Theme: Highest Rating - 5-Star
64A. Headliner, or symbol associated with 20-, 28-, 37-, 42- and 50-Across : STAR
20A. Five-time Super Bowl winners : DALLAS COWBOYS
28A. "It's all about the beer" Dutch brewer : HEINEKEN
37A. "Miracle on 34th Street" store : MACY'S
42A. Big name in sneakers : CONVERSE
50A. Standard flown in Ho Chi Minh City : FLAG OF VIETNAM
Argyle here. C.C. on Monday; could that mean Marti on Tuesday? We should be so lucky.
Definitely needed the unifier today to make the connection between the entries.
Across:
1. Dinner for Mister Ed : OATS. Mr. Ed is a horse, of course.
5. On-the-job extras : PERKS. A short form of the word perquisite.
10. Cave feedback : ECHO
14. Snow remover : PLOW
15. Ice show site : ARENA. C'mon, snow and ice! Pushing the season a little.
16. D'back or Met : NLer
17. "East of Eden" director Kazan : ELIA. 1955 film with James Dean in his first major screen role.
18. Popular half of a 45, usually : SIDE A
19. Time division on a map : ZONE
23. Do a librarian's chore : SHELVE. (the books)
24. Last Greek letter : OMEGA
27. Pipeline product : OIL
31. Tweezer targets : BROWS
34. Club for the supersmart : MENSA. I hope Dennis survived yesterday. 60A. 34-Across member : BRAIN
35. Soccer goal : NET
36. Weight training units : REPS
38. Stand up : RISE
39. Make the most of : USE
40. Obama daughter whose Secret Service code name is "Rosebud" : SASHA. and 48D. Obama daughter whose Secret Service code name is "Radiance" : MALIA. Grew up in front of our eyes.
41. Parcels (out) : METES
44. Droop in the middle : SAG
45. Ford flop : EDSEL
46. Insurance filings : CLAIMS
55. Thug's knife : SHIV
57. Snow-block home : IGLOO
58. Prefix with cast : TELE
59. Not contaminated : PURE
61. Soprano's solo : ARIA
62. Shoe inserts : FEET
63. Road curves : BENDS
Down:
1. Opinion pieces : OP-EDs
2. God of Islam : ALLAH
3. Fabric often decorated with pastoral scenes : TOILE
4. Gulps down : SWALLOWS
5. Whole bunch : PASSEL
6. Guitarist Clapton : ERIC
7. Start all over : REDO
8. Felt in one's bones : KNEW
9. Swedish automaker : SAAB. Not exactly Swedish anymore. National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB, abbreviated as NEVS, purchased Saab Automobile's bankruptcy estate. By early 2014, NEVS plans to introduce its first electric vehicle based on the Saab 9-3.
10. Digestive protein : ENZYME
11. Tight, as families : CLOSE-KNIT
12. Lady lobster : HEN. Male lobster is a cock.
13. Find at the mine : ORE
21. "We Try Harder" car rental chain : AVIS
22. Chaplin granddaughter named for her grandmother : OONA
25. V-formation birds : GEESE
26. Gets in the poker game : ANTES
28. Anne of "Donnie Brasco" : HECHE
29. One-named "Orinoco Flow" singer : ENYA. LINK
30. Mag. edition : ISS. (issue)
31. Groundbreaking comic Lenny : BRUCE
32. Put down new grass sections : RESOD
33. Starts to shoot : OPENS FIRE
34. The "m" in E = mc² : MASS. Energy is equal to Mass times the speed of light((c) squared.
37. Make a dent in, say : MAR
38. Rowing races : REGATTAs. Word Origin & History: 1652, name of a boat race among gondoliers held on the Grand Canal in Venice, from It. (Venetian dialect) regatta, lit. "contention for mastery," from regattare "to compete, haggle, sell at retail," possibly from recatare. The general meaning of "boat race, yacht race" is usually considered to have begun with a race on the Thames by that name June 23, 1775 (cf. OED), but there is evidence that it was used as early as 1768. Per Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
40. Actress Ward : SELA. She has become a crossword staple.
41. Gander or gobbler : MALE. Goose or turkey.
43. Soft-pile fabric : VELVET. Used to paint Elvis on.
44. Offshoots : SCIONS
47. Like neon and xenon : INERT
49. Mascara mishap : SMEAR
51. The Bee Gees' "Gee" : GIBB. Brothers Gibb.
52. Beast of fables : OGRE
53. Spanish dessert : FLAN. But the word isn't derived from Spanish.
54. Partner of null : VOID
55. Coppertone letters : SPF. (sun protection factor)
56. Shade of color : HUE
Argyle
54 comments:
A five star effort.from.our.feelers.leader.
