Theme: KISS (55D. Popular version of a design principle acronym spelled out by the starts of this puzzle's four longest answers) - KISS is an acronym for the design principle "Keep It Simple, Stupid".
20A. Park warning: KEEP OFF THE GRASS
25A. 1971 hit for Ringo: IT DON'T COME EASY. Have never heard of this song.
43A. Bone injury in which the skin is intact: SIMPLE FRACTURE. Great crossing with both SCAR (42D. Battle reminder) & SPLINTS (41D. Limb immobilizers), fantastic string of consonants.
48A. Regular Letterman show segment: STUPID PET TRICKS
I learned the KISS principle when Occam's Razor appeared in our old TMS Daily puzzle sometime in 2008. Law of succinctness: the simpler, the better.
Donna seems to always apply this principle to her puzzles (at least the LAT ones). Her themes are often simple yet creative, fill smooth and "in the language". You can always count on her for friendly crossings when an obscure entry comes up.
Across:
1. Relatives of odds: ENDS. Odds and ends. And EVEN (22D. Alternative to odds). Nice "odds" echo.
5. Presently: ANON. Poetically. Same with CLIME (28. Weather, in poems)
14. Marjorie Morningstar's creater: WOUK (Herman). Not familiar with this book.
15. San __: REMO. The Italian Riviera city.
16. Fortuneteller's deck: TAROT
17. Old Dodge: OMNI. Is this your first car, Jeannie?
18. Diva's moment: ARIA. I love this new clue.
23. Flier that had a St. Louis hub: TWA (Trans World Airlines)
33. Sticking places?: CRAWS. Idiom: stick in one's craw.
34. Ford Field team: LIONS. Detroit Lions. Can Ford still afford to pay the naming rights fee?
37. Firing chamber: KILN. Hot!
38. First professional musician to become Chairman of the Board of Lincoln Center: SILLS (Beverly). Was unaware of this trivia.
39. Galileo's patron: NASA. The spacecraft Galileo. Awesome new clue.
40. Sumac of song: YMA
41. 2009 "Survivor" setting: SAMOA. No idea. Not a "Survivor" fan.
42. Muslim mystics: SUFIS. Arabic for "wool", referring to the garb those fellows wore.
46. Like: A LA
57. Biker's invitation: HOP ON
58. Pale tan: ECRU
60. Concerned with: ABOUT
62. Freelancer's encl.: SASE (Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope)
62. Word that may appear above a silhouette of a man: GENTS. The rest room sign. Felt stupid struggling with the answer.
65. 1/2 fl. oz.: TBSP. Obtained the answer from crosses.
Down:
1. Hirsute "Star Wars" creature: EWOK. The furry figure. Hirsute = hairy.
2. Seward Peninsula city: NOME. The Iditarod terminus. Seward Peninsula is named after William Seward, the Secretary of State who negotiated the Purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. Learning moment for me.
3. Shore thing: DUNE. Nice play on "Sure thing".
4. Take a powder: SKIP TOWN. New idiom to me also.
5. See 32-Down: ARAFAT. And YASIR (32. With 5-Down, former PLO Chairman). What a mess he left behind.
6. Big name in spongy toy: NERF
7. Drop: OMIT
8. Genesis builder: NOAH. Noah's Ark.
9. Cheroot relatives: STOGIES. The cheap cigars.
10. Literally, Spanish for "the tar": LA BREA. Hence the redundancy in La Brea Tar Pits.
12. Some spores, all grown up: MOSS
13. Jeanne d'Arc et al, Abbr.: STES (Saintes). Jeanne d'Arc is French for Joan of Arc.
26. Takes a little off: TRIMS
29. __ Olay: OIL OF. I love Olay brand.
30. Back biter?: MOLAR. My favorite clue today.
31. Glitch: SNAFU
36. Low: BASE
38. Word with bar or days: SALAD
44. Chart: MAP OUT
48. Go after, as flies: SHAG. D'oh, fly balls.
49. Choice for Hamlet: TO BE. To be, or not to be.
51. Mass seating: PEWS
52. Repeat: ECHO
53. Monorail unit: TRAM
54. Grouch: CRAB. No kvetch from me today.
Answer grid.
