Theme: Gangster's Gotchas: Four tools in the grab-bag of crime-fighting.
20A. Shot from the side: PROFILE PICTURE. I looked for a picture of Barbra Streisand to illustrate the point, but instead found this rather neat example:
34A. End of Ali's memorable boast: STING LIKE A BEE. Not Ali MacGraw's "Love means never having to sting like a bee"? - no, wait.
42A. Diner’s cell app: TIP CALCULATOR. Please tell me no-one uses this app. I once had lunch with a business associate who got a tip card out of his wallet to calculate the tip on a $99 check.
56A. Makeshift radio antenna: WIRE COAT-HANGER. Almost every car in the UK had one of these when I was growing up. The "disaffected youth" had a habit of breaking off the factory-installed telescopic ones. People got creative with them:
and the unifier:
71A. Agts. who might use the starts of 20-, 34-, 42- and 56-Across: G-MEN. George "Machine Gun" Kelly's nemeses according to the official history of the F.B.I.
Hi everyone! Steve here with Wednesday's offering from Amy Johnson. I liked the theme and I found some fresh cluing and fill. A couple of long downs too, so a lot to like. I think I had just one grumble or gripe and that was it. Let's see what else we've got.
Across:
1. Beavers’ projects: DAMS
5. Eat on the run, as a sandwich: GRAB
9. Dainty drinks: SIPS
13. Thick-furred dog: SPITZ. This one is called Boov:
15. Opera that premiered in Cairo in 1871: AIDA
16. Make ribbing with needles: KNIT. I tried to learn to knit once to make a beanie to ski in. After six months I gave up and bought one.
17. Ski lodge mugful: COCOA. Not my first thought here - Glühwein, Vin chaud, Mulled wine, Hot Toddy. After a day out there I need warming up with something stronger than cocoa!
18. Febreze target: ODOR
19. Wine bucket, e.g.: ICER
23. Bygone full-size Ford: LTD. Pronounced "El-Tee-Dee" and still going strong in some places:
24. Federal air marshals’ org.: T.S.A. I'm very familiar with the Transportation Safety Administration who have limited the size and quantity of items which may be carried through the security checkpoint. For further information, I can contact my carrier or the nearest T.S.A official. Ya think I go through airports much?
25. __ Nashville: country music label: MCA
26. Cosmetics mogul Mary Kay: ASH. I had no idea this was her full name.
29. Physics particles: IONS
32. Celeb with all the answers: TREBEK. I read today that Alex will probably not sign a new "Jeopardy" host contract when his current one expires next year, and Matt Lauer, Anderson Cooper and Dan Patrick are all being mentioned as possible replacements.
37. Green Hornet’s driver: KATO
38. Habit wearer: NUN
39. Sack lead-in: KNAP
47. Like cheerleaders: RAH-RAH
49. __ majesty: high treason: LESE. I'd seen this phrase before but I don't think I knew the definition. Apparently from the Latin and translated as "Injured Majesty". Nice to know!
50. Scheming: SLY. I like that a sly plan could be a scheming scheme.
51. Legal ending: -ESE
52. Lamb’s pop: RAM
54. Billy’s bleat: MAA. Of course, I can always tell if it's a goat or a sheep behind me. Sheep go BAA.
62. Valentine’s Day deity: AMOR. Now this one I have a little problem with. I'd call the deity the god or goddess of love, not the love itself. Cupid or Venus would be the dio or dea dell'amore? What think ye?
63. “Modelland” author Banks: TYRA
64. Scrabble’s blank pair: TILES. Not my Scrabble Blank Stare when I'm looking at a rack of ZXTKQDJ
66. Respond to hilarity: ROAR
67. “A likely story”: I BET
68. Bridge bid, briefly: ONE NO. Slight misstep here when I filled in ONE NT for those No Trumps.
69. Netflix rentals: DVDs These will be joining VHS tapes as "Bygone Rentals" before very long when we're all beaming digital movies directly into our brains, or at least into our Google Glasses.
70. So-so grades: CEEs It's relative. I was delighted when I got my first C in math when I'd been mired in the D-territory for so long I despaired I'd ever get out.
Down:
1. Gallantry-in-combat mil. award: D.S.C. The Distinguished Service Cross.
2. Per: A POP. I like this!
3. Very small: Pref.: MICR. Hmmm. Not convinced. I've been trying to think of something very small where the prefix wasn't actually MICRO and I've drawn a blank.
4. Island seating: STOOL. Kitchen island aha! I was wondering why stools were peculiar to maritime islands.
5. Brit’s joint: GAOL. Oscar Wilde wrote a fine poem "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" when he was incarcerated there. The nature of the conviction against him forced the publication of the work under the pseudonym "C.3.3" which stood for Cell block C, Landing 3, Cell 3.
6. Hitchhiker’s hope: RIDE
7. Get a pound pooch, say: ADOPT
8. Coffeehouse specialist: BARISTA. A few years ago we'd all have been scratching our heads "wha'?". Now it goes straight in.
9. Satirical miniature: SKIT
10. Officeholders: INCUMBENTS. I was on the filing cabinets or paper trays track for a while.
11. Fillmore’s successor: PIERCE. Franklin following Fillmore; POTUS numbers 13 and 14 respectively.
12. Bolt in the buff: STREAK. Fun clue.
14. Full-figured: ZAFTIG. More learning for me today. I must have seen the word at some time because I did recognize it, but I sure had some non-PC ideas when I had -A--IG. "DAM BIG" was the least offensive.
21. Superstar search show, to fans: IDOL. Not an American Idol fan, I don't think I've ever seen an episode in it's entirety.
22. Atkins no-no: CARB. Funny how some eating plans work for some and not for others. Probably 50% of my diet are carbohydrates.
26. Pose: ASK
27. RR stop: STA
28. “Get lost”: HIT THE ROAD. I think only people called Jack can be told to hit the road.
30. Simone of jazz: NINA. And a perfect excuse to hear the wonderful voice of the lovely Nina Simone
31. Hard head?: SKULL
33. “__ mouse!” EEK! A I know some purists might not like this partial, but I did for some reason.
35. Bleak film genre: NOIR.
36. Suffix with differ or defer: ENCE
40. Pioneering ISP: AOL.
41. Meddle: PRY
43. Jardin du Luxembourg, par exemple: PARC. A big park in Paris. My favorite is the Parc des Princes, the national soccer and rugby stadium. The landscaping is a little different.
44. Utterly confused: CHAOTIC
45. West Point inits.: U.S.M.A. The United States Military Academy. Looks like a nice, tranquil place to complete your Bachelor's degree and I'm sure the food is good.
