Theme: Who's there? - Theme entries start with ways to get someone to come to the door.
17A. Return on one's investment, in slang : BANG FOR YOUR BUCK
26A. Plain dessert : POUND CAKE
38A. Prada imitation, perhaps : KNOCK-OFF HANDBAG
46A. Jay-Z, for one : RAP ARTIST
61A. Announce one's arrival gently ... as opposed to words that start 17-, 26-, 38- and 46-Across : RING THE DOORBELL
Argyle here. I felt this was a very smooth puzzle, what with three grid-spanning entries. The intensity of the entries seem to diminish until you were merely using your finger. In real life, it would go the other way.
Remember this one? (2:36)
Across:
1. Chinese temple instrument : GONG
5. Nestling noises : PEEPS
10. Leave at the altar : JILT
14. Diva's showpiece : ARIA
15. Group of experts : PANEL
16. Pierre's possessive : À MOI
20. Replay technique, briefly : SLO-MO
21. Relaxing time in the chalet : APRÈS-SKI
22. "There oughta be __" : A LAW
25. Hi-fi spinners : LP's. That's vinyl records, for you youngsters.
30. Playing decks : CARDS
35. Diplomatic bldg. : EMB. (embassy)
36. Juanita's aunt : TÍA
37. Yukon's country : CANADA. Yukon is still a territory, along with Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
42. More greasy : OILIER
43. Extended family : KIN
44. "Bon voyage!" : "BYE!"
45. Fruity-smelling compound : ESTER
49. L.A. bus-and-rail org. : MTA. (Metropolitan Transit Authority)
51. Speak indistinctly : SLUR
52. Begin : INITIATE
57. Gate-hanging hardware : HINGE
64. Voting no : ANTI
65. In an unusual way : ODDLY
66. Student's stressor : EXAM
67. Very familiar note recipient? : SELF
68. "Fetch my smelling salts!" : "EGADS!"
69. Avg. levels : STD's. (standard)
Down:
1. Goes on and on : GABS
2. Unwritten : ORAL
3. Barcelona boy : NIÑO
4. Joke writer : GAGMAN
5. HMO alternative : PPO. (Health Maintenance Organization/Preferred Provider Organization)
6. Musical sensitivity : EAR
7. One-named Irish folk singer : ENYA
8. Magazine with a Stylewatch spinoff : PEOPLE
9. Eat noisily, as soup : SLURP
10. Elbows rudely : JABS
11. "In the morning" radio host : IMUS. Where to Listen, if you want to.
12. Security device : LOCK
13. __ torch: patio light : TIKI
18. Finish the laundry : FOLD. It's not finished until it's put away.
19. Perform another MRI on : RESCAN
23. Oldman or Newman : ACTOR. (Gary or Paul)
24. Ragamuffin : WAIF. Child of the street.
26. Orange __ tea : PEKOE
27. Old Dodge autos : OMNIs. Want one? I have three.
28. Horseshoe-shaped fastener : U-BOLT
29. "The Trial" writer Franz : KAFKA. 1883--1924, Czech novelist writing in German. In his two main novels The Trial (1925) and The Castle (1926), published posthumously against his wishes, he portrays man's fear, isolation, and bewilderment in a nightmarish dehumanized world. (Collins English Dictionary)
31. Furthermore : AND
32. Synagogue scholar : RABBI
33. Times to send in the troops : D-DAYS
34. "Full House" co-star Bob : SAGET
37. Panama crosser : CANAL
39. Co. in Paris : CIE. (abbrev. for compagnie)
40. "Sesame Street News Flash" reporter : KERMIT. (the frog)
41. Hula swivelers : HIPS
46. Family-friendly, filmwise : RATED G
47. German coal valley : RUHR
48. Native American groups : TRIBES
50. Sierra Nevada resort : TAHOE
52. Tax-sheltered accts. : IRA's
53. Store opening time : NINE
54. The "I" in IHOP: Abbr. : INTL. (International House of Pancakes)
55. End-of-the-week letters : TGIF
56. Scandinavian literary collection : EDDA
58. Bakery call : "NEXT!"
59. Happy : GLAD
60. Spreading trees : ELMS
62. Ancient : OLD
63. Yiddish cries of dismay : OYs
Argyle
Note from C.C.:
I think "How I Met My Wife" (from the New Yorker) is the gruntled article Bill G linked some time ago.
I think "How I Met My Wife" (from the New Yorker) is the gruntled article Bill G linked some time ago.
83 comments:
Morning, all!
Man, I never actually manage to get an extra hour of sleep when we go off daylight savings time. I just end up getting up an hour earlier (according to the clock). It doesn't help that my cat has no idea of the time change and wants to be fed at the same time (meow! meow! MEOW!!!)
