New York Times, Monday, March 23, 2020

I know that "shelter in home" is the right thing to do; that we all need to do it to slow the spread of coronavirus. It sure isn't easy though, especially when a five-year-old is hovering annoyingly at your shoulder, staring at each key you press, asking "Daddy why are you typing ‘a five-year-old is hovering annoyingly at your shoulder'," and a three year old is busy chanting every keystroke like a cheerleader, gimme an EFF YOU SEE KAY! Hey Daddy, what does that spell?

Two of my coping mechanisms are to count my blessings and to reach out to friends. Chatting with Jim Horne over Skype hits both of these simultaneously! This week, I'm going to recap our conversations about each puzzle. Hopefully, it'll provide some much-needed diversion, or at least something a little different.

Jim and I had similar experiences solving today's puzzle. Both of us loved the snazzy theme phrases, and we were both disappointed upon hitting the revealer. A HOUSE DIVIDED is a beautiful, evocative phrase, but the theme type — splitting a word at the beginning/end of a phrase — has been done enough that it's not going to excite either of us.

Usually, Jim is the one reminding me that neither of us is a typical NYT solver, but today, I was the one who not-at-all-high-and-mightily said don't you think we should consider the average Joe's perception, that since this theme type isn't seen much anymore, it might appear fresh?

Of course, our secret society of selective solvers deserves more, but shouldn't we deign to throw people a sirloin T-bone every once in a while?

Ha ha ha, we don't talk like that! At least ... do you know the secret handshake? No? Never mind then.

We appreciated Ed's gridwork, so smooth — except for one sticking point. "Even UHURU," Jim said. "It is difficult, but it's a nice way to remember the ‘Star Trek' character."

I thusly revoked Jim's nerd card. Oh, Jim. It's lieutenant Uhura, not Uhuru. I'm afraid I had to set phasers to stun.

All jokes aside, I'm hoping that we can all find ways of staying sane for what might be a long stretch. Hey … go find a newb friend and get them to try out crosswords! This one would be a solid starter puzzle.