46. Primitive shelter: LEAN-TO
47. Wanted poster offer: REWARD
48. “Foundation” author: ASIMOV. I had the "S" and the "V" and I'd struggle to think of any other author that would fit
53. “It could happen”: MAYBE
55. Gerontologist’s concern: AGING
57. Gets the wrong total, say: ERR. And the erring never seems to be in your favor when it happens.
58. Branch locale: TREE
59. Small business owner’s figurative array: HATS. Is there a theoretical maximum to the number of hats one can wear?
60. Ne or Na: ELEM. The elements Neon and Sodium. New game - best word you can make with two elements and a conjunction? Mine's PANDAS for phosporus AND arsenic
61. Artist Magritte: RENE
65. George W., to George H.W.: SON. Four presidents in today's puzzle.
I discovered the phrase "Post Turtle" last week and I'm still laughing about it. I'll leave it at that in case you think I'm implying that one of our 11D or 65D gentlemen prompted me to mention it. See you next time!
Steve
Notes from C.C.:
1) Happy Birthday to dear Spitzboov (Al), who served in the Navy in the late 50s. He also served in the Navy Reserve for 21 years. When he retired at age 60, Al was a Commander. Now you know his love for the Navy! Al made it possible that Boomer and I have the best flag in the neighborhood.
 |
| Spitzboov & his lovely wife Betty, US Coast Guard Academy, New London, CT, August 2012 |
2) Argyle commented "Oh-oh, one of those words" on yesterday's entry AREEL (54A. Spinning dizzily). I received this email from Don in California. He said:
"I do the LA puzzle every weekday (too "crazy-hard" on the weekend!).
I'm a casual reader of your blog who enjoys your daily write-ups and I
don't want to post anything. I was wondering what you think of, or how
you deal with, puzzles that contain "words" that don't appear to be real
words like "AREEL" and are not found in the dictionary. Isn't there
some sort of rule that they need to be in the dictionary? It's bad
enough with all of the "sayings" that appear constantly like "NODUH".
I did not find AREEL in my Webster's College dictionary, or any online dictionary. But I remember once complaining about ALOP, then someone found ALOP in a dictionary. I'd like to hear your thoughts on Don's email. What words/abbrs do you hate to see in a crossword grid?
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteNot a difficult puzzle today, but even so I failed to get a TaDa. Why? Because I put in Pierre for Pierce. Hey, it fit, and the cross clue dealt with country music, a definite weak area for me.
I was amused to see Zaftig today - for some reason I like those kinds of quirky Yiddish-derived words. On a related note, the famous Boston deli, Zaftig's, has opened a second location in another Massachusetts town. Which one? Why, Natick, of course!
Morning, all (and Happy Birthday, Spitzboov)!
ReplyDeleteJust could not get on the puzzle's mental wavelength today. Partly because of some unknowns (PARC, ONE NO), partly because of some ridiculous fill (MICR) and mostly because of lack of sleep on my part. For some reason, half the clues just didn't seem to make sense to me, or else seemed to be missing a key element.
[higiose]
Good morning, gang - I had some of the same problems that Steve encountered (outstanding write-up, BTW), most notably with MICR. I doubt anyone would try to clue 'Very small: Pref.' with the answer being NAN.
ReplyDeleteI also stumbled at 8D, thinking it was spelled BARRISTA; I guess I was thinking of the word 'barrister'. Also, as with Steve, I didn't know, or forgot, Mary Kay's last name. Mostly smooth otherwise, although I didn't have a hint as to the theme until GMEN. Nicely done.
Off for a bit of surgery; hope it's a fun day for everyone.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteNicely done, Steve. AMOR is another name for EROS, so it is the deity and not the "thing."
I don't think young folks who grew up with electronic CALCULATORs ever learned to do mental math. I'm always confusing checkout clerks by handing them a few extra cents so my change will round up to a quarter.
I'm not a coffee-house patron, so I had to perp BARISTA. And I've never watched an episode (do they have episodes?) of IDOL in its entirety or non-entirety.
HBD, Spitz. Nice photo of you (no, not the furry one) and Betty.
Good morning Steve, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteAnd happy, happy birthday, Spitz! I never knew there was a dog named for you!!
.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:.
Lovely puzzle and write-up today. Thanks for all the neat details, Steve. And highest kudos for finally explaining the mystery of sheep vs goat language. I shall be forever in your debt! (^0^) Oh, and I totally agree with you about COCOA being the last thing I would order at Après Ski…
My two glitches today were with the military abbr. DSM (is it DSO, DSC or DSM?) and USMA (is it USMC, USNA or USMA?) both had me swapping around letters as I filled in the perps.
Interesting email from Don. I know there are words /abbr. that I will never use in one of my grids. BSH (bushel) and BCH (bunch) come immediately to mind. I just try to avoid anything too obscure, and usually will do a google search if a word looks questionable. I wonder what others think?
Happy first day of spring….with snow and ice covering everything, it sure doesn’t feel like it!
Jeez, I forgot that fast: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Spitz!
ReplyDeleteGood Morning, Steve and friends. This was a fun speed-run for me today. Several of the answers were filled in before I even had a chance to read the clues. I liked the theme and the unifier tied it all in for me.
ReplyDeleteAs Steve noted, lots of nice fresh clues. I especially liked Bolt in the Buff = STREAK.
I wanted a (hot) Toddy instead of COCOA for the Ski Lodge Mugful.
Island seating almost got me, and I was sitting on a stool at my kitchen Island while I did the puzzle.
Happy Birthday, Spitzboov! Enjoy your special day.
QOD: A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed. ~ Henrik Ibsen (Mar. 20, 1828 ~ May 23, 1906)
[rcohoss]
ReplyDeleteThank you Amy Johnson and thank you Steve.
Started to make a mess in the NW with DSm and then mOChA instead of COCOA, but SPITZ was solid and I soon remembered Cross not Medal for Distinguished Service. Fillmore and Pierce. 2 in a row. No wonder Thoreau went off into the woods. Speaking of Civil Disobedience, have you seen the news about Cypress ?
I did not like the clue for GRAB. Concur on AMOR. Not an A POP fan. Per and each are enough. I too liked "Bolt in the buff." I was all over Bolt as in bolt of cloth, and raw along the lines of cloth not yet made into an aricle of clothing, so thank goodness for the perps.
Desperotto, too funny and too true. I get the blank stares when I do as you described. Just tell them to punch the amount you gave them into the register and let the machine do the work.