Smooth puzzle, except for one part that was tricky because I'm an idiot. I swear, I always thought that YUKON was part of Alaska and couldn't understand why the puzzle was referring to Alaska as a "country"...
Good morning,
Got through today's puzzle without any hold ups, but a ???? or two. I guess this is a nit, but I can't ever recall using OILIER in my life.
APRES SKI had to be a slam dunk for Marti.
Don't understand how the clue for 38A and KNOCK OFF HANDBAG fit.
For 17a another clue might have been "service cost of worlds oldest profession".
Enjoy the day. I have a yard full of wet leaves waiting.
Chefwen,This morning I finally found the title to the Sunday puzzle in the Chicago Trib. It was in the Featured Puzzle button. Thank you.
Up very early because of 6 political calls ( count them 6 ! )...at 0400 hours EST ! Will definitely not vote for that ba-----, and send 200 bucks to the other fellow. Loudly cussed out the last 4 callers - felt much better...
Thank you, Patti Varol for a nice, easy and very enjoyable puzzle. Thank You,, Argyle for your lovely blogging.
I had 'RAng the doorbell' and I was wondering why stores opened at 'Nane' .... maybe in Louisiana ....
A cousin, operates a bunch of Optometry stores in 4 local malls, and if the stores are not open on time, or closed at, earlier than the closing time - there is a $ 3,000 charge, by the mall owners, PER Incident. You are supposed to accommodate the very last customer, laggard or not.
Thought of dear Marti at Apres-Ski, ... she's probably already bought her tickets, to the Continent.
Have a good week, you all - and best wishes.
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. This was a pretty easy Monday puzzle. Some answers were filled in before I even read the puzzle.
The trickiest, but very clever clue, was Oldman and Newman = ACTORS.
A nice shout-out to HeartRx with the APRES-SKI.
In my office, we were just given the opportunity to select our health insurance ~ either a PPO or HMO ~ for the coming year.
I had to read KAFKA in my school days. I remember I liked the assignments, but not enough to want to pick up any of his novels today.
I was doing laundry yesterday. I still have a load of towels in the dryer because it got too late and I was too tired to FOLD them.
I was once asked to be a bridesmaid, but the couple called off the wedding before they made it to the altar. That's the closest I have known anyone to actually be JILTed at the altar.
Welcome Java Mama. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Hondo, a Prada handbag is very expensive, so an imitation would be a knock-off.
Happy Monday!
QOD: Sunshine is a welcome thing. It brings a lot of brightness. ~ Jimmie Davis (September 11, 1899 ~ November 5, 2000)
Thank you Patti Varol and thank you Argyle. I did not know what a Dodge Omni looked like so I had to google it. Did you work for a dealership ?
I went pretty quickly through this puzzle, but then came to a halt in the due south. EG_De eventually became EGADS after rereading each of the clues and discovering Yiddish criES of dismay. So it was OYS not Oye I not only missed singular v plural, I also mixed up my Spanish and Yiddish. Given the relative few words I know in each...
Still no TA DA coming, and finally had to turn on "Regular" skill level. Turns out the Chinese temple instrument was not a Bong and 1d Talks incessantly was not bABS.
I like that New Yorker story, and the river scene that Argyle posted.
Anony-Mouse, I'm in the Chicago area. If irritated, I just tell them that I am not going to use any of my votes for their candidate, or that I already used all of my early voting ballots in support of their opponent.
Neat Bridge
Hello Puzzlers -
With three grid spanners, I'd say this is a cut above the average Monday.
Saget was all perps, and I didn't know People magazine had a kid-sister publication.
Until Hatoolah mentioned it above, I didn't notice the cleverness of the Oldman and Newman clue.
Argyle - we had a few Omnis and Horizons when they were new. They seemed quite good for the price.
Cheers all!
Smooth and quick. Had DJS before LPS.
Too easy, even for a Monday.
Something tells me that Kafka's work is probably not on the reading lists of people who come here.
What is it? What is it that tells you what's on our reading lists? You're superior intellect?
Good Monday morning!
I didn't solve clue after clue, but only had top center to fill in when I started vertical clues. While reading Argyle's post, I realized I didn't even read lots of the clues--answers were already there. Nice!
Have a goood day,
Montana
Good morning everyone.
Easy Monday. Even got the theme, eventually! Some words from España - TIO and NIÑO. I counted six K's.
Re: 39d and 63d, CIE in Helsinki is OY. No nits, no lookups, no white-outs. An easy slide into the new week.
Welcome to Chefwan and Java Mama.
I sometimes wonder if we could be far away from this.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Patti Varol, for a swell Monday puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the swell review.
Could not get a good start in the NW, just ARIA and NINO, so I headed to the SE, and worked my way across and up.
