Crossword puzzles – Ramana's Musings

Frustration!

My readers know that I am a Crossword Puzzle addict and solve up to eight puzzles every morning.

Occasionally, one or two solutions beat me and I get very frustrated. Today was one of those days when after solving all very difficult clues except one, I got totally frustrated.

The clue was “Amorous period getting a novelist backing before lent. (10)”

I had got five letters but five others beat me.

After battling with it for over half an hour, I finally messaged my go-to resources, two other addicts, my sister and my brother and while the former’s solution turned out to be wrong the latter’s came up trumps because he lives in London.

The solution turned out to be SEXAGESIMA. Amorous – sex, Period – age, Novelist backing – Amis.

Barath, my brother also consoled me by saying that since I live in India and am a Hindu, I would not know about this word. And that it true indeed.

I am delighted to have learnt another word.

Frustration.

There are a few days in the year when I go totally bonkers in the mornings without my daily dose of newspapers and crossword puzzles contained in them.

Yesterday being our Republic Day, was a national holiday and sans newspapers today. I would have climbed the walls had I not remembered the gift that my friend had given me some months ago. Just to refresh your memory dear reader, I wrote about it here.

When some friends and one cousin rang up to pass time and I mentioned this frustration, without exception all of them confessed having missed the morning newspapers, particularly since it is a Sunday too when all of them contain magazine sections.

So, though I missed the news, I don’t watch television even in the absence of news papers, I was able to solve some puzzles in the book and was not quite as frustrated as I would have been had I not remembered the book.

Thank you MD.

Retirement.

As should be obvious, that man could well be me, a retired old geezer solving crossword puzzles to keep himself out of mischief.

Since I started to work when most middle class Indians were still in college, my great ambition was to retire when I was fifty. I was not able to but did retire at the age of 52. At that point of time, I had very valuable assets, a reasonably good pension, money in the bank and most importantly, an empty nest with an independent son having flown the coop.

I was however pulled out of retirement on other occasions on short term assignments but, by and large, even those did no take away my attitude towards life, one of taking it easy and not being ambitious to achieve big goals.

I am now 75 and so when I came across this piece of information it was an Aha moment for me. Just look at this table from the article.
Table 1 – Actuarial Study of life span vs. age at retirement.

And just as I was planning the outline for this post, I came across another very interesting piece of information which is even more interesting. I hope that this young man succeeds and spends many more relaxed years solving crossword puzzles or whatever else that may interest him. I wish that I had had that kind of an environment when I was that age!

My Top 10 Guilty Pleasures.

While I have accepted the topic as it was suggested by my fellow Friday blogger Shackman, I must straight away state that none of the pleasures that I enjoy can be called guilty, at least, not by me. I thoroughly enjoy each one and never suffer any guilty pangs post event. And, at my age, there are very few pleasures left to relish as while the spirit may be very willing, the flesh is weak and does not cooperate.

At the twilight of my years, what gives me the greatest pleasure is, don’t hold your breath, are, food and sound sleep. Mind you, at this stage, it should not be quantity but quality. The pleasure I obtain is not only desiring quality, but often in the quantity as well. The following list will give you some indication. It is rare that I will stop with one helping when it comes to eating my favourite food or be satisfied with an interrupted sleep.

The top most on my list will be Ice Cream of all kinds but, within which the top most choice will go to Kulfi. For a while, I had patronised a brand called Kwality Walls here till I found out that it was made out of vegetable oils and is called Frozen Dessert. Unfortunately, this is the only item within that specification that my grocer delivers and so I have to go to an Ice Cream Parlour just down the road to indulge whenever the mood takes me.

So, number 1. will be Kulfi and number 2. will be all other ice creams except the so called Frozen Desserts.

That brings me to item number 3.

Sweets of the Indian variety. Topmost on the list is Kalakand. There are different types from different parts of the country and, I love all of them.

Number 4 will be cakes and pastries of all types, easily the most desired being Black Forest.

Now comes the non sweet snacks.

In the order of choice, they will be:

Samosa, Kachori and Khandvi.

Number 8 will be cuisine. Top favourite being my native Tamil cuisine followed by Punjabi.

Number 9 pleasure will be what I get from solving crossword puzzles. If I don’t get my daily dose, I am miserable.

Last item on the list will be sleep and particularly my afternoon siesta. On the rare occasion that I don’t get it due to being away from home on some chore or the other, I feel out of sorts till the next day.

I have a feeling that the other Friday 2 on 1 blogger Shackman is likely to come up with music on top followed by other items, very likely including some food too. Do go over and have a look at his blog.

Are You Enjoying What You Are Doing?

Today’s topic or rather question has been posed by weekly Friday LBC blogger Pravin. Apart from he and me, Shcakman is likely to write on the same topic at his blog. Do visit both to get a drift of their thinking on this topic.

The answer to that question dear Pravin, is yes.

I am in my retirement after a fairly long and eventful corporate and personal life where I don’t have to watch the clock or do things that I don’t like to do.

I am in that enviable position of doing just what gives me pleasure like reading, solving crossword puzzles, blogging and watching movies; and avoiding those that don’t. Except some obligatory things like family matters, I don’t have to do anything that I don’t want to do.

I also have a wide circle of friends and loving family who are regularly in touch either personally or through modern methods of communication and what more can a man ask for?

I therefore reiterate that the answer to the question is a very big “yes.”

My Epitaph.

RIP
RUMMUSER

HE LAUGHED TO HIS DEATH

WHILE

SOLVING CROSSWORD PUZZLES.

In my case, there is unlikely to be an epitaph but very likely that this would be my obituary announcement in our newspapers.

I hope that you enjoyed reading this post on the weekly Friday Loose Bloggers Consortium where six of us write on the same topic. Today’s topic was chosen by Delirious who does not write LBC posts any more but visits all the blogs and leaves very interesting comments. The five other bloggers who write regularly are, in alphabetical order, gaelikaa, Maxi, Paul, Shackman, and The Old Fossil. Do drop in on their blogs and see what their take is on this week’s topic. Since some of them may post late, do give some allowance for that too!