Last year on this date the temp in Chicago was 85. It is 14 now, and we may get to 24. Spring has not sprung.
Happy Birthday Spitzboov !
Half awake due to DH's really sore throat. Went to 24 hour pharmacy to get meds. Puzzle clues were kind of clumsy to me.
ReplyDeleteCould be because of sleepiness.
One mistake USnA.
Back to bed.
Brrrrrr from Chilly Chicago!
ReplyDeleteNice puzzle today, I too enjoy the long down answers.
Learning moments came from PARC, LESE, ASIMOV and SPITZ. Speaking of, Happy Birthday Spitz! And thank you for your service.
I liked 4D about the Island Seating. I didn't get it at first, even though I have an island with stools in my kitchen.
I don't really care for the text-ese that appears in some puzzles. Words like LOL, TMI, etc. I get that they are a part of our modern language, but they seem so slangy and temporary to me. In 20 years nobody will remember what they meant.
I was at a book store once and they had a sign up they were hiring a BARISTA. I had to ask what exactly that was, because I had no clue.
Enjoy your day! Especially you, Spitz!
Pas de chat! Glad to see you in the wee hours!
ReplyDeleteGood morning, folks. Thank you, Amy Johnson, for a swell puzzle. Thank you, Steve, for the swell review.
ReplyDeleteArgyle and Don in California:
From the entry that you posted which I copied below, I will comment. I have "The New York Times Crossword Dictionary Second Edition" copyright 1974. I looked up AREEL. It was not listed on its own. However, I looked up REELING and a synonym is AREEL, as well as LURCH, TURN, FILATURE, STAGGERY, and WAMBLING. However, I could not find it in my Webster.
Hope that helps.
As for the puzzle today, it was good. A couple areas were tough. I had MINI for 3D for a while. Fixed that to MICR. Never heard of ZAFTIG. Got it with perps.
For 56A I had WIRE ON AT HANGER. I knew it was wrong. CHAOTIC fixed all that.
Had RAH FOR for 47A. Knew that was wrong, as well. RAH RAH appeared.
Lots of ink blots today.
See you tomorrow. Very cold here. 17 when I got up. TTP concurs.
Abejo
(boalsvt)
2) Argyle commented "Oh-oh, one of those words" on yesterday's entry AREEL (54A. Spinning dizzily). I received this email from Don in California. He said:
"I do the LA puzzle every weekday (too "crazy-hard" on the weekend!). I'm a casual reader of your blog who enjoys your daily write-ups and I don't want to post anything. I was wondering what you think of, or how you deal with, puzzles that contain "words" that don't appear to be real words like "AREEL" and are not found in the dictionary. Isn't there some sort of rule that they need to be in the dictionary? It's bad enough with all of the "sayings" that appear constantly like "NODUH".
I did not find AREEL in my Webster's College dictionary, or any online dictionary. But I remember once complaining about ALOP, then someone found ALOP in a dictionary. I'd like to hear your thoughts on Don's email. What words/abbrs do you hate to see in a crossword grid?
I had the same hang-up with MICR, but I chuckled at SPITZ crossing it. Once I found that BARmaid didnt work, I tried BARISTA, and everything else fell into place. Hand up for never having watched IDOL.
ReplyDeleteI dont need a TIP CALCULATOR- just take 10%, double that amount, and youre in the ballpark. Was the service good? 20% Lousy service? 10%. Fair is 15%.
How many people remember who preceded Alex TREBEK on Jeopardy??
Was IT BETTY WHITES HUSAND?
DeleteArt Fleming
DeleteSpitzboov:
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday.
Abejo
(addeuni)
test
ReplyDeleteFailed to get the TaDa today because I had BAA instead of MAA. Silly me confusing my animals! Liked that LAMB'S POP and BILLIE'S BLEAT were next to each other.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Steve about MICR and AMOR (wanted EROS)
Alex Trebek again. We should have had ORR today - it's his birthday!
ZAFTIG is my word for the day! It is much kinder than fat.
Happy Birthday Spitz!
Good Morning everyone. Steve, LMAO at your 13a comment.
ReplyDeleteGot PROFILE PICTURE right away, which with the unifier at 71a helped start the other long acrosses. 12d, STREAK reminds me of the uniform I was wearing 75 yrs ago today. Liked 60d, ELEM. I would say that 52a and 53a are clechos, both involving ram or billy goat.
C.C. thank you for your special greetings and warm comments. Thank you all for your good wishes.
Spring sprang at 0702 local time this morning. Now if we can only get the snow to melt………
Good morning all. Happy first day of Spring? And a very happy birthday Spitz. Couldn't ask for a better shout out in the puzzle than that.
ReplyDeleteWith 1A being a slam dunk a false sense of security was in place. This was no cakewalk IMO. Took a lot of wags and lots of perp help to get it done. Especially Zaftig, which seemed vaguely familiar, but it was all perps.
And I'm not sure that "To market, to market, to buy a Zaftig..." sounds quite right to the ear. :-)
Came to the Blog today with a couple of major knots instead of nits, but reading Steves' write up really mellowed meowt. Wow, really loved 30D Nina,,, Awesome!!!
ReplyDelete3D micr, meh!
62A I am not amorous with...
I was looking at the partial letters I had for zaftig, & thought maybe I should rearrange them as fatpig, but again, Steves write up up mellowed me out
I even thought after reading the write up that 18A, Fabreeze Target, could me misconstrued as "acat."
P.S. loved the car antennas
Which reminds me,,, Spitzboovs Birthday! Oh my gosh, I must do something special.... but where the heck am I going to find a boat that will fit on the Blog????
Sometimes a word that does not exist just sounds like it should exist.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning all - Fun puzzle today - thanks Amy. Just enough crunch for me. Great write-up Steve.
ReplyDeleteWorked on-line with no red letter help, but no Tah Dah when it was all filled in - Arrgh! Looked and looked and looked, tried a few different letters with no success. I finally turned on the red letters and I had put EZE instead of ESE. Oh well - almost perfect - again. :)
A couple of unknowns but they were filled in with perps.
As others, love when I give cashier some coins with the bills so I can have just 1 or 2 bills back w/o coins, and they tell me I gave them too much money. Use your head please!
WEES about COCOA - Not my first choice after skiing either.
MIL was a beautiful knitter and crocheter making gorgeous Christmas stockings for her grandchildren.
26A - Thought ASH referred to her ASH blonde hair - will have to file one that away.
Bill G - Funny story. I always start in the back so I don't have to go out quickly. Pleaseeee - need to hear Part 2....