Filled in the entire bottom, including RING THE DOOR BELL. Now I had the theme. That helped up above.
Initially I put G RATED for 46D. Now I have a big ink smudge where I overwrote that to RATED G.
PEKOE was easy for 26D. I like Orange Pekoe tea, but not as well as Earl Grey, which is my favorite.
Dodge OMNI was easy. I have driven those years ago. Early compact car.
Did not know CIE or APRES SKI. Perps fixed those.
Off to the dentist in an hour. Just a check up and cleaning, I hope. You never know.
Tonight I go to the polling place to help set up for tomorrow.
Tomorrow will be along day.
See you tomorrow, sometime.
Abejo
Thanks Argyle for telling him/her ! Loved your comment. I read Kafka, but found him boooring. Convinced me that I'd rather die than be an English major. Plus if they have any superior IQ's - they can stuff them.
Yesterday, I had a tough problem - someone rang the doorbell at 2 pm.- which sent my wife ( in her bathrobe, out cleaning the kitchen - ) in a tizzy - we never have any visitors. When I opened the door, I found it was an old friend, and he was canvassing for a Pres. candidate. One hand, I was glad to see him, after a long time - on the other hand, I never talk to political hacks - so I curtly told him to leave - which upset my wife - she felt I was impolite. I actually like him, he's a nice guy, but he was wearing his political 'colors' - and I don't care for any of them - after all, he was there on 'business' - and I reacted in a business-like way. Nothing personal. Only 39 hours and 22 minutes to go....
Good morning everybody. A nice easy Monday puzzle.
I didn't know A TOI, CIE or EDDA, but the PERPS took care of them.
Hondo @ 5:58 am: I like your 17A. Definately not RATED G.
Interesting bridge TTP.
My first car was a Dodge OMNI.
Nobody's been ringing my doorbell. I'm glad I don't live in a swing state. The election's almost over, and then we can go back to our regular commercials and news broadcasts.
Good morning!
I barely have time to comment as today I am subbing for a friend.
Great sashay on Patti Varol's lovely puzzle. I was on her wave length immediately and enjoyed every quick step of the way. Thank you, Ms. Varol.
Thought of Marti a Apres in the chalet.
See you all later today.
I hope your Monday is terrific, everyone!
I bought a used '84 Omni GLH a few years back and then a couple of parts cars. Can give you a package deal.
Patti, re: Cwd. Please make a Monday level puzzle with three grid spanners and some nice fill. Oh, you say you already did? Lovely!
Musings
-BANG/BUCK. Hmm… I wonder which end is going to be the theme. KNOCK/BAG. Now I know.
-A MOI/A TOI? I also have to recall TORO to remember to use an O at the end of a masculine Spanish word. Dern foreign languages!
-APRES SKI? Now who does that remind me of…. (another foreign word!)
-Do any of you still have a turntable for an LP? We don’t.
-Poor Charlie on the MTA – “Did he ever return? No he never returned”
-EXAM anxiety was a real problem for some of my kids
-Today, ORAL beats email and twitter because you have deniability. Ask the PSU idiots.
-I had never seen Shirt FOLDing like this before TBBT
-Bob SAGET is one of many comedians on family sitcoms whose standup is filthy. It seems so disquieting to hear those words come out of people’s mouths for whom you have another image. I linked a routine of his but erased it. Google at your own peril, his act is definitely not RATED G!!
-BTW, we had a priest like that once.
-My purses (read billfolds) last 10 years, cost less than $10 and don’t say PRADA
-JILT. In what famous movie does Claudette Colbert run from the altar to marry Clark Gable?
-“First thing ya know old Jed’s a millionaire and his KINfolk said to move away from there.” Where did Jed go?
Good morning, everybody!
My only problem with this puzzle was misreading HMO as HBO so I was trying to figure out what cable network had "PP" in its name. Otherwise it was an uninterrupted slide to the bottom.
C.C., thanks for posting that gruntled message. I've already forwarded the link to DW and a couple of friends (not that DW isn't a friend).
Good morning and happy Monday to all. Nice and smooth puzzle, and thanks Argyle for your wit and witticism .
To Anony-mouse ; DW and I haven't had a land line phone for at least 6 years we all have cell phones. This eliminates a lot of unwanted and annoying ear funk.
Have a great day to all. RJW .
Hi all. super easy puzzle this morning. Gets me off to a good start.
Speaking of Prada, why on earth (really) would anyone spend over a thousand dollars on a handbag? I Googled Prada and saw a selection of bags - one, a tote, is priced at over $6,000 !!!!! I'm with Husker Gary, my inexpensive purse is fine for me, does the same job and I actually have some money to put IN IT. :)
I never heard of Stylewatch either, but then I never see magazines unless I forgot my book at the hairdresser or doctor's office and am forced to look at theirs.
