Theme: If Only - Five synonyms for what we wish for, the first ones are at the ends of the longest entries with the unifier at the very end(Across) of the grid.
21A. Tokyo monetary unit: JAPANESE YEN. 1 Japanese yen = 0.0120 US dollars or roughly one cent. 10,000 bank note.
26A. 1983 Lionel Richie #1 song: "ALL NIGHT LONG". It reached number one on three Billboard charts (pop, R&B and adult contemporary). This clip(3:39) may make you long for the eighties...or not.
43A. Desolate title tree in a 1936 Fonda/MacMurray western: LONESOME PINE. Full title is "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine" and isn't a western; it is set in the Appalachian Mountains, according to this short Wikipedia article.
50A. TUMS target: STOMACH ACHE. Calcium carbonate used as an antacid to relieve heartburn, acid indigestion, and upset stomach.
65A. Hanker, and a synonym for the ends of 21-, 26-, 43- and 50-Across: YEARN
Argyle here. Solid Monday offering from Donna with a couple of thorns thrown in to keep it interesting.
Across:
1. Like some short-term committees : AD HOC
6. How a lot of music is recorded : ON CD
10. Narrow-necked pear : BOSC. Image.
14. Museum with many Spanish masterpieces : PRADO. Located in Madrid, Spain, I envy those of you that have seen it. Spain is on my bucket list. (Hm, "bucket list", good optional theme title.)
15. Eight, in Spain : OCHO
16. Figure skating jump : AXEL
17. Consumed : EATEN
18. Postal delivery : MAIL. I think they will close on Saturdays and when they do, they might as well close for good.
19. Knish seller : DELI. Knish is an eastern-European Jewish or Yiddish snack food. It is a dumpling covered with a dough shell that is either baked or fried. In the most traditional version, the dumpling is made entirely of mashed potato. Jewish Recipes web site.
20. Henna, for one : DYE
24. Hawaii's coffee capital : KONA. How is it? Anybody drinking some this morning?
25. Reader's __: magazine : DIGEST
31. French city where Joan of Arc died : ROUEN. One of those thorns I mentioned, for me at least.
32. Wooden nickel, e.g. : SLUG. I always thought a slug had to be metal.
33. Milk units: Abbr. : QTs. However, milk units from the cow are measured in pounds, with the record being over 70,000 lbs. per year.
36. Old Italian money : LIRE and 55D. Swiss capital : BERN. Such straight forward cluing, it's either Monday or a trap.
37. Parcel of land : TRACT
39. New Age-y emanation : AURA
40. Single : ONE
41. Wine vintage : YEAR
42. Thread holder : SPOOL
46. It's north of the border : CANADA. Not for everybody, eh?
49. Cle. hoopsters : CAVS. Cleveland Cavaliers.
53. Long sandwich : SUB
56. Vaulter's need : POLE. Records jumped with the advent of the fiberglass pole.
57. "Today __ man": stereotypical bar mitzvah announcement : I AM A. TV's Frasier speaks Klingon at Frederic's bar mitzvah. Clip.
58. Hospital staffer : NURSE
60. __ even keel : ON AN
61. Shoemaker McAn : THOM
62. Spud : TATER
63. Camping shelter : TENT
64. Talks and talks : YAKS
Down:
1. Copied : APED
2. Open-sided cart : DRAY
3. Loathe : HATE
4. "__ on a Grecian Urn" : ODE
5. Unite : CONJOIN
6. Tuba sound : OOM-PAH
7. "March Madness" org. : NCAA. National Collegiate Athletic Association.
8. Facial feature with a cleft, perhaps : CHIN. Perhaps, the most famous. Image.
9. Distributed sparingly : DOLED OUT
10. No-goodnik : BAD EGG. BAD GUY didn't fly.
11. Daisy variety : OX-EYE
12. Tennis great Monica : SELES
13. Eastwood of Dirty Harry films : CLINT
22. Namibia neighbor: Abbr. : ANG. Angola. Map. Africa.
23. Perform with the choir : SING
24. Kid's scrape site : KNEE
26. Woody's son : ARLO
27. Butcher's cut : LOIN
28. Entice : LURE
29. Ivan the Terrible et al. : TSARS. Russian rulers.
30. Partners' legal entity: Abbr. : LLC. Limited Liability Company (LLC),
33. "Je ne sais __" : QUOI. Literally 'I don't know what', meaning an indescribable quality. "Je ne sais pas" was my answer in French class.
34. Cyclo- ending : TRON. "Tron: Legacy" is an upcoming 2010 science fiction film based on "Tron", the 1982 movie.
35. Shopper's delight : SALE
37. Persistence : TENACITY
38. "Norma __" : RAE. Movie with Sally Field.
39. iPhone downloads : APPs. I knew when I first saw apps(applications) it would become a crossword hit.
41. Wizened "Star Wars" guru : YODA. Sorry but I have to link this song. Yoda, Weird Al.
42. Interstate speed limit, often : SEVENTY. Merely a suggestion. (Right, Dennis?)
43. Bemoan : LAMENT
44. __ razor: logical simplicity rule : OCCAM'S. Thorny.
45. __-jongg : MAH
46. A hundred bucks : C-SPOT. Quick, how many yen is that?
47. Make amends (for) : ATONE
48. Texas Rangers president Ryan : NOLAN. Nicknamed "The Ryan Express", he is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. ( New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers) Trivia: His first name is Lynn.
51. Often sarcastic joke response : HA-HA
52. In a frenzy : AMOK
53. Mlle., in Madrid : SRTA. Mademoiselle and Señorita
54. Exploitative type : USER
59. Abu Dhabi's fed. : UAE. United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven absolute monarchies.
Answer grid.
Argyle
21A. Tokyo monetary unit: JAPANESE YEN. 1 Japanese yen = 0.0120 US dollars or roughly one cent. 10,000 bank note.
26A. 1983 Lionel Richie #1 song: "ALL NIGHT LONG". It reached number one on three Billboard charts (pop, R&B and adult contemporary). This clip(3:39) may make you long for the eighties...or not.
43A. Desolate title tree in a 1936 Fonda/MacMurray western: LONESOME PINE. Full title is "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine" and isn't a western; it is set in the Appalachian Mountains, according to this short Wikipedia article.
50A. TUMS target: STOMACH ACHE. Calcium carbonate used as an antacid to relieve heartburn, acid indigestion, and upset stomach.
65A. Hanker, and a synonym for the ends of 21-, 26-, 43- and 50-Across: YEARN
Argyle here. Solid Monday offering from Donna with a couple of thorns thrown in to keep it interesting.
