Introduce Yourself

Please come in and say hello and tell us something about yourself.
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Bob cruise director
Cruise Director
Posts: 4512
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 2:38 pm
Location: Any golf course within 500 miles of Littleton MA

#481

Post by Bob cruise director »

hoover wrote: Mon Mar 29, 2021 7:31 pm Hi, I'm Eli. I finally responded to one of the emails I kept getting about a free WSJ subscription for students, so I've been doing the WSJ Saturday puzzles for only about a month now, but I've been a GAMES subscriber since 1980 (except for the Dark Ages when the magazine stopped publishing), so that should count for something. I found out about this forum in a comment on last Friday's puzzle.
Welcome

Check out the web site as there are comments and links to a lot of metas. And the good news for students is that most of them are free or very minimal charge.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask
Bob Stevens
Cruise Director
hoover
Posts: 1221
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2021 7:26 pm

#482

Post by hoover »

Bob cruise director wrote: Tue Mar 30, 2021 9:02 am
hoover wrote: Mon Mar 29, 2021 7:31 pm Hi, I'm Eli. I finally responded to one of the emails I kept getting about a free WSJ subscription for students, so I've been doing the WSJ Saturday puzzles for only about a month now, but I've been a GAMES subscriber since 1980 (except for the Dark Ages when the magazine stopped publishing), so that should count for something. I found out about this forum in a comment on last Friday's puzzle.
Welcome

Check out the web site as there are comments and links to a lot of metas. And the good news for students is that most of them are free or very minimal charge.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask
Hi Bob! (Do I have to chug a drink now?) Thanks for the greeting and the info. I'll check it out.
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Bob cruise director
Cruise Director
Posts: 4512
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 2:38 pm
Location: Any golf course within 500 miles of Littleton MA

#483

Post by Bob cruise director »

hoover wrote: Tue Mar 30, 2021 11:05 am
Bob cruise director wrote: Tue Mar 30, 2021 9:02 am
hoover wrote: Mon Mar 29, 2021 7:31 pm Hi, I'm Eli. I finally responded to one of the emails I kept getting about a free WSJ subscription for students, so I've been doing the WSJ Saturday puzzles for only about a month now, but I've been a GAMES subscriber since 1980 (except for the Dark Ages when the magazine stopped publishing), so that should count for something. I found out about this forum in a comment on last Friday's puzzle.
Welcome

Check out the web site as there are comments and links to a lot of metas. And the good news for students is that most of them are free or very minimal charge.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask
Hi Bob! (Do I have to chug a drink now?) Thanks for the greeting and the info. I'll check it out.
You will notice a lot of imbibing in the comments each week. where do you go to school?
Bob Stevens
Cruise Director
hoover
Posts: 1221
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2021 7:26 pm

#484

Post by hoover »

Bob cruise director wrote: Tue Mar 30, 2021 1:02 pm You will notice a lot of imbibing in the comments each week. where do you go to school?
Hi, Bob! I am a second-career graduate student, learning comfortably from my living room in Texas (except when it's freezing outside and there's no electricity). That means I am both old enough to drink whatever I want and free to drink it whenever I want, except probably during work hours.
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SReh26
Posts: 763
Joined: Thu Apr 01, 2021 10:48 pm

#485

Post by SReh26 »

Hi everyone, I‘m Christina, Gen X, the daughter of two avid crossword puzzlers in pen, and I inherited this trait, or flaw, as the case may be, as well as the crucial familiarity with asps, ens and various German towns, most notably the otherwise unremarkable Essen. Discovering the wsj online crossword was the next level of addiction for me and I recently came to the point where even Thursdays and Fridays, and some Saturdays, are within my reach. The puzzle has been a godsend this past trying year. Very excited to speak with others who share this interest. My other hobbies are German literature and modern press, personal finance and yoga. Thank you for setting up this site!
boneskull
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2021 10:07 am

#486

Post by boneskull »

Hi all! I'm Elian, a 17 year old 'master-of-none' currently in my first year of (I)A-Levels. I, personally, am not the son of puzzlers, but was recently informed that I was 'helping' my grandmother solve hers at the age of 2. I'm a beginner/intermediate puzzle hunter and have been subscribed to the NYT for two years, only solving their crosswords infrequently. A few weeks ago my interest in crosswords was reinvigorated and I've been furiously solving everything interesting I could get my hands on. Three days ago, in search for modern puzzles, I stumbled across Pandora's Blocks and was instantly hooked. I've completed 9 of this season's PBWMC puzzles in this short time, for reference. Anyway, I'm glad to have access to this forum and its resources, the opportunity to talk to people with experience and extremely excited for the wealth of new puzzles to tackle.
SewYoung
Posts: 726
Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2019 9:25 pm
Location: Meridian, MS

#487

Post by SewYoung »