50D (TAHOE) was a gimmie....it's so beautiful there. JD and Bob, Dick and Irene and Joe and I sure had a lovely visit there in Aug 2011.
Husker, yes I've still got a turntable. It's a belt-drive model and I've also got a couple of new Shure cartridges. The real problem is that I've replaced my electronics over the years, and at the moment I don't have anything with a phono preamp. A few years ago I "burned" copies of my favorite vinyl albums -- the ones not available on CD. And recently I transferred those to my Olive music server.
In answer to your other question, since Buddy Ebsen has passed on, you have to hope he didn't go to "that other place." But I think the answer you're looking for is "Beverly, Hills that is."
Good morning:
Fun, easy puzzle to start the week. Thanks, Patti, for your work, and thanks, Argyle, for your write-up. Loved the Oldman/Newman clue.
Wish CEDave would make an appearance; I miss his humor and his never-ending supply of fun links.
Have a great Monday.
Would you believe that Marfa, Texas, population less than two thousand, has a PRADA store? Actually, Marfa is a quirky little town. It's best known for the mysterious Marfa lights which are claimed to be UFOs. The store isn't real -- it's a "permanent sculpture" there.
Something silly (waddaya mean, what’s new about that?)
Our paper lists famous birthdays from oldest to youngest and I always read the list from top to bottom to see how far I can go before I don’t recognize the names and then bottom to top until I do know someone. Today’s (11/5) names
GOING DOWN
Roy Rogers – would have been 101 today
Elke Sommer – 72 (a cwd friend)
Art Garfunkel – 71 (voice of an angel)
Sam Shepard – 69 (I remember him as Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff and other roles)
Peter Noone – 65 (yes, Mrs. Brown does have a lovely daughter)
Tatum O’Neal – 49 (gotta love Paper Moon where she became the youngest competitive Oscar winner)
DONE
GOING UP
Kevin Jonas – 25
Jeremy Lelliott – 30
Sam Page – 36
Ryan Adams – 38
Jonny Greenwood - 41
Corin Nemec – 41
Heather and Jennier Kinley – 42
Angelo Moore - 47
Etc.
Yeah, I know, I said it was silly and I probably need to get out more.
Good morning All. A nice Monday level puzzle.
Husker Gary, I bought one of those folding boards for my daughter one Christmas. Never could fold shirts as fast as Sheldon. It takes practice and sure isn't as easy as Sheldon makes it look!
Just because I knew the PEOPLE answer doesn't mean I read it. And I knew KAFKA from watching Northern Exposure (anyone remember that episode?)...and I don't believe I've ever read any of his writing. Oh well, I'm only 61, there's time left...hahaha
Welcome to all the new puzzlers. This is a fun place to hang out!
PS - Chickie, how was Lion King? Spectacular, I suspect.
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
Smooth as a Silkie Saturday....hmmm, we have to come up with a name for puzzles like this. Mellow Mondays?
Yep, I nailed 21A!! I didn't even see half of the Down answers until I read Argyle's comments. Like Dudley, I never noticed the cleverness of the Oldman/Newman clue until Hahtoolah pointed it out!
For my first visit to Prague, I read Kafka's "The Castle" before I went. I liked it so much that I read "The Trial" as well. And I have a souvenir street sign that reads:
Námĕstí
Franze Kafky
Staré Mĕsto - Praha 1
(Franz Kafka Square
Old Town - Prague 1)
Husker G. @9:03, the only Colbert-Gable movie I can think of is "It Happened One Night." Is that the one?
Greetings!
Thanks for the fun puzzle, Patti! Great write-up, Argyle!
A walk in the park. Few unknowns filled in by perps. I work across and down simultaneously. Yes, FOLD immediately brought TBBT to mind.
Didn't get much sleep. Had too much liquid before falling asleep. TMI, I know. Body still on PDT. Hate the change.
Welcome, newcomers!
We're having great weather for a person with fibro! (Except for the low barometric pressure.) Fire warnings in hilly areas.
Cheers!
A Monday speed run! No better way to start the week! Many thanks, Patti--I loved those grid spanners. And you too, Argyle, for the always delightful write-up.
I'd addicted to PEOPLE magazine, but can live without "Style Watch," which was news to me too.
Have a great week, everybody!
Speed run here too. For THH, you say you have never used the word oilier. Just note that on the eve of the big election, at least one candidate is oilier than the opponent.
Dudley: PEOPLE does have a big stster --- TIME which is why I switched to THE ECONOMIST which, in my opinion, does report hard news.
I thought this was some where between a Tuesday and a Wednesday in dificulty.
Hi gang -
Pretty nice puzzle, but I thought GAGMAN and RESCAN were clunkers.
Have to appreciate the dense themeage on a Monday, though.
