google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday March 24, 2010 Peter Abide

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Mar 24, 2010

Wednesday March 24, 2010 Peter Abide

Theme: Name That Tune - All of the song titles consist of a girl's name in possessive form and a word that describes the tune itself.

17A. John Denver #1 hit: ANNIE'S SONG. Here is the clip. I like his "Take Me Home, Country Roads". He looked so innocent in "Oh, God!".

39A. "Guys and Dolls" showstopper: ADELAIDE'S LAMENT. Waiting for Clear Ayes to find the right clip. Mystery tune for me.

61A. "Dr. Zhivago" melody: LARA'S THEME. What's your favorite scene in "Dr. Zhivago"?

67A. With 68-Across and 69-Across, classic game show, and this puzzle's title: NAME

68A. See 67-Across: THAT

69A. See 67-Across: TUNE

This is the first time I saw a theme unifier split in the bottom of the grid in a LAT puzzle. Rather unique and refreshing. Can you find other song titles that fit the same pattern?

I've never watched "Name That Tune", though the answer emerged very quickly. I must have heard of it somewhere before.

Quite a few two-word entries in this puzzle, I counted 14. Nice & smooth puzzle from Peter Abide. This might be his LA Times debut.

Across:

1. Hippo's attire in "Fantasia": TUTU

9. Sun ray: BEAM

13. Actress Lena: OLIN. She is in "Chocolat".

14. "Lion's share" fabulist: AESOP. The saying "Familiarity breeds contempt" comes from his "The Fox and the Lion".

16. Hockey great Phil, familiarly: ESPO. Short for Esposito. I can never remember his name.

19. Largest of the Near Islands: ATTU. The Near Islands are the westernmost Aleutian island.

20. Place for a massage: DAY SPA

21. Campaign funders: FAT CATS. I like how it crosses MOUSY (12D. Meek).

23. Locale in a 1987 Cheech Marin title: EAST LA

26. "Yay!": OH BOY

27. Charon's river: STYX. In Hades.

30. Rub elbows (with): HOBNOB

32. Western __: history class, briefly: CIV (Civilization)

33. Industry kingpin: CZAR. More common than TSAR when applied to business/political big shot, right?

35. Bullies: ABUSES

42. Mississippi River explorer: DE SOTO (Hernando). I confuse him with Juan Ponce de León, who discovered Florida.

44. Baby talk word: GOO

45. Trial sites: VENUES

48. Measuring tool: RULER. Oh, the school measuring tool.

51. Billiards blunder: MISCUE

54. Fork or spoon: UTENSIL. Hmm, not if you have a DF mind as Dennis does.

56. Longtime buddy: OLD PAL

60. __-Honey: candy: BIT-O. Have never heard of this candy.

64. "Cool" rapper?: ICE-T. Thought of LL. Cool J.

65. Polished: SUAVE

66. They're removed via shafts: ORES. Nice new clue.

Down:

1. Repulsive sort: TOAD. Frog too.

2. Bone near the funny bone: ULNA. Literally "elbow" in Latin.

4. Like many salons: UNISEX

5. Andalusia abodes: CASAS. Spanish for "house". Alliteration. Italian "house" is CASA also.

7. Prefix with metric: ISO

8. Informal discussion: CONFAB

9. Shell collector, maybe: BEACH BUM

10. Cornerstone abbr.: ESTAB (Established). Always want a D in the end.

11. Is __: likely will: APT TO

15. Org. for drivers?: PGA. The question mark should lead you to golf. I hope Tiger wins the Masters. Tired of this endless scandal, so distracting.

18. Eco-friendly fed gp.: EPA

22. "Tough luck": TOO BAD

24. Senator Cochran of Mississippi: THAD. How do you pronoun Cochran? We also have SESS (41. Meeting of Cong.)

25. Legendary siren: LORELEI. On the Rhine. In the Valley of Lorelei (also spelled as Loreley).

27. Big batch: SCAD. Only used in plural form, isn't it?

29. Part of YSL: YVES

31. "The Lion King" lioness: NALA. The "Born Free" lioness is ELSA.

