Just like with Pac-Man, getting that high score is a must!

Have been trying my luck at spider solitaire on the computer in my free time- lately there has been some of that when you are a new start up therapy clinic- and just cannot seem to get past the magical number of 1191. To completely paint the backdrop of my madness, my father got me started on the easy setting of spider solitaire back in March, when he and my mother visited for a little over a week. He informed me that his all-time best was 1204, and that has intrigued this game-playing addict because, as many sons are want to do, I must top my dad in order to feel that I have accomplished something valuable in this life. Prior to finding out that my father was playing, the more difficult "medium" setting had been my choice, with me successfully completing the game at a 50% clip according to the statistics function in the game's drop down menu. But the news from my dad forced me to go at the "easy" setting, and while I rarely lose one of the games, I have yet to figure out the pattern of minimal moves that would allow the best scoring opportunity. As I said, am stuck at 1191 as my best score. Damn!

But more interesting, I am intrigued by the fact that I am feeling inferior to my father by not outscoring him in essentially is a meaningless computer game! Is it the fact that this is somewhat technology based and being a good Gen-X'er I invariably feel superior to my parents as I have spent more time with a computer than they have and thus think that I should be able to easily outperform them in all things technological? Is is that I feel the simple rush of desire of a child to outdo their parents stemming from those many times they let me win at "Candyland", wanting validation that I can do it on my own merit? Is it the challenge mentally to see a pattern in the game itself, and to master that mental pattern? Am not sure, but let the games continue!