google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday, April 5, 2013, Ned White

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Apr 5, 2013

Friday, April 5, 2013, Ned White

Theme: A Spoonful of wacky words makes the Friday go down.

We are back in the wild world of spoonerisms, where mixing up word phrases leads to hilarity. There is an additional undercurrent of the sound "ICK" but I am not sure how that can be incorporated into the theme but the sound is all over the fill. I found this to be a comparative speed run for a Friday with lots of short fill, but also humor and some inventive cluing. This is our second LAT puzzle from Mr. White who has had 5 Saturday and 1 Friday published in the NY Times, which makes the solving of this surprising, or maybe I was just lucky. Let's get to work.
 
17A. Falk and Fonda after mud wrestling? : ICKY PETERS. (10). Picky Eaters transformed into two Hollywood types writhing in the muck. I suppose a clue "diseased organs" would not pass the breakfast test.

24A. Overzealous peach eaters? : PIT NICKERS.(10). Nit pickers, like our own divine miss m., get confused and steal their fruit treats.

39A. Oils a deck of cards? : SLICKS UP THE PACK. (15) Picks up the slack.

51A. Security images of an armed robbery? : STICK UP PIX. (10) 5, 6 pick up sticks. Are two pick ups in a row okay? I know they are if you are visiting Honey Boo Boo.

63A. Gal idolizing actor Matthew? : PERRY CHICK. (10). We all know it is Joey who gets to Cherry Pick the girls not Chandler. Anyone watch GO ON? (3:00).

Across:

1. Org. where weight matters : WBAWorld Boxing Association, one of the many association which oversee professional boxing, a sport on the way out.

4. Ancient Ephraimite's home : ISRAEL. We are not talking about Mr. Zimbalist and his FBI show, but one of the lost TRIBES.

10. Pasture calls : BAAS. Baas, maas, eh.

14. "Ben-___" : HUR. More ancient Israel, but moved up to Roman times.

15. Caterer's supply : STERNO.

16. Succotash bean : LIMA. Mixed with corn.

19. Since : AS OF.

20. Overhead views : SKIES. Very literal.

21. "You got me" : NOT A CLUE. Well actually, you have the clues even if you cannot solve them.

23. Hawaiian coffee : KONA. Named after an area on the big island, an interesting history. LINK>At the base of 68A. Mauna ___ : LOA.

26. Treated, as a patient : SEEN. These days, you are lucky to even get looked at, let alone actually treated by a doctor. Shout to one of our own.

28. Midwinter Asian holiday : TET. I hope no one finds this reminder offensive.

29. Tin ___ : EAR. When I was in high school, I was admonished to only lip sync because of my tin ear.

32. Packs in a hold : LADES. We have had this word and the related bills of lading often.

35. End notes? : OBIT. Cute clue for a sad subject.

43. Office specialist : TECH.

44. Lost, as a tail : SHOOK. Having read too many detective stories, this was very easy.

45. Storm maker of yore : GEO. The automobile.

46. CIA predecessor : OSS.

49. Falls back : LAGS.

56. Salon choice : UPDO.

60. Nine to three, say : MULTIPLE. 3X3 = 9

61. Heart conditions? : ACHES. Also, misdirection, especially those of us who have more conventional diagnoses. I read a study today which says a broken heart might actually lead to a heart attack!

62. Inter ___ : ALIA.

66. Scratch : CLAW.

67. Pathetic to the max : LAMEST.

69. Wolverine sneaker brand : KEDS.

70. '50s tankers? : EDSELS. More good use of clue deception, as this model tanked from day 1, with horse collar grill I guess everyone said neigh.

71. Bungle : ERR. Bungle is just a fun word.
 
Down:

1. Roux-making tool : WHISK. Or maybe use a SPATULA? (4:59)

2. Chichester chap : BUCKO.

3. "Catch-22" actor : ARKIN. Wonderful book and MOVIE (4:32). He became Yossarian. The link is to the final scene so do not watch if you want to see the movie from the beginning.

