Speaking of breaking down, it turns out that the Guardian did not accept my credit card information, so I guess I didn't subscribe. It would have been so much easier if they just kept the damn thing free. I am naturally parsimonious when it comes to certain things--with notable exceptions, the less I pay for something, the more I enjoy it. I have a vast collection of 78s--none of which I have paid more than a dollar for--and most considerably less. If I find a copy of the New York Post discarded--I seize upon it and do the Times of London crossword with gusto--thrilled at not having to give Rupert Murdoch my fifty cents. (The other week I spotted a Post drifting in the street right outside my house--wasn't I the lucky beachcomber!) I never had much money--being severely allergic to regular gainful employment--and so I learned to live luxuriously on nothing. (Living at home until age 34 under the suveillance of a Depression baby helped develop my inner cheapskate.)

So now that I'm married to Sue--little-miss-debutante-Garden-City-I-always-had-shoes--I feel like a millionaire. I can actually spend money on fun things occasionally without getting a lecture. I still find myself physically unable to waste anything--and I can't quite bring myself to be extravagant--but I'm getting better. The mere fact that I would even CONSIDER paying for on-line crosswords is evidence of that. Of course, I'm sure as hell not going to tell my mother.