google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday July 21, 2008 Allan E. Parrish

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Jul 21, 2008

Monday July 21, 2008 Allan E. Parrish

Theme: Ill at Ease

18A: Grapevine, in a way: RUMOR MILL

38A: Stimulant drug: PEP PILL

57A: "One more Last Chance" singer: VINCE GILL

3D: Reason for a late fee: PAST DUE BILL

26D: Chad Michael Murray series: ONE TREE HILL

I can think of dill, fill, kill, and will, what other 4-letter rhyming words can you think of?

I experienced something new this morning: I solved the puzzle without peeking at the constructor's name. But I quickly decided that it has to be from Allan E. Parrish's atelier after filling in the below answers:

29A: Citation's final word: UNQUOTE

43A: Reggae relative: SKA

1D: "Tuesday with Morrie" author: ALBOM (Mitch)

5D: Wall Street acronym: NASDAQ

7D: Jewish month: ELUL

33D: Dayan or Arens: MOSHE

Those are all the clear fingerprints of his puzzles: generous amount of scrabbly Q, Z, K, X & J, Jewish references (month, personalities, etc.). Remember his SHTETL ("Fiddler on the Roof" village) on this "Finer Rhymes" puzzle? It also starts with ASPEN (1A: Colorado resort), identical clue, identical position.

I had to call Google several times to finish the puzzle, feeling a bit dumb and inadequate today.

Across:

1A: Colorado resort: ASPEN. And another skiing reference: 41A: Slope sliders: SKIERS

6A: Coastal bird: TERN. Sleepy TERN. Here is a ERNE (the white-tailed sea eagle).

10A: Maui retreat: HANA. Comment from our fellow TMS solver Joanne last Friday: "Should you visit Maui, rent a car and drive the gorgeous east coast Hana Hwy to the little town of Hana. Plan to spend a lot of time as there are dozens of one-way bridges, curves galore, but beauty everywhere. You might even plan to overnight in HANA."

15A: Zeno of ___: ELEA. The Stoic Zeno is "Zeno of Citium".

21A: Sheepskins: DIPLOMAS. Unknown to me. Sheepskins were just skins of the sheep to me.

25A: Walks softly: TIPTOES. And 31D: Not quite sober: TIPSY. The 2 answers are of the same roots, aren't they? If so, they should not be allowed in the same grid.

32A: Actress/director Marshall: PENNY. Not familiar with her. She directed "A League of Their Own", which starred Tom Hanks, Geena Davis & Madonna.

33A: Big name in faucets: MOEN. Kohler has a much bigger presence in China.

36A: Dancer Ben: VEREEN. I forgot his name. It appeared in our puzzle before. Wikipedia says he won a Tony for "Pippin" in 1973. He also appeared in the Broadway "Wicked" as the "Wizard of Oz" in 2005. Have you seen this musical?

40A: Alternative to HBO: TMC (The Movie Channel). Do you like Robert Osborne of TCM (Turner Classic Movies)?

46A: Visual blight: EYESORE

48A: Jazz up: ENLIVEN

50A: Give a shot: INJECT

62A: Chimney segment: FLUE. I also wonder if Santa has ever caught the chimney FLUE.

67A: D Sharp: E FLAT. Like the Key of ?

Down:

9D: Ruth's mother-in-law: NAOMI. I like this NAOMI. She is so good at "Le Divorce".

10D: Pet rodent: HAMSTER

11D: US fuel group: API (American Petroleum Institute). I've never heard of it before.

12D: "__ Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)": NEL. "In the blue painted blue". "NEL " is "in the" in Italian. I've never heard of this song, which placed 3rd in Eurovision Contest 1958.

19D: Come down a cliff face: RAPPEL. New word to me. I had a nightmare at this corner.

22D: Toughens up: INURES

28D: Brings into harmony: SYNCS

34D: Mork's language: ORKAN. "Mork & Mindy"

36D: Pickle brand name: VLASIC. Hmm, perfect pickle, perfect size, delicious!

38D: Movie trailer: PREVUE. There should be a "Var." with the clue, don't you think so?

39D: White House nickname: IKE

42D: Manifests: EVINCES

44D: Erving of hoops: DR. J. He, rather than Dr. X, should be clued in Michael T. William's "Three Doctors" puzzle. We would have had a pangram a month ago.

47D: Uptight: ON EDGE

49D: Swiss Alp: EIGER. New mountain peak to me. So pretty!

55D: Dodgers, in MLB jargon: NLER (National Leaguer)

61D: Wiedersehen lead-in: AUF. Zai Jian (再见) in Chinese.

C.C.

124 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, C.C. and fellow DFs; I didn't think this was bad for a Monday puzzle - not quite as easy as they normally are.

C.C., Penny Marshall starred in a very popular TV comedy, "Laverne & Shirley" back in the day. And I agree, 'prevue' should have 'var.' accompanying it. Also, didn't we just see 'lhasa'?

Nice pickle picture; you just provided the day's entertainment for Lois, Carol & Melissa...

Hope it's an outstanding day for everyone.

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

Dennis,
Is API (11D) a well-known abbreviation? Were RAPPEL (19D) and EIGER (49D) gimmes to you?

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

Dennis,
What's your answer to my 3:56pm question yesterday? The "Blunder Bus" one.

Dennis said...

C.C., API is becoming more and more well-known each day, given our petroleum problems. I knew 'eiger' from a great Clint Eastwood movie, "The Eiger Sanction", and I rappelled a couple times in the Marines.

