2021, Art, Family, Games, home, pets, Uncategorized

Bad math

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My math was wrong.  When I figured the daily average, I based it on only working on the puzzle every other day.  I completely neglected to take into account my personality.  I worked on the puzzle every day – usually for about an hour.  Then on Thursday, the tipping point arrived and the pieces started to find their way more easily.  Unfortunately, this means I spent about 6 hours sitting at the table and when I went to bed and closed my eyes, I saw puzzle pieces behind my eyelids. 

Took one last hour yesterday morning to finish up.  I was thinking right down to the end that we would be missing a couple of pieces (cat, dog, vacuum…) because there was one spot that I had been searching to fill for days.  But lo and behold, the last two pieces fit together to go right in that spot!

I’ve talked about this silly puzzle to so many folks that I texted the picture to a fair number of people and I am in no hurry whatsoever to take it apart and put it back in the box.  I thought briefly about using puzzle glue to cement it but I don’t have any wall space!  And I promise not to bring puzzles up any more on the trail.

What is something that you are particularly proud of?

42 thoughts on “Bad math”

      1. Benjamin Franklin was an interesting guy on this topic. He once listed humility as a virtue to be cherished, but later was criticized for being too proud anyway. And he wrote: “In reality, there is, perhaps, no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Disguise it, struggle with it, beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive, and will every now and then peep out and show itself; you will see it, perhaps, often in this history; for, even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility.”

        And, as a sort of joke within a joke, I think I actually am humble. It’s not a virtue with me but rather the consequence of low esteem. I am no Ben Franklin!

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    5. Excuse my silliness. There are accomplishments of which I’m genuinely proud, but with few exceptions I’d never want to mention them here. I’ll admit to one. I once caught a four-pound carp in Squaw Creek. A carp you say? Yes. Before that famous April afternoon, no fish pulled out of Squaw Creek was larger than a hotdog wiener. I was known all over town as “the kid who caught the fish.” Not many folks remember that now, but such is the fickle nature of fame.

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      1. “As the evening sky faded from a salmon color to a sort of flint gray, I thought back to the salmon I caught that morning, and how gray he was, and how I named him Flint.”
        Deep Thoughts Jack Handy

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  5. This is particularly pertinent today, VS, because we just started a 1000-piecer yesterday, and Husband couldn’t tear himself away till 10:30…

    How many pieces in yours? Ya know, it looks really nice on that table… you could cover it with some clear plastic and then put lamp, etc. on it as is.

    Thinking about what I’m proud of…

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  8. For one thing, I’m proud that our country’s legal system was up to the task of upholding the actual outcome of the election just passed.

    Lately I’m proud of my cooking – how I’ve been more creative than usual, so as to use up whatever food most needs to be used.

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    1. I’m having a comfort food couple of days here. Yesterday I made my instant pot mac & cheese and I just came from the kitchen where I finished my ramen vegetable pad thai.

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  10. I’m immensely proud of my wife for her passion for things. I’m proud of my son for his work and the man he is. I’m proud of my daughter, as frustrating as she is to me, she is a remarkable young lady.

    Once in a while I’m proud of a show I’ve worked on. Many are “good”, some are not, some turn out extra special and those are the ones I’m extra proud of. Sometimes it’s the kids in the show, knowing what they’ve done or what they put up with to get Where they are, it is impressive.

    The things we do ourselves; it’s harder to see; we only see the flaws. The things we did wrong. A thousand good things and we focus on the one bad thing. I do anyway.

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  11. I can’t decide whether pride is a vice or a virtue, seems like it can be either. I’m probably overthinking this, but at the moment I can’t really think of a thing that I’m proud of. There are some things that I feel good about, sure, but there are plenty more things that I need to work on. Guess I’ll concentrate of those for now. Maybe I’ll take a short nap first.

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  12. Jacque and Renee work in a field where I’d imagine it is hard to enjoy their successes. It is holy work because they are helping people deal with the pain and confusion of life, but in the end they don’t exactly have a product in hand that they can take pride in. Teachers probably feel the same. Now and then they get a Mr Chips moment when the students they’ve helped come back to tell them they did well, but many professions force you to do a lot of good work that isn’t public and for which you have to praise yourself. Ben’s pride in lighting shows well is a good example.

