Tuesday

First I was pleased to click done 1 second faster (2:59!) than I did for Monday's puzzle. Then I was a tad disappointed when the computer blew 4 seconds in the process of submitting my time. Then I considered being crushed when I saw how many people were a good bit faster than me. Then I decided not to care one way or another, since it's not as if it took me, say, 5 minutes. Or an hour. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)

Anyway, I liked the first and last theme entries (LAST SAMURAI and LUST FOR LIFE) better than the overall theme in the NYT puzzle by Kurt Mengel and Jan-Michele Gianette. I liked KRILL—critters toward the bottom of the food chain get so little glory, ORANGE (of course), and COED clued as "like many college dorms, now." Let us never see COED used as a noun again!

I had a good time doing the Tuesday NYS by Bonnie Gentry and Vic Fleming, "Daze Work." A clever theme elegantly executed, with the zippity-doo of HOOPSTER ALONZO Mourning and the doo-dah of SUGE (OF RAP MUSIC) Knight sandwiched around ROCK SINGER PETER Noone in the midday slot. I was pleased by the Paul Krugman shout-out in FUZZY MATH, ALOHA clued as "HI hi," the "Complex character?" OEDIPUS, and the touch of etymology in the clue for OBOE (from the French hautbois). And how about that theme?

Better late than never:

Curtis Yee's LA Times puzzle has some crackle and snap to it, particularly in some of the longer non-theme entries. I know a lot of you don't ordinarily do the LAT puzzles, but this one's kinda fun. I won't spoil the goodies (which include a classic Sam Raimi movie) in case you want to solve this one.

Rich Norris's "Possessed" CrosSynergy amused me with its TOAD'S TOOLS and JOCK'S TRAPS. The term PUT-UP JOB was new to me, but apparently it's been around for almost 200 years. Who knew?

NYS 3:52
LAT 3:49
CS 3:47
NYT 3:03