google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday June 21, 2009 Fred Piscop

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Jun 21, 2009

Sunday June 21, 2009 Fred Piscop

Theme: Unknown Endings (Letter X is added to a familiar phrase)

23A: Rodriguez upset with negative publicity?: BITTER ALEX (Bitter Ale)

25A: Film timepiece seen briefly?: CAMEO ROLEX (Cameo Role)

43A: Instability of sterotypical BMW drivers?: YUPPIE FLUX (Yuppie Flu)

64A: World's most perplexing problem?: GRAND CRUX (Grand Cru)

87A: Buckingham Palace add-on: QUEEN ANNEX (Queen Anne)

107A: Rubber bedsheets? SLEEP LATEX (Sleep Late)

109A: Cat on steroids?: MUSCLE MANX (Muscle Man)

36D: Encrypted Scriptures? SECRET CODEX (Secret Code)

39D: Highest point in North Africa? BARBARY APEX (Barbary Ape)

I was aware of the chronic fatigue syndrome. Did not know its alternative name Yuppie Flu though. Barbary Ape is a new name to me also. Messed up 23A with BITTER A-ROD.

Easiest LAT Sunday since our switch. Most of the clues are very straightforward. I might have aced this puzzle if I had more time.

Thought it might be a pangram. But I could not find letters V & J.

Across:

1A: Hand-dyeing method: BATIK. Using wax as a dye repellent.

10A: Carpenter's groove: DADO. Can never remember the name for the groove.

14A: Philanthropist Brooke: ASTOR

20A: Tropical tuber: TARO. I miss Cantonese TARO cakes.

21A: Prep school for some princes: ETON. Both Prince William and Harry attended ETON.

27A: Team with the most Super Bowl victories: STEELERS. Total 6.

28A: Oil source: SHALE. I was thinking of the real crude oil.

31A: Seventh day activity: REST. Saturday or Sunday?

32A: Reside: DWELL. Wrote down ABODE, which is actually a noun.

33A: Ramadan practice: FAST. No food, no drink from dawn til dusk, then some dates.

34A: Perp subduer: TASER

37A: Char: SEAR. And BURNT (55A: Well done, then some).

38A: Not permanent, as dye: RINSABLE. Had trouble getting this answer.

47A: The kinkajou has a prehensible one: TAIL. "Prehensible" gives away the answer. I don't know what a kinkajou is.

53A: "V for Vendetta" actor: REA (Stephen). No idea. Have never seen the movie.

56A: __ 1: speed of sound: MACH. Named after the Austrian physicist Ernst MACH.

57A: Contest award: RIBBON

59A: Radium discoverer born in Warsaw, Pol: MME CURIE. MME is short for Madame.

61A: Hebrides isle: IONA. Skye is a "Hebrides isle" too. Might be the origin of actress Ione Skye's name.

62A: Chunnel terminus: ENGLAND. Chunnel is Channel & Tunnel.

63A: Short or long measure: TON. UK uses long TON. Ours is short TON. I penned in TEE.

67A: Isl. south of Corsica: SAR. Sardinia. Unknown to me. See this map. SAR is often clued as "Patriotic org."

71A: Gen. Robt. __: E LEE. I prefer "Gen. Robert __". The Gen. abbreviation is enough.

72A: 1989 undersea thriller: THE ABYSS. Nope. Have never heard of this movie. It's directed by the "Titanic" guy James Cameron.

76A: Crease maker, at times: IRONER

77A: Indian honorifics: SRIS

78A: Unfair treatment, with "the": SHAFT

80A: He "does not throw dice": Einstein: GOD. Nice clue.

81A: Vitamin in liver: NIACIN. New name to me. It's a component of Vitamin -B complex.

83A: __ Mattress: DIAL-A. Have never heard of this brand before.

84A: Laundry concern: SPOT

85A: "Mockingbird" singer Foxx: INEZ. Just clued as "Don Juan's mother" yesterday.

