i make crosswords in many different ways - sometimes i'm aiming to make something publishable, sometimes not, sometimes i just put words into the grid and see how it goes. this one started with 35A and then very quickly after 23A, and so i realized this was a blog puzzle basically immediately. i say this to hypothesize that i suffer from a dark curse where if i am sure in my brain that a puzzle is not for publishing, then it will fill quickly and cleanly. hope you enjoy :)