Puzzles
I LOVE puzzles. As I mentioned last night, I got a Megaminx cube as a gift for my birthday. I have multiple Rubik's cubes (2x2, 3x3, mirror cube, void cube, 4x4). But this is my first not-cube cube.
My freshman year in high school, a teammate on my track team taught me how to solve a standard 3x3. I got to the point where I could do the beginner method and solve in just under a minute. Into college, I dated someone that had a 4x4 and a 5x5. I learned that even cross cubes are more difficult to solve since you have to build the center, and that can cause 'parity': a weird combination where one or two pieces are in the correct space, but oriented incorrectly. Parity is not fun. However, the 5x5 was a blast. Having multiple layers to turn just upped the enjoyment without the headache of parity.
The Megaminx is a dodecahedron (12 sides) rather than a cube. Funnily enough, it solves almost identically to a standard Rubik's cube. You solve one layer (1 side), then another layer (5 sides), then most of another layer (5 sides), then the last layer (1 side). I did need the help of a guide to get the overall 'order,' but the formulas could be solved with what's used on the 3x3.
Last night, my original clear time was four hours with breaks, and today I managed to get it done in one (could have been less, but I was trying an intermediate method from the 3x3). All in all, I love this gift.