Bah, multiple humbug

[lethargic_man]

• Was ill on Friday: Didn't have the energy to get out of bed and stay out until 2pm. No other symptoms; and feeling mostly better (though still a bit as if sleep-deprived) by Saturday. Go figure.
• I'm fed up of bashing my head against this webcam trying to get it to work. If I don't get a response from any of the people I've emailed or places I've posted by tomorrow, I'm going to give up and return it to Amazon.
• I'm also feeling a bit fed up of Fedora 11. This is the first time I've upgraded OS as soon as the new one's come out, and the first time the new one is substantially buggier than the last.
• Also, my life is boring. What do you all do with your free time?
• Having been to an enjoyable סְעוּדָה שְׁלִישִׁית with lots of singing a week ago, I tried to organise one of my own for next week on Facebook. Despite inviting eighteen people on Facebook and having it announced in both the Assif weekly mailshot and in Assif itself; so far I've only got one definite attendee and three possibles (one of whom is a prospective convert who had to start by asking what a סְעוּדָה שְׁלִישִׁית is, so count her out for the singing, probably). (Naomi S. has said she'd announce it on the Wandering Jews mailing list, but hasn't yet; and I've possibly chosen the wrong date, as it clashes with the Open Talmud Project at Moishe House, which at least one person has implied they'd rather attend.) This is my first attempt at organising something like this, and so far it's heading for abject failure. :-(

Comments

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

By the experience of this past three weeks, what I do with my free time is have visitors, read stuff, go to the cinema, go to the occasional concert or play, and spend far too much time pottering about on the internet.

[snjstar.livejournal.com]

How many people turned up to Seudah?

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

None yet: it's not until this Shabbos.

[snjstar.livejournal.com]

Oops sorry.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Also, my life is boring. What do you all do with your free time?

This weekend: riding the exercise bike listening to podcasts; walking to the playground with my son; a long slow cafe breakfast; yum cha with friends; learning Hindi and Spanish.

[curious-reader.livejournal.com]

I don't feel like going to Chaike's talk. She does not like me. I have been to a dinner where she also talked about her books. It was not interesting. I will come. I guess we do the singing just the two of us if nobody bothers to turn up.

Solutions, not problems

[bluepork.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't your life just be that tiny bit easier if you had a windows pc at home? Not some fancy schmancy games playing uberkit, but just a cheap old laptop with XP on it, for things like your webcam?

> Also, my life is boring. What do you all do with your free time?

Can't believe you are really asking this. You're the work-life balance man, man!

However, here's my suggestion list of things you can do with your life which are not too outrageous or expensive. This is based loosely on what I do with my own time:

-Watch box-sets (rather than whatever happens to be on - that's too unfocused) or films
-Do the above with someone else
-play computer games, with or without someone else.
-read, by yourself
-go to the pub, with someone else. More than one other person is allowed, too.
-cook, experimentally. With the help and inspiration of books. For books, read also, the internet
-find a hobby. Some suggestions would include playing a musical instrument, generally badly; climbing rocks; collecting things (generally this is pointless and futile though); I'm sure you can supplement this with your own suggestions. BTW, I don't climb rocks. Or collect things. Just suggestions!

Re: Solutions, not problems

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't your life just be that tiny bit easier if you had a windows pc at home? Not some fancy schmancy games playing uberkit, but just a cheap old laptop with XP on it, for things like your webcam?

No, because then I'd have to faff about getting out and firing it up when I wanted to use Skype. Linux can be a bit of a pain to get things set up, if you're unlucky (if you're lucky, things do sometimes work out of the box, as the replacement webcam I got did); but once they are set up, it becomes pain-free for normal usage.

> Also, my life is boring. What do you all do with your free time?

Can't believe you are really asking this. You're the work-life balance man, man!

Just because I believe strongly in having a work-life balance doesn't mean I know what to do with my free time.

Watch box-sets (rather than whatever happens to be on - that's too unfocused) or films

Well, I am; but it's a bit of a solitary activity.

-Do the above with someone else

It's still a solitary activity, in most cases.

-play computer games, with or without someone else.

I don't really have much interest in that; I outgrew computer games years ago.

-read, by yourself

I do, on Shabbos; that's also a solitary activity. (Do you spot a common thread?)

-go to the pub, with someone else. More than one other person is allowed, too.

I'm not really a pubs person. And I don't like being in pubs with groups, as I can generally not make out what anyone's saying who's not sitting directly next to me. (Yes, I'm a hard person to please.)

-cook, experimentally. With the help and inspiration of books. For books, read also, the internet

TAASA.

-find a hobby. Some suggestions would include playing a musical instrument, generally badly;

I lack the oomph to want to put in hours and hours and hours of practice to claw my way back to a decent standard.

climbing rocks;

Sounds like an accident waiting to happen, in my case.

Next!

Re: Solutions, not problems

[bluepork.livejournal.com]

-play computer games, with or without someone else.

I don't really have much interest in that; I outgrew computer games years ago.

I object! There's nothing childish about playing games, computer or otherwise. As I'm sure you know, they're a bit more graphically sophisticated than when we were young, but no less engaging. Remind me to show you the game I'm into at the moment next time you are here not on a Shabbat. Its called Bioshock. On the face of it, its a dumb fps, but its actually drawn a lot of inspiration from the book Atlas Shrugged and the writing of Ayn Rand in general. You might find it interesting from a purely intellectual p.o.v. just coz of that.

> TAASA

No idea what this means. I googled the term, and can't work out whether you are referring to the Texas Association Against Sexual Assualt or The Asian Arts Society of Australia. You're gonna have to give me more to go on, bro.

Have you had any more helpful solutions from anyone else then?

Re: Solutions, not problems

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

I don't really have much interest in that; I outgrew computer games years ago.

I object! There's nothing childish about playing games, computer or otherwise.

I didn't mean to imply that; merely that they are something I used to be into, but am no longer.

> TAASA

No idea what this means. I googled the term, and can't work out whether you are referring to the Texas Association Against Sexual Assualt or The Asian Arts Society of Australia. You're gonna have to give me more to go on, bro.

The content was the rest of my message: It stands for That's Also A Solitary Activity.