Questions you want answered.

I got my wife this for her birthday earlier this year and it might be similar to what you want: Journal 29: Interactive Book Game . It's a puzzle game/riddle book. You do need a phone or internet connection to enter the solution for each puzzle and get a 'key' for the next, so that may or may not work as a vacation toy.

mrlogical wrote:

Extremely random question, that may boil down to "can you guess the thing that I'm thinking of but can't put my finger on?" So: I'm going on vacation in a week or two, and somehow have gotten it into my head that one way I would like to spend my downtime on this vacation is with what my brain can only describe as a "workbook." Like, a big thing of crossword puzzles, or sudoku puzzles, although any specific example causes me to say "well, not quite that." Maybe this is nostalgia for studying for the LSAT? I dunno. Does anyone have a recommendation for some kind of product that is a collection of puzzles that involve reading and thinking and logic and writing?

Like the PennyPress Dell puzzle magazines? These are available wherever magazines are sold. Used to get em in my Christmas stocking every year, and they come as either a single puzzle type or a mixed bag.

qaraq, that looks neat, I'm definitely adding that to my list. The need for internet connectivity could be a problem, but if it's not too frequent a need I think I will survive.

Chumpy, yeah, I think that's the sort of version of this that I would grab by default, but I'm curious about whether there exists something a little more evolved than that, on the order of qaraq's suggestion. I'd pick up a crossword/sudoku/etc. collection if nothing else, but I'm hoping to find something a little more complex. In following some of the suggestions I've received, I saw this Montague Island Mysteries book, which seems very much the type of thing I'm imagining. I'm going to buy that, Journal 29, and will keep poking around for another couple of things in that neighborhood.

mrlogical wrote:

Yes, I am aware that I can buy some of the specific things I listed But I wondered if any GWJers might have a better idea, something along the lines of what I suggested but better. Maybe that doesn't exist! Just curious what's out there in the world of puzzles that I might not know to look for.

Thanks for the suggestions Dakuna--your first link didn't work, but I was able to figure out what you were trying to link (this?) and it does look good. Definitely the kind of thing I was thinking of, a bunch of different types of puzzles.

Depending on space/convenience, there are small, single player board games. Friday and 7 Wonders Duel come to mind first. There's also a ton of roll-and-write games like Roll Though the Ages, Ganz Schön Clever, Twice As Clever, Encore!, and Welcome To Your Perfect Neighborhood. A lot of these can be condensed into a single box.

I also came across Onirim while researching these. I haven't played, but it looks cool.

Almost sounds like you are looking for an adult version of Highlights.

Rykin wrote:

Almost sounds like you are looking for an adult version of Highlights.

It’s sad the first thing that sprang to mind was pornographic versions of spot-the-difference puzzles.

Mantid wrote:
Rykin wrote:

Almost sounds like you are looking for an adult version of Highlights.

It’s sad the first thing that sprang to mind was pornographic versions of spot-the-difference puzzles.

I bet those would sale

Mrlogical, a puzzler friend of mine suggested this one, though it seems to be out of print because its pricing on Amazon is all over the place: Adventures in Puzzling

Also, I found this one: Codex Enigmatum

trichy wrote:

Is there a tabletop RPG system that doesn't emphasize combat? I want to set up a custom game for a friend whose guilty pleasure is Hallmark Christmas movies, and build it around that type of horribly cheesy narratives.

Is your friend Justin McElroy?

Mantid wrote:
Rykin wrote:

Almost sounds like you are looking for an adult version of Highlights.

It’s sad the first thing that sprang to mind was pornographic versions of spot-the-difference puzzles.

Oh man, that is definitely a thing that exists. There was a bar that some friends and I used to frequent in college with a "erotic picture hunt" (or something like that) that was literally spot the difference with softcore porn

mrlogical wrote:

Chumpy, yeah, I think that's the sort of version of this that I would grab by default, but I'm curious about whether there exists something a little more evolved than that, on the order of qaraq's suggestion.

I wonder if critical thinking challenge books might be what you're looking for. They generally have a good mix of various kinds of visual, logical, mathematical, and story-based puzzles to solve.

How expensive is it to put new siding on your house? Thinking wooden that is paintable. House is roughly 2k square feet.

SallyNasty wrote:

How expensive is it to put new siding on your house? Thinking wooden that is paintable. House is roughly 2k square feet.

If you are getting all new, I would at least look at the options with other materials. Total cost over time might be better.

SallyNasty wrote:

How expensive is it to put new siding on your house? Thinking wooden that is paintable. House is roughly 2k square feet.

What's on there now? It'll cost to remove it, so that needs to be factored in.

