Okay, so today’s crossword session. Got my coffee brewed, sat down, and pulled up the NYT puzzle. Always like starting the day this way, gets the brain going, you know?
Started off pretty smooth, actually. Flew through some of the top-left corner clues. Felt good. You know those days where the short fills just click? It was kinda like that at the beginning. Got ACAI, AREA, stuff like that, banged ’em out quickly.
Hitting the Wall
Then, naturally, I hit a snag. There was this one section, down in the middle-right, just wouldn’t budge. The clues felt kinda vague. I remember one asking about some old movie star, couldn’t place the name for the life of me. Kept thinking of different actors, but the letters just weren’t matching up with the crossing words I thought were right.
Had to step away for a second. Sometimes staring at it too long just makes it worse. Refilled the coffee cup. Came back. Tried tackling a different section, hoping getting more letters would help.
The Breakthrough
That usually works. Started working on the Downs in another corner. Slowly pieced together a few longer answers. It’s always satisfying when a long one falls into place, opens up so much of the grid. There was this one clue, something about ignoring a minor setback… and the answer clicked, maybe that’s where the “brush it off” idea comes in? Like, you just gotta shake off the tricky clues and keep going.
Anyway, getting those crossers really helped with that stubborn middle-right section I mentioned earlier. The movie star name finally popped into my head once I had a couple more letters to work with. Funny how that happens.
- Started top-left.
- Got stuck mid-grid.
- Switched focus.
- Got some long answers.
- Returned to tricky spot with fresh eyes (and letters!).
Finished it up eventually. Took a bit longer than some days, but it felt good to crack it. Not too frustrating, just the right amount of challenge. Always a decent way to spend twenty minutes or so. On to the next thing now.
