An upcoming event at the University of Central Lancashire will celebrate the ordinary and explain how to find thrills in the more mundane moments in life.
The Delightfully Dull, Brilliantly Boring Evening is the brainchild of UK boredom expert Dr Sandi Mann, who has been researching boredom for over 15 years and is known affectionately as Dr Boredom.
She has joined forces with Grover Click, an American who was one of the founders of the worldwide Dull Men’s Club (DMC), a tongue-in-cheek club designed to celebrate the ordinary.
Dr Mann said, “In today’s switched on world, we are constantly seeking novelty and stimulation. The more we get, the more we want, and this is why boredom is creeping in. What the Dull Men are doing is countering this quest for ever-increasing excitement by finding thrills in more mundane things.
“The Delightfully Dull, Brilliantly Boring Evening will explain how we can all get off our devices and start appreciating the world around us – and how we will all be happier for it.”
The event also promises the chance to rub shoulders with “dulluminaries” like Archie Workman, Cumbria’s leading drainspotter, Kevin Beresford from the UK Roundabout Appreciation Society, and Richard and Emily Gottfried, who maintain meticulous records of the 800+ minigolf courses they have visited.
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The DMC’s Facebook group has around 21,000 members who regularly share their passions for activities like apostrophe correcting, extensive collections of milk bottles, and following every brown sign they come across.
Grover said, “The point about these hobbies and interests is that, while they might appear to be dull as ditchwater, they actually are surprisingly fascinating. This evening in Preston celebrates that and promises to be something very different. It will be entertaining in a whole new way.”
The Delightfully Dull, Brilliantly Boring Evening takes place on 15 May from 6pm to 8pm at the Preston Campus.
Tickets range in price from £8.68 to £11.37 and can be booked on Eventbrite. For more information, contact Dr Mann at smann@uclan.ac.uk.
Do you appreciate the more mundane things? Will you be going to the event? Let us know in the comments below.