Last week I was working at the library. I ran out of scrap paper. They have a bunch. On the other side of a sheet was something they provide every day: the New York Times crossword puzzle. It was a couple days old when I got it, hence it being scrap.

I was about to use the back side, which was the side I wanted. I scanned a few clues and a couple seemed obvious. I don’t think I ever tried to do a New York Times crossword before. I noticed it was a Monday puzzle, which I understand is the easiest day.

I probably should have worked on my book, which is why I was there, but kept working at the puzzle. Next thing I knew, I finished it. Now I feel like sharing it.

I looked up a word I didn’t understand but was able to fill in from filling in the other direction. The clue was “Lhasa ___ (dog)”. When I searched the term, a ton of sites came up with the clue for the puzzle. I guess a lot of people look up online to help them solve puzzles. I’d never heard of Lhasa Apso dogs.

It turns out I got a few words wrong. For “Diddly-squat” I put “Zilch,” but the right answer was “Zippo” and I got the three words going the other way wrong, though two of them still made words.

Now that I finished one, maybe I’ll try later days of the week, but I don’t see the point. It’s kind of entertaining, but it didn’t feel meaningful. It felt like a video game, not for action but for what it brought to my life, and I stopped playing video games in high school. I can see why many people would do them, since it gives consistent feelings of reward, which probably makes it addictive.

Actually, that pattern of consistent rewards is probably what turned me off. It reminded me when someone left a nicotine vape pen at my place. I tried it once and felt my heart accelerate a bit, but felt no pleasure. I tried it again the next day to no better result. Then around the third or fourth I felt a pull to try again. Wanting to do something pointless turned me off. I’m sure if I did it enough I’d feel addicted. Why would I want addiction to a pointless activity?

My college crossword story

Once in college, before the professor arrived to start class, a couple classmates were working on the crossword puzzle, asking each other what they got for different clues. When the teacher arrived, they put it away and paid attention to class.

The crossword was in the school paper, of which I had a copy. Over the course of class, I filled in all the letters. After class I told them I finished the puzzle.

They looked at it and were amazed. It’s been a long time, but I think one of them said something very admiring. I had not only finished it, but during an advanced math class. They started asking what I got for various clues.

I handed them the puzzle as if to let them see the answers for themselves but just for them to see I wasn’t great. I had just filled in random letters. I wasn’t bragging or humble, just playing around.

I doubt my retelling conveyed the humor, but we all laughed.

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