I'm embarrassed.
It was only today that I realised that the fact that sum(1..9)=45 is a key part of solving Killer Sudoku.
All those backs of envelopes I could have saved...

yummo jummo!

I note that I didn't mention the sudoku last week. Well, they weren't in any way memorable, barring the fact that I got through the Indy hex 1st time for the 3rd week in a row.
This last weekend's proved more troublesome, but in my defence I was ill (more later, maybe). The killer took me two goes - the first time I ended up with a valid grid, but the last two blocks I filled didn't add up to what they should have (and therefore I suspect some of the others disn't either).
I've had two goes at the Indy hex and managed to stuff up both times. Not sure I can be arsed to try again. I probably will though.

On the phone to my dear ole ma last night, I was informed we were first in our street to have a telly (OK there were only 12 houses, but hey). Also, she's never had chilli, curry, or pasta. Or, in all probability, though it wasn't actually discussed, Chinese. Neither had I until I left home to go to Uni, but that was 34 years ago. My dad was very conservative in his food tastes - they had a pretty rigid 7 day menu, repeated endlessly, more or less. But you'd think at some point she'd at least have had a taste of somebody else's more exotic food, just to see. She asked me a fortnight ago what pasta tastes of, and, um, well, it doesn't, really, does it? Might have to try to fix some of these omissions sometime, somehow. My chilli last night seemed to lack something, but a little taste late in the evening when divvying up the portions for the freezer showed it was mainly time that had been left out.

Victoria Coren appealed for people to suggest a poker nickname she could use in an upcoming tournament, as obv you can't choose your own. Some suggestions on thehendonmob forum were, ahem, robust. She eventually went with "teacup" - a ref to her success at the London EPT being perhaps in part due to her friends taking her wine away and replacing it with tea. She did mention (in Teh Graun) a few of the other suggestions, one being mine: Coren The Barbarian.

And now I have a meeting to go to...

Finally, a hex done 1st pass!
The futoshiki wasn't hard, but it takes me a couple of minutes to get my head into futoshiki mode
Needed two goes at the killer.

All very straightforward this week - the Graun killer could be used as a soft intro to the type for beginners.
Except - the Indy hex. Stuffed it up 3 times. There's just so much opportunity for a slip of the pencil.

The Graun hard and futoshiki were nothing special. I needed 3 goes at the killer though. And I only finished the Boxing Day killer today, 4th attempt!
Anybody done the Indy hex? I've gone wrong on it 4 times, and L has at least twice as well. Beginning to wonder if the supplied grid is correct!

Edit: Done it, finally. The year couldn't end until I had, so think yourselves lucky.

Graun hard wasn't very, but a bit better than the last few weeks.
Futoshiki no problem
Indy Hex done at second attempt, prize is so-so, will probably send it in.
Graun killer is troublesome - thought I'd found a way in, after using up a lot of back-of-old-envelope, then soon found I had 2 9s in one row... Will try again, I think.

Sudoku
I finally finished the killer from Saturday's Graun. I now have a back-of-an-old-envelope shortage, though.

Dream
When L was nudging me to say "turn over you're snoring", I was dreaming that I had a document on which a box was ticked to show I was involved in an activity that precluded the possibility of snoring.

Indestructibles
Saw this by chance on BBC?3?4? last night. I had never expected the BBC to show me a live comparative of the effects of 5g of caffeine vs. .5g of salvia, but they did. Also it seems water ski-ing is quite hard after a pint of vodka. No shit, Sherlock.

Wine
There's ANOTHER case of the stuff down at the porter's lodge! Think I'd better give them a bottle.
Edit TWO cases. Has L gone crackers or has the STWC messed up?

Key
Can't find it. Damn. Since admin's spare doesn't work, I have to wait until Monday when they can clone Rob's. Oh well, I have access to a master first thing, and my office is behind a security door.

spillchucker
When did LJ start redlining words it doesn't recognise?

I had to bruteforce the futoshiki, sort-of. Must be getting old.
Teh Graun hard wasn't.
Teh killer, I thought I'd stuffed, but retrieved. To get started I had to do 3 start-filling-it-in-until-it-doesn't-work jobbies, which isn't right, really. I expect there was simpler start that I missed.
The Indy's hex has season6 of The Sopranos as a prize, so we got it. I stuffed up my first go at it but just finished it now without any bother. L finished it first so her name can go on the entry.