Dan Sullivan

Dear puzzle constructor, Please do not listen to these people carping on about their dislike of your puzzle. It was brilliant and creative. Their complaints say way more about them than they say about your work. I look forward to Thursdays because it is the one day where the word 'puzzle' is emphasized a bit more than most days. As someone who has attempted to create crosswords myself, I know what a grind it can be. These kinds of puzzles allow a solver to connect - in a small way - with the creators, because we get a glimpse into the wit that spawned the deviousness of breaking the orthodoxy. Some people want the same meals -oatmeal, a PB&J, and spaghetti - every day. These are the folks that get uncomfortable with variety and anything that challenges their dogma. Don't listen to them. The vast majority of us don't bother to weigh in on online sounding boards. They are the repositories for curmudgeons.

This was the hardest puzzle in years for me. Grateful for the challenge,