Bill said...

Wow! No Googles! About 10 mins! That's great (for me)!
Only mistake was crossing of 7d and 15a. Had an "N" instead of an "L".
Liked it today. Probably 'cause I got it so quickly. After seeing NLER and ALER so often before I guess I don't have a problem with that anymore.

flyingears said...

Not as easy but I was able to finish it with Google and my X/W dictionary help. It was a fun puzzle.

Mork (Na Nu Na Nu) and Mindy was also a fun show in the late 70s and made Robin Williams a very popular stand-up comedian. Jonathan Winters was his dad. Pam Dawber never made it big. Lots Robin Williams movies are good.

Dennis said...

C.C., no, I never heard of 'blunder bus' used that way, but if drdad said it, I believe it.

KittyB said...

(Yawwwwwwwwnnnn) Morning, all.

c.c., yes, I've seen the Wizard of Oz (and loved it), yes, I like Robert Osborne, and yes, RAPPEL and EIGER were gimmes. SHILL and SKILL would work with this theme.

D-sharp and e-flat are the same pitch, just written in two different keys (scales).

I had a tough time with the little words today, when usually they are the easy ones. ELUL, ELEA, API, SKA, and DRJ all took time to fill in.

It's light out, so I have no excuse. I gotta go weed before the next round of storms hit. :-(

Have a great day, all!

KittyB said...

Carol, thanks for your response about Mom last night. I know your advice to cherish her is good, and we do, and will. Those days when pieces of her fall into place are blessed, and even when there's no change, we are still blessed to have her with us.

Thanks, again.

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

KittyB,
Did you see the musical "Wicked" also? What is the "G' mark you normally insert in your comment? Does it refer to your "State of Mind" Arrrgh? The Boat? What?

lois said...

Good morning CC & DF's: Not a hard puzzle but missed 53A...what is it? Var should be w/38D. Loved 'gulp','pickle(d)' (great link,(CC), then 'tipsy' beside 'oop'(s), followed by 'tiptoes'! Wish 'Hur' had an 'L'. Love Aspen. Broke my leg there when I hit some ice on a slope (Ajax?) and met some really fine ski patrolmen then. After that, the ice was only in my drinks and the fireplace logs weren't the only things burnin'! Party place for sure! Pickles everywhere!

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

Dennis,
If both you, a guy of high MOREL, and Lois, the MOREL police, have not heard of the "Blunder Bus", then I drew my conclusion that it's a made-up word. Technically I can coin a word too, then put it on the "Urban" dictionary. If you think about it, "Solving crossword" can have some MOREL connotation too, as you are filling up holes, aren't you?

Der Katze said...

"...what other 4-letter rhyming words can you think of?" Jill. As in Jack & ____ went up the hill....

lois said...

CC: as an expert in 'morel' conduct, you deserve a citation for that last comment. Funny, funny, funny! Maybe that's why X/w-ing is so much fun! Freud would love that one!

Bill said...

BUT, C.C. has stated that she has not joined the DF column yet1 SHE says that she is perfectly MOREL, or is it "of perfect MORAL"?
All I know is the MORALE on this blog is always HIGH!!

Dr. Dad said...

Good morning to all!

Sill, trill, spill, skill, quill.

Could've been "Watts from King Kong."
Penny is also the daughter of producer Garry Marshall. The show was a spinoff of "Happy Days" and what a coincidence that "orkan" is in this puzzle because "Mork and Mindy" was also a spin off of "Happy Days."
Dennis is right - that provocative pickle will be Lois, Carol, and Melissa's undoing. And that happens right after "moon day."
Clint Eastwood starred in a movie a long time ago called "The Eiger Sanction." And rappel and Eiger were gimmes.
Prevue and var. - definitely needed.
Flyingears - Jonathan Winters was not Mork's Dad, rather he was Mork and Mindy's son, Mearth.
Here is Blunder Bus from the Urban Dictionaryto answer everyone's question about that definition.

Today is National Get Out Of The Doghouse Day. It is also my birthday. I may end up getting a little "tipsy" this evening.

Have a great day!!

Dr. Dad said...

It may be that the definition in question is made up but I only said that I had found the definition. It is up to everyone else as to whether or not they want to believe it. I just thought it was funny that it even existed and wondered if anyone, including the puzzle constructor, knew of it.

lois said...

drdad: Happy, Happy Birthday to you and many, many more. I'll toast to you now w/my coffee and more formally later w/my drinks of the night.

Bill said...

Best birthday wishes to DrDad. If you drink, don't drive, do the WATERMELON CRAWL !!!

Bill said...

And here it is!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG76egCZXfo

Mr. Corcoran said...

hello and good aft...i liked ensilage since that's what we're doing today with havre/ärt--the horses love that pickled food! Got stuck on the Greek ref. but thought diploma was good for sheepskin...who thinks a that these days...back to the fields now..keep cool

Dr. Dad said...

I liked the watermelon crawl.
Thanks, Bill.

Dennis said...

Happy Birthday, drdad, and many, many more.
As you reflect back on the past year, just think about how these women have turned you to the dark side in such a short period. When I first saw your posts, they were full of scientific information, facts and figures. Now, your latest post deals with masturbating on a bus, or something like that. By your next b-day, your blog picture will have you naked with only a beaker for modesty.

lois said...

