Puzzle Notes

Dear subscribers: 

Aimee Lucido's "Final Projections" is 1/5 in difficulty.

Easy puzzles don't enjoy the most respect in the crossword business, but in fact making a good one is a true challenge for constructors. Writing original clues that are nevertheless very gettable is an art form, while reasonably original (yet straightforward) themes are scarce. Aimee tackles the Monday-difficulty puzzle here, and we hope you enjoy the results.

I also hope you had fun with last week's Something Different bonus puzzle - we'll have at least one more this year, and welcome any feedback about what you'd like to solve.

-Ben and the AVCX crew [avxwords.com]