Another day, another debut — this time a very nice Monday puzzle (answers) from Ronald J. Byron and Nancy "also J." Byron. I know nothing about these two except they have a penchant for ecology and they love music. They also picked three theme songs with unusually catchy melodies. I bet most people who solved it had one stuck in their head by the time they were done.
Sometimes constructors fit mini not-quite-theme answers into the crossword as well. OCEAN appears at 15 Across and SMOG at 31 Down. And even though it doesn't make sense, I like to look for hidden meanings in the non-thematic answers. There are only two places where reading straight through provides two consecutive long answers and they're both, uh, highly significant. I know it's just coincidence but it's fun. 4 Down gives us SHOWCASE SITINS. Clearly Ronald J. and Nancy "Also J." are eco-activists. At 10 Down we see NITWIT EGOTRIPS. Clearly they despise pretentiousness and are focused on practical solutions. Heck, maybe they work with Mr. Gore. Solving the Global Warming puzzle may turn out to be even tougher than a Quigley Saturday.
Whatever the truthiness is, congratulations R & N on a fine debut.
Coming up, more Reader Mail and some other Extra Special Features™ I've been working on. Stay tuned!
Update: I heard from Jeremy Newton, the first-time constructor of yesterday's Sunday puzzle, "Did you get the memo?" He's 31 years old, a web programmer, he lives in New Jersey, he has his own website, and he's very excited to see his name in print under a puzzle for the first time. And why not? I bet Manny Nosowsky still remembers his first published puzzle too. Will Shortz has introduced so many new constructors into the Times family recently and that bodes well for a diverse and exciting future as all the rookies hone their skills over time.
