google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, May 2, 2011 Robyn Weintraub

Gary's Blog Map

May 2, 2011

Monday, May 2, 2011 Robyn Weintraub

Theme: Where's the Wizard? - The first words of the theme entries will lead you to the Wizard of Oz and if you aren't sure of which are the theme entries, the unifier at the end will tell you.

17A. "Come this way!" : "FOLLOW ME!"

25A. Annual black-tie broadcast, familiarly : THE OSCARS

40A. Beatles film with Blue Meanies : "YELLOW SUBMARINE"

52A. Hot spot for pizza : BRICK OVEN

66A. MERGE or SIGNAL AHEAD, e.g. : ROAD SIGN

73A. One of five who heeded the directions in the first words of 17-, 25-, 40-, 52- and 66-Across : TOTO. Along with Dorothy Gale, Tinman, Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion.

Argyle here and no B-movie but a fine Monday puzzle. It is too bad the Cruciverb site is down but there isn't much to explain anyway. Quite a few three-letter entries but that is a small price to pay to get six theme entries, one a grid spanner, into a Monday puzzle. Ms. Weintraub had her debut puzzle in the NY Times on Monday, March 28, 2011 so I assume this is her LAT debut, also. Good job, Robyn. More info on our constructor here.

Across:

1. Indiana city of song : GARY. Gary Indiana(2:00) from The Music Man.

5. TV channels 2-13 : VHF

8. Draw unwelcome graffiti on : DEFACE

14. Concept : IDEA

15. Rowboat need : OAR

16. Ran to Vegas to get married, perhaps : ELOPED

19. "Dirty" hair color : BLONDE

20. Breadcrumbs, in a children's story : TRAIL

21. Army NCO : SSGT

23. College official : DEAN

24. Blush-inducing H.S. class : SEX ED

27. Needle hole : EYE

29. Palm smartphone : TREO. Image.

30. Turn over a new __ : LEAF

34. Bungle the job : ERR

36. Tall hat wearer at Buckingham Palace : GUARD

44. Like Keebler magic : ELFIN

45. Prefix with political : GEO

46. Airport transport : TRAM

47. Writing tools : PENS. In case you don't watch TV, this funny Geico ad.

50. Doc's org. : AMA

56. Inclined to opine : VOCAL

61. Like rain forests : LUSH

62. "I Got You Babe," e.g. : DUET

63. Asinine : INANE

64. Half a Beatles nonsense title : OB-LA-DI

68. Church official : CLERIC

69. _ Jima : IWO

70. Lead-in for while : ERST

71. Living room piece : SETTEE

72. 8x 10 or 11 x 14: Abbr. : ENL. Photo enlargements.

Down:

1. Bridal shower pile : GIFTS

2. Really like : ADORE

3. Take a long bath, say : RELAX

4. Connecticut Ivy Leaguer : YALIE. Usually, we get Eli's.

5. Promise : VOW

6. Pets on wheels : HAMSTERS

7. Not stale : FRESH

8. Credit card user : DEBTOR

9. Right-angle shape : ELL

10. Mall eatery site : FOOD COURT

11. Sleep clinic concern : APNEA

12. Storage closet wood : CEDAR

13. Perfect places : EDENS

18. Renaissance Faire sign word : OLDE

22. TV's "_ Smart" : GET

26. "Sonic the Hedgehog" developer : SEGA. SEGA is a multinational video game software and hardware development company.

28. Hedge bush : YEW

30. Soap ingredient : LYE

31. Electric swimmer : EEL

32. E.T. of '80s TV : ALF

33. Sales meeting visual aid : FLIP CHART

35. Snug bug's spot : RUG

37. Bubble wrap filler : AIR

38. Genetic letters : RNA

39. Like JFK and FDR : DEM. Both were Democrats.

41. Fun run length, for short : ONE K

42. Boston nickname : BEANTOWN

43. Boo-boo kisser : MOM

48. "Not happening!" : "NO DICE!"

49. "Law & Order: __" : SVU. Special Victims Unit.