34. Temple area of Jerusalem: ZION. Jerusalem's Mount Zion.

36. "Sonic the Hedgehog" developer: SEGA

37. Grandson of Eve: ENOS. Son of Seth.

40. It includes terms of endearment: LOVE NOTE. Sweet!

46. Diacritical pair of dots: UMLAUT. The diacritical mark over a vowel in German words. Like the one above o in Schröder.

47. On a winning streak: RED-HOT

48. Apply before cooking, as spice to meat: RUB IN

49. New York city: UTICA

50. "Who cares if they do?!": LET 'EM

52. Math subgroup: COSET. Got the answer via crosses.

53. Last: Abbr.: ULT (Ultimate)

55. They, in Calais: ILS. French for "they". Nice rhyme. Calais (KAL-ey) the French seaport is on the Strait of Dover.

57. Llama land: PERU. Alliteration again. Rich Norris alliterates every possible foreign word.
58. Church approval: AMEN

59. Suffix with Congo: LESE. Congolese. Very straightforward prefix/suffix clue today. Happy, Jazzbumpa?

Answer grid.

Picture of the Day: Here is a gorgeous photo from our fellow LAT solver Annette. She said: "I'm the blonde on the right in the bright colors. My sister Bobbie is opposite me, and her daughter Heidi is in the middle. It was taken at a Bridal Show a few weeks ago, while planning my niece's wedding".

Ming Tian Jian!

C.C.

56 comments:

  1. Good morning, C.C. and gang - I thought this was gonna be another speed run, but got a bit bogged down in the middle and south. Nice, fresh cluing made this an enjoyable puzzle.

    I initially put 'lit' for 32A, which 'Yves' and 'scad' quickly corrected. And C.C., 'scad' is usually used in the plural, but the singular is legit as well. Had to get 'Thad' Cochran from the perps. And I thought the theme unifier was extremely clever, being split across the bottom. Nicely done.

    Favorite clue, and a fresh one as C.C. said: 'They're removed via shafts'.

    Annette, thanks for the heads-up about yesterday's USA Today puzzle - first time I've ever seen 'Dennis' in one. And yes, some good DF stuff as well. Great picture, by the way; let's keep 'em coming, gang.

    Today is National Chocolate Covered Raisin Day.

    Today's Words of Wisdom: "I am not a politician, and my other habits are also good." -- Artemus Ward

    And some new vocabulary from Mr. Fun Facts:

    - Illegible handwriting is known as griffonage.

    - A singulthus is a hiccup.

    - An exocannibal is a cannibal who eats only enemies. An indocannibal eats only friends. (I'll be good and bite my tongue.)

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  2. Morning, all!

    This one actually was a speed run for me. The only hiccough was the fact that, despite having seen a production of "Guys and Dolls" many, many years ago, ADELAIDE'S LAMENT was a complete and utter mystery to me. So I just ignored it and got it completely via the perps.

    The only other unknown for me today was THAD. In fact, the last letter I entered in the grid was the final D where THAD intersected the aforementioned ADELAIDE'S LAMENT. Not much else it could have been, though, so no complaints on my part.

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  3. Good morning CC and All, a somewhat difficult time in the center as I did not know Adelaides Lament which made solving the perps absolutely necessary. I finally got the center done after guessing Thad. Not a bad puzzle, but it did require some head scratching. I had Lorelay at first, but miscue took care of the miscue.

    I will check in later as this is my "give back day" so I need to find my tool belt and get to the Habitat for Humanity project site.

    Dennis, I applaud your good judgment on refraining further discussion on cannibals, although there are lots of directions to go with that subject.

    Hope you all have a great Wednesday.

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  4. Good Morning, CC and all. This was a bit of a challenge for me. I had difficulty with the right-hand side, although after I finally got the spaces filled in, I wondered what it was that caused me trouble.

    I liked the fresh clues. I am glad that the CIV was clued as a History Class instead of being a Roman Numeral.

