Introduce Yourself

Please come in and say hello and tell us something about yourself.
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RedtheRed9
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2019 1:01 pm
Location: Reading, PA

#161

Post by RedtheRed9 »

SewYoung wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2020 11:17 am
RedtheRed9 wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2020 11:12 am Hello everyone! I'm Dan from Central PA by way of Baltimore and, originally, the DC area. Life consists of:

Animals - we have 2 dogs and 3 cats
Sports - still playing ice hockey at 48....not sure for how much longer....depends on the knees!! ; )
Reading - when I can
Movies/TV - way too much great content these days to keep up with!!
Kids - we have 5 between us.....almost all fully grown and out of the house.....now to get them off the payroll!!
oh....and work - commercial banking (don't hate me)

Just discovered this whole world of the meta puzzles, so still trying to get my brain thinking in that way. Great fun and a good way to try to stay sharp! Happy solving!!
Do you do the cryptics? That's another whole different way of thinking. And very addictive....
Sometimes.....depends on how much time I have and how much battery power my brain has left for the day :D
caf.caf
Posts: 56
Joined: Mon Apr 15, 2019 1:33 pm

#162

Post by caf.caf »

Hi to the admirable group I lurk every week and am finally feeling brave enough to introduce myself to! I come from an engineering and internal medicine background and have always believed that I can't do crosswords. After years of patiently struggling to prove myself wrong, I realize I might as well publicly admit I'm addicted to the Friday wsj contest. As a bonus, I love the creative banter here and appreciate the weekly result statistics. And, yes, I diligently work weekly for the aha moment in hopes of someday winning a cherished Mug!- What one will do for a prize:) I'm in Sarasota, FL, by way of Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Hoping to retire and solve puzzles in the North Carolina mountains someday. Thanks for the work on keeping this muggle blog afloat. Cathy
LLinNC
Posts: 39
Joined: Fri Jul 26, 2019 4:07 pm

#163

Post by LLinNC »

caf.caf wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2020 6:00 pm Hi to the admirable group I lurk every week and am finally feeling brave enough to introduce myself to! I come from an engineering and internal medicine background and have always believed that I can't do crosswords. After years of patiently struggling to prove myself wrong, I realize I might as well publicly admit I'm addicted to the Friday wsj contest. As a bonus, I love the creative banter here and appreciate the weekly result statistics. And, yes, I diligently work weekly for the aha moment in hopes of someday winning a cherished Mug!- What one will do for a prize:) I'm in Sarasota, FL, by way of Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Hoping to retire and solve puzzles in the North Carolina mountains someday. Thanks for the work on keeping this muggle blog afloat. Cathy
As a native North Carolinian, I think your retirement plan sounds wonderful! Although I do love the beaches here a wee bit more than the mountains. But you really can't go wrong either way...
Hidden in 3D
Posts: 379
Joined: Sun Nov 17, 2019 11:42 pm

#164

Post by Hidden in 3D »

LLinNC wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2020 8:29 pm
caf.caf wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2020 6:00 pm Hi to the admirable group I lurk every week and am finally feeling brave enough to introduce myself to! I come from an engineering and internal medicine background and have always believed that I can't do crosswords. After years of patiently struggling to prove myself wrong, I realize I might as well publicly admit I'm addicted to the Friday wsj contest. As a bonus, I love the creative banter here and appreciate the weekly result statistics. And, yes, I diligently work weekly for the aha moment in hopes of someday winning a cherished Mug!- What one will do for a prize:) I'm in Sarasota, FL, by way of Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Hoping to retire and solve puzzles in the North Carolina mountains someday. Thanks for the work on keeping this muggle blog afloat. Cathy
As a native North Carolinian, I think your retirement plan sounds wonderful! Although I do love the beaches here a wee bit more than the mountains. But you really can't go wrong either way...
Not a native, but I’ve loved living in NC for almost 23 years! I’d like to think I have the best of both worlds here in the Piedmont region of the state; rolling hills and lakeside views – paradise!

