Well, I resisted for as long as I could. Everyone’s out there playin it, no way was I gonna get myself drawn in like sheep toward long grass. No way, baybee. Nope, not… say, there’s a nice sudoku game for the palm… well… at least I should LEARN it, so I know what everyone’s talkin about.

Cuz, ya know, the first one’s free.

While Cat is hooked on websudoku, I’m pretty much caught in a very good version for the palm, uncreatively called ‘Sudoku’. It’s currently my “time for bed, one game, then sleep” game. In the past this slot has been filled by Bejeweled or TextTwist, but Sudoku is it now.

The version on the palm times how long it takes to solve the puzzle, but doesn’t rank it on difficulty, so it’s sort of a crap shoot how easy or hard a puzzle will be (they’re randomly generated), but my timing seems to average around 20 minutes for a puzzle. The longest I’ve taken was over an hour (UGH!), and the shortest time, I’m rather proud of, was 9 minutes. Since the palm saves records of all the ones completed, here’s my 9 minute one:

_ _ 2|_ _ _|_ _ 9
_ 9 _|_ 3 _|1 _ 7
5 1 _|6 _ _|8 _ _
-----+-----+-----
_ 3 _|_ 1 6|_ _ _
7 8 _|_ _ _|_ 5 6
_ _ _|4 5 _|_ 7 _
-----+-----+-----
_ _ 8|_ _ 4|_ 2 3
9 _ 4|_ 2 _|_ 1 _
2 _ _ |_ _ _|6 _ _

It’s not too painful an addiction. Sides. I can stop anytime I want. Really.

I generally don’t participate in online polls, intelligent ‘mixers’ that try to find out what sort of soda you like, or whatever. But music is such a big part of ‘who i am’, I think it’s interesting to share a little information.
I talk about Radioparadise all the time, as most of ya’ll know by now. I even interviewed the owner, Bill Goldsmith last year. The station not only has an outstanding music selection, but they have a great forum / commentary system that allows song ranking. You can also view your particular favorites (or most reviled tracks).
Today I took a look at my ‘best’ list – pieces I ranke a ’10’ that have come up in my, oh, 4 years or so of listening. I don’t rank something a ’10’ unless I really mean it, and in 4 years, thousands upon thousands of songs listened to, i’ve only set a ’10’ on a handful. Here’s that list:

10 – Dave Brubeck Quartet – Take Five
10 – Dave Brubeck Quartet – Blue Rondo a la Turk
10 – Beethoven – Symphony No.5 – Allegro Con Brio
10 – Claude Ginsburg and Julie King – Waiting For Snow
10 – Paddy Milner – Unsquare Dance
10 – Nickel Creek – Smoothie Song
10 – Beethoven – Moonlight Sonata
10 – James Horner – Sing, Sing, Sing
10 – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here

The ‘9’ list is far longer. If you’re curious, here’s the link to my profile. The profile listing also has links to the albums and tracks themselves, so you can see how others ranked the track, as well as find out where to get the album.
I think my 10 list is a great cross-section of “What I like!” – better than I’d probably be able to relate if someone asked me the question on the street.

One of the life-functions I have a massive loathing for is clothes shopping. Rummaging through stacks of clothing for sizes for me, then going through the un-fun process of trying things on. I’d rather attend a republican fund raiser than go through that.
Recently I needed some new jeans. I’m a dyed-in-the-wool bluejeans and cotton shirt man, and when I started my business I vowed that if I ever actually had an office and staff, I’d set bluejeans and cotton buttondown shirts as the corporate uniform.
Jeans shopping is a frustrating experience all around. Inevitably I get stuck in the “Right inseam, wrong waist!” and vice versa conundrum. If I luck out, after 15 minutes of searching, I’ll find ONE pair, wadded up under the bottom shelf for stability, that’s close enough to my size that I’ll suck it up and deal.
Well no more! Last week I ordered 3 pairs of Levis regular fit jeans from Denim Express. Cost? $27 a pair, They arrived in just a few days in a nice squooshy plastic package. They fit, have no issues that I can see, and even still stay “$40.00” on the price tag.
Shirts will be another challenge, but I’m done with jeans shopping at the local Gap or Sears or whatever.