Tales from the Steppes

2006-05-09

4:27 p.m.
tuesday, May 9

My friends here at work congratulate me for being able to be under investigation after only being here a year. I point out that it is the project, not me, but it makes no difference. Actually, I am glad someone is getting a laugh out of this. People keep coming up to me - how I am doing, hang in there, this is total crap, and on and on. I think at this point, I am not really angry; more irritated that my time is being wasted and offended that these allegations would even be made. The monkeys flung far more poo at my coworker (on a personal basis - I got more professional poo) but he is not here to deal with the pitying looks - he went to Disney World this week. Before he left, he joked about how the commercial would go "Person X, you've just been ripped a new asshole in public. What are you going to do now?" "I'm going to Disney World!" I really, really hope he is having a good time. Because when he gets back, the real fun will begin.

Recently, I have started doing the Sudoku puzzle in the paper every day. It is almost something of a compulsion. There is a puzzle everyday, so I must solve it. I am not sure why it would be a problem to not solve it. But it is.

But don't get me wrong, I do not seem these puzzles out - they must find me. If it is not in my daily paper, then I would not feel compelled to go buy a book of Sudokus. I think the cruelest thing a person could do is get me a subscription to Games magazine. I would do nothing else until I finished the whole issue. And then I would wait quietly for the next one.

The interesting thing about Sudoku us that you do not need to actually know anything to solve it. All you need is right there - no arcane knowledge of '50s Academy Award winners is necessary. So if you cannot solve the puzzle, it is truly a reflection of either your thought process or persistence. I say persistence becomes the puzzles are actually a bit boring. But yet I must solve them. Is there a name for this compulsion?