1/02/03: The Theory of X Minus One
Being of a mathematical mind, I decided to take an evening out on the town and try to reduce it to an algabraic expression. I know, I know, my turtledoves -- you are very concerned now that this is going to be Terribly Complicated. But it isn't, really, it isn't! Jenny's ex-husband even understands it, and he is not a very bright man, if you really must know.
Here it is. Let x=the minimum number of drinks it takes to make you feel icky the next day. For each drink, x will be different. For instance, for me, when drink= Coronas, x= 5. When drink= gin'n'tonics, x=3. Of course, this is assuming Standard Time and Food in Stomach. So if you haven't slept all night and haven't eaten all day, your x value may drop precipitously. That's why they call it a variable. Dig?
So you have your x value. On a usual night, the goal is to reach x-minus-one. Oh, that elusive x-minus-one! Of course, if you know you're not getting up in the morning for any particular reason, your goal may be x, or x-plus-one. I shall just assume that you, being of a reasonably Sound Mind, are not the type whose goal is x-plus-3. Believe me, I've seen x-plus-3. You don't want to know.
Now, there is also a y value. Let y=the number of hours of sleep you will be missing. For instance, if on a usual night this time of year you sleep a good 10 hours, and this night after drinking you get in only four. So your y will equal 6.
I guess I could figure out some method of plotting these points on a Cartesian plane. But I have such a headache.
Kidding, kidding!