I noticed in another thread that many of you out there claim to be extraordinary Trivial Pursuit players. I am curious about other intellectual pursuits of the Teeming Millions.
I’m particularly interested in two of my favorite pastimes: crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles. I’ve always enjoyed them and I’m good at them. Is this common among Straight Dopers?
I notice as I write this that Trivial Pursuit is a social activity, crossword puzzles are a solitary, and jigsaw puzzles can go either way. Any feedback on that aspect?
p.s. I also read in another thread that many of you like Barry Manilow. Please deduct 15 points from your I.Q.
“non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem”
– William of Ockham
I love both crossword and jigsaw puzzles. The completion of a puzzle satisfies a real need for closure that one never quite achieves in the less frivolous persuits in life.
Best Crossword Puzzle: The Sunday LA Times Calander section.
Best Jigsaw Puzzles: Paintings with lots of details. Anything less than 1500 pieces is a waste of time.
I used to do Fill-ins all the time, but I haven’t done puzzles much lately. Hmmm, maybe I’ll have to go pick one up. Always liked it when they didn’t give you a starter word and the numbers fill-ins are even tougher.
I love the number fillins with no start number…very good exercise for your brain.
I used to have a dyslexia type of disorder (but with numbers) and I beat it (well…more or less! ) with puzzles like those.
in high school, I passed grade 10 math with a 50% (the minimum to pass) and in grade 11, I had to take the lower level math…very demeaning-let me tell ya! It wasnt until years later that I discovered why I couldnt make the numbers work.
What a waste.“I coulda been somethin’ …I coulda been a contenda!”
Gotta be a social activity as you noticed for me. TP is the best, and a source of much frustration for my friends. I enjoy stuff like Scrabble and Scategories (that sonds kinky don’t it). Im heavy into card games, the more thought the better usually. Online and computer ones don’t appeal as much. I like lining up and playing Pinochle, Spades or Euchere. Poker is great with the right opponents, and a variety of variations. My friends all are quite cerebral in cards so the games are quite well contested.
Crosswords are only fun when the power goes out, or I’m on a plane. Puzzles got old when I was little. One complaint about crosswords, most of the Newspaper ones have too many questions about 80s soaps and dramas that only couch potato housewives would know.
Whats a fill-in and a number fill-in?
What I like to do when I’m alone (get your mind out of the gutter) is play Civilization II and Starcraft. Occasionally online.
Basically it looks much like a crossword but you’re given a list of words or numbers based on on length (as in 6 digits or 6 letters). You have to fit the words or numbers in the spaces so that everything fits together like a crossword.
And I’m one of those Manilow lovers too…I refuse to subtract any points from my IQ, though…my love of Manilow has been surpassed by an even greater love of SD. So there.
I’ll do regular crosswords, but I prefer acrostics and cryptics – and yes, I subscribe to Games. Used to get Tough Cryptics as well, but they just stopped publishing. Sigh.
I think bridge and spades (the pinpoint-bidding variety) are the ultimate cerebral pastimes, though. Everything’s so much more fun with three other people and plenty of alcohol …