51. Enthusiastic : AVID

52. Voting alliances : BLOCS

53. Russian coin : RUBLE

54. Archipelago unit : ISLET

55. Goosebump-inducing : EERIE

57. First stage : ONSET

58. Largest city in Africa : CAIRO. Egypt.

59. Common teenage emotion : ANGST

60. Slow, to Solti : LENTO

65. Conk out, as an engine : DIE

67. Gmail alternative : AOL


Argyle

60 comments:

  1. Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - a nice speed run this morning, although I'm operating on just a few hours of sleep and never did get the theme until the unifier. A very straightforward puzzle with some fresh cluing; the only one I question is 'Common teenage emotion'/'angst' -- angst is hardly just a teenage problem. Overall though, a nice LAT debut for Robyn.

    Argyle, nice job with the blog after getting the puzzle so late. Loved the GEICO commercial.

    Today is Baby Day and Brothers and Sisters Day. A good day to reflect on all the babies and brothers and sisters who grew up without a family member because of that bastard we killed yesterday. Congratulations to the special ops team(s) who took him out without a single loss.

    - The highest price ever paid for an item listed on eBay? $168 million - for a 405-foot megayacht.

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  2. Morning, all!

    Nice smooth Monday puzzle. I've never actually seen "The Music Man," but fortunately I've at least heard of Gary, Indiana (the city, not the song) before, so I was able to get it with a little help from the perps. Everything else went down pretty quickly. Definitely a good day to know one's Beatles's songs, and it also didn't hurt to be from BEANTOWN.

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  3. Morning, Argyle and friends. This was a good puzzle for the beginning of the work week. It went pretty smoothly. I had to go back and read some of the clues, since the answers had been filled in on the first pass.

    My favorite clue was Pets on Wheels = HAMSTER. I never saw the attraction of these pets, by my nieces and nephews have had them.

    QOD: Don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while. ~ Kin Hubbard

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  4. Good morning Argyle and all, a nice Monday speed run for me today. Like Hahtool I had to go back and read some of the clues as the perps were filled by the time I completed the puzzle.

    There is not much to comment about relative to the puzzle, but I will say ditto to the comments made by Dennis.

    Hope you all have a great day and Argyle a nice blog today.

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  5. Good Morning Argyle, C.C. et al.

    What a fun puzzle to come back to ! I didn't get the theme until I filled in TOTO, and then went back to see how it related. Clever!

    I loved the fill - after speaking German all week with my friends, it was refreshing not to have any foreign words in this one.

    Did I miss anything last week while I was gone? The day I landed, we went on a 30K bike ride, stopping at a beer garden in a nearby town. The next day, we drove down to the Austrian Alps and skied on the glaciers above Innsbruck. Had a close call with an avalanche, but the skiing and the weather were fantastic all week. We even got 3" of fresh powder one day.

    I'll try to post some pics later, but for now I have a desk full of work to do. Have a great week everyone!

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  6. Good Morning C.C., Argyle and all,

    Thanks for being there this am, Argyle, after a long, late night. Dennis, you too.

    Robyn, thanks for your L.A. Times debut puzzle; great theme to start you in the right direction.

    My only question was about 'Gmail.
    I thought AOL was for Email, like Yahoo.

    Have a nice day everyone.

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  7. Good Morning, folks. Enjoyed this puzzle. Thank you Robyn. Thank you Argyle.

    Mondays are supposed to be easy and this one was. That is good. I did not catch the theme until I got to the bottom.

    OBLADI came with perps. I do not know too many Beatles songs. Enjoyed NO DICE. That is a phrase I use a lot, too. GARY appeared easily since I live close to that town and have gone by the huge mills many times. On Amtrak you are right there.

    FOOD COURT reminded me of one time in Washington, D.C., we went for lunch to the old post office, which is now a food court (and not a post office), and could not get in because I had a pocket knife. It was guarded by two security types. We asked why. They responded it is a federal building. We could only get in if I threw my pocket knife away. The five of us went elsewhere.

    Maybe that will all change now with Osama bin Laden out of the way. See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

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  8. Good morning.

