Sunday NYT

I loved loved loved Richard Silvestri's "Speaking Canadian"! It doesn't hurt that I kicked some major applet butt, but it was just so much fun to solve. The theme entries cracked me up (I deplore "LOL," but I did in fact laugh out loud several times)—particularly YOUVE GOT MELEE and DOCTOR FILLET. I do kinda wish that oleo had made an appearance in HYDE PARKAY, but didn't mind settling for HYDE PARQUET.

After the Friday and Saturday NYT puzzles put up such a fight, it was nice to have a more tractable outing tonight. Thanks, Rich and Will!

Updated:

Kelsey Blakley's Washington Post puzzle, "Miner Details," had a theme that didn't grab me, but there was plenty of nifty fill, like SPANGLISH, POPUP AD, CHILLIN, VIRTUAL PET, and ARMY MULE. John Belushi as the KILLER BEE and my old Schwinn BANANA SEAT took me right back to the mid-'70s; ah, childhood nostalgia!

Randolph Ross's CrosSynergy Sunday Challenge demonstrated yet again that triple-stacked 15s can be pretty darned easy. In an example of how the week's events have colored my perspective, though, the inclusion of both INCOME TAX RELIEF and SPARED NO EXPENSE brought to mind the horrendous federal bungling in New Orleans. Which reminds me: please consider donating to the Red Cross right now.

WaPo 9:22
LAT 9:14
NYT 7:43
CS 3:52