Theme: PH LEVEL (33A. Acidity or alkalinity measurement, which is literally 8 for this puzzle's four longest answers) - There are total 8 digraph PH's in the 4 longest theme entries.
17A. Plato's field: PHILOSOPHY. What is your definition of Platonic love?
22A. Wedding hiree: PHOTOGRAPHER
45A. City named by William Penn: PHILADELPHIA. The City of Brotherly Love.
54A. Its white variety glows upon exposure to oxygen: PHOSPHORUS. New word to me.
I like that all of the theme answers are long-lettered one-word entries with two consecutive PH combination (instead of phrases with one word ending in P and other starting in H. You know, the word spanning P H style). Very narrowly focused, as Nancy Salomon advocates. Can you think of any other word with the same pattern?
Nice "driving" rya Dan weaved in the clues:
30A. Driveway surface: GRAVEL
32A. Driver's aid: TEE. Golf "driver".
30D. Driving hazard: GLARE
Today's Dan Naddor Index (non-theme entries with 6 or more letters) is 20. Pretty high. But not many sparkling clues. Guess that's why it's a Wednesday rather than a wicked Friday Dan Naddor.
Across:
1. Japanese noodle dish: RAMEN. I like the real soup-based, soy sauce flavored Ramen, not the instant noodle.
6. Starbuck's boss: AHAB. Starbuck is Captain Ahab's first mate in "Moby-Dick".
10. Stern's opposite: STEM. Hence the idiom "from stem to stern".
14. Words after complete or close: A SALE
15. One of the Simpsons: LISA. Bart has 4-letters too.
16. Head shape in a recurring "SNL" skit: CONE
20. Like mozzarella: SEMI-SOFT
21. Journalist __ Boothe Luce: CLARE. Wife of Henry Luce, founder of Time, Life, and Fortune.
25. "The Jazz Singer" subject: JOLSON (Al). "The Jazz Singer" is the first talkie movie ever made.
28. "The Ten Commandments" role: RAMESES. So many Rameses in ancient Egypt.
29. Lake near Niagara Falls: ERIE
35. 3.0, e.g.: Abbr.: GPA
39. Jerusalem temple site: ZION. Hence Zionism?
40. Soft-shell clam: STEAMER. Is the clam steamed? I've never had it.
43. Foul: SMELLY
48. "Over the Rainbow" composer: ARLEN (Harold)
49. 1996 bride of comic books and television: LOIS LANE. "Superman".
57. 2008 American League champs: RAYS. Lost to the Phillies in the World Series.
58. Absorbed the loss: ATE IT
59. Form 1040 IDs: SSNS. So easy to lose our identities in this Internet Age, no matter how careful we are.
60. Shoppe sign word: OLDE
61. Jr.-year exams: PSATS
Down:
1. Knocks: RAPS
3. Hurt badly: MAIM. Ouch!
4. Orbital shape: ELLIPSE
5. River past Iola, Kansas: NEOSHO. Native Indian for "clear, cold water". I've never heard of Neosho River, nor the city Iola.
6. Up in the air: ALOFT
7. Aware of: HIP TO
10. Surgeon's tool: SCALPEL
11. Contents of some arks: TORAHS
12. Chef's preparation: ENTREE. Robin mentioned tamales and black eyed peas as her New Year's Day traditional food & Jeannie has crab legs & corn on the cob for New Year's Eve. What's your family ritual? We always have walleye fish and some form of sweet mochi rice. Not often ice cream though.
13. Ann __, only woman to sign a contract with an NBA team: MEYERS. With the Indiana Pacers in 1980. Wikipedia says "She participated in three-day tryouts for the team, but eventually was not chosen for the final squad.".
21. Bedouin's mount: CAMEL. Bedouin refers to nomadic Arab.
24. Speak wildly: RAVE
25. Lockheed product: JET
26. Tram filler: ORE
31. On a pension: Abbr.: RET (Retired)
33. Spin doc: PR MAN. PR PERSON to be PC.
35. __ Grissom, former "CSI" role: GIL. Got his name from crosses.
