I need to bitch

[BarryBobPosthole]

I'm a crossword person and that probably makes me strange. A few years ago I started seriously attacking the NY Times crossword, which for me is the gold standard of crossword puzzles. I just was never able to do much of anything with the NYT one though because they were too dang hard. After about a month or so, they started getting easier and now I can get through the daily ones in about 10 minutes or so and the Saturday and Sunday ones in about an hour. I use an app on my ipad to do them and was surprised here recently when I looked at my profile and they said I was in the 'Masters' class. Wow. ain't I sumpin.
Anyways, the thing I am bitching about is rebus puzzles. That's where they have you put multiple letters in a square to solve the puzzle. What it basically is, is the author of the crossword is too damned dumb to figure out how to make a real crossword and thinks this bullshit is clever. They put one in the NYT about every two weeks or so and I've gotten pretty good about smoking them out early enough that I don't get really pissed. I even quit 'em once, but that lasted only a week or so. MY day really goes bad if I don't get to work my damned crossword.
I'm hooked through the bag.
But rebus puzzle authors oughta be shot in the balls.

BKB

[Thumper]

Anytime I see or think of crosswords, I think of my grandfather. That was always the way his day started ... grab the morning paper, grab a cup of coffee, sit down and do the crossword. He was pretty quick with them and it seemed he seldom got stumped. That was always the bulk of his gifts on Christmas or birthdays ... we'd always get him "books of crossword puzzles". He'd fill one in from cover to cover, then start on another. I never could get into 'em personally ... I always thought they were just for Okie nerds.

[BarryBobPosthole]

I'm telling you its a sickness almost. I get cranky if I get interrupted and it ruins my time.

BKB

[HideHunter]

I *hate* crossword puzzles. Years ago I had to spend 3 weeks and 3 days in the hospital. One of the few times in my life I really understood the concept of boredom. I had tons of reading material and in one of the big three (F&S I think) I noticed a crossword. I figured if *ever* I was going to have one I could work - this was it. I was *flying* through this thing when I came to the clue "King of beasts". Just kept flying. Finally I get about done and the last few words simply won't fit. I *knew* "king of beasts" was right so I worked on that thing for hours. . even went back to it the next day. Finally I literally threw the thing across the room in the general direction of the trash can.

The next month they printed an apology saying the kob would have to be a "loin" to make the puzzle work. And that, my friends, chronicles my one and only attempt at solving a crossword puzzle.

[BarryBobPosthole]

You have the right mentality for crosswords. I'd have burned the guy's house down.

BKB

[Big Muddy]

Me too, Phole....I worked them daily and on weekends, religiously....figured they'd keep my mind sharp, which I still believe they will.

However, our newspaper delivery service changed over to the postal service about two years ago, and sometimes I'd get a newspaper, sometimes not at all, or it'd get here three days later.

I just sorta lost interest after that.

[quercus alba]

I too like crossword puzzles but they need to keep it in english. When I come to a clue like "king in french" then I'm done with it