Across:
1. Like some short-term committees : AD HOC
6. How a lot of music is recorded : ON CD
10. Narrow-necked pear : BOSC. Image.
14. Museum with many Spanish masterpieces : PRADO. Located in Madrid, Spain, I envy those of you that have seen it. Spain is on my bucket list. (Hm, "bucket list", good optional theme title.)
15. Eight, in Spain : OCHO
16. Figure skating jump : AXEL
17. Consumed : EATEN
18. Postal delivery : MAIL. I think they will close on Saturdays and when they do, they might as well close for good.
19. Knish seller : DELI. Knish is an eastern-European Jewish or Yiddish snack food. It is a dumpling covered with a dough shell that is either baked or fried. In the most traditional version, the dumpling is made entirely of mashed potato. Jewish Recipes web site.
20. Henna, for one : DYE
24. Hawaii's coffee capital : KONA. How is it? Anybody drinking some this morning?
25. Reader's __: magazine : DIGEST
31. French city where Joan of Arc died : ROUEN. One of those thorns I mentioned, for me at least.
32. Wooden nickel, e.g. : SLUG. I always thought a slug had to be metal.
33. Milk units: Abbr. : QTs. However, milk units from the cow are measured in pounds, with the record being over 70,000 lbs. per year.
36. Old Italian money : LIRE and 55D. Swiss capital : BERN. Such straight forward cluing, it's either Monday or a trap.
37. Parcel of land : TRACT
39. New Age-y emanation : AURA
40. Single : ONE
41. Wine vintage : YEAR
42. Thread holder : SPOOL
46. It's north of the border : CANADA. Not for everybody, eh?
49. Cle. hoopsters : CAVS. Cleveland Cavaliers.
53. Long sandwich : SUB
56. Vaulter's need : POLE. Records jumped with the advent of the fiberglass pole.
57. "Today __ man": stereotypical bar mitzvah announcement : I AM A. TV's Frasier speaks Klingon at Frederic's bar mitzvah. Clip.
58. Hospital staffer : NURSE
60. __ even keel : ON AN
61. Shoemaker McAn : THOM
62. Spud : TATER
63. Camping shelter : TENT
64. Talks and talks : YAKS
Down:
1. Copied : APED
2. Open-sided cart : DRAY
3. Loathe : HATE
4. "__ on a Grecian Urn" : ODE
5. Unite : CONJOIN
6. Tuba sound : OOM-PAH
7. "March Madness" org. : NCAA. National Collegiate Athletic Association.
8. Facial feature with a cleft, perhaps : CHIN. Perhaps, the most famous. Image.
9. Distributed sparingly : DOLED OUT
10. No-goodnik : BAD EGG. BAD GUY didn't fly.
11. Daisy variety : OX-EYE
12. Tennis great Monica : SELES
13. Eastwood of Dirty Harry films : CLINT
22. Namibia neighbor: Abbr. : ANG. Angola. Map. Africa.
23. Perform with the choir : SING
24. Kid's scrape site : KNEE
26. Woody's son : ARLO
27. Butcher's cut : LOIN
28. Entice : LURE
29. Ivan the Terrible et al. : TSARS. Russian rulers.
30. Partners' legal entity: Abbr. : LLC. Limited Liability Company (LLC),
33. "Je ne sais __" : QUOI. Literally 'I don't know what', meaning an indescribable quality. "Je ne sais pas" was my answer in French class.
34. Cyclo- ending : TRON. "Tron: Legacy" is an upcoming 2010 science fiction film based on "Tron", the 1982 movie.
35. Shopper's delight : SALE
37. Persistence : TENACITY
38. "Norma __" : RAE. Movie with Sally Field.
39. iPhone downloads : APPs. I knew when I first saw apps(applications) it would become a crossword hit.
41. Wizened "Star Wars" guru : YODA. Sorry but I have to link this song. Yoda, Weird Al.
42. Interstate speed limit, often : SEVENTY. Merely a suggestion. (Right, Dennis?)
43. Bemoan : LAMENT
44. __ razor: logical simplicity rule : OCCAM'S. Thorny.
45. __-jongg : MAH
46. A hundred bucks : C-SPOT. Quick, how many yen is that?
47. Make amends (for) : ATONE
48. Texas Rangers president Ryan : NOLAN. Nicknamed "The Ryan Express", he is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. ( New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers) Trivia: His first name is Lynn.
51. Often sarcastic joke response : HA-HA
52. In a frenzy : AMOK
53. Mlle., in Madrid : SRTA. Mademoiselle and Señorita
54. Exploitative type : USER
59. Abu Dhabi's fed. : UAE. United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven absolute monarchies.
Answer grid.
Argyle
81 comments:
Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - I thought this was a nice Monday offering by Donna Levin. Appropriately easy, but with a solid theme and decent clues. I didn't catch the theme until the end. The only one I'm not 100% on board with is 39A, 'New Age-y emanation'/'aura'. Why?
Argyle, nice job on the blog. I didn't realize the yen was down to almost 100 to the dollar now; when I was there it was 360 yen to the dollar, and even on a corporal's (at the time) salary of $140 a month, the money went a long way. Also, I think you're right about the postal service -- Saturday delivery is on borrowed time.
What's everybody's plans for Thanksgiving? We're just having friends over and it'll be a full day of food/football/food/football/food/football.
creature, thanks for the birthday info last night; HAPPY belated BIRTHDAY! Hope it was a great one for you.
Today is Go For a Ride Day. And who doesn't like going for a ride? Hell, it's one of the reasons I grew a mustache...
Did You Know?:
- One in 500 people have one blue eye and one brown eye.
- On an average day, McDonald's feeds 43 million people, and an average American will eat at McDonald's 1,811 times in his or her lifetime.
- The squirting cucumber can shoot its seeds up to 40 feet. Nope. Not touching it.
And last, a movie recommendation - see Fair Game. An outstanding movie, and Naomi Watts is superb as Valerie Plame. You will, however, leave the movie extremely pissed off at certain players in the previous administration.
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. I had missed Donna's puzzles, so was glad to have her with us today. It was a pretty easy puzzle, but I had a couple of erasures.
I wanted Combine instead of CONJOIN. A also forgot that milk comes in Quarts and tried to fit an abbreviation for Gallons in only three spaces where I knew the last letter was an S. The AURA / TRON intersections were my last fills.
In addition to its history with Joan of Arc, ROUEN is also famous for its grand cathedral, which was painted many times by Monet
Angola is also found in Louisiana, with dubious ties to the African country.
It is expected to be about 80F here on Thursday. We will be joining friends for fried turkey, and, of course, all the other traditional holiday foods.
QOD: There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still. ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Morning, all!
Quick and easy puzzle today, befitting a Monday. A couple of weird sports, however...
The first was JAPANESE YEN. That threw me for a bit, since I've never seen or heard it referred to as anything other than simply the YEN. Do any other countries use the YEN as their currency?