36. Campaign hustler, for short: POL
38. Fortes: TALENTS. They are not the same to me.
39. Gung-ho types: ZEALOTS
40. Involuntary contractions: SPASMS. Cramps too.
41. "__ Company": old sitcom: THREE'S
42. Astronaut Collins: EILEEN. The first female Space Shuttle pilot/commander.
43. Ocean traveler: SHIP
44. Accident: MISHAP
46. London insurance pioneer: LLOYD
47. Ad hoc oater group: POSSE. Why "Ad hoc"?
51. Dark time for de Gaulle: NUIT. French for "night". "Bonne Nuit" is "Good night". Alliteration again.
52. Ballpark figs.: ESTS (Estimates)
54. Veteran: PRO
55. Prince of Broadway: HAL. Wikipedia mentioned that he's got a record 21 Tony Awards. That's incredible.
Huge thanks to Argyle and Al for making today's blogging possible. And a belated Happy Fermat-numbered Birthday to Lorraine!
Answer grid.
C.C.
17A. Plato's field: PHILOSOPHY. What is your definition of Platonic love?
22A. Wedding hiree: PHOTOGRAPHER
45A. City named by William Penn: PHILADELPHIA. The City of Brotherly Love.
54A. Its white variety glows upon exposure to oxygen: PHOSPHORUS. New word to me.
I like that all of the theme answers are long-lettered one-word entries with two consecutive PH combination (instead of phrases with one word ending in P and other starting in H. You know, the word spanning P H style). Very narrowly focused, as Nancy Salomon advocates. Can you think of any other word with the same pattern?
Nice "driving" rya Dan weaved in the clues:
30A. Driveway surface: GRAVEL
32A. Driver's aid: TEE. Golf "driver".
30D. Driving hazard: GLARE
Today's Dan Naddor Index (non-theme entries with 6 or more letters) is 20. Pretty high. But not many sparkling clues. Guess that's why it's a Wednesday rather than a wicked Friday Dan Naddor.
Across:
1. Japanese noodle dish: RAMEN. I like the real soup-based, soy sauce flavored Ramen, not the instant noodle.
6. Starbuck's boss: AHAB. Starbuck is Captain Ahab's first mate in "Moby-Dick".
10. Stern's opposite: STEM. Hence the idiom "from stem to stern".
14. Words after complete or close: A SALE
15. One of the Simpsons: LISA. Bart has 4-letters too.
16. Head shape in a recurring "SNL" skit: CONE
20. Like mozzarella: SEMI-SOFT
21. Journalist __ Boothe Luce: CLARE. Wife of Henry Luce, founder of Time, Life, and Fortune.
25. "The Jazz Singer" subject: JOLSON (Al). "The Jazz Singer" is the first talkie movie ever made.
28. "The Ten Commandments" role: RAMESES. So many Rameses in ancient Egypt.
29. Lake near Niagara Falls: ERIE
35. 3.0, e.g.: Abbr.: GPA
39. Jerusalem temple site: ZION. Hence Zionism?
40. Soft-shell clam: STEAMER. Is the clam steamed? I've never had it.
43. Foul: SMELLY
48. "Over the Rainbow" composer: ARLEN (Harold)
49. 1996 bride of comic books and television: LOIS LANE. "Superman".
57. 2008 American League champs: RAYS. Lost to the Phillies in the World Series.
58. Absorbed the loss: ATE IT
59. Form 1040 IDs: SSNS. So easy to lose our identities in this Internet Age, no matter how careful we are.
60. Shoppe sign word: OLDE
61. Jr.-year exams: PSATS
Down:
1. Knocks: RAPS
3. Hurt badly: MAIM. Ouch!
4. Orbital shape: ELLIPSE
5. River past Iola, Kansas: NEOSHO. Native Indian for "clear, cold water". I've never heard of Neosho River, nor the city Iola.
6. Up in the air: ALOFT
7. Aware of: HIP TO
10. Surgeon's tool: SCALPEL
11. Contents of some arks: TORAHS
12. Chef's preparation: ENTREE. Robin mentioned tamales and black eyed peas as her New Year's Day traditional food & Jeannie has crab legs & corn on the cob for New Year's Eve. What's your family ritual? We always have walleye fish and some form of sweet mochi rice. Not often ice cream though.
13. Ann __, only woman to sign a contract with an NBA team: MEYERS. With the Indiana Pacers in 1980. Wikipedia says "She participated in three-day tryouts for the team, but eventually was not chosen for the final squad.".
21. Bedouin's mount: CAMEL. Bedouin refers to nomadic Arab.
24. Speak wildly: RAVE
25. Lockheed product: JET
26. Tram filler: ORE
31. On a pension: Abbr.: RET (Retired)
33. Spin doc: PR MAN. PR PERSON to be PC.
35. __ Grissom, former "CSI" role: GIL. Got his name from crosses.
