New York Times, Monday, August 28, 2023

My grandma Myrn used to do the Sunday New York Times puzzle every week. She was really good at crosswords, but she could never get it 100% complete without using a dictionary or Google. There was always a square or two left blank. After years of grinding away at the grids, one week, everything finally fell into place — she completed it without any help. To commemorate the occasion, she cut out the puzzle, framed it, and kept it at her desk. I'm sure she would have gotten a kick out of seeing this byline.

Obviously, I'm excited to debut in the New York Times! Special thanks to Katie Hale for all of her advice and mentorship over the past year. Shout out to the folks at Crosshare.org for solving my mini- and midi-sized creations. If you haven't checked it out, it really is one of the best communities on the Internet for constructing and sharing crosswords. Thanks to my wife, Caroline for listening to all of my half-baked theme ideas. Lastly, thanks to the G.O.A.T. test-solving tandem: my parents, Phil and Betsy. I don't think I've ever created a puzzle that they didn't like.

Oh yeah...*plug alert*...be sure to check out my more "bite-sized" puzzles at OlioGrids.com!

I've been commenting on NYT crosswords for over ten years, and I've decided it's time to UNCOUPLE myself from the blogosphere. There have been invigorating ups and a few profoundly painful downs, and I'm thankful for both sides of it — this process has helped me grow in ways I never expected. I will use the next seven days to express my appreciation for all that crosswords, constructors, editors, haters, and, most importantly, solvers have done for me.

Day one of "Gotta JET!" (Jeff's Expressions of Thanks): I'm thankful for being pleasantly baffled by so many Mondays in "Name That Theme." I can usually sniff out what's happening in two themers, but today, I FLOUNDERED AROUND. Even if offered FUNYUNS, CRUNCH N MUNCH, CHUNK LIGHT TUNA in an UNDERGROUND BUNKER, I doubt I would have guessed the UNCOUPLES revealer. Great disguise, those pairs of UN + UN so difficult to see.

Let's hear it for the YOUNG GUN constructor!

On that note, I've appreciated the opportunity to see so many new faces come through the ranks over the past decade, each one bringing new ideas and perspectives. Although I have fondness for some of the old guard, almost all of my favorite constructors — Erik Agard, Ryan McCarty, Tom McCoy, Robyn Weintraub, Nam Jin Yoon, Yacob Yonas, to name a few — had their debuts in the past decade or so.

It's been a treat to hear a wider variety of voices recently, too — yet more thanks go out to the NYT's Diverse Constructor program! I admire this proactive approach.