Maple & Main

And the question is...

Posted by Curt Otto on Feb. 3, 2009

Is it next week already?

All of you have been so patient while waiting for the answer to that last blog and I figure I owe you guys an apology for making you wait as long as I did, but I was enjoying everyone’s guesses.

However, I suppose it is time to give it up…

Before I do, I just want to let you know that it has been another interesting week in art class.

On Thursday, eight year old Jeffrey brought in a snack to share with the class.

Seaweed.

As a guy who has been known to eat a little sushi now and then, I figured munching on some seaweed would not be that big of a deal.

Regarding its presentation, it’s a looks a lot like a green Post-It note. And while eating it, I found myself wishing I had been eating a green Post-It note instead.

I really don’t like seaweed by itself. It’s terrible. Sorry to offend any seaweed lovers out there, but it will not be replacing my usual afternoon granola bar snack any time soon.

So back to the question at hand; the question you have all been waiting for. The question you have had the answer to for three weeks. The question that I said I was going to answer next week but dragged me feet on for what seemed like forever.

Quite honestly, I just got really busy over the past few weeks and couldn’t find the time to sit down and write. Plus the weather has been so cold. I find it difficult to get motivated to do much of anything when the daily high temperature is hovering around zero.

I mean really, who even wants to roll out of bed in the morning when it’s that cold?

I also had to help a friend move, cut the dog’s hair (yes, I did it again and yes, it looks terrible), chip the ice from the gutters, meet some friends for lunch, go to a few meetings, and visit my folks.

And this leads me to today. I finally have found some time to sit down and finish the blog I started weeks ago.

Two thousand five hundred forty six.

What could that possibly be the answer to?

First, a brief history…

The student that brought this to my attention said it took her just over three hours to come to this conclusion.

The experiment was conducted in the presence of a friend for verification, so as to keep it on the up and up. I have also been informed that no animals were harmed in any way during the experiment.

It isn’t the number of hours it took me to post the answer. It isn’t the number of times I shoveled my sidewalk this year.  And it isn’t how many threats I received from folks wanting the answer.

Two thousand five hundred forty six is the exact number of licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop.

Now you know.

And what really gets me is that mattrandall13 guessed it right away, which tells me that he must have tried this at some time in his life as well.

Way to go Matt.

I hope that was worth waiting three weeks for. I am certain that there will be a time in the next few months that you will use this information to impress the heck out of someone. Perhaps you can use it at work to impress your boss. Or it may come in handy as an ice-breaker on a first date. For the younger readers, maybe you can use it to win a bet on the playground at recess.

Any way you look at it, you have learned something new today, so scratch that off your list and go get a cup of coffee.

You deserve it.