The second was SEVENTY. I remember when they raised the speed limit for some roads around here from fifty-five to sixty-five, but I've never seen a SEVENTY before. Does everybody else have that where they live?
As for Turkey Day, we're heading over to my brother and sister-in-law's place with my mom. The day after we'll head on down to visit my dad in rehab.
Barry, I see 70mph speed limits in several areas on the drive between here and Florida on I-95, and here and Atlanta on I-85. I just checked, and there's 33 states that have that speed limit on some portion of their highways.
Argyle, Great write-up, thorns and all.
WOW!!! What a nice way to start Thanksgiving Week with a Donna S. Levin.
This would be an excellent newbie puzzle.
I see this BAD EGG made the grid again ... was thinkin' Bad Guy and tinbeni wouldn't fit.
Argyle, I'm on my 3rd Mug of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.
Dennis, I'll be probably the "Best Educated" busboy at the Salvation Army's Thanksgiving Dinner. They won't let me do any of the cooking (smart move on their part) but I can pitch-in and help my 'less-fortunate' fellow Americans.
Hmmmm, November 22nd ... something about that day.
Now I remember, 47 years ago it was my Dad's 44th Birthday.
There was no SINGing the "Happy Birthday" song that night.
Cheers and a 'toast-to-all' at Sunset.
Hi all.
My turn to not being able to sleep.
It was a nice little xwrd except I put KONA and KNEE in the wrong place and fouled it up.
From yesterday. The GB/MN game was why I checked the weather at WCCO. I was interested in that game
as well as the OAK/PIT game.
I think Favre should retire(again)
for his own good and for that of the team. He probably won't because
of his ego.
Childress tried to bench him
earlier but wound-up with two GBs on the field. Both will last the last six games unless the owner
admits making two mistakes. ??
My dish for Thanksgiving is fresh cranberry sauce with julienned
orange peel and Grand Marnier.
(Have to sip the Marnier to see if is still any good.) We will either go up to San Mateo or Brian and Ali
will come down here. It gets complicated because the next day is our 45th A and I want to go up to Burlingame and have rabbit at Stella's.
Jeannie, it isn't really up to me
if eddy comes back. It was no big secret to either Dennis or C.C.
Whee! Take care
Jeannie, it isn't really up to me if eddy comes back. It was no big secret to either Dennis or C.C.
dilbert, who is it up to then? We welcomed you back, regardless of name.
PS. It should read Dilbert was no big secret.
PPS. Wish I had a trash can about now. Let me send an e-mail and I'll
get back with you.
Hello Puzzlers - Just right for a Monday, I sez. Had to think a bit to recall ROUEN. Poor Monet! He had to paint the cathedral? It must have taken forever.
I've heard of a plug nickel but not a slug nickel. Wonder what's the difference. I'm sorry to see the postal service on its knees. Saturday delivery is one of its best points!
Thanksgiving for us is a happy combination of eating and snoozing up at my sister's house. She lives well into rural country, far from traffic, at high elevation by Mass. standards - ideal for a family holiday.
Cheers.
Good Morning Argyle, CC and All,
A pretty typical Monday run. Needed perp help for Prado, Aura and Lonesome Pine. Definitely a big Huh? for New Age-y Emanation.
The Pats barely held off the Colts. We were all screaming at the TV when they intercepted Manning. Whew!
No offense to you Vikings fans, but I was over Farve two seasons ago.
Happy belated Birthday Creature!
We're going to my sister in-laws for home grown turkey. She's married to a dairy farmer so we'll watch the evening milking after we eat. About half of my wife's family will be there which will still make a crowd.
Thanks for the write-up Argyle.
Have a good Monday.
Oh, yeah -- the Pats/Colts game was intense all right! A lot of screaming at our house as well at the final interception. I told my wife that if there was anybody who could score three touchdowns in 10 minutes, it was Peyton Manning. It wouldn't matter, though, since we were also playing very well and would surely get another touchdown (or two) during that period. And then, of course, our offense went to sleep and our defense became as porous as a sponge...
Good day folks,
Fairly easy run this morning with a couple of slowdowns thanks to my goofs. I was thinking connect for unite and Nissan something or other for Japanese currency. My erroneous thinking was corrected fairly quick. Being a huge fan of Western movies, I'm ashamed to admit I have never heard of Lonesome Pine. Thought the puzzle was pretty "vanilla."
Looking forward to Turkey Day. The only day of the year when we can count on the whole family being together. It'll be a lot of fun, great eats, smooth spirits, and lots of football.
Have a wonderful Monday everyone.
BarryG,
Great analogy of our D. They are still suspect in my mind.
I over did it yesterday processing wood. I need a visit to a message therapist or my chiropractor. You out there MelissaBee?
Nice easy Monday. ROUEN was a gimme. Monet apparently rented a room opposite, so he could paint the cathedral at different times of day in different lights. The results are in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.
I don't know what OCCASMS are. I had guessed MAVs for the unknown team, since that's the only one I'd met here before that seemed to fit. I also had LIRA before changing to the plural to suit the perp needs.
The Prado is wonderful. We'd met a Canadian at several hostels on on our trek through Europe in 1970, and he'd talked about it endlessly, especially the Bosch paintings there. So of course in April '71 when I was finally in Spain, I made a beeline for it in Madrid. I really knew nothing about art until that 18 months in Europe.
This will be a different T'day for us. Son and d-i-l are flying in from Germany Wednesday night, and son #2 is driving up from Little Rock all day Thursday. So we are doing "it" on Saturday with DH's brother, sister and their better halves coming too. That gives me an extra two days to prepare, with help! The in-laws will bring something too. And then we're going to exchange Christmas gifts with the kids as well since we won't be together then. Big weekend!
I meant OCCAMS. I'm having trouble lately with letter transposing. Anyone else?
Good Morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
Thanks for the great write-up Argyle. I had to laugh at the YODA clip - very funny!
I'm sitting here drinking PEET's "Major Dickason's Blend". Wonder what's really in it? All I know is, it's yummy.
The puzzle was a speed run today. I saw the first theme answer JAPANESE YEN, and thought "theme about synonyms of yen?". The second one confirmed it. So no glitches or erasures. As Monday should be...
Happy belated birthdays to Dodo and Creature ! I'm off to buy some cornish game hens for Thursday's feast. We have a weird combination of foods - DH is from Mississippi, so we have to have come type of collard greens - as a "Yankee", I don't even touch those. But I have to have broccoli with Hollandaise sauce - and DH wont touch THAT. So never any fights over "favorites".
Hmmmm...
Just noticed that the next Pat's game is on Thanksgiving. At 12:30. We should just be arriving at my brother's house by then and his only TV is down in the basement. I wonder if anybody will miss me?