Got APRES SKI and OMNIS totally from perps and didn't even see the clues.
ORAL next to GABS is a nice touch.
We have several proposals on our ballot tomorrow, so I have some home work to do.
IMBO.
Cool regards!
JzB
What a long strange trip its been!
(Curious, as i type the Grateful Dead quote wondering where to put the apostrophe, i realize that "its" in this case means "it has.") Where do i put the dang apostrophe???
Oh well, so much for CED Prolix Corner...
To Continue,,, (with CED Prolix Corner...)
Sorry for the delay, i finally gave up & drove to Brooklyn Sunday so that DW could do some laundry at MIL's house before staying in a Manhattan hotel for work Monday/Tuesday. (We still have no rail transit) I rec'd word from neighbors that our power came on about an hour short of 7 DAYS since we lost it. ( If i had known all it took to get power back was giving up & going to MIL's house, i would have done it days ago!)
Tree down in backyard, nowhere near the house thankfully. Behind the tree, our neighbor with a flat section of roof had the whole thing roll up like a cigar! When i 1st saw it, i thought a tree fell on the roof, but it was just the roof itself, rolled up as neat as can be!
Lots to tell, but i had to read 7 days worth of Blog to catch up 1st. So before i can continue, i must do today's puzzle!
Oh, almost forgot! i finally finished the Saturday puzzle without a single mistake! having nothing else to do in the cold, i kept at it until i got the whole thing! & it only took me 8 hours!!!
Belated HBD Carol!
Hi Y'all, Mellow is good, Patti. So is Argyle's work.
Loved "How I met your wife" piece.
CED, so good to hear from you. What an ordeal! We were all worried about you.
NY and NJ are threatened with another nor'easter Wed into Thurs. with strong winds, heavy rain (snow in some places) and more tidal flooding. It could bring down trees on the power lines again. Today I bought ice, just in case. We know the drill by now. More evening fires with s'mores.
The supermarkets are finally getting fresh meat, veggies, and dairy by the middle of this week. I'll wait until after the storm to stock up.
Hooray! I was able to fill up with gas this afternoon. I was only the fourth car in line. I'll have it in case the new storm causes more gas problems.
This is so bad for all those who are now homeless or without power.
-Yes, Jed took his kinfolk’s advice and moved to Beverly Hills. That show was immensely popular back in the 60’s and now when I come across it, I can’t believe how utterly bad it was! Yikes!
-Marti, Claudette Colbert ran out on her wealthy groom to be with brash and broke Clark Gable with whom she shared an adventure where It Happened One Night. Does anyone know a woman who ran from money and toward poverty?
-C.C.’s link to How I Met My Wife was hilarious!
-John, if you can find a source of hard news sans opinion and slant, you’re lucky. I am happy if I can see opposing sides represented in an oral or print debate where the participants don’t lapse into yelling and talking points.
-Garlic, Scheels is a sporting goods store we love that has locations here in the upper Midwest and their cashiers and clerks are always using the same type of folding boards that Sheldon was using to fold the infinite number of t-shirts they get in and the ones they have to refold. The proprietors don’t like idle hands.
-Re Prada, I haven’t bought a name brand item for an exorbitant amount of money since I bought a Wilson catcher’s mitt at 16.
-Glad you’re back, Dave. I can’t imagine the hardship you have undergone.
-Ron, when I see a “friend” at my door after a long time, it is usually politics or some pyramid scheme like… Well, you know em.
Good Monday puzzle. Thanks to Patti and Argyle.
JzB, in California, we have our share of ballot propositions too. All things being equal, I tend to vote NO since often they are sponsored by big backers with their own self interest getting the benefit. Still, there are a few of them this time worth voting for, one for extra money for the schools. I don't have kids in school anymore but I'm convinced it's the right thing to do anyway.
CED, great to see you back. I'm glad you have your power back. It's getting cold, isn't it? I hope the public transit returns soon. Regarding your question, when IT'S means IT IS, the apostrophe always replaces the missing letter just as in DON'T, CAN'T, etc. When it's a possessive pronoun such as The Dog Chased ITS Ball, there is no apostrophe just like HIS, HERS, OURS, etc.
PK, I'm glad you enjoyed the 'How I Met My Wife' essay. I found it many years ago in The New Yorker.
Good morning Argyle, C.C., et al,
John28, this wasn't a breeze for me either..1st time in awhile I had a Mon. DNF.If I had looked up omnis, ester and CIE would have filled in, but I refused.The blog always gives me a lesson... or 2..or 3. Thanks Argyle.
We still use our LP turntable for all of our favorite C'mas albums.
Husker, did not see my DH's name on the birthday list.It's hard celebrating today, as he goes in tomorrow for a complete knee replacement. He's trying to get everything done that can't wait a month.
