NYT 2:35 ... LAT 2:26 ... CS 2:09 ... ND 1:50
Feeling much better today... Great puzzles all around too. There's a mistake in the Newsday puzzle, where a couple of letters in 21D were changed (presumably last-minute), but the edited clues didn't make it into the online file.
Wednesday, 4/29/09
NYT 2:34 ... LAT 1:37 ... CS 1:50 ... ND 1:40 ... BEQ 3:26
Could have been 15 seconds faster on the NYT, because I had STAND AND at the beginning of the central 15, expecting DELIVER to show up, and didn't look at it again until the applet rejected me. (My erroneous Down was ERN - obviously not an eyebrow-raiser...) Even though it's timely with 9 to 5 now in Broadway previews, two days in a row with short theme answers is pretty lame. I can imagine how the LA solvers felt! Speaking of which, I was really on Doug's wavelength for the LAT, which seems to be my Wednesday record, for what that's worth. ($0.00)
morning update... last night I felt great, today I feel like I have swine flu. (No fever, but I was pretty worried, having spent much of yesterday in Queens.) In other news, C.C. interviewed Doug today, and in other-other news, I may have my first crossword testing/proofing gig (if I don't keel over).
Could have been 15 seconds faster on the NYT, because I had STAND AND at the beginning of the central 15, expecting DELIVER to show up, and didn't look at it again until the applet rejected me. (My erroneous Down was ERN - obviously not an eyebrow-raiser...) Even though it's timely with 9 to 5 now in Broadway previews, two days in a row with short theme answers is pretty lame. I can imagine how the LA solvers felt! Speaking of which, I was really on Doug's wavelength for the LAT, which seems to be my Wednesday record, for what that's worth. ($0.00)
morning update... last night I felt great, today I feel like I have swine flu. (No fever, but I was pretty worried, having spent much of yesterday in Queens.) In other news, C.C. interviewed Doug today, and in other-other news, I may have my first crossword testing/proofing gig (if I don't keel over).
Monday, 4/27/09
NYT (p) 2:50 ... LAT 1:42 ... CS 1:39 ... ND 1:22 ... JON 5:37 ... BEQ 2:48
Solved the NYT last night at my aunt and uncle's house. I printed out copies for my mom and myself, and she finished in maybe 8 minutes! I had never seen the word HUMUS - or so I thought, because it was in a Sunday puzzle last year. Still, not a Monday word (even though Mom and aunt knew it immediately). And not a great showing for me, but I wasn't "warmed up" at all.
Holy crap, Matt Jones, nice 16x16 themeless featuring huge Longoesque white spaces! The fill's not bad at all, especially in the crazy center chunk. Spent a minute finishing the top section because WCT, LUXO, and ASHA were total unknowns and I couldn't figure out CRUISE from -R-I-E.
Solved the NYT last night at my aunt and uncle's house. I printed out copies for my mom and myself, and she finished in maybe 8 minutes! I had never seen the word HUMUS - or so I thought, because it was in a Sunday puzzle last year. Still, not a Monday word (even though Mom and aunt knew it immediately). And not a great showing for me, but I wasn't "warmed up" at all.
Holy crap, Matt Jones, nice 16x16 themeless featuring huge Longoesque white spaces! The fill's not bad at all, especially in the crazy center chunk. Spent a minute finishing the top section because WCT, LUXO, and ASHA were total unknowns and I couldn't figure out CRUISE from -R-I-E.
Sunday, 4/26/09
NYT 9:15 ... LAT 4:52 ... BG 4:54 ... MR 4:48 ... ND 4:00 ... LATB 3:47 ... CS 2:09 ... Acrostic 9:16
Trip Payne is my favorite constructor, so seeing him in the NYT is always great, but several dozen rebus squares? Bonus! (Ooh, and record-setting!) 56-Down was co-founded by Michael Colton, who joined Tyler Hinman to commentate on the Crosswords West/L.A. tournament yesterday.
Rich Norris's Sunday Challenge seems easier than his usual offering. Check out Shirley Soloway's Newsday puzzle - it's got a fun wordplay theme that I haven't seen before. Sylvia Bursztyn's theme is also pretty clever, though much easier.
Trip Payne is my favorite constructor, so seeing him in the NYT is always great, but several dozen rebus squares? Bonus! (Ooh, and record-setting!) 56-Down was co-founded by Michael Colton, who joined Tyler Hinman to commentate on the Crosswords West/L.A. tournament yesterday.
Rich Norris's Sunday Challenge seems easier than his usual offering. Check out Shirley Soloway's Newsday puzzle - it's got a fun wordplay theme that I haven't seen before. Sylvia Bursztyn's theme is also pretty clever, though much easier.
Saturday, 4/25/09
NYT 4:26 ... LAT 4:06 ... CS 1:52 ... ND 9:45
Again, the other puzzles beat me up before a quick NYT solve. On Doug's Stumper, I was staring at mostly blank space with about two patches filled until the 5-minute mark, but after a couple of guesses it came together. Strangely, I had more fun staring at empty boxes in last week's unpopular puzzle.
