I basically agree with the initial post.
A great part of the job is doing either nothing or something you have done a zillion times before.
Most of the guys who deny that do get it mixed up imho, I am not saying it is an easy job, far from it. But we have to face the fact that the most challenging days are those either in the sim or during line checks, and the odd bad weather day. Rest is repetitive routine.
Additionally,most of the " intellectual " challenges we face is de facto learning by heart some idiotic numbers, totally fabricated useless nerd-bs by the usual aerosexuals every company has in their training departments.
All that interupted by the same small-talk, same gossip, same mediocre hotels, same same same..
That is flying today.