89A: Prompter start?: TELE. Teleprompter.

90A: Bathroom dispenser item: DIXIE CUP. Why "Bathroom"?

94A: __ out: peaked: MAXED

98A: Bug-eyed: AGOG

102A: In coils: SNAKY

103A: Ivory tower milieu: ACADEMIA

111A: Chat room chatters: USERS. Internet chat room.

115A: Man with a code: MORSE

117A: Moon buggy org.: NASA. NASA just launched a rocket to the moon a few days ago.

Down:

2D: Plugging away: AT IT

3D: Pledge drive giveaway: TOTE. More used to the full TOTE bag.

4D: Bond payment: INTEREST

5D: Baseball Hall of Famer Willie: KEELER. Got his name from Down fills. And I don't feel bad not knowing him. He died in 1923. Could only think of the Say Hey Kid Willie Mays.

6D: Square one: START

7D: Ones to hang with: PALS. Shouldn't the clue be "Ones to hang out with"?

8D: Bard's preposition: ERE. Before.

9D: Crew's control: COXSWAIN

10D: Modeling accessory: DECAL. Oh, I was in the wrong model direction.

12D: Kremlin feature: DOME

13D: Number on a driver: ONE. Golf clubs have numbers marked at the sole for easy identification. Who do you think will win US Open? Ricky Barnes looks good.

14D: Puzzle direction: ACROSS

15D: Try to hit: SHOOT AT. Gun? Would be SWING AT if it's golf/baseball.

16D: Pinball no-no: TILT

17D: Works of Sappho: ODES.

18D: Latin king: REX. And RES (24D: Latin thing). I like the consecutive order.

26D: African port: ORAN. In Algeria.

29D: "Take one": HERE. Ha ha, so simple in retrospect.

32D: Redcap's place: DEPOT

33D: Prix __: FIXE. Vs. a la carte.

35D: Chili rating unit: ALARM. The Scoville scale.

37D: Brent who played Data on"Star Trek: T.N.G.": SPINER. Could only picture his face. Don't know his name.

38D: Compensate for oversleeping: RUSH

40D: Rest atop: LIE ON. I was imagining a bird resting atop a branch.

41D: Dik-dik cousin: ELAND. Had to check the dictionary for dik-dik. Strange name.

43D: Part of MYOB: YOUR. Wrote down MIND first.

44D: Removes gear from: UNRIGS. As a ship.

45D: Nancy's home: FRANCE. The French city Nancy.

46D: Old compact from 45-Down: LE CAR

52D: Roots around in: DIGS AT. New meaning of "root" to me.

55D: Eponymous burner designer: BUNSEN (Robert). Saw this clue somewhere before.

56D: Statistical figures: MODES. I don't understand. How can MODES be "figures"?

58D: Ruin the surprise: BLAB

60D: Hard cash?: COIN

62D: Show relief, in a way: EXHALE

65D: Lofty home: AERIE

66D: '60s United Nations leader: U THANT. U means "Mister".

69D: Product suffix suggesting noodles: ARONI. New to me. As in macaroni I suppose.

73D: www transmission: E-FAX. Had trouble getting the answer.

77D: Atlantic food fish: SCUP. Barry Silk clued it as "Type of Porgy" last time.

82D: Marine hue: AQUA

83D: Many Wisconsin farmers: DAIRY MEN

84D: Show biz parent: STAGE MOM. Like Lindsay Lohan's mom.

86D: Closers of a kind: ZIPPERS

88D: Site of North Amer.'s geographical midpoint: N DAK. I knew this trivia.

92D: Room in a big house?: CELL. "Big house" is slang for prison.

94D: Ford classic: MODEL A. Introduced in 1928. I thought of MODEL T, which was actually discontinued in 1927.

97D: Campaign issue: TAXES

98D: Ghana's capital: ACCRA

104D: N.Y. Giants' founder and longtime owner Tim: MARA. I got the answer from Across fills. Wiki says his grandson John Mara is the current Giants' president.

