Confessions of a Middle-Aged Nerd

Books, dogs, music . . . okay, lots of people have these hobbies.  Some truly cool people have these hobbies.  I am here to confess that I am not one of the truly cool.  I'm not even marginally chilly.  I am, and always have been, a nerd.  Oh, I tried to deny it through my teens, and I could belt out "Louie Louie" with the best of them at college fraternity/sorority pledge swaps, but deep down in my heart of hearts, I KNEW that I was a nerd.  By some stroke of lucky fate, I found another nerd to marry.  He watched me eat green jello in the dining hall for almost a year before introducing himself, but that is fodder for another post.

A couple of years ago I discovered what must be one of the Quintessential Nerd Pastimes:  jigsaw puzzles.  I confess to shopping for them the way many women shop for shoes, and I have the boxes stacked in a closet to prove it.  Perhaps working on a puzzle triggers some region of the brain that releases Happy Nerd Serotonin, but I find these puzzles rather addictive.  It is amazing that this type of concentration can actually be extremely relaxing; maybe it is because the visual and spatial reasoning required is outside the realm of my workaday world.

Only a certain type of puzzle provides a respite from the daily grind; a fine balance exists between challenge and frustration.  My balance point seems to fall in the 300- to 500- piece range, especially if the pieces are categorized as "Easy Grasp" or "Oversized" (often touted as perfect for those "older or less agile" puzzlers).  Detailed artwork and multiple colors are the most enjoyable.  The fisherman and mountains with reflection in a lake was abandoned after a few hours.  There was nothing relaxing about sorting all blue-green pieces.  In duplicate.

Here is one of my favorites from last summer; this photo does not do it justice, but the details inside the diner were just plain fun.  So, if you are stressed and looking for an inexpensive, non-fattening path to relaxation, clear off the dining room table, turn on a good light, and feel a tiny triumph with each interlocking peace piece.

FX Schmid makes fabulous puzzles.