People was an easy WAG, as it has its tentacles in lots of places. We subscribe to about 8 mags.(not People) and read them all.Just ordered High Five for grandsons.
I think "How I Met Your Wife" (from the New Yorker) is the gruntled article Bill G linked some time ago.
How I Met MY Wife
Welcome back, CED, linker extraordinaire. If you've been reading the "back issues" you know that lots of folks were concerned about your welfare. Glad to hear that you came through the ordeal unscathed.
Hola Eaveryone, Whizzed through this puzzle today and like Hatoolah didn't even see some of the clues before I had the answers in. This was a nice way to begin my week.
I thought the theme was fun. Someone would have to bang on my door to bring me running as our doorbell is on the fritz right now.
We are in an HMO and one that has very high ratings in our area. We've been with them since 1965.
Today is laundry day here at our house, and I HATE to do the folding. I need one of those t-shirt folders like Sheldon uses. Looks like the perfect thing.
Abejo, good luck with your polling place job tomorrow. I opted out this year, as getting up at 5 in the morning is hard for me these days. This is the first time I've not participated as a Clerk for 5 years. Thank you for your help with this election.
CED, Good to hear from you. What an ordeal for all of you who were in the path of Sandy.
JD, Happy Birthday to your DH! I should have included him in the list. Maybe I overlooked it since he was out of the country for so long in Italia ;-)!
Welcome back, CED. Hope this new storm does not materialize.
Husker, thanks :-)
CC, enjoyed How I met my Wife
CEDave - great to have you back safe and relatively sound!
CED
It's so good to have you back! I'm glad you had no major problems other than a power outage.
This morning I was in such a hurry, did the puzzle in about five minutes, that I didn't savor the cleverness of such clues as Oldman and Newman! I also like the symmetry of those long spanners and as Jazzbumpa said, the density of the themage. Well done, Patti!
Now it's time for a nap as I have been up since 7.
CED: glad you are back.
Some of my former in-laws are having a party to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. My first reaction was "Why?" as in why would they celebrate anything that has made them both so miserable? My children said they had the same reaction. This is a couple who have fought constantly and never said a nice thing about the other partner in all the years I was around them.
Someone asked her once why she didn't leave him. She said, "I'm not done making him suffer." (Along with everyone else in the family.)
About 8 yrs. ago, she got son and husband to move her stuff to a house she had inherited. Her husband said he'd better go pack up some of his stuff. She told him he wasn't welcome to live there. They "date", eating out several nights a week. I'm told he never gets in the door.
Now their kids are throwing them a party. One of the strange mysteries of the universe.
CED, glad to hear that you escaped relatively damage free from this one.
Sakes Alive!
Cross Eyed Dave has RETURNED!!!!
Glad you're OK. Guess you know by reading the past blogs people were concerned for your safety.
Didn't get the OLD man and the NEW man thing.
Read the posts from yesterday and nobody mentioned 122 A "product suffix suggesting noodles"
ARONI????
RAMEN is noodles.
Rice-a-Roni is rice and macaroni, (vermicelli). That's my nit and I'm stickin' to it.
Hi all,
I thought this was a hard puzzle for Monday. I got about 3/4th of it.Never got the theme Oh-well it was fun. I loved Full House. I sgree that Bob Saget wasn't very funny in his stand up comedy shows.
I am in a swing state (Wis)and am so happy it will soon be over.
It's good to hear the Sandy victums are OK.
Have a good evening all.
Marge
I guess I must have missed How I met My Wife the first time. Just read it and found it hilarious!
Hello all, liked the puzzle especially the grid spanners, Chefwan, are you related to xchefwalt? Welcome Java Maria, whic sounds like some who worships coffee like I do, and Argyle, I too am curious why Kafka would not have been read here? I certainly was forced to consider life as a cockroach in my school days.
Speaking of books, has anyone read 11/22/63 by Stephen King? While I am not in love with his horror books, he can write some great stories ( Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile being the first two to come to mind) With the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination comng up, I guess we will be discussing that day, since most of us remember.
I always enjoy Monday puzzles.. I feel so smart.
Thanks TTP. For the link about the bridge.. Never seen that before.
Also I read metamorphosis.. Did not appreciate it. I enjoy historical fiction.
Thanks for all the great posts and links.
CED: Great to have you back!!!
Could someone walk me through how to join the blog without being anonymous ? This was the only way it worked for me , thank you !
It's been a hectic day here...entirely unfair for the first full day of Daylight Wasting Time (DWT). At any rate, late to the party.
The puzzle was a romp. Only hangup was starting the first theme fill with "Bang for THE buck". Easily corrected.
Great to see you back on line, CED. I'm sure you're somewhat scathed, but hopefully still intact.