4. Net profit makers, briefly : ISPS. Not NET profit, but INTERNET (net). Creative.

5. Sault ___ Marie : STE.

6. Like many a mil. officer : RETired.

7. Ain't right? : AREN'T.we special.

8. Subject of the 2005 book "Conspiracy of Fools" : ENRON. One of our many corporate disasters.

9. Snapped : LOST IT. Some of the Saturday Silkie's get me close, luckily we have Splynter to pick up the pieces.

10. Driveway improvement : BLACK TOP.

11. Flier's request : AISLE. Makes gong to the bathroom easier, but you do get beat up by all the carry on luggage.

12. Illicit affair : AMOUR. I confess

13. Hotel amenities : SAFES..you believe you have the only key?

18. They're all for it : YEAS. (Pronounced yays) which makes the English language so much fun as we also have, 24D. Casserole veggies : PEAS.

22. Nail : ACE. Nailed it! C.C.'s favorite.

25. River near Karachi : INDUS.. One of the seven sacred RIVERS.

27. Buckskin source : ELK. I did not know this.

29. 1970s-'80s self-improvement course : EST. This controversial SEMINAR.

30. Bar supply : ALE. And the clecho 37D. Bar supply : ICE.

31. "Coney Island" documentarian Burns : RIC.. Has he become as famous as his brother Ken? IMDB.

33. Bk. before Philippians : EPHesiansThis BOOK.

34. Gimlet spec : STOLI. I guess it means specification and Stoli is a premium Vodka.

36. Snare : BAG. From the old days, where hunters literally bagged the little creatures.

38. Ring decision : TKOTechnical Knock Out.

40. Southeast natives : CHOCTAWS. Yes she really was part Choctaw.

41. Barnum's Fiji mermaid, for one : HOAX. Piltdown Man anyone? Howard Hughes autobiography?

42. Hosp. readout : EKG.

47. Cross-country need, perhaps : SKI. marti, you have a spare pair?

48. Lithe : SUPPLE

50. Similar things : SUCH.  And such

51. Act of love, or hostility : SMACK. Cute clue, and accurate in so many ways.

52. Veil material : TULLE. pronounced tool, named for a city in France, it is really fine netting, which sounds a lot less classy than a veil.

53. Epic with more than 15,000 lines : ILIAD. Arma virumque cano.

54. Respond to a charge : PLEAD.

55. Salon choices : PERMS.

57. Franco finale? : PHILE. Francophile. Not as familiar as the Anglophile, but I am sure there are some out there who want to be considered French. Mais oui! Not a reference to the dead Spanish leader, who probably still gets an occasional reference on SNL.

58. Designer's concern : DECOR.

59. Schindler of "Schindler's List" : OSKAR. It took me years to watch the movie.

61. Treads the boards : ACTS.

64. R&B artist Des'___ : REE. My learning moment, but already in by way of perps. I knew the SONG (4:00) but not the artist. I did have a silver Siamese named Desiree, but she did not sing.

Well another journey together complete, and we are ending a week in April, which I find amazing. I thank Mr. White for his effort and hope you are all prepared for the long stretch with no holidays until Memorial Day. Here we wait for our snow birds, who begin leaving now.

Peace out

L.
 


Notes from C.C.: Happy Birthday to dear Irish Miss!





Happy Birthday to Abejo also!

69 comments:

  1. Morning, all!

    Man, this one came very close to defeating me. I love a good pun, but most of the theme answers were impossible to get. I could understand then once I filled them in via the perps, but even with most of the letters filled in I couldn't guess them. PIT NICKERS was probably the most insane of the bunch.

    Two main areas of difficulty for me today. The first was in the SW where I confidently put in SVELTE instead of SUPPLE at 48, which caused me all sorts of grief until I finally took it out and let the other answers be my guide.

    The spot that nearly killed me, though, was in the west where I had KEN instead of RIC at 31D. And all I could think of for "Tin ___" was TIN, which I knew couldn't be right. I couldn't figure out the theme answer at 39A, despite having the entire back end. I finally took out KEN and by some miracle remembered EST for 29D, which was enough to give me the traction I needed.

    *whew*

    [rposteo]

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  2. Good morning Lemonade, C.C. et al.

    Fun write up today, as always. I had the exact same thought when ICKY PETERS emerged. Ewww. And geez, Lemony. I can’t believe you didn’t know Des’ree!! You knew the song, though, so I’ll give you two points. (^0^) I’m afraid my cross-country SKIs have been put into storage for the year. Time to break out the golf clubs, kayak and hiking boots...

