The NYT has a daily column discussing the XW puzzle and others of its games. It’s called Wordplay. Sometimes it includes comments by the constructor. These often discuss little things in the grid, or how he or she came up with certain elements. Friday’s puzzle was unusual and impressive in that it had two four-answer “stacks” ten letters wide. E.g., the one near the bottom had these four answers piled directly on top of each other: MARRIED MAN, I DON’T BUY IT, CAMERA CREW, and EMPTY STARE. The constructor was Adrian Johnson and he had to (and did) make the ten crossing downs “work.” But he didn’t discuss his stacks in his comments. Instead, he wrote this beautiful note about his friend:
My closest crossword friend is old enough to be my grandmother. Almost a year ago to the day, Alexandra and I connected online for the first time over a community puzzle project. We’ve met in person only once, at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in 2024, but that was just the start to what I believe will be an enduring friendship.
Alexandra keeps track of and congratulates me after every single crossword publication of mine, even when I forget I have one. She speaks with the sincerity of a long-term friend, the curiosity of a young child and the empathy of a trusted mentor. Alexandra is a witty, humorous and steadfast guiding light to help see out your darkest days — someone with an infectious love and care for the community around her that inspires, uplifts and warms the heart.
My crowning achievement over our year of friendship was convincing her to join me in making her first two crossword puzzles after more than 30 years of solving: one for Universal Crossword, and the other as a personal tribute to her family’s Levantine roots.
Here’s what I’ve learned from her: Life moves fast. Take the time to engage with someone older, treasure those who light a fire under you and never fear new opportunities to meet people or build bridges. All of our lights inevitably go out, so act on the time you have with integrity, humor and humility, like Alexandra does. Peace.
In a nod to Black History Month, the puzzle yesterday welcomed NELLA Larson, who wrote the novel Passing. Also, the clue at 28A was “Sojourner Truth speech in which she said ‘You need not be afraid to give us our rights.’” The answer was AIN’T I A WOMAN? In that speech, Truth was remarking on the deferential treatment men gave to white women but which she, as a Black woman, had never received. Thus, the query “Ain’t I a woman?”
Seemingly pointing out a man in the room, Truth says, “That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere.” She exclaims that no one ever does any of these things for her, repeating the question, “And ain’t I a woman?” several times. She says that she has worked and birthed many children, making her as much a woman as anyone else.
At 1A yesterday, the clue was “Experience that’ll change one’s mind,” and the answer was ACID TRIP.
Anony Mouse tried a different answer first and noted: Had lobotomy before acid trip. And egs replied: That sounds like my life story!
At 39A the clue was “Grab bag contents” and the answer was ODDS AND ENDS. My brother once told me he heard about two colleagues who opened a medical practice together: a psychiatrist and a proctologist. They were first said to serve heads and tails, and later ODDS AND ENDS.
Owl Chatter friend Chris, commenting yesterday on the passing of Marianne Faithfull noted aptly: Faithfull was beautifull.
Kate Koval is a big woman: 6 feet, 5 inchies. Can’t find her weight, but she’s substantial — take a look at that those tree-trunk legs. SRSLY.
She plays for Notre Dame. I just checked, they are ranked #3 nationally, three rungs ahead of Owl-Chatter-fave UConn. When she was a HS star on Long Island, an unusual situation arose for one of her games.
It was a road game in Brookville, NY. It was February 24, 2022. Kate was up at 5 am. Her mom Natalia was calling from Kyiv. Russia’s invasion had begun and her family was vacating their apartment for a safer locale. They’d call her later when they were settled safely. You’ve had days waiting for calls, amirite? Is it benign? Is [son, daughter, grandchild] okay? But none of them involved incoming Russian missiles.
Kate did not get a call back. The clock slowed to a crawl but still, suddenly, it was gametime. Her coach told her it was okay for her to sit out. But that was out of the question, she said. If they were safe and streaming the game, they would worry if they saw she wasn’t playing: she has to play. So the coaches and refs got together and made special arrangements. Even though normally phones were not allowed on the bench, Kate’s phone would be allowed and monitored at all times . Even though normally only the team in possession of the ball could call a time out, Kate’s team could call one at any time the phone rang. The game was played. Kate was brilliant. The phone did not ring.