    I had a college roommate from across the river STYX. To get me out of the room, she would play John Denver constantly. To this day I cannot abide hearing any of his songs.

    Lena Olinis a beautiful and talented actress. My favorite Olin movie is The Unbearable Lightness of Being.

    Dot: So glad your cataract surgery went well. Glad you were able to sign in and let us know how you were doing.

    In honor of Lena Olin, here are some quotes from Milan Kundera, the author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being:
    All great novels, all true novels, are bisexual. ~ Milan Kundera

    Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy. ~ Milan Kundera

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  5. Good morning, C.C. and friends,

    This theme targeted my weak spot - show biz tunes, but I managed to work my way through it with perp help and some good guesses. The only one familiar to me was Lara's theme, as Zhivago is one of my favorite movies.

    It seems like we are having a lot of styx clues lately, but it is probably due to constructors' needs for an x. I am surprised that Senator Cochran is not well known. His name is pronounced like "that". Favorite clue was for beach bum.

    Have a great Wednesday.

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  6. About average difficulty for Wednesday. No errors, no help, 17 minutes.

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  7. Unlike Hahtool, I am a huge John Denver fan. Saw him several times and he put on such a great show. Annie's Song is one of my favorites.

    Got hung up in a number of areas. No idea about ADELAIDES LAMENT - such an obscure name also. Didn't know THAD or ESPO so that gave me some problems. CONFAB was not a familiar term either. Did get most of it done unaided though, and the final push with a little red letter help.

    Been down to the infamous Lorelei on the Rhine river. Legend has it that she perches atop a rocky crag where lots of ships go down (or used to anyway). She lures them in and they crash. It is a pretty area.

    My DH is having lots of trouble with the ULNA these days. Just went in and they diagnosed "tennis elbow" - no he doesn't play. They gave him a cortisone shot, and until it takes effect, I actually have to button the top button on his shirts. It is too painful for him to do it himself.

    Lovely pic Annette. So fun planning a wedding isn't it? Except the cost I suspect.

    Beautiful weather expected here in MN. Next week should be even better - however, we will be in Florida. It is always more fun to have spring break when it is awful where you left, but we will enjoy it anyway.

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  8. Showstopper!?! Showstopper?!?

    You gotta be kidding!!!

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  9. With the 'U' from Peru, llama land, (first entry) I had the theme, go figure.

    LOL moment: The Hippo's from Fantasia dancing in my memory.

    Confused Enos (Seth's son) with Esau (Jacob's), easy fix.

    Recently saw 'Guys and Dolls' on TCM but had to work to remember the song.

    Nothing learned, BEACH BUMmer.

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  10. Hi everyone!
    We got back yesterday after overnighting with our d-i-l in Madison. Spent the rest of the day unpacking, washing, answering emails and going through all the junk mail the USPS delivered later in the day.

    I got yesterday's puzzle done, also went online to try Friday's from Dan at about 11pm, but it was too late to comment here after either one. I actually did Sunday's unassisted in the Arkansas paper our son bought for us, but they don't get a daily so that was the only one during our time away. I was gratified that so many of you thought of me Friday with all the German in that one.

    The drive down and back was a bit grueling. We might fly next time. But the time there was very enjoyable and well worth it. Weather was great until Saturday, when it rained while we were at the races at Oak Lawn. But I guess it snowed up here, so we were lucky to miss that.

    Today was not so easy for me. I only knew Lara's Theme among the tunes, had to google Thad, which helped me get Adelaide. I also fouled up on Bito, Ice-T and Love Note, because I had Love Name, Bita and Icem, making no sense whatever.

    Dot,
    I'm so glad the cataract surgery went well. My b-i-l had that done a while ago and says he never knew what he wasn't seeing before.

    Sorry for the long post, but it's good to be back!

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  11. Kazie: glad to see you back. You must have liked the umlaut on today's puzzle. I thought of you when I made the fill and thought you might miss it if you were away from doing the xwords.

    Tinbini: Esau was Jacob's twin brother, not his son.