106D: Things to grind: AXE

107D: Bottom line: SUM

Answer grid.

Happy Father's Day!

C.C.

32 comments:

  1. Good morning cc etal,

    I had a hard time with 100a - "fill with horror". I think the correct spelling is APPALL (2 "l's"). Looked around a little and couldn't find a variant spelling with only one "l".

    CC - re 69d ARONI - there's a product on the grocery shelves called Rice-A-Roni. I think that's the reference.

    Hope all have a pleasant Sunday. Too many no-names on the leader board at the Open to pick one - maybe Weir?

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  2. Good morning, C.C. and gang - I wasn't in love with this puzzle, and I don't exactly know why. Just seemed like a lot of clues that were either shaky or a bit of a stretch. As an example, when's the last time anyone saw dixie cups in a bathroom? Kitchen, yes - water cooler, yes. I also dislike brand names (Dial-A-Mattress) in puzzles, as we've discussed before.

    Unknowns for me included Brooke Astor, Brent Spiner (I just never 'got' Star Trek). C.C., Wee Willie Keebler was the shortest man in baseball; his height is unofficially listed as 5'4". Famous line was "hit 'em where they ain't." 'Decal' was a no-brainer for me, as I still build models frequently for customers. It was good to see Lois' favorite animal, the Dik-dik, and embien's favorite word, 'perp'.

    Chris, both 'appall' and 'appal' are correct, although the latter is hardly ever used.

    Cecil, welcome to the group; have you been reading the blog for long?

    Today, in addition to Father's Day, is Finally Summer Day (although not here in the NE), and Go Skate Day.

    Today's Words of Wisdom, and an excellent philosophy: "During much of my life, I was anxious to be what someone else wanted me to be. Now I have given up that struggle. I am what I am." -- Poet Elizabeth Coatsworth

    Mr. Fun Facts is taking the day off.

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  3. Hi all,
    I took almost 54 minutes with this online using lots of red help. I didn't know many of the things or people in it--too many to list. When I saw dik-dik, I thought it must be a cartoon character.

    Niacin is a major ingredient in Vegemite, which is heavy on B-complex vitamins. I see they're going to make a new version with cream cheese in it, which won't taste as salty.

    I still don't understand the reference to red cap/DEPOT.

    I explained the French joke about LE CAR before--it means "the bus".

    I agree APPAL looks very weird. I like the Einstein quote, though I must admit to not seeing the answer until here--it fell in with the perps and I never read that clue.

    I didn't like the theme, it seems too loosely connected and many of the phrases don't seem all that well known, certainly not common. I've never heard of yuppie flu or grand cru, and bitter ale seems superfluous--isn't all beer bitter?

    I second Dennis' welcome to Cecil, and all the newbies of late. Have a relaxing Fathers' Day everyone!

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  4. CC and Cecil: (Wanted SO badly to write "Beanie and Cecil!") Other words to go with "mode" in a statistics class: "median" and "mean". Hope your eye feels better shortly, Cecil and Welcome.

    I`m wearing a "tie" made of faux pearls today...I gave it to hubby for Father`s Day but he declined to wear it...

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  5. Good Morning All, I thought the theme was OK, but I agree with Kazie about entries like YUPPIE FLU, GRAND CRU and BITTER ALE.

    Dennis, I agree. DIXIE CUPs were THE thing about 40 years ago. I haven't seen a bathroom dispenser in years. Of course, maybe that is because we don't have small children in the house. Teaching them to brush and rinse might be made easier with a handy paper cup.

    I've never heard of DIAL-A-MATTRESS. Is it an adjustable mattress like Sleep Number, or do you phone in your order like a pizza? Sounds weird to me either way.

    Other than that, it wasn't too difficult to finish up. What didn't come right away was taken care of with cooperative perps.

    I'm glad the puzzle didn't take too long. We are off and running this morning to visit with kids, grandkids, sisters, B-I-L's etc. for a Father's Day BBQ and swim party.