C.C.
20A. Park warning: KEEP OFF THE GRASS
25A. 1971 hit for Ringo: IT DON'T COME EASY. Have never heard of this song.
43A. Bone injury in which the skin is intact: SIMPLE FRACTURE. Great crossing with both SCAR (42D. Battle reminder) & SPLINTS (41D. Limb immobilizers), fantastic string of consonants.
48A. Regular Letterman show segment: STUPID PET TRICKS
I learned the KISS principle when Occam's Razor appeared in our old TMS Daily puzzle sometime in 2008. Law of succinctness: the simpler, the better.
Donna seems to always apply this principle to her puzzles (at least the LAT ones). Her themes are often simple yet creative, fill smooth and "in the language". You can always count on her for friendly crossings when an obscure entry comes up.
Across:
1. Relatives of odds: ENDS. Odds and ends. And EVEN (22D. Alternative to odds). Nice "odds" echo.
5. Presently: ANON. Poetically. Same with CLIME (28. Weather, in poems)
14. Marjorie Morningstar's creater: WOUK (Herman). Not familiar with this book.
15. San __: REMO. The Italian Riviera city.
16. Fortuneteller's deck: TAROT
17. Old Dodge: OMNI. Is this your first car, Jeannie?
18. Diva's moment: ARIA. I love this new clue.
23. Flier that had a St. Louis hub: TWA (Trans World Airlines)
33. Sticking places?: CRAWS. Idiom: stick in one's craw.
34. Ford Field team: LIONS. Detroit Lions. Can Ford still afford to pay the naming rights fee?
37. Firing chamber: KILN. Hot!
38. First professional musician to become Chairman of the Board of Lincoln Center: SILLS (Beverly). Was unaware of this trivia.
39. Galileo's patron: NASA. The spacecraft Galileo. Awesome new clue.
40. Sumac of song: YMA
41. 2009 "Survivor" setting: SAMOA. No idea. Not a "Survivor" fan.
42. Muslim mystics: SUFIS. Arabic for "wool", referring to the garb those fellows wore.
46. Like: A LA
57. Biker's invitation: HOP ON
58. Pale tan: ECRU
60. Concerned with: ABOUT
62. Freelancer's encl.: SASE (Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope)
62. Word that may appear above a silhouette of a man: GENTS. The rest room sign. Felt stupid struggling with the answer.
65. 1/2 fl. oz.: TBSP. Obtained the answer from crosses.
Down:
1. Hirsute "Star Wars" creature: EWOK. The furry figure. Hirsute = hairy.
2. Seward Peninsula city: NOME. The Iditarod terminus. Seward Peninsula is named after William Seward, the Secretary of State who negotiated the Purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. Learning moment for me.
3. Shore thing: DUNE. Nice play on "Sure thing".
4. Take a powder: SKIP TOWN. New idiom to me also.
5. See 32-Down: ARAFAT. And YASIR (32. With 5-Down, former PLO Chairman). What a mess he left behind.
6. Big name in spongy toy: NERF
7. Drop: OMIT
8. Genesis builder: NOAH. Noah's Ark.
9. Cheroot relatives: STOGIES. The cheap cigars.
10. Literally, Spanish for "the tar": LA BREA. Hence the redundancy in La Brea Tar Pits.
12. Some spores, all grown up: MOSS
13. Jeanne d'Arc et al, Abbr.: STES (Saintes). Jeanne d'Arc is French for Joan of Arc.
26. Takes a little off: TRIMS
29. __ Olay: OIL OF. I love Olay brand.
30. Back biter?: MOLAR. My favorite clue today.
31. Glitch: SNAFU
36. Low: BASE
38. Word with bar or days: SALAD
44. Chart: MAP OUT
48. Go after, as flies: SHAG. D'oh, fly balls.
49. Choice for Hamlet: TO BE. To be, or not to be.
51. Mass seating: PEWS
52. Repeat: ECHO
53. Monorail unit: TRAM
54. Grouch: CRAB. No kvetch from me today.
Answer grid.