Dennis: a beaker? He's a morel fellow! He'll have to have a very large beaker...more like a vat or barrel!

Argyle said...

'morning

You've left me Rill, a small stream, and till, either a drawer for money or to turn the soil.

drdad - Garry and Penny are siblings.

new names
Albom
Hana
Elul
Eiger
Chad Michael Murray
Ruth's mother-in-law
"Tuesday with Morrie"
Chad Michael Murray
Arens...
and I had trouble with MD athlete, thinking Muscular Dystrophy, maybe about the Special Olympics.

Santa doesn't have trouble with the flue, if he doesn't think about Lois, Carol & Melissa....

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

I'm off from work today, so I'm a bit late getting started...

This was mostly a fine a puzzle, with plenty of gimmes, a bunch of more challenging answers and some obscure clues that I was able to get from crosses. I was very proud of myself that I knew TERPS, RAPPEL, EIGER, LHASA and ELEA.

However, the NE corner utterly defeated me. In his blog about the NYT puzzle, Rex Parker recently coined the phrase, "The Natick Principle" (named after my hometown of Natick, Massachusetts, btw) that he defines as follows: "If you include a proper noun in your grid that you cannot reasonably expect more than 1/4 of the solving public to have heard of, you must cross that noun with reasonably common words and phrases or very common names." Well, I'd say the NE corner of today's puzzle definitely violates that principle! In fact, it does it twice by crossing HANA with both API and NEL.

Do I sound disgruntled? Maybe. But, dang -- that was an impossible corner for me to fill!

In other news, I'll add my distaste for PREVUE to the pile and also mention that I didn't care for UNQUOTE, either. I believe that the correct term is actually "end quote", despite the fact that many people actually say "unquote." On the bright side, I was glad to see "HBO Rival" refer to something other than SHO for a change...

Barry G. said...

Oh -- and TIPTOE and TIPSY have different roots. The root of TIPTOE is the noun "tip" (meaning the upper portion), whereas the root of TIPSY is the verb "tip" (meaning to fall over). The noun and verb forms come from completely different sources according to my dictionary.

Gotta love that English language... ^_^

Dr. Dad said...

Woe is me. Yes, Penny and Garry are sibs.

Anonymous said...

C.C. I have always known a "Blunderbus" to be an awkward person or as my dictionary puts it, "One who blunders"

It can also be "an old fashioned short gun with a large bore and flaring mouth".

Dr. Dad said...

Yes, Dennis. The force has not been with me as my time on the site lengthened. The well of sin turned me. All in all, I'm glad it did. Much more fun with the dark side.

Ken said...

Some stinkers for me. With all the nicknames Bush is known for, I fixated on his terms for 39D(I noted that Ali and Frazier are his nicknames for Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, California senators). I should have jumped on IKE as he was my boyhood president. Reggae kinfolk Ska was news to me, so getting that k was my last nut to crack. Btw, for the four letter rhymers, dill and kill would work too, especially with Vlasic.
No, CC, I haven't studied linguistics formally, but did find the root of culpable and exculpatory(there must be more) in 51D, Mea culpa.

Dog walking time. Ken

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday, drdad. Hope you enjoy a most wonderful celebration.

I too dislike "unquote". I always use
"close quote". And prevue is an abomination. The only way I got "One Tree Hill" is that I just saw it mentioned in a guide next to CSI (my favorite) and had twigged to the 'ill' endings.

Jeanne said...

Morning all,

I was so proud of myself when I remembered Lhasa, of course I forgot some easier ones like Ska.

Thank you Drdad. I was not aware of the Urban Dictionary and it might have come in handy when I was teaching at an inner city school. Sometimes when I intercepted notes being passed, I really didn't know what they were about. Now, I think I'm grateful for that!

drdad: Happy Birthday and many more

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

Dr. Dad,
Happy Birthday (生日快乐)! From this moment 'till dusk, 'till dawn, may every minute of your life brings you as much happiness as you bring to me every morning. I really enjoyed the eye-opening "Blunder Bus" ride, though I seriously doubt the veracity and and acceptability of that entry, esp since "Urban" dictionary allows everyone to make their own definition of words.

Barry,
I see your point on noun/verb roots of TIPSY & TIPTOE. Very informative. Thank you.

Der Katz,
Hey! I felt like I would hear from you again after filling in ASPEN & AUF earlier.

Bill,
I did not know that you can make wine out of watermelon. Wow, Watermelon is such an amazing fruit!

MH said...

A challenging puzzle for me but I did finish it correctly and unaided. I had to get quite a few from the perps. I always grimace when Jewish months are involved. BTW, I didn't get the theme at all - flew right over my head. I suppose it would have helped had I recognized the "ill" endings but just didn't see it.

Busy week for me with a conference in San Jose (Plug-in 2008) and lots of meetings. Weather in NorCal is spectacular as usual this time of year.

Bill, I enjoyed the Watermelon Crawl, thanks for posting it. You can embed the link like this: 'Watermelon Crawl'

Dick said...

Hello DFs and CC. The delivery person chose not to leave a paper for me today thus no puzzle. I may go out later and get one but it won't be the same now that I have visited the site.
Drdad Happy Birthday

Bill I liked the Tracy Byrd video

Jimbo if you used drdad's definition of "Blunderbus" you would probably have a very awkward person.

