Of A121256 and my life.
If we look at major beats of my life: I was 2 years an associates student at Lakeland CC; 2 years a proselytizing missionary; 2 years an undergraduate student at BYU; 3 years a masters student at BYU; 5 years a doctoral student at UVA; 9 years a teacher at UVA; and am now a teacher at UIUC where I’ll need to remain for 26 years if I am to retire with full benefits. Which just so happens to be the first seven numbers in A121256 in the On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences.
Untitled Poem
Take three numbers – two, two, two –
and with them here is what to do.
Multiply the first and last –
but, lest this all go too fast,
take off one. Thus two times two
less one is three, our number new.
Drop off the first, append the three,
for two two three; now do you see?
Repeat these steps again11 (2,2,3); add 2×3–1=5 for (2,3,5) to get
a five; but we’re not done just yet.
Again we go22 (2,3,5); add 2×5–1=9 for (3,5,9), this time a nine;
(I see you’re following just fine)
then33 (3,5,9); add 3×9–1=26 for (5,9,26), twenty-six, where we will pause
because all patterns have their flaws.
My life these numbers seem to show,
but if we just one step more go44 (5,9,26); add 5×26–1=129 for (9,26,129),
we get one twenty-nine. You see?
That number’s much too big for me.