C.C.
Really easy for a Thursday. 15 minutes.
ReplyDeleteYep. Pretty easy! My first guess would have been Chewbacca for Ewok, though.
ReplyDeleteWhere is the big D?
ReplyDeleteFLA
ReplyDeleteGood morning CC and All. A nice straight forward puzzle with a few hick ups. I really screwed up the NW corner form the get go. I put even for one across, and then I could not get any of the down clues to fill there. And, to make matters worse I had stay off the grass in lieu of keep off the grass. All of the above caused a frustrating morning in that area. Finally, I got evens for 22 D, this fit with all of the across clues and caused me to question my answer of even for 1A. Once I had ends for 1A I was able to complete that corner. However, I think this is what makes cross wording fun.
ReplyDeleteStruggled a bit in the central area, but those problems quickly resolved themselves as soon as I remembered Ringo’s hit. Got the theme early and thought it was very creative to spell out the entire acronym.
I really liked today’s puzzle and I seemed to be on Ms Levin’s wave length with this one. Favorite clue was back biter/molar.
Hope you all have a great Thursdays.
Anon @ 6:39 "Where is big D"? Dallas, Texas
ReplyDeleteGood Morning, CC and all. What a fun puzzle. There were so many good clues that I don't know where to begin! I got the KISS theme, but I had already filled in all the long clues.
ReplyDeleteSome of my favorite clues included:
Back biter: MOLAR
Galileo's patron: NASA (this was an Aha Moment because I was thinking of the astronomer).
Silhouette of a Man: GENTS (brilliant clue).
Pale Tan: ECRU and Repeat: ECHO. I know we see both of these words often, but I liked the fresh clues.
I read Marjorie Morningstar by WOUK. It was a very quiet novel written in 1955. You didn't miss if you didn't read it. WOUK wrote several war books, which are actually better. The Caine Mutiny is one of his best known works, although he wrote some theological non-fiction as well.
In honor of the first professional musician Chair of the Lincoln Center, here is today's QOD:
You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try. Beverly Sills
The world had little respect for American Opera until they heard BEVERLY SILLS who was a wonderful performer and a very good promoter.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree this was a fun, but easy puzzle, which is good because I am still recovering from yesterday.
Spring is in the air, everyone is out playing; enjoy
Dick: Touche!
ReplyDeleteGood morning, C.C. and all,
ReplyDeleteGreat puzzle this morning, with lots of clever cluing. I also liked back biter for favorite clue. The theme was pretty easy to suss out, but fun. The only unknowns, solved by perps, were sufis and ewok. I was not a Star Wars fan.
Bob, I continue to be amazed at your times. I thought I was doing pretty well at 35, but you left me in the dust.
Spring has sprung in South Texas. The trees are leafing out, and the grass is greening up. It looks like I lost one tree in my back yard to last year's drought.
Have a great day.
Good Morning All,
ReplyDeleteFun, easy puzzle today. Loved the clue back biter for molar, and I initially put swat for go after as flies but then realized my mistake. Didn’t know sufis but Wouk came right away even though I have never read “Marjorie Morningstar”. I did read his “Winds of War” and “War and Remembrance” and enjoyed both very much.
We have had our 17 month old grandson since Sunday because much of New Jersey lost power last Sunday with winds gusting to 70 mph. My son and dil came on Sunday to drop him off then headed back to Jersey on Monday. Our grandson has been a joy, but yes, I am exhausted and even sore by the end of the day. Don’t usually pick up 25 lbs. on a regular basis.!! If Dennis is back in Jersey, he may be having power problems. There are still several thousand people without electric in Bergen Co.
Have a great day
Good Morning CC,
ReplyDeleteTech problems this morning and my original post was lost in cyberspace. I enjoyed this one and thought it was an easier Thursday difficulty than usual.