Mr. Corcoran said...

ken--don't forget culprit, i'm inculpable of finding any more however...
cc do you know the old ditty: a flea and a fly in a flue??? good one for english learners--i recall being taught that one years ago (very hard to keep straight in swedish since fly means flee..my neurons seem to cross when I try to recite the whole thing)

Dr. Dad said...

After reading the article C.C. provided, I am certainly going to start eating more watermelon!!!!!!!

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

Sallie & Barry,
Besides TIPSY and TIPTOE, can you give me an example of another pair of words (similar root spellings, different parts of speech)?

Lois,
I FOREfelt what you would say about my "Solving Crossword" remark. I was literally TIPSY after reading your piece on "FOREign Affairs". Where can I get my DIPLOMAS (21A) on wordplays? In what 24D?

Thomas,
I was not familiar with that ditty. I wrote down "I also wonder if Santa has ever caught the chimney FLUE" because I was thinking of our "Santa" Argyle and I was trying to play on "Catch a FLU/FLUE".

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

Jimbo @ 9:12am,
You were thinking of "Blunderbuss", Dr. Dad was talking about "Blunder Bus" (only one S).

Argyle,
Very interesting IF.

Bill,
I've decided, against my will, that it's better to have ventured and lost in the darkness than never have ventured at all.

melissa bee said...

good morning c.c. and all,

this one came easy for me. the prevue spelling gave me some pause .. but once i got vince gill (hmm) it all came together. we were just one z away from our panagram. my theme title would have been 'ill at ease.'

with all the musical references: axl, ska, vince gill and eflat, i would have liked to see tiptoes clued as something about how tiny tim negotiates tulips. look at him, he was goth before goth was cool.

@lois: 53a = nuisance.

@c.c.: i have never heard of blunder bus in the urban dictionary sense .. nor any of the 'bus' entries there. i'm sure any words you coined would make much more sense.

@kittyb: i always appreciate your musical knowledge here, thank you.

@carol: good advice about appreciating our moms. mine is amazing. (get it c.c.?)

@drdad: happy happy birthday. since you've meandered to the dark side, if we don't hear from you tomorrow we'll know why.

Ken said...

Thomas, you're right on culprit and inculpable. My M-W also tosses in inculpate as a transitive verb, inculpation as a noun and inculpatory as an adjective, all dealing with incrimination.
CC In this case, the root of "culp" has three different parts of speech. You also see the difference between the prefix ex- to exclude and in- to include with the root of culp.
Another interesting root is amb- (again, a latin root, ambulare to walk) and we see it in amble, a verb, ambulance, a noun and perambulator, another noun.
When I was just out of high school and headed for college, my mom gave me a book titled "30 days to a more powerful vocabulary" for my birthday(I'm a July kid too). It dwelt on roots quite a bit. It was a classic for years and may still be around.
Best, Ken

Crockett1947 said...

Good morning everyone. Almost a pangram today -- no Z. Surprisingly I knew all of the names today -- helped that there weren't that many. E FLAT and D sharp are the same note. PREVUE should definitely have a "var." I would call the EIGER "rugged." API was unknown but gettable from the perps. RAPPELL was a gimme and EIGER lives back in the dark recesses somewhere and popped out at the right time. Lois, 53A is NUISANCE. Happy Birthday drdad. May your days be filled with friendship, love, and joy!! Argyle, I had the same problem with MD, LOL!

Ken said...

Barry, when I was a lad, Dominico Modugno made enough to pay our national debt, well, almost, from "Volare" which contained the line "Nel blu dipinto di Blu" (in blue painted blue). It played forever at the top of the charts and I guess throughout the world. Volare is Italian infinitive, "to fly". Dean Martin also sang it.
I know, more that you wanted to know. It is my worst fault.
Best, Ken

KittyB said...

My pleasure, Melissa bee. If I get too pedantic, just tell me to take a break. *G*

c.c. are you asking about the *G*? The woman who hosts my blog taught me that *G* was shorthand for GRIN and *S* stands for SMILE. I don't know if it is used universally, but it it such a habit that I type it without thinking. I don't want the tone of my comments to be misunderstood, so I rely on a little sign language to be sure that people know I'm kidding.

The Arr!! is my husband's boat. My blog is the Arrrgh! (which is how I wanted him to spell the boat name, AND how I feel about sailing. I'm a land lubber and will be forever more.)

I loved Wicked! It's definitely not a remake of "The Wizard of Oz," but a stand alone story. It helps to have read the book before you see the play, but it's not a requirement.

Dr.dad, I hope you have a great day, today. For your birthday I'll FedEx an oversized fig leaf and a rubber band. Save the beaker for Margaritas! YeeHaaaaawwww!!

carol said...

Morning C.C. and all the raging D.F's!
C.C.: Great comment at 6:23, see you are becoming a D.F.

Lois (6:23) Very funny !!!!! Loved it!

Dennis: That pickle looks like a good time, all those knobs and such! I'll be "slope slidin'away" or maybe "tiptoe" to a "remote" "tryst" and "enliven" the situation by getting "tipsy". I can always say "mea culpa" later.

drdad: A very Happy Birthday to you!

Danielle said...

Fun theme and I got through it no Googling, as usual with some lucky guesses and fortuitous fills.

Happy BD drdad! Enjoy your day!

I never saw Wicked - I was too cheap to see it in Philly and haven't had the chance since. Everyone says it's amazing including my sister.