36. Campaign hustler, for short: POL
38. Fortes: TALENTS. They are not the same to me.
39. Gung-ho types: ZEALOTS
40. Involuntary contractions: SPASMS. Cramps too.
41. "__ Company": old sitcom: THREE'S
42. Astronaut Collins: EILEEN. The first female Space Shuttle pilot/commander.
43. Ocean traveler: SHIP
44. Accident: MISHAP
46. London insurance pioneer: LLOYD
47. Ad hoc oater group: POSSE. Why "Ad hoc"?
51. Dark time for de Gaulle: NUIT. French for "night". "Bonne Nuit" is "Good night". Alliteration again.
52. Ballpark figs.: ESTS (Estimates)
54. Veteran: PRO
55. Prince of Broadway: HAL. Wikipedia mentioned that he's got a record 21 Tony Awards. That's incredible.
Huge thanks to Argyle and Al for making today's blogging possible. And a belated Happy Fermat-numbered Birthday to Lorraine!
Answer grid.
C.C.
Good morning C.C. and all, another slog for me today, but by damn I got it all without help. 5D, Neosho, was a complete unknown to me and I needed all the perps to get that one. Starbuck’s boss almost got me again, but I finally nailed it after I had a-ab. Doh! I also wanted to put psychology in for philosophy, but got into lots of trouble with the perps
ReplyDeleteYes C.C. clams are steamed, but I don’t like clams other than inn clam chowder. I agree with you on 38D “talents” and fortes are not the same to me.
Hope you all have a great Wednesday.
After doing some searching I found the information shown below relating to forte and I guess it is equivalent to talent.
ReplyDeleteForte, from the French fort for "strength", originally pronounced pronounced /ˈfɔrt/ but now commonly /ˈfɔ:teɪ/ in English[1]; a person's strong point [1] ("Preparing gourmet cuisine is his forte"). The English pronunciation is likely due to a historical confusion with the doublet below (musical term from the Italian). In light of this, some people regard the common English pronunciation as incorrect and insist that it should be pronounced /ˈfɔrt/, although the French word is actually pronounced with a silent T.[2]
Good Morning CC and All,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great puzzle in typical Dan Naddor fashion. I worked my way into the SE corner where I needed much Perp help to get Lois Lane. I remember seeing a comic book cover with her in a wedding dress but didn't watch much TV then. Getting the theme saved me. I did have some erasing, Above and Bart had to go to get Aloft and Lisa. I never have watched the Simpsons.
Steamers (Steamahs here) are great! Nothing like bringing home a peck from the flats, soaking them in sea water overnight with cornmeal or oatmeal to help them purge. Rinse them off and steam them until they just open. Dipped in butter they're the perfect appetizer for steamed lobstah. We serve that meal with a ceasar salad and a dry white wine when we have visitors from out of state.
Have a great day!
Maniac, I am from out of state so maybe I qualify to stop by and partake in some of that sea food, but no clams please unless it is in the chowder. Maybe, on the way, I can stop by Baltimore and get some oysters and blue point crabs to bring to the party.
ReplyDelete47D - Ad hoc oater group.
ReplyDeleteYou asked the question "why ad hoc?"
Ad hoc means either "formed for a specific purpose" or "impromtu or improvised." Old West posse's were generally both; impromtu groups put together to chase outlaws.
Thanks for your daily blog.
Thank you, Mainiac, you forced me to look up the difference between hard and soft shell clams. I've been meaning to do that for some time. But like they say, it's all good!
ReplyDeletehard shell vs soft shell
Walk in the park today. Agree with C. C. about it being an easier Naddor cw and so a Wednesday submission. Since the pH was 8 this puzzle was alkaline:-) The ph theme words were easy enough and so gave traction throughout the puzzle. Enough clever clues to make it interesting.
ReplyDeleteThere have been 2 Navy oilers named NEOSHO. Yes, they were named after rivers, then.
Hope this finds everyone in fine fettle. A little warmer here today.
Hi everyone, and thanks to Argyle and Al for helping us continue during C.C.'s computer glitches,
ReplyDeleteSeveral unknowns for me today: AHAB, ARLEN, RAYS, NEOSHO, MEYERS, GIL, EILEEN, HAL, but all fell in with only perp help and guessing. A fun Naddor original though.
My only experience with clams resulted in sand in my mouth, so I haven't persisted in trying them.
