Suduko

I hardly remember life without it. I have a vague recollection of solitaire: first with cards, then playing on the computer and finally spider solitaire. But my Suduko addiction began in Muscat.

I was sitting at the hairdressers, waiting my turn, when I noticed a man doing some sort of puzzle. “It’s Suduko” he explained. You need to have all the numbers from 1-9 in all nine of the boxes, and in each of the rows and columns. “Do you guess?” I asked. “No! You never guess”, he said emphatically. I was hooked.

I started ripping Suduko out of magazines, and newspapers. When I left on vacation, I spotted a whole book of puzzles and quickly laid down what I had left of my Omani Riels.

In Canada I went to say goodnight to Jeri one night and caught her playing. “It’s Suduko” she said, and slid a second pocket sized Suduko book to me. “Go ahead” she said. Jeri knew all the good stuff before I did!

I laid down and started carefully placing some of the choices in the corners of the little boxes. “I do that too” she said. “You don’t think it’s cheating?” “Absolutely not!” I told her. “It’s a strategy!” It was one of those sister moments.

Back in Oman I had an operation and as I recuperated, spent hours in the tub. Vas would go to the market in Salalah and bring me back pawpaws and Suduko puzzles. I would gauge time by how many I finished.

Jackie came to help out, and in the evenings she spent hours on the computer trying to figure out the ‘trick’ to ‘win’ at solitaire. I showed her how to play Suduko and now she is looking for the trick to that.

In Dolna Banya I walked the block or so from the house to the café where Nina works. Being a waitress in the fanciest restaurant in a small town in Bulgaria can be slow going sometimes and I think Nina enjoyed the company. It was always a little dark and a little cold; Bulgarian soaps played on the TV while American music blared out over the sound system. We would drink beer or coffee and I would try and complete the ‘easy’ Suduko while Nina served customers, talked on the phone, watched the soaps, visited with me and whizzed through the ‘hard’ one.

I think Jackie is right, there has to be a system to these things!.

I bought a Nintendo game with Suduko. On my next long haul I pulled out the little machine and promptly got told off by the steward. No electronic devices allowed on take off and landing.

Mom had never seen a Nintendo before, but she sure loved my Suduko Machine! “Ninetendo Mom. It does more than just Suduko” The screen lit up so she could play in the dark, as dad slept. Hey, I didn’t need any more trouble with the stewardesses! It was hers.

Vas collects the Suduko out of the papers at Mackers now. He tears them out of magazines for me too: I find them organized and stapled and placed in my bathroom. How sweet is that.

I still find the hard ones REALLY hard. No tricks to pass on. Mom has managed to get her Suduko Machine to “rocket” to the moon. I should play with her and get some ideas. It sure wouldn't 'rocket' for me!

So, while I am still hooked on Suduko, the affliction seems to be easing. Flying to Canada this trip I sat beside an elderly American couple who spent most of their time playing Suduko. He had a book, while she had a bunch that had been ripped out of a variety of places: like I said, an American couple. I asked if I could borrow their pen to fill out a customs declaration and they proudly explained that they were erasable pens: bought especially for Suduko.

Maybe that’s the trick!