    NOT A CLUE and BUCKO were fun fill, and I liked seeing STOLI crossing SHOOK, because that’s how I like my vodka martinis – all SHOOK up. I ran into the same glitch as Barry at 29A, but I wanted cAn instead of EAR!

    Time to go learn all about rouxs. Have a great day, everyone.

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  3. Good Morning, Lemonade and friends. Fun Friday puzzle. I got the theme at PIT NICKERS/Nit Pickers. That really helped with the rest of the theme clues.

    I used to cross-country SKI. I found it much easier to have two skis instead of only one. LOL!

    Hand-up for confidently writing in Ken instead of RIC for the documentarian.

    What famous chef was in the OSS?

    QOD: What did I do in high school? I grew from 5 feet 4 inches to 6 feet 2 inches. ~ Gregory Peck (Apr. 5, 1916 ~ June 12, 2003)

    [offedy]

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  4. Hello Puzzlers -

    Could not manage a no-peeky. Had to Goog to find out who the other documentarian Burns might be, as well as the topic of Conspiracy of Fools. (Might have to read that...any reviews?)

    How does Bucko connect with Chichester?

    Cheers

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  5. TGIF, all!

    I'm realizing as I get older that I'm becoming less and less in tune with popular culture. Fogeyism at work?

    I finished this one, but I had the battle of the bulge in the center. I had ICE where ALE needed to go, and another hand up for KEN/RIC. When ICE appeared on the other side it started to self-repair.

    Back in the '70's my boss sent me to a weeklong training class called "Adventures in Attitudes", recommended by the CEO. When I returned I was asked to write a critique of the course for the CEO. My critique was entitled "Adventures in Platitudes", and my days at that job were numbered.

    Jeff Skilling has spent 6 years in prison for his role in the ENRON debacle. (Doesn't seem that long, does it.) I heard yesterday he may soon get an early release from his almost 25-year sentence. There are plenty of Houstonians who don't want to see that.

    Hahtoolah, that would be Julia Child.

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  6. I will not PICKNIT, just suffice it to say I slogged through this but not my cup of tea.

    Nice write- up L. Hope everyone has a good weekend.

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  7. Good morning everybody. What a great puzzle. Technically, this was a DNF for me, but I liked the mix ups. Especially ICKY PETERS and STICK UP PIX.

    I also liked:
    -35A: End Notes? OBIT
    -51D: Act of Love, or Hostility: SMACK

    Attached is a link to the Skilling/Enron D-Otto mentioned above. I believe Jeffrey Skilling is a brother of Tom Skilling, well known Chicago weather forcaster.

    I need to look up EST as a self-improvement course. That one's not familiar to me.

    I hope Barry Kripkey doesn't get that tenure position on TBBT.

    Enjoy your Friday - they only come once a week!

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  8. Fun puzzle. I agree with Lemony that this was easier than on most Fridays. I was looking for a Friday letter switch puzzle. After a slow start I found my first theme answer, SLICKS UP THE PACK. From there all the other theme answers fell quickly.
    This was definitely a non ICKY puzzle, although ICK was in every theme answer.
    I enjoyed the many misdirections..
    Lemony, I, too, was told to lip sync due to my tin EAR. I was termed an "uncertain singer."
    Schindler's List was a gritty movie, but I thought it was supurb, showing the light of humanity glowing in the darkest of hells. It is better to light one candle than curse the darkness.

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  9. Hand up for ken instead of RIC. That threw everything off. Once I looked that up, everything else in the central west filled itself in. I knew "tankers" would be EDSELS! I had colOR instead of DECOR. NW was last to fall. Not overly thrilled with BUCKO, but it fit, and Lemons writeup says its correct, so, I can call this one done!

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  10. Re: Which famous chef was in the OSS (Hahtoolah)

    That would be Julia Child or her husband. I think she or he was 'fired', while in France, as a security risk ?? In any case, if she could devote so much time as to write a cookbook, she had too much time on her hands.

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  11. Arma virumque cano opens the Aeneid.

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  12. Not a speed run for me, Lemon, but a lovely puzzle where the theme was entertaining and helpful. SLICKS THE PACK and PERRY CHICK unlocked those segments. I love this difficulty level!

