{"id":107785,"date":"2025-10-16T21:49:18","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T01:49:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/?p=107785"},"modified":"2025-10-16T21:49:18","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T01:49:18","slug":"multiply-your-answer-by-two-revisited","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/10\/16\/multiply-your-answer-by-two-revisited\/","title":{"rendered":"Multiply your answer by two (revisited)"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Merlin Lessler —<\/span><\/p>\n

I can remember how long it took for a week to go by when I was a kid waiting for Christmas. It took a year. Today, a year goes by in what seems like a week. It\u2019s one of the things that comes with being an old coot. This distorted sense of judgment affects everything I try to measure or estimate, not just time. I\u2019ve learned to compensate for it by multiplying my answer by two.<\/span><\/p>\n

We needed a new roof for the house. I figured it would be about $5,000. My wife reminded me I always lowball my estimates. She was right, so I put a figure of $10,000 in my head and then called a roofing contractor. He came in with a figure of $9,300 and got the job. Had I not multiplied my answer by two, I probably would have thought the estimate outrageous and put off getting it done for a year or more. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow old is the dog?\u201d my son asks. \u201cJust a pup,\u201d is my first inclination. \u201cCan\u2019t be more than two or three,\u201d I say to myself, and then remember to multiply by two. \u201cSix,\u201d I reply. <\/span><\/p>\n

My answers to questions of this sort are delayed, not unlike those of reporters on the other side of the world when the question asked by the evening news anchor is transmitted via satellite. They stand there with a dumb look on their faces waiting to hear the question. I stand there with a dumb look on my face, waiting for my brain to multiply the answer by two. That\u2019s why old coots always look like their minds are someplace else. <\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve found the rule keeps me looking pretty sharp with my younger friends; they haven\u2019t figured out that their sense of time and their ability to estimate are out of adjustment. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRemember that trip we took to Myrtle Beach to play golf three years ago,\u201d my friend Don asks. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI sure do, but it was five years ago,\u201d I respond with precise accuracy. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cReally,\u201d he comes back. \u201cI would have sworn it was just a couple of years ago.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the year you turned forty. You\u2019re forty-five now, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right! You\u2019re right!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His multiplier isn\u2019t two; it\u2019s about 1.6. It will grow to two in a few more years, and then I\u2019ll let him in on the secret. My multiplier will probably be three by then.<\/span><\/p>\n

The formula works with just about everything, not just how much things cost or how long ago something happened. It works when I try to figure out how long it will take to do something: paint the ceiling, run to the store to get a carton of milk, mow the lawn. It will always be twice what I think. <\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, it applies to unpleasant things as well, making them twice as bad as I figured. Going to the dentist hurts twice as much as I expect. Sore muscles hurt worse and take twice as long to get better than I expect. Sitting in the car waiting for my wife to come out of the store takes three times as long. <\/span><\/p>\n

Oops, maybe it\u2019s time to change the formula!<\/span><\/p>\n

Comments, Complaints \u2013 Send to mlessler7@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Merlin Lessler — I can remember how long it took for a week to go by when I was a kid waiting for Christmas….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":82349,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-107785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorial"],"yoast_head":"\nMultiply your answer by two (revisited) - Owego Pennysaver Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/10\/16\/multiply-your-answer-by-two-revisited\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Multiply your answer by two (revisited) - Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Merlin Lessler — I can remember how long it took for a week to go by when I was a kid waiting for Christmas....\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/10\/16\/multiply-your-answer-by-two-revisited\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/The-Owego-Pennysaver-49179420591\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-17T01:49:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2020\/11\/Old-Coot.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"225\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"225\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"psadvert\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"psadvert\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/10\/16\/multiply-your-answer-by-two-revisited\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/10\/16\/multiply-your-answer-by-two-revisited\/\",\"name\":\"Multiply your answer by two (revisited) - 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