Nothing But Blue Sky

I do indeed like doing puzzles, but they often come to the same conclusion.  I quickly assemble the edges (Sheldon Cooper would be so proud), and sort the sky, sky and land, and land parts.  Then I assemble the edges where the sky and land meet.  Then I fill in the land parts.

Then I am left with the sky.

The Blue sky.

As you can see, I might have left the daunting part for last.  Actually, there is no "might" about it.  I have left the most daunting part last.  If not for clouds and sky gradation, I would have to try each piece in each part.  No, that's not true. I would have to try half the parts (the vertical versus the horizontal parts) in each spot.

As for this puzzle, also another dollar store find, it was of much better quality than the last one.  It was a little more challenging to assemble, but that is probably a good thing.  I also appreciated being able to use the box bottom as a sorting tray--something I was not able to do in the last puzzle.

I think this is my last puzzle for the foreseeable future--but who knows.

A Quick Puzzle Before Christmas

Despite being the king (oops, I meant jack) of all hobbies, I have to admit, I haven 't done a lot of hobby related things lately.  I could blame the weather, or I could blame myself and the fall TV schedule.  Either way, I haven't had a lot to write about.

I have been writing my other blog, whose links you can find on the right side of this page under the title "cool blogs".  Mine is called Today's Perfect Moment.  I have been putting a lot of energy there and have grown a rather large community in a short time.  There seems to be a lot more cross blogging done there and the page is set up to encourage followers.

HOBBY HAPPENINGS

While I haven't done a lot, I have done some things.  Most recently, I got the itch to do a puzzle.  Maybe it is because I associate puzzles with Christmas.  I am surprised that no one gives these things as stocking stuffers anymore.  Knowing how addicting that can be, I really wasn't in the mood to tackle a monster 5000 piece puzzle.  I also didn't want to spend a lot of money.  What was my answer...the dollar store of course.

I found a couple of decent puzzles at the dollar store (Dollar Tree in this case) and purchased them for $1.25 each.  Even with Canadian tax, that still brought in two puzzles for less than $3.

I spent a couple of nights on the first one.  There seems to be no deterioration in my puzzle building skills and I was able to do it rather quickly.  Of course, that first night, I did the usual "just one more piece before I go to bed" thing, and wound up spending a hour or more when I should have been sleeping.  This probably was to the detriment of my students but I didn't actually yawn while teaching.

The puzzle wasn't the best quality.  The fit was a little loose and it came apart a couple of times.  Some pieces still had untrimmed edges (there seemed to be extra paper at the bottom layer of some of the pieces) and one was a little crumpled.  However, it only cost $1.25, so I can't get tremendously angry about that.

When I lived in Japan, I bought frames and puzzle glue for the puzzles.  However, these days, now that I have finished, I will probably take it apart and give it to someone else to do.

The State of my Hobbies (part one)

 

 

I don't want to jinx it, but it certainly seems like spring is underway.  The snow is almost gone and things are looking up.  The only question for this blog is to address the hobbies.  We will call this part one--because I am sure I will miss something.

Darts

This is going well.  I have progressed well and I have several playoff games upcoming.  I have most enjoyed my darts season and will definitely continue it.  My biggest obstacle is that I don't have my board up yet.  I am wavering between installation methods, causing a complete lack of home progress.

Nanoblocks/Loz blocks

There are a few kits I have my eyes on, but I haven't stepped up and got them yet.  My display space is pretty much taken up.  Until I do some reorganizing, this may stay on hold.  Of course this would change if Toys R Us carried more of these kits.  I am much more likely to buy on impulse when I am out than when I am surfing the web.

Trains

I have lots of train projects on the go, just nothing completed.  I had big plans for this weekend before illness caused me to slow down--don't worry, I've just got a cold and don't have the energy to concentrate on stuff.  Even writing this short blog requires frequent rests.

Reading

I have decided to try reading some harder books.  What I mean by that is I am trying to read some more challenging books.  I am on pace to read about 60 books this year.  I decided that I would try and read some Pulitzer or Man Booker prize winners.  It would be great if I could read them all, and I might make that a goal next year.  The current book I am reading is Ghost Written by David Mitchell.  It is very well done and I recommend that anyone looking for a good book to read it.

Puzzles

I still do the crossword puzzle every day, but the one I am doing is only challenging because they have a lot of geographical clues and modern music clues that I have no idea about.  I can usually solve it, but I get frustrated at some of the "cheap" clues they give.  I haven't done any Sudoku puzzles lately, nor any logic puzzles.  Maybe spring will reawaken these pursuits.