    Musings
    -Lemon’s ICKY PETERS reference ranks up there with a derriere flaw – Asphalt (BLACK TOP)
    -Boxing and horse racing once ruled the sports world and are now both athletic anachronisms
    -Ah, paraphrasing Robert Duvall, “I love the smell of STERNO in the reception!”
    -Oldest daughter lined up her LIMA beans around the edge of her plate – not a fan
    -Joann speaks and I am “NOT A CLUE”. Are all men nuance challenged?
    -I have been SEEN by my doctor/friend in a timely manner any time I needed to
    -The TIN EARs I’ve known sing louder for higher pitches and softer for lower pitches and sit next to me
    -My desired OBIT? He did the best he could with what he had.
    -EDSEL : cars = Water World (and others mentioned yesterday) : movie
    -Catch 22 – To get a job, you need an education. To get an education, you need money. To get money you need a job. Others?
    -If you play golf again with someone who LOST IT, you have ERRed.
    -Grandson and I both like an AISLE seat. Any guesses on who gets it?
    -I don’t know if this sport has TKO’s but it is barbaric
    -Anyone telling you that the moon landing was a HOAX is selling a book (or just read the one being sold)
    -Marti, I have an image of you hitting golf balls from your kayak in ever so chic hiking boots ;-)
    -If you, like me, know the sitcom where the main character called people who upset him BUCKO, you watched way too much TV

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  13. can't comment on this site?


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  14. A snappy Good Morning hand salute from this RET off.

    Except for 29a/d, everything else was ACEd. Fun spoonerisms theme. Helped a lot with the solve. There were sufficient anchors like KONA HOAX and OSKAR to make MULTIPLE starts. Had to guess Moana Kea or Loa; guessed right LOA. Thinking about svelte before SUPPLE. How about 'zaftig'?
    All in all, mostly an easy solve.

    Have a great day.

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  15. Good morning all, and thanks Lemon for the writeup. Another slog today, but thankfully no worse than yesterday. Started out strong with whisk, but that became a crawl in moments. Did not fall into the Ken trap because I already had EST and Ear. Otherwise that would have been a fatal trap.

    I had a close friend who took EST when it was the rage. Claimed it was the best thing he'd ever done. I remain skeptical. He also told me that John Toledo....er Denver, wrote Rocky Mountain High immediately after attending EST. "He was born in the summer of his 27th year, coming home to a place he'd never been before." Seems probable enough to me....

    Oh, and your welcome. (for the ear worm) :-)

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  16. Good Morning:

    I guess I am in the minority because I am going to agree with Tinbeni's Thumper clip.

    Nice expo, Lemony. We have a lovely, sunny day; maybe Spring is starting to "spring."

    Have a great Friday.

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  17. Maybe I'm in a foul mood this morning ..... But

    Where did the. ' A ' in Picky Eaters come from ?

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  18. Dudley @ 6:26, in Merriam Webster, it says BUCKO is chiefly of Irish origin, meaning "lad." Chichester is in England, so I'm not sure how it fits, other than to make the clue alliterative.

    HG @ 8:56, Richie Cunningham used to call people BUCKO. And yes, I watched way too much TV in the past. Now, I spend way too much time blogging, LOL!

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  19. Well, I goofed on a few this morning, including having TIN MAN rather than TIN EAR. No idea why I'd have Oz on the brain this morning. But no matter, I thought this was an incredibly fun puzzle, so many thanks, Ned! And Lemonade, thanks for 'splaining GEO to us--I couldn't imagine what that earth prefix had to do with storms.

    Fun Musings this morning, Husker.

    Marti, those were the "Happy Days," weren't they?

    Any news of Sallie?

    Have a good Friday, everybody!

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  20. To me” overzealous peach eaters” meant that they eat the peach so fast and roughly that they bite into the pit and nick it with their teeth.
    St.Z @ 10:21. I think the word play in the theme answers is basically interchanging the initial sounds of both words, so that the spelling doesn't seem to matter. However, I do see how this clue could bother you. I, too, had a nit with 17A at first because it seemed that only the P sound was moved from (P) ICKY to (P) ETERS and no sound was moved from EATERS to ICKY. There wasn’t any actual switch there. I decided to let it go, rationalizing that ICKY PETERS is a spoonerism, and maybe spoonerisms are the commonality.