Again, the other puzzles beat me up before a quick NYT solve. On Doug's Stumper, I was staring at mostly blank space with about two patches filled until the 5-minute mark, but after a couple of guesses it came together. Strangely, I had more fun staring at empty boxes in last week's unpopular puzzle.
Friday, 4/24/09
NYT 3:09 ... LAT 3:25 ... CS 1:41 ... ND 2:15 ... CHE 3:07 ... WSJ 6:19 ... BEQ 4:35 ... MGWC 7:25*
Had some trouble spots with the LAT and CHE, but surprisingly not with the NYT.
afternoon update: Not fully on my game with the rest of the puzzles, especially BEQ's... Gaffney's contest crossword is fantastic (and hard!). According to Alex's tool I have a wrong letter somewhere, but I can't find it, and anyway I think I've got the metapuzzle figured out.
Had some trouble spots with the LAT and CHE, but surprisingly not with the NYT.
afternoon update: Not fully on my game with the rest of the puzzles, especially BEQ's... Gaffney's contest crossword is fantastic (and hard!). According to Alex's tool I have a wrong letter somewhere, but I can't find it, and anyway I think I've got the metapuzzle figured out.
Wednesday, 4/22/09
NYT 1:57 ... LAT 1:36 ... CS 1:41 ... ND 2:01 ... BEQ 2:44
Hmm, the applet isn't loading. Hmm, the Across Lite version isn't working either. Hmm, doesn't NYT Digital have someone in charge of this? Oh, she was recently fired?
Glad I checked Wordplay (despite the risk of spoilers) and found Jim's Across Lite puzzle before printing Amy's PDF. Obviously, I haven't yet confirmed my solution is correct, but nothing was questionable. I quickly realized that there would be a picture of a boat, and the answers referencing it would be parts of said boat. Clever idea, but I didn't like it much - it's basically a 78-word, Tuesday-level themeless with six unclued entries. Actually, that sounds kinda fun...
Hmm, the applet isn't loading. Hmm, the Across Lite version isn't working either. Hmm, doesn't NYT Digital have someone in charge of this? Oh, she was recently fired?
Glad I checked Wordplay (despite the risk of spoilers) and found Jim's Across Lite puzzle before printing Amy's PDF. Obviously, I haven't yet confirmed my solution is correct, but nothing was questionable. I quickly realized that there would be a picture of a boat, and the answers referencing it would be parts of said boat. Clever idea, but I didn't like it much - it's basically a 78-word, Tuesday-level themeless with six unclued entries. Actually, that sounds kinda fun...
Tuesday, 4/21/09
NYT 1:32 ... LAT 1:50 ... CS 1:32 ... ND 1:32 ... BT 2:40 ... TO 2:06
Today's NYT might be the fastest I've ever nailed a theme. After the first 4 Downs went in I had TINK-, and when TINKERSHORTSTOP fit, I was like, "No way, all three names-plus-positions are 15 letters?" So I went and filled in the other 15s lickety-split, and started solving at the bottom right to confirm COMBO.
Alex reminded me that I didn't answer the clue I posted: John (words) and Paul (music), six letters ending in S. Answer in the comments!
Today's NYT might be the fastest I've ever nailed a theme. After the first 4 Downs went in I had TINK-, and when TINKERSHORTSTOP fit, I was like, "No way, all three names-plus-positions are 15 letters?" So I went and filled in the other 15s lickety-split, and started solving at the bottom right to confirm COMBO.
Alex reminded me that I didn't answer the clue I posted: John (words) and Paul (music), six letters ending in S. Answer in the comments!
Sunday, 4/19/09
NYT 5:50 ... LAT 4:19 ... MR 4:46 ... BG 4:22 ... ND 3:46 ... LATB 4:56 ... CS 3:12
It's been a while since I finished a Sunday puzzle without figuring out the theme, but that's what happened with the NYT. Was the Sunday Challenge a bit harder than usual, or was I just not in the usual groove with Martin Ashwood-Smith? Maybe both?
By the way, I got absolutely nowhere with the first puzzle in Justin's Metacross Contest... well, I filled the crossword, but couldn't arrange the colored squares into anything useful.
Late edit: The Diagramless turned out to be the same one I solved Friday night at the ACPT. It was still fun the second time around!
It's been a while since I finished a Sunday puzzle without figuring out the theme, but that's what happened with the NYT. Was the Sunday Challenge a bit harder than usual, or was I just not in the usual groove with Martin Ashwood-Smith? Maybe both?
By the way, I got absolutely nowhere with the first puzzle in Justin's Metacross Contest... well, I filled the crossword, but couldn't arrange the colored squares into anything useful.
Late edit: The Diagramless turned out to be the same one I solved Friday night at the ACPT. It was still fun the second time around!
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