Sunday 11 January 2009

Nothing


Cicero once wrote to a friend of his, complaining that he hadn't had a letter from him in a long time. "You'll tell me you have nothing to say. Well, write to me and tell me that you have nothing to say". Actually he wrote something incomprehensible in Latin, which perhaps explains why people didn't write back to him, but you get the idea.

This is my third attempt to write something this weekend. Having nothing to say is not a problem for me - I never have anything. I'm just suffering from not being able to think up a way of saying nothing. Apparently Oscar Wilde said "I love talking about nothing. It's the only thing I know anything about." And of course Shakespeare wrote a whole play about nothing.

Anyway, I was sort of sitting here doing nothing, since Helena was wrapping presents. I started wondering about this nothing thing. Wondering how advertisers ever manage to sell products with claims like "Nothing tastes better", or "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux".

What were they thinking???

Then we have that elusive "No-one" "No-one does it better", "No-one gives you as much". So I should go and find this no-one person, who does things better. Maybe he will sell me nothing, which will taste better, even if it does suck. I wonder how much nothing is worth. No-one knows, and I suspect it will be a lot, since such a lot of things are worth nothing.

So now I can go back to spending quality time with my daughter, happy in the knowledge that if I achieve nothing more this weekend, I'll have finally managed to finish a post.

And that's better than nothing.

13 comments:

Tracy Rambles On And On said...

Behold, for I am FIRST!!!!
Bask in my FIRST glory!!!

Tracy Rambles On And On said...

I love the top picture or painting. Where do you find these things?

I have to say that the Oscar Wilde comment should be the motto of my life. It fits me perfectly.

See:

I (meaning me) love to talk about nothing. It's the only thing that I know anything about.

Isn't that perfectly me???
Is Oscar Wilde dead? If he is, I'm stealing his quote.
Get back to me on that one.

Brian o vretanos said...

Tracy:

Yes, Oscar Wilde is dead, and probably completely decomposed by now, so I don't think he'll try to stop you stealing his quote.

Bee said...

You know, I've been a little down in the dumps and I blame the fact that too much goes on here at the Beehive so I have to say I envy your "nothing" right now.

Anonymous said...

Well, I'm having a day of quiet nothing. I may eat a hot dog later and watch TV, if I'm feeling very energetic.

Savour your "nothing time." It's very restorative.

Jean Knee said...

you just can't put a price on nothing.


enjoy your luck of nothing my friend because it won't be long before something comes along and effs the whole thing up

Brian o vretanos said...

Bee:

You're welcome to some of my nothing, but I'm just not sure how to get it to you.

Chris:

I agree, it certainly is.

Jean Knee:

Economists would disagree with you and mutter about "opportunity cost". I'm amazed I remembered that - I thought I'd forgotten everything they taught me at school.

Dan said...

I have nothing to comment. But I guess it's something since I did.

Brian o vretanos said...

Dan:

Thanks for nothing ;-)

for a different kind of girl said...

I'm having a half and half weekend. I have blog topic ideas, but the bigger part of me just wants to sit and finish books and quit changing my mind about what I want to write about.

Or nap. Wow. I could REALLY just go for a nap!

Anonymous said...

Good job. I've been in a state of nothing lately here too.

Tracy Rambles On And On said...

Well, I'm sorry that poor Mr. Wild, may he rest in piece, is gone.
Now, do you mind if I put that quote on my blog somewhere? I really like it.

ReformingGeek said...

Hum.. Nothing from nothing leaves nothing, right?

I am one with nothing. ;-)