Nostalgia Nonsense #15 – Puzzles

2000 piece puzzle

One of my secrets for my vast movie watching capability is my innate ability to multitask.

This has been an ability that I’ve had for a long time, but I started honing it even more 14 years ago.

When I was 27, I was suffering from Sleep Apnea that was apparently caused by a enlarged tonsils, so I had to have a tonsillectomy at a (relatively) late age.

Following my surgery, I was to be confined to rest at home for about ten days.

In order to help pass the time, I decided to re-take up a hobby of my youth and started to do a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle.

Thus began a very engaging hobby that (almost) eclipses my movie watching habits. (not really) 🙂

Over the next three years until my first marriage  (and for the 2 years that the marriage lasted), I spent many hours sitting at a table in front of my TV piecing together many different kinds of pictures.

Since I believe that the most important sense used for watching movies is the sense of hearing, I can easily look for puzzle pieces on the board while still listening and enjoying a movie in front of me while glancing at the screen constantly.

For a total of 5 years, I must have done about 20-30 puzzles and had each one framed.  I gave some as presents to friends and family, but kept the bulk for myself to adorn our apartment.

After my divorce, the vindictive ex wouldn’t let me have any of the puzzles, just because I didn’t list them on the spreadsheet of my stuff (because I thought it was obvious that they were mine along with my comic book collection which she kept), so I had to start again from scratch.

During my 4 interim years between marriages, I spent even more time doing puzzles in front of the TV and amassed even more pictures for my new collection.

I gave most away to friends and family and was told numerous times that I should probably sell them.

My first present to my (second) wife was a puzzle that now adorns the hallway outside our bedroom.

Since getting remarried, I have had much less time to work on puzzles and only on special occasions do I get a chance to do so.

The best part about doing puzzles now is that my wife and kids also pitch in helping make it really a family project whenever we do one.

Work colleagues constantly have requested that I give them puzzles to put in their offices and being that I have limited space at home and in my own office, I obviously agree every time.

Here are a few examples of puzzles that we have done that hang on the walls of my office:

 

1000 piece puzzle that is also a map of the world

1000 piece puzzle of marbles

1000 piece puzzle of a lighthouse in New England