Hard Times (geddit?)

Author   linxitPosted on Categories Announcement
We have a blogging problem or three – Dave Perry, who does every other Friday, every Sunday, and one in five Jumbos – has had a stroke and will be out of action for the near future. (By the way, I’ve heard from him and he’s coming out of hospital today).

Also, Ian and Allan, a couple of our new Quick Cryptic bloggers, are no longer able to continue, so we need replacements for them too.

In Real Life, I’m currently working 100-hour weeks, so can’t manage the blog as well as I’d like. HELP!!!

OK, I think we have a plan. Thanks to everyone who’s offered to help so far – I think nearly all of you get a slot!

So if we arbitrarily call this week “Week A” and next week “Week B”, and go ABABAB etc, we have the following slots and proposed bloggers:

Week A Wed QC: pipkirby
Week B Tue QC: chrisw91 (temporarily until someone else comes forward for a Tuesday)
Week B Fri Times: paulmcl
Week A/B Sun ST: ulaca/keriothe/jackkt/sotira (one every four weeks, assuming sotira’s okay with that)

Jumbo – every fifth one, ending in 0 or 5: macavity123

Let me know if this is acceptable. Paulmcl and Keriothe, I’ll contact you both separately with details of how to post on the community, blog templates etc.

27 comments on “Hard Times (geddit?)”

  1. I’d be happy to do another Quickie on any day but my Friday blog. Couldn’t manage both Fridays on the main cryptic though.

    I could do one of the Sundays, though, given that I’d have a week to prepare it.

    Edited at 2014-04-30 11:05 pm (UTC)

  2. I could do an every-other-friday stint or a sunday (but not every sunday)
    1. Hi Paul,

      I sent you a message on LJ but haven’t heard back from you yet. Can you reply and let me know your email address?

      Thanks,
      Andy

  3. Do send our best to Dave. I could, temporarily, double up on Tuesdays for the Quick one if required.

    Edited at 2014-05-01 07:48 am (UTC)

  4. Hi Andy
    I’d be prepared to have a go at one of the weekend ones. With at least a week to do it I ought to be able to find the time.
  5. Hi Andy
    I can do another quickie on any Monday, Wednesday or the Fridays I am not already down for.
    Would tackle the Cryptic blog in an emergency but might have an occasional DNF / cry for help!
    Pip
  6. 100 hours a week – that’s a recipe to follow Dave P, don’t do it for too long Andy. I suspect I am not usually awake 100 hours a week.
  8. OK Andy; if this is week A, do I deduce I am not ‘on extra duty’ until a week on Wednesday i.e. 14th May?
    1. Yes, that’s right. “Week A” is this week to cover Friday really. Had to come up with something 🙂
  9. Thanks, Andy. That’s fine with me if you can clarify which Sunday I start please.
  10. Thanks Andy, fine for me. I will need some help on the technicalities.
  11. I (completely arbitrarily) gave the order as ulaca/keriothe/you, and see no reason to change that. So your first one will be 4589 I think, solved on the 11th, blogged on the 18th.
    1. Fine. Thanks for clearing that up. It was a good idea having 3 people on the rota so that the setters are spread about a bit. I wouldn’t fancy blogging Dean’s every offering nor missing the occasional opportunity to have a go at blogging one of them every so often.

      Edited at 2014-05-02 07:21 am (UTC)

  12. Best wishes to Dave. At the moment the only blogging I might be able to help with would be the jumbos. Will have a think and get back to you Sunday.
  13. Right, I will post a blog this Sunday (4 May) of the puzzle set on 27 April.

    K, if you have any questions, send me a message.

  14. Very best wishes to Dave. Get well soon. We need you!

    Andy – happy to help out as required for a while if needed.

  15. Jack, K and Andy. It does indeed seem that each Sunday blogger will be in lockstep with a ST setter.

    Could I suggest that Sotira become a fourth Sunday blogger? I don’t imagine Jack will be bothered by a reduced workload. If K – and Sotira – are happy with this arrangement, perhaps we could try it out.

    1. Is that so? I thought there were 4 setters. Shows how much attention I pay to these things!
      2. Jack is remembering the Barbara Hall era, when there were 4, with an 8 week rotation to accomodate different shares of the work. As Barabara retired from setting and editing simultaneously, it was decided just before I started that the three remaining setters would continue with equal shares in an ABCABC…. rotation. The only change since then is the change from Don Manley to Dean Mayer when Don moved to Mephisto after Mike Laws’s death. (Or rather, the only actual change. When we added bylines, some solvers thought this indicated a complete replacement of the previously anonymous setters.)
  16. Andy,
    Couldn’t let it pass and to hopefully cheer up your busy schedule:
    ‘If you change your mind,
    I’m the first in line,
    Take a chance on me’!
    Seriously though – you do a great job of organising all this which is most appreciated.
    I will happily A and B for as long is required.
    Chris.
  17. Sounds great, Andy (as long as everyone else is okay with that!).

    Edited at 2014-05-03 10:07 am (UTC)

  18. Bit late to this but glad to hear Dave is now out of hospital. If you need any more help, Andy, I’m happy to go on the subs’ bench.

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