Sorry Fish Poker

[bunsen_h]

I continue to sleep very poorly. Part of the problem is long-standing, and part is due to ongoing pain from adhesions from my bike accident last summer.  I get enough hours of sleep, but not enough deep sleep.  Even if I add a couple of hours to my sleep time, I'm no better rested.  My sleep study of a decade or so ago showed no indication of sleep apnea, so that probably isn't an issue.

There's a tendency for my sleeping brain to come up with something weird in a dream, and then try to hash out the details. This brings me to a not-quite-asleep state. The night before last, there was an interesting topological concept, a rainbow-coloured three-dimensional analogue of the classic Möbius strip.  Trying to capture it in words alone would be challenging; trying to render the images is a project for a better week.

Last night, there was a card game -- or meta-game -- called "Sorry Fish Poker".  The basic idea was that a number of classic card games, in which play passes from player to player around a circle, would be combined.  With each play hand-off, the game would be changed, in strict order, so the players would know in advance what the rules would be with each step.  For m players there would be n games, where m and n have no common factors.  This would keep things relatively fair, as each person would have to play under each game's rules with equal frequency.  One advantage to the meta-game is that a hand of cards that would be unplayably weak under one game's rules might be quite strong under another one.  Overall, it's a game that might be an interesting challenge for those who find simple games like "Crazy 8s" or "Hearts" too easy.  Playing it would be far beyond me at this point.

And of course sorry and poker wouldn't be good candidates for inclusion in this meta-game.  Fish probably wouldn't either.  This is the kind of thing that ruins my sleep, as I try to analyze things that don't quite make sense.

Comments

[armiphlage]

If sleep apnea is off the table, could this be a sign that you need a new mattress?

[bunsen_h]

I don't see how that would help. Or do you mean something like a mattress with a different firmness?

[armiphlage]

I slept poorly until I replaced my old mattress with one less old and lumpy. My newer one (not too fancy, just one from IKEA) made my sleep much better.

[bunsen_h]

The mattress I'm using isn't terribly new, but I've got a decent layer of memory foam on top of it. It's pretty comfortable.

[madfilkentist]

I sometimes get into a half-awake state where I think I did something that requires my further attention, or I've got some obligation which I need to deal with. Only reaching full wakefulness convinces me that it was a product of my sleeping imagination. Then I have to get back to sleep.