Does anyone do NYTimes Letter Boxed? I try to get it in two words every day. At first it seemed impossible and then after a couple of weeks I could get it most days. I only occasionally have the same 2 word answer as their solution (“Yesterday” answer).
My work is intellectually stimulating but I do enjoy word puzzles and trivia and would be happy doing that stuff all day. I’m also in an online trivia league that runs (just for fun) competitions a few times a year; they last about 3 weeks each and only take a couple of minutes of time.
And books. I could drown in books. Plus I’m happy to reread.
i have libby app on my ipad; i’ll put it on my phone today and try an audiobook. See - this thread is being helpful to someone today! it’ll get me up and moving!
I watch Jeopardy every day. I think it’s good to try to retrieve information from the depths of my memory. I love it when I get Final Jeopardy right and none of the contestants do.
Interesting. I don’t do any kind of puzzles (never really enjoyed them) and am not doing music (though I love to listen and search for interesting new singers). I worry at times that I don’t really have hobbies.
But, I am not retired (I could retire but don’t intend to do so if I don’t have to physically or mentally) and what I do for a living is a) create ways of thinking about things differently from others; and b) using those ways of thinking to solve problems for companies mostly but also for other entities; to write articles / rarely books and give talks with these ways of thinking; and and to try to contribute in my small ways to solve big problems (civil wars, accelerating the shift away from fossil fuels to renewables, etc.). Lots of continuing creative thinking/problem-solving.
But, there is always a fair degree of continuity. Does that count in terms of intellectual wellness. I wonder if I should be trying to learn Spanish better or something like that.
I do sedecordle sometimes. It used to have the grids lined up with four across, and four down. Now I can only find it as two across, eight down, which is more annoying to keep track of. It is fun, though.
I really enjoy the sequence version of Octordle, when you do one word at a time.
I watch Jeopardy every day too! I’ve actually tried out for it a few times in the past, but never made it past the interview stage. Now I think my reaction times on the buzzer (as well as recalling information quickly) would probably be too slow!
I do Wordle and Duolingo and I often go to Sporcle and do trivia. I also have been doing the BBC 100 books list with my daughter that has me reading books I would normally pass over.
Yes, Jeopardy depends a lot on buzzing in fast… but not before the question has been fully read. Early arly buzz-in will throw you to end of in line. Our daughter was on the show in 2013, and my husband and I went to the taping - such a cool memory (even if she did come in third place).
Wait…you have the be the first to buzz after the “buzzing period” is open? That seems like luck, or some silly buzzing skill not related to intelligence. I always assumed you could buzz in as soon as the question was revealed on screen. Thanks for the inside info!
I assume that the games/puzzles people are mentioning are played online? Do you pay for them? If not, do you have recommendations. During the first months of the pandemic I did an online jigsaw puzzle set at 81 pieces every evening before bed to calm my brain. That site has since added lots of ads that I don’t like to wait through. I don’t mind an ad or two but it was getting ridiculous and I haven’t found another one. I know I can do an actual jigsaw puzzle but I liked the satisfaction of completing it daily.
Next week I’m taking a botanical embroidery class! I don’t consider myself crafty or “creative” art wise. I did do cross stitch decades ago - a lot of it - so thinking I can handle this but broaden my learning curve!
Not sure what platform (phone? PC? etc) you use to play, but I like this jigsaw game that I’ve downloaded onto my Android phone. Don’t know if there are other versions for different platforms, or strictly online.
It’s free, and does have ads, but it’s only one ad every…10 minutes or so?..not sure, but it doesn’t feel very often to me. While you’re doing a puzzle you get a warning for “break time” when an ad is about to appear. [ETA: there’s also an ad when you finish a puzzle.]
It’s pretty simple, but has some nice features. There are six options for number of pieces, from 64 to 625. And you can zoom in, so yes, I can do a 625 piece jigsaw puzzle on my phone, lol.
I read some of the recent reviews, complaining about crashing and ads causing loss of progress. I will say, I have never encountered any of those problems.
I do Wordle every morning and am also hooked on Spelling Bee. I read a LOT and even more since retirement. H and I both enjoy playing euchre and we play online against friends. We also enjoy jigsaw puzzles. And of course we are avid Jeopardy viewers. (Does that count?).
During the lockdown my friends and I did a jigsaw puzzle exchange. I didn’t like spending a lot of time on something beautiful just to break it down so, started doing paper crafts. I’ve completed three from papercraft dot com (not sure if links are allowed) that are fun and challenging – and I end up with a unique art piece.
H & I do Wordle every day. Same as @ClassicMom98, I like pen and paper hard+ Sudoko and always have a book or two around.