On the bright side, we are playing the Lions who currently have a 2-8 record, so it won't exactly be the most meaningful game ever...
Good morning all. Thanks for the write-up, Argyle.
Nice to have a Donna puzzle this morning. Easy even for a Monday; one pass of horizontals with a couple perp assists and it was done. The theme fills were easy, but the 'theme' was not seen until the unifier at 65a. LONESOME PINE was a WAG. Some Down clues were not used because of blowing past them with the acrosses. A good quick romp.
JAPANESE YEN - The symbol ¥ is also used for the Chinese (CNY) Yuan according to this currency site.
For Thanksgiving we hope to have our children and grandchildren and my sister and her family here for a sit down dinner. They are all out-of-state.
Enjoy the day.
Kazie:
I've had that "letter transposing" problem ever since I smashed my right hand last year on Sept. 29th.
Ugh, over 40 stitches, end of that "certain middle finger" had the bone crushed ...and now I type with no feeling in that finger.
But on the plus side, I couldn't work for a few months (a much needed "break" [pun intended] from my usual workaholic self).
That's how I found this blog, and the PuzzleGirl, Orange & Rex does the NYT blogs ... and again became a "Crossword Puzzle Nut!"
As for yesterday in the NFL ... well the locals are "gaga" over the Tampa Bay Bucs shutting out S.F.Niner's 21-0.
MOI? I was rooting for the N.Y.Jets
Creature
A belated Happy Birthday!
21 Again?
(I'm not surprised!)
Hello everyone!
Nice blogging CC (Sun.) and Argyle (today). My tummy ache abated FINALLY Sunday morning. Friend and I celebrated with take-out Prime rib from the Outback. Still feeling OK (relatively) this morning. (Galloping insomnia again.)
Sunday's puzzle easier than usual, or maybe head was finally clearer. Got through it without help, with several phone interruptions.
Merl's Sunday puzzle was very easy and superb. (Is there anyway to send a pdf to you?)
For those who read CA's note, "strawberry jam auntie" of my dear friend is going down hill physically and mentally. She can no longer change channels on her very simple TV remote.
Happy Thanksgiving week all!
Tinbeni--my sympathies on your hand. (Been there, done that. Most of my right hand has no feeling. I hope that you had a good PT. I didn't.)
I have now heard some really interesting theories about dyslexia!
Tinbeni,
Ouch! One of my Oz friends went through a similar incident with her hand after a careless accident while cutting vegetables. Several surgeries and repairs later, she has the use of it, but definitely no fun. I think my problem is more the increasing predominance of my left hand over my right, so it runs off into the rest of a word before the right hand gets a letter in edgewise.
Seems I missed birthdays here too, so many Happy Merries to Dodo and Creature!
Easy puzzle (11 minutes).
Rouen, the capital city of Normandy, was besieged by Henry V of England and captured in January of 1419 during the Hundred Years' War. Cannons were just being introduced into European warfare and proved decisive in breaking the siege. As the clue notes, it was also the site where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in May of 1431.
SIEGE OF ROUEN (1419)
Something I wrote in the past for a class, relevant to today's puzzle:
William of Occam (1285-1349)
William of Occam (also spelled "Ockham") was an English scholar and Franciscan friar. He did not believe that faith and reason could be harmonized, and consequently, he opposed the views of Thomas Aquinas and the scholastic philosophers of his day. He also rejected Plato's Theory of Forms, the notion that abstract ideas alone are real and that physical objects are at best imperfect reflections of them. It seemed to him much simpler to accept the reality of physical objects rather than the much more complex and ever-growing list of abstractions proposed by Plato's advocates. He maintained, as had Aristotle before him, that “entities must not be multiplied beyond what is necessary,” or in other words, that unnecessary assumptions must not be made in the process of formulating theories. He advocated “elegant theories,” spare arguments that account for all the known facts without imposing unnecessary and unreasonable assumptions. This idea became known as “Occam's Razor,” a philosophical instrument of sorts for “cutting” to the basics, for not unnecessarily complicating explanations. Occam believed that the simplest argument explaining all the known facts had the greatest probability of being true. Research since his time has tended to confirm that view.
Arrrrgh! After zipping through the Monday Soduko (too easy), the Daily Commuter crossword (always easy) and speeding through this crossword (I thought it was really easy) I came here and found out I screwed up! How can you screw up something so easy? Well, you start by putting in LBS for milk units. Like Argyle, I know that a cows output is recorded in lbs (at least it was when I was a kid on the farm). TRON wiped out the "B" and changed it to a "T" and LBS became LTS. Hey, that works. All of the milk containers are labeled in English and metric units so liters is a good answer. Since I never took French I had no idea about that 33d phrase and just accepted what I had filled via perps. Oh, well... the rest of the day should be better.
The rest of the puzzle was pretty easy. The few that didn't pop into mind right away filled via perps. I didn't really like SLUG for wooden nickel though. Like Argyle, I always think of slugs as metal. Dudley, I think plug is
always "plugged" when used with nickel or any other coin, indicating that a hole has been punched in the coin and plugged with a cheaper metal, thus making the coin worthless if spotted.
Have a GREAT day everyone!
@ Bob
Thanks for the great writeup on Occam's razor. I've seen/heard the term many times and generally understood what it meant but had never delved into the origin. Thanks again for the enlightenment.
Hi all -
Fun puzzle from one of my favorite constructors. I always enjoy Donna Levin's offerings.
I also wanted to put CONNECT in for 5D but quickly realized my error.
34D I didn't have any idea about that - I have never seen Tron.
I have heard the expression something "isn't worth a plug nickel". I have always thought that a 'slug' was metal rather than wood. Slugs were often tried in slots instead of coins - parking meters, soft drink or candy machines, laundry machines, etc.
The speed limit listed on most Oregon highways is 55 but in certain areas it is 65. About 35 years ago (I don't have the correct year) the limits on most highways in the western part of the U.S. was 75. I don't know if that was true in the east where it is more populated.
Dennis: about that cuCUMber....Wow, guess it was aptly named! :0
We are going to Joe's niece and nephew's house for Thanksgiving dinner. This is the day when we get to visit with relatives we don't see very often. On Friday I will roast a small turkey and fix most of the trimmings. Joe loves my dressing and candied yams and of course, all the leftovers.
The speed limit is 75mph on I-80 in our neck of the woods. Speaking of our neck of the woods and the Patriots, how about Danny Woodhead! He's from North Platte, Nebraska.
fermatprime & Kazie:
That injury was 420 days ago.
No Physical Therapy.
Lawsuit with the gym pending.
Wouldn't have sued but they (the gym's mgmt. yahoo's) were very indifferent to my injury/recovery that happened in front of my two "workout buddies" at 6:15am (one of whom is a lawyer) who were amazed I didn't pass-out with the "meat" at the end of the middle finger hanging out.