I've got a pre-bid to deal with.
Have a great day!
C.C. You nailed it. Donna Levin gives you a good theme, the perps to work out unknowns (for me WOUK, SILLS as COB Lincoln Ctr. and SUFIS, Muslim mystics).
ReplyDeleteThis was just ABOUT the perfect puzzle. A little misdirection, clever clues, appropriate difficulty level. Very ASTUTE.
Happy Spring-like morning to you all
ReplyDeleteA nice snappy well-crafted puzzle by Donna. The KISS clue helped with the theme fills. No erasures , no lookups. Perps helped.
Clever clues included CRAWS, NASA, MOLAR and SHAG.
WOUK - wrote "The Caine Mutiny". Served in the US Navy during WWII on two destroyer minesweepers.
Well, the sun has passed 0º 52.9' south declination on its way to the Spring equinox arriving on March 20 at 1:32pm EDT.
btw: Mars is quite prominent in the evening sky; in the SE at ~ 65º elev. at 8 pm local time. Saturn can also be seen low in the East at the same time.
Having leftover Irish beef stew w/Guinness and colcannon for supper today:-)
Good Morning All, I've managed to stay online long enough to get the puzzle finished at the LAT site.
ReplyDeleteI'll keep my comments short in case it starts acting up again.
Nice puzzle and KISS is a good motto to live by.
"Marjorie Morningstar" was one of the first grown-up novels I read. I must have been about 14 years old. I thought it was soooo romantic, but then, I was only 14 years old. I haven't reread it since, but I suspect I would now agree with Hahtool.
salad days???
ReplyDeleteSalad days -- a flourishing period for someone, or "a time of youthful inexperience or indiscretion".
ReplyDeleteGood morning everyone!
ReplyDeleteHad to do this online at the despised LAT site, but didn't mess it up. Had to resort to red letter help for the completion of the puzzle. Wouldn't give up BLUE for BASE, and didn't have the slightest about SUFIS and was stuck on the historic Galileo for the patron connection. Got me on those, Nancy!
@lucina Never worry that a late night post will go un-read. There are those of us who check the prior day's entries before staring the daily read. Wouldn't want to miss out on anything, don't you know!
4th consecutive win in the Iditarod yesterday, That's an impressive record. Not my cup of tea.
I'm sure YASIR is legit, but I certainly wanted YASSER, which would not fit. Anyone find a confirmation of the shorter version on the web?
I think it's been said before, but redundancy is sometimes necessary for learning to take place (at least for me).
Back biter/MOLAR was my favorite clue of the day as well.
@fermatprime I wanted to squeeze CHEWBACCA into that space as well, but he was just too big and didn't like the attempt.
@dick I wanted EVEN for 1A as well, and was pleased to see it appear later at 22D. Knowing NOME helped me avoid the mess you encountered.
@hahtool Thanks for the QOD.
@jeanne I had WOUK sitting in the dark recesses and he appeared when needed. The memory is a mysterious mechanism!
@dennis Looks like you're back. And have electricity.
Have a fantastic Springy Thursday!!.
Hi C.C. & gang, a easier puzzle for a Thursday for me but I think what helped was getting the 'kiss' theme at first and my wife showed me how that fit into the answers.
ReplyDeleteFor Crockett1947:
yasir -- is apparently an alternate spelling of yassar
Yassir reminded me of this Carson sketch. Watt?
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy Donna’s clever cluing and today was no exception. Loved “relative of odds” –even, “Diva’s moment”-aria, and “back biter”- molar. I did have to hit the g-spot for Wouk though. All in all and enjoyable puzzle and clever theme. Seeing dunes brought me back as I spent many a day playing on the sand dunes bordering Lake Michigan.
ReplyDeleteC.C. my first car was a 1969 Pontiac Catalina that was a relative tank compared to cars today.