Dennis - Good Luck with your surgery.
Happy Birthday Spitzboov - have a great day.
Happy Wednesday everyone!
SPITZ in the grid was a nice "shout-out" to our birthday boy.
ReplyDeleteEspecially with the PICTURE of BOOV! Cute dog.
As for the 3-d answer, MIRC ... Thumper (:11).
Also thought the cluing for SKIT was weak.
ZAFTIG & ASIMOV were my faves today.
My mugful wanted to be Avatar (PINCH, of course) before COCOA.
A "toast" to ALL my Crossword Corner friends at Sunset.
Cheers!!!
Hi there~!
ReplyDeleteHappy B-day Spitz - and I loved the pic of the dog named "BOOV", Steve; as to your element question, I have
W-OR-Se
And "DAM BIG" was funny, too~!
Splynter
"Makeshift radio antenna" reminded me of our first TV set. We couldn't afford cable so we had some rabbit ears to get the local stations. That didn't seem to do it so we extended them with aluminum foil to make them longer/fatter. Voila - a viewable picture. Looked bizarre but it worked.
ReplyDeleteFermatprime - hope you can find a solution to have help come at the touch of a button. A terrible predicament to be in.
Steve, fun expo. I recognized your style from the start. It is neat that each blogger has a recognizable style.
ReplyDeleteMy ribbing is beginning to KNIT, at last. It’s been 3 weeks so far.
I often hear A POP for each, but I don't say it myself.
I agree with D.O. that AMOR is another name for the deity Eros and so is legit.
Happy birthday ,Spitz. I always enjoy your posts. The adorable dog picture reminds of the adorable little boy picture that used to be your avatar.
I was reading “mogul” instead of mugful, at first.
My dictionary lists MICR- and MICRO- as combining forms, but all its examples are MICRO.
It seems LESE and Lesion ultimately come from the same Latin root, so the idea of injury makes LESE Majesty easier to parse.
Thank you Amy Johnson, a very nice puzzle. I stopped complaining about obscure words and Pref. and Abbr. and whatever, a long time ago. Sometimes that's what the 'fill' requires. I completed the Cross Word.
ReplyDeleteThank you Steve, good to 'see you' betwixt your travels. So refreshing to hear of your wit and humour. You and the TSA must be on a first name basis by now. I see now that the TSA will allow micr. penknives as carry-on baggage. Whoopsie doo. I once tried to explain to a young TSA agent that the jar of curry paste was not a 'fluid'. I was trying to explain the subtleties of Non-Newtonian fluids, (like toothpaste - ) when she looked at me, in a most disinterested manner, and casually opened her fingers, and dropped the bottle to the floor, shattering it. From then on, it was a moot point...
Profile picture ? Three blondes, eye witnesses to a major crime, were being interviewed, individually, by a detective. He showed the first one, a mug shot of the suspect, the alleged perp.
The (1st) blonde said," This man has only one eye."
The detective explained that the picture was a profile mug shot, from the side, hence the other eye could not be visible.
The second blonde said the same thing, and got the same explanation.
The third blonde said, "This man is wearing contact lenses."
The detective checked the photo, and the accompanying bio-data, and found out, sure enough, the alleged perp used to wear contact lenses. The detective was very impressed. He asked the third blonde, however, did she discover that the man wore contact lenses, which was impossible to discover in the photo, or even in real life ?
She replied, " Duh, he couldn't have worn glasses, cause he has only one ear."
Good day, all.
I like all the odd A-words I find them quaint and poetic. AREEL is rarely found in dictionaries, but I see it quite often in books. Usually someone‘s head (especially a female‘s) is AREEL. Giddy women!
ReplyDeleteAn excerpt from "The Last Bowstrings" by Edward Lucas White about a woman seeing her beloved go out to fight a losing battle during the siege of a town:
He buckled on a fresh cuirass,-
His own was but a tattered mass
Of gory thongs. I saw him pass
Out of the portal; with good-byes
And blessings filled with yearning sighs.
For the last time I saw his eyes.
Each moment all my blood AREEL
I felt the thrust of deadly steel
I knew his body soon must feel.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteSmooth sailing for the most part; had mini before micr but that didn't last long. Was oblivious to the theme until the unifier. Liked the clues for streak and hats.
Happy Birthday, Spitz. Lovely picture of you and Betty and the "furry" one is too cute"!
Thanks, Amy, for a mid-week romp and thanks, Steve, for your witty and enlightening expo.
Lemon,I forgot to mention how beautiful Charlotte is in her new picture. She is certainly a happy little girl!
Welcome back, Tin, we missed you. And, Hondo, we miss you, too.
Happy Spring, as I look out on a beautiful winter wonderland of freshly fallen snow.
Also
ReplyDeleteP-OR-No
La-FOR-Ge ( Star Trek )
Mo'-BUT-Ta...on yer bread
Splynter
Happy Birthday, Spitzboov and many more. Much joy and happiness. Thanks for your many explanations on varied subjects.
ReplyDeleteGood shout out in the puzzle for you today.
oc4beach here.
ReplyDeleteNot a bad run today, but I agree with many about MICR and AMOR. Plus too many words are used in crossword puzzles that are in the dictionary but should have been removed long ago. When was the last time you used the word ATILT or ABED in a sentence?
Desper-otto: Cashiers/clerks young(-er than I am) have not learned basic math skills, among other things. I've had a few of them try to give me back the extra pennies because they couldn't figure it out without the register telling them what the change should be. Sad.
61Rampy: I think Art Fleming was the original Jeopardy host with Don Pardo as his first announcer.
A good Wednesday puzzle. Thanks, Amy Johnson, and thanks Steve.
ReplyDeleteI got most of it but didn't see the theme until the unifier. But, I rarely see the theme.
Favorite clue: 7d get a pound pooch,say. DH and I ADOPTed avatar- Maggie- a year ago tomorrow! This 3 year old former stray hit the jackpot in homes. She may be a teeny, tiny bit spoiled. Thanks to the League for Animal Welfare for getting us together.
Happy Birthday, Spitz! Love your namesake.
Another cold, sunny day. Need to get up and accomplish something.
Happy hump day!
Pat
Hi All ~~
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this puzzle ~ thanks, Amy Johnson, and got through it with just a few missteps. Thanks for a wonderful write-up, Steve ~ I love your style!
~ Write-overs at 26D - with 'Sit' before ASK for Pose, and 'Mini' before MICR at 3D.
~ At 42A Diner's cell app, I was thinking of something that ended in - 'Locator' so that held up that section for a bit.
