I SUDOKU... DO YOU???


okay, raise your hand if you don't know what a SUDOKU puzzle is? ALRIGHT... you... you and you- sit down, the rest of you... follow me.

i am now going to let you in on the biggest, mind-numbing secret out there.

i love suodku.

i think i've become an addict.

for those of you who do not know what a sudoku is (how tragic), i will attempt to explain. so you see, you got this box with 9 boxes within the bigger box and then each of those boxes have 9 smaller boxes in them. then numbers are placed strategically around the board with most of the boxes remaining empty. your job is to place numbers in each box so that not only does each box contain the numbers 1 - 9 but each row and column contain the sequence as well... and you aren't allowed to duplicate numbers on any of the columns or rows and in each box. confused yet? believe me it sounds more complicated than it really is... well maybe.

how in the world one little game has caused so much frustration and triumph, i'll never know... but let me tell you, i can't stop. right after the "big break up" i was in desperate need of keeping my mind occupied so that i wouldn't be a mess of tears for all 24 hours in the day... only 18. and earlier that year i was introduced to this little puzzle and my interest was piqued. so i went out and bought my very first SUDOKU book. a small, travel-sized, pocket-book friend. he went with me everywhere! he was there to greet me in the morning and was good to stay up with me late at night, when i just couldn't sleep. i started with the easy ones, because... well...they're easy and i needed to expand my knowledge of good sudoku logic. as i progressed, i stepped out into the scarier territory of medium puzzles. i was shaky at first but then soon learned that i could do those too... not with ease, mind you... but at least i could finish them. i still don't have the logic needed to do the advanced puzzles. and i'm okay with that. i feel like i'm smart just because i can do them. is it strange to tell you that i even feel like i'm being healthy by doing them? i guess it's because i look at assisted living centers where some people are suffering from alzheimers or dementia and i've heard that those who keep their minds active run less risk of having those kinds of complications.

anyhoo, i digress. i wanted to announce that i just recently purchased my second, pocket-book boyfriend and he and i are getting along fine. he's so cute and yet he has mystery and he's a little challenging. he keeps me on my toes, and i like that. he's never afraid to tell me that i've made a mistake... because he recognizes that i can only grow from seeing weakness. he's supportive and gives me all sorts of praise when i finish what i've started. i look forward to seeing him every day. but the best part about him is that he has got a lot of depth... all 200 pages of him and he's totally an open book... which is so important these days.

so i hope you are happy for me. i couldn't ask for anything more.

for more info on SUDOKU go to the following website... but beware... you may start a relationship that you might not be ready for!!!

http://www.sudoku.com/