Writing

I am hoping to do more of this.  I still harbour the dream of being novelist/writer.  What I have learned is that it really depends on me and my discipline.  Of course I could say that about a lot of things.  I won't let go of this dream.

Blogging

This is something I enjoy a lot.  The truth is, I haven't written as much as I would have liked.  My students seem to enjoy my English teaching blog.  Unfortunately, I have to spend a bit of time reminding them to read it on Facebook. I will need to find ways to attract more people to this blog.  Maybe I will have to write about more controversial topics.....or Justin Bieber.

Gardening Landscaping

Though this may be a hobby for some, it really means work for me.  I have at least a week or two before I need to start on this, but it probably wouldn't hurt to start getting the supplies.  I cut the grass far less than I had to shovel snow, so this really isn't a problem.

2013: A Year in Hobbies

The most popular place in Tokyo to spend New Year's Eve--in Nanoblocks (fitting isn't it)

 

 

Despite what people might think, Christmas is not necessarily the greatest time for hobbyists.  Yes, Christmas brings the potential of much wanted presents for the hobbyist.  It might also bring a good boxing day sale (as it did in my case) but that doesn't mean there really is time to actually do anything.  Christmas is so full of stuff that the real hobby season may not begin until the start of the new year.

I know there are people out there who had planned and executed their Christmas shopping and preparation by September.  Those people probably have had lots of time to play with trains or build model cars.  Based on what people on my favourite train site are saying, there seems to have been lots of time to improve their models and run quite a few trains.

I have not been blessed with too many vacation days--yes, I am that guy.  They guy you see marching off to work like some lemming every morning while you are still in your PJs enjoying that first cup of coffee.  While this may sound like sour grapes (and at times it is) I was still better off than the people around here who didn't have power until Christmas day.  Even if those people had the day off, they couldn't have run trains or powered an airbrush.

 

The new year is upon us, and I should take stock of the --in terms of hobbies.  Life has been pretty full, but I'd rather focus on what this blog is supposed to focus on.

• I have enjoyed blogging and while this blog's readership has been growing slowly, the blog that I set up to help my students' English has done remarkably well.  I have even done a good job of preparing and working ahead, so I don't need to panic the day before a lesson is supposed to be published.

• I have reconnected with the Nscale.net website and have enjoyed their advice and stories as part of my effort to build my n scale train layout.

• I have built and painted several models, and can feel good about my improvement in these areas.

• I have spent time running trains and have reignited my passion in this area.

• I have come to love Nanoblocks, but hate that they aren't as readily available as their big brother Lego.  While they are popping up at toy stores, they soon sell out and restocking seems to take months.

• My passion for reading allowed me to read 44 novels this year.  While this is by no means a record for myself, I think it isn't too bad since for a quarter of the year I had my head buried in ESL methodology books.

• I found time to do a few Jigsaw puzzles, but wonder what to do with them after they are built.

• I have watched far too much YouTube, but I am happy that the few things I have posted have seemed popular.  Though, honestly, I am not sure why unboxing the Statue of Liberty Nanoblock kit is so popular.  Maybe one of you could watch it and let me know.

• It hasn't been a stellar year for practicing Japanese, but I still feel good about my ability.

In my next blog, I will look ahead to the coming year and what joy it may bring.   Thanks for reading.

 

 

Thoughts on puzzles

Puzzles are not everyone's favourite hobby, but I always find time to do a few a year.  The fact that trains are often featured in puzzles is a bonus.  I wouldn't call it killing two birds with one stone.  That's silly.  I would call it synergistic....but that's probably because I was an English major and I need to utilize that expensive (albeit subsidized by the government) vocabulary.

standard assembly...edges first

Puzzles are a pretty solitary hobby with me.  I have known others who treat it as a family activity, but that isn't the case with me.  Perhaps it's selfish.  Either way, the best thing about puzzles is that you can easily see your progress, and more often than not, you do reach completion--which is not always the case with my other hobbies.

If I am lucky, I can put it in a place where the cat won't disturb it and work on it from time to time.  I don't usually put in big chunks of time unless I get sucked in by fitting lots of pieces, or because I should go to bed...and I keep telling myself, "just one more piece."  In these cases, I seem to devote a lot more time to it.