I was a lurker for a long time, too, Cathy, having just come out of the shadows in November. Your post made me realize I had never introduced myself, so here goes:

After graduating from William and Mary in ’78, I served as an advisor to a group of young women at Mississippi State and got my M. Ed. there. Headed back to my home state of VA and taught third grade until a Navy pilot swept me off my feet. (After our wedding, The Blue Angels actually flew over NAS Norfolk as we were exiting the chapel.) Over the next twenty years we moved from east coast to west and back again and raised three wonderful children, two girls and a boy. After the hubby’s retirement from the service, we settled near Charlotte where I became involved with our local arts council because of its commitment to bring a professional performance to every child, K-12, in the public schools. Before I knew it, I was on staff, coordinating these programs and later becoming the director of a fledgling performing arts series in our historic theater.

Family called in 2014 (after both daughters were engaged) and I retired to become a “full-time wedding planner.” Their ceremonies were only 8 weeks apart in 2015, two joyous celebrations with relatives and friends. All three kids live in NC; it’s fantastic to have them within driving distance. We have also been blessed with a sweet granddaughter, born in the fall of ’18.

Interests include travel, cooking, gardening and serving on two community boards.

And here we are at the beginning of a new decade! I wish health and happy puzzling for each and every Muggle!
Last edited by Hidden in 3D on Sun Jan 05, 2020 8:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
Sara
SewYoung
Posts: 726
Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2019 9:25 pm
Location: Meridian, MS

#165

Post by SewYoung »

Hidden in 3D wrote: Sat Jan 04, 2020 11:29 am
LLinNC wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2020 8:29 pm
caf.caf wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2020 6:00 pm Hi to the admirable group I lurk every week and am finally feeling brave enough to introduce myself to! I come from an engineering and internal medicine background and have always believed that I can't do crosswords. After years of patiently struggling to prove myself wrong, I realize I might as well publicly admit I'm addicted to the Friday wsj contest. As a bonus, I love the creative banter here and appreciate the weekly result statistics. And, yes, I diligently work weekly for the aha moment in hopes of someday winning a cherished Mug!- What one will do for a prize:) I'm in Sarasota, FL, by way of Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Hoping to retire and solve puzzles in the North Carolina mountains someday. Thanks for the work on keeping this muggle blog afloat. Cathy
As a native North Carolinian, I think your retirement plan sounds wonderful! Although I do love the beaches here a wee bit more than the mountains. But you really can't go wrong either way...
Not a native, but I’ve loved living in NC for almost 23 years! I’d like to think I have the best of both worlds here in the Piedmont region of the state; rolling hills and lakeside views – paradise!

I was a lurker for a long time, too, Cathy, having just come out of the shadows in November. Your post made me realize I had never introduced myself, so here goes:

After graduating from William and Mary in ’78, I served as an advisor to a group of young women at Mississippi State and got my M. Ed. there. Headed back to my home state of VA and taught third grade until a Navy pilot swept me off my feet. (After our wedding, The Blue Angels actually flew over NAS Norfolk as we were exiting the chapel.) Over the next twenty years we moved form east coast to west and back again and raised three wonderful children, two girls and a boy. After the hubby’s retirement from the service, we settled near Charlotte where I became involved with our local arts council because of its commitment to bring a professional performance to every child, K-12, in the public schools. Before I knew it, I was on staff, coordinating these programs and later becoming the director of a fledgling performing arts series in our historic theater.

Family called in 2014 (after both daughters were engaged) and I retired to become a “full-time wedding planner.” Their ceremonies were only 8 weeks apart in 2015, two joyous celebrations with relatives and friends. All three kids live in NC; it’s fantastic to have them within driving distance. We have also been blessed with a sweet granddaughter, born in the fall of ’18.

Interests include travel, cooking, gardening and serving on two community boards.

