On Solving the Crossword Without a Stopwatch
That settles it. Racing against the clock truly ruins the experience.
On Monday, I timed myself while solving the Times crossword, thinking it would be a good idea to start training now for the Stamford tournament next spring. I didn't even notice the theme, which was organized around the concept of twos.
Today I decided to do the puzzle just for fun. And that's exactly what it was. Time slipped away. I entered my happy place. I developed a deep appreciation for the constructor, Nancy Salomon. The elegance of her mind set off fireworks in mine. The grid somehow seemed to engulf me, and I became attentive to the full pleasure of the experience in all its anatomy.
I hear the cries of sour grapes already: because I don't stand a chance of ever winning at Stamford, therefore I've concocted an elaborate justification for why I should not try.
Maybe. But the lyric that has earwormed its way into my head today is this: "I want a man with a slow hand."
On Monday, I timed myself while solving the Times crossword, thinking it would be a good idea to start training now for the Stamford tournament next spring. I didn't even notice the theme, which was organized around the concept of twos.
Today I decided to do the puzzle just for fun. And that's exactly what it was. Time slipped away. I entered my happy place. I developed a deep appreciation for the constructor, Nancy Salomon. The elegance of her mind set off fireworks in mine. The grid somehow seemed to engulf me, and I became attentive to the full pleasure of the experience in all its anatomy.
I hear the cries of sour grapes already: because I don't stand a chance of ever winning at Stamford, therefore I've concocted an elaborate justification for why I should not try.
Maybe. But the lyric that has earwormed its way into my head today is this: "I want a man with a slow hand."
posted by DO at 1:13 PM
3 Comments:
I find solving crosswords for speed is its own kind of fun, and not especially related to the kind of fun that one has when solving crosswords at the speed one naturally solves them.
Because it satisfies a competitive urge, or for some other reason?
Well, solving at the tournament satisfies a competitive urge, and solving for speed in general provides a little adrenaline rush and a feeling that one's brain is firing on all cylinders, which is kind of cool. But it does interfere with one's enjoyment of witty clues and such.
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