Penny Marshall transitioned from actress to credible director with the Tom Hanks vehicle, Big (a classic!):

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001508/

Of course Ben Vereen is best known as a dancer, but I always think of his powerful performance as Chicken George in the miniseries, Roots:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0893965/

Apropos of nothing, my husband hit a deer last night with his car and if it's "totaled" (probably will be) wants to replace it with a diesel that he can convert to a biodiesel. It's a brave new world.

Mr. Ed said...

G'mornin' c.c. & DFs all.

Once I figured out the "ill" theme this one flowed fairly well. It should have come more easily to me.

I'm a reggae fan to some degree but never heard of Ska... guess I've just been to the wrong islands.

@Barry

I'm with you on the unquote - end quote.

@drdad..

Thanks for the news that today is National Get Out Of The Doghouse Day. Just in time... I need it after National Moon Day.

btw Happy Birthday!

Mr. Ed said...

@kittyb

I'm a newbie but on a serious note:

Make every moment you have with your mom special. Life is finite and very precious. When the time comes where she must continue on her voyage alone, make sure you have thousands of treasures to remember her by.

carol said...

Bill and mh: Thanks for the Watermelon Crawl!!! Absolutely loved it! (I love the South) so steamy and all, I have never been there but I can change that. I could just feel the heat, and the cool watermelon on my feet, wow, kinda crouching down in all that - well, makes a girl blush!

Barb B said...

Morning everyone

Not so bad today.only thing I really got stuck on was DrJ and Drys, of all things.

I think you've covered all the rhyming words with ill, except maybe

Window or door sill

nill - I won't

the art of QUILLing (fiber arts)

I found a new proper name one - PHILL is the appliance used to refuel a natural gas car.

Drdad - Happy b'day

Melissab - you, too

Dennis said...

I just watched the watermelon crawl - great video. I grew up in Atlanta, and down there we'd have watermelon roast parties. We'd all bring watermelons to a secluded area, build a fire, put the watermelons in the fire, and when they exploded, we'd all run into the woods to get a piece.

Very popular parties...

Ken said...

Argyle: "Whither thou goest, I will follow" a quote from Ruth, verses 16-17, is often heard at weddings as a lovely pledge. However, it was said by Ruth to her mother-in-law, Naomi, when Ruth was destitute after her husband died. Naomi's men, the husband and the two sons, died in a famine. What is telling to me is that Ruth was a Moabite, a non-jew, and yet she completely accepted Naomi and vice versa. Hope this helps. Ken

Oh, the Maryland team is the Terrapins,hence terp.

Dennis said...

Argyle, when were you in? I was '62-'66.

Anonymous said...

yes the Eiger is beautiful but it's name was not intended to convey that since it translates as 'Ogre', which is why I tend to spell the word incorrectly as Eigre

Ken said...

Danielle. I was idling through the profiles and noted your gluten issue. Here in Oregon, we've a milling company called Bob's Red Mill(www.bobsredmill.com) I recently toured their open house and noted that they are serious about the gluten free aspect of their business. The gluten milling process is at one end of at 320,000 sq ft building(That is about 2 Home Depots) and all other milling is at the other end. All work is done in "clean" suits and masks, etc. It has been in business since 1978, has a payroll of 200 and is quite an institution locally. I know it is in several supermarkets, but they welcome mail order. Hope this helps. Ken
PS One of our pubs serves gluten free beer, but don't know if they ship it.

Mr. Ed said...

@c.c.

Left overs from National Moon Day:

MikeCarter??? I think the name's right... I remembered it from a posting a couple of weeks ago as being from "O".

OrgyU... long story. Simplified, you had to be there in beautiful Eugene, Oregon... the proud home of The U of O.

It came from bumper & window stickers where ORYGUN was the "last resort" pronunciation for the name of this fabulous state. Non Oregonians seem to think it's Ory-gone... Anyway, the stickers got chopped up and rearranged to OrgyU. And, you hadda be there... I think the great institution's image has improved somewhat since then but I still hear great tales of debauchery from down there.

Danielle said...

Ken, aren't you sweet! Yes, I'm very familiar with Bob's Red Mill - their stuff is terrific, and thankfully is avaiable in the local grocery stores and health food stores in my area (upstate NY). I recently tried their GF oatmeal after reading about it somewhere, but sadly it didn't work for me - they got an "A for effort" though!

Mr. Corcoran said...

ken--that was intended as a joke on incapable--strange to her that inculpable is actually a word...i think i poured through 30 days too...
danielle---we almost hit a wild boar with our tractor today...hmmm...but they are fast and terribly cranky!

lois said...

Carl: It just occurred to me that I also went to U of O or OU, but mine was OKla U. The only other difference is that you partied in
U gene, I partied with/in
XY gene(s). Good times were had by all, I'm sure!

Bill, Melissa: thank you for the 53A...46D stumped me and couldn't get past it. Such a nuisance!

Santa: if you were hung in my chimney, I'd come with you. No problem!

Mr. Ed said...

@c.c. Re: mikecarter

His last entry was July 13th. He's from Gates, Oregon. Been a blogger since April '06.

Anyway, he's somewhere in our dysfunctional seven "Ohs".

@crockett

How's Vernonia doing?? I understand FEMA took their trailers and bailed on 'em. Great way to run a "help" agency... make lots of noise arriving and then sneak out the back door when the goin' gets tough.

lois said...

Crockett, thank you for the 53A help. Got me 'out of a jam and in a pickle'...just the way I like it and 'hardly' a nuisance.

Dr. Dad said...

