48 and 56 #28playslater #day11
Today's challenge was a play with numbers.
48 AND 56
A therapist’s office. 48 and 56 are a middle aged couple of any race or gender combination sitting in front of 2.4 million, their therapist.
48
In one sentence? ... There’s never any time for me.
2.4 MIO
OK let’s hear from 56.
56
I don’t know what to say.
2.4 MIO
On a scale of spring green to cerise, where would you put the strength of this relationship, cerise being the strongest?
56
Vermillion.
48
Yeah. I would say vermillion too.
2.4 MIO
OK, 48, but let’s hear from 56 right now. Well. Vermillion is not terrible. Why did you say vermillion?
56
Look we are never going to be one of the prime numbers with a cushy life. We’re always going to be dealing with 6 and 7 and 8 and their cousins 4 and 2 and 28 and 14. We are who we are. I mean, we’re not fractions. But we’re not hundreds. We’re not millions.
2.4 MIO
It sounds like you’re saying that you’re resigned to your fate.
48
And that’s the whole problem. That’s why 56 didn’t want to come to counseling. 56 is ready to embrace misery for eternity.
2.4 MIO
(to 48) Just as an aside, did you consider an 8 counsellor?
48
Yeah we’re still on the waiting list. Infinity counsellors. They’re not in any hurry are they? But then when you came up, we thought, well, you know talk to someone in the millions.
56
You thought.
48
Yes I did. I have 12 in me and I am proud of that. I embrace the baker’s dozen. I am growing. (to 2.4 mio) I did my fractals last year.
2.4 MIO
What was that like?
48
It was beautiful. I know who I am on the surface will never change. I will always be 48. But the closer you look... (referring to 56) but he doesn’t want to hear it.
56
Tell the million if you want.
48
Have you done your fractals? I mean, 56 and I don’t have much poetry so I only had enough for a few iterations.
2.4 MIO
Did you do Mandelbrot?
48
Is ‘z=z^2 +c (z=z squared + c)’- that’s Mandelbrot, right?
2.4 MIO
Yes.
48
Of course it’s like everyone says the closer you look, the more iterations, the smallest part of yourself, of me, 48, was so beautiful, and the patterns of leaves and waves and snowflakes - all of nature is inside me and it is beautiful.
56
And what did you give for that?
48
Four lines from Murder in the Cathedral.
56 sucks their teeth and winces.
2.4 MIO
Would you consider getting your fractals done, 56?
56
Why should I be stirring up discontentment? We have a good life. We have fractions who clean and cook. We’re very friendly with 23 and 29, we get them over for a bbq in the spring. I’m not looking for anything more. Let’s not kid ourselves. The double digits are the workhorses keeping all the other numbers going. We’re how people think, and we work harder than anyone. No one can remember that I’m 7 times 8, no one remembers that 48 is 6 times 8, we’re always getting called into work when they want the other one, but that’s life. Might as well enjoy it. I love 48 and I’m glad we’re together but there’s no 12 in me. I don’t want the baker’s dozen.
2.4 MIO
Haven’t you found the workload slacking though?
56
They keep talking about it but I don’t see it.
48
But it will come.
56
No it won’t.
48
When machines do all the quant work and humans don’t do any we’ll all be treated equally. We won’t be the workhorses anymore. (a jolly joke) We’ll have time on our hands like all the millions did after the market crash in 2008!
2.4 MIO
(hurt but recovering) It was a growth experience.
56
There will never be quant equality as long as humans have to think about money. And that’s never going to happen. Humans will die out first.
2.4 MIO
How do you feel about that?
56
Why should I feel anything about it?
48
Because your attitude affects the children. You have 28, 8, 7, 4 and 2 to think about!
56
I don’t feel anything about it. It’s not happening tomorrow.
2.4 MIO
I am getting lighter. You can almost see through me sometimes. It’s happening to a lot of the millions.
56
Hey buddy you’re the shrink. What happens to the millions won’t happen to us.
48 clutches 56’s arm. They have been together a long time and you can see it in the clutch.
