B737 FLC ARE UNABLE TO MAKE A XING RESTR ASSIGNED BY CTLR AT ZBW ARTCC.

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PROCEEDING DIRECT TO STELA AT 280 KTS ASSIGNED. WE WERE THEN CLRED DIRECT TO BDL AND TO DSND TO 11000 FT. CTLR ASKED IF WE COULD INCREASE OUR RATE OF DSCNT. SINCE WE WERE ALREADY IN LEVEL CHANGE MODE; WE ASKED IF WE COULD PICK UP OUR SPD. CTLR THEN RECLRED US TO STELA INTXN; TO CROSS STELA INTXN AT 11000 FT. FO MAY HAVE READ THIS BACK. WHILE WE WERE REPROGRAMMING THE FMC FOR THE SWEDE ARR; WE REALIZED WE WERE NOT GOING TO MAKE THE XING RESTR. AT THIS POINT WE WERE VERY CLOSE TO STELA; AND FO ASKED IF HE DID INDEED ASSIGN STELA AT 11000 FT. HE SAID; 'YES I DID; AND IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE YOU WILL MAKE IT.' FO REPLIED; 'WE ARE PASSING THROUGH 15000 FT.' CTLR CAME BACK WITH AN UNINTELLIGIBLE REMARK ABOUT NOTIFYING HIM SOONER AND GAVE US A FREQ CHANGE. WE DO NOT BELIEVE THERE WAS A CONFLICT. NO FURTHER EVENTS. HAVING BEEN CLRED FOR A DOWNRANGE FIX (BDL); THE FMC WILL DUMP ALL PRECEDING FIXES. WHEN CTLR RECLRED US DIRECT TO STELA; THIS REQUIRES SEVERAL INPUTS ON THE FMC IN ORDER TO CALL UP THE SWEDE ARR; ENTER IT; AND THEN PLACE THE XING RESTR INTO IT. THIS CREATED A HIGH WORKLOAD WHEN WE WERE ALREADY CLOSE TO THE XING FIX (STELA) AND DSCNT PROFILE.