OMG, Lois!!!! You're a Sooner???!!!!! That's not good. I'm a Cornhusker. There goes the neighborhood.

Ken said...

Danielle, thanks. I thought you might be. Bob's is quite a story. In the middle 80's, an arsonist wiped him out, but local business people recognized his ability and got him started again. One issue was to find lumber for a millwheel and then to find a millwright able to built the wheel. It is the hallmark to their retail store, which handles all their product line plus holds baking classes, sells cooking equipment and if you are a real back to the land type, you can get the equipment to mill your own flour.
Btw, regarding "sweet men", I wrote a short poem about them some years back. I hope you enjoy.

Do women love “sweet?”

Women love ornery curmudgeons
In fact, you cannot budge them.
And women love a brawny redneck
who say words worse than oh heck.

But women do not love “sweet”

Women love swarthy actors
when you add in all the factors.
And women love a struggling poet
Who is snobbish, effete and knows it.

But women do not love “sweet!”

Women love drinking sailors
and even mail carriers.
Women love big old loggers
And men who ride hoggers.

But women do not love “sweet!”

Here’s two women after a date:
And one asks the other “Did you relate?”
“Oh he’s very sweet, but I don’t know.”
His goose is cooked, I’ll tell you so!

Women do not love “sweet!”

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

Melissa Bee,
Happy Birthday to you too! May pleasure and joy and everything you wish all come true to you!!

Carl,
That's the only time Mikecarter left a comment. Guess that's why I could not remember him.

embien said...

11:34 today, but a good two minutes of that was puzzling over the random letter at the cross of 7d: Jewish month (ELUL) with
15a: Zeno of ___ (ELEA), neither of which I've heard before. A clear violation of good construction rules if I may say. (Barry, I'm also a subscriber to Rex Parker's "Natick rule"!)

44d DRJ should have been clued as an abbreviation, at the least. When said out loud it is always pronounced "Doctor Jay", never "Dee Are Jay". How about "Erving of hoops in headlines"?

@c.c.: EIGER and RAPPEL were gimmes for me. The Clint Eastwood movie "The Eiger Sanction" came from the book of the same name by one-named author Trevanian. All his mysteries were titled similarly, e.g., "The Loo Sanction" (yes, someone got killed by a bomb in a bathroom). Jonathan Hemlock, the protagonist, always drank Laphroaig whisky (real Scotch), which made him A-OK in my book.

API was unknown to me, and I'm not sure it's a well-known body (as compared to say, OPEC).

@dick: you can get the puzzle online at http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/outdoors/chi-sa-crossword-htmlpage,0,250019.htmlpage even when the paper delivery person skips your place.

Dick said...

Embien thanks for the link but I already have it. I just don't like doing the puzzles on line. I would sooner skip an issue. Even without the puzzle I can enjoy the bantering on the blog. It is always interesting to see who will be the next person to go to the dark side.

Melissa Bee and a very Happy Birthday to you also. And, you are one of the ones to get to the dark side and that is a good thing as you joined a good group of DFs.

Ken said...

Carl: In response to our conversation on locals in this group, no, I'm not a duck. But I love to wear my Huskie purple in Oregon. I couldn't agree with you more on the beauty of Oregon. Ken

Mr. Ed said...

@c.c.

It's odd I even remembered it.

@melissa bee

Happy BD to you! 21 right? Before you go out partying tonight, may I direct you to this site??? I actually think I recognized several of those guys. And those cats! What a bunch of animals!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWkL1Rjs-cE

Anonymous said...

test

Anonymous said...

I stumbled upon this blog a few months ago and look forward to reading it every day. I am a beginner X/W and this site is very helpful. Also, I can't wait to read the banter as I can definitely relate to Lois, Melissa Bee and Carol...are you my long lost sisters?

Mr. Ed said...

@ ken

I'm actually a transplant. I was a Washingtonian and a Husky fanatic til I moved elsewhere... after HS.

I still think the Huskies are great... love the rivalry between the two schools. Remember Sonny Sixkiller? Old personal friend.

@Lois

OU... Does that make us dyslexic spirits... as opposed to "kindred". Can we be dyslexic and dysfuntional or is it dysfuntionally dyslexic. Arggh! All these words and too much hair of the dog!

Mr. Ed said...

May I be the first to say; "welcome" cocato! OMG!!!! Another corrupt one?

Dennis said...

cokato, welcome, and I hope you know what you're getting yourself into. If you have the slightest bit of morality, prepare to shed it in the face of the sirens that are Lois, Carol and Melissa.

And Melissa, happy birthday, even though it's not. Just practicing.

Anonymous said...

Carl, thanks for the welcome.
C-corrupt
O-outrageous
K-knock-out
A-alluring
T-teaser
O-outrageous

carol said...

Melissa bee, Happy Birthday!!! I'm sure you'll do something (someone) to make it a memorable occasion. Carl seems to be extending a welcome, but I would beware of that "god" in his backyard..might give "tongue lashing" a whole new meaning (we can only hope) :)

Cokatu: Cute name what is the origin? Welcome! Let us know more about you and we will find out if you are a true D.F.

carol said...

Cokatu" Yep, after that name explanation, you are truly one of us on the "darker side", welcome!!

carol said...

Cokato, sorry to miss-spell your name (twice!)Got so excited to have another "soul-sister"!

Anonymous said...

