The Sweet Smell of Near Victory

One definite highlight of last weeks vacation was nearly finishing a Times crossword puzzle--it was a Tuesday. I've been messing with some lesser puzzles in the local Long Island papers, figuring I would build up my skills before tackling the big dog. Sitting at the breakfast table on my parents boat, having coffe and eggs, thumbing through the Times, a bit of text caught my eye:

29)....Bombeck, Humorist

"I know that. Are you kidding me? I outright know that answer!" I quickly filled in the three boxes and for the next two hours embarked on a slow, but respectable, roll towards busting up a Will Shortz, Times crossword puzzle.

Later that evening, at my friends summer share, I picked my puzzle back up and found it nearer to completion than I had left it. One of the brainy chicks there had seen it out on the table and couldn't resist helping. She appologized and I feigned disappointment for a second, then smiled. What I really wanted to know is if she thought I had done a good job.

I used to watch Jeopardy from time to time but stopped after realizing that the only right answers I knew were from lame categories like "Baseball Trivia" and "Ben Stiller Movies"--ugh. But now that I've faced down a Times crossword puzzle I feel ready to reenter the nerdy-gaming ring with new confidence.