How to survive boredom at meetings.

I'm at a mandatory training course that is boring the life out of me. I feel my life-force slowly being sapped out by the monotonal (is that even a word??) voice of the co-ordinator, and the rambling wafflings of one of the participants, whom I have nick named 'Mighty Mouth!'. My eyes are glazed over and I'm in a trance. They say that the mind is a terrible thing to waste, and being at this course is just going to prove that saying.

So, what does one do to pass away the time? Well, apart from exhausting out playing 'Nowts & Crosses', or Counting sheep; the next best thing to do is improvise. And that's exactly what I've done. Do you realise how many useless/useful facts you pick up when you observe people in your group. In the course of 1 hour and out of sheer boredom, I noticed that there are:

19 people on the course
5 are women
5 wearing white shoes
10 are wearing jeans
5 are bald
7 are wearing trainers
6 have their arms folded
ALL are bored (including the co-ordinator!)
1 is a major chatterbox
22 posters are stuck on the wall
2 people have the flu
5 people are perpetual interrupters
8 are half asleep
1 blond
5 people wearing glasses

and such irrelevant information like that. Inspite of the boredom, you have to project the image of 'alertness and enthusiasm!

Thankfully, this is the last day of the course!!

Hallelujah!

If you have any tips on how to pass the time during boring presentations and courses, please share!