Cokato is actually a little town 40miles west of the twin cities...moved there 7 years ago and found no liquor was allowed to be sold in the city, (that was finally voted in last year) and that every year there is a "corn festival" I thought it was a "porn festival". Who knew?

Dennis said...

cokato, i think with that description, a picture is de rigueur...

carol said...

Cokato, no liquor? (thought for a moment the corn festival was celebrating the "squeezings")and no porn?! Shoot, I'd have moved out the next day!

Mr. Ed said...

@cockato

Ah good! At least you're not from VA, CA, or OR.... The world would probably not be safe if the four of you got together "in the flesh" so to speak.

Mr. Ed said...

@cokato

Sorry 'bout the freudian slip on your name.......

carol said...

Cokato, don't listen to Carl, he is under the influence of that "tongue thingy" in his yard and probably some liquid too...Freudian slip indeed!

melissa bee said...

thank you all for the birthday wishes .. barb b jumped the gun a little since it's not for two weeks (we like to start celebrating early).

@carl: i have a hangover just from watching that video. and you couldn't pay me enough to be 21 again (but i appreciate the compliment.. smooch.)

@cokato: welcome.

@dennis: '... we'd all run into the woods to get a piece.'

would you get some watermelon, too?

Dennis said...

melissa, you appear to be the only one that got that; why am i not surprised...

melissa bee said...

@dennis: it's a wavelength thing.

Mr. Ed said...

@carol

I seem to detect that you might be intimidated by Debauchee???? He's completely harmless if you maintain penetrating eye contact.

Argyle said...

Well, another name for the naughty list, Welcome Cokato.

Ken - So Ruth was that Moabitish damsel that followed Naomi back home and hooked up with Boaz. Got it.

I still think it may have been better Terp was UMD athlete.

dennis - '63 to '66, air wing, parachute rigger

lois said...

Dennis: I was just about to say:
Man, you had to go through a lot of trouble just to get a piece in the woods! Was the meat of the Watermelon THAT much better? Livin in GA wasn't easy, was it!

Dennis said...

Damn, I just found out today is National Junk Food Day - anybody up for a happy meal?

carol said...

oooohhh Dennis, I did miss that in your 12:01 comment...was the watermelon the only thing that exploded in the woods???

Ken said...

Carl: I do remember Sonny. What a great name for the press. I think he was there in hmmm 71 - 74 or so? Whatever happened to him? He had some pretty neat stats. I thought he might have gotten a pro look.

Dennis said...

carol - hardly.

carol said...

I'd only eat a "Happy Meal" after I had consumed mass quantities of "McWine" !! Ugh!

Carl: Me? Intimidated? As long as Debauchee maintains a "penetrating contact", we are ok! :):)

carol said...

ooohhh Dennis!

Dennis said...

'debauchee' looks surprisingly like my sister...

Mr. Ed said...

@ken

70-72 were the years. Got his shot with the Rams but didn't make it. Went to CFL... I think Toronto... then on to (remember this) THE WFL. What a career killer! Had an incredible record in high school and with UW but...

He's with FSN now as a commentator.

He is the nephew of former Idaho Governor Cecil Andrus...

lois said...

Carol, that's funny!

drdad: I'm Sooner born and Sooner bred: (my version)I'd rather come Sooner and be Sooner dead. I'm really a Boomer Sooner.. self explanatory...those hot watermelons in GA may have been fun, but we didn't have to go into the woods to find the exploding pieces.

Carl: Yeah, I think our dysfunctional spirits are dyslexically connected. But it's the 'spirits' that are important. What's your favorite? I'm doing Bourbon tonight, toasting to drdad's Happy Birthday, and not driving!!! Yippeee! I will appease the foreplay god by partaking in some pagan ritual in drdad's honor. Hear, Hear, drdad's coming!

Cokato: welcome! I am sure that the high morel character of these guys will impress you so much that you will not regret coming here. It is down right a piece of heaven at times!..well, a piece of somethin' anyway.

Dennis: I want a Big Mac well done w/extra sauce.

Anonymous said...

IN EARLIER TIMES COLLEGE DIPLOMAS WERE WRITTEN IN LATIN AND PRINTED ON ACTUAL SHEEPSKINS. I HAVE GREAT GREAT GRANDPA COMBES' FROM COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY DATED JUNE 1881 HANGING ON THE WALL. MINE DATED JUNE 1974 IS ONE QUARTER THE SIZE AND PRINTED IN ENGLISH ON PAPER. IT ISN'T NEARLY AS IMPRESSIVE.

carol said...

Lois, don't be terrorizing the big Scottish guys!!! They won't let us peek under their kilts if we make them mad!! (what kinda sauce are we having?)

Ken said...

Carl, I'll bet Sonny tore 'em up in high school. I think he had a cannon for a right? arm. We had a local who was all everything in high school and later had a good career with UCLA. His name was Mike Nguyen, part black and part Vietnamese. I don't think he got a pro look, just too thin, but he was fast. Probably the hottest local names are AC Green and Terrell Brandon from the NBA. I'm glad to hear Sonny is doing well. I'm not much of a sports buff these days, so don't pick up on commentators much. Thanks for filling me in on him. Ken

Mr. Ed said...

@ken

I forgot... Sonny also had a role in the original "The Longest Yard" movie but his football skills were better than his acting so he never got a reprise. The Rams were in L.A. back then of course.


