Skip to main content

Puzzle Me This

Friends,

I had considered writing today’s note as a palindrome, to celebrate the culmination of ten consecutive palindrome dates (1-20-21 through 1-29-21). Fortunately, in a temporary lapse of madness, I was dissuaded by the enormity of the task. It’s worth noting, I also did nothing to mark the 21st minute of the 21st hour of the 21st day of the 21st century. I briefly considered having 21 shots (after all, 21 is the legal drinking age) but, again, a brief gap of folly saved me from alcohol poisoning. Instead, I focused on completing my 990 piece puzzle. Why not 1,000, you ask? I can’t say for sure, but at 55x18, I suppose they think it acceptable to renegue on 1% of the promised pieces. Puzzling! It would be like a Dunkin’ including a nibbled donut in the dozen I purchased.

 

The trick to completing a puzzle is breaking it down into activities, not focusing on the enormity of the task, then sticking with it. I start with the edges, of course. Then, there is usually a large first plane object that stands-out from the din and has a distinct texture, color and, hopefully, straight lines. Once that is completed I tell myself I’m almost there (I find lying to myself helps). For the undistinguishable parts, I find manmade structures are easier than nature, skies are easier than forests, color gradations easier than random patterns. I focus on the “easier” parts first -- color is now my guide. When the puzzle is about 80% done, I find focusing on the puzzle piece shapes helps me make progress. Finally, when I’m down to the final 5%, I resort to brute force, trying every semi-sensible combination. I suppose most complex endeavors in life have some of the same aspects. A strategy, division of labor, project management, shifting approaches as needed and persistence. Then again, consuming donuts is nothing like that. Granted, you start with the edge, but the similarities end there.




Happy Friday!

Comments

dia-lectic desires said…
I was wondering how you were going to weave donute into your puzzle post. Clever.
January 29, 2021 at 8:23 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Donut Doodle Dandy

Dear Members and Constituents, In trying to figure-out Wednesday’s cool-looking Google Doodle ( Jorge Luis Borges’ 112 th birthday ), I stumbled across a list of Google Doodles you’ll never see. This, and a Rockies game later that day, were sufficient inspiration to get my head spinning around what other doodles Google might never noodle? I’m sure you’ll probably have a few ideas of your own, but I was able to come-up with a couple. How about a former Colorado Rockies player whose unfortunate encounter with a moth put him in the news this week? The Matt Holliday doodle might look something like this… Another item which, surprisingly enough, has not been made into a doodle are donuts. Although I was slightly taken aback to find this delicious pastry has not been featured, after the initial disappointment, I decided to take matters into my own hands and take a stab at one (perhaps Google can use it next year for national donut day )… or to celebrate Greek police having “ blown a ho...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Dozen Rules to Live By

Friends, When it comes to the big questions, there are far too many platitudes, truisms, cliches and BS. Bookshelves are lined with so much advice, you’d think we would have answered them all by now. So, why do people keep doing it? I couldn’t tell you. Whatever the reason, here’s one more exploration to add to the interminable list. I’ve left God out of this post, so these “rules” should come in handy whether you believe life has meaning, or you think purpose is just our prefrontal cortex’s way of sabotaging our limbic system. And, since donuts come in dozens, it felt fitting that my list just happens to have twelve rules.   Do it! (what are you waiting for?). Life sometimes feels like a dress rehearsal. So much time spent preparing for the future, there’s little time left to actually live life. Habit, routine and inertia have a way of filling the day. Try something new, who knows, you might enjoy it. Don’t overthink it. But, what to do? Give-in to a...
2 comments
Read more

Enchanted Donuts

Friends, Mix equal doses of isolation, adaptation, and time. Add a pinch of random stowaway life forms. Remove predators. The result? An eclectic collection of surprising plants and animals known as the Galápagos Islands. Here, iguanas swim and dive for food, the largest members of the sunflower family grow into 45 foot tall trees, and boulder-sized tortoises blow past the century mark with ease. Frigatebird throats of red, boobie feet of blue, moth-pollinated flowers of white. And, having been granted constitutional rights , sea lions own most park benches in town. Surrounded by an ocean teeming with fish of all shapes and sizes, the only downside of spending time in this remote Ecuadorian province appears to be the complete absence of donut shops. I suppose I too can adapt.  Happy Friday!
Post a Comment
Read more