~ Perps needed for DSC, MCA and ZAFTIG- although I recognized it once it appeared. I know it's been in other puzzles.
~ Favorites: 12D - STREAK and 16A - KNIT. ~ Glad you're healing, Yellowrocks.
~ Sending good thoughts your way, Fermatprime ~
Happy Birthday, SPITZboov! I liked your shout-out even before I learned it's your special day ~ have a happy, healthy year!
Happy Spring, everyone!
Celeb with all the answers.
ReplyDeleteShouldn't it be questions?
Who is Trebek?
@Anon 10:38 - you've got a very good point there.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Spitz!
Thanks to all who filled in my knowledge gap regarding AMOR. As I said to C.C. earlier today, I love this group - I'm always learning something new.
@Anony Mouse - you get your bags x-rayed going into Australia. I gave their security a fit when they saw six bags of what looked like crystal meth in my suitcase arriving from London. They actually had to open one and taste it before they would believe me that it was Maldon Sea Salt and I was taking it home to LA because it costs three times as much here. It did look mighty suspicious when they showed me the scanner picture.
Alex TREBECK is the host of the Emmy award winning TV game show, Jeopardy, beginning in September 1984.The show has “a unique answer-and-question format in which contestants are presented with clues in the form of answers, and must phrase their responses in question form.”- Wiki.
ReplyDeleteFor example the contestants would be given the clue or answer, , “Fillmore’s successor.” The correct response would be, “Who is Pierce?” the question.
This may seem weird to newcomers, but many of us here soon liked the format and became addicted to this show.
IMO the response to those named in the blog as Trebeck’s successors, should be “Who is none of the above?”
Amy, what a clever, clever puzzle! And I got the whole thing! Okay, it's only Wednesday--but still, Yay! And thanks for lots of interesting info in your expo, Steve. I never heard that about Wilde's pseudonym for his Reading Gaol work. Also the explanation for why LESE majesty means treason. And who knew that West Point was so gorgeous! So, many thanks.
ReplyDeleteLoved Anon 9:38's explanation for AREEL.
Loved both of the SPITZ photos. Happy birthday, Spitzboov!
Loved the Ibsen quote, my favorite dramatist.
What does "Post Turtle" mean? Our 50 year old gopher turtle want to know.
Have a great Wednesday, everybody. So glad spring has sprung!
Steve's question. I suggest 'cork'. C or K. as in "put a cork in it", or what you remove to get at your favorite libation.
ReplyDeleteHBDTY and many more SB; really cute doggy. I am amazed Amy and Rich Norris knew it was your birthday.
ReplyDeleteDennis, "a bit of surgery" sounds like a little pregnant, I hope it goes well whatever it is.
Zaftig and Zelig are tow of my favorite Z words.
MICR is just wrong, it must have the O to be a prefix for small. There are definitions for MICR, but small cannot be one of them. Otherwise lots of really fun fill.
Happy first day of spring!
ReplyDeleteAnd a very happy birthday, Spitzboov! I liked the shoutout to you before I knew it was your special day.
For reasons I won't enumerate the word ZAFTIG is quite familiar to me. Over all I found this puzzle really easy and sashayed quickly through it.
Does it bother me that some puzzle words are rarely used? Absolutely not! If one reads widely enough those words will appear at some point such as in the poem Yellowrocks posted. I believe the whole point of doing crosswords is to learn something new, not just regurgitate words we already know and use.
Moreover, I respect the constructors choice of words because he or she must fit those in a confined and limited area. I enjoy a crossword puzzle regardless of the limited application of the vocabulary.
I calculate TIPS the same way as Rampy1, 10% doubled.
Good luck with your surgery, Dennis.
Have super Wednesday, everyone!
This video, that is going viral right now, made me ROAR. Steve, as a foodie, what do you do when a date tries to GRAB some of your CARBs?
ReplyDeleteShe obviously already finished her sundae as she has a little spoon. Now she wants some dainty dips of his cone?
P.S. the 'i got some ice cream' and 'goonie goo goo gus' come from Eddie Murphy standup.
Yellowrocks @ 9:54
ReplyDeleteYour poem reminded me of something I read among the many scribblings in a basement hallway at Rice University:
He offered his honor
She honored his offer
And all night long
It was honor and offer
Time for me to get back to work.
Here's the Post Turtle joke:
ReplyDeleteAn old rancher is talking about politics with a young man from the city. He compares a politician to a "post turtle". The young man doesn't understand and asks him what a post turtle is.
The old man says, "When you're driving down a country road and you see a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a post turtle. You know he didn't get up there by himself. He doesn't belong there; he can't get anything done while he's up there; and you just want to help the poor, dumb thing down."
Steve--got it! Many thanks.
ReplyDeleteAnon @12:27
ReplyDeleteBetty White's husband, Allen Ludden, hosted the Game Show "Password."
Anon @10:03 (oc4beach) already answered the question.
Art Fleming hosted Jeopardy before TREBEK.
Yellowrocks @11:15
Your "Who is none of the above?” comment may be the funniest thing you've ever posted.
Dennis: I hope your surgery was a success.
Steve, I can think of at least 100 harmless ( and, not so harmless - ), salts, minerals and sugars that could be confused for crystal meth.... Rock Sugar, Rock salt, various carbonates, quartz filings, clear marble powder, talc chips and on and on. That doesn't mean they are or are not necessarily suspicious. And tasting the product is probably the most dangerous way of identifying them. ;-D "^0^"
ReplyDeleteIn another matter, an airport incident of a different kind, a Chemical Engineering Professor of mine, once had to 'smuggle' into India some Aborbtion tower Packings, which, as specialised hi-tech equipment, were, originally, heavily taxed, and required an import license. He told the Customs that they were Lego blocks, and since most Indians, in those days, didn't know what Lego blocks looked like,( as toys - ), they allowed him to imported them, (excise) tax free. This was 40 years ago. Now, India manufactures various types of its own absobtion tower packings.
Good Luck, Dennis on your medical procedure.
Steve, I always buy Maldon Sea Salt and saffron whenever I go to Vienna - they are so cheap over there! But I have never had a TSA agent hold up my baggage because of them. One time, I did bring back an antique apothecary jar that was still filled with talc. Needless to say, that one did raise an eyebrow or two...
ReplyDeleteTo those gourmets who like Sea Salt for its unique flavor, may I suggest "Black" salt. It has an absolutely exotic taste and flavor. It used, in limited amounts, ( in addition to regular salt - ) in dishes in the Indian sub continent.