    We'll be driving the new Honda Insight hybrid we got yesterday. GAH sold his truck and now he gets to drive the Odyssey (gotta have a place to stash the clubs) and I get the cute new car. It is quite comfortable for a small car and it got 47 MPG on the way home yesterday...yippee!! We're set for summer gas prices. I love the way that worked out....it's Father's Day and I get the new car.

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  6. Good Morning, all!

    Cecil, I'm with you, I HATED my stats courses! Welcome to the group.

    Dennis, we use the little 3.5 oz Dixie cups in the bathroom. I love the WOW for today.

    There were a number of words that took their sweet time coming. I did a lot of back and fill before I put in the last letter. For some reason the area around IONA, GRANDCRUX, ERN and ENGLAND was the last to fall. I kept trying to think of the towns at the chunnel terminals, not the countries. I still don't understand the 'World's most perplexing problem' clue.

    C.C, as Chris in LA said, 'Rice-a-Roni' is the reference for 69D. Rice-a-Roni used to have a mix of rice and vermicelli. Now the pasta might be orzo, or there might not be pasta at all. Dear Husband's children grew up with the Spanish Rice variety as part of a Mexican dinner night. They're Sicilian...it was sort of a meeting of the cultures.

    I also was thinking of runway models, C.C.

    This was a do-able puzzle, but the odd theme answers left me cold. It felt as though Mr. Piscop was trying a little too hard to make his theme work.

    In addition to being Father's Day, it is also my step-daughter's birthday, so we will have a double dose of family celebrations.

    I hope you all have good weather for your day, whatever you might be celebrating!

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  7. Chris, I had a hard time with 100a as well. My first thought was appall, but since it wouldn't fit I was lost for awhile.

    Agree with Dennis that the answers were a bit shaky.

    I did like the crossing of 'cup' in 77D scup and 90A dixie cup.

    And I loved the answer for 23A, Bitter Alex. Even though I'm a Yankees fan, I find it hard rooting for him. He's such a prima donna. Pretty to look at though.

    I'll be seeing the Yankees play for the first time next week in Atlanta. I hope he is "rested" by then.

    Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's!

    Tarrajo: I think you should celebrate today as well since you are Mother and Father to LGJ!!

    Since Mr. FF is off today, here are a few:
    The first Father's Day was celebrated on June 19 1910 in Spokane, Washington USA.

    Father's Day was supported by President Calvin Coolidge in 1924.

    In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson declared the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day with a presidential proclamation.

    In 1972, President Richard Nixon established the Father's Day as a permanently holiday.

    The necktie is the most common and famous Father's Day gift.

    Official Flower: Rose - wear red for living father and white for deceased father.

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  8. Just a quick note to say HAPPY DAY to all you dad's, and THANKS to all the rest of you who put up with us.

    Good news - The Freep is changing back to the LA Times Puzzle. They got complaints that the Commuter puzzle is to easy. Go figure.

    Cheers!

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  9. Before leaving for the day, here is a memory of a father. We all have them.

    My Father's Hat
     
    Sunday mornings I would reach
    high into his dark closet while standing
    on a chair and tiptoeing reach
    higher, touching, sometimes fumbling
    the soft crowns and imagine
    I was in a forest, wind hymning
    through pines, where the musky scent
    of rain clinging to damp earth was
    his scent I loved, lingering on
    bands, leather, and on the inner silk
    crowns where I would smell his
    hair and almost think I was being
    held, or climbing a tree, touching
    the yellow fruit, leaves whose scent
    was that of a clove in the godsome
    air, as now, thinking of his fabulous
    sleep, I stand on this canyon floor
    and watch light slowly close
    on water I'm not sure is there.

    - Mark Irwin

    For all those wonderful fathers out there, have a great day.

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  10. Re yesterday's comment on Angelina Jolie. What Dennis said - facetious. I should have used that LOL or emote thingee. You'd have to be living under a rock not to know who she is. Sorry.
    Happy Father's Day.
    Liz

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  11. Hi everyone, Happy Father's Day to all you are in one way or another!

