Sunday April 14th 2019, NY Times Crossword

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Time: 35:44
Sunday Average: 47:21
Best Sunday: 21:55

Title: Left/Right Symmetry

I'm writing today from my nerd corner as I listen to the SPIN-DRY sequence of my washing machine in the basement. As far as the theme goes for this Sunday crossword, I don't know, why bother? It's only noticeable because of the title and then the circles around some L's and R's that are placed symmetrically to each other. The theme helped me fill in a couple squares, but it basically plays like a themeless, which is always fine with me,

Do people say TANK UP when they fill their car with gas? That's a new one for me.

So, I just looked up the GIBSON drink because I'm only vaguely familiar with it. The clue was "Cousin of a martini" and, sure enough, the first Google hit refers to the drink as the "Martini's savory second cousin," so I suppose the NY Times Crossword nails it again with the familial relations between drinks!

I struggled a bit to finish the NE corner because I didn't know the Murder She Wrote setting of CABOT COVE or Japanese secret agent Mr. MOTO, even though he's played by the great Peter Lorre in yellow face, which I don't love.

After being obliged to work Saturday, I made my best effort to sleep in today with the primary effect of just being SPACY today. However, I finished reading Middlemarch (having started in the Middle of March) and I must say that novel is ON POINT. It's probably not my best idea to throw in a novel of that length when I have lofty reading goals for the year. I've fallen behind. 

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