Pardon the Interruption!

Difficulty ● ● ◐ ○ ○

Puzzle Notes

"The effectiveness of work increases according to geometric progression if there are no interruptions" ~ Andre Maurois

Dear Friends,

Having studied music since childhood, I learned about the power of one hour of uninterrupted practice. It's amazing how much can be accomplished by focusing on a problem for 60 minutes straight -- no phone calls, texts, email or any devices. 

These days I find myself deliberately "unplugging" from all devices to achieve that 60-minute stretch. I must consciously manage the temptation to check email, texts, voicemail, or news headlines. I even purchased an opera light for my music stand; this allows me to dim the lights in the room and practice in an "orchestra pit" setting, with no visual distractions. My attention span now needs a lot of attention!

I hope that these Monday night Crossword Nation emails aren't considered "interruptions"; I like to think of them as neighborly visits from a friend who's dropping off the latest puzzle.

Welcome to Week 660 of Crossword Nation. We cordially invite you to solve "Pardon the Interruption!" as your diversion of the week. 

Thank you for subscribing to our little shop of puzzles. If you enjoy this crossword, please give it a good rating on Amy Reynaldo's site. Your ratings help us stay strong and independent! 

Cruciverbally yours and with respect,

Liz

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Solvers of The New Yorker puzzles: Please check out my latest crossword, a "challenging" affair.

Mini Crossword Aficionados: For a quick solve, please try the Daily Mini Crossword in the L. A. Times. It's free! Simply bookmark and visit daily for a new puzzle.

Recovering Lost Puzzles: If, for some reason, our weekly puzzle email doesn't appear in your mailbox on Monday evenings, no worries -- you can always "re-send" the puzzle to yourself.

But first ....

  1. Please check the Spam folder. Sometimes the Crossword Nation emails are redirected to Spam folders. This can happen after a software or system update. If it's not in the Spam folder, then try Step 2.
  2. Visit the Subscriber Portal and Re-send the Puzzle To Your Mailbox. You can always send the latest puzzle (or any puzzle from our archive) to yourself. Visit here:

https://xwnation.puzzleanywhere.com/enable-account/

Choose the "Resend Puzzle" link at the bottom right of the page. From there, you can choose which puzzle to send to your mailbox! 

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If you enjoy our 'indie' Crossword Nation puzzles, please give them a positive rating on Amy Reynaldo's blog, Diary of a Crossword Fiend. Your ratings help keep our little puzzle shop independent and strong!

Ade Koiki blogs our puzzle every Tuesday. Simply page through Amy's blog to find the Tuesday blog posts. http://crosswordfiend.com/

Happy solving and be well!

Liz Gorski