March 19, 2006

Thinking Shminking

I looked at a calendar today and counted.

I have 7 days of work left. 12 days until the 31st. 6 days of what the bosses fondly call an "off-shift". Maybe it's five days? Maybe I can't count?

A further confirmation of my inability to think mathematically was proven in a came of "Count 4", played this evening with a juvenile delinquent from Mobile, AL. She failed grade nine. She is borderline special education. And she beat me soundly, nay, not only soundly but several times in succession. And I was trying!

If you've never played "Count 4", it's that game where you have to line up four of your markers in a verticle holey thing...

I was never good at recognizing patterns in numbers or abstract shapes. I hated it since the beginning and I'm not really sure why. Word stuff? Piece of cake! I can kill any average bear at word games... I knew of my inadequacy going in to the match, but it still bugged me that I was only able to win when she threw the game...

This leads me to another point. She has mastered crocheting complicated patterns simply by watching people do it (and she just has to see it once). She notices patterns in card games, board games, any kind of game. She's good at it, too.

But she's labeled as an underacheiver, a never do-gooder, a perpetuater of the systemator, etc. etc. She also writes beautifully, and bizarre ebonics aside she has a master over the English language (something I must say, that is true of any hip-hop artist, you try to rhyme that fast!). Probably just some untapped potential and the result of a failing education/social system.

Now we'll be lucky if she can keep a minimum wage job for any length of time.

I have glasses now. I'm supposed to wear them all the time, but they drive me nuts. I just don't like having anything impede my perspective (the frames). The world is a lot clearer with glasses on. I could always see the forest before, but I never really realized that you could see branches and details...

Have you ever seen a cardinal? They are the most spectacular crimson... and monarch butterflies are everywhere! The other day I got to wade (with boots) in a creek nestled among the mountains of backwoods Alabama. How cool is that? (terribly cool actually, since the water hasn't really warmed up that much). Some of the trees are starting to bloom, and you can see splotches of purple on the hillside. I didn't know trees bloomed purple...

The only snake I've seen so far was in 2-D as a result of an unfortunate "run-in" with a car. I hope to never see one of the 3-D variety.

I've been at work for three days. I have one more, and I believe that my reasoning skills have deteriorated dramatically. I got here Friday morning at 8 am, and I'll be leaving Tuesday morning at 9 am. That is far too long to be at work. It should be illegal.

And finally, I have run out of things to say. I'll be waking up at 4:40 am tomorrow. Cuz that's what we do.

Naten e mire (and now the albanian comes out. I needs me a new job).

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I Just wanted to point out that the game is actually Called "Connect 4" i am glad somebody knows about that game, such a good time.