Monday blues

So I woke up today in a dull mood again. I confronted the reality that I have no desire to go beyond the marked finish line. When I was in high school I was one of many that had no desire to do anything or become something. Some people have the initiative and achievement drive to do more than just the norm. I think my personality is such that allows me to adapt to different environments and make myself a part of the group, but I have no desire to become the leader or to take a step up.

I like staying inside the lines and not going outside the box. I find it to be too stressful and I don't want to go out of my comfort zone. This is contradictory to doing jigsaw puzzles, where even though there is no picture I still like putting the puzzle together. I guess the conclusion is that the type of stress that you obtain depends on whether you want to confront it or just completely avoid it.

Lazy Sunday

Another lazy Sunday and as always I don't feel like going to work tomorrow. Once at work it's another but after the weekend it's just a little hard. My parents came over Saturday and ended up going for a walk to discover the waterfront of the city. That was a bit of a maze but now we know where we can ride our bikes and enjoy before the summer officially ends. Has anyone done the full bike path North to South in New York city? If so, are there any highlights along the path that are worth seeing. Please post comments.

The typical work day

My work day is like trying to put a no picture puzzle together. Getting many pieces and acquiring the ability to put them in the right place. You have to know the pieces extremely well to know where to place them. It's almost like a piece of art and each day is a masterpiece because no day is the same. Not complaining just saying that my job is very entertaining yet very knowledgeable and rewarding. Can you say the same?

The next jigsaw puzzle decision countdown

So far it looks like The World Map 1611 is beating out the Sistene Chapel. There are 13 days left to vote so please come online make your choice.

The surprise

So me and my husband decided to go out for dinner tonight, considering that we were both cooped up at work behind a desk. We wanted something new rather than the usual cuisine that we have. My husband found a Turkish restaurant literally around the corner from us called Sip Sak. We looked at the menu and saw that there was an Eggplant Mousaka on the menu and I love mousaka. So we met after work and asked for the mousaka and turns out that it has beef in it already so they weren't able to make it vegetarian.
So we decided to get two appetizers and share an entry. And SURPRISE we thought it was tasty and very delicious. We were surprised but in a good way. The cover of the puzzle box said one thing but the puzzle that was created turned out to be something completely different.

MOMA visit

My husband's friend came into town for business/pleasure with his wife and son. We decided to go see the Museum of Modern Art today. A great place to visit and see very unique exhibits. In my mind as we were walking around the 4th floor (Paintings and Sculptures) and saw Picasso, Cezanne, and Matisse, I was thinking now this is a painting that should be turned into a puzzle and framed. Your own copy of a masterpiece. We have all seen "Starry Night" online or in textbooks, but I was able to see it up close and personal today and it was BEAUTIFUL. The textbooks don't give it justice, a must see. Definitely something I'd like to have a replica of for my house, puzzle or not.

The next jigsaw puzzle to take on

So finally, I am thinking of which jigsaw puzzle I would like to do next. Its either a 9,000 piece puzzle (not 10,000 pieces sorry) of the "The World Map" or something with a little more imagery, "The Sistene Chapel". What do you think? I leave it up to you. I am ready for the challenge!!!
World Map 1611

Sistene Chapel

Life is a Puzzle

So for the past week or so I have been feeling a bit incomplete. I feel like my life got put together with some of the pieces in the wrong places and some pieces are completely missing not allowing me complete my puzzle. I was talking to my husband and he was saying that there is no such thing as "a perfect life" and you work with what you have and put the pieces where you want them to be placed. I was thinking about what he said today during a seminar at work and realized that by thinking like this my circle of concern was growing. For those of you that don't know what circle of concern and circle of influence are about, it is related to how we deal with what we have and don't have. The more negative you are the more your circle of concern grows, the more positive you think your circle of influence will grow. Basically, the key is to think positively and take initiative to make sure you don't fall into a dark abyss. I have realized that I need to take these misplaced pieces and try to put them where i want to put them to make myself happier. It is gonna be hard, cause saying is much harder than doing so slowly piece by piece I will try to make my circle of influence grow.

Taj Mahal

Has anyone completed the Taj Mahal 3D puzzle? I know there is some question how the base of the Taj Mahal is supposed to look. Supposedly the base of the Taj Mahal is suppose to have the supports sticking upward and no be put underneath. I hope this makes sense (at least for those that have done or seen this puzzle). I don't mean the four towers that surround it. I have it completed at home but I have the supports underneath. Even the picture on the box makes it seem that the supports should be underneath and not be seen. So for anyone that knows or has done it,please let me know what is the right way of putting the puzzle together.

The hardest puzzle I have done so far

Last year I decided that I would purchase a 5,000 piece puzzle and put it together. Two years before that I bought a 2,000 piece puzzle of St. Basil's Cathedral. It took me about 3 months to do and felt great about it and thought I'd take the next step up. So I bought the puzzle "The Modern Views of Rome" from ravensburger.com. Loved the scene and was gonna take this 5,000 piece monster on. However, when I look at the pieces I thought "What did I get myself into". My husband's very good friend is a big fan of puzzles as well, and when I told her she said "I am coming over to help you do it". I was completely excited, however, when she saw it she said "I will not be coming back!!!" I didn't blame her, the color and scenes on the puzzle pieces just looked all the same. The only part of the puzzle that I completed was the red curtain because it was plain red. I ended up purchasing a puzzle mat put the completed curtain on mat rolled it up, threw the rest of the pieces back in the box and threw it in the back of my closet. Every now and than I would take it out and try to get some of the pieces together and got so frustrated that I just put it away. Than one week during spring break of graduate school, I took it upon myself to complete the puzzle. I was sooooo excited. It looked awesome!!!! I completed my 5,000 piece puzzle.

Welcome all!!!

Hello all,

This is my first posting for the new blog "The Puzzle Life". As most of my friends and family know, I love puzzles. I got my first puzzle at the age of 7 or 8 and since than I have been hooked. I love all types of jigsaws ranging from the very simple, adult and even the 3D puzzles. This blog, is not only a place for people to talk about puzzles, but to also talk about life and how it can really be like a jigsaw puzzle; a whole bunch of pieces that tediously need to be put back together to make a whole picture. So for all you puzzle fans out there please post your experiences, recommendations for puzzles that you have done or will be doing.

Sincerely,
Neha Shah