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  21. Hope you don't close down at 6PM Eastern again.

    Anyway, Googled for INDUS. Learned in school that that was the cradle of European civilization.

    Then, was hung up on assuming Ken Burns, and not getting anywhere in the San Francisco area of the puzzle, so looked some things up to be sure. So, there's a RIC Burns, his brother.

    Also wondered about BUCKO, and didn't know KEDS belonged to Wolverine.

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  22. Thumper speaks for me

    Thought this was one of the LAMEST Friday theme/puzzle in a long time.

    Not a FUN experience solving.

    **it happens!

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  23. Hello, PEEPS. I'm especially glad to read your blog, Lemon, because this was a slog for me.

    I managed about 90% of it but fell into the KEN trap as well as STOLA not STOLI and just gave up on WBA/WHISK. It would have to be a very large amount of roux to use one. Usually a small spatula or wooden spoon serves well.

    After her stint in the OSS, Julia Child attended the Cordon Bleu school of cooking because her husband loved French food and she wanted to please him. As we know she became a pro at it.

    Have a wonderful Friday, everyone!

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  24. This was fun for a Friday. Even with all the three letter opportunities it took a while to get it started.

    BLACKTOP was the first long word to break for me. Once I caught onto the spoonerism theme, it only took half a word to suggest the other half -- except for PITNICKERS. I guess "to nick" is colloquial for steal, but I couldn't connect NICKERS with eating (I think it's only horses that "nicker.")

    Oh, and yes, "Arma virumque cano" is the start of Virgil's Aeneid, not Homer's Iliad. Good catch, Anonymous!

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  25. Hello everybody. Spate groonerisms today! I have always liked them. I almost spit my coffee when I solved the first one. Plenty of 5-letter words in this puzzle, which IMO is far better than a ton of 3-letter ones. I think I like Ned White's work.

    Overconfidently filled in KEN Burns and had to struggle in that area because of it. So no, I don't think RIC Burns is as well-known.

    McConaugheyChicks wouldn't fit.

    Put in LAGS, took it out, put it in again. Waited for the perps to tell me whether it would be BAAS, MAAS, or MOOS.

    Best wishes to you all.

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  26. Wasn't there a film about Julia Childs ("Julie and Julia"--or something like that) with Meryl Streep? Might have to look for it on Netflix and see it again.

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  27. Hi Y'all, I filled in the NW block first as usual. I was shocked! Shocked I tell you! Hey, no ICKY PETERS allowed. Yuk! Wash those things! LOL!

    24a could be clued as English coal miners' (who go down in the PIT) underwear. (As in don't get your knickers in a twist.)

    Amusing, doable puzzle, Ned! I chuckled all the way through it.

    Lemonade, you said no more holidays until Memorial Day. Honey, you've forgotten Mother's Day which you will want to celebrate this year because of Charlotte's mother who gave you the lovely gift of a granddaughter. I always thank the 3 young ladies in my family for their gift of my grandchildren. Great expo and links.

    Lucina: I have three graduated-size "mini" WHISKS which I used to make roux.

    Lovely spring day here. Forsythia and daffodils blooming. I went out and worked in the yard for two hours. I'm encouraged that all the antibiotics I took last fall cured some infection I'd had for years.
    I couldn't work outdoors at all last summer.

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  28. Jayce;
    I'm very curious about your son's new business since it's in my neighborhood and I want to know if I would shop there.

    PK:
    Thank you. I have the same but this puzzle so demoralized me it's the only nit I could think of. I feel better now, though.

    Misty:
    Yes that is the movie. It was a good one. Meryl Streep, of course!

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  29. What an erudite audience, yes the Latin I quoted is the first words of the Aeneid which was written some 800 years after Homer wrote the Iliad which is where I believe the character Aeneas is born. Never learned enough Greek to quote Homer. Thank you Anon. at 8:42 and KF.

    Such a quiet day here, with everyone playing nice. Great comments so far.

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  30. Happy Friday everyone!

    As I may have mentioned before, not a fan of the spoonerism. Altho I did finally grok the theme....

    Lemon, thanx for the shout out.