I finally got to talk to our cousin from Brooklyn. He got by quite easily, but had harrowing tales of a trip into lower Manhattan. Hopefully that won't be revisited with the next storm.
I really enjoyed reading the gruntled piece and have passed it on to other sick minded individuals that can fully appreciate it.
Speaking of humor....and where you least expect it....the funniest thing I saw this weekend was the muffed punt catch by Arizona against Green Bay on Sunday. Green Bay had already lined up to play after the takeaway, but they stopped play to have a booth review....couldn't be sure the receiver had actually touched the ball. WOW! That receiver might want to consider a different career. :-)
Anonymous@6:39, just go to the first page of the blog and on the right side, look for "How to Post a Comment". It'll walk you through the process.
Hello everybody. Great puzzle! Lots of fun.
That gruntled "How I Met My Wife" article was neat-o. Thank you.
LW and I are going to be watching Dancing With The Stars tonight. Can't believe the American public was so shallow and stupid as to vote Sabrina Bryan out; she danced extremely well. It just confirms the whole thing is no more than a popularity contest. But yes, LW and I will be watching it again tonight.
Gotta go. Best wishes to you all.
@Anonymous 639 - I went to Blogger. It seemed easy, as I recall.
Then, you can use it at various places. Looks like most people here did, as indicated by the orange B.
I have to teach people that the bell is near another door (that doesn't open). The house is 160 yrs. old, and is what it is.
@Crosseyed - also had a tree that clipped the garage. The insurers said that tho the tree was the neighbors, we were responsible. We took photos and had it chain-sawed today. Not a piece of wood left. The adjusters are all downstate and won't be back for a while. I understand that.
Franz KAFKA is scary.
@Husker Gary - I don't know the young ones. People magazine looks like something from another country to me.
@Anonymouse - no one should knock on your door at 2 unless your house is on fire (or floating away).
I hated being forced to read Kafka, and also hated Metamorphosis. One of the questions on the test our literature teacher gave us on it was, "What was the significance of the violin music playing?" Damned if any of us students knew or gave a hoot.
I have had many Kafkaesque dreams, and yes, Kafka's stuff is scary. Amazing what a huge influence he has had.
Well, tomorrow's the big day. Hope everyone votes.
There is a candidate that we are voting for. His people came to the door and asked if we support Mr. X.
Yes, we do.
A week later another guy rang the bell and asked if we support Mr. X. Yes, I said that to the other guy last week.
Yesterday the phone rang and the woman asked for DH. I asked who she was. Answer: Mr. X's campaign worker. Told her he was in a football coma and YES!!! @#$(*^&*^%@!!!we're voting for him.
Later the doorbell rang.....
You guessed it. DH pointed to the sign on our lawn supporting Mr. X and said, Who do you think we're voting for?
Let me tell you, if one more person comes to the door for Mr. X, I'm voting for Mr. Y. :-)
I just have to comment on two unrelated topics.
I'm so sorry to see Kafka put down. He was such an original and interesting voice and vision at a time when tons of literature was sentimental crap. And it's a pity that he's thought of as scary when he actually thought of his work as satirical and funny--at least in part. I admired his work enough that I actually made a trip to Prague in the bad old days, when Czechoslovakia was still Communist, to see if I could learn more about him.
Jayce--I agree with you about what a shock it was to see Sabrina voted off on "Dancing with the Stars." I almost wish they'd do away with the popular vote and let the judges rule. But like a lot of people, we've been hooked for years and will be watching tonight.
Have a great evening everybody!
Thanks Argyle for the write up and to Patti Varol for a nice Monday level puzzle. I am glad to see you back safe and sound CED. Klily good to see your post again. I had to put my chocolate lab, Iris to sleep today. Coming home and doing the puzzle got my mind off my sorrow temporarily. I also didn't know the Yukon was in Canada. Love learning new things with each puzzle. Yes, lots of us have read Kafka...but I suppose it makes you feel superior to write something demeaning.
I think today marks all folks accounted for after the storm here on the blog!!!
Tinbeni, toast for my dog please!
CED - Welcome back. Still haven't heard from my buddy in Hopatcong.
klily - I wasn't sure if that bridge had been posted before. An engineering marvel.
Misty, the Saints are playing the Eagles on Monday Night Football. There may be a clue in the future such as New Orleans QB Drew ____. Will you know it ? :) I sure wouldn't know who Sabrina is though... Just found out who Sophia Veraga (sp ?) is the other day.
Michele: I am so sorry to learn that you had to put your beloved dog to sleep. I know how difficult it is to lose a pet.
Misty: I liked Kafka well enough when I had to read him in school, but not enough to read today. Kafka's family was from a little town outside of Prague. My great-grandparents are buried in the same cemetery as his family. We visited the graves on our last trip to the Czech
Republic.
