Reading.

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Just reading. I have been thinking of the last few weeks. It is frustrating. It suddenly, earlier this afternoon, reminded me of when I was sick as a child. I would be put in pajamas, allowed to lounge and watch the stupid television, and was brought foods I usually did not eat like chicken soup, jello, custard once in a while, and had someone fussing about my temperature, oral and anal excretions, and such. Though it was, to some degree, a pleasant thing it was more of a hassle overall than what it was worth. Being cooped up was the worst part of it. The difference now is I have no one to nurse me and I am not really sick in the traditional sense. Still, the parallels are uncanny. And, I still would rather be outside, though working instead of playing. It will happen.

I have continued reading the math problem solving book. I have been doing very well, so far, in solving the problems. I will admit, however, that my solutions have been instinct rather than logical. I did miss one, so far. It concerned finding the most efficient way to solve a problem, or finding the method in the fewest steps. That I solved it at all actually made me happy and I may have learned more by being wrong than I would have if I had simply gotten it correct. I am learning much, as well, from my instinctual answers. I am seeing the logic behind my instincts.

One of the problems has already lead to some thoughts concerning real life. The particular problem concerned a nation where all people are either truars or liars. The truars always tell the truth and the liars always, you guessed it, lie. I am to suppose that I have been sent as the ambassador from the U.S., and while at an embassy party, through casual conversations, I am to investigate how many of the 3 I am to speak with are liars. The first, A, tells me that the other two are definitely liars. One of the others, we will call him B, says is he is not a liar. While the last, C, suggests B is a liar. If you try to solve who is a liar, you will fail, I saw this and so avoided that if I did use some reasoning regarding who as a 'branches of a tree', but only to get at the root. A had to be a liar, and only one of the other two could be if there is not enough information to clarify. So, the answer was 2.

How does this fit into real life? Simple. And, though I have suggested as much before, the logic helps me explain how I come to my conclusion. I have had 3 doctors, two public so immune to litigation, and one private who was quite prone to lawsuits, offer me medication which my current doctor (public so no litigation possible) has discontinued, a medication she suggests is a prescription of malpractice form to offer me. If the first three doctors were liars, then they were knowingly or unwittingly attempting to harm me (it was not my idea to take this medicine). This is unlikely, but possible. If my current doctor is lying, or ignorant, then she is either wittingly or unwittingly attempting to harm me. Of course, the tree is rather branched as to possibilities regarding both right and wrong and as far as the intent of the doctors. However, the possibilities are quite limited. Probability plays a part, but it can only offer a more plausible solution set. The same goes with statistics.

The probability, of course, is that my current doctor is incorrect. She may not be trying to harm me, though her sensibilities, or those of her lead doctor, may be quite against stimulants based on religious affiliations. This, actually, is the most likely scenario. Some religions go so far as to eliminate all medical intervention, though in this case, that is the end result. All I am saying, I suppose, is that I hope they do not work in a trauma situation. Morphine, who needs morphine. Hold him down while I sew his legs back on. *chuckles* That, my friends, is several fields of math coming together to offer stronger solution sets in the real world environment. It still stinks, but thar she blows!

Anyway. The book is turning out to be okay. In either case, I will finish it. Sometimes even books that seem to come at you under the radar as to seemingly learning anything have a way of... producing. Though I would guess, sometimes, there are more fruitful offerings. The trick is finding those. I may actually have found a decently presented book, mostly. Well, good day.