Oh, And I Almost Forgot...

Friday's NYTimes puzzle ("All Keyed Up" by Jim Page) was very, very clever-- and certainly one of the best they've done in a while. The theme was tricky, and it nearly stumped me: the catch was realizing that at certain points, one had to use numbers instead of letters, and then that in two places one had to use the word (or symbol) for "star" and "pound." Yes, there was a telephone keypad design at the heart of things. Nice topper: I can't say there were any overly arcane clues. So, all said and done: fair, clever, and enjoyable.