google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday October 21, 2012 Alan Arbesfeld

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Oct 21, 2012

Sunday October 21, 2012 Alan Arbesfeld

Theme: Alphabetical Pairings - AB, CD, EF, GH, IJ, KL, MN, OP, QR, ST, UV, WX & YZ are the initials of each theme entry.

 23A. Catherine of Aragon's successor, marriagewise : ANNE BOLEYN

 24A. High-volume pesticide deliverer : CROP DUSTER. Do you use this in your farm, Windhover?


 34A. "Cimarron" novelist : EDNA FERBER

41A. Best Picture of 1932 : GRAND HOTEL

 55A. Lively folk dances : IRISH JIGS. Is Jig part of your family reunion activities, Irish Miss? We had Polka dance last time. Boomer's mother was of Polish/German roots, mostly Norwegian on his father's side.

58A. Citrusy pie flavor : KEY LIME. Have some!


67A. Attempts to smooth ruffled feathers : MAKES NICE. I wonder if TTP likes Adele's "Skyfall". Amazing voice.

74A. Crankcase components : OIL PANS

77A. Page-turner : QUICK READ. I'm not sure if "Red Sorghum" by Mo Yan (the new Nobelist) is available in English. But it's a beautiful book. Definitely not a quick read.

86A. Cardiologist's exam : STRESS TEST

92A. Burkina Faso, once : UPPER VOLTA. Not familiar with Burkina Faso.

113A. Procedures for detecting carpal fractures : WRIST X-RAYS

115A. Restricted parking area, in some cases : YELLOW ZONE

Some key points in this theme:

1) Orderly letter progression;

2) Each symmetrically placed pair must have the same number of letters (AB= YZ letter count wise)

3) All the theme entries should be placed Across for visual effect

4) Most of the theme entries will be on the short side, as there are 12 theme entries (13, Dummy! Thanks, John Lampkin) and it's challenging to put them all Across. More often we see 7 to 9 on Sundays.

When I first started, I thought CREDIT LINE and LOSING TIME are parts of the theme due to their grid placements. But the gimmick quickly revealed itself. 

Across:

1. Dominant theme : MOTIF

6. "... __ a puddy tat!" : I TAW

10. Collectible game system : ATARI. I bet its collectible value is not as high as those old baseball cards in Dennis' boxes. He's currently unpacking and just discovered that he had a few 1908 tobacco cards.

15. Confident words : I CAN

19. MasterCard offering : CREDIT LINE

21. Beset by delays : LOSING TIME

25. They could go either way : TOSS-UPS.  And 32. Ratio for 25-Across : EVEN ODDS

26. When many lunch : AT NOON. Mine is 11:00am. Yours?

28. Plan : INTEND

29. "Stay" singer Lisa : LOEB. Haven't seen her for some time.

31. PBS benefactor : NEA (National Endowment for the Arts)
  
38. Physician's gp. : AMA. Boomer's VA doctor said that he could take a handful of Aleve next time his arthritis flared up. The bottle said you should not take no more than 3 per day. Whom to trust?

39. Brush fire op : EVAC (Evacuation)

40. Latin king : REX

48. Fronton balls : PELOTAS. Jai alai balls. Costs over $100/each? Wow! Fronton is Jai alai court. Cesta is the basket. I learned from doing Xword. 


52. Lenin's successor : STALIN. This picture (Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin & Mao) was in all our classroom walls.



54. Entertain with extravagance : REGALE

57. Classical lead-in : NEO. Neo-classical.

59. Rival of Cassio : IAGO. "Othello".

60. Oil used in paint : LINSEED

62. "Lordy!" : EGAD

63. Units in nutrition : GRAMS
 
69. __ fatty acid : TRANS
 
70. Russian wheels : LADA. Stumped me last time. Again today.

71. Emit : RADIATE

72. Tach measures: Abbr. : RPMs 

76. "Dude!" : BRO

82. Belgian lager, familiarly : STELLA. Stella Artois.

83. Browning's "How Do I Love Thee?" e.g. : SONNET. Have you dated anyone who never said "I love you" to you?

85. In a stuffed-up way : NASALLY
  
88. It fell after about 15 years : MIR. Hard clue. 1986 to 2001.

90. Pet food brand : IAMS. I also think Marti should keep the new cat. It looks so pert.

91. Landlocked Afr. land : ETH (Ethiopia)
 
96. Adds moisture to : HYDRATES. I'm a firm believer in moisturizers.

102. Batman after Michael : VAL (Kilmer). Michael Keaton.

103. Sweetheart : BEAU

104. Gold compound : AURATE. Makes sense, AU.

105. Civil War battle site : SHILOH

108. Took in, say : ALTERED

117. Avoids a confrontation : STEPS ASIDE

118. Go through : EXPERIENCE

119. Swedish actress Persson : ESSY. I belong to those 47% who don't know this lady.

120. Marketing data : SALES
 
121. Brown and Patrick : DANs.

122. Took a shot : TRIED

Down:

1. Hurdle for a would-be doc : MCAT

2. "Just answer yes __!" : OR NO

3. Place in math class? : TENS. Clever clue.

4. "Et tu, Brute?" day : IDES

5. Bone below the femur : FIBULA

6. "Let me get back to you" : I'LL SEE

7. Reason for sudden death : TIE. I hope you thought of sports immediately, otherwise, the clue is pretty heavy.

8. "Dragonwyck" author Seton : ANYA

9. Followed : WENT NEXT 

10. Metal giant : ALCOA. Always the first to report quarterly earnings, among the Dow components.

11. Picador's target : TORO

12. Without dissent : AS ONE MAN
 
13. Mending target : RIP

14. Non-studio pic : INDIE

 15. "__ die for!" : IT'S TO.  Must be Lucina's homemade tamales! I bought a block of taro cake yesterday and fried some for lunch. Too much rice flour and not enough taro flour, Jayce.

 

16. Credited in a note : CITED

17. Improve : AMEND

18. Unhip types : NERDS

20. Riding, with "on" : TOP OF

22. "Project Runway" mentor Tim : GUNN. "Make it work!". Like Emeril's "Bam!"

27. __ Tamid: synagogue lamp : NER. Gimme for Lemonade/Hahtool. Completely unknown to me.

30. "Crank up the heat!" : BRR

33. Carpooling convenience : VAN

34. At all : EVER
 
35. Catalan surrealist : DALI

36. Sgts., e.g. : NCOs

37. First lady before Mamie : BESS

38. Melodic segments : ARIOSI. Plural of Arioso.

39. Dermal opening : EPI. Epidermal. 

41. Headly of "Dick Tracy" : GLENNE. No idea.


42. Stowe novel : DRED

43. "Ahem" relative : HEY

44. Lustful looker : OGLER. Here is the most famous Chinese actress: Gong Li. I think she's more beautiful than Bill G's girlfriend Sofia Vergara. Gong Li's debut film is Mo Yan's "Red Sorghum".

45. Subarctic forest : TAIGA

46. Jazz trumpeter Ziggy : ELMAN. Gimme for Pas de chat, or her husband.

47. British city whose natives are called Loiners : LEEDS. Loiners? What does it mean?


49. "I'm holding it!" : THIS

50. Multi-platinum Steely Dan album : AJA

51. Odysseus trio, to Homer : SIGMAS. The three S in Odysseus, I suppose.

53. "The Good Girl" star : ANISTON (Jennifer). I've watched almost all of Aniston's movies. "The Good Girl" is so so. Did you see "Derailed"? It's terrifying.

56. Use spurs on : GOAD

58. Not cut : KEEP IN

60. Picked up : LEARNT

61. Beige shade : ECRU

63. Lip protection : GLOSS

64. "Nick of Time" singer : RAITT (Bonnie)

65. Freud contemporary : ADLER

66. Colorful autumn tree : MAPLE

68. Put the __ on: squelch : KIBOSH. Spitzboov used this phrase at times.

69. Impatient sounds : TSKS

71. Genetic chains : RNAS

73. '70s Lynyrd Skynyrd label : MCA

75. Racing's Unsers : ALs

77. Canal-cleaning device : Q-TIP

78. Way to travel : RAIL
 
79. Israeli port city : ELAT. It appeared often in the old Wayne R. Willams' puzzles.

80. __ mater : ALMA

81. Peptic opening? : DYS. Dyspeptic. 

83. Leaves the harbor : SETS SAIL

84. Working : EMPLOYED

87. Shirt prohibited at most golf courses, ironically : TEE.

89. Yank's foe : REB

92. Initials at O'Hare : UAL

93. Old Spanish coins : REALES. I belong to those 47% who don't know these coins.
 

94. Knight's quality : VALOR

95. Stay one step ahead of : OUTWIT

96. Anchor cable opening : HAWSE. Forgot. We had this before. CCnesia.

97. Mongolian tents : YURTS

98. Hangs on a line : DRIES

99. Rough, in a way : RASPY

100. Court figs. : ATTs

101. State with a panhandle : TEXAS

102. Shop class holders : VISES

106. __ Park: FDR home site : HYDE

107. Twice tri- : HEXA. "Six" prefix.

109. Israeli statesman Weizman : EZER

110. Package word with a cable car in its "o" : RONI

111. Suffix with defer : ENCE

112. Monopoly card : DEED

114. Pretoria's land: Abbr. : RSA (Republic of South Africa)

116. Hosp. staffer : LPN. Hi there, Blue Iris.

C.C.