When I first came to the USA, I was peeved by the use of ENTREE to refer to the main course of a meal, when its French usage is for the first course, or appetizer--usually a soup or something light, as an "entrance" or introduction to the main event. Now, I've grown to reluctantly accept the entrée being the main course, despite the fact that salad or soup is usually serve before it. Tolerance comes with old age maybe?
Dick,
"Fort" in French would have the silent "t", but not "forte"--as soon as there's a silent "e" following a normally silent consonant, the consonant is sounded. So forte in French (feminine form of fort) would sound like the English word fort, meaning a garrison ("strong"hold).
Good morning, C.C. and all,
ReplyDeleteThis was a surprisingly easy Dan Naddor puzzle this morning. I finished it as fast as I could type in the letters. The only unknown was Meyers, and the perps took care of her. The theme was relatively transparent and easily solved. I hesitate to say all this, knowing how tough Dan can be. I am sure he will be getting his revenge soon!
I have enjoyed the discussion about steamers. We used to vacation on Cape Cod when we lived in Boston. Our cottage was a short stroll from the beach, and you could fill a bucket with clams in just a few minutes, using just your bare hands. The hardshell clams were further out, and you needed a clam rake to harvest them.
We used the hard shelled for chowder and ate the steamers right out of the shells with melted butter.
Have a great Wednesday, and a Happy New Year. And thank you, C.C. for creating and maintaining this wonderful blog.
Good morning, everyone.
ReplyDeleteAn early up this morning. Just couldn't get back to sleep after waking early. Concerned about navigating across town in our unexpected snow to donate platelets for the last time this year.
C.C., I hope your computer is on the way to recovery. I'd like to suggest Malwayebytes as a program that can help get rid of malware. Had to download and use this freebie last week on my wife's PC.
I didn't grok the second PH in the theme answers, so I was asea until reading your explanation this morning. You are SO GOOD on ferreting out the themes!
Thanks to Al and Argyle for helping C.C. work around this hopefully temporary glitch.
Happy Wednesday to everyone!
for some reason i don't like puzzle. not an inspired theme. ssns, ests, psats are annoying.
ReplyDeleteThought of 2 other words with double PH:
ReplyDeletePhenolphthalein -- the active ingredient in laxatives. Remember years ago when I was in college. We secretly spiked a punch bowl with the chemical. Ha-ha.
Phenolsulfonephthalein -- a reagent commonly used in medical tests. Commonly known as Phenol Red.
I'm wondering what is meant by "literally 8" in the clue for ph level. Anyone know?
ReplyDeleteNothing PHISHY came to mind, C.C. I am not wordmaster like Dan Naddor. Happy New Year, bloggers.
ReplyDeleteCarol
Dr. Steven St. John, read the original post.
ReplyDeleteHuman being normal blood pH is around 7.4.
ReplyDeleteI always thought that "steamers" were just small clams whose shells are just as hard as quahogs.
ReplyDeleteC.C., for New Years Day dinner bring on the pork and sauer kraut; and "Go Penn State!
@Dr. Steven St. John: "Literally 8 In the four longest answers" - 'PH' occurs twice in each of the four answers - total of 8 'PHs.'
ReplyDeleteI actually did get the theme! Happy dance!
Had to see Mr. G for "Arlen." The other unknowns, "Meyers" and "Gil" fell in place with perps. This was a semi-difficult puzzle - about a "4," I think. I had problems in SE because I wanted "noir" instead of "nuit" and that didn't clear up until I got "phospherus."
Not too cold here. It was mid-30s when I got up, but is 49º now.
Hope everyone has a great day on this New Year's Eve eve.
Good morning CC, Argyle, Al et al,
ReplyDeleteActually finished c/w with no help, except from perps.I wish I had the memory or smarts to fill in during my 1st run thru. How do you know a sale or semi soft without a perp?I didn't see the second ph,so it was more clever than I thought.I can only come up with physical geography, but that is really 2 words, and phonograph has it at the end.
Platonic love? hmmm. love without sexual desire?
Dick, I don't like eating clams from the shell either, but I do like linguini and clams (from can--no grit).
I had no problem with forte/talents. To me it is synonymous. If you are asking what is someone's forte? Don't you mean, what does he do well..his talents?
