Brain Dead

I'm feeling a little devoid of feeling. Math will do that to you. So will work. (Both are four letter words, btw.) So, here's a tip: if you need to banish all thought from your head - mental chatter, if you will - play sudoku or KenKen. Both are excellent puzzle exercises to keep you sharp but there are consequences.

Crosswords are also good for mental exercise. I wonder if one must use a different part of the brain for word puzzles because math exercises definitely shut down the other side - that which deals with language, creativity, or one's very soul. Maybe I should try crosswords to relax (while exercising). It might be like the difference between a pat down at the airport or nuclear radiation. One is invasive and is minimally damaging (mentally haunting, at worst). The other could permanently wipe out brain cells - and other vital organs - you meant to leave unaltered.

I don't mean for you to get the idea I don't like math or work. I happen to love both and, as it happens, my work depends on math, as well as analytical and research skills. I love all those things. So, don't get me wrong - but I feel a definite shift when the work (and math puzzle) skills kick in. The other muscles atrophy. Worse, they are paralyzed and cannot be accessed. I wish I could do both at the same time but I haven't figured it out yet.

So that's where I've been. Working. I have a major project, tragically pushing the deadline while facing down Winter Storm Watch 2012 - the first of the year. (We could get a half an inch so I stocked up at the grocery store.) The pressure is on but it's just a bump. A big bump, but just a bump. Next week I should be back to normal which, last I checked, is comfortably abnormal.

That will be short-lived as well. But getting this project done will buy me a few more weeks before that which is known as Tax Season.