Crossword Report: November '07

Home stretch. Shooting for 600. Gotta stay strong.

Crosswords in Pop Culture:

Acme Novelty Library No. 10 by Chris Ware (Fantagraphics, 1998).
Mimicking tiny magazine ads, this graphic reads in part, "Spend the entire day trying to think of words that will fit in little boxes, and then sigh with a satisfying sense of accomplishment when all the squares are filled in... Just the thing for the elderly, or anyone who feels a nagging sense of dread, failure, or has suffered painful personal loss. Also for those who simply can't seem to meet anyone, either because of ugliness or mental illness... A great way to spend your last years, sitting at the kitchen table, doing puzzle books. Get lots -- who knows how long you'll last."

Hell Drivers: America's Original Crash Test Dummies (2007).
I was lucky enough to screen an early cut of this fun documentary about the dying breed of traveling auto daredevils, previously mentioned here. Among the four featured stuntmen is Rocky Hardcore, who relaxes between flaming garbage truck divebomber crashes by doing crosswords. As he explains his puzzle preferences while sitting on a camping chair outside his tent, "I like something with a challenge. I don't like crossword puzzles with little three-letter answers, but then I don't like ones, you gotta be Mensa to figure out. Somewhere medium to semi-expert range."

Crossword Report: January '07
Crossword Report: February '07
Crossword Report: March '07
Crossword Report: April '07
Crossword Report: May '07
Crossword Report: June '07
Crossword Report: July '07
Crossword Report: August '07
Crossword Report: September '07
Crossword Report: October '07
Total crosswords solved in November 2007: 47
Total crosswords solved in 2007: 555
On pace to solve in 2007: 607