Good morning C.C. and all,
ReplyDeleteStarted in the NE and got PHOTOGRAPHER right away. After seeing the double "PH" I skipped to the clues for the other theme entries and was able to fill in PHILOSOPHY and PHILADELPHIA without perps. A few complete unknowns such as NEOSHO, and a few wrong turns such as wanting something along the line of disk jockey for "Spin doc", but nothing that couldn't be solved with perp help.
Other than in scientific terms, the only double "ph" word I could think of is "phonograph", and of course many words which start with phospho... or photograph... (or simply photo...) , forms of which we had in the puzzle.
We have no menu tradition for New Years. More often than not, though, we go to the Rose Parade. Our latest strategy is to drive to the park-and-ride structure a few miles east of Pasadena, ride the train into town, and walk the few short blocks to the parade route.
Enjoy the day!
Good Morning All, I have a couple of days to catch up on. I didn't get to the puzzle yesterday. We had unexpected company (out of state cousins) on Monday afternoon and they left this morning.
ReplyDeleteIt was nice to tune in and find a Dan Naddor puzzle for Wednesday. I loved the PH theme, all tied together with a nice bow at 33A.
Wow, am I behind the times! I had no idea that Lois (49A) and Clark got married.
I guess you have to be from Kansas to have known NEOSHO. I sure didn't. I didn't know astronaut EILEEN Collins either.
We don't have any New Year dinner tradition. Today, I've got the crockpot going for some ham (left over ham hock from Christmas) and navy bean soup. We'll have that on New Year's Eve. We're invited to a neighbor's house for New Year's Day. They are having a prime rib buffet. I LIKE that tradition!
No party for us tomorrow night. We have a friend who has a party the first Saturday after New Year. No scary traffic or crowds involved, so it will be much more fun for us.
Our only N.Y. tradition is to eat B.E. peas. I haven't checked the pantry, but I don't think we have any, dry or canned. I'm not a superstitious type, so if we don't, we will just not have them unless we make it to the store today or tomorrow. Wouldn't make a special trip for that, though.
ReplyDeletePH: physiography?
ReplyDeleteHi gang -
ReplyDeleteLooks like I always zig when everyone else zags. I found this to be a very hard Wednesday puzzle. Alkaline, perhaps, but not basic. Slogged through in something over 23 minutes, but had Al's name spelt as JOLSEN. And NEOSHE looks just as good as NEOSHO, from where I sit in the Rouge watershed. Other than that, I got it done with lots of perp help and Do'hs.
We lost power a little after 8 this a.m. It came back 5 hours later. Indoor temp dipped to 61. but the bad part is, without power, you can't do anything. I was thinking, as I sat huddled under a blankey, that when I was born (1946) there were large parts of the country that still didn't have electricity. How times have changed.
oscarand - Phenolphthalein is a great catch. It's an indicator used in acid-base titrations. It's colorless in acid, but turns pink/purple in base. Perfect addition to this theme.
I hauled out my favorite trombone the other day, after a week of lying fallow, and started noodling some old songs. Guess what came out first - Over the Rainbow! I played it in F, Dorothy sang it in Ab.
Our tradition for New Years is to stay home. Guess we're getting old.
Side note on GRAVEL driveways. Here is a quote from the Wikipedia Page of Toledo's outgoing mayor and resident buffoon, Carty Finkbeiner.
"In June 2009, Finkbeiner supported the $25 tickets issued by the Division of Streets, Bridges, and Harbor to residents for parking in their own driveways. He claimed the tickets were given due to a city law that prohibits parking on unpaved surfaces, which includes gravel driveways. Despite criticism, Finkbeiner ignored a press question asking if the fines were related to the city's financial woes."
Cute aspects: 1) Bridge and Harbor employees are not law enforcement officers; 2) they could not issue the tickets without trespassing on private property.
I put a villanelle up on my blog today. Quite a bit better than the inaugural one, IMHO. Also have some pix of my fave t-bone, if you scroll down a bit.
Cheers!
JzB the zigging trombonist
Clearayes, you will be having one of my favorite dishes when you serve ham and navy bean soup. Our tradition is sauerkraut and pork with mashed potatoes. I can’t wait.
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon,
ReplyDeleteAfter a house full of kids and grandson, I'm only now getting back to the crosswords. Guess I have about a week's worth to catch up on. Will have to do them online since the papers went out with the recycling today.
I love steamed clams but my husband is allergic to them. Thought I was going to lose him about three weeks after we were married when he ate two dozen and spent the next 8 hrs. in the emergency room.
