Saturday April 6th 2019, NY Times Crossword

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Time: 21:38
Saturday Average: 36:00
Best Saturday: 10:34

I suppose it was inevitable that one day I would be a HOT MESS and just never make it to my blog, despite handling this Saturday without too much difficulty. Perhaps I should blame that bottle of champagne after a 5 mile trail run, but I'm not NUTS ABOUT that excuse. The key is not to use the excuse of a broken streak to let my future efforts flag. Back to it!

I loved the connectedness bordering on a theme with northern long answers NOT A BAD IDEA, BUT WILL IT WORK, and WIN SOME LOSE SOME. This contrasts starkly with the hilariously disconnected TREASURE MAP, SNUFFLEUPAGUS (which makes me think of Bartleby, whom we used to call Pupalupagus), and FRA FILLIPPO LIPPI. Now, that last one, if you haven't heard of the 15th century Italian painter, which I certainly hadn't, might look like just a collection of letters, mostly Ls, Is, Fs, and Ps. So, I think it's safe to say that the south gave me some trouble, especially since I had shAM instead of the weirder FLAM.

I could not wrap my head around LETS for "Call to reserve?" until I finally got that it was re-serve, as in serve in tennis again, which a "let" would cause. That cross with the horrifically named ALATEEN, which is the support group for teens affected by alcohlism, was a tough one to say the least. But who gives up on a Saturday? NOT I!

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