"Stuck In The Middle" April 28, 2023

[lisajoy]

Woke up thinking it was Friday but when I saw 10 pages, I was like OMG, is it Monday already??

Family day yesterday, so just getting to it today.

Easy solve for me this week -- hard to find a spot on the crowded beach tho!

[otlaolap]

Ashore. Nice to be back. Opened up my rusty contest scoring spreadsheet, and it shows still no wins and minuscule chances, but lots of good memories and enjoyment.

[JaneGummy]

On the beach, second week of solo solve and it's ridiculous how happy that makes me another clever construction.

[DrTom]

Well I don't know if I'll solve it tonight
I've got the feeling my answer ain't right
I'm so scared in case I fall off my chair
And I'm wondering how I'll ever get there

Rabbits to the left of me
Muggles to the right
Here I am stuck in this puzzle with you

Yes I'm stuck in this puzzle with you
And I'm wondering what it is I should do
It's so hard to keep my meta-phors straight
Can't get this, yeah I'm all over the place

Rabbits to the left of me
Muggles to the right
Here I am stuck in this puzzle with you

When you started off with nothing
And you're proud that you have one idea
And your friends, they all come running
Reach dry land while you're still at
Sea
Sea

Trying to make some sense of it all
But I can see it makes no sense at all
Is it cool if I never get ashore
'Cause I don't think that I can take anymore

Rabbits to the left of me
Muggles to the right
Here I am stuck in this puzzle with you

Well I don't know if this takes the cake, but it certainly steals the wheel...

[DrTom]

Ashore after getting a little stuck myself. I feel 100% about this one now, but I have to say I am not going to let myself get too smug. Last week the WSJCC was one of the few I actually solved and a week 5 on the way, somethings coming...

Could be . . .
Who knows? . . .
There's something due any day—
I will know right away,
Soon as it shows.
It may come cannonballing through my e-mail
Making me wail.
Written in prose.
Who knows?

It's often just out of reach,
In the blocks or in a breech,
Disguised as a tree.
I'm gonna need a miracle due,
Or I'll be blue,
Down on one knee!

[WSJosh]

Ashore!

[DrTom]

Good morning muggles

Isaac is feeling lonesome for the past few weeks and this week is no exception as we have 181 on the shore and the bar is empty.

A fun meta by Mike and my original earworm has been replaced after solving the meta by an instrumental by a French conductor.

Seeing the comments on the speed of our fastest solvers I am reminded of the testing to get into Bletchley Park in WW 2. They had a contest in the Daily Telegraph that you had to solve in under 12 minutes and some did. And then there was Alan Turing who was scary fast.

I enjoy solving the grid and then working on the meta however that is like savoring a fine wine but not the fastest way to get the meta. The fastest way is more holistic and solve only key parts of the grid, observe the clues, have experience and be much better than I am at discerning the meta answer.

By the way, the same thing is true for physical activities, some are much better than the rest of us which is why they are on TV and we are watching them.

And "Go B's and C's"

So, Bob, did you and Alan talk after the test?

[jrdad]

Well, that took some work to sort out, but I got unstuck and made it to shore. Very clever as usual.

[TeaJenny]

Ashore, finally! Took me way too long to see what I was doing wrong. G&T, please.

[Amanda Hugginkiss]

On shore just in time for a lovely 3-day weekend in the UK!

[Bob cruise director]

Good morning muggles

Isaac is feeling lonesome for the past few weeks and this week is no exception as we have 181 on the shore and the bar is empty.

A fun meta by Mike and my original earworm has been replaced after solving the meta by an instrumental by a French conductor.

Seeing the comments on the speed of our fastest solvers I am reminded of the testing to get into Bletchley Park in WW 2. They had a contest in the Daily Telegraph that you had to solve in under 12 minutes and some did. And then there was Alan Turing who was scary fast.

I enjoy solving the grid and then working on the meta however that is like savoring a fine wine but not the fastest way to get the meta. The fastest way is more holistic and solve only key parts of the grid, observe the clues, have experience and be much better than I am at discerning the meta answer.

By the way, the same thing is true for physical activities, some are much better than the rest of us which is why they are on TV and we are watching them.

And "Go B's and C's"

So, Bob, did you and Alan talk after the test?

We did. However he spoke brilliant and I spoke at a lower level.

[Grover]

Woo Hoo! (or is that one word?) On the beach.

[Ben B]

On shore! Thanks again Mike for a fun puzzle.

[meowmiao71]

Made it harder than it needed to be but on shore!

[LittleGood]

I'm ashore

[Plymouthrock]

Ashore.

[ship4u]

What to do with an anvil that you enjoy looking at when not blacksmithing? I figured it out!

[Crest]

Safely ashore!

[Dennis]

Ashore.

[lbray53]

On shore. A mechanism jumped out at me immediately. Unfortunately, it was only half there. I finally stumbled across the real one after reviewing my list of strategies.