    I did not do the puzzle...once I saw there was an 'x' at the end of the long answers I just thought it was dumb. Sorry to be so blunt, but what was the point of it? I looked for a reason in the puzzle and couldn't find it.

    We have a small dixie cup dispenser in one of our bathrooms. It's on the wall next to the medicine cabinet. Handy for a mouth rinse after meds I have to inhale...so I don't go ack, ack or have my tongue rot off due to whatever is in the inhalation powder that says RINSE YOUR MOUTH AFTER USE.

    Watching golf...Tiger is not back to himself yet. The weather is awful..worse than we had here the last few days. Is it the 1st day of summer really???

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  12. CA...pretty snazzy little car!! Love Honda's. Ours is still running after 23 years!!! We don't use it much, having others but it has sure held up. You're having a great Father's Day, huh? LOL

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  13. Happy Father's Day...

    Bit of a tough puzzle even though I figured out the "X" ending with MUSCLE MANX...really went round and round. The funny thing is, that once it was all filled in I wondered why I thought it was so difficult.

    GRAND CRU(X)Think Fine Champagne or Wine...the best, most, and so the MOST perplexing problem would be the CRUX of the issue...a stretch but I did get it.

    I remembered Kazie's LE CAR discussion, so that helped. I just seemed to have trouble finding a really solid starting place. As it slowly filled in, it got easier and I had a number of "so I guessed correctly after all" moments...although the only Foxx I could think of was REDD.

    Kazie...Not all ales are bitter. I am a wine drinker but when in the UK will enjoy an occasional pint and some of the ales are very smooth...especially some of the dark ones. I also a good enjoy single malt Scotch.

    Welcome Cecil hope you join in on a regular basis.

    CA...love your car...you'll have to let us know how you like it after a few months, when this "I have a new car" excitement wears off a bit.

    We also keep small paper cups in a countertop dispenser in both bathrooms and actually even switched to drying our hands with paper towels...everything goes into recyle and we have found that in the last 3 years, neither of us has been sick...no colds, no flu...nada. I buy the cups in bulk at Costco and we don't really go through that many.

    Having dinner with the kids this evening...a great day to all.

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  14. Dennis,
    RE: Words of Wisdom: "I yam what I yam!"(Popeye)

    Jazzbumpa,
    Which issue of The Detroit Free Press talks about switching back to the LA Times puzzle? I sent them an e-mail complaining about them dropping same. I'm a Michigander.
    Fred

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  15. Since our paper doesn't give theme. I was thinking 24 Across was Rod Rage (missing "a"?) but not enough letters...

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  16. Hi all,
    Again I'm only part way done with c/w; having troubles with endings and brushing up on Mme Curie,info that I should have already known!!

    Reliving history:

    1879- F.W. Woolworth opened his first store

    1893- First Ferris Wheel opened in Chicago (they make me queezy)


    1913- Tiny Broadwick was the 1st woman to parachute from an airplane. (love her name; I have NO desire ever to do that!)

    1963- Pope Paul VI succeeded John XXIII

    1982- Prince William of Wales was born.

    Thought for the day :
    " No one really knows enough to be a pessimist. "

    Happy Father's Day to all dads and grandpas!!

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  17. 28:09 today. Not an easy Sunday puzzle for me. I saw the theme right away and it still took me forever to get some of the fill.

    Last entry was ELAND. For some reason I kept thinking "dik-dik" was a kind of bird (maybe Australian?) and it wasn't until I actually filled in the "A" in REA/ELAND that I had my "d'oh" moment.

    @winfield: your paper doesn't give the title of the puzzle? The title for this one was Unknown Endings, which signaled the "X" (unknown) for the ends of all the theme entries.

    If your paper doesn't give the title, you can always go online and see it there if you're curious.

    Off for my Dungeness crab and shrimp louis salad for Father's Day breakfast. Yummo.