@Lois

My spirit of choice is usually Malibu Rum. They make a dozen different types including some stuff aged up to ten years. I love its taste. When I was young I used to drink 151. Then at a still quite young age I found out what my liver was actually supposed to be doing so I gave up on trying to drink myself "stupid". I can usually get to that state without too much effort on less damaging stuff. I also love tequila as in Margaritas and Bloody Marias. Don't do straight shots but I love Jello Shooters. Got hooked on that dessert of choice at Sr. Frog's in Mazatlan. Oh! And by the way; I don't do beer... ever.

I was mulling over something about coming sooner but decided to let that dog lie.

KittyB said...

Thanks for the good advice, Carl. I've been storing up memories for the past 20 years.

Melissa bee.....happy birthday early!

Nah, dennis....we all got it. Melissa just beat us to it at commenting. *S*

Dennis said...

carl, i'm with you - no beer, ever.

kittyb, yeah, I shoulda known.

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

Lois,
"The fireplace logs weren't the only things burnin!". Why? What else were burning? "I partied with/in XY gene(s)". What is XY gene?

Thomas @6:58am,
What is "havre/ärt"?

Dennis @ 7:25am,
"By your next b-day, your blog picture will have you naked with only a beaker for modesty." Why beaker? What's the connection here? Very interesting watermelon "piece" in the wood.

MH,
Are you with GM?

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

Melissa,
"Ill at Ease" is the theme title now. Thank you.

Barb B,
Thanks for the "Nill" and "Phill", both were unknown to me before.

Crockett1947,
"Rugged" & "Ugly" (See Anon 12:17pm comment).

Ken,
I love your "Root" & "Volare" education. As for your poem: "And men who ride hoggers.", what are hoggers? Why do man ride them?

KittyB @11:04am,
Thank you for the reply. Nothing is too pedantic here. We are all word lovers/twisters.

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

Danielle,
I am a bit gluten-intolerant too. Get so tired of rice now.

Embien,
Agree with you on Dr. J.

Carl,
Could July 13 be the first time you visited this blog?

Cokato,
Welcome! Your name sounds very dysfunctional, and that is a good thing (to borrow a line from Dick).

Carol,
What is McWine?

Seattle Sam,
Thank you for stopping by. But please don't write comments in all capital letters. They are very hard on my eyes.

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

Dick,
Can't you get the online puzzle printed out? I feel so sorry that you missed filling up the holes today.

melissa bee said...

@kittyb: thank you. all this birthday talk has convinced me to start celebrating tonight.

@carl: can you spare debauchee for a worthy cause?

@dennis: i got your meal right here.

melissa bee said...

@dennis: your happy meal, that is.

Dennis said...

C.C., the beaker was a reference to drdad's scientific background.

Melissa, you went to McDonalds for me?

Mr. Ed said...

@melissa bee
re: 7:32

Sure! All ya' gotta' do is come get him... heh heh heh! I might even have a Walnetto for you too.
Just stare deeply into his eyes...

And, please don't make me explain that because it's not funny if I have to explain.


@c.c

July 13th wasn't my first time to the site but, pardon the expression, I'd been peeking from behind the bushes. I'd been checking the site for over a month(for purely medicinal reasons) before something pulled my trigger and I jumped in... so to speak. I thought I vaguely remembered seeing mikecarter's log-in on a weekend so I went back and looked. Sure enough,there it was.

btw; re ken's poem - I believe his Hoggers is a reference to those who ride big Harley Davidson motorcycles. The bikes are normally called "Hogs" but with literary license "Hoggers" would work for me for the riders.

ciao

KittyB said...

Mark it on your calendars! At 7:27 p.m. c.c. definitely joined the dark side!

Way to go, c.c.!

carol said...

C.C. McDonald's fast food, jobs, etc has "Mc" in front of a lot of things;
"get a McJob" means working there, McNugget= their chicken nugget meal, etc. I just meant it would take a lot of wine (McWine) before I would eat anything there.

Carl and Dennis, I am just curious, why are you guys so against beer??

Mr. Ed said...

@dennis

It's too late for innocence!!! You are way too far into the dark side. Don't make me explain the "happy meal" to you. It's definitely "a calorie burner".


@carol

Nothing personal. I just don't like the stuff. I try to avoid anything I have to "learn to like". I just have a more "refined" taste I guess and I've never cared for beer.

melissa bee said...

@dennis: yeah and it came with a toy.

melissa bee said...

@carl: no explanation needed.

Dennis said...

carl, you're kidding, right?

carol, just never could get a taste for it; I'd get full before I even got a buzz.

melissa, I'll bet it's not the only one.

Mr. Ed said...

@dennis

You were so slow comin' outta da' gate... you had me nervous that we'd lost you.

@Carol

Ditto on the full before buzz aspect.

Dennis said...

carl, sorry, my McD's reference was a joke. When melissa, carol, lois, et al talk about a 'happy meal', it ain't coming from a restaurant...

melissa bee said...

@carl: trust me .. dennis is about as lost as teenager in a shopping mall.

Mr. Ed said...

@ dennis

Sorry! My newbieness took over momentarily. My only fear was that I'd be the only one left to handle all four of them if I lost you. Maybe the thought of the "happy meal" caused you to stroke out... heh, heh, heh! Did that toy come with or without AAA, AA, A, C, Ds, or lithium 10 year life 9 volt???

Dennis said...

carl, no apology necessary; I'm sure once you're here for a little bit, you'll pick up all the unique senses of humor. You're obviously as disfunctional as the rest of us, which is high praise indeed.