    WEES about Ken / Ric.

    Bad mental image I can't shake of icky peters.... would that be a mind worm?

    My obit would be "He took good care of his s*it."

    That's some catch, that Catch-22....

    HG, my guess at the TV character who called his enemies BUCKO would be Maj. Frank Burns (no relation to Ken or Ric).... and yes, I'm proud to say I watched way too much TV as a kid (and still do)....

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  31. Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Ned White, for a great puzzle. Thank you, Lemonade, for the equally great review. Everything is great today!

    This puzzle was a typical Friday fare. Pretty tough, but enjoyable. That is the point.

    Got through most of fairly easily (for a Friday) but the SE corner was my bug-a-boo. The only three I knew for sure were OSKAR, LOA, and ERR. Finally SUCH at 50D became the key unlocking the gate.

    The theme was clever except i could not get PERRY CHICK until the end. I had PERRY. I kept trying FREAK. Could not make it work.

    Had SMIRK for 51D, then fixed that to SMACK.

    Wanted STOWS for 32A, LADES wound up the winner.

    Yes, Chicago weatherman Tom Skilling is Jeffrey Skilling's (ENRON) brother. He does a good job.

    I will have to read Catch 22. I have the book, just never cracked it.

    Going out to dinner tonight.

    See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

    (esiasic)

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  32. You aren't a real doctor, though, are you, Vegas?

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  33. BTW, I was only referring to work week holidays. Mother's day is always fun, and with my mother gome, have Charlotte and excuse to celebrate is good

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  34. Lucina, sorry, I forgot to mention that the franchise business our son is going into is cell phone repair. In fact, it's official name is CPR. Assuming all the agreements with the landlord go through, etc, his shop will be located right between a Verizon store and T-Mobile store, which supposedly is a good location, as he will develop relationships with them such that they will refer business to him. If all goes well, grand opening will be some time this summer. Most of the work so far has been "due diligence" and paperwork, getting financing, legal agreements, contracts, etc.

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  35. Jayce, I didn't know anybody repaired cell phones. What a great new field! I say that because I dropped mine a few weeks ago and the back won't stay on now. My son
    put it back on for me but it won't stay. I'm resigned to getting a new one, which is what will happen if I go into
    Verizon and want them to fix it. I'm on my 4th one.

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  36. Thank you, Jayce. Like PK I didn't know anyone repaired those. I could have used it in the past and possible will need it in future time. I'll spread the word.

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  37. PK, yep, Verizon will want to sell you a brand new one. I'm not sure what falls within the scope of repairing cell phones, but such things as replacing the battery is surely one of them. If making the back stay on yours requires the use of some glue or something, I'll bet that could be done, too.

    Bill G, this is in response to you, as well.

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  38. I need to be punished!

    Happy Birthday to dear Irish Miss & Abejo! Please forgive me for not remembering it this morning.

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  39. "BTW, I was only referring to work week holidays"

    Sure you were.

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  40. Ah, after all the nice and helpful anons we have had lately, a snarky one. I feel at home on Friday now. I am so glad you know what I think and when.

    HBDTY Irish Miss and ABEJO and many more


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  41. Erma Bombeck wrote, "If life is a bowl of cherries (peaches) what am I doing in the pits?" Why are overzealous peach eaters nicking (stealing) pits? Meh. They might better nick peaches. I would love to hear Ned White's rationale for choosing this answer. I think avidly chomping peaches and nicking the pits with your teeth is so much more apt.
    My son Alan received his first "pay" today. He was so excited and proud. However, he does know the value of a dollar, and when he saw the amount he was kind of floored. It is piece work. For working 5 hours a day for 6 days over a two week period, he grossed $12 and change. Lunch costs $4 a day. I am not faulting this wonderful program and staff. Alan works slowly and would probably be unemployable elsewhere. The overall experience has been positive and he will overcome the disappointment. He does have a generous allowance and can afford most of what he wants. Still I feel bad for him. He is putting his heart into this.
    HBDTY irish Miss and Abejo, two of my favorites.

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  42. Oh wow, Irish Miss & Abejo! Super duper cooper flooper happy wishes to you both! Ya don't look a day older than you did yesterday!

