As much as it pains me to admit it, I broke down today and subscribed to the Guardian Crossword. I had absolutely no intention of doing so--and had, in fact, been saving the past week or so of cryptics for the coming drought. But the Guardian puzzle is arguably the best in the world--and it does somewhat counteract the effect on my brain of all the beer I drink. So I shelled out--and opted for the free book instead of the five pound discount. If I have to spend money on an on-line service--which still seems vaguely like a swindle, since I'm printing everything out with my ink on my paper--this would be the one, I suppose.

My eBay fever hasn't tapered off much yet--we haven't run out of money yet. I did hit a speed bump Saturday when one of my machines arrived in a deplorable state--packed upside-down in a too-small flimsy carton with crumpled paper as protection. It is more of a jigsaw puzzle than a typewriter--but I expressed my disappointment courteously to the seller (I am ALWAYS polite) and due restitution was made. My flatbed Royal is still in transit--a special machine, in beautiful shape, on a par with the Smith #2. I hope the postman, growing clearly disgruntled at having to pump all that cast iron, doesn't bounce THAT one on my back step as well.