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  12. Hahtool:
    Thanks, I just remember that I see Jacob & Esau clued together a lot in puzzles.

    Argyle:
    I just re-watched ADELAIDES LAMENT on You-Tube. I think my brain-cells still want to forget it.

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  13. Hi c.c. and all:

    Fun puzzle today and although I did not know Adelaide's Lament I did get it thru the perps. The other two songs I knew, so no problems and no needed help today for me.

    KQ: Where are you going in Florida?

    Dennis: Did you go to Boca area again on your vacation?

    It is 63 degrees and sunny presently with a high of 79 today, just a gorgeous day!

    Have a great one everybody!

    Annette: Great pic!

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  14. How cool is this?! It's a live video cam on an eagle's nest. He's sitting there right now:eagle

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  15. Darn--I forgot the = in the link.
    Try this eagle

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  16. Dick, 'restraint' is my middle name.

    Kazie, great to see you back; sounds like you had a good time, especially with cooperative weather. And thanks for the bald eagle link - very cool.

    g8rmomx2, yes, the Boca area. Still spent a good bit of time in Ft. Lauderdale and South Beach, but we really like the shopping, restaurants, etc. in the Boca area.

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  17. As a few people pointed out, it's time to get rid of the snow avatar. The new one was taken this weekend on our dock. One of the best pictures I've seen of myself.

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  18. Good morning C.C. and fellow bloggers.

    C.C.:
    Cochran is pronounced "kokran".

    Dennis:
    Good of you to contain yourself otherwise, well, who knows?

    Kazie:
    Welcome back. It's great you had a restful vacation.

    I enjoyed this puzzle and immediately knew Annie's Song because I do like John Denver. I did not, however, recall Adelaide's Lament but Lara's theme is one I love.

    My fav scene from Dr. Zhivago is the snow scene when he and Lara were living in the country. Julie Christie and Geraldine Chaplin were both splendid in their roles.

    My stumbling block was in the middle, not knowing Thad; I mentally tried several versions, Theo, Thom, etc., finally moved on and got it when the mid west filled in. It was pure guessing. YSL eluded me until just now, ohhhhh, Yves St. Laurent, doh!

    Have a wonderful Wednesday!

    This was really nice, straight forward cluing for the most part. No searches needed.

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  19. Hello.

    LAT link @cruciverb.com still broken but USA link works fine.
    ???

    Used the Virgina link last night.
    Solved the grid by 9:30. Also by passed 39A and let the downs fill it.

    Great eagle cam. Watched for about 10 min. Looked like momma was annoyed at something.

    Had to wash my mouth out with Mac
    to get rid of the pickel juice.

    eddyB

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  20. Good afternoon everyone.

    Enjoyed this puzzle, even though I didn't know Adelaide's Lament. The clue for ores was a given because my late first husband was a geologist.

    Kazie, what a great site you sent.
    And it's a wonderful picture, Annette.

    And Spitzboov, thanks for the answer to our new clock. I am chagrined that I didn't catch that the days were in German in that we lived in Vienna for a year. For fun I sent the same info to my sons (who were 13 and 15 when we lived there) to see it they'd get it. My older son came right back with it. And sure enough, today is MIT. Thanks for enlightening me.

    Cheers

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  21. FAT CATS, OH BOY, OLD PAL, LOVE NOTE, TOO BAD, BEACH BUM, RED HOT. Fill doesn't get any better than this! Absolutely outstanding!

    Oddities- LAMENT, AMEN, NAME.
    Fun- MOUSY crossing CATS.

    Just once, wouldn't you like to see ATTU clued as a partial-

    "Here's lookin'__ kid"

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  22. Sallie and Spitzboov,
    I keep my watch set on the German day names--I bought it in Germany a few years ago, and just like being reminded of that. It's also good to watch the expression on the face of jewelers who have to change the battery when they try to figure out what the day setting is.

    I changed my avatar to the chalkboard sign that greeted us in my son's kitchen last week.

