I'll call it an "enrichment toy". Like that time we went to the wild cat sanctuary with the overhead walkway, and the guides told us, "If you drop your hat/ camera/ phone/
See, I never had one of these as a kid. I knew others that had one, but I just found them frustrating. It wasn't until recently that I learned that the dang things come with instructions. INSTRUCTIONS!?
So... here... many moons later. I bought one. I bought myself one of those... the other day, I bought... I ordered online... for myself... I found and bought...
a Rubik's cube.
Dammit.
I couldn't get the darn things to work way back when they were first introduced in 1974 - yes, I was alive then.
They were all the rage.
I'd twist things around a few times and just when I'd get colors to line up, the other colors I had lined up were unlined up. GAAAH!!
One day not long ago, Wolfgang was here and he had a mirror cube, which is kinda like a Rubik's cube, but harder.
It reminded me that I never mastered the Rubik's cube. Never mind the fact that now there are 4x4, 5x5, 6x6, 7x7, and maybe even bigger cubes! I never even figured out the 3x3! Elementary school kids can do it!
So, dammit, I got one!
And yes, the frustrating things come with INSTRUCTIONS! Who knew?!?
So I studied. I learned. I got the idea.
I tried. I failed. I tried some more. I failed some more.
I learned that you actually solve the thing in steps - clear and specific steps, rather than the mess-with-it-until-something-works method I'd used in my naive impetuous youth.
Even Magnum confessed his frustrations with the thing long ago. Asperger Magnum had struggled with the Rubik's cube! I let him mess with mine. Just as long as we all know...It's MINE.
It's mine, as in...
I OWN it.
How are you
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Linking up with MamaKat this week for the prompt:
6. Share your favorite October purchases!
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13 comments:
Your face in the first shot is classic. Well done I'm glad you mastered something that has taken you from 1974 to do. I hope it was worth the wait! :D
Thanks Joe. Yes, I've had that face since 1974.
Love, love, love this! I just had a conversation with a friend about the darn Rubik's Cube gizmo and how, in frustration, I peeled all the stickers off the thing just so I could defeat it.
Today, my biggest challenge is getting the plastic bag open in the produce department of the market. Somehow, Rubik's cube was easier...
I'm still in the stage of messing around to see if it lines up and then toss it aside. Maybe someday I will graduate to using instructions!
The old peel-the-stickers move is very tempting!
And yeah. Those bags. Damn them.
I lost interest after my first few initial struggles. Then I saw elementary school kids having "speed cubing" competitions!
Heck. I knew the Rubik's Cube had instructions, but I STILL couldn't figure it out. I'd actually break the dang thing apart and put it back together.
Amp caught on pretty quickly as a young'un, and impressed all his friends with his speed at solving it. I'll take pride at being the mom of a whiz kid and leave the solving to others. :)
It seemed like a fad back when it first came out, but I guess it's had a resurgence for this next generation. I saw a youtube video of a 3-year old girl solving one in about a minute or so. Her hands were hardly big enough to hold it. Whaaat??
I remember playing with a Rubik's Cube when I was young. I never knew it came with instructions, either, and never figured it out. Maybe I'll have to try it again.
Go for it, let your mind finally rest!
Oooo... Tempting, now that I know it comes with instructions. However, hmmm... as you inquired, would I be spending time or wasting time?
Congrats to you! Glad those brain cells are still flourishing.
Even with instructions, it works the brain (MINE anyway!), so not a complete waste of time :)
I only held 2 in my hands ever.
And i don't see the attraction or the drive to finish the cube.
I heard geniuses can solve the things rather quickly.
I am no genius, so i'll pass.
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