A night out at a bar, solving puzzles with friends

Happy Friday, DMV! It’s March 13.

So about the Puzzled Pint event on Tuesday night: I don’t often go out at night and did not want to schlep to a bar in Arlington at 7 p.m. But I’m so glad I did.

I pushed myself to go for a few reasons: I wanted to meet up with Sam Freund, a reader who helps organize the event; I had invited friends to come with me; and I like trying quirky new things. Plus, other readers had said they’d join, though the venue was big, and all the puzzling teams were spread out, so I didn’t connect with them. (Did any of you end up going? How was it?)

In case you missed it: Puzzled Pint is a social puzzle-solving night, run by volunteers, at bars around the world every second Tuesday of the month. The one I went to was at Spider Kelly’s in Arlington. (The venue changes, and you have to solve a puzzle to figure out where it is each month.)

When my friends and I arrived, we got a packet of papers. The weather was nice, so we sat in their outdoor area. Then we delved into the puzzles. They were not easy. Sam had strongly suggested we ask for hints, so we did. As we veered off course, he would nudge us in the right direction.

We solved four complex logic puzzles, which we then used to solve a fifth puzzle. It took us a few hours. You can click and try to solve this month’s puzzles here. (Tell me in comments how you do.)

When we finished, my friend declared herself “a genius!” It was so satisfying. I’d definitely go again and highly recommend it.

I’ll be speaking about my career and Daily Dose at 1 p.m. brown bag on Wednesday, March 18, at American University’s School of Communications. It will be in the McKinley Building, room 101. Join me and say hello.

Also, this weekend:

“Thursday’s snow in Centreville, VA was perfect. Starting around 11:00 AM, the rain changed to big fluffy snow flakes, quickly sticking to trees and lawns, making for some dramatic pictures,” 73-year-old Robert Melhorn wrote in his submission.

“The snow ended around 2:00 PM and was all gone by sunset.”

Spring doesn’t officially start until next week. So what do the last days of winter look like for you? Share your recent photos of life in the DMV here.

❄️