For an entire house of that size you're looking at upwards of $15k. Depends on a lot of factors, really, but materials will be $5k at the very low end. Kind of depends on the shape of your house.

How can I politely decline a work invitation to a baseball game?

My company has been working with an outside consultancy company for about a year now and once-in-a-while they invite a group of us out to lunch - which is nice. Now they've "escalated" with an invitation to a baseball game on a Tuesday (work) night which I'm just not down for. I'm not into baseball at all and it would be a hike getting to the ball park.

Halp!

You have plans that day. Doesn't matter if your plans are sitting around doing nothing, they're still plans. If they push, just say it's a family event.

I tell my work straight up I don't enjoy mandatory fun and politely decline.

Note, that I usually only decline those nights out with coworkers. I always accept, even when not super fun, when it is with vendors/sales/management as that is often the networking pathway to promotions and job offers.

Using the "I have plans" excuse is totally valid, but I would personally never decline a work function unless necessary.

Unless the company is paying me to go somewhere, I am not going there. Mind you, not paying for, paying me.

You can politely decline with "I have plans," for sure.

Once you reach a certain level, you sometimes just have to suck it up and go to those things. I have had plenty of work events I didn’t want to go to but did it because in reality a lot of work is about connections and face time. If this is the first time one of these events has happened yeah I would go. If they have a second or third one, I might skip.

I'm only going to Cleveland (the real one) in a few weeks for two days because we're having a get-together for the new team I'm on, and it's a good opportunity to meet the execs so I'm not just the faceless guy keeping everything running smoothly who never gets promoted.

I haven't shown my face at work in-person in almost 2 years, and I'm supposed to go around once a quarter for a week or so at a time. Mainly because my wife always freaks out at the mention of me having to go, so I make up an excuse not to, which is usually that we're getting her ready for surgery, but there's only so long I can use that as an excuse, and that she can keep putting the surgery off.

Anyway, as others have said, "I have plans". It's a shame they had to schedule it on a night you have prior obligations you can't get out of.

My instinct is always to decline after-hours work social things, except I also tend to view that as a bad instinct in myself, so I usually try to override my default and participate (provided I don't actually have a conflict). Yeah you're not into baseball and it's a hassle to get there and they're not paying you...but when I have convinced myself to go along with these sorts of things, I usually do end up enjoying myself and getting to know my colleagues and coworkers better and have a pretty decent time--and even when I don't, well, as long as this doesn't happen more than once every handful of months, one or two wasted evenings a year isn't that big of a deal. But to answer the question you asked, I agree with others that if you don't want to go, just say you have plans, don't elaborate.

It's easy to overthink these things. Remember that in the general case, the person asking probably wants a clear, timely answer more than they care whether you show up.

As such, a speedy "Can't make it, sorry!" is plenty. They don't need a reason, they need to put a mark next to your name in their list and they're happy!

Bonus_Eruptus wrote:

I'm only going to Cleveland (the real one) in a few weeks for two days because we're having a get-together for the new team I'm on, and it's a good opportunity to meet the execs so I'm not just the faceless guy keeping everything running smoothly who never gets promoted.

There's a fake Cleveland?

And if there is, how do you know you're going to the real one?

CaptainCrowbar wrote:
Bonus_Eruptus wrote:

I'm only going to Cleveland (the real one) in a few weeks for two days because we're having a get-together for the new team I'm on, and it's a good opportunity to meet the execs so I'm not just the faceless guy keeping everything running smoothly who never gets promoted.

There's a fake Cleveland?

And if there is, how do you know you're going to the real one?

Discussions on here go to (fake) Cleveland all the time. It's an old Goodjer saying, and you can definitely tell when they're headed there.

I thought it was a reference to that dude in Milwaukee who lives near the airport and has "WELCOME TO CLEVELAND" painted on his roof to confuse travelers.

Just tell them the two baseball teams are both trash.

fenomas wrote:

It's easy to overthink these things. Remember that in the general case, the person asking probably wants a clear, timely answer more than they care whether you show up.

As such, a speedy "Can't make it, sorry!" is plenty. They don't need a reason, they need to put a mark next to your name in their list and they're happy!

This. There is no need for an excuse. It's totally reasonable to just say that you're not into it, but you hope they have a great time. Personally, I have far more respect for a simple refusal like that rather than some obviously fake nebulous "plans". Worst of all are people who agree to something, but then call/text at the last minute to say they're sick or "something came up." Direct, polite honesty gets everyone on the same page.

"I'd come, but I hate you all and I want you to die."

Why did my grocery store build 15 checkout lanes if they are only ever going to use 3 of them?