Thursday, November 5, 2009

Did Anyone Else Waste Their Time With Jigsaw Puzzles? Jiggy.



I don't the get the appeal with jigsaw puzzles*. When I was growing up, my family would go through phases of doing puzzles. There would be a card table set up with a puzzle on it. It would take days to finish it.

I just don't see what satisfaction you get from it.

Since I hated doing puzzles I would sometimes hide the last piece. Then, when it was almost completed and my sisters were looking under the couch for the missing piece I'd sneak in and put the last piece in, "...AND DONE!"

Now THAT'S satisfaction.

(And look at that guy in the picture. I bet he's a jigsaw puzzle show off. "I've been doing jigsaw puzzles for 63 years. When I was a kid, they were simply called Jigs. You would get your shoes fixed at the Cobbler and then go next door to the Jiggy - your local Jig supplier and pick up the latest Jig. Of course they were much harder back then and the edges were sharp so you needed skill. Not like today's jigs".)

*I do like Sudoku but that doesn't really count.

21 comments:

SkylersDad said...

My mom and sister loved them, and I hated them. Being a typical boy I just wanted to go outside and attempt to blow something up.

Gwen said...

I love jigsaw puzzles! But I'm really competitive about it so it isn't much fun for anyone else. Go figure.

Dr Zibbs said...

Gwen - How can one be competative while doing a puzzle? You mean you try to do if faster than your "opponent"?

ChesterCo_PA said...

What would take longer...Monopoly or competitive 5000 pc Jigging? Would one be more interesting than the other? I've got to get back to my chess game now.

Dr Zibbs said...

ChesterCo_PA - Monopoly taking weeks? Who are you playing with?

Whiskeymarie said...

You can totally be competetive with puzzles! My Mr. and I once entered a "puzzle tournament" where whoever did the 500pc. puzzle fastest won. It was AWESOME and totally dorky, in a good way.
We didn't win, but we really didn't care.

WendyB said...

I've gone through a few months of jigsaw obsession but it blew over.

Anonymous said...

If I ever get THAT bored, just take me out back and shoot me!

Dr Zibbs said...

Whiskey M - A puzzle tournament. You're crazy.

Son of a Thomas said...

My child went thru a phase with Spiderman Puzzles. Try and do that!

This "Jig" is up and gone.

Cal's Canadian Cave of Coolness said...

I like those little 5 piece puzzles they make for the slow children and they still can't solve them.

Scope said...

I usually give my sister a jigsaw puzzle for Christmas. One year, I found this one that was like 750pieces, had no "edge" pieces, the picture didn't exactly match the box, and there where 3 extra pieces.

We sat around and knocked it out in about 2 hours.

~E said...

I always gave up half way thru. Just didn't have the patience for it.

Then I would leave my half assed masterpiece on the table or the floor or the kitchen counter for people to put away and after a few months, an 800 piece puzzle would be reduced to 7...and none of them would fit with each other.

Tamara said...

OMW I hated jigsaw puzzles and I got them every year for my birthday and Christmas from my aunt and uncle. and then my folks would expect us to have "family time" building the things. Which would usually end up in my brother eating key pieces (he was only about four when this nonsense started).

Moooooog35 said...

When I was little, I used to call my penis my 'jiggy.'

This explains a lot, because I still have yet to figure that sucker out.

Plus, my wife hates puzzles so this is all coming together now.

Dr Zibbs said...

Scope - wtf?

JenJen said...

moog, you're weird.

Mr. Zibbs, that cracked me up about the last piece of the puzzle trick.
Awesome.

Josh Almighty said...

I never get jiggy with it, and I think all people who do are probably just hiding from the pain but the pain always comes back to haunt you, which is why your act of confrontation, stealing the last piece and then retrieving it just in time, seems very brave to me and I respect it, sort of like a metaphor for all that is sick and corrupt with jigsaw puzzles and maybe even capitalism itself.
btw - there are now puzzles with no picture on them, just a one color thing cut into pieces. supposedly this makes it more challenging. what a fucking rip off.

Dr Zibbs said...

Josh A - I think you are right.

Tom said...

I've done the same 1,000 piece puzzle every Christmas for the last 20 years. I have it memorized so it's not so bad, but I hate doing any other puzzles.

Caffeine Court said...

Too bad we didn't know each other at North. We would have had tons of fun torturing other people.