Kate was back home in Queens by the time her mom called. They were safely ensconced in the basement of her grandmother’s house. Everyone was safe.
The war has been raging ever since and Kate has had many tense calls with her family. Her dad serves in the military and they talk every day. But it has been a blessing for them to know at least she is safe and to follow her career. She was heavily recruited by the major college programs before choosing to become an Irish Ukrainian. Her parents flew to Notre Dame for a visit! Kate’s coach Niele Ivey threw her home open to them. Her dad does not speak English and said very little. He asked his wife to translate one sentence for the coach. It said “I see why Kate chose Notre Dame.”
It must be hard for a high school girl in her position to make a decision like that. These national powerhouse teams must really ramp up the effort to sweep you in. In Kate’s case, they may not have known what she was really looking for. After making her choice, she explained why she picked Notre Dame. “It felt like home.”
Owl Chatter note: Here’s Coach Ivey. Get this — her son is Jaden Ivey who plays for the Detroit Pistons.
JL Cauvin, the excellent Trump impersonator, makes a good point, IMHO, about Trump’s claim to have a mandate, despite receiving under 50% of the vote. He says Trump does have a mandate, comprised of the people who voted for him plus all the people who gave tacit approval by not caring enough to vote.
The historian Heather Cox Richardson is hardly an alarmist. Unlike the idiocy I spout here, every point she makes is supported with a citation to a source. Today her newsletter (dated 2/1/2025) is more dire than usual. Here’s one point she addresses:
Yesterday, Elon Musk forced the resignation of David A. Lebryk, the highest-ranking career official at the Treasury Dept. Lebryk had been at Treasury since 1989 and had risen to become the person in charge of the U.S. government payment system that disburses about $6 trillion a year through Social Security benefits, Medicare, Medicaid, contracts, grants, salaries, and so on, essentially managing the nation’s checkbook.
Trump’s new Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, has given Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency full access to the system. Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo posted: “This is more or less like taking the gold from Fort Knox and putting it in Elon’s basement.” He can cut off anyone who gets a check from Social Security or anything else, or see all your personal and financial data.” Pundit Stuart Stevens called it “the most significant data leak in cyber history.”
Here’s another:
The FBI has been purged of all six of its top executives and more than 20 heads of FBI field offices, including those in Washington and Miami, where officials pursued cases against Trump. And acting FBI director Brian J. Driscoll Jr. has been asked for a list of FBI agents who had worked on January 6 cases to “determine whether any additional personnel actions are necessary.” Trump denied knowing about the dismissals.
The Princeton-Harvard women’s hockey game looked like a blowout at first, as the Tigers quickly went up 2-0 and skated the asses off the Crimsons. But the skating got tighter and 2-0 ended up being the final score. Former Chatham HS goalie Jen Olnowich notched a shutout. Here are a bunch of gorgeous young coeds in their sexy uniforms — could you plotz? It’s like walking into a Victoria Secrets catalog.
The ceremonial puck drop was by Denna Laing, from her wheelchair at center ice. Denna is from Marblehead MA, and is 33. She suffered a spinal injury playing hockey back in 2015 for the Boston Pride, a pro women’s team, after playing college hockey for Princeton, where she was the team captain her last two years. Her story is a compelling one. She is working hard to regain the ability to walk. Owl Chatter made a small donation to support her in that effort. Any chatterheads who are similarly inclined can send a check to the Denna Laing Fund, c/o Ropes & Gray, 800 Boylston St., Boston MA 02199.
This poem called “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” is by Langston Hughes. It was the Poetry Foundation’s Poem of the Day yesterday.
I’ve known rivers:
I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset.
I’ve known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
Thanks for stopping in! See you tomorrow!
The Wellington Files 