They helped me wash it out and then I drove to the emergency room.
Golf game I had scheduled for 10:15 was cancelled that day.
The Avatar that night was excessively consumed.
PS I was back in the gym, bandaged and gloved, two days later.
Then again, on the plus side ... I only have to worry about manicuring nine nails ... ergo, it became a "time-saver" ...
Good morning, Argyle, C.C., and gang.
Nothing to complain about today. There were lots of givens. Easy run with a couple of glitches caused by misspellings - OOMPAH and OCCAM. I remember reading "Trail of the LONESOME PINE" when I was a teenager, but I don't remember anything about it.
Our plans for T-day are simple: stay home, no guests, DH does the cooking with my coaching. The "no guests" rule is because he is afraid he will mess something up and spoil the whole dinner. (I don't care; if something goes wrong, we can open a can of beans.) We don't like turkey, so we are having chicken.
I wonder about those "average American" statements. I have eaten at McDonald's no more than three or four times. Two of those times were when we were on trips and they were the only thing available on the interstate.
Speaking is interstate - our speed is 70mph. There was a brief stretch of time several years ago when they lowered it to 65, but that didn't last long.
Re: birthdays - if you got 'em, enjoy 'em!
Hi Argyle, C.C. & gang. A little tougher than usual for a Monday with the crossing unknown 33D with 39A, my wife and I finished 3/4 of it before she had to leave for work.
Re Occam's razor? My wife said that the easy way to remember that is the KISS principle, Keep It Simple Stupid!
Re: 70 mph speed limit? You folks probably won't see that back east very often because it normally occurs in remote regions not near a major town e.g. the I5 freeway in central CA is mostly at 70 mph except when it gets near LA.
For a short time Montana didn't have a maximum speed limit but now I think it's set to 70 mph.
;-)
Re: Bob's post:
We haven't learned a lot that we really need to know since then, have we?
Thanks, Bob
Since no one else came forward-----
There is a stretch of I-10 in southwest and central Texas where the speed limit is 80 MPH.
Hi gang -
I suspect it's a special kind of challenge to hit the sweet spot on a Monday, and Donna came through, of course.
You, too, Argyle - nice job.
Biggest mis-step was STOMACH ACID.
KONA is great, but it's very delicate. Don't let it sit on the hot plate after brewing - it gets cooked too easily.
We have kids and their kids for Thanksgiving. But my daughter is having her mother and M-I-L this time, and Step-son Doug and his crew are going to see his wife's sister in Maryland. OTOH, Tom's wife and kids are driving up, and will arrive late tomorrow.
A bit out of the ordinary, but - wow - do I have a lot to be thankful for.
We're getting a fresh turkey this year, for the first time ever. There's a turkey farm right in Livonia - I guess the town grew up around it. We're getting our bird this afternoon.
Colts-Pats had a great battle going, but having neither a horse nor a musket in that fight, I didn't stay up for the end of it.
I don't expect the Lions to win over the Pats on Thus, but they will put up a good fight. They've played close and tough against good teams this year, and have 4 losses by a total of 10 points. Despite the record, this is a team on the rise. They haven't risen that high yet, though -- something to YEARN for.
Gotta run.
Cheers!,
JzB
Bob, great explanation; thanks. Windhover, you're on the money, as usual.
Carol, great line; aptly named, indeed.
I wonder about those "average American" statements. I have eaten at McDonald's no more than three or four times.
No problem, daffy dill -- I've got your share covered.
We're doing a fried turkey this year for the first time, party because of the recommendations here. I'm really looking forward to blowing up the neighborhood.
JIMBO, you all don't really slow down to 80 out there, do you?
Hello, everyone! Argyle, thank you for the wonderful blog.
I really like Donna Levin's puzzles, so straightforward and few sports clues; well, even I know NCAA and Nolan Ryan.
Hand up for PLUG nickel before SLUG and CONNECT instead of CONJOIN and thinking NIPPON before JAPANESE.
Bob, thanks again for OCCAM's rule.
KONA was my late DH's favorite coffee. We discovered it while dating because Denny's used to serve it. We would drive to Flagstaff in the evening, eat at Denny's with said Kona then return home. That's how we decided to visit Hawaii when we learned it was from there.
Our T-day will be at my niece's who has a spacious home to accommodate 25-30 of us. I take only the yams, green bean casserole, and cranberry, cream cheese, jell-o mold. I sometimes make two of those because they eat it like dessert.
And between here and California the speed limit is 75 MPH most of the way.
Love the Museo del Prado and have visited three times; it's never old.
Belated birthday wishes, Creature.
Have a lovely Monday all!
Oh, and we always have red chile w/meat cooked by my sister, "the captain." Many like it in place of gravy.
Hi everybody. I enjoyed the puzzle and the writeup. I was pleased to see I could still solve crossword puzzles after about six weeks off.
I am back from rehab and just about to go out to breakfast with my daughter and grandson while my wife is playing tennis.
Yes, I'm finally home. Thank you all for your kind thoughts and words a few weeks back. It brought tears to my eyes to read all of your comments. I have two great families and they both mean a lot to me.
Having just gotten home, I haven't settled into anything like a comfortable routine yet. I'm still feeling my way along.
The whole experience was both educational (good) and frustrating in terms of my living situation. I was surrounded by mostly 20-year-olds, many of whom were addicts. They all smoked, cussed, talked about drugs and watched reality TV. I mostly felt like an outsider and very lonely, partly my own fault I'm sure. Still, I learned some important tools to help me stay sober. Actually, I'm not so much worried about staying sober as I am about staying positive while doing it. I guess that's why I have two great families, to help with that. I hope I can make it work.
Thanks again for all of your support.
Love, Bill
Hello everybody; happy Monday. A nice, quick, easy and yet not trivial Puzzle today. We are in Phoenix Arizona this week and I'm glad the Arizona Republic publishes the puzzle. I suppose I should have known it does, assuming Lucina does the printed version.
Speaking of 70 mph speed limits, Interstates 5 and 10 in California have them, and Interstate 10 in Arizona has some parts posted at 75 mph. We just drove these highways yesterday, and I'm not going to tell you how fast we went. Suffice it to say we did go no faster than about 60 in the rain. We expected to be rained on for most of the trip, but were pleasantly surprised to have mostly sunny or overcast, and dry, weather most of the way. When we were at about Palm Springs, we called our family in AZ to tell them when to expect us, and expressed our pleasure at the good weather. No sooner di we finish the phone conversation (I love Bluetooth!) whammo we got totally drenched in soaking downpour for the next half hour or so. Then, having arrived at the long expanse of desert between Indio CA and Quartzite AZ we were sand-blasted by high winds blowing sand across the highway. Man oh man, talk about extremes.