Welcome to the group. I gather from your first sentence that you are not in the U.S. (England, perhaps?). We are glad to have you join us. We especially welcome young people, as most of us are past middle age. We have a weekly Zoom gathering on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 Eastern time. Don't know what time that is where you are, but it is 6 hours from now. We would love to have you in on that so that we can get to know you.
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AnswerPfinder
Posts: 122
Joined: Sat Aug 08, 2020 9:49 pm
Location: Hadley, MA

#488

Post by AnswerPfinder »

boneskull wrote: Tue Apr 13, 2021 10:38 am Hi all! I'm Elian, a 17 year old 'master-of-none' currently in my first year of (I)A-Levels. I, personally, am not the son of puzzlers, but was recently informed that I was 'helping' my grandmother solve hers at the age of 2. I'm a beginner/intermediate puzzle hunter and have been subscribed to the NYT for two years, only solving their crosswords infrequently. A few weeks ago my interest in crosswords was reinvigorated and I've been furiously solving everything interesting I could get my hands on. Three days ago, in search for modern puzzles, I stumbled across Pandora's Blocks and was instantly hooked. I've completed 9 of this season's PBWMC puzzles in this short time, for reference. Anyway, I'm glad to have access to this forum and its resources, the opportunity to talk to people with experience and extremely excited for the wealth of new puzzles to tackle.
Well this is the coolest thing in the entire world! Welcome, Elian, to Pandora's Blocks, the forum, and the world of metas! We're all stoked to have you!

And now I'm realizing I don't think I ever introduced myself on this specific page - I'm Will and I'm currently a grad student at UMass Amherst where I study invasive plants. I'm the guy behind most of the Pandora's Blocks emails and puzzles. I joined the forum at the same time that I started making metas last summer, and since then I have really enjoyed meeting many of you and chatting about these wacky puzzles that we all love so much!
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC) is a bundle of 16 metapuzzles created to help raise money for cancer-related charities. It is available at CrosswordsForCancer.com.
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Al Sisti
Posts: 2037
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:28 pm
Location: Whitesboro NY

#489

Post by Al Sisti »

AnswerPfinder wrote: Tue Apr 13, 2021 5:40 pm
boneskull wrote: Tue Apr 13, 2021 10:38 am Hi all! I'm Elian, a 17 year old 'master-of-none' currently in my first year of (I)A-Levels. I, personally, am not the son of puzzlers, but was recently informed that I was 'helping' my grandmother solve hers at the age of 2. I'm a beginner/intermediate puzzle hunter and have been subscribed to the NYT for two years, only solving their crosswords infrequently. A few weeks ago my interest in crosswords was reinvigorated and I've been furiously solving everything interesting I could get my hands on. Three days ago, in search for modern puzzles, I stumbled across Pandora's Blocks and was instantly hooked. I've completed 9 of this season's PBWMC puzzles in this short time, for reference. Anyway, I'm glad to have access to this forum and its resources, the opportunity to talk to people with experience and extremely excited for the wealth of new puzzles to tackle.
Well this is the coolest thing in the entire world! Welcome, Elian, to Pandora's Blocks, the forum, and the world of metas! We're all stoked to have you!

And now I'm realizing I don't think I ever introduced myself on this specific page - I'm Will and I'm currently a grad student at UMass Amherst where I study invasive plants. I'm the guy behind most of the Pandora's Blocks emails and puzzles. I joined the forum at the same time that I started making metas last summer, and since then I have really enjoyed meeting many of you and chatting about these wacky puzzles that we all love so much!
When I was with the Air Force Research Lab, I awarded a couple contracts to UMASS professors, but they were in the Computer Engineering department. I just Googled the main guy now -- Christos Cassandras -- and it looks like he's at BU now. What an awesome guy; so brilliant (degrees from Yale, Stanford and Harvard) and so humble. Man, that brings back some memories.
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qvart
Posts: 47
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2021 9:49 am
Location: Ohio

#490

Post by qvart »

I'm mostly just lurking. Came here to see what people had to say about the WSJ puzzles because I can't comment on the main site.

Hi. I'm Geoff. I still haven't won a mug bwah
SamanthaA
Posts: 71
Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2021 2:37 pm

#491

Post by SamanthaA »

Hi, I'm Samantha. I've been an avid solver of NYT crosswords for over 30 years and just started doing metas at the end of 2020. So far I have found them to be either extremely satisfying or extremely frustrating.
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Ben B
Posts: 171
Joined: Sun Apr 25, 2021 11:50 pm
Location: Houston

#492

Post by Ben B »

Hi everyone. I’m Ben. I came to love crosswords thru my 16 year old son. He writes puzzles for his school newsletter and has been constructing crosswords for about a year. I’ve subscribed to the wsj for 30 years but never did the crossword until the holidays 2020. Once I learned the general rules and conventions with the help of my son, I am hooked! It took about two months for me to solve a meta alone, without his help. But now we work on them together and look forward to every weekend to see if we can solve the answer. This has become such a fun part of our weekends, especially when we get to that aha moment and see the solution. Glad to be part of the group. Just took me 56 years to get here!
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Al Sisti
Posts: 2037
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:28 pm
Location: Whitesboro NY

