The rare times I try to do a full crossword, I'm usually doing it with friends, so even if they don't actually solve anything, it's helpful for bouncing thoughts off of them!

And sometimes I smoke the mini (25 seconds for Friday’s which is already out) but other times I’m stumped.

Birthday wishes for shrift today! May you be spoiled accordingly. May this year exceed all expectations!

I only do the mini. I'll try the sample one, but doubt it will be anything but pathetic. I only plan to socialize and chill without the brain work.

Happy Birthday, shrift!

I reserved at the Stamford Hotel, but haven't signed up for any competition stuff yet. I won't be competing, both because I am way too slow, and because I didn't get a competitive gene. Maybe the reception or viewing?

I figured Friday night I'd want open in hopes of f2f goodness, so I only signed up for the tournament starting Sat. morning. Then Sat. eve and Sunday after it's over are wide open (I mean, there's a thing you could do Sat. eve, I think, but I'd rather be hanging out with youse guys). There's even a pretty generous lunch break on Saturday. I foresee a lot of togetherness availability!

I feel very unmoored today, knowing how things are about to change work-wise. But also kind of "world is my oyster"-y, so that's positive. I have two meetings set up for next week about freelance work, so that's exciting.

Happy Birthday shrift!

Woot for puzzlers! I will occasionally do a MTW Washington Post puzzle if I need to reset my brain, so I am by no means competitive.

Also, can release the ~ma. Didn’t get the job, but at least the aggressively mediocre guy didn’t get it. Of all of the potential candidates, the best one that wasn’t me got it.

Happy shrift day!

That's comforting, Vortex

Thursday is when the NYT puzzle gets hard, for sure! I can usually still solve it, eventually. Yesterday's says it took me two hours, but I know I opened it up on my phone and just had it open on my desk without looking at it at all, so it probably wasn't actually that long but still pretty long. But that's electronically, I am more apt to not realize I have made a mistake on paper, I need that jaunty little tune to tell me I got the answers!

I used to do them alone, but since I got my husband to dip his toe in, we do the NYT together almost every day... but I also go back into the archives and do several a week on my own. Crossword puzzles are on my top five list of favorite things to do. I used to be fascinated by my mom doing them every day, and I'd help her out with an answer every so often when I was a kid, and I felt so proud! Then I started doing them on my own. Doing them totally makes me feel connected to my mom on top of just being fun. And, you know, obviously, the Thu-Sat puzzles are easier with two brains.

ETA: Thanks for the update, Vortex... I mean, I guess if it's not you, I'm glad it's your pick other than that.

I only recently started doing the full puzzle again (when you first brought up the tournament, Jen, so I've gotten the benefit from that even if I'm not actually going!) but the mini is part of my daily routine. Helps to get my brain going during the whole waking up process. 29 seconds today, not quite as fast as meara. That thing when it appears the evening before can mess me up, btw. More often with the full puzzle, but if I miss doing it first thing in the morning and go to catch up after work and don't notice it's the next day's, I might break my streak!