Anyway, we're glad to be here. Hi Lucina.
Oh, did I say I enjoyed the puzzle? Only had to erase one spot: had put LLP (Limited Liability Partnership) in for 30D and had to change the P to a C to make TRACT work. Other than that, all smooth sailing.
Look forward to popping in on Wednesday. Best wishes to you all.
Bill G...Hi and welcome back! I am so glad you are home and getting used to 'things'. I have never had your experience but know some who have and one of Joe's nephews died of liver failure as a result of drinking, he was only in his early 30's! The husband of my cousin also died of liver failure at the age of 52..that was due to years of drinking and heroin use. Addiction can happen to anyone. I admire you for facing your demon and conquering it. You have lots of support here :)
Hello All
Just returned from a conference in Orlando, so I haven't had time to post - though have been solving and dutifully reading blog. Orlando seems to be planning for a high-tech (medical research/teaching hospitals) post-Disney (or at least non-monocultural) era.
FERMATPRIME - I was hoping you would give us your insights into Occam's razor in a mathematical context. Now I see BOB has given us the historical context and a thorough definition. But I think it would be very useful to have an example or 2 of its application.
I had always assume that LIRE was an Italian form of LIRA, but I see that the dictionary lists it as the plural. I never heard anyone use it (other than Italians).
Barry. I continue to be amazed (and delighted) at your father's progress.
NC
Bill, great to see you back. Obviously a less-than-pleasant ordeal, compounded by not being with people your own age, but it sounds like you've got the positive attitude that will carry you onward.
Those of us who have been touched by alcoholism (my mom died early in my life (and hers), falling down our steps after another night of too much wine) applaud your effort and wish you the very best going forward.
I hope you'll lean on any of us here whenever you need it.
Haha Kazie. Are OCCASMS another form of the big "O"? Freud would have a field day with that one.
Dennis, count me in as one of the extremely pissed-off ones.
HeartRx, we just had Major Dickasons today too. We always keep coming back to Peets.
I have made many a roux.
Kazie,
I too have a transposition problem. My wife disagrees though, she says I'm a crappy speller. Off course, she's "worng."
Barry G,
Lions are an improving team and tough at home this year. Add in the tradition of Thanksgiving and it could be a close game.
I can't think of a practical mathematical application of Occam's Razor, so I'll leave that to others. It is commonly invoked in science and whenever there are competing theories to explain something.
Like, how were the Egyptian pyramids built? One theory much written about is that aliens (ETs) did it. That requires you to assume (1) that aliens exist, (2) that they have found their way to earth, (3) that they would come all that way to build some pyramids out of local stone, etc.
Assuming clever human beings (Egyptians) did it with a lot of manpower, organization, skill, local materials, and time answers all the evident facts on the ground without resorting to assumptions 1, 2, and 3 above--for which there is no concrete evidence anyway. QED
Good afternoon all.
Great write up, as always, Argyle.
I repeat an English lesson I posted months ago: it is belated happy birthday to Creature. She no doubt celebrated her day on her birthday. It is we who are belated. Tinbeni got it right, so a star for you. (It is never happy belated birthday!)
English lesson over.
Bill G. I somehow missed your reason for rehab. Best of good wishes and glad you're home.
Cheers
Hi all.
I was completely wrong about Childress. I didn't think MN
would dump him with six to go.
The owner has written off the
season and will rebuild for next year.
Have to stay as Dilbert untill I find eddyB's password.
Take care.
I love Donna Levin’s puzzles. Perhaps that’s because I always seem to be on her wavelength. I had a few unknowns such as Rouen, Cavs (don’t follow basketball at all), Ang, and Quoi. I didn’t know about Occam’s razor. Thanks for the learning lesson Bob. It was good to see my “oxeye” daisy in the puzzle. Did I ever mention they are my favorite flower?
Happy belated birthday to Creature and Dodo. I hope you enjoyed your day(s).
Bill G, it’s so good to see you back. I was just thinking about you just the other day wondering how you were fairing. I bet you are happy to be home.
That Green Bay/Vikings game was a joke. I don’t know if you had heard but they fired Childress today, and I agree that Favre is done.
I am cooking for some other people that can’t make it home for the holiday. It’s usually a nice get together. I am pretty sure some cards will be played sometime during the day.
Well, I better get back to the other half of my sub…
Bill G:
Welcome back! I, too, had been thinking about you and hoping you would be home for the holidays. You know we are here for you when you need an encouraging word.
Welcome to AZ Jayce! We ordered some nice moisture mixed in with sunshine for you. How long will you be here
It was a Monday, so hence I could solve the puzzle unaided.
I haven't posted for some time now, because of numerous problems, too many and too unrelated to bother all of you about ... but I did want to make here for Lemonade's invitation for the Wednesday - I dont know if I can make it - so I thought, I might as well show my name, in appreciation, and to honor, all of you regulars, for the trouble you put in, day after day. I am reminded of the baseball player, who never missed a day of the game for - what ? - 12 years ? Just showing up and doing your job is a great quality in itself...
Kentucky and Tenn also have 70 mph speed limits. I went 100 mph in Montana while going south to visit Yellowstone from Butte.
I heard about Occams razor - the explanation - and promptly forgot it - seemed like common sense to me - this time I cram it up - Thanks to Bob.
Please have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
Bill, Welcome back! Glad you made it home for the holidays.
I guess you can add me to the numb finger club. I haven't had much feeling (at all) in my right index since disc problems (one crushed and one compressed) nearly paralyzed my right arm a few years ago. That's my excuse for my typos but I have none for my bad grammar and improper English. Only real problem I've had are while cooking. If I grab something hot, I don't realize it until I smell my skin burning. I am quite fortunate to have gotten out of it with physical therapy only. I still do the exercises if I feel my upper back and neck stiffening.
I guess management had to look like they were taking action by firing Childress. Unfortunate season for Vikings fans.
Taxi time. I think my kids believe that's what I am.
This is just for you, dodo-
People who don't have green thumbs are OXEYEmorons.
I CAN'T YET spell TENACITY.
ATONE- NEATO word.
CSPOT- Cable channel for dog lovers.
CLINT- Cable channel for those who contemplate their belly buttons.
The upside to a STOMACH ACHE is A MACHO CHEST.
ONE'S LEMON PIE can always be found at the LONESOME PINE cafe.
Good to see you back, Bill G. We are all here to provide you with support.
Good to see you, too, Vidwan.
Thanks, Bob for the info on Occam's Razor. OCCAM was a crossword staple for a while, but we haven't seen him recently.
Anyone flying over the Thanksgiving holidays? Here are some possible T-Shirt slogans for when you pass by TSA.
Here' more on 39A 'New Age-y emanation', a link to a book about the 'Human Aura'...
