As Dorothy Parker said: "The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity".

I once watched a beautiful interaction between my dive instructor and an octopus playing together.

When i get bored i imagine the marquis and the marchioness playing bridge ( the marchioness often wins, but only because the marquis likes to see her smile)))

3 m

nice imagination!
how long is your boredom then forgotten?

Mieke: edit your comments

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Oscar

But Dorothy Parker wasn't referring to an octopus wasn't she?

Sander

You are a real treasure. Indeed, most mistakes I make, I discover within 15 minutes.

I've never realised that there is an aquarium in Bray! I've always been told that the only interesting thing in Bray is Bray's Head (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bray_Head) although I have to admit I've never climbed it. I prefer the Wicklow Mountains more inland or Britta's Bay, a nice stretch of sandy beach which is quite a rarity in Co. Dublin.

Arnon

What is worse when you are put in an aquarium, 'torture' or boredom?

Dorothy

But Dorothy Parker wasn't referring to an octopus, WAS she?
Dorothy Parker taunted the people around her, didn't she?
DP didn't commit suicide, did she?
There isn't a thin line between fighting boredom and torture, is there?
There is a thin line between the sublime and the ridiculous.
Isn't there?

bert

People around me are calling me a clever shit. I'm certain these same people would assassinate you in the cruelest way possible if they ever got to meet you.

Hesper

Thank you for pointing the mistake out me. You are not the most subtle copyeditor I know, but I guess that's because you are a hobbyist.

clever shit etc

@ AG
"....out TO me."
I'm sorry, I'm not a professional copy-editor, and I tend to be rather sarcastic, perhaps too much so sometimes.
A hobbyist, a mere dilettante in every way, yes.

@Juliane
I take that as a compliment, or am I sidetracked here?
I don't know about you, but being called a clever shit should of course be taken as a compliment.

Hesper

Dilettante? I urge you to read "The Lime Works" by Thomas Bernhard.

dorothy

i think the streetmap of OZ looks exactly like an octopus, but hey, i always see weird paterns.

bert

At least I don't take it as a compliment. Being a clever shit doesn't necessarily include that the people calling you that name deem you an intelligent person. A clever shit (or German "Klugscheißer") just shows off which can be done with very little knowledge and therefore he or she is a nuisance to others.

clever

It's either ...'a clever shit shows off' or ...'a clever shit shows WHAT can be done...'
I fully well know what people mean when they are applying that epithet, but when they call you a clever shit I would certainly advise you to take it as a compliment.

bert

Did you group together "shows off" and "which can be done"? This was not my intention (is there an essential comma missing?). I probably should have made two sentences since I wanted to say "A clever shit shows off. This can be done with very little knowledge."

I like to accept good advice now and again and what good does it do me to annoy my friends and family if keeping my mouth shut is not an impossible thing to do? Usually I value them higher than e.g. grammar. If someone keeps banging on about things I should or should not do even though I kindly asked them to stop I, myself, would be very irritated and probably avoid contact after a while.

Juliane

What else can I say?
I agree, but you started the subject telling us you were called a 'clever shit' by the people around you.
OK, no compliment for you then.
Thanks by the way for this word 'Klugscheißer', better than simple Dutch 'betweter'. (You may turn this into 'bertweter' if you want to).
Anyway this smart aleck finally recommends a nice song by Primus:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=primus+mr+knowitall&search_type=&aq=1&oq=primus+mr+
=================================

bertweter (thanks for the vocable)

Little question for you. Imagine the world has been taken over by zombies and you are the last surviving human. Which song would you play to match the scenario?

zombies

Ah, Night of the Living Dead!
I wonder why you picture me in some horror movie?
You choose the song to go with it, I wouldn't care anymore.
(Provided there would be some power left to play it)