59 comments:

windhover said...

Good Sunday morning,
Just wanted to say thanks to Argyle for the link to the 5/26/09 puzzle blog. It was fun to see the late, great Dan Naddor's name, as well as Jeannie, Tarrajo, Embien (they are every meal out?!) Wolfmom, Elissa and others. And, seeing ClearAyes/Lois reminded me that this was only a few weeks after her original diagnosis in May, '09.
So thanks for the memories Argyle, and thanks to CC for the forum. It's a special niche in the 'Net.

Round baling if finished for this season, the Woodmizer calls today and most of this week.

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

I am in total awe of this puzzle. I thought the theme was extremely well executed with nary a clunker to be had among all the theme answers. I figured out the theme early on, but my only hangup was figuring out which of the many answers actually were part of the theme since they were all different lengths.

A few unknowns here and there, like ESSY and GLENNE, but the perps took care of them in short order.

Yellowrocks said...

My puzzle had no title so I did not see the alphabet pairs or their placement. CC's explanation made me appreciate how delightfully constructed this puzzle is.

My mother liked Edna Ferber novels and so do I. I read several on her advice when I was 13 or 14 and have reread them and others as an adult.

I love key lime pie. The pic has my mouth watering. I'll have to make one.

MIR was very clever. I had -IR and said my ABCs. OOOOH!

GLENNE, STELLA, LADA, ESSY, and NER where unknowns for me, but perps took care of them.

I never heard of Loiners, but a five letter British city beginning with L was easy.

Thanks to so many of you for your suppoort last night. You are a very special group of virtual friends.

desper-otto said...

Good morning C.C. and Sunday puzzlers. "CCNesia" -- cute.

I guess this one, by definition, had to be a pangram. Its execution is quite a feat! I got the theme only after I went looking for it when I'd already finished the puzzle.

My aha moments were AS ONE MAN (I've always heard "to a man."), and UAL (I was thinking ORD for the whole airport, not just a single airline.)

My doctor really hates Qtips -- he says you shouldn't put anything smaller than your elbow into you ear.

Al Cyone said...

Never got the (very clever) theme and got hung up on "PEACE" for the ending of the "ruffled feathers" answer but stuck with it and, at 35:30, heard the (online) victory tune.

desper-otto said...

I just finished reading last evening's posts. YR, I'm glad you've found a case worker who is willing to work with you. Best wishes to you and Alan.

Marti, how are things going with your new kitten?

Lemonade714 said...

Fabulous creation, though more tough fill than most Sundays. There are 13 theme answers, since there are 26 letters in the alphabet. I did not know Essy and many others but was in the 53% on reale

PK said...

Hi Y'all, Great puzzle! I didn't catch on to the theme until C.C. spelled it out which let me have IRISH JIGS, the only missing theme answer. Very complex and impressing puzzle. Great commentary.

I got it all except for a nine block emptiness at 49, 50,51. I had NCOs & SIrens which I erased. Didn't know PELOTAS, AJA or SIGMAS. Thought of IAGO & discarded it. 49D "I'm holding it" meant "Please stop at a restroom, driver"--wouldn't fit.

TAIGA is new to me. Looked wrong but left it in.

We use crop dusting some years on the farm. I almost resorted to violence when two years in a row one duster used my house as a turning point and had enough chemical drift to kill my tomatoes.

I went out with an old man, who had never been married, off and on for five years. Had a good time, but he never touched any part of me. Found out he
wanted to write a book with me--he was a great historical researcher but couldn't write. LOL!

TTP said...

Not my best time, at over 3 hrs and 27 minutes. Stumbled a lot. Well, part of the time was making breakfast and another half hour watching a powerful Judge Judy. Maybe you've seen it ? It was the episode where she yelled at someone.

After first pass, 9 words across and 2 words down. A few of which really slowed me down later. 63D OIL PANS, not pistons. 39D Dermal opening was not Eye (or Ear), but EPI. 89D wanted "lower payroll teams", or jedi, but entered sox. Turns out it was REB. And 108A Addedto instead of ALTERED.