    Like Dennis, a speed run. Picked up on the theme by the time of "yellow submarine."

    Nothing more to say except to echo what Dennis already said. We finally got that SOB.

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  9. Donald Trump is demanding to see Osama bin Laden's death certificate, the long form. The Deathers (former Birthers) are right there with him.

    (The preceding was meant to be humorous; please don't sue me.)

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  10. Musings
    -Following the OZ theme on this historic day, “Ding dong, the SOB is dead!”
    -My namesake city and home of the Jackson 5 to kick off the puzzle!
    -Those 2 – 13 channels were all there was for a long time!
    -If you watch TV and have never seen the ubiquitous Geico ads, welcome to PBS!
    -Granddaughter just lost her hamster and my daughter’s good friend who played Jesus in a local production of Godspell performed a lovely interment ceremony!
    -Weather topics here not only are conversation starters, they also guarantee something to complain about!
    -First thought YELLOW/FOLLOW might be connected to the theme!
    -Marti, Wilkommen zurück!

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  11. Hi gang -

    Argyle - love your humor.

    Made it through the puzzle in record time. Longest Monday effort ever. I'm running on half a brain, I think. Got TOTO from the perps, so missed the unifier clue. Could make nothing of the theme. FOLLOW-YELLOW had me looking for something that wasn't there -- OW!

    Having a slight respite between an intense week end and another intese sequence that will include the weekend.

    The girls were in the oddest dance comp ever. Judging was ridiculous. Amanda's group got PLATINUM on a lyrical routine where each of them screwed up badly at least once, and a mediocre score on a tap routine that was flawless. And so it went.

    We had a great concert before a very small audience yesterday, but my mom was there, and that was cool.

    Cheers,
    JzB

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  12. Argyle; re:Deathers, ROTFLMAO !!!

    Robyn, Fun Monday speed-run.

    I really liked that TOTO got his (her?) due.

    CIARO next to ANGST was topical.
    NO DICE next to DIE appropriate.

    BEANTOWN finally got a timely hit from Crawford.

    Cheers to all at Sunset ...

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  13. Very nice puzzle Ms. Weintraub- and very nice blog commentary by Argyle - enjoyed all the links and the Geico commercial ( someday, I might even change my car insurance - ).

    Re: Osama, - if people think this is the end - think again - probably 20 wanna-be's are contesting, right now, to take over the bragging rights.

    I really. really wanted 'Kokomo' to the answer for the Indiana city of song. IMHO, Gary is the scary ghetto we pass thru before we enter Chicago.

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  14. Hi There ~!

    WELL SAID ARGYLE ~!

    I "pre-guessed" a finish time of 4:39, and I was 'late' - but still a good run, did the down clues to start, and I actually missed HAMSTER, which is too bad, since the clue 'Pets on wheels' was good.

    And now to be VOCAL - I need to be SEXED, prefer a brunette, but I will take a BLONDE. I was giving the Hooters girl the EYE last night, but of course, she had no IDEA what I was thinking - or maybe she did....

    Maybe with some GIFTS, she would LYE on my SETTEE (or RELAX on the RUG), give me a LUSH kiss, peek under my LEAF at the ENL. - wow ~! I need some AIR - that's being FRESH ~! NO DICE ~! Guess I better stick to the FOOD COURT.

    Splynter

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  15. Mexican afficionadoMay 2, 2011 at 9:42 AM

    In advance, in honor of May 5th ( Cinco de Mayo -) some comments, from my newspaper - no offense intended - in no particular order -

    Anthony Quinn was the first Mexican to win the Academy award - in (& as - ) the movie 'Zorba the Greek'.

    The national sport in Mexico, is not soccer, its bull fighting.

    Five most famous Mexicans - Pancho Villa, Deigo Rivera, Carlos Fuentes, Octavio Paz and Fernando Valenzuela. ( you guess the professions -- ).