ReplyDeleteCAUTION:- It may cause flatulence, and 'gas'. But at least 50 mill. people swear by it, every day, to flavor tofu, vegetable salads, fruit salads, various savories, and various pilafs.
In as much as my dictionary accepts MICR- as a combining form equal to MICRO- I had to find an example with no O, although admittedly that's rare.
ReplyDeleteMICRIFY requires an object and means make small.
Here's a joke from Sarah Palin at CPAC. I saw the clip on TV, but I can't find it on youtube unless I link the entire speech. Quoting a news article;
"While extolling the joys of gun ownership, Palin told a story wherein her romantic hubby Todd gave her a gun rack for her birthday. (I think in the clip it was Christmas.YR) In return, she gave him a shiny new gun. Whereupon she delivered the hilarious punch line: He got the rifle, I’ve got the rack. And the crowd goes wild."
Hello everybody. I wasn't particularly enamored with this puzzle today.
ReplyDeleteAgree with you all about MICR. Ugh.
Was put off by AMOR but now I learned something.
I agree with Lucina about crossword puzzles often having fill that is not in everyday usage. Sometimes I find myself wrinkling my nose but filling them anyway, comforting myself by acknowledging them as crosswordese.
However, and I've said this before, I think sometimes the use of non-English clues and fill can go too far.
Spitzboov, warm birthday wishes to you.
Yr:
ReplyDeleteThat is very funny. I saw the clip on the news.
Hola Everyone, I have an appointment with our tax accountant but I wanted to comment before I go. I'll read the rest of the blog when I return.
ReplyDeleteI was on Ms Johnson's wavelength today and got through this puzzle without seeing all of the clues. TSA, Lese, MIcr all filled in with the perps.
I wasn't quite sure of the spelling for Kato (Cato) but Ask took care of that.
Thanks, Steave, for a great writeup. Ne and Na were explained which I had a HUH! DuH! Element!
Happy Birthday Spitz, and many, many more.
Have a great day everyone.
BTW, my Webster's Dictionary offers as en entry, micr- or micro-(comb. form)small, minute.
ReplyDeleteThat is only the first part of the definition and it continues with a lengthy explanation.
Spitzboov:
ReplyDeleteYou and I share the same birthday.
I wish you the best of everything today.
Then HBD to you as well, John28man.
ReplyDeleteThought I'd throw this in. MICR (Magnetic Ink Character Recognition) is the name of the ink used to print those funny looking numbers on the bottom of your checks -- routing number, account number and check number.
John28 - You picked a good day. Happy Birthday to you, too. All the best.
ReplyDeleteLate getting here today because of a "Get Real" event I worked at all morning, followed by a yoga class at noon.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday Spitz!
Hope your surgery went well Dennis.
I couldn't come up with SPITZ or COCOA. I had DSM for DSC too, so basically that whole NW corner was a mess. Otherwise it pretty much came together everywhere else.
Just back from the USS Yorktown tour in the Charleston Harbor and got to do this in our room before we go eat at Sticky Fingers in beautiful Mount Pleasant, SC? A decent Wednesday puzzle well summed up by Steve.
ReplyDeleteMusings
-People paid big money to see someone shut Ali’s big mouth. No one did for a long time. Ya loved him or hated him but he was the prototype of the modern braggadocios athlete. It ain’t braggin’ if you can do it.
-We used to put aluminum foil on our TV antenna and not a WIRE COAT HANGER
-If you’ve got a farm stream, the beaver DAM may not be all that cool
-A lady in the seat in front of us on the bus is KNITing on the road
-When we are ready to leave the house, Joann says, “Let’s roll KATO!” She has no idea who that is but…
-CEE’s used to be an average grade. Now it’s practically flunking in middle school.
-The Yorktown has a wonderful tribute to Medal of Honor winners but the DSC is impressive too
-Our bus driver charges $1 A POP for ice cold bottled water. You could pay $3 in the Kwik Shop.
-I’d sign a petition for term limits to tomorrow to not have 30 year INCUMBENTS
-George H.W. Bush’s wife Barbara was Barbara Pierce (nee) and a descendant of President PIERCE
-If we ADOPT a cat, we can’t HIT THE ROAD as easily
-AGING? We have had two of our senior citizens on this trip fall on sidewalks here and one had to be transported to the hospital.
-HBD Spitz! I wish you could have led our tour today.
-Read ya all after supper.
Hi Y'all, Happy birthday, Spitz & John28man! Are you twins by year too? Dennis, hope you make the cut okay!
ReplyDeleteGreat puzzle, Amy! Delightful, Steve!
Until today reading the blog, I didn't realize Pref. following a clue stood for prefix. I thought it was preferred. Duh! I typed in "iota" before red letters redirected me to perp MICR.
Dainty drink? I put in "demi" as in demitasse.
I had a pea green LTD with a darker top. Real big boat to haul six big people around. Hated the color. Stalled on the railroad tracks once. Thankfully no train came before help arrived to move it.
I'm allergic to Febreze. Bought a big box of Swiffer cleaning cloths which for some inexplicable reason have been saturated with Febreze. Even at the end of the long handled thingy, they make me sneeze.
Island seating? "wicker" brought out the reds.
I don't enjoy being ZAFTIG but it is more exotic than being an old hefty bag.
Hi everybody. It's overcast today but the temperature is very pleasant as always (almost always).
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday Spitz! I've enjoyed getting to know you at our little Corner of the world.
To my mind, ZAFTIG has the connotation of voluptuous rather than just fat.
I don't like words or abbreviations (like MICR), though they might be in the dictionary, are hardly ever used outside the crossword-puzzling world. Words like ELHI, ABOIL (most people I know would say or write that the water was boiling), etc. I know there are lots more but I won't think of them until I've entered the Captcha. :>)
Anony-Mouse, good one!
I had to walk downstairs to answer the door bell. There were two nicely-dressed young adults who handed me a flier explaining why Jesus was important in my life. What is the proper response?
1) To explain why I was a bit angry for being bothered again (like all the telephone solicitors.)
2) To have a pleasant discussion about keeping the original meaning of Easter.
3) To thank them and wish them a nice day.
4) To quidkly close the door and walk back upstairs muttering.
Annie, Part 2 coming up soon. It's no big deal; just a further story about my adventures running; doing something I wasn't good at or had ever imagined I could accomplish.
OK Annie, Part 2 (such as it is).
