Life is full of boring and simple things that bog us down – things like tying our shoes, making our beds and sleeping in strange beds in even stranger rooms.

The spirit of March Madness, a.k.a. the one time of year gambling laws don’t matter, got me thinking of ways to spice things up in everyday life.

The answer lies within the 65-team bracket. In order to drum up excitement, people should gamble on everything.

It’s hard to believe that this hasn’t been thought of before (apologies to compulsive gamblers). One of the phrases most closely linked to wagering, “make it interesting,” has been overlooked as a life mantra.

For instance, why read this column?

Maybe you’re in the bathroom, maybe you’re stuck in a boring class or maybe you’re an immediate family member of mine. Anyway, you’re reading it because, frankly, you probably don’t have much better to do.

But here’s where I “make it interesting.”

I bet anyone who reads this column one dollar that you’ll laugh once before you’re done. Yes, giggles, smirks and chuckles all count as laughs.

With a buck on the line, you might be pouring over my words like they were written by Ernest Hemingway or, my favorite, Beverly Cleary.

Suddenly, after the prospect of just a little bit of money, things just got interesting.

(Disclaimer: I don’t cover bets. Never loan me money or let me sleep on your couch.)

I think by extending the “make it interesting” creed to other aspects of life, people will be more attentive.

Here’s another example: nothing is worse than an early-morning walk in crappy weather to class. Well, if you have a walking buddy, here’s a chance to make it interesting.

Between you and your walking partner, take turns betting on people’s reactions to you making direct eye contact with them. Predict reactions like the “looking for change on the ground” walk or the quick eye contact followed by an even quicker look away.

Maybe your walk to class will cease being a death march and turn into a way to make a few quick bucks off a friend.

Another gambling principle suits this way of life perfectly – the over-under.

For those who haven’t squandered money on a Bulls-Clippers preseason game, the over-under is a number set to represent the median. For instance, if the over-under for how many drinks someone orders is set at five, you’d bet on whether that person would drink more than five (over) or less (under).

The perfect bet for this deals with all classes conducted before 1 p.m. Since classes always could use a little spicing up, let’s get ready to gamble.

For each class attended before 1 p.m., set the over-under at eight for girls wearing hooded sweatshirts. This might seem like a situation where the “over” is easy money. But be careful to consider things like the weather conditions, barn dance T-shirts and tube tops (I’m nothing without my dreams).

Feel free to bet on how many dirty looks I’ll get for suggesting girls should wear tube tops to class.

The options here are limitless.

People could bet on the number of hippies at Uptowner or on the number of townies at Lefty’s Holler.

Or you could bet on how long it will be until I try and take a mortgage out on my parents’ house.

I’ll set the over at sometime in mid-April.