    The original margarita, was invented by Dallas socialite Margarita Sames, in 1948, at her vacation home in Acapulco, Mexico. It is the most popular mixed drink in the US, 27% of sales, and we consume on average, 185,000 margaritas per hour. Most popular in Atlanta, Miami, St. Louis and Nashville.

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  16. Very nice puzzle Ms. Weintraub- and very nice blog commentary by Argyle - enjoyed all the links and the Geico commercial ( someday, I might even change my car insurance - ).

    Re: Osama, - if people think this is the end - think again - probably 20 wanna-be's are contesting, right now, to take over the bragging rights.

    I really. really wanted 'Kokomo' to the answer for the Indiana city of song. IMHO, Gary is the scary ghetto we pass thru before we enter Chicago.

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  17. anon, boy, you're a breath of sunshine.

    No one thinks everything's over now just because we smoked bin laden, but is it ok with you if we celebrate briefly the death of the main individual responsible for 9/11?

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  18. Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al,

    Argyle, love your humor, the Geico ad, and educating me with that treo image.

    So enjoyed reading the article and viewing the picture gallery.

    Kudos Robyn, loved your puzzle and your enthusiasm. It was pretty smooth. Needed perps for just a few: yew, ob-la-di, enl;had trouble with "inclined to opine", so I wagged that L.Also wagged the S in Sega (should have known) / theoscars(???)

    HeartRx, sounds magical!I thought I had died and gone to heaven when standing on a glacier in Canada a few years ago.

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  19. Hello Puzzlers - Glad to know I wasn't the only one unable to reach Cruciverb today.

    Standard Monday level of difficulty, plus a nice theme. I'd say a good debut for Robyn, let's see if we can get her to do more!

    Welcome home Heart - there was a bit happening while you were away, such as truly mean weather here and there, a few houses and people blown all the way to Oz. Oh, and there was this really expensive wedding over in England.

    Speaking of the latter: can we all agree that Kate's sister looked awesome in her white dress? I mean, that posterior was truly superior...

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  20. Good Morning All, I'm going to like Robin Weintraub. I thought this was just right for a Monday AND it had some clever clues/fill. HAMSTERS, FOOD COURT and FLIP CHART were new to me and fun to fill in.

    I didn't get the theme right up until 73A/TOTO. My favorite clue/phrase was 52A Hot spot for pizza/BRICK OVEN.

    Wow Barry, not seeing "The Music Man" is almost as difficult as not having seen "The Sound of Music" or "Fiddler On The Roof". They continue to show up on TV and just about every high school or little theater production on a bi-yearly (ha ha..don't want to overdo it) basis.

    I got sidetracked after watching Argyle's Geico link. The "Overly Serious, Hard Boiled Question Guy" has several other videos that are pretty funny.

    Welcome back HeartRx. Glad the skiing vacation was a good one.

    Now, back to news coverage.

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  21. Hi gang,

    Fast one today, loved the theme, caught on after seeing 'FOLLOW' and the first few letters of 'YELLOW'...I felt so smart :)

    The only time I ever ate at a mall food court (10D), I got diarrhea! Don't make that mistake anymore.

    Argyle, Deathers...very good, I was wondering when that would rear it's head :)
    Glad we got the old &^#$.

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  22. Good morning everyone.

    Great puzzle. I love Mondays because I can do them, and "Wizard of Oz" is one of the best.

    I missed FLOP CHART and put in flow chart, which meant writing instrument made no sense, but I paid no attention.

    Truly laughed out loud and repeated your comment about the Donald, Argyle.

    And yes, Dennis. It is a great day and worth staying up so late last night to hear President Obama's speech. Wonder about the discrepancies about the number of helicopters and why it took the president 90 minutes to get to his requested time on the networks.

    Cheers

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  23. oops, can't type today.

    I meant the cAIro/angst thingy.

    Mex: re: Margarita's
    Never cared for mixed drinks.
    I'm just glad I can have my Avatar ... neat.

    Also ... any comment about the puzzle ???

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  24. Hello.

    Caught the puzzle at the LAT site.
    Haven't been there for quite a while.

    Two down and two to go. For non -hockey fans this means Detroit needs to win 4 of the next 5 to stay alive.