    He asked me why I referred to the eagle as a "he". The original email I got it in from his brother referred to it that way, so I just assumed. Does anyone know if it's the male who guards eggs while mom hunts, or the other way around?

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  23. Hi!
    I've been lurking in here for more than a year :-> ... but this is the first time I've been inspired to contribute.

    A really great theme entry would have been "Rose's Turn" from Gypsy. When Ethel Merman did it (on Broadway and in the movie) ... THAT was a Showstopper!

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  24. C.C.:
    More accurately.
    Cochran: kahk ruhn

    There is a website named inogolo which you might find helpful; it pronounces for you.

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  25. Good Morning All, I had a little problem with the NE corner. I didn't know ESPO, or that ATTU was one of the Near Islands. FAT CATS was a brain stretch for me, but it all came together.

    Other than that, nice perps helped with THAD, SEGA and COSET.

    I loved the theme. Was it just two weeks ago that GAH and I saw "Guys and Dolls"? I really did LOL when I saw ADELAIDE'S LAMENT. Vivian Blaine was the original Adelaide in the first Broadway production. With her, it was a showstopper.

    Both ANNIE'S SONG and LARA'S THEME were old favorites.

    Annette, Ladies and wine...what's not to like? A nice happy photo.

    EDEdward, Rose's Turn would have been a terrific entry. Maybe next time.

    Welcome back, Kazie.

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  26. Good afternoon, all. Posting late today. Did the puzzle while in a hospital waiting room; my BH was getting her port-a-cath removed after 22 mos. Everything went well. Hope she won't have use for it again.

    Sallie: re: the clock. LOL

    Thanks for all the warm comments on yesterday's picture. I shared them with my son.

    Annette - nice picture. Good looking family.

    A fairly easy solve today. Did not know ADELAIDESLAMENT, but the perps got it. Did not know ATTU was a Near island, although an obvious fill. 'Near' the Commander islands on the Russian side of the Date Line.

    UTICA - a gimme. Looking out of my window at it as I type this.

    UMLAUT - As a young kid, my mother called it in low German "de twee striche" - the two strokes.

    The LORELEI is also a tune: Lorelei and here in Chinese Lorelei in Chinese

    That about does it. Tschüß

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  27. Kazie- Eagles parents take turns hunting and doing household chores. By the way, females are larger than the males.

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  28. Hi C.C. and all -

    Dennis, nothing like a friendly cannibal, is your tongue in your cheek or elsewhere??? BTW, nice new picture, great gams!

    17A was a gimmie for me, love John Denver's work. As most of you know I am not a fan of musicals and show tunes are always stumpers for me but I actually did get 61A, 39A, not so much.

    I really tried to put LOLITA in for 25D knowing how Jeannie would like it, but alas, it didn't fit.

    A friend of mine bought me tickets to the Lion King for my birthday several years ago and I DID enjoy the production (live theatre)but I can never rememeber NALA, the lioness. (can't remember the other character names either)....no wonder I'm a long standing member of the CRS club.

    Kazie, welcome back, glad your trip was a good one.

    Annette, good to 'see' you, great picture of a fun family time.

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  29. Attu may be the most western part of Alaska, but I still contend that it is the most eastern part of the United State. Billy Bob

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  30. EddyB
    Rocket Man you are cracking me up.

    Just got back from the grocery, DID NOT pick up any pickle juice.

    Looking forward to the race in St. Pete. Going on Friday, way smaller crowd, can get up close to the cars.

    Cheers!!!

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  31. Good afternoon CC et al., This puzzle was 'tutu' much fun. I sailed thru it, not in record breaking time, but smooth enough to wonder where the stiff breeze was coming from....oh yeah, body parts the other day and our resident weather vane. 'That' is the 'ult'imate inspiration, in my book.

    Dennis: Funny avatar! Like Carol said, great gams. Your little piggies look good enough to eat. Let's see, that would make me an indocannibal. I'll take an 'Amen' to that one! So, if you bite your own tongue, are you an autocannibal then? I'm going for some chocolate covered raisins first, then nuts. It's all finger food.

