Dear friends,

Kit and I are busy doing good things. Please endure one more eccentricity blog. Better stuff soon.

Drew

I’ve always enjoyed solving difficult problems. But like athletes’ physical ability declines as they get older, so does everybody’s cognitive ability. Einstein recognized the principles of physics, for which he is famous, in his early twenties. My older brain certainly can’t handle complex problems as well as when I was younger. I can’t add or multiply large figures in my head anymore. Juggling and correlating multiple facts is hard.

I can still focus on a single task though, which has led me to games and puzzles. My eccentricity is not only a need to solve problems but that I set goals then track and record my results in a contest with myself. Solving the hardest Sudoku’s is relaxing and emotionally rewarding to me. I have a computer file with hundreds solved and a few not yet solved. I’ve managed to win old-fashioned playing-card solitaire seven times in a row. Remembering where needed cards are and figuring when not to make a play are the keys. Managing to win a hundred consecutive games of two-suited spider engaged me for two years.

Indulging my problem-solving eccentricity requires intense concentration. Experts debate the value of mental exercise for keeping oneself sharp. If nothing else, I know that solving challenging puzzles and winning games make me feel smarter.