I live in PA Dutch country and pork and sauerkraut and mashed potatoes are the traditional New Years Day good luck meal. We are having it at my bil's house this year. @CA we also have a party the Saturday after NYEve. Fun and safe way to end the holiday season.
Happy and Healthy New Year to all.
@Dick,
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize the tradition of pork and sauerkraut extended to western PA also. Enjoy.
A few other PH/PH entries. Lots of derivations to some of the words.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year...
Electroencephalograph
Phlebographic
Phonocardiograph
Phonograph
Photoautotroph
Phothfluorography
Photolithograph
Photomicrograph
Photomorphogenesis
Photophase
Photophobia
Photophore
Photosphere
Phreatophyte
Physiographic
Phytogeography
Today's puzzle went pretty smoothly for me today too. A few erasures, but nothing that threw me off for long. I didn't notice the 2nd set of PH either.
ReplyDeletePork and sauerkraut must be a Pennsylvania thing! It was our tradition growing up in a Pittsburgh suburb too (Dick: It's Penn Hills, if you've heard of it.) Even if you didn't like sauerkraut and had to disguise it in your mashed potatoes, you had to have at least a bite!
Later, my mother heard of the black-eyed peas tradition, but they didn't go over so well with us back then.
Hello All--A Dan Naddor puzzle that I can do without help is always an ego booster. I did it while I ate lunch today.
ReplyDeleteI had inadvertently left out the M in Stem, so I had one blank square when I checked my answers with C.C.'s entries. Oh well, I almost finished a Dan Naddor puzzle.
I liked Driver's aid, and Contents of some arks. Both were clever clues. Starbuck's had me thinking about the Coffee Co. but the perps fixed that pretty fast.
Thank you Argyle and Al for helping C.C. with the Blog. C.C. I hope you are up and running soon. Nothing worse than a computer meltdown.
Maniac, we're on our way to visit if that is the meal you serve to Out-of-Staters. We live in CA so we would qualify. LOL.
Back to the grind of washing and housekeeping after having guests over the holidays.
@drg Same tradition in my family. Originally from Cincinnati, which was VERY German and a MAJOR pork processing area.
ReplyDelete@dcannon So is today New Year's to the negative 2 power?
@all If you watch the Rose Parade, be sure to catch the seventh unit -- The Ohio State School For The Blind Marching Band! A terrifically inspiring group. Hope they can last for the entire length of the parade (they've only done just over a mile so far).
Later....
Hi, guys
ReplyDeleteSomeone left a message on "Interview with Dan Naddor":
It is with the saddest regrets that inform you all that Dan Naddor passed away yesterday, December 29th, 2009. Our love and support go out to his family & friends.
I have two comments:
ReplyDeleteFirst, In my experience most soft-shell clams are either fried or sauted. Steamer clams have usually been served in the shell in a broth.
Second, I beleive the Insurance Company is Lloyds of London so shouldn't Lloyd be plural?
Good afternoon CC and all.
ReplyDeleteAlways enjoy a Dan Naddor puzzle.
Actually got the theme which is rare for me.
Liked 11 D Contents of some Arks and 47D$ Ad hoc oater group.
No Irish N Years tradition. We usually have pork and Saurkraut so that tradition must have migrated from Penn to Ohio where my Wife is from.
C.C. et al.,
ReplyDeleteHow sad. Does anyone know what was wrong? I guess I had no idea of Dan's age or what his ailment was.
Niphty theme today. Perphect for Wednesday: lots of good fill, and clues weren't too tricky. High fives to Dan for so many great ladies: EILEEN, Ann Meyers and LOIS LANE. SEMISOFT, ZION, TORAHs and SCALPEL took a moment to get, NEOSHO sounds like a futuristic cable TV channel, but now I know it flows near Iola...
ReplyDeleteQuiet evening with a few friends planned for the Eve. Traditions include lentils and seafood. I'm in charge of the salmon dip and the cheese bread. We usually toast at midnight and everyone is out the door and then presumably asleep by 1:30 a.m.
The Chicago elevated trains and subway charge only 1 cent per ride from the evening until the next morning--always good to keep folks off the roads!
C.C. I hope your PC problems get cleared up soon. A couple friends got a similar malware (the believe it was Facebook, but not sure) but were able to get help e.g. "geeks to go" (?) and get back on line after a couple days. Thanks to you and your helpers for keeping the blog running in the meantime!
I left a message at "Interview with Dan Naddor". He was so brave and encouraging last time when we had the email exchange.