Salad day? Okay how about a nice salad recipe:
1 bunch romaine lettuce chopped
1 cup crumbled bleu cheese
1/2 cup toasted pecans
2 pears sliced
DRESSING
½ cup sugar
⅓ cup lemon juice
⅔ cup olive oil
2 small shallots chopped fine
½ Tsp salt
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
Combine ingredients for dressing in a small pan and bring to boil to dissolve the sugar. Set aside; let cool.
Combine ingredients and toss together.
Happy belated birthday, Warren.
ReplyDeleteHi gang -
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle was fun. Of, course, actually being awake helps.
Nice misdirections. I had MOLD for MOSS, and SWAT for SHAG. Wasn't there a movie about "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Went After Me, like a fly?"
And Galileo's patron: had _ASA for a long time, thing WHAT the heck?!?
OIL OF is an odd partial.
I will CRAB about a couple things. "Back Biter" is certainly clever. But when was the last time you actually bit something with your grinding teeth, instead of an incisor?
More importantly, though, EIRE should be clued as "Toledo's Lake." Buffalo, indeed!
C.C. -
I don't know if Ford has to pay naming rights. He owns the team. Also, Ford Motors didn't take bail-out money. Ford stock has increased from a low of $1.26 in Nov. '08 when I thought they were dead, to over $14.
Fermataprime @ last night -
We played Les Preludes last season. Nice piece of music. I never connected it with the Lone Ranger, but I can see how it could be evocative of the William Tell Overture. Especially the fanfarish brass parts near the end of the second clip.
I've sent out a lot of SASE's, but the only thing that ever got published was a book review in an obscure, long defunct SF Mag called LITTLE GREEN MEN.
I also did a chapter in a technical handbook.
Beautiful sunny day here. Second day in a row. Can't KEEP OFF THE GRASS. Have some yard work to do.
Cheers!
JzB the sparsely published trombonist
"And what is a kiss, specifically? A pledge properly sealed, a promise seasoned to taste, a vow stamped with the immediacy of a lip, a rosy circle drawn around the verb 'to love.' A kiss is a message too intimate for the ear, infinity captured in the bee's brief visit to a flower, secular communication with an aftertaste of heaven, the pulse rising from the heart to utter its name on a lover's lip: 'Forever.'"
ReplyDeleteHi C.C. and all -
ReplyDeleteI was on Donna's wavelength this morning because this felt more like a Tuesday puzzle to me, and that was a big surprise.
Some stickers were: NASA, I was thinking of the original Galileo too. Ford field team got me. I got DALAI, but had to look up the spelling as I never remember it.
Loved: BACK BITER, SHAG and GENTS! Very clever!!
I got SALAD, because I somehow pulled it out of my dusty memory bank, but when I thought of it with regard to 'days', it didn't make sense so I went to Mr.G. Inexperienced/GREEN - yes, I remember how that felt but when you are young, you don't realize you don't know it all - LOL.
Dennis, I am surprised at your short post, hope you are well.
Hope you all enjoyed your St.Patrick's Day festivities...and are now sober. The corned beef brisket was enjoyed by my Joe (I had steak and salad).
Good day, C.C. and fellow solvers:
ReplyDeleteYou always amaze me, C.C., with your impressive knowledge and insight.
I thought this was a tad easier than most Thursdays, but fun and with some great clues.
I, too, immediately thought of Chewbacc for 1D and had to pull Ewok from some far, far corner of the brain. Fav clues:
back biter: molar
mass seating: pew
firing chamber: kiln
pale tan: ecru, and I agree with Htl, it's fresh even though we see it often. Clever, even.
Swat was also my first fill until shag became apparent. It's a handicap not to be a sports fan, but, guess what? Almost everything I do know about sports I have learned from xwds.
No searches, but great fun. Thank you, Donna.
Have a delightful Thursday, everyone.
Good morning CC and all,
ReplyDeleteIf only I could follow the law of succinctness!
Like Carol, I felt like this was a Tues.or Wed. No Mr. G today, but I did leave a couple of empties. Since I didn't complete -O-M- in the song title, I didn't fill clime or molar.Do people still watch "Survivor"?