Never know whether the word will be AMEND or EMEND, and have to get the perp. 92D UAL was tricky. 27D NER Tamid, had no idea, but had the NE, and the R filled when I wagged at FERBER with only the BE in it. Must not be thinking too clearly today. Had -RIS-JIGS and couldn't get it. Looked later w/o the clue and IRISH just appeared. 82A Belgian Lager STELLA. I prefer the Belgian Ales, such as Chimay, but Stella is good.

106D FDR Home site HYDE Park. Been there. Seems like a nice area. Also seem to recall that there was a major / important culinary school in that area. Cordon Bleu ?

Time to read CC and the earlier blogs.

PK said...

YR: Social services are very messed up in our state. My kids finally gave up on adoption and raise dogs because they had five different social workers in two years and no progress. Hope Alan gets a solution he can enjoy. I've had some friends that blossomed in sheltered assisted living arrangements. Loved being with the other "kids".

Anonymous said...

My story about the old man was in reference to the SONNET question C.C. asked about dating someone who never said, "I love You". Without this reference I just seem demented.

Anonymous said...

Good Sunday puzzle, except for "'I'm holding it!': THIS" and "Impatient sounds: TSKS," which are both weak.

Irish Miss said...

Good morning:

This was one of the most intricate, impressive puzzles I have ever solved. Needed perps in a few areas but completed it w/o help. Thanks, Alan A., for an enjoyable start to my Sunday, and thanks, CC, for the fine expo.

And, yes, CC, there are Irish jigs at our family gatherings. In fact, last St. Paddy's Day, the younger generation set up a boom box on my sister's front porch so they could play Irish music and dance on the sidewalk. One of them danced so long and hard, she developed shin splints! Of course, Mr. Guiness played a part in their shenanigans.

Happy Sunday.

Husker Gary said...

Alan’s brilliant puzzle took about everything in my toolbox and about an hour and a half. C.C.’s write-up revealed other, not so obvious, elegant elements.

Musings
-CROP DUSTERS around here have knives on their front struts to cut power lines if they don’t get up fast enough
-Teaching can be a Stress Test some days
-The complexities of the Wrist and hand are amazing and are the key to your golf swing
-The MOTIF of my room was early chaos
-Hilarious Tweety question on Big Bang Theory. We all have our strengths.
-My M/C credit line is astronomical. Hmm… should I put that Rolex on it?
-It seems all NFL games are TOSS UPS these days. On a given day…
-We have lunch (not dinner) AT NOON
-My doctor told me to take two Aleve’s when I’m hurting. I do it very seldom but they work.
-Very interesting classroom poster/fact C.C.
-Those YES or NO questions aren’t that easy sometimes – “Have you stopped beating your wife?”
-ALCOA at Hoover Dam
-A hard day for a coach is when he has to announce who to KEEP IN and who to cut
-I guess you couldn’t use a dredge to clean that canal
-What Jimmy Dean hit advised men “When you see me comin’, better STEP ASIDE, a lotta men didn’t and a lotta men died.”

Husker Gary said...

Oops, that was a Tennessee Ernie Ford hit where a lotta men died - not at the hands of Jimmy Dean’s Big Bad John! Name the song.

Avg Joe said...

This was an enjoyable slog for me. Didn't even think to look at the theme until I'd completed it, so that was a disadvantage. But was quite amazed at the difficulty that had to present. Great job.

Still, FIW. Had a natick at the crossing of Volta and El At. Figured it had to be VolGa. Still, that didn't diminish the fun.

The past 2 summers we've had an Air Tractor buzz the house. (The brand of crop duster pictured.) He's was spraying fields on either side, with both about a 1/4 mile away, so there hasn't been any fallout or drift. But it sure gets my attention when he flies directly over the house 10 or more times at a height of no more than 100' agl.

desper-otto said...

Husker: One fist of iron,
the other of steel,
if the right one don't getcha
then the left one will (wheel).

TTP said...

Oops, should have been 9 words across and 12 words down.

Thank you Alan for a very tough puzzle. I didn't get the theme until CC explained it. And to get all of the theme answers across ? Great job of construction. Very strong, like Splynter's ramp. And thank you CC, for your excellent write up, pics and links. I do like Adele but had not yet heard that song. As for Boomer's VA doctor's recommendation ? I'd follow the mfg's recommendation, and read what PubMed Health says: Naproxen I'd been given similar advice by a Chiro. to take 1000mg of motrin at a time for what turned out to be a ruptured disk in my back. The ER, Admitting, Attending, Neuro, and later my PCP all either gave me a really negative frown or flat out said that was bad advice.