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  43. A very Happy Birthday to Irish Miss and Abejo! I hope you both enjoyed your special days!

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  44. Happy Birthday, Irish Miss and Abejo! Hope it was a good day and you have a nice weekend also.

    Montana

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  45. This one was almost like a Sarurday for us , kept getting tripped up ! Beautiful day here in CT , left us wanting more!!! Enjoy the positive comments & will focus on those ! Birthday wishes to all!

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  46. My goodness, Irish Miss and Abejo, two of my favorite bloggers, have birthdays today! Wonderful! Have very Happy Ones, and hopefully lovely celebrations to go with them!

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  47. Wow, YR, Nothing like insulting all the other regular bloggers by picking and publicly selecting your favorites.

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  48. -Sorry Vegas, our kayaking golfer Marti correctly named Richie Cunningham as the sitcom character who used BUCKO when IRKED! That still wasn’t very threatening emanating from that Howdy Doody face.
    -HBD to Irish and Abejo!
    -Tom Skilling has a wonderful and professional weather report out of Chicago that gives a weather report that is “not for dummies”! His idiot brother was part of the crew that took my uncle’s retirement money and soul.
    -Lemon, we have a young lady turning 8 on April 26 and she considers it a holiday ;-)
    -Wow, the Royals just took a one run lead over the Phillies with a bases clearing triple by former Husker and Lincoln Southeast Knight Alex Gordon

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  49. yyardivChopped Liver, my list of favorites is very, very looooooong. There are so many wonderful people here on the blog. I miss those who stop posting for a time. You could easily be among my favortites, as well, if only I knew who you are. Please own up!

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  50. My first "toasts" at Sunset will be wishing a Happy Birthday to Abejo & Irish Miss.

    Cheers!!!

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  51. Happy Birthday Abejo and Irish Miss!! If only I had known, I would have baked you a cake. Fortunately, C.C. held off until Happy Hour, so now I am left with only a toast to you, Abejo, and one to you Irish Miss...I hope your days were special!
    .:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:.

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  52. A very special Happy Birthday to Irish Miss and Abejo. I hope you both enjoy you day surrounded by friends and family.

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  53. HeartRx
    Hey!!!
    What's wrong with being "left with only a toast" ??????

    The single-most-important-reason I get out of bed in the morning is the anticipation of my Florida Sunset "toast".

    Salute'!!!

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  54. Just an Actor @3:48, not a real doctor. Didn't even play one on TV.

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  55. YR, good for you. I'm sure the Chopped Liver anon isn't one of my favorites though. His (her?) snarkiness is too pervasive.

    Happy birthday Irish Miss and Abejo! If it so happens that you two are among my favorites, I'll be sure not to mention it. :>)

    So, I just realized something somewhat special. I've lived in California, almost at the same location, for 50 years. I came out here because of a job offer at Hughes Aircraft Company in 1963. Hughes was in Culver City. One of the other engineers knew I was looking for a place to rent and he showed me around Manhattan Beach, where he lived. I rented a place a half-block from the beach. When it burned down, I moved to a little house about a half-mile away, When Barbara and I got married in 1965, we lived in two other apartments close by. We finally took the plunge and bought our house in 1965 where, except for a one-time remodel and addition, we've lived ever since. All of those places are within about a one-mile radius.

    Has anybody else stayed put longer?

    [poopydoopy]

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  56. Evening All!

    An easier than usual Friday puzzle for me today - Thank You Mr. White! And Thank You to Mr. Lemonade for the witty write up - almost had coffee on my keyboard at your comment about ICKY PETERS! I caught the theme at PIT NICKERS, but was scratching my head at my TIN EAK? Finally fixed that.

    A beautiful spring day here in SE PA. Too bad I had to work inside for most of it. Off to read the latest news about my favorite athletic anachronism!

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  57. Oh, my goodness! How did I miss the birthdays?

    Irish Miss and Abejo, I truly hope you have had a wonderful day and a most happy birthday!

    I apologize for being so late with greetings for you.

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  58. Hola Everyone, A DNF for me today, but I always learn something when I have a difficult CW like today. (At least it was difficult for me.)

    I had the theme idea when I got Stick up pix, but some of the easier 3 and 4 letter words defeated me, therefore, I didn't get all the theme answers without some Google help.