48
Are you sure?
END OF PLAY
48 AND 56
A therapist’s office. 48 and 56 are a middle aged couple of any race or gender combination sitting in front of 2.4 million, their therapist.
48
In one sentence? ... There’s never any time for me.
2.4 MIO
OK let’s hear from 56.
56
I don’t know what to say.
2.4 MIO
On a scale of spring green to cerise, where would you put the strength of this relationship, cerise being the strongest?
56
Vermillion.
48
Yeah. I would say vermillion too.
2.4 MIO
OK, 48, but let’s hear from 56 right now. Well. Vermillion is not terrible. Why did you say vermillion?
56
Look we are never going to be one of the prime numbers with a cushy life. We’re always going to be dealing with 6 and 7 and 8 and their cousins 4 and 2 and 28 and 14. We are who we are. I mean, we’re not fractions. But we’re not hundreds. We’re not millions.
2.4 MIO
It sounds like you’re saying that you’re resigned to your fate.
48
And that’s the whole problem. That’s why 56 didn’t want to come to counseling. 56 is ready to embrace misery for eternity.
2.4 MIO
(to 48) Just as an aside, did you consider an 8 counsellor?
48
Yeah we’re still on the waiting list. Infinity counsellors. They’re not in any hurry are they? But then when you came up, we thought, well, you know talk to someone in the millions.
56
You thought.
48
Yes I did. I have 12 in me and I am proud of that. I embrace the baker’s dozen. I am growing. (to 2.4 mio) I did my fractals last year.
2.4 MIO
What was that like?
48
It was beautiful. I know who I am on the surface will never change. I will always be 48. But the closer you look... (referring to 56) but he doesn’t want to hear it.
56
Tell the million if you want.
48
Have you done your fractals? I mean, 56 and I don’t have much poetry so I only had enough for a few iterations.
2.4 MIO
Did you do Mandelbrot?
48
Is ‘z=z^2 +c (z=z squared + c)’- that’s Mandelbrot, right?
2.4 MIO
Yes.
48
Of course it’s like everyone says the closer you look, the more iterations, the smallest part of yourself, of me, 48, was so beautiful, and the patterns of leaves and waves and snowflakes - all of nature is inside me and it is beautiful.
56
And what did you give for that?
48
Four lines from Murder in the Cathedral.
56 sucks their teeth and winces.
2.4 MIO
Would you consider getting your fractals done, 56?
56
Why should I be stirring up discontentment? We have a good life. We have fractions who clean and cook. We’re very friendly with 23 and 29, we get them over for a bbq in the spring. I’m not looking for anything more. Let’s not kid ourselves. The double digits are the workhorses keeping all the other numbers going. We’re how people think, and we work harder than anyone. No one can remember that I’m 7 times 8, no one remembers that 48 is 6 times 8, we’re always getting called into work when they want the other one, but that’s life. Might as well enjoy it. I love 48 and I’m glad we’re together but there’s no 12 in me. I don’t want the baker’s dozen.
2.4 MIO
Haven’t you found the workload slacking though?
56
They keep talking about it but I don’t see it.
48
But it will come.
56
No it won’t.
48
When machines do all the quant work and humans don’t do any we’ll all be treated equally. We won’t be the workhorses anymore. (a jolly joke) We’ll have time on our hands like all the millions did after the market crash in 2008!
2.4 MIO
(hurt but recovering) It was a growth experience.
56
There will never be quant equality as long as humans have to think about money. And that’s never going to happen. Humans will die out first.
2.4 MIO
How do you feel about that?
56
Why should I feel anything about it?
48
Because your attitude affects the children. You have 28, 8, 7, 4 and 2 to think about!
56
I don’t feel anything about it. It’s not happening tomorrow.
2.4 MIO
I am getting lighter. You can almost see through me sometimes. It’s happening to a lot of the millions.
56
Hey buddy you’re the shrink. What happens to the millions won’t happen to us.
48 clutches 56’s arm. They have been together a long time and you can see it in the clutch.
48
Are you sure?
END OF PLAY
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