Puzzlemaster Andy

I've probably mentioned this before, but Andy is a whiz at jigsaw puzzles. We frequently have a puzzle going on our dining room table, and it's a nice way for us to relax and chat with a cocktail after a long day, while the kids are doing homework or whatever. But whereas I am pretty good at puzzles and enjoy them and eventually can finish them (I tend to go about it in a very methodical way), Andy is frighteningly skilled. He can pick up any random piece from the box and just know where it goes. He rarely has to "try" a piece to see if it will fit; he can tell from the size, shape, and color before even picking it up. If I'm working on a puzzle without him, he will just wander by, survey my progress for 3 seconds, and then solve the problem I've been struggling over for 20 minutes—whether it's finding a piece for a particular spot or vice-versa. It's a good thing I'm not terribly competitive, or it would be downright maddening.

Comments

[Tonya]

My husband is the exact same way. He has spatial ability like nobody I've ever known before. I admire his talent, but because I have NO (that's ZERO) spatial ability, I've never enjoyed jigsaw puzzles. They make me nuts and I tend to feel extremely inept. So, he does jigsaw puzzles while I play computer adventure games. (And sometimes on those, I need his help!)

[Karen]

I too am completely lost when it comes to spatial sense. If I'm standing in my own house, it takes me a while to figure out which room is above or below me. I frequently get lost when driving, causing Andy to look at me funny and say, "How can you be SO smart and NEVER know where you are????"

[Nina]

I used to work with a guy who had that same crazy, innate sense. We traveled a lot and you could put Charlie down in a completely new city, get in the rental car and he could find his way to the hotel or customer unerringly. In fact, he could tell you which direction we were driving at any given moment. Stunning.

[Karen]

I hate to say this, but I'm starting to suspect that it might be a Y-chromosome thing. I know MANY men who are like Andy (although maybe not THAT adept) and MANY women who are like me (although maybe not THAT inept) -- but hardly any the other way 'round.

[califmom]

For fun, have him try doing the puzzle from the reverse side (no picture.) I bet he's almost as fast as with the picture. I love doing puzzles, but it's a cycle I go through and a 'muscle' in my brain that has to have been getting a regular workout to get in the groove. Does he have a system for setting up when he firsts starts a puzzle?

[scott]

I'm quite male, chromasomally and otherwise, and yet I struggle with directions constantly. I'm fond of saying that I understand local geography like Picasso must have understood faces.