    Will celebrate and wait for the shoe to fall.

    take care.

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  25. I thought the puzzle was Monday-easy and very enjoyable. I did it online and tried to be quick but not hasty. I came in a just under 10 minutes. I think navigating the grid online slows me down even though I like online solving. I'm guessing I would be much faster with paper and pencil.

    Seeing Gary, Indiana from The Music Man got me to thinking. We saw a good production of a more modern play yesterday, The Light in the Piazza. It was well-done with neat scenery, good voices and a romantic story. But it left me hungry for some real songs, like the ones from The Music Man. I can easily sing along with any of those songs as well as the songs from Guys and Dolls, Oklahoma, My Fair Lady, etc. But there isn't one song from more modern musicals that I can remember or sing. Is that me or have the qualities that make a good song changed so much since 50 years ago?

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  26. Here are a few photos from the trip. It was a sharp contrast in weather between the glacier skiing and the climate in Munich!

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  27. Good day, everyone!

    Thank, you, Argyle for great blogging and funny joke that made me laugh very loudly. Deathers!

    Nice and easy Monday puzzle from Robyn Weintraub. I also hope we see more of her. It took me a while to grok GARY but with GIFTS and ADORE, it was revealed.

    After sashaying through most of it, stumbled on FLIPCHART as I had FLIP BOARD first, then went back to read the theme. Very clever.

    Oh, and I wrote BISHOP before CLERIC became evident. Speaking of which, I was really impressed with the Archbishop of Canterbury's VOICE. Wow! Deep and sonorous.

    I loved pets on wheels, HAMSTERS
    hot spot for pizza, BRICKOVEN

    I hope you're having a beautiful Monday, everyone!

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  28. Welcome back HEARTRX!

    I want to add my congratulations to our brave SEALS and all who participated in eliminating one of the worst mass murderers in history.

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  29. Hello everybody. I just used up at least two V-8s this morning. I flat out could not figure out what the heck "Theo's Cars" was, and even after I finally saw "Follow The Yellow Brick Road" I still continued to try to parse it as "Theo's Cars." Duh.

    The rest of the puzzle was nicely Monday-easy and really fun. I especiaslly liked "Lead-in for while" which I first read as "Lead-in for awhile." Great clue for our erstwhile friend. Another great clue was "Snug bug's spot."

    "Come this way" made me laugh, because when our granddaughter was a little girl I once invited her to "Walk this way" as I minced and sashayed and wobbled my arms and tippie-toed around and she mimicked me faithfully. So cute! She's still an amazing young woman.

    Too bad there was no room to put a full ENLARGEMENT into the grid. That would have been cool.

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  30. Morning All,

    I'm having a superb Monday which started with this puzzle. Speed run, which is very unusual for me. Very fun ride Robyn.

    Other than the puzzle, reasons for my giddiness:

    That Geico commercial gets me everytime, thanks Argyle;

    Kids successfully tested for their Nidan (2nd degree blackbelt) this weekend;

    The weather is gorgeous today and I had a great bike ride;

    Construction projects are "all go" around town;

    Bin Laden is dead. Excellent job Seals!

    Hope everyone is enjoying the day as much as I am!

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  31. HeartRx, thanks for the photos. It looks like you had a wonderful time.

    Big news about Bin Laden. I echo Dennis, Argyle, and others about it.

    It is singable songs such as "Gary, Indiana" that make The Music Man such a masterful piece of work. Like Joseph Heller who really never was able to match his masterful "Catch 22," Meredith Willson never did write anything else as good as "The Music Man." Doesn't detract from their genius, though.

    Best wishes to you all.

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  32. Clever theme and a “just right” Monday puzzle. I figured the theme out when I had Yellow submarine and then brick oven; I didn’t even need the unifier. I got some perp help with treo and Lento, but otherwise it was smooth sailing. Loved boo boo kisser – Mom, and when was the last time you heard “snug as a bug in a rug”? I also liked the crossing of adore and sexed for some reason. Having to sit through so many meetings, I can’t tell you the last time I saw a flip chart. Most presentations are done as a Powerpoint presentation these days.