We stayed at a B&B near the GRAND HOTEL on Mackinac Island over Memorial Day weekend one year and golfed the Jewel while there. Talk about going back to another era. You must be properly attired, or you will not be seated at supper in the main dining room. They let you know ahead of time.

I'm in the 47 %, but perps filled ESSY. I'd remembered Spitz' comments on HAWES, and we also had YURTS recently (last Sunday ?) In reading the write up, I saw other words that were filled by perps that I didn't notice earlier, such as TENS, TIE, ANYA, TAIGA. I agree with Desper-Otto. To a man rather than AS ONE MAN, but accepted it. 42D Uncle Tom's Cabin wouldn't fit.

Hope everyone enjoys their day !

PK said...

You load 16 TONS and what'a you get
Another day older and deeper in debt.
St. Peter don't you call me for I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store.

Lucina said...

Hello, friends. I enjoyed your analysis, C.C. especially your introduction.

This was a brilliantly executed puzzle as you all have mentioned. I checked the theme after finishing it and was astonished at the balance. Well done, Alan!

My grandmother always called quarters REALES and in fact she spoke a form of 16th century Spanish. Studies have shown that because New Mexico was isolated for so long, the language remained as the original Spanish settlers left it.

Of the many unknowns, ESSY, HAWSE, TAIGA, ELAT etc. all perped without problems.

STELLA is very common in advertisements and now I know what it means.

Have a terrific Sunday, everyone!

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone. Thanks C.C. for the theme notes. I didn't get it before coming here.

Not much new to add. Seemed harder than most Sunday offerings. Easiest area for me was the SW. Needed some red letter help in the rest of it. At 77d, when I saw that dredge wouldn't fit, nor any other craft I could think of, I thought 'outside the box' and tried Q-TIP. Several gimmes: HYDE, TEXAS, TAIGA, LADA, SHILOH and AURATE. Guessed at IAGO and IAMS. Like the taste of STELLA.

TTP said...

It was not Le Cordon Bleu in Hyde Park, it was the CIA .

Earlier, I went back to yesterday's blog after reading Windhover's post, and then linked to Argyle's post and read that entire blog. I wish I'd have joined sooner ! You all have been having so much fun for so long.

I smiled when I read Tarrajo's post that her favorite cocktail was sex on the beach . It reminded me of suggestive drink orders that the guys were talking about at the lunch table one day. The first was Slow Screw (slow gin and screwdriver). Then came Slow Comfortable Screw (Add Southern Comfort). Then Slow Comfortable Screw Up Against the Wall, and finally Slow Comfortable Screw Up Against the Wall On the Beach. I have no idea what the last two have added. But it was funny - in a male sense of humor kind of way.

TTP said...

Sloe Gin. Duh.

CrossEyedDave said...

Interesting puzzle today, but i must report a DNF because towards the end i had to start looking things up for lack of perps. & how can you tell so quickly this was a pangram?

What's that, there was a theme?
(boy do i feel stupid!)
But seriously, trying to find the theme was really tough, would it have hurt to star the clues?
(Hmm, now that i look at it, i can see why it was omitted.)

Loiners?

Qtip

Oh, so there is that little cable car! ( i never noticed)

Really enjoyed Husker Gary today...

CCnesia,,, (96D) you must add that to the Olio, i intend to use it often!

My family is well aware that i must taste each & every Key Lime Pie offered, someday i intend to write a book on the best places to get one!

Anonymous said...

47% and CCnesia? I don't get it.

Anonymous said...

The 47%, the 53% and the ccnesia are all political jabs. I thought this blog was supposes to be free of this. Bad thing to start cc.

Anonymous said...

No politics CC

Anonymous said...

google Romnesia

Jayce said...

Hello everybody. I'll make my comments now, before reading yours, then will read yours.

Forgot the theme, so made it harder on myself than necessary.

Don't take more than two 200-mg Aleve caplets per day. That's 200 mg of naproxen each, 400 mg per day.

I'm usually not hungry for lunch until about 1:00.

I recognize the "MaKeSi LyeNing Ju yi" and "Mao ZeDong si xiang" characters but not the last 2 characters. Are they "fang mien"?

More later.

Jayce said...

Yes, I have dated many girls who never said "I love you" to me, nor I to them, because we dated in the sense of going out together to do fun things but not necessarily romantically. In other words, friends not lovers. That's still "dating," isn't it?

Holy cow! $100 per pelota? Sheesh.

