I Hate Crossword Puzzles!
Word games of every kind haunt me, befuddle me, sap my self-confidence, and cause me to wonder if I have no claim to a “native language”. I can’t spell, and that is an understatement. In grade school when my class lined up in teams for a spelling bee contest, I was ALWAYS the last kid chosen. I wonder now if the teacher considered the two teams equally divided if the one that I landed on had one extra player.
It didn’t improve in high school. One of my English teachers once pulled me aside and well-meaning, hand on my shoulder, said, “Mr. Schloss, perhaps college is not for you. You would be better served pursuing a technical education.”
I could have been happy in a “technical” occupation. I have an aptitude for things mechanical: electrical, plumbing, carpentry, auto mechanics. However, I think that the “mechanics” of human relationships has been my calling.
My amateur construction and repair skills have saved us thousands of dollars over the years. On occasion those same skills have tested Christine’s patience, like the time I decided to begin demolition of our kitchen in the middle of a 4th of July party we were hosting… Or the afternoon she was away shopping and returned to find that I had removed all of the water and sewer lines from inside the house. Bad timing on my part, she was 6 months pregnant.
Christine and our children seem like savants to me when it comes to word games and puzzles. They have discovered the daily online puzzle section of the New York Times, son Peter gravitates to the big crossword puzzles, Alexis, Renee and Christine especially enjoy “Wordle”, “Strands”, and “The Mini”, Although playing is free (with ads), Christine learned that for $6 a month she can buy 6 “ad-free” accounts, thus enhancing family group participation.
A few months ago, Christine encouraged me to try “Connections”, another of the New York Times daily puzzle offerings. “Not just no, but hell no!” I replied. “Pete, it doesn’t involve spelling.”
How could that be? A word game where spelling isn’t required? I was intrigued.
Each day, “Connections” presents a grid, 4 boxes by 4 boxes and within each box is a word. The challenge is to see patterns emerge which result in the successful player allocating 4 of the words each into 4 different categories. This from the Times: “You must separate 16 terms into four categories, with four terms in each category, and there is only one solution that works. The trick is that one category often has 5 or more potential answers.”
For me “Connections” has been like the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, the lame walking… Christine asks ME for help!!
Encouraged by my enthusiasm for “Connections”, Christine then urged me to take on “The Mini”; very small crossword puzzles that The Times subtitles, “Solve in Seconds!” Indeed, Christine and our daughter, Alexis, daily challenge each other to see who can solve the puzzle the fastest, often in less than a minute.
Hell, I can’t type that fast even if I know the answers and can spell them!
Nevertheless, I have tried, and tried, and tried. Twice I got it done in just under 2 minutes. Most of the time I throw my hands up and ask for help at the 8-10 minute mark.
How is it possible that I can be so bad at all word games except “Connections”? It’s Puzzling.
May 2025 be a year of Health, Love, and Happiness for you and those you hold dear.
Peace Everyone, and Happy New Year. Pete
PS. Here is the solution to the “Connections” example I gave above:
Bill says:
I too am a NYT puzzle junky. Connections, mini and wordle start my day with coffee. I read the daily news highlights then do the puzzles. I’m a half a pot into my coffee, fill my travel cup and head to the workshop ready to putz through another day. Feel the brain challenge gets me going for whatever mechanical task I’m working on. Fall and early winter it was stained glass. Now I’m doing some wood work. Reasons to get up and stay active. So many plans with so little time.
Peace, Bill
Pete Schloss says:
Happy new year Bill! During his back recovery, I have the opposite issue, so few plans and so much time. Peace, my friend.