I am a typical puzzle maker....I think.  I start by assembling the edges first.  That seems logical, but I wonder...is there someone out there who starts in the middle and works their way to the edges?  That would be pretty cool to see.

assembling the train is a priority

Since most of my puzzles feature trains, the train gets assembled first.  The worst thing is that I am usually left with sky, and lots of it.  This isn't bad if you're doing the puzzle under natural light, but under a light bulb differentiating light blue from lighter blue isn't so easy.  This latest puzzle was rather odd in that I got the sky done before the mountains.  No complaints, but it just isn't the way things have been going lately.

not just sky left...this time

I happy it is done, and I won't be doing another puzzle until September or later....It's funny how I think I can plan these things, when I know that's not true.  I'll do a puzzle when my fancy strikes me, not when I plan it.  I could have a hundred other projects before I see another puzzle.

DONE

 

 

An unfinished jigsaw puzzle just seems to hang over my head.  I usually do them in the guest room so I don't have to look at them everyday.  In fact, I might even "forget" about it for a while, giving me some respite.

This time I opted for the dining room table, and paid for it.  Every day it nagged me.  Every day it harassed me.  It taunted and tested me.  Today, however, that taunting is over.  It is done, and now there are many more important things to do.  More housework, more studying, and occasionally more procrastination.

Puzzle Pieces Prompt Procrastination

Just one more piece.  These are the famous last words of anyone hooked on a jigsaw puzzle.  Okay, these aren't the last words, these are just the words that cause them trouble.  One more piece, then I will go to bed.  One more piece then I will make dinner.  One more piece and then I will... you get the idea.

It is funny how something so simple can cause so many problems.  Maybe that is precisely it.  It seems so simple, but that one moment of searching for a piece can turn into hours.

I remember once, a long time ago in a country far far away, I said to myself, just one more piece and then go to bed.  The next time I looked at the clock several hours had gone by and my eyes were stinging.  I guess that is just the way it is.  I guess that is just what puzzles do.

When Things Come Together

I like trains.  I like jigsaw puzzles.....can you see where this is going?  Call it luck, call it weird, call it whatever you want.  While browsing in the supermarket I came upon two puzzles with train themes.  They were on sale too, but that really isn't the point..... or is it?  No, the point is that I came across these puzzles, bought them, and now I am sharing them on this blog.  That's it.

unusual packaging

As you can see I am a edges first kind of puzzle builder.  I don't know why that is.  Everyone who I have ever done a puzzle with has always built them this way.  I have never scene a centre outwards builder.  I am not really even sure that such a person exists.  Maybe edges first just seems like something you do, and nobody questions it.  I guess you would either call it common sense, or logic, or an unwritten rule.  Regardless of what you think, this is the way I do it, and it seems to be working for me.



sort those edges

This puzzle had a few negative points right off the bat with me.  The box didn't really lend itself to my typical sort and sift method.  Normally I would use the top and the bottom of the box for this.  This particular box was not built for this, and I had to tape up the insert box and use a Rubbermaid container along with it.  The other problems with this puzzle is that too many of the pieces were still together from the initial assembly.  I find that rather frustrating. (I have a friend who considers that cheating--I won't go so far myself, but I can sympathize with his point).  The pieces also have a lot of cardboard dust attached to them, making it a slightly messy experience.  I guess I can see why it was on sale.  The puzzle also purports to be a "sure-lox" puzzle.  The last puzzle I built fit together so nicely that I could pick it up an wave it like a sheet.  I highly doubt that will be the case this time.  If, however, that turns out to be true, I will make a video of it and put it on YouTube.

Get those edges done first



Hopefully this puzzle will look good when it is finished, but who is to say for sure.  I think the theme is good, so I am looking forward to the result. 



Easy Isn't Better

 

 

I like mental puzzles.  I take great pride in my ability to do things like Sudoku, or logic puzzles, or codewords, or crosswords.  I do them at home, on lunch breaks, and even in the bus on the way to and from work.  This takes a bit more skill because sometimes the bumps on the road come exactly when I am writing down a crucial word or number.  This doesn't really bother me though.  It isn't the greatest frustration that I have.  The greatest frustration comes when crossword puzzles are too easy, too predictable, or seemingly rather lazy.

A couple of years ago at my work, several people used to do the crossword puzzle as a group.  They enjoyed doing it...but after a while they had to mix things up.  I came upon them one day and witnessed a strange scene.  The person holding the puzzle said the answers and they had to guess the clues.  They were quite proficient at it.  I guess the puzzles had gotten rather predictable.

