sunny617

Lots of fun. Frustrated because I figured out all but the SW corner and then got stuck there for 20 minutes. Sigh.

I'm starting to come around on rebus puzzles, and this one helped. Knowing the Simon Cowell clue made this go much more smoothly for me than other rebus puzzles. Very enjoyable!

This was amazing! My jaw literally dropped when I figured out the trick (thank goodness for fonts--that's the one I cracked it with). I'm so impressed. Some tough clues, but was able to figure them out--I learned a lot of new things today. Bravo to the constructor!

Sadly, this "easier" Thursday turned out to be one of my worst Thursday times. I got the Mercury trick pretty quickly, starting with Freddie, but struggled so much on the other clues. I need more sleep, apparently.

Relieved to know it wasn't just me who struggled hard today. Had to Google more things than I'd like to admit just to get something moving.

"Hunks of plastic" is one I'll remember for a long time! I loved it and was pleased that I got it right away. Maybe I'm finally getting better at these!

Props to the constructor! To be clever, ingeniously designed, and still appropriate for a Monday is no easy task!

Great Friday! One of those in which I can see how my puzzling has grown; was able to cipher out some of the longer ones and redirect some of the ones I initially got incorrect. I'm really coming to enjoy Fridays!

Anyone else initially put "Buff It Buffet"? I typed it in all proud of myself then realized I was probably wrong when "Love It, Lovett" wasn't the next theme answer. But I'm giving myself kudos all the same. LOL.

Was this week easier than normal or am I getting better? Broke my Saturday record with no look-ups (literally gasped when I did it because I almost always have to Google something on Saturday). And it's the third time record I've broken this week. Not complaining at all. A very satisfying week!

Anyone else have "buttery" instead of "pottery" for way longer than they care to admit?

Loved this one! Perfect for a Tuesday.

Loved this one! Clever and approachable for a rebus puzzle.

Just when I think I can't be more amazed by the constructors, along comes another that boggles my mind at the creation and the creativity. Bravo!!

Loved this one! Perfect for a Wednesday.

Such a satisfying one today! Challenging but not soul crushing. I'm really glad I thought to look at the title as I was trying to figure out the trick to the long words...that saved me a lot of time and frustration.

Absolutely clever! Bravo!

Fun one today! Loved the theme clues. I lucked out getting the "Jacks" answer via other words pretty early on, so I was able to figure out the others fairly quickly after that. Missed my best Wednesday time by 8 seconds!

Loved this one! The pure joy when you figure out the trick and everything starts to fall into place.

Another one that makes me marvel at the skill of constructors.

This one was tough! But very satisfying to figure out. Well done to the constructor.

Challenging but fun--the best combo! And so many clever clues I looked to see if Will was back. Good job to the constructor and to Joel.

Great, fun puzzle that was just challenging enough to be a satisfying but not frustrating. Bravo! Mildly disappointed that my confident guess of "lifeguards" for seasonal workers in suits wasn't correct...if only I'd seen the Santa image below beforehand!

My favorite movie turned into a super-creative puzzle?!? What's not to love?? Bravo!

Highly satisfying Sunday solve! Fun trick, fairly easy but not too much. Just the right amount of brain flex for a holiday week.

Loved today's puzzle!

Props to the constructor! This one took me awhile, but the theme was amazing--especially since it was in the verticals too. Very impressive and a crunchy one for me.

Well that was just delightful!

Really enjoyed this one! Clever without being semi-soul-crushing like the ones with rebuses. I figured it out with "Ramalamadingdong" then was able to get the other two.

I let out a big cheer when I figured out the trick. Excellent! Loved it! I still had a horrible time because I got super stuck on the northeast and central east sections. I refused to believe that "avian" was the solution to the kite clue, but such as it is.

"Entertaining and formidable" are accurate descriptions. This one took me way longer than my usual Friday times, but was also satisfying.

Wow. This one was a doozie. I had to go back and correct way more things than I ever have. I also am disappointed that my very confident answer of "West" for "Key that could be part of a chain" wasn't correct. LOL. Good little challenge for a Wednesday!

Sigh. I figured out the rebus quickly and was so excited. Then got absolutely stuck on the west-central section that took me probably 10 minutes to figure out. Danggit. At least now I know what a coati is.

New best time for me today! Got caught in the SW corner, but found my way out with no Googling. Yay!

Great puzzle! Challenging but not insurmountable. My first Saturday in awhile without Googling at least one item.

Wow! Super impressive. Hat's off to the constructor. And, noteworthy, no chance for "oreo" or "eel." (But still Eno, though not present)

Fun and satisfying Sunday puzzle. Tested me without frustrating me. Well done!

Whew. Challenging but in all the right ways. A great Thursday, even if my time was horrible.

ARGH. I did well...but could not find what was wrong. I had 1A/D wrong--Lara/Line instead of Sara/Sine. Added 10-15 minutes to my time.

As a lover of states/state trivia, I'm bummed I didn't get the theme until it was explained to me in the column. I solved it without understanding. Maybe capitalizing the first two letters would have helped, though I guess that would have made it too easy.