Lance Mackey, a cancer survivor, beat Jeff King again by not taking a rest at one of the stations. This was Jeff's last year.I wonder if he will continue to raise those beautiful dogs.
I pulled out my dusty 1955 copy of Wouk's M.M. and wondered why I had loved it so much. Like CA, it was my 1st grown up novel too, and it was over 500 pages. After that book, I became a reader, but Hahtool's comment is probably right on. I used to sneak read my parents novels, one of which was Tales of the South Pacific, very sexy book for a kid.I believe Lieutenant Cable's love was unwearing velvet pants.
dunes...Pismo Beach, CA...Dad thought salad forks were good enough to dig for clams.Funny memory!
Felt like a Tues. or Wed. but left some empties? Huh?
ReplyDeleteSeems like it IS a Thur. then
Hello All--I made several missteps before I finally finished the puzzle today.
ReplyDeleteI,too, had Swat for Shag, and put in Slips out for Skip town. That is one disadvantage of doing the downs along with the across answers. Sometimes they just don't fit--like today.
My favorite clues today were:
Sticking places? for craws
Firing chamber for Kiln
and Back biter for molar.
I guess I'm still tired from a big day yesterday. I was in charge of a good portion of a brunch for 75 people. The best part was the program which was done by a local graduate vocal student. She did a supurb job singing Scandinavian folk songs (in Finnish, Swedish, and Norwegian) and of course, Danny Boy in honor of St. Patrick's Day.
I have to get ready to take my taxes in to the preparer today. Not my most pleasant activitiy of the year!
Now I know that I'm tired. Even after proof reading I misspelled superb!
ReplyDeleteHowdy CC & Y'all,
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a fun, moderately difficult, in spots, Thursday puzzle. I cast my vote for favorite clue: back biter. NW corner gave me trouble as I had Nice instead of Nome, which didn't help with Wouk or Omni.
Thought the theme was clever. Did someone write that they had never heard of Ringo's song? Really? Don't know how I knew Sufis. I guess it's one of those obscure words that I store in my "Muslim Stuff" memory room.
Spring is trying to spring here, but we hope the "Buds that're bustin' outa bushes" will wait, at least 'til EO May so as to avoid getting nipped (in the bud) by the freezing temps we're still getting. It is sunny and warm, sorta Springish, but snow is predicted this weekend.
Cheers, Y'all
C del O
Hello.
ReplyDeleteLoved this puzzle. But, think a six and an one is better than a six and a five.
Way too much to comment on this morning.
Tin/1947. Used SNAFU and FUBAR way too many times in the Navy and turned down
a chance to go to the USNA.
The upsets have started. Who seeds these brackets?
Now live and die by KISS for All things.
eddyB
Cruciverb is still down. WTF!
ReplyDeleteHi, all. Just wanted to say thanks for doing the puzzle -- and that I agree with the consensus that this was an easy one for a Thursday. When one constructs, one's never sure what day the editor will pick for publication. As I was building this one, I had hard-Tuesday/easy-Wednesday in the back of my mind. I was surprised when Rich told he planned to run it on a Thursday -- but I trust his judgment without question. If y'all thought this one was too easy for a Thursday, maybe it indicates that you're becoming more expert in solving! Anyway, thanks for the feedback on the puzzle.
ReplyDeleteMy parents had a Dodge Omni (Actually my mother's). They went on vacation when I was in High School during our midwinter break. I was messing around on a slick road and ran it into a stump. It drove the engine back to the fire wall. A buddy of mine's father was the teacher for Auto Marine at the high school so we had a fully equipped garage available. We took the engine out replace the engine mounts that were bent, and put the engine back in in three long days. I would have gotten away with it but my little sister ratted me out.
ReplyDeleteLesson learned: I will never leave town while my kids are on break from school.
Thanks, Donna, for such an amusing and clever puzzle. It wasn't too hard but had some challenging clues. I like the way you look at our thinking that it was easy,and
ReplyDeletesuggest that maybe we're all getting better at solving! I prefer your explanation! Thanks for the encouragement, too.