As of late, the puzzles that I am doing (featured in the "free" newspaper) have been full of lazy clues.  So many of them are suffixes and prefixes, or words that wouldn't normally need an s--but do in this case only.  One TV show (How I Met Your Mother) has the main character saying they always use the same clue because they need the vowels--I didn't realize how true that was.

For the next week, I won't be doing the crossword puzzle, because it has become too predictable.  I could blame it on myself.  I am the one who chose to do the "free" puzzles.  If I were smarter, I would go to the bookstore and get a book of tough crosswords.  Then, at least, I wouldn't complain about easy and lazy crosswords. 

The Completed Puzzle

Done, that is all I can say about my jigsaw puzzle adventure.  I enjoyed it, despite moments of frustration and, thanks to the heat in the room I was working, sweat.  I had great moments of accomplishment (getting all the sky or snow done) and moments of great aggravation when I couldn't locate a piece I was looking for.  Either way, it is done now.

A friend commented that it wasn't a particularly hard puzzle--he may be right, but not having done one for years, it seemed hard enough to me.

As far as accomplishments go, this one doesn't rate very high.  It was fun, but since it isn't a primary hobby I can't really jump for joy.  In addition, what am I going to do with it now?  Most likely, soon after finishing this blog, I will take it apart, put all of it (hopefully) back in the box and give it away to somebody who would appreciate doing it. I don't have room to keep it (though I do have a large bottle of puzzle glue, so I could keep it--but it isn't about trains, or Japan, so ..... not likely going to happen.)

The same friend who watered down my accomplishment said that he hates completing jigsaw puzzles, that there is in fact a kind of melancholy associated with it.  I can't really agree, but I understand where that feeling comes from.  I experience it with good books, or even watching the final episode in a TV series that I have followed.  In this case, though, I was pretty happy to slam that last piece home.  I did it without ceremony, or pause to consider how final the act would be.  I was just happy to be done.  Now I can move onto something else.

the complete puzzle

One interesting thing about this puzzle that I should note is that it is very well constructed.  I was able to pick the thing up and wave it like a flag and it did not come apart.  That is pretty incredible.

Goodbye Zellers--thanks for the 1000 pieces of frustration

Needing a few Lego blocks (I needed a customizable right angle to ensure that a railroad building I am working on is actually square) I headed off to my local Zellers, only to discover that it is closing.

Farewell Zellers.  You've gone the way of Towers, Bargain Harold's, The BiWay and other Canadian retailers.  I will miss you.  When I got back into model cars after years away from the hobby it was Zellers that had that provided that car.  It was Zellers that supplied my first collection of paints and paintbrushes.  Come to think of it, I have bought more than my share of hobby paraphernalia there.  Puzzles, board games, camping gear, sports equipment, stuff with the Maple Leaf logo on it--all of them were bought at Zellers.

My trip there was not really nostalgic, nor fruitful.  The 30% sale ensured that there was very little Lego left.  I could have bought a huge box of Microblocks (not to be confused with Nanoblocks, but bearing more than a passing resemblance to Lego) but I really only needed about a dozen blocks.  In fact, there was quite a bit missing from the store, and I expect most of it to be gone by the end of the weekend.

I, of course, was not immune to the lure of a good sale and I bought some stuff.  As concerns this blog, I bought myself a jigsaw puzzle--1000 pieces of pure frustration--okay, not exactly true.  I imagine pure puzzle frustration to be something like a 5000 piece puzzle entitled whiteout.  I have started the puzzle, and I guess I am about 50% done.

maybe 50% done

This is not one of the deluxe Japanese puzzles I wrote about earlier.  However, at less than four dollars, it isn't a bad timewaster.  I looked at some other jigsaw puzzles of trains when I was at the train shop the other day, so I am sure I was influenced by that.  I thought about buying one that day, but it really wasn't in the budget and the subject matter was good because it was about trains, but not specifically the subject I was looking for.  I wish my Zellers purchase had been a train picture, but this was the best of the lot.

The remarkable thing I find about doing puzzles is how quickly you learn to spot patterns and minor differences between pieces.  In a couple of days this skill has been sharpened considerably.  The other remarkable thing is how much time can disappear when you are doing a puzzle.  The other night I decided to put in a "couple of pieces" before I went to bed.  Those couple of pieces turned into more than and hour and a half.  Good thing I am a night owl.

Commuting Distractions--Logic Puzzles

Having too much time on my hands in the bus is both a good and bad thing.  My bus is frequent enough that I don't spend a lot of time waiting for it, but I certainly spend a lot of time on it.  I read, do the crossword, maybe a sudoku, a codeword when I have them, play video games and lately, I have been doing logic puzzles.

