Doing Nothing in ER

[John Tuttle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcowan A good example of a great transition is Professor Emeritus - simply a shift from sphere 3 to sphere 4. No more pay except for the pension but still listed in the faculty and with ongoing privileges.

That's me, except I don't get a pension (TIAA-CREF). I tell people the only job better than being a professor is being a retired professor. Still using the weight room and Library. I can still referee papers, engage in research and go to talks and seminars.

[donheff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Tuttle That's me, except I don't get a pension (TIAA-CREF). I tell people the only job better than being a professor is being a retired professor. Still using the weight room and Library. I can still referee papers, engage in research and go to talks and seminars.

So what is your field? Twenty two posts is too low for an academic. We will start calling on you when relevant topics come up - how is that for a turn-about?

[John Tuttle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donheff So what is your field? Twenty two posts is too low for an academic. We will start calling on you when relevant topics come up - how is that for a turn-about?

Mathematician.

I've been reading the board for a long time. Mathmaticians as a group tend to be terse. If this had been a department email you would have gotten a one word reply. I have lots of opinions and I enjoy a good argument, just not over the Internet.

[Khan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazygood4nothinbum did somebody mention doing nothing? because i'm very good at that. i can sit for hours in an empty, whitewashed room with no windows and be thoroughly entertained. i'm not sure if maybe the meaning of the word has changed but i constantly hear people tell me how bored they are. i don't believe i've ever known a moment's boredom in my life. www.idler.co.uk/forum

I too can do nothing for hours; a habit acquired in my youth.

[Khan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcowan There are four spheres of involvement in which we all engage: Family Community Work Profession

I don't engage in any (except for online).

[ladelfina]

yep.

Thanks LGFNB, for confirming what I knew was possible:

Quote:

i don't believe i've ever known a moment's boredom in my life.

I "do" far less than many people. But I never seem to be 'bored' the way others are 'bored' in the same circumstances. For better or worse, I have the aptitude to be carried away by the writing on a cereal box, if that's all that's on offer.

I'm always the one asking "why?","what does that mean?" to the irritation of all concerned. How can they NOT care? How can they NOT want to know? My DH gets frustrated at times, I can tell.

I second Khan in that there are pretty limited aspects of Family/Community/Work/Profession that I adhere to.. these aspects form probably a lesser part of my existance than they do for others. Work and Profession I have left behind me; Family is for the most part overseas, yet of course I devote what time and energy I can; Community would be an adopted aggregation of people in the midst of which I am only very slowly learning to 'speak' the (unspoken, true) language and make contacts.

Since just doing a load of laundry here can occupy 1/2 the day, I remain doing "nothing", but I'm not 'unhappy' (just slightly frustrated). 

[donheff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazygood4nothinbum i don't believe i've ever known a moment's boredom in my life.

My 8th grade history teacher was one of those Reader's Digest characters you never forget. She used to kick the trash can across the room to get attention. One of her indelible pronouncements when an unfortunate classmate said something was boring was to bellow out, "the ahhdeeuhh of being baawwd in the 20th century." I have been afraid to get bored ever since -- works for ER.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lifeisgood When I tell people that I ER'ed, a fair number of them say something like, "Man, I could never be happy doing nothing.". This always stumps me. I generally give people the benefit of the doubt as to their intelligence. When they say such a dumb thing, I have to re-consider where to put them. Maybe there are people who really wouldn't do anything, but I have a hard time conceiving it. There is so much interesting stuff to do! Especially when you are young and healthy enough to get around.

Yes, I find this to be an incredible lack of imagination. I can only assume the questioner has no idea of what they would do with more leisure time, and I think in a lot of cases this is true! Unfortunately work can sap so much of one's spirit, that a person spends the tiny amount of personal time available in maintenance activities and just collapsing from sheer exhaustion. Many people give up their personal interests after a many decades and forget what it's like to really have free time.

Of course with our "constant traveler" lifestyle of being a fulltime RVer, no one assumes that we spend our days "doing nothing". It's pretty obvious that this is a busy, adventurous lifestyle, and one very difficult to enjoy unless you have a lot of time and few constraints (i.e. are retired).

So, we don't get that question any more!

Audrey