#493

Post by Al Sisti »

Ben B wrote: Mon Apr 26, 2021 8:51 pm Hi everyone. I’m Ben. I came to love crosswords thru my 16 year old son. He writes puzzles for his school newsletter and has been constructing crosswords for about a year. I’ve subscribed to the wsj for 30 years but never did the crossword until the holidays 2020. Once I learned the general rules and conventions with the help of my son, I am hooked! It took about two months for me to solve a meta alone, without his help. But now we work on them together and look forward to every weekend to see if we can solve the answer. This has become such a fun part of our weekends, especially when we get to that aha moment and see the solution. Glad to be part of the group. Just took me 56 years to get here!
I think that's so cool that you solve them together...
Doc
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Mar 12, 2021 1:09 pm

#494

Post by Doc »

Hey Everyone. I'm Darryl. I've actually been on for a few weeks now but forgot to introduce myself...how rude! Looks like I'm one of the few Canadians on here. I can still win a mug right? Started doing crosswords because of Covid lockdowns and now I love them. Occasionally my wife will do them with me but she's not a fan of the metas so they're all mine!
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KayW
Moderator
Posts: 3131
Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 12:10 am
Location: Chicago

#495

Post by KayW »

Doc wrote: Fri Apr 30, 2021 10:04 am Hey Everyone. I'm Darryl. I've actually been on for a few weeks now but forgot to introduce myself...how rude! Looks like I'm one of the few Canadians on here. I can still win a mug right? Started doing crosswords because of Covid lockdowns and now I love them. Occasionally my wife will do them with me but she's not a fan of the metas so they're all mine!
Welcome to the group! But I am so sorry that the official contest rules state you must be a US resident. Not that that has ever helped ME win a mug.

I have two suggestions:
1. Enter. If you win, provide the name and address of a US muggle. The nominal winner will drive up to the border and toss the mug across to you. (There is a shaggy dog story related to this method.)
2. Propose secession and then US statehood for a province or three. After all:
53states.jpg
EDIT: p.s. and apologies. I was hoping to include a link to that shaggy dog story (which involved doing something similar to smuggle a puppy north of the border), but I couldn't find the discussion. I think that must have occurred during one of our weekly Zoom meetings. Every Tuesday night at 6:30PM ET, which I hope you'll consider joining sometime soon:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89184367093?p ... s4YUQvdz09
if password needed, use muggle.
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC) is a bundle of 16 metapuzzles created to help raise money for cancer-related charities. It is available at CrosswordsForCancer.com.
Doc
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Mar 12, 2021 1:09 pm

#496

Post by Doc »

Well that's a let down. Since I'm a WSJ subscriber they would know I'm Canadian but if this slips by them I'll definitely be recruiting a US muggle to (s)muggle the mug across the border.
jgholl
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Apr 14, 2021 3:31 pm

#497

Post by jgholl »

Hi, I'm John from Red Bank, NJ and a lifelong crossword puzzle solver. I'm now retired but have been doing NYT crosswords since I was a teenager. I think I solved my first NYT crossword as a freshman at Fordham U in the Bronx. I'm now retired from a career as a government lawyer in NJ. I discovered the WSJ crossword a few months ago, when I subscribed, taking advantage of a very reduced rate. I find these puzzles very rewarding and look forward to solving these clever metas.
User avatar
Bob cruise director
Cruise Director
Posts: 4512
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 2:38 pm
Location: Any golf course within 500 miles of Littleton MA

#498

Post by Bob cruise director »

jgholl wrote: Thu May 06, 2021 6:01 pm Hi, I'm John from Red Bank, NJ and a lifelong crossword puzzle solver. I'm now retired but have been doing NYT crosswords since I was a teenager. I think I solved my first NYT crossword as a freshman at Fordham U in the Bronx. I'm now retired from a career as a government lawyer in NJ. I discovered the WSJ crossword a few months ago, when I subscribed, taking advantage of a very reduced rate. I find these puzzles very rewarding and look forward to solving these clever metas.
Welcome to the group. In the Come Aboard part of this blog, there are a lot of tips for solving metas. Most of us did crosswords for years, like yourself, but are now hooked on metas. If you have any questions, please ask them either in the general forum or as a Private Message.
Bob Stevens
Cruise Director
ClarkJenkins
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat May 08, 2021 12:23 pm

#499

Post by ClarkJenkins »

Hi, I'm Clark from Ogden, UT. I've been crosswording for about 15 years. I recently retired and look forward to WSJ daily puzzles.
bythebog
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat May 08, 2021 9:28 pm

#500

Post by bythebog »

Hi, I'm Janna from Seattle. I've lurked on this site for months (years?), so it's time to officially join. This has been a rough year of supporting my kids through primary/middle school, but the puzzles and this forum have been a fun reprieve every week. Thank you all! I became a mug owner last year and am just a little bit too proud of it.
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