This is the crossword puzzle thread

i think i might do it, as the hotel is about a 15-minute bus ride from my apartment

also it is the last possible year for me to enter as a 'junior'

When is the last day to sign up?

dunno when the deadline is but if you register online you get $10 off the registration fee before feb. 13

Airfare is pretty reasonable. Think I'm gonna do this.

nice

i am registered for sat/sun only

Yeah, I dunno about the Friday night thing.

Oh tell me you haven't wanted to hobnob with Andrea Carla Michaels.

BEQ puts an Avatar clue in every one of his puzzles now. I may have to go see it just to get those.

also it is the last possible year for me to enter as a 'junior'

― louis malle-rat (donna rouge), Tuesday, January 12, 2010 2:25 PM (5 days ago)

Still on the fence about signing up. Part of the thing is hand-eye coordination: can't physically write the clues in or move my eyes around the grid fast enough even on easy Monday puzzles. So I might sign up but am gonna leave it to jaymc and donna rouge to shoot for the Rookie Prize.

In case you didn't know already, Cox and Rathvon, aka Hex, monthly variety cryptics are back here: http://blogs.wsj.com/puzzle/

. Part of the thing is hand-eye coordination: can't physically write the clues in or move my eyes around the grid fast enough even on easy Monday puzzles.

I have been practicing with a book of NYT puzzles, and I'm definitely trying to improve in this area: e.g., looking at the next clue while filling in letters, skipping between Across and Down when appropriate (I generally due all the Across clues first, then all the Down clues, rinse, repeat -- but once at least half of the grid is filled, this can be really inefficient), etc.

You've been doing a NY Times book? I've been doing a NY Sun book, which has the advantage of having stars to tell you the level of difficulty to expect.

The NYT book has that, too. I'm assuming one star = Monday, two stars = Tuesday, etc.

Hm. Maybe NY Times books we had were kind of old.

Maybe I should get one of those instead since, although the Sun puzzles are very enjoyable, obviously it's Will Shortz who is running the show and editing the puzzles at the contest.

i have an LA times book but there's all sorts of weird fill in their puzzles

I generally due all the Across clues first, then all the Down clues, rinse, repeat

oh, really? i start in the NW corner and try to fill it all in, and work my way through the puzzle that way.

If it's easy enough, I do it the Jordan way, if it's not I do it the jaymc way.

Did I really type "do" as "due"? Wow.

fake jaymc

jaymc vote in my movie poll. *throws subpoena at you, runs out*

OK, I will. I need to think about it carefully, though. Probably this weekend.

I hope they ask about "Live Free Or Die Hard" director Wiseman. I think I've got that one down.

In the book I've been going through, that's clued as "Author Deighton" (or similar) in no fewer than three puzzles.

Haha, yeah that's the older version of that clue.

In your own puzzles I would advise you to clue it "Sweeney Todd's Cariou."

"Steal My Sunshine" band

"1-2-3"'s Barry

You know something, I think BEQ did it recently with the "Steal My Sunshine" clue.

http://www.brendanemmettquigley.com/2009/12/crossword-155.html

34 Across.

Name of my dad

Ha, reminds me of Tausig's clue for DOOM: "Game my dad refused to install on our computer in 1993 because it took up 40 megabytes."

i love that clue and it was totally gettable

Saturday Times was tough this week.

But I loved Merl Reagle's Kindergarten Crime Spree.

Maybe it's just paranoia, but it always seems to me like Times puzzles get harder in the weeks before the tournament.

OK, I'm in.

Grid today was frightening but the actual puzzle wasn't so bad.

OK, I'm in.

Oh hey nice! The three of us should make plans to meet up and say hi.

Sure.

third = me? (i'm actually kind of regretting signing up for ACPT now but i don't think they do refunds?)

I think they do actually.

So, Swedish puzzles on Friday night.

wtf matt gafney in the av club, loki is not a goddess afaik

One week and counting.

OK, today I did last year's puzzles and based on my score came in someplace between Ryan and Brian. So, not too great, but not last place.

Where did you find last year's puzzles?

Friend did it the past two years and he had them. I think they mail you a copy after the tournament.