Friday April 12th 2019, NY Times Crossword

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Time: 22:42
Friday Average: 27:24
Best Friday: 10:21

I don't know why it took me so long to get MORPH from "Transform," but I would propose that an obscure X-Men clue would have been better once again. There are lots of little beasties assembled in the northwest corner with ANT, MACAW, EELS, and WASPS along with the big one, ORCA.

I really need to commit MIA SARA to memory, because she seems to come up an awful lot in crosswords and not knowing her really slowed me down in this one.

I loved FIFED for "Led a parade, musically," mostly because all I could hear was Homer Simpson saying "Put this in your fife and smoke it!"

AT THE MOMENT, I am deeply missing STREET FOOD in Asia, because I've been back in the States for about a month now. Get me back to the hawker stalls in Singapore! Actually, this entire puzzle is designed to make me hungry with CHIPOTLE and EXTRA CRISPY as well. I think I'll pass on the CURACAO, but if there's any BOOTLEG booze to be had, well, that's among my SINS.

I finished listening to the audiobook of I'll Be Gone in the Dark while trailing running yesterday and Patton Oswalt unexpectedly almost made me cry in his afterword. Nothing like being caught emotionally flat-footed like that on a run. I'm actually looking forward to the HBO mini-series, which will hopefully cover recent developments in the case. 

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