Seven letters, begins with P
Now that I have just returned home from the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, watching Tyler Hinman defend his title to become the first 4-in-a-row ACPT champ, I am going to turn into a pumpkin.
Here is my small confession, before any more entries about the tournament: I have not yet seen the movie “Wordplay“. Yes, it’s true! I missed its theatrical run (because I was in the midst of cooking up this blog, among other things), and I never quite managed to catch it on DVD. Then, a number of months back when I realized that I might be able to attend the tournament, I decided to deliberately hold off on seeing the film.
Why? Well, you know how some people put off seeing the film adaptation of a novel until they’ve read the source material? That was my approach. Since I would soon have the opportunity to be a part of ACPT, I wanted to first experience the tournament without filtering it through the lens of the film. I could enjoy it directly, unmediated, just as the most devoted puzzle addicts always had before “Wordplay” hit the big screen.
I’m pleased to report that when I mentioned this strategy to “Wordplay” director Patrick Creadon, who was at the tournament, he thought it was a great idea. I do intend to see his upcoming film, an examination of our runaway national debt entitled “I.O.U.S.A.“, as soon as it hits a theater near me later this summer. Creadon has a great track record with getting the public to watch experts step up to fill in the blanks, so this closet fiscal conservative is hoping the film will find an enthusiastic, motivated audience.
Because when I retire, I’d really prefer not to subsist on a diet of various “P-U-R-I-N-A-S”, thanks.
