Dreaming Puzzles

Progress has stalled. I am so tired of sorting, but I can't do much else with the pieces that have already been separated. I have put no more than a few hundred pieces of Life together, but I have bigger problems. When I close my eyes, I see puzzle pieces. Black and white, impossible to put together, puzzle pieces. No joke, it's hard to sleep at night. Anybody have a few Ambien pills to spare?

So Over Sorting

After logging more than two hours of sorting today, I'm changing directions for a bit. I will lose my mind if I keep this up! Today, I started on some of the objects within the puzzle's borders. I have put together most of two sailboats and a few of the planets. Looking at the mounds and mounds of pieces before me, it is clear that I have barely put a dent in the piles.

I definitely need to do something about the lighting in the office. After dusk, I can't see well enough to work. I moved the reading lamp from our bedroom for now, but I need a larger light source. Ohhhhhh, husband?

Sorting, Sorting, Sorting

Life is here! I wanted to kiss the UPS man when he delivered the massive package! He didn't quite understand my enthusiasm when I told him what was inside the 29-pound box, but that's OK.

As soon as I lugged the box upstairs, I ripped it open. The pieces were packaged into sections, with each bag containing 6,000 pieces. Sections? That makes it too easy. I decided to mix them all up for an extra challenge. A few minutes later, I realized I had lost my mind. Pictures simply can not do it justice; the number of pieces here is ridiculous!



And so, I began sorting. And sorting. And sorting. I'm now barely two hours in, and I'm so over sorting. I may be 1/10th of the way done with this stage. UGH! At this rate, I will be sorting for the next week. Why did I decide to do this again?

Construction

I love having a handy husband. Once I decided to tackle Life, I had to find a place to put the beast together. Garage? Too hot in the Florida summer. Floor? Only if I want my dog to eat the pieces and to be sitting in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. With no other option, my husband decided to build me a special table to work on.

Today, we went to Home Depot to purchase the necessary supplies. Twenty minutes and $75 later, we loaded up the truck with four sheets of plywood, six 2"x4"x12's, and a box of screws. Next, we headed to Wal-Mart for 12 yards of black fabric to cover the table.

Building things is not my strong suit, so my explanation of how he built the table will be rudimentary, at best. The 2"x4"x12's were cut and secured to form a box shape (this forms a solid base for the sheets of plywood to rest on). More 2"x4"s were cut to make legs and secured to the table base.



We then had to disassemble the table and carry it upstairs. In hindsight, we probably should have considered how difficult this part would be before we designed the table. It took some finagling to get the 12' beams into our office; at one point my husband was holding one end and standing in the bathtub while I steered it across the hall and into the office. It was a tight fit, but we got everything into the room.

After putting it all together again and securing the plywood on top of the table, we covered the top with black fabric.



Now, the reality of this big project is starting to hit me. I'm having second thoughts about being able to do it. Knowing the puzzle has 24,000 pieces has far less effect than seeing this monster of a table spread out before me. My husband says it is not a question of whether I will be able to do it, but how long it will take me. Hopefully I finish before I'm 90 years old.

Life: The Greatest Challenge

Ever since I was a child, I have loved puzzles of all sorts, but jigsaw puzzles have always been my favorite. To date, however, I have never tackled a puzzle with more than 1,000 pieces. That is about to change. Today, I purchased the world's largest puzzle from SeriousPuzzles.com. With 24,000 pieces, it promises to provide far more challenge and enjoyment than any puzzle I have ever encountered.

This blog will chronicle my progress, and potentially my deteriorating mental status. I estimate it will take approximately three months to complete, so it is sure to put a strain on my relationships and take away from my social life. Ironic that the puzzle is titled "Life," since a life is something I surely will not have until the day the final piece is found.

I am choosing to embark on this mission alone. Help is not an option; I refuse to let anyone else lock a piece into place.

T-minus four days until the end of life as I know it, and the start of a 14' x 5' masterpiece.