I hear ya about those taro cakes, C.C. DW and I can't find decent taro cakes anywhere, nor lotus root cakes either. (Her Chinese name, PoLin, means Precious Lotus.)

BRR! It's going to get up to only 65 degrees here all this upcoming week. Down to 40 at night. I'd turn the furnace on but I don't want to get into the usual "thermostat war" with you-know-who.

I bet Harry Truman did not sing "Bess, you is my woman now" when they got married. Or at any time, for that matter.

Glenne Headly was awesome in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels! I fell "in love" with her immediately.

More to come.

Anonymous said...

The bottle of Aleve gives instructions as a nonmedical person buying the bottle guidance as to amount to take and not get into trouble. That said, the naproxen of Aleve is essentially the same drug as Naprosyn a prescription drug, which the equivalent dosing would max at 2 generic Aleve 3 times a day with food. So doctors often give patients the equivalent amount of Aleve to take so as to save them money. That higher dose is for a more acute pain, the beauty of taking 2 is that it can be tapered as they feel better, many people for osteoarthritis are on 1 once or twice a day for maintenance. A handful a day is excessive and likely to end up with a bleeding ulcer or esophagitis. Long term effects of NSAIDs (non steroidal anti-inflammatories) on the liver and kidneys and stomach have to be balanced against the beneficial effects on the condition that is being treated/quality of life, etc. Hope that is helpful.

Anonymous said...

Its cc's world, we just live in it. Forward!

Jayce said...

Hahtoolah, if you are reading this, please blink your eyes twice. Thanks!

Gunghy said...

Did someone really manage this?? Alan is a god!! My only complaint is the number of names he had to use, and I understand that that is my problem, not his.

CC, I'm ashamed to say that I stared at TI_ for 7D for a loooong time trying to remember the syndrome that causes SID. And the one thing I miss from being in a situation where I'm without TV is the sports.

Have I ever seen an Aniston movie? My son drags me to the theater once or twice a year for the lastest must-see shoot-em-up. Otherwise, I prefer a QUICK READ. Or a slow one.

Time to read the comments.

Abejo said...

Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Alan Arbesfeld, for an excellent puzzle. Very clever. Thank you, C.C., for the great review.

Well I goy started in the NW and finished that entire corner, then moved on.

Could not catch the theme until I was almost finished. had a few in the South that were not completed yet. Once I saw the theme I was amazed. Great job! It helped me with my last few theme answers.

YURTS for 97D came easily. we have had that now and then. Stuck with me.

Had DALI recently. I always seem to remember him.

INDIE was easy. I guess there a lot of films coming out of India. Why not. Hollywood needs some competition.

ETH at 91A reminded me of an excellent book I recently read, "Cutting for Stone."

TTP, I have had Chimay beer/ale. It was good, but a little expensive for me to drink a lot of. I think it was 12 or 13 dollars a bottle.

Did not do Saturday's puzzle. Was too busy at the Commandery. 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM.

See you tomorrow. Go to my eye doctor early. Having cataract surgery in about a week. And, I do not have cataracts. Getting it for my glaucoma.

Abejo

Gunghy said...

I forgot to mention that AB and CD came quickly which showed me the elegance of this puzzle. It still didn't help me with IRISH JIGS, which took forever to come. My second V-8 of the day.

This should burn the Lada into your minds. It should also convince you that you will never drive in Russia.

I dislike Key Lime pie, but love lemon meringue. Go figure.

D-O - My doc says "anything but your elbow."

Yesterday, I drove up to the bay area for the Cal-Stanfurd {sic} Big Game. Shoulda stayed home. 4 hours each way and we looked terrible. Got home about 11:30, sat down to read the comments and the house started shaking. I haven't looked yet, but the nearest fault line is in the mono lake/Mammoth peak area east of the Sierra. It's actually very rare to feel a quake in this area of CA.

Bill G. said...

I really appreciated the execution of the theme. It helped me with the solving too. 'Impatient sounds' as a clue for TSKS just seems wrong to me.

TTP, yep, Judge Judy is always yelling at somebody. When I come across it, I prefer People's Court. Judge Marilyn Milian is really smart and pleasant to look at too.

Gong Li is certainly attractive though I might like her better if her hair weren't pulled back. Sofia is very sexy, partly because of her personality, intelligence and sense of humor. Naturally, I can't tell about those things for Gong Li.

CCnesia. Heh heh. Good one!

Hands up for Key Lime pie. It's a big favorite for both Barbara and me. We often split a slice when we go out for lunch.

I've always ignored the advice about Q-Tips. No problems ever.

