2016 Stories – 01 – The Rubik’s Cube

If I had to pick a winner for what took up the most of my time during Christmas vacation, the hands down winner would have to be the Rubik’s Cube.

A few months ago, Nathaniel started saying that he wanted to get a Rubik’s cube. He asked if we could get him one. Then he asked if he can take the little one David had to school. I noted it down in my memory as a Christmas present for him and right when I was buying presents, David mentioned he wanted one, too. So I got a cube for each of the boys. A simpler one with no stickers for Nathaniel and semi-seethrough one for David.

When they opened their presents, I decided I wanted to see if I can solve it. As a kid, I had tried it many times but given up. I figured I could never, ever actually do it. When I opened the instructions for the cube, I almost laughed out loud. The paper said the first step was to make a white cross, and then it said “This step is easy, we have no tips for you.” Well, that was helpful. NOT.

After I spent hours and hours and hours on it, I was finally able to consistently get the white cross and the white corners. (Which are steps 1 and 2) but then, not matter how I tried, I could not get the next step (which is finishing the 3rd and 2nd layers. After another few hours (I literally spent my whole Christmas day on this and now we were on the next day.) David showed me a video he was using to learn.

Which finally did the trick.

I watched it again and again and then after I was able to complete it three times, I wrote down notes so I could remember what to do. I then solved it so many, many times that I can get to the sixth step without having to look at my sheet. Maybe if I keep at it, in a few weeks I can memorize those steps too.

I know this might seem pointless to many people. I was angry with myself on Christmas night for wasting my whole day trying to solve this crazy cube and not being able to. But now I am proud of myself. Not because I can solve this and not because I memorized a bunch of moves. But because I stuck with it. Because I showed myself again that hard work always pays off. Always.

Oh, and, solving the cube is always a neat party trick isn’t it?

For future reference (for me), here are the steps and moves I wrote on my paper:

1. The White Cross
1. If you have to flip the edge, do: F(CC), U(C), L(C), U(CC)
2. The White Corners
3. The Sides – (while looking at the yellow side, line up a non-yellow side so it makes a T and then look at the direction you need to move)
1. Left to Right: Face left, Bottom Right, Right forward, Middle Right, Right backward, fix the white face
2. Right to Left: Face right, Bottom Left, Left forward, Middle Left, Left backward,  fix the white face
4. The Yellow Cross
1. If you have the bar: Clockwise (FRU), Counterclockwise (RUF)
2. If you have the hook: Clockwise (FUR), Counterclockwise (URF)
5. The Yellow Corners (to get to fully done yellow)
1. The fish tail faces to the top right: RU(C), R(CC), UR(C), Up 2x C, R(C)
6. Now line up the corners of the top layer:
1. R(CC), F(C), R(CC), Back 2x, R(C), F(CC), R(CC), Back (2x), R(2x)
7. Final Step:
1. Clockwise:  R2, URU(C), RURUR(CC), U(C), R(CC)
2. Counterclockwise: R(C), U(CC), RURUR(C), URU(CC), R2

Stories from 2016 is a year-long project for 2016. You can read more about my projects for 2016 here.