Across
- 1. League responsible for questionable sleep decisions
- 3. Position requiring negotiation, compromise, and strategic volume
- 6. Book title that politely suggests looking in a mirror
- 9. Day on which attendance at Pache approaches contractual obligation
- 11. Organisation entrusted with getting Michael to work in a usable state
- 15. Country that somehow became part of the friendship canon
- 17. Competition in which being hit by a turtle is considered normal
- 18. Animal chosen after apparently rejecting all standard options
- 19. Creatures that ensured Michael remained alert in the jungle
- 20. Professional repeater of things already explained
- 22. Colour selected with the confidence of someone who has never doubted it
- 24. What this whole puzzle was trying to say
- 27. Order placed with admirable consistency
- 29. City in which two future travel companions first met
- 30. Subject of several entries in this puzzle
- 31. Items Michael is always one pair away from being finished buying
Down
- 2. Device repeatedly proposed as a solution to Michael
- 3. Where the story began, geographically speaking
- 4. Sibling who arrived early enough to set expectations
- 5. Purple-and-gold proof that optimism is a renewable resource
- 7. Necessary stop before a more photographed destination
- 8. Ancient site proving stairs existed before modern complaints
- 10. A number of particular relevance this year
- 12. Person most likely to begin a sentence with "I have a theory"
- 13. The third participant in our friendship
- 14. Place where the scenery improved as the oxygen supply declined
- 16. Produce category with one clear frontrunner
- 21. Founding member of the original Uber crew
- 23. Final release in the family lineup
- 25. Venue for a recurring meeting with no agenda and perfect attendance
- 26. Michael's favourite 9 minutes and 38 seconds
- 28. Chain that has benefited greatly from Michael's consistency