TTP said...

Abejo,

But it's a 25 oz bottle, and at 9% ABV, I couldn't drink too much :>)

They had the blue label Grande Reserve at Costco for 9.99 or 10.99 for a short time. On the recommendation of a NJ friend, I ventured over to the Binny's on Army Trail Rd to buy Ommegang Brewery's Abbey Ale. Ommegang brews are from Cooperstown NY.

I ended up getting three different 4 paks of Ommegang brews on the recommendation of Binny's beer steward. As well as another bottle of the Grande Reserve. I like the Ommegang Abbey Ale very much. Worth a try if you like ale.

The blue label is now 12.99 there. Here's what Beer Advocate says about the Grande Reserve:

"Nearly flawless, if I had this around to drink all the time I'd feel very spoiled. Every year is great, though cellaring them for a year or more drives different dry complexities out of each vintage."

I do feel spoiled when I have it !

Yellowrocks said...

PK, my reaction to "I'm holding it" was the same as yours. Have you ever taken a road trip with a man who just hated stopping for anything?

I liked TSKs as an answer. The way they are said makes all the difference. Said a certain way they are kinda nasty. For my toddler grandson, I said, “tsk tsk” with a smile and comical shake of my head.. He laughed and stopped whatever I didn't like, a pleasant, effective interaction. .

TTP, a show where Judge Judy yelled? It doesn’t seem all that rare to me. Maybe she doesn’t raise her voice, just acts arrogant and snarky. I would never choose her to hear my case.
I can’t do a challenging puzzle while I am watching TV or making breakfast, although I can be eating it. I need to give my full focus to difficult tasks. Easy puzzles are a different matter.

Loved Abe’ Q-tip.

Jayce, we have highs of 65 this week and lows of 40. We consider that absolutely balmy. It’s been colder. I have not turned on the heat, as yet, although I did build one fire in the fireplace.

Yellowrocks said...

Bill G, Thanks for turning me on to Neil deGrasse Tyson. Since yesterday I have been viewing many of his youtube explanations of science. He's addictive.

PK said...

YR: Yes, the relationship was then terminated. Fortunately, my husband and I had about the same retention capacity. However, my mother, sister and one daughter were "once-a-day" girls and had no
sympathy whatever for the need of more frequent relief. I found it necessary to do the driving on trips with them.

TTP said...

YR, I should have put a smiley face after my comment about THE episode where Judge Judy yells at someone. She yells at everyone it seems, except Bird, her bailiff. Her icy stare reminds me of my 9th grade English teacher, an educator that I should have paid more attention to. I'm still dangling participles and ending sentences with prepositions, besides being unclear about the subject of my verbs. Obviously, not my strong suit. :>) Please feel free to correct me at any any occasion; I will take no offense. "Education is a life-long process." I too would not like to have my case heard by Judge Judy. I also meant to write earlier that I am glad you have found a good case worker.

Abejo, I apologize for not commenting earlier, I wish you well on your upcoming eye surgery. My mother had both cataracts and glaucoma. Not a good combination, and at the time in the late 70s, a very heady decision to have surgery. She went in for separate surgeries on each eye. Her doctor was Dr Rabinowitz. He was highly recommended as "the best around." He saved her sight. I drove her to an early consultation, and I was forever impressed. Your post made me think of him, and I googled. I see that he recently passed away. Dr Rabinowitz

I think I have exceeded my post limit for the day, but one last comment. As men, we have to make "good time" on the long trips. We don't know why, we just do.

CrossEyedDave said...

Yellowrocks i'm holding it comment made me go looking for funny pics, unfortunately i found way to many before i found anything suggestive...

#1 some were a little corny...

#2 some were silly.

#3 some were intriguing.

#4 some were just darn cute!

#5 some were scary!

#6 some were of best buddies!

#7 & one was just plain nice!

Yellowrocks said...

Funny clip. Link I gotta pee.

Lucina said...

TTP@4:49
Is Rabinowitz a common name? I once had a dentist by that name.

Jayce said...

Lucina, I think it is a somewhat common name. I've known several people of that name throughout my lifetime. Some people shorten it to Rabin, but I think Rabin may also be a complete surname in itself. My family mourned the death of Yitzak Rabin, the former Prime Minster of Israel. One of the members of the band "Yes" was born Trevor Rabinowitz but changed it to Trevor Rabin. By the way, he arranged and composed the music for the movie "Get Smart" a few years ago.

The conductor of the San Francisco Symphony orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas, was born Thomashevsky but shortened it to just Thomas.