Michele, I'm so sorry you had to have your chocolate lab put down. i can commiserate. We lost a dear dog and an adorable cat that way. It is a real heartache.
I stopped watching "Dancing with the Stars" when I realized that the winner was the most popular, not the most talented.
My first reaction to OILIER today was picturing a slice of pizza. We have a pizza place whose product is OILIER than any others. When you pick up a slice the clear oil runs off. You may call it fat or grease. I call it oil. Not for me!!
TTP, your bridge is amazing.
So TTP, how did you stumble on Sofia Vergara? I think she's gorgeous but as I've said before, she also seems intelligent and has a great sense of humor.
Michele, I'm sure sorry about your dog. That was a sad day around our house for sure. Here are two dog videos from Ellen that I enjoyed today. Ellen's dog videos.
Since you guys enjoyed the other water bridge photos, here's one in Scotland that I could never have imagined. The Falkirk Wheel.
michele: So sorry for you.
There is an emptiness after losing a pet. The routine, that glad-to-see-you response from your dog, the caring for, the medications toward the end of life, All you can do is say that you gave a safe and caring home to a pet who relied on you for nourishment and love and that you gave it. Tears.
CED, great to see you back; couldn't have been a pleasant experience.
Michele, my sympathy -- several of us have been through it, and it leaves a very empty feeling in your gut for quite a while. Hope time helps.
Michele, I am sorry to hear that. They are such great companions. I feel your pain. I have "been there" too many times, but I will keep going back.
Bill, I heard her name on TV the other day and recalled that you had mentioned her name once or twice or before, so I looked up. It was a commercial for Modern Family.
TTP, her character on Modern Family is preggers now. Goodness knows how she ever got that way...
Michele - I am so sorry for your loss. I have been through it.
Jayce, do you vote for Dancing with the Stars? There are so many great dancers on this season, it comes down to who I least want to see again every week.
Every week I think I won't vote for Kirstie Alley, then she makes me laugh and does something I couldn't do at age 60 so I want to see her again. But I don't think she should win it.
Michelle, sorry for the loss of your sweet dog.
TTP, thank for the Drew alert. Jayce, I feel exactly the same way about Kirstie Alley.
And Hahtoolah, how nice that you were able to visit both family and Kafka in the Prague cemetery.
I remember Kirstie Alley from Cheers. I thought she was a big improvement over Diane and I thought she was one of the sexiest women I'd ever seen.
Do any of you watch Treme? I am mixed about the show. I love most of the music and most of the characters but the story is kind of jumbled up. The wonderful Asian girl who plays fiddle was singing a song in the background but the lyrics were hard to pick up. I sure recognized the tune though but I didn't know the name. It just wouldn't come to me. So I Googled every combination of lyrics that I could understand. Finally, when Googling "Midnight Flyer New Orleans," one of the hits was Chuck Berry. Bingo! It was "Promised Land." My old rusty brain supplemented with Google sussed it out. It doesn't take much to make me happy these days.
michele
I'm so sorry about your loss. That is so painful and also why I don't have another dog. It is wrenching to lose them.
Congrats Lemonade714 on your new addition!
PK, you play guitar? I was looking at Banjos, but also did not want to have to learn all new chords.
Rats! I missed the Halloween puzzle!
Anonymouse, have i got a cat story for you, but it will have to wait until i can fit in another CED Prolix Corner...
AvgJoe,,, Thanksgiving,,,big bird!!! Awwwww...
Michelle, sorry to hear of your loss.
Re: todays puzzle theme, which would you prefer.
Cat knocks to get in
Cat rings to get in
Cat just drives you crazy!
Thank you so much for your empathy for my loss of Iris. I was trying to change my avatar to her picture but haven't figured it out yet. The kindness amongst blog members drew me to this group for a reason. The office asst at the vet's kept calling Iris "him"...I kept correcting her. I named her after a character in a Joyce Carol Oats novel.
Bill, you need to link the song! You have me wanting to hear it now.
I will have more dogs. I have Iris' daughter now, Sam. She is 11 yrs old. She is a yellow girl where her mother was chocolate. She has never been away from her mom over night. I think she is doing much better than I am.
Ha ha CED you are BACK! Those were funny. Thanks everyone.
OK Michele, here ya go. Turns out Elvis did a nice version too. The Asian fiddle player on Treme played it really well too but it was kinda in the background.
CHUCK BERRY.
ELVIS.
Bill
Thanks, I think I like the Elvis one better, but it's a great song either way. Iris was born on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It will be my tribute song for her.
Dave,
Yay! You're finally back.
Michele,
I'm so sorry about your loss of Iris. Tears...
Blue Iris,
I hope your daughter continues to improve.
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