I thought I was the only one who did them because I had never seen anyone do them.  Sudoku seems to be the favourite, followed by people reading, and then followed by whatever iPhone game is popular at the moment.  I have never seen anyone doing a logic puzzle.  And no one has ever asked me what I was doing, or stared at me to figure out what I was doing....... until Friday.

On Friday I met someone who was interested and who wanted to know where I got the book.  This is no big deal, but it means that I am, in my mind, no longer the only one doing these things.  I am part of some group.  Since the book was published and sold in a big bookstore chain, I should probably have realized this before now....but this seems more personal, more real.

Logic puzzles are not the best thing for the bus.  There is less to write than a crossword puzzle (I use circles and " x"s), but more to pay attention to.  I had been managing it pretty well, but I realized that for the difficult puzzles, it is difficult to concentrate.  Add to this fact that I am often sleepy during the morning commute and on the verge of dozing off on the evening commute and you can see the problem.

I will persevere though.  Logic puzzles are fun, and challenging.

I became a fan of logic problems when I was in high school.  We spent a week in mathematics class doing them.  I did acceptably well on the test, but now I would be able to ace it. (okay, that's ego talking--let's just say I hope I would do better now.)

Over the years I have bought some puzzle magazines because they contained a few logic puzzles.  The only problem was that I didn't do the rest of the magazine and it sat around for years until I finally threw it out--no I am not a hoarder, but I am not a constant purger either.  My current book is 160 pages of logic puzzles.  I got it in the discount section of the bookstore (I guess they aren't popular) and have done about 25 of them.

Project Update July

I haven't updated my hobby progress in a while.  This is probably due to a lack of progress.  I have done a few things, but I wouldn't call this a particularly productive summer for a hobbyist.  Of course, in Canada, the best indoor hobby time is winter.  When it is cold outside, unless your playing hockey or skiing (two very fine pursuits) then being outside either means that tough walk to the bus stop, the pull your kids up hill so they can slide down in 1/10th the time, or the dreaded driveway shovel.  Being cold outside provides the perfect opportunity to work on models, puzzles, the train, or something along those lines.

Lately here the weather has been rather warm and the flower garden has been demanding a lot of my attention.

Fear not, I have done some things.  First and foremost, I have committed myself to this blog.  The second thing is that I picked up (well, in fact I had Amazon send me) some new train books.  I have read quite of bit from each one and I am happy with the purchase.  The third thing I have done is get the bike tuned up so I can ride around and enjoy this weather.

Sadly, my tennis partner is relocating and I am afraid my game will fall off to nothing.

Truth be told, I have neglected my models, my trains (well, I got some books, and I have made a decision about my layout--but I will save that for another blog) and my Japanese study.  I have put off the Lego purchase.  I have spent time reading, but I have not quite gotten used to loading books on the e reader.

I finished my book of Codeword Puzzles (all 150 of them) and started my book of logic puzzles.

I am not worried, and I am not short of topics for this blog, so even if this officially becomes a lazy summer, I will still have a progress report for you in August.

Commuting Distractions Revisited

For most commuters, a book, even the newspaper would be enough.  For this hobbyist, super enthusiast, if you will, I need more.  Yes, as I mentioned before, I do my best to read a lot of books.  Sometimes, though, books are just a slog, or just aren't doing it.  When this happens, I turn to puzzles like crosswords, sudoku, the jumble if I can find one, or some other puzzle.  The one that has currently caught my eye is called codeword.

I get the feeling that for people in England what I am about to introduce is old hat.  As for Canada, I have never seen it in a newspaper here.  It sometimes appears in a book of variety puzzles, but I stopped buying those because never get through all of them and the book hangs around for years.

I was introduced to Codeword when I visited my friend in Japan.  He told me that he looked forward to his Sunday Edition of the Daily Yomiuri newspaper because they carried a Times supplement and had a codeword puzzle in it.  I could sympathize with my friend because I look forward to the Saturday Star because of the comics and the huge crossword.  As for Japanese newspapers every Sunday I read the Japan Times online because they have a great Dahl cartoon (check it out, it is pretty cool)

When I visited his place he graciously let me do his codeword (pretty nice considering he would have to wait seven days to do another one)  I was hooked.  It is different from both a crossword and sudoku, but contains some elements of both.  Basically if you like word games you might get a kick out of this.