I have never heard of the term 'salad days'..... and I was young once.
ReplyDeleteWilbur's horse- You're probably more familiar with the phrase "Hay days"
ReplyDeleteI think Donna is right. This is a pretty savvy group. A year from now everyone will kvetch that a Saturday puzzle is too easy! Serious.
RE: Jerome's 6:25pm post, I am often amazed that some find a particular xwd. puzzle easy when I struggle with it, but find another one difficult that I find somewhat easy. I guess it all comes down to your individual knowledge base, eh?
ReplyDeleteAnd, Donna L., good fun. Thanks. I can't imagine what it takes to put one of these puzzles together.
CdelO
I almost completed the puzzle today which is very good for me on a Thursay. I filled it in but being an engineer and not applying KISS I put KIPS (1000 lbs.) Comes from being too technical. I had four other letters wrong but I'm coming along.
ReplyDeleteWe are vactioning in Phoenix which was cold (for here)and raily the week of Mar 8 but is now in the 80s. Delghtful.
Hahtool, thanks very much for remembering my birthday today, I think we're planning on going out for dinner tonight.
ReplyDeleteWarren, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! I'd bake you a cake but am a better cook than baker. Enjoy your dinner out tonight.
ReplyDeleteMainiac, something similar happened to me many moons ago, but alas, I didn't have the skills to fix it. My parents had gone on a cruise that they had won. I was 17 at the time and had the use of "Daddy's Caddy". I was fresh off a 7 week grounding for lying about putting a small dent in the fin in back by backing into none-other than one of his friends. My dad said 7 weeks would have been longer, but I would need to drive my younger sisters around while they were on vacation. I begged him not to tell Dad and gave him $150 to pay for the grill in his truck. Well, evidently he told. I denied knowing how that little dent happened, and was consequently busted. The first day they left someone rear-ended me (not my fault) but ruined my new found independence. Oh, how I worried all the time they were gone. My dad actually laughed about it as the fin that I previously dented was even more screwed up and the other insurance company had to pay for it.
I'm always impressed when I think about my parents. I was, on average, a pretty good son but I did my share of irresponsible things with their car. And I would go out drinking with my buddies (you could drink beer in Washington D.C. at eighteen), I would sneak into bed slightly drunk and was sure I was putting something over on them. I'm guessing I seldom did but they chose not to confront me about it.
ReplyDeleteMy paternal grandmother, knowing how much trouble boys tended to get into used to say, "When you see a grown man, you are witnessing one of God's miracles." I'm lucky I made the journey in one piece.
When my oldest son first got his driver's license, we set up a few ground rules such as, he had to get our permission to use the car, no taking his friends for rides and no driving after dark. When looking for something in his room, I accidentally came across a traffic ticket on his desk for going through a stop sign in Palos Verdes at 1:30 in the morning with his best friend in the car. Geez...
JAZZ: They actually USED Les Préludes a lot on the Lone Ranger. There is an entire book devoted to the music used in that radio series. (I was a musician once. Couldn't resist buying the book!)
ReplyDeleteDONNA: Keep 'em coming!!!
Donna L. Thanks for stopping by. It is always nice to hear from constructors. I,too,prefer to think we're getting better at solving!
ReplyDeleteWarren Happy B'Day. I hope you enjoyed your evening out.
I never damaged any of my parents' cars, but the second month of my marriage, I caved in the passenger side door of my new husband's (our) car. We had a telephone pole right next to our narrow apartment house drive. I cut the turn too tight, and just grazed the pole. Tears must have helped, because he didn't get too mad and took the car in for repair the next day. I haven't thought about that accident for 50 years.
Warren:
ReplyDeleteHAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I sincerely it has been happy and joyful.
Correction:
ReplyDeleteI sincerely hope it has been happy and joyful.
Warren, I hope you had a great birth day. We sure had beautiful weather for any outside chore you might have had.
