Minesweeper

I like minesweeper. The rules are simple and finite. Each square contains either a bomb or a number representing how many bombs it is touching. Some people play as though it is some kind of chaotic mess but it is not. There are patterns and laws in place.

From the Help Menu, an overview:
“The object of Minesweeper is to locate all the mines as quickly as possible without uncovering any of them. If you uncover a mine, you lose the game.”

If only people where as easy to read as minesweeper. For example if you ask someone about their failed relationships they would show you a dark teal “6” telling you to tread softly or just back off entirely. Or if you ask about someone’s work (and they just got promoted) they’d show you that inviting light blue “1”.

But of course people just mess up their system. They’d be oversensitive about something and show the most powerful number (the dark gray “8”) over something that should be trivial. And we all know someone who has no sense of propriety and tends to overshare they’d wave you right into an uncomfortable conversation with a series of green “2’s” and light blue “1’s”.

It is really easy to misread someone, particularly if you are tired, or focus on yourself. I get the distinct impression sometimes people are just watching my lips move as they think of what they are going to say. When I do pay attention to what people are saying I find I put my foot in my mouth much less often, even if I do waste valuable time thinking before I speak.

For the record my best minesweeper times are as follows.
Beginner – 8 seconds
Intermediate – 50 seconds
Expert – 415 seconds

My advice for the game: Don’t guess. Learn how to double click with both mouse buttons to “chord.” Learn the 1-2 Rule. Practice and when you die examine your mistakes before pressing the smiley face to start over.

And here is the complete color code if any of you want to print out these cards and carry them with you at all times to make my life easier.
1 Light blue
2 green
3 red
4 Dark Blue
5 Burgundy
6 Dark Teal
7 Black
8 Dark Gray