    Annette: great pic. When is the wedding?

    Enjoy your evening.

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  32. Hi.

    Tinbeni. Oh, how I envy you. Take a lot of photos. Please.
    I'm in love. Just saw a XK8 when I went to Radio Shack for an audio cord.
    The next race is at the new Barber road cource in Birmingham. A new driver from Switzerland is joining the series. She had 9 podiums last
    year.

    Have fun. eddy

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  33. eagles fans: try this link http://www.wvec.com/marketplace/microsite-content/eagle-cam.html its been interesting to watch lately. and with experts online to answer questions very informative. btw have never seen the female hunt

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  34. Hello All--When I saw the Song entries I thought that I would not be able to finish this puzzle without a lot of help. As it worked out, I knew two of the songs and the third one Adelaides Lament was filled in with the perps.

    My only lookup was Thad. I too, tried several combinations of TH-- but finally gave up and went to Google.

    I did have a problem with the NE area as I put in Beach Boy instead of Beach bum and realized that Boy could not be used twice in the same quadrant. That fixed, the rest fell into place.

    John Denver's songs have always been favorites of ours. His plane went down just off the coast of Monterey about an hour and a half from here. Such a tragic end.

    Kazie, it's good to have you back.

    Great picture, Annette. Half the fun of any event is the planning!

    It is such a nice warm day here and I have the doors open for fresh air. The woodpeckers in our Oak tree are making lots of noise. Hello spring!

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  35. the eagle never hunts the fly...listen and i'll tell you why...cause he lives at the bottom of the sky...thats why yeah thats why.....

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  36. g8rmom- We are starting at Ft. Myers/Cape Coral where my brothers live, to a Twins game and then on to Clearwater beach to hang at the ocean. My senior sons spring break so we have a few families joining us for the beach stuff. My brother has a condo on an island that we will spend a few days at.
    Have no idea where, but only about 1.5 hrs from his home.

    Kazie, had a hard time getting that eagle link to work. Found it online though. I noticed right away that it takes place at Luther College. Did you know someone there or just randomly come about it? That is my husbands alma mater and we know many alums as well as current students. Great place, but we cannot get our kids interested for some reason.

    We have the good fortune of seeing many eagles in our area. When we head to my mom's husbands cabin, we head out on the water and watch them flying around. Very cool.

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  37. Hi.

    The LAT link is working again. Tomorrow's is available from the archives.

    eddyB

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  38. I liked how the theme appeared all the way across the last row of the puzzle.

    35A Bullies: ABUSES – There’s way too much of this going on these days, especially with young teens…

    I was trying to put LL Cool J in for 64A too, even though I know of ICE-T.

    Surprisingly, I’d have had better luck filling in Phil ESPOSITO than ESPO. I guess I’m not that familiar with him!

    25D – I tried to put in LOLITA with Jeannie in mind too!

    Spitzboov: Your wife must be so relieved to have moved beyond that! Best wishes for her continued health improvements. Cute story about the UMLAUT!

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  39. Thank you everybody for the nice comments about my picture. It was a nice coincidence that the first theme fill today is “Annie’s Song”, since much of my family calls me Annie, plus I liked John Denver’s songs.

    Clear Ayes: Even better, it was champagne, decorated with strawberries on the rim!

    The wedding date isn’t set yet, but she’s thinking April, 2011. They want it very casual, outdoorsy, wearing flip-flops, and having a lot of dancing. She wasn’t interested in a lot of the “fluff” - until we went to the bridal show! Then all the little details became much more desirable.

    She’s never been very decisive, so it’s going to be very interesting… IMHO, they'll wind up having a spur of the moment, private ceremony before then, maybe followed at some point by a big party. We’ll, see!

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  40. I also enjoyed Lena OLIN's performance as the abused wife in "Chocolat".

    Champagne with strawberries?...Lucky Annette!

    Thanks for the cruciverb.com heads up, eddyB. If we want to, we can get tomorrow's puzzle done super early today.

