Monday
4:22 solve. I had a sub 4:00 solve in my sights, and just checking the clock put self-imposed pressure on my mental state. I rushed it and then hesitated and got in my head. I’d almost prefer not to have a clock on display and to just find out my score when it’s all over.
Tuesday
7:26 solve. I hate when I’m down to one clue and can’t see it. I do like the “eureka” moment, which is not to be confused with the “DUH” moment that the clue just pops in there. I do think they’re different. Last Sunday’s puzzle had a “eureka” but today was pure DUH.
Wednesday
10:20 solve. Once again, a foreign language gets me- finished the whole thing and had to scan the puzzle only to find I had to change an A to an O. That said, it seems like a timely theme and a reminder that once, I played Fantasy Tour De France; a group of friends selected cyclists and we got points for how well our selected racers finished on a daily basis. If memory serves, I arbitrarily picked all “Van” names, so I had a mostly Dutch team and did fairly well. Just a tip if you’re going to do Fantasy Tour De France this year- if you go in to the draft with no clue who to pick, I’d choose people from the Netherlands. They know bikes.
Thursday
11:36 solve. Not bad for a Thursday. A good theme here- nothing like knowing the first of the themed clues and knowing there aren’t enough blanks to fit the answer, so there’s going to be a substitution or an omission of some letters… I thought maybe today’s theme would be using the Periodic Table, but alas, things were more simple. Still fun despite being wrong with my first instinct.
Friday
10:40 solve. Just keeping the streak alive today. It’s been a busy week, and this puzzle just got done. Looking back on it, I’m seeing some big bold chunky clues.
Saturday
My pal Craig Cackowski solved this puzzle in an UNHEARD OF sub 6 minute time. THAT IS INFURIATING.
I had a bit of a wild week and certainly an odd Saturday, so my attention was not properly paid to this puzzle, but Craig’s time made me think this puzzle would be a breeze, IT WAS NOT. 24:34, and I needed every second. Good lord.
Sunday
22:10 solve, and a nice leisurely stroll down a very fun theme. Any time there’s this particular brand of wordplay within the puzzle, I get quite excited. Really delicious stuff. Took my time and enjoyed this one.