"Whatever you are, be a good one" ~Abraham Lincoln

It's been a while since my last post, and pundits might find it hard to believe that I've been involved in none of the following activities:

(A) A two-week stint on ABC's Wife Swap.

(B) Building a balloon that looks like a Salvador Dali Jiffy Pop container, filling it with helium and then sending it off into the wild blue . . . oh, yes, and then, not being quite sure whether someone is on board.

(C) Filling in as starting pitcher for the New York Yankees in the post-season.

I eschewed all of the above opportunities for some real excitement -- to stay home and work on the chart for "272 Words."

As was the case with this sampler when I stitched it earlier this year -- I totally underestimated the time involved in preparing this chart. Eek! My goal is to have the chart ready in time for the November anniversary of President Lincoln's delivery of the Gettysburg Address. That's the plan.

One crossword-related note . . . if you get tomorrow's Sunday New York Times, (Oct. 18) take a stab at the crossword puzzle in the magazine section. For newspapers that publish in syndication, the puzzle is titled "Ahead of the Curve." It was written by yours truly, in honor of an entity that is near and dear to many of our hearts.

And now, back to the matter at hand . . the chart. I hope the starting pitcher in tonight's Yankees/Angels game, A.J. Burnett, isn't too miffed by my bowing out of post-season play. I'll watch the proceedings on TV, while working on the chart. Until next time . . ciao!