ReplyDeleteI never was a good runner and didn't enjoy it much but it got to be a way to stay in shape. I ran the Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair 10K every year and trained by running on the Strand listening to the news on a little radio with headphones. Having a competitive nature, I tried to better my time a little every year and every year I managed to do a little better. One year (maybe my 15th year or so) I managed my best time ever, 43 minutes and 44 seconds. I decided if ever I was going to try something completely out of my comfort zone, then this would be the year I would try to run a marathon (26.2 miles).
Luckily, I had a buddy who decided the same thing and we could run and train together. We would run the Strand (4 miles) some days and then run longer distances other days. Finally we ran to Palos Verdes and back, about 20 miles. I also entered two half-marathons. At last, the day came.
I got into Los Angeles at 8am and found someplace back in the crowd. I had figured out how fast I would have to run every mile in order to make my goal (anything under four hours). When the gun went off, there were so many people that I couldn't do anything but jog in places for several minutes. I finished the first mile and I was way behind my schedule. But every mile thereafter, I picked up my normal pace and began to settle in.
********************
The marathon organizers had a person stationed every mile to call out what your expected finishing time would be. Because of the slow start, I was well over four hours but every mile I was improving and by mile 10, I was finally getting my expected finishing time barely under four hours. But around mile 15, I started to 'hit the wall' and my time started getting worse. I was tempted to walk but managed to plod ahead.
ReplyDeleteAs I got near the finish (at the LA Coliseum), the cheering crowds picked up and so did my adrenaline. I even heard somebody yell out, "Way to go, Mr. G.," probably an ex-student. I began to sprint around the coliseum, running on fumes. I collapsed in the arms of the lady who was handing out your medal as you crossed the finish line. I looked up at the big clock and checked my watch. They agreed. I had finished in 3 hours, 59 minutes and 22 seconds. Wow!
That was my one and only marathon. I think I often sound like I am bragging about it because it was so far beyond what I ever expected of myself, accomplishing something I had very little aptitude for and that was very hard for me.
Sorry for the long posts. It's a long story.
But what color were your shoes?
ReplyDeleteHello all!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind comments!
Great puzzle, Amy; swell expo, Steve!
Didn't see MICR right away. New one for me.
Otherwise, no problems! Easier than Monday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SPITZBOOV AND JOHN28MAN!
Hope all went well, Dennis!
Am awaiting a document necessary to complete tax info for CPA. Several days late.
*Spoiler* Castle was pretty scary!
Cheers!
Good puzzle today , did not know zaftig & did not like micr. Sorry to post so late each day , but don't do puzzle until after work! Loved the Jeopardy comment , none of the above. The successor has to be highly articulate , classy , yet unassuming ; a difficult combination to find! No time to post yesterday , but agree with The Princess Bride being a must see for all ! Happy Birthday to all !
ReplyDeleteHow would you feel about Ken Jennings as host of Jeopardy!
ReplyDeleteOr me!!!!
ReplyDeleteHusker Gary - I stood my very first Quarterdeck Watch (in training) under the fatherly tutelage of a grizzled older Chief Warrant Officer on the Yorktown in 1958 at Long Beach, CA.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine Matt Lauer ever doing this: Jeopardy clip
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Will Ferrel or even Sean Connery could host.
Happy Birthday, John28man. Good to see you.
ReplyDeleteBy golly, Argyle, Ken Jennings is a very sensible choice. I second the nomination.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to you, John28man!!
ReplyDeleteHG: do this, eat, sticky fingers, mount, in our room and pleasant all in one sentence? Sounds like a fine vacation.
ReplyDeleteGood evening Steve, CC, et al., Such a good puzzle and great write up. Well done Amy and Steve.
ReplyDeleteAgree w/all the other comments, good and bad. I have never seen a The tip calc doesn't surprise me. I only wish they had an app for conjugating verbs. I'm so tired of hearing "I should have went" or "I seen" ..even heard a news anchorman use 'went' like that the other night.
Loved 7D ADOPT and the clue. My girls are all foster moms for dogs and end up adopting some over the years as time and space permit.I thought I was always going to have only grand-dogs but the eldest is now expecting a human baby in the Fall.
AVG JOE: LMAO funny ZAFTIG nursery rhyme.
Husker: agree..tired of career politicians. Yea! SC! Hope you enjoy Sticky Fingers.
Happy Birthday, Spitz. Fine shout out in the puzzle on your day. Wish you many, many more.
Dennis: Good luck w/the little bit of surgery. Me too next week. I injured my hip...suspect a bad dismount. Wanna compare scars?
It's all good.
After going to get DH's throat spray and lozenges, couldn't sleep so I did the puzzle. Went back to bed and neighbor's gardeners fired up the mower, the edger and the blower at 7:20 a.m. (PDT).
ReplyDeleteI'm sleep-deprived today, but
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPITZBOOV
and Happy birthday to YOU
JOHN 28
Lemonade714 - love your avatar - she’s a little dollie!
ReplyDeleteLucina I agree with you about rarely used ‘words’. I often put letters in thinking it’s a real word - after all if it fits, it must be right - right? lol All is fair in love and crosswords. :)
Husker Gary - We toured the USS YT a number of years ago on our way back home after visiting our son in Savannah. A great experience.
I can’t picture Matt Lauer doing Jeopardy (which I’m watching as I ‘speak’) either. I don’t even like him anymore on the Today Show. I actually don’t like ANYBODY on there any more. They talk to fast, don’t give enough time to interesting guests, talk over each other - AND they got rid of Ann Currie.
Bill G - Great story. You have a good reason to brag. It’s a great accomplishment. I have no designs on a marathon. I know my limits.
Happy Birthday John28man
A good evening to all!
I forgot to point out that in the picture of West Point, the train tracks, coming from the left next to the river, go into a tunnel under the Point and comes out on the north side. You can see the entrance in the middle of the picture.
ReplyDeleteKen Jennings would at least have earned the honor of hosting Jeopardy! He gets my vote of all those now mentioned.
ReplyDeleteBillG: yeah, voluptuous would fit.
Until I saw the picture Steve posted, I didn't realize that West Point was surrounded by that much water. I had a friend who took her parents and sibling to a nephew's graduation there years ago. She complained long and loud about WP being hard to get to and from. She was doing all the driving with multiple backseat "helpers" and got lost every time she got behind the wheel. Maybe that large moat around the place was one reason.
When my car broke down about 10 years ago, I decided to get my mother's Ford Custom out of the garage and back on the road. It was 20 yrs old, but it took very little to get it going again. It was a ship, but did the job, doing 40 miles a day until I could afford another car.
