Relative Something

*this* John W. Hays' take on things and experiences

Posts Tagged ‘puzzle

Challenge Met

with 4 comments

DSCN2768eIf you have been following Relative Something for a while, you may recall that in December I posted a picture of a puzzle that my niece, Tricia, gave me. It stymied me for days, and then weeks, until I set it aside and forgot about it. Often that is just the trick for solving problems, isn’t it?

I have to credit my son, Julian, for renewing my interest. He visited on Sunday and picked up the puzzle, appearing to make a bit of progress with it. That was all the inspiration I needed. Yesterday I started messing with it again and quickly reversed what little headway Julian had achieved.

Not long after that, something happened that led to some noticeable progress. Then, I have no idea how, the pieces came apart. Success! I think. If you can call it that.

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Written by johnwhays

January 27, 2015 at 7:00 am

Posted in Chronicle

Tagged with ,

Serious Challenge

with 2 comments

I want to send a shout out to my niece, Tricia, for the wonderfully appropriate little fiendish gift she presented to me last Sunday. She said she thought of me when she saw this item, and I can understand why. It’s a puzzle. I like puzzles. Done.

DSCN2640eWell… I’m being reminded that my skill with puzzling is stronger in the realms of jigsaws and Sudoku. I can easily consume hours toiling away at either. Physical puzzles tend to strike me in the gaps between my logic. I have fiddled with this little metal challenge for a couple of days now, and am absolutely no closer to a solution than when I started.

That’s part of the fun. If I had solved it this quick, it would have been too easy. I think she picked just the right level for me. That is, if I can someday decipher the solution. I’ll let you know in a few weeks.

I’ve never in my life succeeded in solving the Rubik’s cube puzzle. I’m okay with that. The puzzles that entertain me feel comfortable, like a cuddly soft felt blanket. The cube is more like a scratchy wool to me. Right now, this tangle of metal seems to fall somewhere between those two.

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Written by johnwhays

December 24, 2014 at 7:00 am

Posted in Chronicle

Tagged with , ,