And here we are at the beginning of a new decade! I wish health and happy puzzling for each and every Muggle!
What is the name of your historic theater? I would like to look it up. Ours (where I presented the Raleigh Ringers Concert) is the MSU Riley Center(www.msurileycenter.com). It was opened after restoration in 2006.
Hidden in 3D
Posts: 379
Joined: Sun Nov 17, 2019 11:42 pm

#166

Post by Hidden in 3D »

SewYoung wrote: Sat Jan 04, 2020 12:01 pm
What is the name of your historic theater? I would like to look it up. Ours (where I presented the Raleigh Ringers Concert) is the MSU Riley Center(www.msurileycenter.com). It was opened after restoration in 2006.
Hi Lisa:

I'll send you a link to the website for the theatre in a PM. We live in a different county now, but we still try to get to some of the shows.
Sara
Preterosso
Posts: 43
Joined: Fri Jan 10, 2020 10:18 pm

#167

Post by Preterosso »

Long time lurker, first time poster. My wife and I have been following along and getting on shore more often than not over the past year, so we figured it was time to buy a ticket and join the party! I’m on the marketing team at a local university, with a particular interest in baseball history and analytics. Looking forward to the cruising! -Phil & Kelli
Nlobb
Posts: 296
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2019 6:46 pm

#168

Post by Nlobb »

I am Nancy from Mississippi Gulf Coast. I'm a retired teacher of the blind and deaf. For fun I am a quilter currently working on a Baltimore Album quilt. My husband and I have 3 grown kids. I just started doing the wsj crosswords last year with little success. However I have gotten the last 3 right so there is hope...
Nlobb
Posts: 296
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2019 6:46 pm

#169

Post by Nlobb »

Oops I meant to add my user name is nlobb.
CoffeeFiend21
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Jan 10, 2020 11:26 am

#170

Post by CoffeeFiend21 »

Like Preterosso, I too have been a long time lurker of this forum. I've been paddling along towards the shore for some time, but finally made it aboard the first two puzzles of the year. Figured it was time to come out of the shadows and participate.

I'm Thaddeus (please, not Thad), currently located in the great state of Texas. Life consists mostly of family (rockstar wife, happy toddler and crazy puppy), working away at a lovely day job and being active as much as I can. Hope to be on shore more often this year!
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Meg
Posts: 2136
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:41 pm
Location: St. Petersburg, FL

#171

Post by Meg »

It’s January 13, 2020 and this forum has 499 members!! I’m thinking number 500 should get something.......a set of the poems that have been posted here? A bottle of something? A small umbrella to put in your drink?
Check out and support http://CrosswordsForCancer.com.
Scrablett
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Jan 24, 2020 1:21 pm

#172

Post by Scrablett »

Hello Muggles, I am an x.w.nerd currently residing in TX with my husband, four kids and dog, Mr. Snaggs. My b-i-l introduced me to the METAS this summer and I have been addicted ever since, I even grab the paper and bring it with me on my weekend trips (DO NOT TOUCH THAT PAPER). I am more devoted to solving than my husband, but between my husband, b-i-l, nephew, and myself we have formed a small unofficial cadre of muggles known to dominate family reunions and get togethers with crossword talk thus annoying the rest of the family. Cheers.
Inca
Posts: 828
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 10:55 pm

#173

Post by Inca »

Scrablett wrote: Fri Jan 24, 2020 1:47 pm Hello Muggles, I am an x.w.nerd currently residing in TX with my husband, four kids and dog, Mr. Snaggs. My b-i-l introduced me to the METAS this summer and I have been addicted ever since, I even grab the paper and bring it with me on my weekend trips (DO NOT TOUCH THAT PAPER). I am more devoted to solving than my husband, but between my husband, b-i-l, nephew, and myself we have formed a small unofficial cadre of muggles known to dominate family reunions and get togethers with crossword talk thus annoying the rest of the family. Cheers.
I wish I had a crossword cadre. I think that's why this forum exists.
michaelm
Posts: 487
Joined: Fri Jan 24, 2020 3:21 pm

#174

Post by michaelm »

Hi everyone.
Land ho from Bucks County, PA.
I have been doing crosswords since high school in the late 1970s.
I was just thinking of how times have changed since then.
I remember finding a difficult puzzle sponsored by Johnny Walker in some magazine, sending it in and receiving an official certificate of completion many months later.
That was the definition of delayed gratification!
Having found the WSJ puzzle contest only eight weeks ago reintroduced me to the idea of having to wait (at least it's only over a weekend) to find out if I was able to decipher these clever metas.
Five for eight so far, including today's.
Thanks for populating this site with the older puzzles.
Those treasures are very helpful and they will be a blast to revisit as time permits.
Good luck everyone and enjoy!
Mike
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Bob cruise director
Cruise Director
Posts: 4511
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 2:38 pm
Location: Any golf course within 500 miles of Littleton MA