    Congratulations to your BH, Spitzboov. It sounds like it is time for both of you to get on with a worry-free life.

    Dennis, don't let the "gam" compliments go to your head. We don't want you to start vanity waxing. Would that count as extended manscaping?

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  41. Lucina, the inogolo web site is excellent; thanks for providing it.

    Carol, I think you already know the answer to your question.

    Billy Bob, you're right about Attu; it's a great trick question as long as you don't say 'continental U.S.'

    Lois, stiff winds here today.

    Clear Ayes, no worries - I have an aversion to unnecessary pain.

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  42. The meekest person I ever knew was my father. He had great strength, of character and physic. There was nothing "mousy" about him. He had everything: strength, temper, self, under control. That`s how I define meekness. Great character and strength, under control!

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  43. Good afternoon all,

    On these sunny days, time seems to just fly by.Loved the c/w this morning. Had to Google for Attu and the show stopper,"A's Lament". I love musicals, but somehow missed that one.The perps were kind and took care of Thad, Nola, Enos, Utica, and confab-I had confer.

    Fabulist did not ring a bell, but I am familiar with most of Aesop's fables. My class rewrote and acted them out while studying Greece. I know, he was not Greek, but he ended up there.

    My sister, Noel, has an umlaut over her e.

    Dr. Zhivago, what's not to love about the music and/or the movie? I also loved the part where they were in that country house in the winter.Very romantic..

    Lena Olin was terrific as Jennifer Garner's evil mom on the TV series,"Alias".

    KQ, I got acupuncture when I had tennis elbow, and it was AMAZING! It's a great alternative to those shots.

    Kazie, loved the live cam. Just saw dad fly away and mom settled down on the 3 eggs very carefully. Oops, according to Jerome, it would be the dad who is sitting on them now.

    Super new pictures Spitzboov, Annette and Dennis!!!

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  44. Annette,
    I like your picture, but am jealous because I didn't get in on any of the planning for my older son's wedding--they did it all themselves in Germany. But then we were so pleasantly surprised at how well it all went on the day. So I guess it cuts both ways.

    KQ,
    My older son sent it, and it was passed on to him by a colleague and close friend. They both work for the same firm, went through high school together, and still socialize a lot together. Neither went to Luther though, so it must have just been something found online, or perhaps it came from another friend.

    I meant to say earlier in response to the question about Dr. Zhivago that my favorite scene was when they walked into that house, so magically sparkling with icicles and frost on everything. At the time, I had never seen real snow or experienced cold weather in Oz. Now I live in WI--go figure!

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  45. I was admiring that eagles' nest. I figure I am a lot smarter than an eagle and my eight fingers and two thumbs give me much more dexterity than the eagle's beak. Yet I couldn't build nearly as good and safe a nest as the eagles did.

    Speaking of nature stuff, did you catch the first two episodes of Life on the Discovery Channel? Great stuff and a nice workout for an HD TV.

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  46. I know I have been missing for a couple of days, but Dennis since when do you show any restraint? BTW, I am definitely an "indocannibal". Who wants to eat their enemies? Thanks for the new avatar too. Love toes on a man.

    Kazie, welcome back and I am glad you enjoyed your vacation. That link is awesome. Every time I got a chance (once ever couple hours) I would see what she was doing. I saw three eggs and was hoping to capture the partner switch off.

    One thing about living in the upper mid-west is you really look forward to the animals coming back. I waited for 10 deer to pass the road today and the bunnies, much to their dismay are out in abundance doing their mating ritual.

    Melissabee, check your e-mail as my F-U finger on my right hand looks like a sausage and I managed to get to see our on site PT today.

    Now if only the ice would go out, Lolita could lift her mast and set sail...

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  47. Dennis: You really should try out this coast, as you might know Port Charlotte is always rated top in retirement areas. Boca Grande is rated top in tarpon fishing in May-June time frame. Snook, red fish and trout are good all year round. Also, real estate is great and so many opportunities on waterfront properties.

