ACROSS LITE PUZZLE: [ COMPARATIVELY SPEAKING]
PROGRAM: [Across Lite]
PROGRAM: [Java]
PRINTOUT PUZZLE: [ COMPARATIVELY SPEAKING]
PROGRAM: [Adobe Acrobat]
Miraculously, we got the condo. I was a little bit shellshocked at the whole situation. Partly because I couldn't imagine that I'd ever be a homeowner. But mostly because I honestly didn't think the bank was going to let us have the mortgage. And the thing was it wasn't our fault. We had all the paperwork to support, well, pretty much everything. It was all those imbeciles (and I'm putting that lightly) that work at the bank whose name rhymes with "Fit is inns." It was a horror show, and from what I gather, it's not a unique situation. I guess I can laugh at it now, but for a while it was looking touch and go.
So we've begun to sell all our furniture. Partly because we didn't want to physically move the couches, the dining room table, etc. But mostly because they're too big for the new place. So hello, Craig's List. I threw the stuff up yesterday thinking it would take about a month to finally unload everything. WRONG! Looks like the majority, of, well, everything I've posted will be sold within a day or two. All we got left is the bed and the desk. Which is all great, except we don't move into the new place for another month. Where the hell am I going to sit while I watch the NBA playoffs? I mean, I guess we're going to get all Buddhist and (literally) minimalist for a while. But this is ridiculous.
So, about the puzzle. I found the basis for this theme answer in "Word Circus," a book by Richard Lederer. He's an all-around word nerd/cunning linguist and his stuff makes for a good source for material every now and again. I dunno if Will Shortz read his stuff or not, but aparently, this theme was the answer to one of Will's NPR puzzles. Needless to say, I really think the title ties the whole thing together nicely. Without patting myself on the back too much, I was pretty happy with how this one turned out.
There's really not much you can do with three 13 letter entries, though I was a little lucky with getting I CANT WAIT spanning the three entries. It also blocked off the corners into nice 3x and 4x7 corners. So 72 words it was. The slanted squares in the middle meant my job was a lot easier to make the long entries in the NE and SW corners fun. I'm torn as to whether or not VOIP is worth anything. Though lately we've been using Skype, so, like I said, I'm torn. It's a legit entry, but I wonder if anyone knows what it stands for or means.
I've been concerned that the puzzles have been a little too hard lately, so I wanted to make sure this was an easier one, so I eased up on the clues. Let me tell you, it's hard to make a good easy puzzle. Anyway, I'm surprised nobody's gone with the David Bowie song for STARMAN, but you know me, so can you blame me? And you'd be surprised how many times TSONGAS comes up. You wouldn't think so, but it seems lately I've had ole' Paul's name appear in some of my more recent grids. Yuck. Happy to link that entry with ARENA to give it some new spice.
All right. That's enough for now. Share your thoughts if you'd like (y'all have been especially chatty lately). New puzzle on Wednesday.
Brendan Emmett Quigley creates custom-made puzzles for all occasions: birthdays and bar mitzvahs, anniversaries and retirements. You name it. Need a puzzle for your website or your publication? He can do that, too.
Brendan's custom work clients have included The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, BeerAdvocate, Boston Magazine, De Beers, The Decemberists, ESPN, The Improper Bostonian, Lollapuzzoola, McSweeney's, Phish, Reflexive, The Smithsonian Magazine, St. Martin's Press, Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, and Andrew Weil.
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