    I thought '50's tankers was a great clue. A different one for Edsel which we see fairly often. I also liked Lost, as a tail/Shook. I, too, read a lot of mysteries and detective stories.

    I did want to say Happy Birthday to Irish Miss and to Abejo, too. Another shared birth day on the Corner. This makes two so far as I know.

    We've had more company this past night and morning, so I'm catching up on my newspaper and CW rather late in the day.

    Have a great weekend, everyone.

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  59. Bill G. We've lived in our home since Dec. of '65. We even were part of our neighborhood's Fourth of July celebration as they had a float for all of the original owners in our tract. There were quite a few of us who rode the float.

    I think the Calif. weather, the jobs available, and other things we Californians brag about are what keep us grounded in one place. We have two of our daughters living close, also, so it is hard to give up those family ties.

    Mari, My thumbs are down for Kripkey and Tenure. LOL.

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  60. PK, I had the same problem with my phone. I taped it back together and it works fine. The tape gets sticky and I replace it every once in a while. As long as the thing works, I'm good.

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  61. Not that it makes much difference but I just realized I made a typo earlier. We bought our house in 1969, not 1965. It seemed like a lot of money at the time. Neither of us was making much money and we were about to have our first child. Still, we managed. If we had waited much longer to buy a house, we would not have been able to afford one in this area. Chickie, now that I've corrected my typo, I see you have got us beat. Yes, I think your analysis is spot on!

    Hey, after hearing about The Big Bang Theory from many of you, I have been watching some reruns and a couple of the new shows. I was whelmed. But then, I just caught what I think is a new episode called "The Alien Parasite Hypothesis." It was really funny and very enjoyable overall.

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  62. To All: Thank you very much for the Birthday Wishes. My wife and I just got home from eating out for my birthday. Had a great meal!

    C.C.: No problem being a little late in the day. I never remembered my Birthday until I read your note. All is good!

    My time on this Blog has been some great fun for me. I think it has been about 2 and a half years. I think I started in December of 2010. This is the high point of most of my mornings (along with doing the puzzles themselves).

    See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

    (lsaple)

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  63. Many, many, thanks for your birthday wishes. a

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  64. Sorry for the incomplete message, but thank you for all of the birthday greetings..

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  65. Happy Birthday to Irish Miss and Abejo! I hope you catch the late good wishes. All my work outside and fresh air put me to sleep before the 6 p.m. news and I just woke up. Wonder what was on TV tonight that I missed? I came here first.

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  66. Chickie, Tape? Why didn't I think of that? I'll have to see what I can do. Thanks.

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  67. Chickie and PK, I think it would be a real fashion statement to have a high tech icon like an iPhone held together with duct tape, the more the better. Go for it!

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  68. (I found this on Barbara's Facebook page from the Long Beach Animal Shelter.)

    A Man down on his luck. A Dog. An arrest. An impound. This morning Robert was outside our shelter waiting for it to open, nervous, restless, hopeful. He was here to redeem his dog, the love of his life, his buddy, his best friend, his Cody Bear. We worked with Robert on the minimum fees to redeem Cody Bear, Robert cried in happiness that his dog was here but sadness that he didn’t have enough money. Then a person overheard him and gave him some money, then another person and through the generosity of two strangers in the lobby, Robert paid his fees. Most reunions between owner and pet can bring tears to anyone’s eyes, but Cody Bear, upon seeing Robert, lunged towards Robert and jumped up on him with such enthusiasm and affection that he barreled him over and the two rolled around on the ground in the lobby. Employees cried, customers cried, Robert cried. The love between the two was overwhelming. We gave Robert as many pet supplies as we could gather; to whom much is given, much is expected. Staff purchased some snacks for Robert, employees at the spcaLA saw Robert outside and gathered some items for the pair as well. A concerned citizen went home and came back with a backpacking pack and bike for Robert. Robert has lost everything but he didn’t lose his Cody Bear… hours later while Robert waited for a ride from a friend, he was still tearing up that he had found his Cody Bear. Redeemed. Reunited.

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  69. Bill G, these are the kind of inspirational stories that all pet owners love to hear - props to you for sharing it. I'm not the emotional type, but I'll almost always tear up at an owner / pet reunion story....

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