Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Grid-O-Rama

I once had someone do a psychological test on me - the result, "you like problem-solving". Not as in world peace (still working on that) but more like the NY Times crossword puzzle.

I recently mentioned that I saw the movie Wordplay about a crossword puzzle competition run by the NY Times puzzle editor, Will Shortz. I've been a fan of his for years - ever since he was editor of Games Magazine. I may be a geek, but I am in good company - Jon Stewart also does the puzzle.

My puzzling obsession has taken on epic proportions at my new job. Two weeks into it, and I have already created several grids and have embarked on a project to create an organogram. And another project to produce a service delivery cascade that can be best described as OrgPorn. I can't help it. I have to put things in boxes.

I see chaos and I need to create order.

Now if I could only apply this obsession to my closet.


10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, I live for crosswords. Every year I get a book of the NYT puzzles for Christmas. I'm also addicted to Scrabble, which is actually why I've been slow on my blogging recently. I discovered a Facebook application for playing scrabble. Now I spend lots of my online time playing scrabble with various people. :)

If you decide to get hooked,let me know. I'm always looking for fellow wordsmiths. ;)

Jen said...

Maybe you could get one of those grid closet organizers. ;-)

Wholly Burble said...

My cousin, a Scorpio, is all about organizing--creating a place for everything and keeping everything in its place.

I'm all for the chaos theory of life. If I have enough "stuff", I can create anything. And I "see" it better when there's no order to the stuff. That way, part of the creative process is creating that order. So, I guess when I get to the end of my chaos, I, too, have as a goal, order.

HUM, amazing to think you and my cousin just might have something in common with me and my chaos after-all.

soccer mom in denial said...

I'm a big fan of Suduko. Not so much crosswords.

But did you hear Jon Stewart's bit about crosswords in Trucker magazine? Hee-hee.

Oh, and I left something for you at my place.

Life As I Know It said...

I'm a bit obsessed with Sudoku. I abandon my family on Sunday mornings to work most of the day on the Sunday Sudoku puzzle...

Jenn in Holland said...

If you do manage to get the whole obsession thing moved over to the *ahem* practical issues in life, could you come sort out my closet too? And my kitchen, and my shed, and my bookshelf....

Bonnie Jacobs said...

Hey, this post would fit right in with the Weekend Wordsmith prompt for this week, found here:

http://weekendwordsmith.blogspot.com/2008/01/rubiks-cube_18.html

I found you through Jenn in Holland's Singular Saturday, and then I went on reading your posts. Would you like to post this "puzzle" piece with the others?

paisley said...

or my mind... very well done......

Daisy said...

I know why it doesn't work. It is probably a perfectionist streak. Okay - indulge me a moment. I promise there is a point.

You know when an organizer helps someone with a space - say a closet - the one thing they all insist on is purging... Purge purge purge. Right? Well when one does a puzzle, one doesn't have the luxury of tossing aside things that don't suit. One has to find a spot for everything...

So - the problem is that you are either too sentimental and can not relinquish your grasp on these items or on some level you feel like yu are "cheating" on the big puzzle.

That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

:D

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

I did crosswords for years, but now do mostly sudoku. I keep telling myself to get back into practice with crosswords, and some days I have the time, but the others?

I wish.