a puzzle:

last night over dinner (peas, chicken strips, & lightly fried potatoes; we're scrimping for food, refusing to go to the grocery store until it is absolutely necessary), carmen & i discussed our recent, previously unspoken infatuation with crossword puzzles. it's true: the past few weeks the three of us have been stocking up on newspapers, making a habit of working on crosswords together over lunch, or leaving the puzzles on the kitchen table, unfinished, for the next person to complete at her leisure.

the puzzle that we worked on yesterday evening was particularly tough. i gave up at least three times, kept going back, & ended up leaving the uppermost left block unfinished overnight. i think that the incompletion spurred this dream:

a group of students at a college were to make a crossword puzzle for a newspaper. the puzzle was published. i attempted to complete it; i just knew that the answer to 10 across had to be something or another, i can't remember what, but it just wouldn't fit because there weren't enough blank squares. it turns out that the puzzle was un-completeable!! a joke! a trick!

anyhow, i woke up this morning frustrated about this situation, but with the answer to 6 down on the tip of my tongue: "idols!" i dashed (or shuffled, rather; it was early) to the kitchen & penciled it in.

i must put an end to this obsession. it is kind of ruining my life.