ReplyDeleteAnnette et al,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Anti Virus information in the past few days. I've learned a good lesson from this debacle.
3 of Four et al,
Wow, amazing list. Thanks for the effort.
Jeannie,
No 300 for Boomer this year. Only one 299.
I was very sorry to hear about Dan. Good wishes to his family. I know his friends here will miss him.
ReplyDelete~ Bill
C.C.,
ReplyDeleteI believe there were talking pictures before the "Jazz Singer".
Mainiac,
If you have two children, maybe you could use a picture of them for your avatar instead of those dogs. It would look more appealing don't you think?
C.C.: Have you confirmed it elsewhere, since it was posted by an Anonymous? If it's true, how very sad. I only know of Dan Naddor through this blog, and yet when I read your post I cried like I'd lost an old friend.
ReplyDeleteHow sorry I am to hear about Dan Naddor's death. He was a wonderful mentor to all of us who enjoyed and learned from his creations.
ReplyDeleteA Meeting
In a dream I meet
my dead friend. He has,
I know, gone long and far,
and yet he is the same
for the dead are changeless.
They grow no older.
It is I who have changed,
grown strange to what I was.
Yet I, the changed one,
ask: "How you been?"
He grins and looks at me.
"I been eating peaches
off some mighty fine trees."
- Wendell Berry
Condolences to Dan Naddor's family and for all of us who have enjoyed his constructions.
ReplyDeleteFelt good to get most of this one, and then to find out it may be the last one! I guess there may be some in the pipeline.
We have no fixed menu for NY's Day. I'll see what DH comes up with, since he is the cook in this house. (But I do wash a lot of bottles!)
Best wishes to you all for a safe and happy new year.
Very sad news about Dan Naddor. It just won't be the same without one of his weekly puzzles. Hopefully Rich Norris has a lengthy backlog so we can enjoy Dan's ingenuity for weeks to come. He seemed like such a kind and generous man.
ReplyDeleteJerome, is this the sad truth about your friend Dan Naddor? I am so very sad.......
ReplyDeleteI'm very sorry to hear about Dan Naddor's passing. My heart goes out to his family and friends. Special shout out to our hometeam constructor and amigo, Jerome.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I'm not alone in saying that Dan's puzzles, with their clever wordplay, spot on humor and fresh-picked fill are among my very favorites. Many mornings spent puzzling have been made brighter, thanks to Mr. Naddor.
Hi C.C. and all - I just finished reading the comments and read about Dan Naddor passing away! My jaw just dropped along with my heart. What a shock. I hope my (and all of our) condolences will be passed on to his family. I feel as if I knew him. I am so sorry.
ReplyDeleteMy condolences to the Family and friends of Dan Naddor. We, in this Blog Family, will miss him and his clever, challenging puzzles. Hopefully there are more puzzles out there ready to be published.
ReplyDeleteEcho Annette @4:53pm. I hope and pray it's a hoax.
ReplyDeleteI'm not ashamed to tell you all I'm crying as I type this.
ReplyDeleteMy condolences to Dan's family and friends.
He was a friend to all of us here.
No cheers this time,
JzB the sad trombonist
I am in total shock reading about the untimely passing of Dan.
ReplyDeleteMay he rest in peace. My prayers are with his family.
Annette,
ReplyDeleteYes, it's confirmed. Rich Norris mentioned that Dan's daughter posted a note about his passing on Facebook.
So sad. I was hoping...
ReplyDeleteMy prayers are with Dan Naddor's family and friends.
RIP Dan Naddor, we will miss you.
ReplyDeleteWhen Dan last emailed me, he was in hospital for further surgery. The long-term effects from the major radiation (36 straight days) after the intense chemo on his lung cancer a few years ago was taking its huge toll. He could only take meals via a tube. He's only 52 years old. Never smoked in his life.
ReplyDeleteSo sad to hear of the death of Dan Naddor. I went to Facebook and someone set up a page for him with some beautiful pictures of Dan and his family. My thoughts and prayers to Dan's family to find strength at this tragic time. May you find some comfort in the joy he gave to so many others. I also left a message there for his family.
ReplyDeleteDan, I will miss you.
ReplyDeleteCarol
I looked at Dan's Facebook page. The message was "Dan Naddor passed away on December 28th, 2009, May his memory reside in our hearts forever.". Dan looked just about like I would have pictured him, a pleasant and thoughtful man.