    KQ: Sounds wonderful. We are meeting with relatives that are traveling to the Clearwater area around the 34d of April. I hope you have a wonderful time.

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  48. Dennis: LOL, I didn't realize until a little while ago, but the theme of that USA Today puzzle that had your name center stage yesterday was "HOT STUFF". :-)

    ARBAON: I like your definition of meek! Last summer, I had someone at work that was going through a bad time and took a lot of it out on me. The worst was the disdain in her voice when she called me meek - you'd think she was calling me a slut. Little did she realize, my temperament was the only thing keeping me from reducing her to a pile of ash, emotionally. She'd shared enough with me in the past that I knew exactly which buttons to push, if I chose to use them.

    Kazie: I was surprised to be included that day, thinking it was a mother/daughter thing. She and her fiance will be moving to Lafayette soon, so that may change things. Did your son get married in Germany, or just plan it from there?

    g8rmomx2: I have a friend who "winters" in Port Charlotte. I've driven over to see her a few times, and it is a really nice area!

    Good night, all! And thanks again for the second warm welcome, now that you've gotten a visual of me.

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  49. West coast,pshaw. Really, come on, Dennis is not ready for the rocking chair. the 34d of the month, must be a new calendar. tired

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  50. Hi gang -

    Didn't get a chance to do the puzzle today.

    But since you asked, yes I'm happy. That was a good honest suffix clue, I went to a terrific concert at noon today, then spent the afternoon with Nate and Em, I get to play PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION, I'm subbing in an April concert with another Jazz Band, I have 11 beautiful grandchildren, a wonderful wife who loves me, and it looks like Cruciverb is fully functional once again.

    If all goes well, I'll be back tomorrow with an actual on-topic post, and less gratuitous self-referential claptrap.

    Cheers!
    JzB the Promenade Trombonist

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  51. A bit more than I bargained for in that clip. At no extra charge you get, not only the Promenade, but Gnomus, Promenade II, and The Old Castle.

    Enjoy!

    Cheers!
    JzB the happy tromboist

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  52. Wonderful clip, Jazzbumpa! I didn't get the orchestra but Esa Pekka used to be with the LA Phil. Was that the one?

    Everything's comin' up roses for JZ, right?

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  53. Annette,
    Yes, they were married at Augustusburg Castle in 2008, just outside Chemnitz, where she and her family lived. When they met, he was living there working for the American company he is still employed by. Now they want them to move back and when he returns from a two week diagnostic/problem remedying trip this weekend, hopefully he will have decided whether he really wants to go back or stay here. In June she will have been here long enough to get her green card, so we're hoping they can at least stay until that is over with, just in case they want to be here later on.

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  54. Good evening (or Thursday morning) everyone. With cruciverb not having the puzzle late last night, I'm just getting to the puzzle after 9:30 pm Pacific time, so I know that most everyone's retied for the night.

    Firstly, thanks so much for all of the birthday wishes yesterday. That was really marvelous!!

    Dot, good to hear that your surgery went well.

    Robin, you are in my thoughts. I'm sure this is a difficult time for you. We're here for support.

    KQ, hope your hubby feels better soon.

    C.C., it's been so long since I saw Dr. Zhivago I can't remember any single scene. It was a great date movie, though!

    Good pictures Annette and Spitzboov.

    Sallie, LOL at the German clock!

    Welcome, ex-lurker EZEdward!

    Jazzbumpa -- I'm VERY jealous. Pictures is a favorite piece. WOW!

    dodo, it was the Philharmonia Orchestra.

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  55. I'll repost this tomorrow.

    Pictures at an Exhibition

    "Promenade" and "The Old Castle"

    "Promenade/Tuileries" and "Goldenberg & Schmuyle"

    "Limoges" and "Cum Mortuis"

    "Hut on Fowl's Legs" and "Great Gate of Kiev"

    Normally, I just listen to these pieces but the videography is so great, I had to watch them all. The video is like an instrument itself. If I have the titles wrong, I'm sure Jazzbumpa can straighten things out.

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