MadMup.com

I’ve gotten some good feedback on the crossword puzzle in the last post, including one friend who called me 4-5 times about it to update me on his progress and try to weasel answers out out of me. I never gave him (or anyone!) the answers, but something I said during his last call spurred him into figuring out the last answer he was missing and he’s the first (and only, so far!) 100%.

If you just want the answers, click here. If you want the long, drawn-out version of the answers, read on!

Across
1. My favorite author – Steinbeck, as in “John.” My favorite book of his is Of Mice and Men.
7. I apparently looked like one in high school – Muppet. My current screenname is an adaptation of it.
9. I have participated in the growth of The World’s Largest Ball of __________ – Paint. It is located in Alexandria, IN.
13. The Cynical _______. I met her in Dallas. – Tyrant. And you know? She wasn’t really all that tyrannical. Nor cynical!
14. I was in a wedding here earlier this year – Canada. Specifically, a town called “Yarmouth.” I think it was named after what a pirate tells you to shut when you’re talking too much.
16. My other 20-year friend – Josh. This one lost a little with the inclusion of the word “other” since the “first” one doesn’t come until later in the puzzle. incidentally, Josh is the one who got the 100% on the puzzle.
19. Internal organ that Internetians are most likely to steal – Kidneys. This is based on the urban legend of the people waking up in a bathtub full of ice and missing one. And by “urban legend” I mean “actual fact, you better believe it because it will most certainly happen to you, I’m not kidding.”
21. My “catchall” entries, “_________ of Nothing” – Apropos. Taken from a line in “All I Wanna Do,” a Sheryl Crow song that I don’t actually like that much.
24. I have played every game in this series and finished most of them – Tomb Raider. I know what you’re thinking, but it isn’t because of Lara Croft. I love the gameplay of the series – it tends to be just the right amount of difficulty for me without being too hard.
25. I spend too much time and money here – Best Buy. More money than time, really.
28. My favorite movie – Batman. Batman Begins is a better Batman movie, but this 1989 movie is more fun to watch.
29. Evil (but cute!) cat – Nutmeg. Beauty, as they say, is only skin-deep. And if she had her way, she’d flay you in the name of “research.”
30. My second-favorite superhero – Spiderman. There’s supposed to be a hyphen in there, but that doesn’t translate so well into crossword puzzles. Plus, this way you can pronounce it like it’s a last name: “Hi, I’m Jeff Spiderman. I just moved in across the way and your dog’s been in my garbage.”
32. He’s white & nerdy and so am I – Weird Al. I’m not as nerdy as the song claims he is, but I score pretty high on the chart.
35. Subject of an interesting book I read recently – Cadavers. The book was Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers.
42. I am resistant to it – Change. Especially pennies. Ha! Really, I like routine and rarely enjoy variations.
43. I have had mixed results dealing with this site. Current status: I don’t trust it. – eBay. I’m right around a 50% success rate and it has done nothing to help my faith in my fellow man.
44. My current ringtone – Mahna Mahna. It was featured on the first episode of “The Muppet Show” and it instantly cheers me up when I hear it.
46. The name of the improv group I’m part of – One Size Fits All. That is so not true.
48. I can only play up to “Medium” difficulty – Guitar Hero. While I have played a few songs on Hard, I can’t do it very well and I don’t enjoy it.
49. Fellow I’ve collaborated with on four Theater Hopper strips so far – Joerules. That’s his screenname, but he really does, art-wise.
50. My term for a person (me) who refuses to watch movies on videotape – DVDlitist. See, the last “D” in “DVD” ends in the same “E” sound as the “E” in “elitist,” so that’s why that works.
51. I occasionally make this kind of cake – Twinkie. But it’s been a long, long time. Too long, I suspect.
52. I write these for videogames – Reviews. For two-and-a-half years now. Weird.
53. My favorite group – The Beatles. I realize the clue is misleading – group of what? Stars? Muscles? Latin participles?

Down
2. My term for hiding out in one’s home and avoiding contact with others – Turtling. The teenaging, mutanting, and ninjaing are all optional.
3. I bought a miniature version of this Inuit statue – Inukshuk. I have it displayed in a bookshelf at the top of my stairs and see it every day and it still reminds me that “people have been here before.” it’s comforting.
4. I have two friends with this name – Brian. One in Wisconsin, one in New Mexico. They are both smarter than me.
5. My work and my life – Computers. It’s depressing sometimes. One good EMP blast and it’s all gone!
6. They are on every plane everywhere. Watch out! – Snakes. you might think this is an oversimplification but I can assure you that it is not.
8. Where I grew up – Wisconsin. It made me the hearty outdoors-loving soul you see today. Okay, so maybe not. But I do like cheese!
10. A hobby I’m trying to start – Origami. It isn’t going well. I enjoy the end results but get frustrated with the foldings.
11. My term for an online person – Internetian. I’m not sure which way I like pronouncing it, though. Making the last “T” a hard one is easier to say, but making the “TI” a “SH” sound makes it akin to “Martian,” which appeals to me.
12. My birthday – May six. Only six months away!
15. The country in which my farthest-away friend lives – Australia. It is also a continent!
17. The subject taught by my favorite teacher ever – Literature. She also taught English, but it is her Lit classes that were the more memorable.
18. Brand of chocolate that tries to ruin my life with the sayings on its wrappers – Dove. It has tried to get me to flirt, which is not a good idea at one’s job, I don’t think.
20. My favorite director – Tim Burton. There’s something about his warped view of the world – odd, but not scary – that appeals to me.
22. Where I side in an age-old debate – Ninjas. One ninja in one night could do away with a whole boatload of pirates, so I don’t even know why this is a debate.
23. _________ From School, a series I swear I’ll finish eventually – Memories. Wouldn’t it be great if I finished at least one thing I started this year?
25. I am afraid of them – Birds. Another misleading clue, as there are a hundred things that could go in here. Like “germs,” for instance.
26. _________ & Noble: where I get my hot chocolate fix – Barnes. When I was in first grade, I had a sorta-crush on a girl with this last name. Coincidence? Yeah, I think so.
27. All I Need To Know About Life I Learned By Watching _________ – Seinfeld. Seriously, I’m compiling a list.
31. Embarrassing character on my luggage – Darth Maul. But not anymore!
33. One of my 20-year friends – Dave. Who, at last count, was still missing three of these answers.
34. Nice cat, named after a Star Wars character – Dala. She is just about the sweetest cat that has ever lived.
36. Best. Boardgame. Ever. – Scrabble. I’m hoping to play a game or two of it this weekend!
37. My favorite NFL team – Dallas Cowboys. Some day they’ll be good again, I swear.
38. State I’ve only been to twice but have had a life-long interest in – Texas. And my two visits to it haven’t ruined that interest. I’m planning to go back in December. Maybe I should move there…
39. According to at least one friend, I have too many of these to keep track of – Quirks. I found that most people wanted to guess “movies.” Owning too many movies is another quirk, I guess.
40. My favorite female singer – Sheryl Crow. I can think of nothing else to add here.
41. My celebrity crush – Winona Ryder. *swoon* Uh… can guys swoon? I guess so, because I just did.
45. My home town for now – Lafayette. For all you stalkers out there, that’d be the Indiana version.
47. I finally bought a 30Gb version earlier this year – iPod. And I’ve enjoyed it for the most part, too.

So there you go. Hope you had fun with it, because I did!