ReplyDelete@jeanne Would you please share the Facebook address?
ReplyDeleteGot the problem fixed . Need to be on the Wall tab, not the Info tab.
ReplyDeleteFor anybody who isn't familiar with Facebook, here's a link to Dan Naddor's Facebook Wall.
ReplyDeleteA message would go to his email address, which his family may or may not be checking right now, but there is a link under the photo on the left to send an email message.
I'll add my condolences to Dan Naddor's friends and families. His intelligence and wit will be sadly missed in crossword puzzles. I'm sure there is much more to this man, which I will never know, that will be missed also.
ReplyDeleteCheers to Dan!
I am so sorry to hear this sad news. My condolences to his family.
ReplyDeleteCondolences to the friends and family of Dan Naddor who gave us hours of fun and puzzlement through his wit and charm. He will sadly missed by all those whose lives touched.
ReplyDeleteCA..thank you for the link. Forgot to switch to the Wall instead of the Profile.
Where is Al?
ReplyDeleteThe clams in the Pacific NW are different from the east coast. We do not have soft shelled clams. We have little necks, cockles,Gooeyducks,horse clams, razor clams, piddocks,rock clams.The best way to eat clams and oysters is raw, right off the beach. Any other way and you are funny .
ReplyDeleteC.C.: Thank you for confirming it. I was hopeful it was just an Anonymous messing with us...
ReplyDeleteWell, Dan Naddor has one more major acheivement to add to his life's achievements - he got me to finally cave in and create a Facebook profile so I could view his page. Something none of my friends or family have been able to convince me there was a need for, until now.
Another incredible person lost way too early...! :-(
Dan, RIP. You were the best.
ReplyDeleteJeezus, I just heard about Dan. How terribly, terribly sad that someone with his skills and zest for life would be taken at such a young age.
ReplyDeleteAs with most everyone here, I never met Dan, but in our various email exchanges, his warmth and optimistic attitude always came shining through. This is a tragic loss for his family, friends, and the entire crossword community. My thoughts are with his family, and most assuredly with Jerome, whose friendship with Dan was obvious. Jerome, those of us who've lost close friends understand the pain you're experiencing and you've always got an ear here should you need/want it.
Dammit, this sucks. This really sucks.
WM,
ReplyDeleteMe too--I just wrote a message but I think it went on the main profile page and not the wall. So sad, and unfair, lung cancer when he never smoked. I'm sure all our hearts and minds are with his family and friends tonight.
Wow, Dan is gone. It's so sad, but I guess if I can make a mark in my time here on earth as he obviously did, I will be ready to meet my next challenge. Having witnessed a couple good people in my life suffer through lung cancer, it really is a horrible disease. I hope he didn't suffer too much near the end.
ReplyDeleteJerome, my heart goes out to you especially as it is very hard to lose a friend. I wish I could hug you right now.
Hugs all around to everyone who is feeling the loss of Dan. Thanks Dan, for leaving a little bit of yourself for us all. Hopefully more of your puzzles will come our way; you will be remembered. Another hug for you Jerome.
ReplyDeleteHow ironic that the news came on the day that we had a Dan Naddor puzzle.
ReplyDeleteHis puzzles always have an interesting twist to them. And like so many others, I always felt a little proud if i were able to solve them.
My sympathy especially to Jerome and C.C.
Dot
Well, I too signed up for Facebook, but couldn't click through to send condolences to his family. Bad browser here. Good to see the photos of Dan/family.
ReplyDeleteI left here tonight actually tearing up--and torn up--to perform standup at a private party. OK, it went fine (15 minutes, new crowd, good food, blah blah) but it took a huge push to be "on" when I was feeling decidedly "off." I emceed for the magician & for the "steppers" [African-American group doing v. complicated dance moves], said 'adios' and stood in the snow waiting for the bus, repeating Dennis' words:
"This sucks." This really sucks."
Thanks ClearAyes for the W. Berry poem and the link to DN's "wall."
He won't be soon forgotten.
"Basta lasciare una traccia." [Italian: 'Its enough to leave a trace/mark']
CC,
ReplyDeleteA possible side effect of radon gas is lung cancer in someone who doesn't smoke. Not sure if Dan lived with a smoker but lung cancer is a horrible way to die. I know a good friend who died from it that got me to quit cold turkey. 12 years smoke free.
Thanks to Argyle and others for keeping the blog going while CC's computer was sick.