Hey, guys: want a break from the Internet-and-cable-news media-verse? Try starting a "Dull Men's Club," which provides camaraderie and kick-around conversation for retirees—or any guy who's ordinary enough. Hot topics at one branch south of Boston: park benches, restaurant menus, and raking leaves vs leaving them. "Believe it or not, we spent 2½ meetings on which way to put toilet paper on the roll, over or under," a 76-year-old tells the Wall Street Journal. "It was pretty much tied."
The national club—which is online—has seen membership grow from 3,000 to 5,000 over a few years. Maybe it's riding a wave of dullness that includes Seinfeldian chit-chat "about nothing" and the story about an English teacher who told his high-school graduates, "You're not special." Regardless, members get to read the Dull Men's Group newsletter and wear a "Dull But Not Boring" T-shirt. "We're all supposed to be busy, busy, busy," says a club official, "but what's wrong with being ordinary?" (More boring stories.)