First, sort-of-a-very-tiny-spoiler alert: I wrote today’s puzzle for the person who’s most responsible for making me like crosswords, and it’s sort of a companion piece to a recent one. I think it’s more “Mildium” in difficulty rather than simply Mild, but whaddya gonna do? (Answer: come up with a new spice rating called “Mildium” sometime. Or do nothing and be lazy about it. I choose answer B!)

Second, Lollapuzzoola 8 (a.k.a. LPZ 8, a.k.a. Lollapuzzocho) is coming up on August 8. That’s a Saturday in August, and I plan to be there. The Indie 500 Crossword Tournament owes much of its inspiration to LPZ, so if you have an inkling of going, do yourself a solid and go.

Finally, quick programming note: I’m going on vacation for about nine days beginning on June 26, so there will be no Devil Cross puzzle next week. I’m planning on posting a new puzzle the following weekend (yes, while I’m still on vacation), but I can’t guarantee it. I’ll post updates as necessary.

Enjoy today’s puzzle, and I’ll see you (hopefully?) in two weeks.