ReplyDeleteThat snarky anon didn't even spoil my day gardening. I don't G unless the c/w is really hard and it would help a lot of things fall into place. I was very happy with Donna's puzzle today, just didn't feel like looking up that Beatles song, although it would have been nice to complete molar, a clever clue.I enjoy reading what CC has to say and all of you.
I`ll try to KISS with my story of a wreck "in my salad days."
ReplyDeletePicture it! Sicily 1938. :)
I was taking a friend home after HS graduation practice and wound out the rubber band pretty tight! I lost control, ran off the road into a ditch and narrowly missed rolling. By the time the police got there, I was prostrate on the hood sobbing, "It`s all my fault..." One of my Dad`s friend saw us, stopped and heard me and quietly said, "Shut your mouth right now, young lady!."
I was cited for reckless driving but still graduated on time. A big chunk of my gift cash went to pay the ticket, though. :(
JAZZ: One can also cite The Donna Diana Overture by Reznicek and Fingal's Cave by Mendelsohn.
ReplyDeleteSgt Preston
ReplyDeleteDo you guys have fond memories of Fess Parker in Davy Crockett as I do? He was part of many a pleasant Sunday evening around the TV set in our house.
ReplyDeleteGood night all.
ReplyDeleteGreat puzzle. Had same problems everyone else had.
Belated happy birthday, Warren. Hope it has been lots of fun.
Cheers
When I was a kid, I loved to watch Davey Crockett, Sgt. Preston, and even Sea Hunt and Highway Patrol.
ReplyDeleteI'm listening to Donna Diana now. Spitzboov - thanks for the link.
Fermataprime -
I only have vague recollections of the in-scene music from the Lone Ranger, and couldn't have recognized any of it.
Ah but now at 3:15 in the DD clip I do hear a familiar strain.
Cheers, and G'nite,
JzB the Philistine trombonist
I don't think anyone mentioned this, but "salad days" is from Shakespeare's play Anthony and Cleopatra, spoken by Cleopatra...."...My salad days, / When I was green in judgment, cold in blood..." (Act I, Scene V, Line 607)
ReplyDeleteI thought this was easier than the average Thursday but still had a few unknowns: i.e. Marjorie Morningstar; Sumac of song. After attending a funeral at 6:00 and being in charge of the reception afterwards, I lacked the ambition to do much work on the puzzle so came here for my answers.
ReplyDeleteBill G's comment about grown men reminded me of my mother's comment. Someone said to her that it was amazing that any boys survived to be men and mother replied, "The truly amazing thing is that any grown men have mothers still living. It's surprising they didn't all die of heart attacks or nervous breakdowns!"
I've beeen very busy with a variety of appointments lately:- chiropractor for neck and hip problems; dentist for a broken tooth; eye doctors who have decided I should have cataract surgery next Tuesday, and my family doctor to have a cyst on my arm excised. For a person who has always had excellent health, I've been making up for it lately. I shouldn't say that. My basic health is still very good and they tell me that cataract surgery nowadays is very simple. I believe it was MJ who mentioned recently how beneficial it had been.
Happy birthday, Warren.
Dot
Happy Birthday, Warren!
ReplyDeleteIt was one of those days where you seem to be on the same wavelength as the constructor. The same puzzle last night probably would've been a slog for me, but tonight I was surprised at some of the answers that just flowed out of nowhere! A few others needed red letter help. I had a very busy, productive, communicative day at work today, so this nice, enjoyable puzzle was a good way to wind down and relax!
Bill G: We seem to be on a losing streak of classic stars... We've lost so many special ones lately. I was a big Mission Impossible fan, and was sorry to see that Peter Graves passed away the other day too.
Dot: I think it was Clear Ayes that said she'd chosen her screen name after her successful eye surgery.
ReplyDelete2D - I changed my avatar to the photo of an interesting structure I saw in NOME. The most amazing thing for me in Seward was watching some fishermen showing up at a small tributary after their work day. They were plucking salmon out onto the rocks as fast as they could get their line back in the water. I'd never actually seen anyone fishing before... Watching the fish flop around on the rocks was gross, but fascinating!