Jayce said...

Man oh man, I just watched a video of Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Richard Dawkins on Youtube, and was entranced for the entire hour and a quarter. I really admire how he thinks "outside the box."

Jayce said...

Ooops, I was wrong. Trevor Rabin was born as Trevor Rabin, not Rabinowitz. Maybe I was thinking of somebody else, but right now I don't remember who.

That's 5 and I'm out. Goodnight, all.

Anonymous said...

My friend is quite tall and large...he always takes 3 or 4 of any OTC pain killers, because it does take more for him...

VA hospitals and doctors have never been as helpful or just plain caring as private doctors have been, for us. When we go for an appointment, we sit most of the day. When you do get in, they have little time for you and are quick to prescribe yet another medication. After several years, my friend was on so many meds he couldn`t keep them straight! And when they mailed him the meds, they sent boxes and boxes of it. So much waste and he did not receive adequate care either. Veterans deserve the best...and often get the worst when it comes to medical care.

Bill G. said...

Jayce, I'm watching the Tyson/Dawkins video about The Poetry of Science. I hope that's the one you meant. Very interesting. Thanks.

Pookie said...

Thank you C.C. for the shout-out. I am truly honored. Never got the "whole alphabet sequence until you "showed me the way" I have been absent today, washing machine leak...no hope, and missing outdoor stray cat who didn't show up for any food today, (really worried, because of coyotes- which is why we took in the 2 cats that we have now. All were born in our yard. Got them fixed and 1 by 1 disappeared. Finally said that we would take them inside.
"Ziggy Elman" yes a gimmee.
Wrote " And the angels Sing" born
Harry Aaron Finkelman
Please hear the hot up-tempo
(not really double-time, just a faster tempo at 1:48
Ziggy
Night all of you great cats. Back to looking for the kitty.

windhover said...

CC:
I just read thru your blog and saw the question you asked. I usually avoid reading the weekend writeups because I won't get this puzzle to solve until tomorrow night, but I was chasing the origin of the Anon complaint about the 47% and "CCnesia".
To answer your question, no, I do not farm on such a scale and my land (hilly) is not suited for it anyway. But I was once sprayed (on my motorcycle) by a crop duster who was spraying fields on both sides of the highway just south of Clarksdale, Mississippi. I saw him coming too late and had nowhere to go.
PK:
An interesting story, but, 5 years?

downtonabbey said...

I am just starting the puzzle now but wanted to post after reading the blog. Pas de chat I hope your kitty has been found safely by now. Anyone else here ever have migraines? I had one yesterday that kept me from getting anything productive done.

Thank you C. C. for this nice blog. I enjoy reading it very much and feel my day isn't complete unless I can get to the puzzle and everyones comments. Windhover, I bet getting dusted was not much fun! I used to ride motorcycles in my younger years and bet it was a challenge to steer through that experience.

Abejo, good luck with your eye surgery. I have seen it help so many of my friends.

Pookie said...

Feral backdoor kitty just showed up. Won't let me get close enough, even though we're on the same step on the back porch. Has that wild look in her eye. Swore I would never get this involved with a stray again, but that pathetic look and the skinny frame... how can I NOT put out a dish of food and water???
Thanks,michele for your concern. I was worried about yours too.
Tomorrow I want to read each post and follow what is going on with my fellow x-worders. You guys are fabulous!! I'm not kidding.

klilly said...

I liked this puzzle.. I rarely finish on Sunday.. I did today, . Wanted Acre for port city in Israel. Took awhile for that corner..

Bill G. said...

Windhover, your adventures with the cropduster made me think of North by Northwest. What a memorable movie scene.

Jayce, at your recomendation, I am almost finished with the Neil deGrasse Tyson and Hawkins seminar. I feel smarter after having listened to them.

Lots of possible Cat-tastrophes lately on the blog. I hope everything turns out well for the felines.

Anonymous said...

West Coast-bama!

Anonymous said...

Ya kmow, I don't like politics. BillG, C.C. and others are surely leftist. They want you to know that. Good for them.

Whatever.

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Anonymous @2:01pm & others,
Thanks for the valuable information. Boomer can deal with daily elbow pain (too much bowling), but the left hip arthritis flare-up was quite severe last time and left him crippled. He's now feeling much better, averaging 220 in the last 5 games he bowled.


Jayce,
The last two characters are Wan Sui, literally "ten thousand years", the same characters on the left side here in Tiananmen Square. I'm impressed you recognized all the others.

Hahtool might be visiting Israel. She mentioned a trip before.