    When I was the editor of a magazine there was little sense of accomplishment. We worked like dogs to get the August issue out, and by the time it was at the print shop we were working like dogs to get the September issue together. When I wrote books things felt better. Many of my books took about nine months to write, so it is a little bit like having a baby. You work and work, but at the end you have something you can hold in your hand and feel good about.

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    1. Thanks so much for your kind words, Steve. One perk of working in the same community for 30 years is the warm feeling of having people I saw in therapy as children trust me to tell me about their own lives and their own children, and even consult with me if they have worries about their children.

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      2. At this point in my life I find little to take pride in, as careful reflection has led me to conclude. But then I am not wired for pride. I tried to change the way of senior high English instruction, throw as much of the repetitive stuff that research showed did little good and try to make improvement by hard work the reward, which of course was not popular with all students or parents. To trash the idea of teaching the parts and assume students would assemble the whole, such as writing, but to start with the whole. I take some pride in the effort, not so much results. Steve, I have had few Mr. Chips moments, but that is nature of the concept, they grow and move on. And maybe because I left town, but I do not think so. Good students, who I was blessed to teach most of the time, grow the fastest and the farthest. I formed a vision and built methods and honed and honed them, with sniping from all sides, but such is to be expected if you change things. Then I left and it all disappeared. At Christmas one of my students said they had a plan to have a Zoom reunion of sorts from students who are now retired, retiring. She asked me to email my acceptance of the idea. I gave an enthusiastic reply. And I have not heard since.

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        1. P.S. about 10 of my students did not realize I was not doing orthodox English instruction until they became teachers or until their children got to high school.

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  13. My novels (of course), the no-hitter I pitched when I was 14, All of my sub-par golf rounds, staying married for 42+ years, being a better-than-average cook (but nowhere near worthy of being called a chef), the model of the USS Constitution I built when I was a kid (one of those giant plastic kits toy stores sold back in the ’60s), obtaining my Conscientious Objector status in 1974 (still can’t figure out what I said in my letter to talk the SSS into that!). As a corollary to the last point, I’ve NEVER raised a hand in anger against anyone and engaged in a physical fight . . . well, at least ever since I beaned my sister in the forehead with a can of tomato soup when I was 3 and she was 4 because we were fighting over who would get to open the can. I had the can, but she had the can opener. Mom was about a second too late to stop that brawl,

    Chris in Owatonna

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  14. I am proud that a young woman friend of my daughter, who resides in Tacoma but grew up in Germany in Baden-Wurtemburg, thinks my Lebkuchen are “magical”, and wants my recipe!

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  15. Pride is a tricky one – defined by my desk Funk & Wagnall’s:
    1. an undue sense of one’s superiority; arrogance; conceit.
    2. a proper sense of personal dignity and worth
    3. that of which one is justly proud
    4. the best time or the flowering of something: the pride of summer
    5. a group or company: said of lions

    I first responded to VS’ question thinking of #1 – I usually shy away from saying I’m proud of something. But I’m more comfortable with #s 2 and 3, i.e.:
    I take pride in being able to lead small singing groups, a cappella when needed, and I can sing on key. 🙂

    I am proud that I can re-arrange the house to meet almost any circumstance – at present there are two side-by-side card tables crammed into the living room (see photo at top), but hey – it’s temporary.

    I’m proud that I can organize pretty well, particularly that Used Book Sale for the Unitarians.

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  16. My son’s Dutch friend tells this story: because of illegal parties, Holland put a curfew into effect. Tonight there is rioting.

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  17. OT – today I heard that the remaining Godiva chocolatier stores are closing. There will still be product available, in stores like Macy’s, or you will be able to order it online. Godiva had a loyalty program where you could get a free piece of chocolate in one of its store once a month. When I signed up, there was a store in downtown Minneapolis, and several other locations. Rosedale and Southdale had stores. And there were two stores at the megamall, the one on the lower level being the most familiar to me. Over time the stores dwindled, and I haven’t gotten my free key lime truffle for over a year now. Still, I will miss their stores. It was a nice treat.

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