    HuskerGary, who all is in your new avatar?

    Everyone enjoy your day. We still can’t warm up here in MN. 35 degrees this morning!!

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  33. Did it again. 21 across is air force ssgt, army is ssg. No typo this time civilians never get it right. Favorite answer yellow submarine. Awes puzzle though.

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  34. Argyle I meant to tell you that I loved that Geico commercial! It was a new one to me...funny, funny.

    HeartRx, thanks for the photos, what a great trip that must have been. We have so many world travelers on this blog.

    Has anyone heard from WH??? I hope he survived the tornadoes!!! How could we check????

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  35. I heard from WH this morning.

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  36. Jeannie, that is my lovely bride and all three grandchildren (ages 14, 8 and 6) at PETCO in Lincoln. That is a necessary stop with those three!

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  37. HeartRx, I like that bike path photo.

    Yesterday, I got a Subway sandwich for lunch. Turkey, bacon and avocado along with some lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, pickles and olives. Really good!

    Jeannie, sorry about your weather. It'll be about 84 here today, warmer than typical for this time of year and warmer than I like it but I'm guessing Lucina might find it cooler than what she's used to this time of year.

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  38. Hello, gang,

    Lots of fun with this puzzle. Just the thing to start off an upbeat week. What with that and the demise of the Wicked Wazeer, things are really looking up.

    Argyle, loved the blog and especially the commercial. I'm really sick of that lizard with the 'English" accent! And why English, I wonder?

    Heartx, I love, love, love your avatar! What kind of bird is it?

    Husker, ".....and have never seen the ubiquitous Geico ads welcome to PBS." Sorry, I don't get it. Are they now showing them on PBS? Not that I've seen!

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  39. HeartRx,

    You slipped in without my noticing-
    back tracking- enjoyed your photos-
    was your DH the photog?
    Sounds like a whirlwind week-welcome back.

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  40. HeartRx:
    I enjoyed your wonderful photos! What a striking contrast in weather; thank you for sharing.

    Bill G:
    Yes! I am reveling in the 80s temps. This has been a lovely spring so far except that one day in March when it reached 100, a precursor of days to come.

    Jeannie:
    I wish I could whiff some of this weather to you. It is so nice, a perfect May day.

    It occurred to me, too, that flip charts aren't used much any more; even my 14 year old granddaughter makes powerpoint presentations for class.

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  41. Bill G@11:05. I don't think it is just you. Somehow, I just can't remember "Seasons of Love" from "Rent", except for "Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes"....da-da-da-dah. Same thing goes for Da-da-da-dah... "listen to to the music of the night." from "Phantom of the Opera. They are very nice songs, they just aren't very singable.

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  42. Hello.

    83 in the back yard. Was lying in
    the sun, topless, getting an all over tan.

    Any one remember the 3M acetates
    for the overhead projectors?

    take care.

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  43. JD - yes! Glaciers make you feel really small!

    Dudley, I heard about the storms while we were in Austria – everyone was wondering if I knew anyone affected. I am still trying to reach friends who live in the area, without success. DH thought I was invited to “The Wedding” and was too embarrassed to take him…

    Bill G. Why can’t they make bike paths like that in the US??? Everywhere you go in Europe, there are hiking and bike paths – you always see people taking advantage of the outdoors. Here, not so much…

    Dodo, I have no idea what kind of bird it is. I just wanted something that looked like spring, after the awful winter we have had!!

    Creature, DH stayed home and took care of the cats “whilst” I was skiing…being from Tennessee, he is not much of a skier….

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  44. Dodo, my comment about Geico and PBS was to point out that Geico is on EVERY commercial TV channel and you would have to go to PBS to escape them.

    In fact all the insurance companies now have some sort of "hook" trying to get people to buy their product and they run all day but Geico seems to be the leader in volume advertising!

    ps I sang John Denver's Follow Me at a lot of weddings years ago. Anyone ever sang his stuff?

