The Ups and Downs of Dyslexia

Boys are special... especially husbands!

This evening, Allan was working on a lesson plan for tomorrow, when he'll visit the middle schoolers at Todd's school and teach them some basics of algorithms-- namely, sorting. The perfect prop for sorting? Playing cards, of course!

He was sitting on the sofa, sorting out some cards and making notes on the process. He left a nice, neat row of cards, in sorted order, on the coffee table when he left to go do his workout. Me? I never even had time to go near the sofa/coffee table, I was busy putting Todd to bed and then sacking out in front of the computer for a few minutes before he returned...

...the computer that sits on the desk on the opposite side of the coffee table as the sofa (this is important).

When Allan returned from his workout, he and I chatted at the computer desk for a few minutes, whereupon his gaze soon fell on the coffee table. He mused: "you were sorting the cards, weren't you?" Puzzled, I glanced at the neat row and shook my head. They were already sorted before he left, I explained. I never touched them. I couldn't understand why he didn't remember doing that before he left.

"But... then why are they facing this way!?" sputtered Allan, a split second too late before he realized his error.

For as you see, ladies and gentlemen, playing cards can be read both right side up and upside down. So while he sat on the sofa and laid out the cards on the coffee table, they appeared to be "facing" him because he could read right-side-up numbers. And when he stood on the other side of the coffee table by the computer desk, he was again viewing right-side-up numerals. He thought I'd rearranged the cards so they were facing the "other way"!

Yup. I married me a special man, didn't I. Doesn't speak much for my own sanity or intelligence, having married the guy, but hey-- he's good for a few laughs. And who knew that dyslexia ran not only right/left but up/down, too!