Crossing words
Crosswords are another odd means of relaxation for me, much in the same way that a four-mile speedwalk/jog in the park is. Few of my friends understand why I enjoy either but then again I don't get why they love NASCAR and go to movies starring Tom Cruise.I had a tough time finding a new crossword omnibus at the bookstore last night. I don't do "easy" crosswords and I've just about worked my way through the various volumes of the NY Times and Random House Sunday collections, which contain the most difficult puzzles. Finally, I settled on the NY Times Sunday Crossword Omnibus Vol. 8 and headed to the cash register.
"Man, I wish I could do crossword puzzles!" the cashier said brightly as I fished in my handbag for cash. "I try but I'm just not good at them."
"Me neither," her co-worker chimed in, coming over to eye my purchase. "I mean, I do the 'easy' New York Times ones but..."
"It's really not that hard," I said. "Like, you just have to kind of think ahead. You know, it's like Scrabble -- which letters are you going to be able to use in other words? If a crossword says 'North Carolina college,' people always put 'DUKE' when it's 'ELON.' Because you're going to use letters like E and O and N. You won't use D and K in a lot of words."
They both just looked at me as if they really did care, nodding their heads in unison.
"Well, you're just a lot smarter than I am," the cashier said, handing me my bag as she sent me off with a tight, forced smile.
posted by rekkidbraka @ 5:42 PM
1 Comments:
I don't really think about crosswords in that manner, Rekkid. I usually just try to put what I think are the correct answers in their proper places without regard as to how frequent those letters are used. If they're wrong then I just write over the old letters with new ones. I do my crosswords in pen, not out of some sense of intellectual ego, but because that's what I usually carry in my scrub pocket. I do the SF Examiner crosswords when I can and that's usually on Tuesdays and Fridays when I have to take a shuttle ride from one work "campus" to another. It keeps my mind working and gives me a sense of accomplishment if I ever finish them.
On a unrelated note, I have never seen an entire NASCAR event (just a cursory glance during a lazy Sunday channel scan). And I watched "The Last Samurai" because I like watching war movies for the tactical aspects. "Losin' It" still remains unexplainable...
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