#175

Post by Bob cruise director »

michaelm wrote: Fri Jan 24, 2020 3:39 pm Hi everyone.
Land ho from Bucks County, PA.
I have been doing crosswords since high school in the late 1970s.
I was just thinking of how times have changed since then.
I remember finding a difficult puzzle sponsored by Johnny Walker in some magazine, sending it in and receiving an official certificate of completion many months later.
That was the definition of delayed gratification!
Having found the WSJ puzzle contest only eight weeks ago reintroduced me to the idea of having to wait (at least it's only over a weekend) to find out if I was able to decipher these clever metas.
Five for eight so far, including today's.
Thanks for populating this site with the older puzzles.
Those treasures are very helpful and they will be a blast to revisit as time permits.
Good luck everyone and enjoy!
Mike
Welcome to the group. We have several other muggles from that general area. Let us know if you have any questions.
Bob Stevens
Cruise Director
Martin
Posts: 48
Joined: Thu Jan 23, 2020 6:20 pm

#176

Post by Martin »

Al Sisti wrote: Fri Nov 15, 2019 10:44 pm
Bob cruise director wrote: Fri Nov 15, 2019 8:42 pm
Darlene V wrote: Fri Nov 15, 2019 4:34 pm Darlene from the North Country in upstate New York. Retired and living the life off-grid - loving every minute! My husband and I do the WSJ puzzles every day, and I especially look forward to the Variety Puzzles on Saturday (but never got the hang of cryptics). I also have the Penny Press Variety Puzzles on hand. Also, we are both classical musicians and very much enjoy playing music together and with friends. Along with playing backgammon and mah-jong, we've got plenty of ways to spend our 7-month-long winters until we can get back outside to homesteading chores!
Welcome to the group. We are always glad to have new muggles

To me, the North Country is up by Alexandria Bay. Are you that far north?
Yeah, "upstate NY" has so many connotations, right? I live a couple miles outside of Utica, which to people in Binghamton, is upstate. But to me, the North Country means Watertown, and to Watertown people, upstate means Plattsburg... and when I once told someone from New York City that I was from upstate NY, she said "Oh, Yonkers?"
So true. When I was 9, we moved from the Bronx to Yonkers, and everybody said we were now living upstate.
aliveson
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2019 8:20 am

#177

Post by aliveson »

Hi,

I'm a long-time NYT puzzle solver, new to the WSJ puzzle world and loving it. How does the meta puzzle work? Thanks! Avi
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MajordomoTom
Posts: 1399
Joined: Sat Nov 02, 2019 12:09 am
Location: St. Louis, MO

#178

Post by MajordomoTom »

so, solve the puzzle/grid.

then there's another puzzle to solve. For example, this week it's "four letter singular noun". You have to use the grid, the clues, the title of the puzzle, and your imagination to find that four letter singular noun. Then you submit it to the email address and ... wait for tomorrow's paper (actually, wait until 11 pm ET and check the website) to see if you were correct.

and then hope for an email back, confirming you've been pulled and have won the coveted WSJ mug.

Best of luck!
"Lots of planets have a North", the Ninth Doctor.
aliveson
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2019 8:20 am

#179

Post by aliveson »

Thanks! I also just found M. Gaffney's helpful "101" guide.
User avatar
MajordomoTom
Posts: 1399
Joined: Sat Nov 02, 2019 12:09 am
Location: St. Louis, MO

#180

Post by MajordomoTom »

I have his book and have been working through his puzzles - they're in a 1-star, 2-star ... 5-star order.

I'm in the middle of the 2-star puzzles.

EDIT: I just started with these in early November 2019 - a bare 2.5 months ago - they're fun, a bit maddening, a bit frustrating, and when the AHA moment hits, delightful.

And sometimes all of the above at the same time.

I solved this one mid-evening on Thursday, others have taken into Sunday, and one or two I haven't solved w/o a nudge or two from the friends I've met on this website.

Welcome to the addiction that is meta-crosswords.
"Lots of planets have a North", the Ninth Doctor.
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