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  18. My mother-in-law has a Dixie Cup dispenser in the bathrooms at her house.

    My favorite clue: Try to hit. Over the years my husband and I have developed a joking exchange: H: Did you miss me? W: Nope. But I wasn't shooting at you!

    Kazie: Red Caps are porters at the train station or depot.

    Gotta go. Catch you tommorrow. Happy Fathers' Day to all the dads.

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  19. Good morning, everyone!

    The theme entries made sense except fro GRAND CRU. WTF? It's certainly not a phrase that is in the general knowledge/usage banks as far as I know. Even after hitting Wiki, my thought was "Huh?" Brooke ASTOR?? Re: 90A -- Dixie cup dispensers handle small cups, about 4 oz., I think (3 or 5, says the web site). The only place they might be usually needed would be in the bathroom. Rinse? Willie KEELER?? Thanks for the model link! Ah, MODES, means and medians, the three legs of the statistical stool. Tim MARA??? Been to the U.S. geographical midpoint in NDAK. Must have a picture around here somewhere... Without the perps this one would have been really tough.

    Happy Fathers' Day to those of you who are and those of you who still have a Father to honor.

    @dennis Excellent WOW.

    @kazie At the train depot, the porter who assists with luggage is called a "Redcap" like the "skycap" That you find at the airport. I see elissa chimed on on this as well.

    @clearayes So what did GAH get for Mother's Day? That sounds like a winner of a car. Enjoy.

    @liz There's room here under the rock. It could also be a case of "Who cares?"

    @fred Great Popeye quote!

    @embien Yummy breakfast plans. I'm tempted to do the All You Can Eat prime rib tonight at Der Rheinlander.

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  20. CA:
    You probably won't catch this till later, but I
    Wanted to give you a heads up on driving a hybrid, in case no one else has. My neighbor (in his seventies) has a Prius, and says you have to get used to the fact that there is no engine braking effect. Specifically, in a normal vehicle, if someone in front of you slows down in traffic, you can often compensate without touching the brakes by just letting up on the accelerator pedal. Doesn't work when you're running on the electric motor. He nearly rear-ended several other cars before he learned to get on the brake quick.
    Be careful till you learn to drive your new toy.
    My Dad departed 40 years ago this Fall. If I make it another year, I will be the oldest man in my paternal lineage for several generations. I plan to make it hard for succeeding generations to make that claim, hoping, as someone said here recently, to die young a long, long time from now. I've got 20 years to go on the maternal side, as my Uncle (Mother's brother) is 84 and still very hale and hardy. I look a great deal like him, too, so.............
    Work Sunday for me, cutting alfalfa (second cutting). No rest for the wicked.

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  21. Happy Fathers' Day all.
    ClearAyes: I have a 96 Honda Civic that gets close to 30 mpg, and still runs like a dream. So I believe you will enjoy your new little car for a long time. DH says it's like a sports car. For him, since he likes his Grand Marquis, which is a guzzler!

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  22. Father's Day is a tough one for LGJ. As he gets older more and more questions are asked; and more questions are answered. He hugged me today and said, "Well Mom, I guess you're my Dad too." I had to turn my head away as I didn't want him to see me cry. Thanks Danabw for acknowledging the single Moms out there.

    A special thanks to all you guys that did all you could do for your kids. I had a long talk with mine today....650 miles away. LGJ also told "PAPA" he loved him. I can't say enough about the love in my heart for my Papa and LGJ...

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  23. As someone said The Detroit Free Press is going back to the LAT puzzle because of so many complaints that the comuter puzzle was too easy. The previous complaints were that the LAT was too hard.

    You may find it interesting though that the paper also said: "The Tribune Media Service was hearing similar complaints from newspapers all over the country, and the syndicate listened. Its editors worked with the Los Angeles Times puzzle editor to make it more national, and worked to make it less difficult without making it too easy. TMS thinks this one strikes the right balance."