I decided to repay my friend by sending him a codeword book, and since they had two I bought one for myself.  I have done about 143 of the 150 puzzles in the book.  There were 70 easy ones, 60 moderate ones, and 20 difficult ones.  I am not sure I appreciate the ratio of puzzles, but since it has taken me almost one year to do them, I really shouldn't complain.  I have enjoyed the puzzles, and even learned a few, slightly obscure words.

I wish a Toronto newspaper would carry these puzzles once a week, but they've probably got enough going on right now.  I certainly wouldn't want them to bump the jumble for this one, but.....

I probably won't buy a book of these puzzles again, just because it seems like such a big commitment. 

If you want to try some of these yourself, a quick google search and you'll find some that you can print up.  Let me know what you think.

A Puzzling Development

You've probably heard that old cliché that Japan takes something and makes it better.  While I am a big Japan fan (as you might have guessed from previous blogs) and I think Japan is much better at presenting me with hobby opportunities I don't buy into that cliché wholeheartedly.  Nonetheless, where jigsaw puzzles are concerned, they have made it better.

I know what you're thinking.  Ridiculous.  There are great jigsaw puzzles available in North America (and I suppose Europe--though I have never checked) so how could Japan possibly have made this better?

You're right.  They haven't made the jigsaw puzzle better.  It is still just a picture on cardboard.  The subject of them might be different (there are a lot of Mount Fuji puzzle pictures in Japan, and some fantastic Ukiyoe puzzles) but beyond that a puzzle is a puzzle.

What they have made better is the building of puzzles.  Maybe it is because they treat it more like a hobby, and less like a diversion.  This has been done in two ways.

Each puzzle usually contains the puzzle (of course) advertising for other puzzles, the ability to send away for a puzzle catalogue,  a service card that tells you how to resolve any problems that arise from missing pieces (quite ingenious actually--you have to trace out the piece and send it to them, and they will send you the piece you are missing), glue for making the puzzle permanent and a small sponge to apply the glue.  All and all, a pretty complete package.  They even have a point system whereby if you buy enough puzzles you can get one for free.

The other thing that they have done is make puzzles in standard sizes--a lot of standard sizes.  The result is that on the puzzle box they will print a number (like B6) which corresponds to a frame that will fit that puzzles-- and fit it well.  These frames are available at a reasonable price where you buy the puzzle.  What makes these frames useful is that they tray the puzzles sits on has a lip, so the pieces will stay in place, and can be used in the construction phase to keep everything together, and define height and width of the puzzle.

Granted, my experience with puzzles involves getting them from Zellers whenever I see one with a train theme, so maybe there is this kind of thing available here or in other countries, but Japan just seemed to make it easier.

I have done a couple of puzzles in Canada (as I mentioned, a CP train crossing a river in the prairies)  but it wasn't quite the same.  I have the glue, but no frame.  I want to put it in the train room (eventually) but I am not sure how that is going to work.

I have seen some high end puzzle at a game room store--I think we only have one in Canada.  The puzzles looked cool, but once again no frame.  I guess the internet will have to provide a solution for this too.

A Puzzling Life

I must confess to some geekdom.... I should probably confess to a lot, but since the blog is doing it for me, I can forgo that for now.  Back to my confession.  I love puzzles.  I love crosswords, Sudoku, word search, the jumble, mind puzzles, lateral thinking puzzles, logic puzzles, and yes, things like the Rubik's Cube.

Being able to solve the Rubik's Cube is an honour which lies somewhere between useless and dubious.  It certainly doesn't help me meet women, and other than surprising some of my students--who quickly ask me how fast I can do it--curse you YouTube, curse you.  I can do it but I am no record holder.  Shouldn't that be good enough?  As I was saying, other than surprising my students, it doesn't do much else for me.

I remember watching a "reality" TV show called "Beauty and the Geek",  One of the contestants (guess which one?) was unpacking their luggage when they produced multiple cubes.  When questioned why so many cubes were needed, the reply was, "Just in case."

Since that day I have wondered what that meant.  Just in case what?  Is there something about the Mayan Calendar prophecy that I don't know?  Maybe I've got some kind of edge.  Maybe cube solvers will rule the new order.  Probably all that guy meant was that he would have something to do if the internet went down.

I learned to solve the Rubik's Cube from a book.  I got it as a Christmas gift while still in elementary school.  Oddly enough, I did those moves so many times that I haven't forgotten them more than 28 years later.  I guess there really is something to muscle memory.

I had a whole collection of these puzzles.  I had a pyramid, a missing link puzzle, a tower with colour graduated balls.  I think the people in my life wanted to get me on that TV show That's Incredible.