even before the sudoku craze hit the states, my parents (especially my dad) have really been into this game. although it has a japanese name it's actually a western game (at least, according to wikipedia).
anyway, my parents play it constantly; mom buys sudoku game books in japan & dad copies the daily sudoku from the la times. it's an activity (like golf and mahjong) that my parents can enjoy together but (unlike golf and mahjong) they don't really have to talk to each other. everyone wins!
i resisted playing for some unknown reason, but lately i've played a game here and there (especially after i found the link to web sudoku from grudge girl's blog) and i can see how people get addicted. i personally like the web version because it lets you check your answers as you go along and it's easier to "erase" your mistakes. basically, it's less frustrating.
last night after dinner at my parent's house, they were settling in for another evening of sudoku. the boy shows some interest (because he loves numbers) and my dad basically pounces on this opportunity to teach the boy how to play. not surprisingly, the boy catches on quickly and we all comment on how he's smarter than my sister (who happens to be 21). well, we were just sort of kidding since the boy still requires a bit of help to complete the game and my sister did, eventually, catch on. [A, if you're reading this, i'm just kidding -- i swear!]
today, after school, i sit down with the boy to play web sudoku on the easy level. it takes a bit longer to play with him because we talk through each step, but he totally gets the logic behind the game. for the most part he figured it out on his own. i wouldn't be surprised if he could do the easy ones without help in no time if he keeps this up.
so, parents out there -- if you have a kid interested in numbers or logic games, i highly recommend sudoku! sure, it sounds nerdy but i'm confident it will come in handy in the future ... somehow.
6 comments:
Blush. Yay sudoku!
Boy is smart! Wowee!
I love that web version. Sometimes those harder ones really mess with me. I'm sure I make them harder than they are. I've never been so great with the logic, so they're quite the challenge. I need someone who can whiz through them to explain the easier way to me that I know is out there, but eluding me.
Hey: weird factoid #2 - My husband is a 29 year old Cancer. July 10th. You?
Also: Have you been having trouble with disappearing posts on Blogger? I lost one a few days ago, but it was AS I was publishing it, so I was heartbroken, but I could understand it.
Today I lost TWO, AFTER I had published them, and even gone in to edit a couple of times. Finally, with this last one (TMI), I copied in into Word in case it disappears again. The one up on my blog is the second version. I've written to the support staff, but it takes several days to hear back.
Any advice?
grudge girl:
re: factoid #2
i'm a cancer born on july 5, same age as your hubby. what are the characteristics of cancers? the only thing i can remember is that we're close to the hearth. i always took that to mean i'm not a partier.
and, yes, i've had some problems with posts disappearing on blogger, usually while it's publishing. i've gotten into the habit of just copying my entire post before hitting that orange button. so, if it disappears, i just paste it into a new post.
there is something going on with blogger ... i feel like if i'm idle for a little while (i.e., writing a long post or reading a long post) it decides not to work. at first i thought it was my wireless connection, which also gives me problems, but i'm beginning to think it's more of a blogger issue. however, i have not yet had a post disappear AFTER i published. that is just weird and frustrating. please do let me know what the helpdesk people tell you.
still waters running deep, are cancers. often quiet, they are water signs, so also emotional. wonderful parents. zany senses of humor. weird at full moons. moody. very sensitive. feelings hurt easily. attached to food. typically difficult to get straight answers out of (as the crab skitters sideways). sometimes with mommy issues (especially the boy cancers). collectors. slobby/cluttery (in the nicest way!)
and that does it for my armchair astrology. which is largely based on my experience of my dad and my husband.
from your description, i'm such a typical cancer: totally moody, emotional, odd sense of humor, i take things personally, i love food, and i'm a mega pack-rat!
i don't know how JR puts up with me, but he's a pisces, so i guess we're compatible. :)
I did my first sudoku on the plane last week. Fun. I don't know if they're fun enough to do when I'm at home and there are websites to be visited, video games to be played, magazines to read, etc., but a fun diversion for traveling. I'm interested to try the web versions, though.
thank you so much! now i'm totally addicted to sudoku. logic problems, move aside.
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