    So we will see tomorrow.

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  24. Terrajo -

    Just want to let you know I admire you a lot. You're a great mom, and I'm happy to know you - even if only through this blog. Keep up the good work.

    This was a great day. My stepson called from Afhanistan, then his family called from VA, and I talked to the kids. My son, daughter, other step-son and their kids all came over - except one, who was off to Girl Scout camp today. But I saw her last night. It's all good.

    Fred - Today's paper, Page 2A, bottom left corner.

    Geeze, Gang, I'm the usual complainer, and I liked this puzzle. This theme treatment is representative of what you might see in a Boston Globe Sunday, so
    I guess I'm used to it. All the theme answers were good - with and without the final X. I think it's darned clever to construct a puzzle like this - but I'm a punster, so it's up my alley.

    QUEEN ANNEX and SLEEP LATEX were my favs.

    DECAL is a shortened form of DECALCOMANIA - which makes me wonder: Dennis, did you apply the orange decals on the model C.C. linked? I thought women lke that only exisrted in Boris Vallejo's
    imaginaton

    We have a Dixie Cup dispenser in our guest bathroom - possibly because we've had grandkid sleepovers for the greatest part of a decade.

    INEZ Foxx was Don Quixote's mother?
    I had no idea. Really.

    Cheers!

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  25. Which issue of The Detroit Free Press talks about switching back to the LA Times puzzle?

    I'm not who you directed your question to but happened to see it. It is in the Sunday edition, page 2, lower left hand side.

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  26. Apparently I have been living in the dark, non-Dixie Cup ages. They never went away, it was me who forgot about them. The next time I hit Costco I'll pick up a supply. I like WM's comment about no colds or flu. Even if it helps a little bit, that makes them seem very worthwhile.

    Crockett, as I recall GAH got his favorite gift for mother's Day. Need I say more?

    WH, thanks for the braking advice. I'm being very careful until I get used to how it handles and all the displays and buttons. This our 3rd Honda. We have been very happy with their reliability and I'm thrilled with the notion of getting mid-40's MPG and maybe a little more with as much open road driving as we do.

    Dads, I hope you all had a great Father's Day. For tarrajo and other single Moms, who are pulling double duty, I understand how tough it can be. You are to be congratulated.

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  27. Jazzbumpa...thanks darlin' (that's my take on southern talk) I am so glad your Daddy's day was a good one. LGJ is supposed to pick an instrument he wants to play next year in school....I am "subtley" turning him towards a brass instrument.

    Clearayes...thanks for the kudos. We just take it one step at a time.

    BTW, LGJ's name is .....now all you guess...you know the middle name.

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  28. Thanks Elissa and Crockett for RED CAPS. I guess I didn't know what "sky caps" were either. Having no trains anywhere in WI, at least where I go, doesn't help with jargon like that, and though I'd heard the term sky caps, I never use porter assistance in airports so hadn't made the connection as to what they actually were.

    My father was only 64 when I lost him, and I have about another year and a half to go to outdo that.

    Our son and d-i-l were here today. Her grandparents flew back to Germany yesterday, so now we are planning for her parents next, in late August. We had a nice relaxed day at home with them today.

    Our other son called and talked to his dad for about an hour this morning before the others arrived, so it was all good, as Jazzbumpa likes to say.

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  29. Rocky?

    My compliments as well to all the single parents who are raising/have raised kids on your own. How you do it is beyond me.

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  30. @Dennis...no fists were involved in the last altercation....Rocky? Comeon...I have better taste than that. Rockyjoe?? It sounds like an ice cream.

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  31. My grandson Nate is Nathanial Joseph, so I'll go with that.

    We don't get a lot of southern flair here in the Great Lakes basin, but when my daughter worked in a nursing home, when Nate was very little, the husband of one of the elderly residents there called him "Natty-Joe."

    I would never-ever-ever have come up with that.

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Tarrajo,
    How about Terry? It would fit in with your name.

    ReplyDelete

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