Bill G
Glad to see you back.
Obviously those 20 sonething's didn't change your sense of humor or perspective.
In your honor, tonight's initial toast at Sunset will be Pink Grapefruit Juice.
Good Evening C.C., Argyle and all,
Thanks, Argyle for your write-up. Really enjoyed it, as usual.
Loved Donna Levin's puzzle.It has such fleshed out fill-great words-
Bosc,Bad egg,Quoi,tenacity,etc.
Thanks, Bob for Occams razor. I really needed it. You have such a
way of explaining, that makes me want to say,"Let Bob tell it".
Thanks for all the Belated Happy Birthdays. Lots of fun for me.
Trying to complete a couple of projects, so I'm late today.
We're going to my youngest daughter's for Tday.S-I-L likes to fry turkey and I'm asked to bring roasted breast for an alternative.
Other daughter bringing tomato aspic,DH's fav., dressing balls; corn pudding from our good friend,etc.
My twin sons, two grandaughters will fill out the group.
Hope everyone has a pleasant evening.
Jerome- tickled you're back- really missed your word play.
Bill G- so delighted you came back today. I think of you everyday. It sounds as if your feet are on the ground,and you have a strong support team.
Vidwan- its been a while for you too.
Jimbo, hope you stay. I can't wait to hear your stories.
Tinbini: You are to be commended for your community work on Thanksgiving. The guests will appreciate your efforts.
Sallie: I had to smile at your English lesson. I remember that you had previously pointed out the proper word order.
Hahtool....LMAO at those TSA T-shirt slogans. Good thing I didn't have a mouth full of liquid! Thanks for the afternoon smile:)
Jayce,
Funny guy! I never thought of that angle!
Bob,
Thank you for explaining Occam's razor. I was unaware of the expression.
Years doing crossword puzzles the word for (36A) is lira or lire? Some dictionaries spell with an a and some with an e.
One lire, two lira.
As I am preparing de turkey dinner, I wiz wondering about my sweet hunny Argyle -I hope he be not too cold in de itsy bitsy town in new york country - and also deer Windyhover - I know, I know he been taken by Trish - but one can always hope. I hope he done got de tractor to haul his junk - that be, TSA junk - from dat softwire engineer from San deigo.
I saw de Fair Game - they be too much polytics and not enuf sex - thats how I calls it. Waste of assits of gud men and wommin.
Lucina, thanks for ordering up the perfect weather! It's lovely. We'll be here the entire week; will probably head back on Monday, staying off the road on Sunday when everybody else will be going home.
My learning moment of the day was, "Occam's Razor." I didn't remember hearing the expression & had no idea of what it meant. Thanks for the info.
Bill, I'm so glad you 'graduated'. Give thanks Thursday for what you have accomplished. And remember, what you have done for the past several weeks you can continue to do - one day at a time.
The family was here on the 13th for a family dinner. This is the year for them all to go to the in-laws for Thanksgiving Day. However, our local daughter's in-laws have invited us to join their family so that is where we will be. Weather in WI this week will be typical November weather, cold, drizzly and dreary but the deer hunters will be glad that it is colder.
Dot
Hola Everyone, I sped through the puzzle today while eating lunch. Only a few unknowns, Cle Hoopsters and Occams Razor. I also wasn't sure of the spelling of Rouen, and Lire/Lira, but the perps handled those for me.
New Age-y emanation--Aura is still a mystery. But as I was typing this out I said Agey instead of Age-Y and it made sense. Am I correct?
Welcome home Bill G. Good to have you back.
Also belated wishes to Dodo and Creature on their recent birthdays. Dodo, one of my daughters was born on Oct. 29th.
Thank you Bob for a very informative history lesson on Occams razor.
As for Thanksgiving, two of our four daughters and their families will be here for the day, minus our grandson who is the PC Volunteer in Africa. We're going to try to Skype with him on Thursday. He doesn't always have electricity, but hopefully he can visit a nearby Peace Corp Volunteer who does. We'll see.
The other two daughters will be either working, or with in-laws this year. Our nurse will be working, so we'll have another dinner over the weekend.
Almost forgot! In our paper today one of the letters to the editor stated that our airport should post a sign saying,"Clothing Optional". That would solve all the TSA problems now, wouldn't it?
Hahtool, I had a hearty laugh over the TSA t-shirt sayings. So funny.
BillG - Glad you're back home my friend. Enjoy your turkey.
Girl in Front,
I'm trying to figure out just where in our great Southland you're from. I think I'll know if you answer two questions:
Store bought or wild turkey?
Did you chop that turkey's head off or just wring its neck?
If it's the second on both, Irish says you can come on over.
And if you're good at wringing its neck, you can come over here too...
I know, I know -- straight to hell.
Good evening, everyone,
Thank you all for the birthday greetings. I did have a good one, in fact, several good ones, as it turned out: different folks, different days; triple the fun!
No need for more discussion about the puzzle, since it's all been said.
Welcome, welcome back, Bill G. and Jerome. Thanks, J., for the dedication! And Bill, I've been waiting to see a posting from you for the past week or so, figuring you must be coming back soon! Wonderful that you've recovered and have some helps to keep you sober. There's always help from us, too, if you need it!
Hope to check in on Wed.
More later, maybe. dodo
Windy hunny and Dennis -- U both crack me up - Uh huh ! I tell you girl, these ejucated white folks be something else !
De turkey actally be a black hen, frozen with her neck and her head and her eyes and her beek ( from Chiny store - ) an all - I guess I be ringing de neck afta all - dont want all de bad karma what with her staring at me like that - I mean, who do she think she is ? huh ?
I relly wish I coulda woulda been with youall - but I lives far away in south carolina - and I be lonely -
my ex, he say, lousy warm body be better den rubber doll anytime anyhow. Better than him so nasty and all.
So youall have a nice holiday and eats a lot, and enjoys your close frends and families, you hear ?
Good evening??? Argyle, CC. et al., Love Donna Levin - and Mondays puzzles. it's all been said so won't rehash.
Happy Belated Bday to Creature and Dodo.
Creature: dressing balls? What an image that presents!!! Kind of goes along w/that special cuCUMber (well done, Carol!). I'm going to the store again tomorrow and huntin those things down!
Jerome: LMAO cute cute cute fine form!
Bill: Welcome back. I admire your courage and 'tenacity'. We're all pullin' for you and are here for you. Hope you can feel the love.
Bob: well done on Occam's Razor. We study it in passing and your explanation was excellent!
Baby girl #2 is coming in Weds w/husband and my granddog. #1 is in Phx and will be the only one missing my home cooking. Maybe that's why she stayed in Phx... wise beyond her years. It's the laughter and high hilarity we look forward to anyway.
Enjoy your night.
