I don't typically read memoirs but I recently sat down with astronaut Chris Hadfield's autobiography and it was great. Hadfield generalizes the things that made him successful as an astronaut to every day life in a way that I found surprisingly relatable. (The full title of the book is "An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth".)
Three things in the book caught my particular attention.
The first was Hadfield's advice to start making choices that are consistent with your long-term goals. For example, when he was tempted, in childhood, to skip his homework, he would ask himself which a future astronaut would do -- complete his homework or slack off -- then, act accordingly. (Hint: no one gets to be an astronaut by slacking.)
Three things in the book caught my particular attention.
The first was Hadfield's advice to start making choices that are consistent with your long-term goals. For example, when he was tempted, in childhood, to skip his homework, he would ask himself which a future astronaut would do -- complete his homework or slack off -- then, act accordingly. (Hint: no one gets to be an astronaut by slacking.)
The second was his recommendation to be prepared for the situation you'd like to be in, even if it's a long shot. He describes how he prepared for a possible but unlikely appearance alongside Elton John by learning to play "Rocket Man" on the guitar. (It was unneccessary, it turns out.)
The third thing that caught my attention was this:
Chris and Helene Hadfield do the New York Times crossword puzzle every Sunday.
The third thing that caught my attention was this:
Chris and Helene Hadfield do the New York Times crossword puzzle every Sunday.
| Now, you know how I feel about regular crosswords merely being a gateway to cryptics. If I had my druthers, everyone who likes regular crosswords would give cryptics a shot. That's mainly why I posted my cryptic crossword tutorial. So when I read that last detail in Hadfield's book, I thought: "I wonder if those two have tried cryptics." |  Cryptic crosswords require you to look at things a little differently. (Credit: Nasa/Cmdr Chris Hadfield) |
I'm sure that the Hadfields would take to cryptic crosswords like fish to water. They clearly have the two things that make people good at cryptics: a love of wordplay and years of experience with lateral thinking. (You don't make it as either an astronaut or a military spouse without it.)
 "There is an undeniable beauty in human imagination," Hadfield wrote of this photo he took from space. "What do you see in this Saharan cloud?" (Credit: Chris Hadfield/Twitter) | Because a professional setter presumably would, I decided to invite the Hadfields to try cryptics. I know it's a long shot, but on the off chance that they are interested, I want to be prepared. That's why I've spent the last three weeks making them a personalized cryptic crossword puzzle. It hasn't been easy to find the time while caring for a newborn -- the puzzle was written in the rare moments when my daughter actually slept somewhere other than in my arms -- but here it is. |
| Want to try the puzzle? You can download it by following the link on the right. As you'll see, I've marked all the clues that are personalized to the Hadfields (based on general trivia that is in the public domain) with asterisks. It's possible that, like Hadfield's "Rocket Man", all the effort of making this puzzle will come to nothing. But it's also possible -- improbable, but possible -- that they'll try it and become converts to cryptic crosswords. - Sarah | 
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