ReplyDeleteAgree, zaftig is pneumatic. Zelig, of course, is blessed; actually selig, the Z being more Yiddish.
@BillG - Hubster runs the Boilermaker here (15K), and runners starts are staggered. Computer chips in the shoelaces keep track, and take care of the uneven starts.
Different neighborhoods set up bandstands for entertainment.
West Point is on the Hudson River, photo from the NE. It is surrounded by the Highlands with few roads leading to it.
ReplyDeleteGood evening, everyone! Thanks for a fun puzzle, Amy. Delightful expo, Steve; especially loved your “Boov” photo for the SPITZ. And the PROFILE picture was cool, too!
ReplyDeleteFirst things first – a very Happy Birthday to Spitzboov and John28Man. Hope you’re enjoying the day doing all your favorite things.
Liked RAH RAH and HIT THE ROAD. Hand up for SIT before ASK at 26D. Learning moment was the meaning of LESE majesty. First heard the expression ZAFTIG used to describe the luscious Catherine Zeta Jones, so I never think of it as derogatory. Hard to picture anyone besides Alex TREBEK as Jeopardy host, but Jane Curtin strikes me as someone who could do the job nicely.
Husker Gary, hope you’re enjoying your trip down South. My sisters and I (and assorted spouses) visited the Charleston area last summer and loved it so much we’re heading there again this year. The Yorktown tour was a highlight of the trip, and BIL is already looking forward to a return visit to Sticky Fingers – swears they have the best barbecue he’s ever eaten.
What a day on the Blog, I am LMAO at some of the comments today, but every time I go to post how great the comments were, there are 10 more I have to read!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Spitzboov (yes it's a real cake!)
Hmm, the URL on that cake has "static" in it, I hope everyone can see it...
Happy Birthday John28man, (I don't think I will be able to find that cake!) I did Google it though, & for some strange reason this came up. I have no idea why...
Our local library has a similar "vases/faces" display. It is facinating to see people look for this optical illusion. there is no face in our display, just the vase. Interesting.
ReplyDeleteParc didn't come to mind right away for the Luxembourg garden. I've been there, but it is in a deep canyon, and I was looking for something French to mean canyon, ditch, etc. LOL.
My Grand DIL is now a Barista in NY area. A new job for her.
As to the question about Areel and No Duh, my Webster's doesn't list either word. My tome is about 25 years old and I'm guessing No duh is new slang, but A reel isn't even slang as far as I know. I'm of the opinion that some words are in a crossword to make them fit, not necessarily a word that one uses on a regular basis, or even occasionally. I see Abejo found it in his Crossword Dictionary, but not his Webster's.
I had made the comment that Duh would have been a sufficient answer, but Noduh was there to fill a gap. We have a number of these gap-filling words in crossword puzzles. Just my opinion. Hmmmmm.
Yellowrocks, glad to hear your ribbing is beginning to knit. That comment gave me a good chuckle. Also, thanks for the Areel verse--old usage or poetic usage.
Happy Birthday John28man and many, many more.
I had a feeling Thumper was going to make an appearance today.
ReplyDeleteHBD to Spitz and John. Had trouble filling in 13 A saying " Can't Be !"
Bill, Re: your doorbell ringers.. I used to let my Avatar do all the talking. Once, as she was trying to eat through the glass of the storm door, I asked " Do you really want me to open this door to take those pamphlets?" Conversation over!
TTP, yes, they are fun!
Really wanted to squish Skippy in at 12A. Avatar has the thickest coat of any animal I have encountered.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to the Birthday Boys!
Zaftig is derogatory if you'd like a double mastectomy to relieve the constant pain in your neck, back and shoulders from lugging those hefty bags around.
ReplyDeleteManac et al: Aside from having to walk downstairs to answer the door, the 'ringers' weren't pushy and were relatively inoffensive. I wonder what they hope to accomplish? If somebody agrees with their beliefs, maybe a brief discussion would ensue and everybody leaves the discussion just as before. If somebody doesn't agree (like me), I can't imagine that their flyer will change anybody's mind and will probably result in annoying people at worst. I dunno -- I just don't see the point.
ReplyDeleteRe. zaftig, I love yiddish words. They are so colorful. Bupkes, klutz, kvetch, nosh, plotz, shlep, shmendrik, tuches, nudnik, bubbala, ferkockt, verclempt and lots more. British slang is colorful too but Yiddish takes the cake.
HBDTY j28m
ReplyDeleteBillG:
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your narrative describing your marathon experience and I admire your discipline. You are to be congratulated for that accomplishment.
Lucina and Annie, thank you for your kind words. That was a big accomplishment for me because it was so far beyond what I thought I was capable of. I didn't do any more long runs after that because my achilles tendon was inflamed from playing soccer and stayed sore even when I cut back the running. It finally let loose while playing softball and required an operation to reattach it. It was done by the same surgeons who worked for the Dodgers and Lakers. Now running is just a memory and something to write stories about.
ReplyDeleteHave a good sleep. See you all round the corner.
~ Bill G.
Late evening/morning to everyone. Happy Birthday Spitz and J28man.
ReplyDeleteHarvested grapefruits from my tree and they are really wonderful this year. It's hard not to eat more than one at a time.
Thanks for the writeup Steve and C.C.
I couldn't sleep last night and did the puzzle at 4AM this morning. Busier day than usual with AM, PM, and evening appointments. Still up at 2:00 this morning.
ReplyDeleteSteve, your write-up was totally witty! I laughed throughout your expo and it felt good after a unusually stressful day.
My husband scheduled a Skycap on our last plane trip. They pushed my wheelchair thru TSA telling them my bottle of water was for meds. They boarded me on the plane first and removed me first. Sped me thru luggage pickup and to the rental car in record time. My husband was left in the dust. In the past when these things happen my husband say " Okay kids this all thank the Lord you're Mom is handicapped." ;)
Thanks Argyle and Steve for beautiful West Point picture. No doubt why they located it there.
Happy Birthday Spitzboov! Stay on dry land...You deserve it!
My beautiful dog,Lily, looks just like the dog pictured. They were called German Spitz till 1940 when the Germans were the enemy. Their name was changed to American Eskimos or Eskies. Lily will be 12 yrs old next month.
Happy Birthday John28man! Hope it was a good one!
Barry will probably be commenting in a couple hours, so time to go to bed.
Happy Birthday John28man. I didn't see earlier that it was your birthday.
ReplyDeleteManac @ 7:49, yes they are. And nice avatar by the way. Hadn't noticed that you changed it. My boy gets pretty loud and rambunctious when someone is at the door.