It’s the first day of Rosh Hashanah. Rather than entirely miss out on a puzzle, here’s one from today’s date in 2010. Why 2010? Because the days match up.

I pulled out 1D Very, very soft, in music: PPP because 11 years ago was a simpler time. PPP just meant pianississimo and not the Paycheck Protection Program. We were out of the Great Recession by September 2010. I was just about to start my final year in college. I had finished an internship at Gigapix Studios, which later fell due to the FBI’s allegations of fraud. What a time it was to be alive.

The theme of this puzzle was on of those add-to-the-word to make it a pun that actually works. I repeat: What a time to be alive.

20A Meat slice on the highest shelf?: ACUTLETABOVE. It’s a cut above but a cutlet. It works.
27A Advertising sheet blowing in the wind?: LOOSELEAFLET. Loose leaf paper does blow in the wind, and an advertisement sheet is a leaflet.
52A Dribble from an icicle?: EAVESDROPLET. This one is kind of a stretch because eavesdropping doesn’t have to do with dribbling. But 2/3 ain’t bad. Refreshing change from the 0-for-at-least-August and September of this year.

Finished this one in 16:26.