmed facts. This, however, just plays with your mind. When the site is open, in bold letters near the top is Special:Random. Just click there. I could wear out a mouse on this site, clicking another random page, and yet another random page. Today, I read a few lines about the following: Kazakhstan’s Aircraft Repair Plant #405, Famous Poles with the last name Klemens, Phrynidae – also known as whip spiders, and Beaufort Castle in Scotland. And, yes, I will probably look at some more random pages tomorrow.

Happy Spring, happy web surfing.                                Glenne