Good evening all,
Loved Donna's xwd, but had one thorny spot...PINE. I definitely knew it wasn't dove :0 but apps and tron weren't there and I couldn't spell quoi, although I could say it.
Apps is not in my every day terminology YET; my daughter is patiently showing me how to put apps on our i-pod touch.I am so not there.
Hahtool, wonderful T shirt slogans
Oh Bob, you are good. I wagged occams only because we'd had it before, but now I get it. Thanks!
Bill, it is soooo nice to have you back with us. We never doubted that you'd return better than ever.
Kazie, I also have been transposing..and I have no gory story to share. I think I am typing faster than I ever did.
Carol, I almost choked on your delightful comment concerning one Cucumis sativus.
Wlecome back Bill!
Argyle and anon @5:57,
The singular is lira and the plural lire. Nouns ending in -a change to -e for plural, endings in -o change to -i in Italian.
Hondohurricane and JD,
Glad I'm not the only one, and yes, I think speed is part of it. I do things like thses for these all the time, and I can't fathom why.
Hi C.C., Argyle, and folk,
It is going to be my 30th wedding anniversary on Thanksgiving Day! No divorces or annulments here Lemonade! How is an attorney to have any yens around here?
@kazie said...
"I meant OCCAMS. I'm having trouble lately with letter transposing. Anyone else?"
Kazie, I have had a few problems with transpositions lately. My excuse is medication but I can't put 100% of the blame on it!
@fermatprime, how are you? I see they didn't get all the kinks out...a friend has numbness in one hand and the other is starting to get it and she has dropped and broken numerous glasses in the past few months. I'm thinking of buying her a dozen of 'Tommy Tippy Cups' for the next gift-driven holiday! At any rate, I hope the best health to for you!
Happy birthday, post facto, to Dodo and Creature!
Dudley, he didn't even have a spray gun! Pauvre Monet. Talk about carpal tunnel syndrome! As many old European cities tend to be, Rouen (and the cathedral) are pretty incredible. I could live there! Maybe I'd start going to church again!
62. Spud : TATER I can't believe we went there! When I was in Gainesville, FL for college, we would drive to the beach and pass through a town called Spud,FL. The street sign boasted a statistic about their preponderance of potatoes. I love potatoes!
thehondohurricane LMFAO!!!! That is so cute! I can't wait for my husband to get home so I can share it with him!!! thanx!
Carol, hands up on connect!
My prayers and positive thoughts to Lemonade714! Follow all the doctor's orders and we'll see you (and you us) on the other side!
I'm out.
kazie, I'm blaming that transposing thing, too.
Windhover, you brought up some memories regarding "wringing" a fowls neck. Thelma tells many a tale about "Stella" -Granny to me wringing a chickens neck to kill it and then butcher two to feed a family of twelve. My KY Granny knew how to stretch a meal. She was a remarkable woman as she lost her husband when my Mom was 13 and the littlest was just 2yrs old. Somehow they managed. My last memory of my Granny when she was alive (97) and was all wrinkled and bent over, snatched a fly out of the air with her knarled up old arthritic hand and said, that "darned fly"(darned was okay, damned was not) was trying to taste my "sweet" tea. Hell of a seamtress too. Now you know how Thelma (Jean's Mom) to you newbies, managed to learn how to sew so well. BTW, she still has Granny's pedal pump antique Singer at home. My name is on it.
Can you tell I am missing going home for Thanksgiving? The only thing that keeps me okay is cooking for other people that are misplaced as well. I do what I can do in that situation, cook good food and surround myself with the other people in my life that I have found that enrich my life.
Once again, Bill G, I am so happy for you to be in your own bed tonight, and I hope your first evening at home wasn't too difficult for you. Here are hugs and kisses from Jeannie. Heart felt.
Dennis, are you sure your mustache isn't too prickily? You might want to "trim" that for that ride.
My favorite counselor, I am glad to hear that your procedure went good. We will "see" some of your wit in the near future.
Lo-li-ta.
Hi all,
A nice Monday puzzle; I always enjoy Donna Levin crosswords. Nothing new from me, expect to offer an explanation of new age-y and aura. When I lived in San Francisco, reading auras was often lumped together with other like numerology, crystals, dream analysis, and so on, and these pursuits were sometimes considered "new age-y" (or "hokey"). Example: "I think you might have some anger issues today, Jane. I can definitely see red in your aura." (No, I don't know what red indicates in an aura, but I did know people who claimed to see auras. Or is it aurae?)
Hello to all. Took a three week trip to the east coast, and it's taken another week to catch up on the puzzles and blogs, both of which I missed. Looks like I also missed a Plush Animal Lovers Day, as well as Party with your Bear Day. Poor avatar...
Thanks for the great explanation of Occam's razor, Bob. The principle was brought up often in Sociology classes.
Welcome back, Bill G; sending supportive thoughts.
Great TSA signs, Hahtool. Fortunately, the security wasn't in place when I flew last week, or I might not have found them so funny.
Enough for this post.
Glad to be back.
Otis
One more post:
Regarding Montana speed limits, the standard speed on federal highways is 75 (daytime) and the standard speed for state highways is 70 (daytime). And yes, Montana didn't have a speed limit for about three years in the late 90s. Wait, no - it did, as billboards loudly proclaimed when I'd visit: "Hey DUDE, there IS a speed limit!" The speed limit was "reasonable and prudent", given the conditions. "Given the conditions" is the key phrase. Most of the people who drove like idiots were crossing the state and heard there wasn't a speed limit. (And yes, I saw signs with "DUDE". I believe a lot of accidents were caused by young males driving way too fast for the conditions.) While I've been know to accidentally reach 110 mph, I did so when there was not another car or any sign of life in sight (other than cows far from the road), when I was on straight and level roads, and when I was driving in ideal weather. Interesting theory of speed limits.
Speaking of weather (and extremes), winter has hit Billings. Last Thursday, I mowed the lawn in 60 degree weather at 3 pm. Five hours later, the ground was covered in snow, forty eight hours later, more than a foot of snow had fallen. It is zero now, with a one degree high expected by the local paper for tomorrow. I was not dreaming of a white Thanksgiving, but I guess that is what is in store. At least it might get back above freezing on Thanksgiving, for the first time in a week.
Bye again.
Otis, the polar bear who doesn't like snow.
Um, yup, both hands up for transposition! Was closing WordPad (where I typed blog post) and noticed I wrote "expect" instead of "except" in the first post... I don't usually add corrections, but because of today's discussion, I will. I'll add thateveryone does it at some point regardless of how many rereads. I think I can safely say this, having done a boatload of editing jobs over the years. It is much easier to catch others' mistakes than it is to see your own, as you read the word you meant to write even if a few letters are mixed up.
'Night.
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