It is Sunday afternoon and I am drained from the ACPT. This year proved to be better than last. I got almost 1,000 points higher and I finished all but one puzzle. I breezed through puzzles #1 and #6 but I literally choked on Puzzle #5 (always the hardest). I finished puzzles #2, #3, and #4 with literally a minute or two to spare. This morning, I was doing well until I got to the bottom of the grid. I know I made some stupid mistakes there. I don't think the time change to EDT helped either, lol. Maybe one of these days, I'll finish in the top half.
I've never really socialized with the crossword elite. It is very much a boys' clique, and many of the contestants and officials have known each other for years. This was my fifth year at the tournament, and I still felt out of place. I find many of the contestants intimidating, although I'm sure they are very nice people. Although I am good at solving puzzles on my own, I need to work on my speed.
As I mentioned on Friday, the ACPT is moving back to Stamford mainly because of the cost. Stamford sounds promising because not only is the room just $129 a night, but I think the price of the tournament will be cheaper, too. Plus, there is free WiFi. It will force me to participate in the evening activities and stay for the finals. For example, I missed David Steinberg's (who is still too young for his drivers' license!) talk about his digital archive of NYT puzzles, as well as the annual talent show. However, I did a little retail therapy and purchased Merl Reagle's 100th Anniversary Crossword Book (which he signed, too). There were lots of interesting electronic apps, especially the new Australian game called Bonza.
Once again, Dan Feyer took home the top prize, followed by Tyler Hinman and Howard Barkin. For the complete results, please click here.
We had a wonderful evening in Philly on Friday. Paul Simon and Sting really meshed and sang together very well. They played almost all their hits and listening to their bands was amazing. Plus, Sting has an amazing body for someone who's 62! :-) The one spoiler was the nutcase that was dancing in the aisles and blocking our view.
After finishing puzzle #7 this morning, I went over to the monthly Metropolitan Postcard Club meeting, where I purchased three diner postcards, along with two Borden vintage postcards. I also paid my membership dues for next year. Then I walked over to Sacco Pizza for one of their excellent thin-crust slices. This was followed by a walk down 56th Street to Lexington Ave., where I did a little window shopping. Now I'm ready to go to bed.
I'll be back with tomorrow's Newsday puzzle and I hope to start blogging the weekend puzzles, too.
Signing off,
The Puzzlechick
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