 When Tamara was young, she did puzzles, and so now, maybe twice a year, we'll do a puzzle together. It's a refreshing break from all the other brain activity I do and it's time with her. One of the things I noticed when working on this one with her was the different tactics the brain will use. Color-matching, shape, the image on the piece itself... all of that in the larger context of the puzzle. Some pieces surprise you - there were a number of times that I saw Tamara place a piece into its spot and told her, "I never would have made that connection." Sometimes, I meet someone and after then meeting their spouse, I have no clue how that came together. It works, and it makes sense after seeing it, but it never would have occurred to me that the pairing of them would click so well. Part of the reason for this is that I don't think some of us are wired to see how things interlock. All of us are wired to see patterns, and patterns are about similarities. It's one of the reasons we look "things in common" when looking for a mate. But then, we're often befuddled by the couple who comes along and the pairing couldn't be more polar. He's quiet, she's loud. He's tall, she's short. She dresses nice, he doesn't care. Puzzles work because they interlock. The yin of this piece fits into the yang of that piece. Marriages work not because of similarities but because of differences that interlock well. He's good with numbers. She's good with colors. Together, they're stronger for it. Matchmaker is a tough role to play, and yet I think that the secret sauce of politics is that of the talent coordinator. Money is a finite resource in the course of a campaign. Time is not. Donations shouldn't just be measured by the dollars acquired, but by the hours. Thankfully, our contribution of time is not subject to McCain-Feingold or under the jurisidction of the FEC. How does a candidate find a talent scout/coordinator to best leverage the skills of those passionate to see him or her into office? What a great puzzle to solve... | 