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  45. HeartRx, loved your pictures - breathtaking! Haven't been to Germany yet...so many places to see. The best U.S. city I've seen for bike paths would be Boulder.

    Ding Dong the #i!#! is dead :)

    BTW, am I the only one who actually hates The Wizard of Oz? The witch"s voice always scared the ---- out of me.

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  46. Marti, spectacular pix. I don't ski but standing there would be incredible.

    JD, those flying monkeys left an indelible, scary impression on my childhood! Yikes! Reading about the Political Allegories that Baum used in the book is fascinating!

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  47. HRtRx and Dodo,

    The little bird looks like a junco.

    Some of them migrate from as far away as Canada to us in the winter. I've watched them on our feeder all winter. Very dear little birds.
    There are several varieties.

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  48. When I read Sallie's comment about flop chart, I thought I must have made a mistake & hadn't caught it. I had to go back and check the answers & found my flip chart was okay.

    Shower gifts was a gimme for me since I have been to three bridal showers in the last three weeks. The weddings start on May 14, which is my grandson's wedding. And I am serving the punch at the third wedding on June 3. I hope and pray that our weather improves before the weddings take place.

    Dot

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  49. Easy one, even for me!
    It was fun to do an easy puzzle after a day of jury duty!
    Thanks.

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  50. What a splendid puzzle! I don't recall ever enjoying one so much! I hope Robyn comes back on many more Mondays.

    TV show clues are one of my nemises, but I recall Get Smart from before the proliferation of adverts drove me off to the Land of PBS.

    When I came to the unifier at 73A, I already had most of the theme entries, and after FOLLOW THE, I caught the theme and the movie, so I readily plugged in the rest of the letters.

    Okay, now who are the five? Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, Dorothy ... hmm, the clue says five.... I looked to the southeast, and saw _OTO. ??? TOTO! Yes! Yes!

    Over the Rainbow is one of my favorite movies (I love musicals), and Judy Garland never sang more beautifully than this movie's theme song.

    Other clever clues:

    27A Needle hole -- EYE know that.

    53D Boo-boo kisser -- of course!

    And many more!

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  51. CA, I never liked the music from Phantom of the Opera as much as other folks did. And when I got out of the play yesterday, I couldn't remember even one halfway memorable song. I would much rather go to see The Music Man again. Or Guys and Dolls. Or, ...

    EddyB, I used acetates on the overhead projector all the time. Actually, I often wrote directly on the glass and erased it with a spray bottle of water when I was done. I loved overhead projectors 'cause I could write things down step-by-step while still looking at the class. If I was going to use the same material for another class, then I'd use the acetate transparency.

    HeartRx, we have a great bike path here that runs for miles along the ocean but there aren't many others.

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  52. Seeing as this is the first time I finished a puzzle correctly with no aids or google, I am now going to be a pain in the ass and be a CRITIC! A cleric is not a church official. A cleric is a person who could write, and therefore qualified to be under church law. Another "cleric" is a person studying to be a priest, or really, a monk.

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  53. EddyB, I used transparencies all of the time, probably what you call acetates.I loved being able to copy pictures from books onto them, and the class could clearly see the great art work while I read.With a class of 35, it is hard for all to see the pages of a book. Now there are some newer things and you just write on paper, or shine the light on the page of the text. So cool.

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  54. Surprize! Cruciverb.com up and running. Tomorrow's have circles.

    And another goes into OT.

    Gave some one a straight line about going topless. No takers.

    nite.

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  55. EddyB, that visual (you not only said topless, but also 'allover tan') was just too much! I didn't figure there was a response needed.

    Methinks they screwed up the location of one column of circles. I didn't see any notepad on the page, so I'm not sure if we're supposed to do something with the circles or not. I guess I'll find out when i get the hard copy in the morning.

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  56. Good night all.

    Great pix, Heart. Thanks for sending.

    Oh, FLIP CHART. thanks, Dot.

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  57. Thank you, Argyle. It's a lovely little bird!

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  58. Dodo, not exactly words a guy wants to hear...

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