My planning document, such as it is, says that Fridays are for puzzles. I'm pretty sure that at the time that I was writing it I somehow fostered fond ambitions of composing some kind of puzzle for today, but somewhat unsurprisingly, that hasn't happened.
Instead, I thought it might be fun to sit down and do the crossword live to video to fulfil my puzzle quotient for the week. It's not quite as interactive as I'd hoped, but hey, at least it's a proof of concept that OBS is more or less functioning on my laptop again, which is good news for future video plans, at least.
For me, crosswords are normally a social thing. I take pleasure out of sitting down with a cup of tea and a cryptic, but I'd prefer to be surrounded by people and spend my time shouting clues across the room. It's a great way to watch how people's minds work and where their thoughts go when you present them with ever-changing puzzles.
Crosswords always summon up the people that I've done them with over the years. The gang crowded around the big sticky table in the back corner of the Mayo Cafe, where every five-letter word had to be B-I-B-L-E, whether it fit or not. My little sister in a hot car on the way to a geocache to a backing track by Silverchair. My parents around the kitchen table, with our own individual copies and strict rules about not getting ahead of each other. Mrs. Owl's family in the lounge with the waft of roast beef in the air, where answers were very definitely put in with pencil so they can be changed over and over again. And more recently, my college family in the common room, with a limitless supply of Jaffa Cakes and a kettle constantly on the boil, some of whom have now left and who I doubt I'll ever get to face a blank grid with again.
I should warn you that this is just me doing a crossword with somewhat grainy video quality and awful audio (I recommend putting some easy-listening music on in the background if you're going to watch, to cover the underwater noises). Nothing fancy, nothing special, no big pay-off or punchline. But I had fun doing it, so I hope you enjoy cursing at my stupidity when I can't see the answers that are right in front of me.
I should also warn you that in this video I (almost) solve the New York Times Crossword for Thursday 2nd August. If you'd prefer to do it yourself instead, you should probably do that. You can take out a subscription at https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords.
PS. Don't get too distracted by Blauging this month to pay attention to the people you love. Spend some time with good folks talking about things that matter sometimes too!
Instead, I thought it might be fun to sit down and do the crossword live to video to fulfil my puzzle quotient for the week. It's not quite as interactive as I'd hoped, but hey, at least it's a proof of concept that OBS is more or less functioning on my laptop again, which is good news for future video plans, at least.
For me, crosswords are normally a social thing. I take pleasure out of sitting down with a cup of tea and a cryptic, but I'd prefer to be surrounded by people and spend my time shouting clues across the room. It's a great way to watch how people's minds work and where their thoughts go when you present them with ever-changing puzzles.
Crosswords always summon up the people that I've done them with over the years. The gang crowded around the big sticky table in the back corner of the Mayo Cafe, where every five-letter word had to be B-I-B-L-E, whether it fit or not. My little sister in a hot car on the way to a geocache to a backing track by Silverchair. My parents around the kitchen table, with our own individual copies and strict rules about not getting ahead of each other. Mrs. Owl's family in the lounge with the waft of roast beef in the air, where answers were very definitely put in with pencil so they can be changed over and over again. And more recently, my college family in the common room, with a limitless supply of Jaffa Cakes and a kettle constantly on the boil, some of whom have now left and who I doubt I'll ever get to face a blank grid with again.
I should warn you that this is just me doing a crossword with somewhat grainy video quality and awful audio (I recommend putting some easy-listening music on in the background if you're going to watch, to cover the underwater noises). Nothing fancy, nothing special, no big pay-off or punchline. But I had fun doing it, so I hope you enjoy cursing at my stupidity when I can't see the answers that are right in front of me.
I should also warn you that in this video I (almost) solve the New York Times Crossword for Thursday 2nd August. If you'd prefer to do it yourself instead, you should probably do that. You can take out a subscription at https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords.
PS. Don't get too distracted by Blauging this month to pay attention to the people you love. Spend some time with good folks talking about things that matter sometimes too!
2 comments:
That was great, and just like doing the crossword with you as normal. SKISLOPES!!!! :)
Yeah, that definition was just completely missing from my head. Embarrassing. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
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