I had to unwind A.SIDE.and FLAG.OF.VIETNAM.which I had bit backwards.
I also wanted ESSES before BENDS. Loved the FEET as shoe inserts.
Thanks to all Veterans
Sorry, eyes bad, obviously it was supposed to be fearless leader.
I quit.
Sixties veterans will make like a clam,
When ask re: the FLAG OF VIETNAM.
A gay yellow STAR
On a red field is no bar,
Now as tourists, they embrace Uncle Sam!
Three beers walk into a bar:
Double X, silver bullet, red STAR.
Dos XX is twenty.
Coors silver has plenty.
But HEINEKEN's green, so au revoir!
MACY*S red STAR will host a parade
Where balloons will all promenade.
No ninjas allowed
To mix with the crowd
Protects airbags from throwing STAR blade!
I once met a stalker, a peeper.
I found he was really much deeper.
We talked through the night,
Discussed STARs, black on white
It was strange to CONVERSE with a sneaker!
DALLAS COWBOYS take many a jar
For the blue and white bordered STAR.
They plan to jump down,
Parasail to the ground;
A sky filled with big chuting STARs!
Morning, all!
Smooth Monday solve for me. I wasn't familiar with the slogan for HEINEKEN, but a couple of perps was all I needed to get the answer. Tried VELOUR instead of VELVET, but once again the perps quickly set me strait.
Great job finding (and fitting) five different STAR theme answers!
[Twillen]
Nice Monday eye opener. Great Puzzle CC and a excellent write up by Argyle.
No real difficulties The Dutch beer company slogan was not that difficult as there are only a few Dutch beers that are/ were sold in the USA a couple have 8 letters. Heineken is the big one and the other is La Trappe the Monks would not care to Market their beer so the winner was Heineken and a few of the Perps confirmed the answer.
Had a little difficulty in getting the wording for the Vietnamese flag down otherwise great job all around.
Thanks for all the neat info, Argyle. I did not know that the bankrupt SAAB was purchased form NEVS. (Note to self: File under "clue trivia" for the future…)
Fun puzzle, and I definitely needed the unifier to realize the STAR alliance. But it was definitely a Monday speed run, because I didn't see a lot of the down clues/answers, like Gobbler or gander for MALE, Mascara mishap for SMEAR, or the clecho for MALIA. Nice job, C.C.!
(And no, Argyle, I don't have another puzzle this week…)
Thanks to all our veterans out there, and enjoy your special day!
Good morning!
Nice, smooth, speed dive to the bottom and to the reveal which I could find in only two puzzle answers. I guess I just wasn't seeing stars this morning. I totally misread two of the clues: "popular half of 45a" and "club for the supermarket". Nice puzzle, C.C.
Argyle, thanks for the backstory on PERKS. Knew what they were, but not the origin.
I've mentioned SELA Ward's unusual name before. Read it backwards and she sounds like a pub wench: Draw Ales.
Hi Y'all! I completely missed the unifier because I filled the SE with downs and sat there and wondered what all the theme answers had to do with each other. DUH! Otherwise C.C.'s puzzle went fast and smoothly and fun! Thanks, Argyle, for getting me together with the clever clue. I had to be reminded visually of the STARS, however, because I didn't remember the logos otherwise. Double DUH! Sped through this in 12 minutes which is warp speed for me. Should have taken time, read all the clues and savored the puzzle a little more. Some good stuff here.
I, too, loved the shoe inserts: FEET!
In a few years my youngest son will become a veteran instead of an active duty serviceman.
CC and Argyle on a Monday morning! What could be better than that?
This wasn’t a speed run for me, but I didn’t move slowly, either. No red letter help necessary. I didn’t know about the STAR on the beer and the flag, but that didn’t create any problems.
Halloween weekend I packed up my Subaru and took two days to drive to Denver to babysit my 3 month old granddaughter for a few months. I rented an apartment in a business hotel across the street from my son and family. The only problem is the Wi-Fi connection only sometimes works and is very slow. I brought my laptop but not a printer, so I must do the puzzles online now.
I don’t remember babies taking so much of one’s time. I do the puzzle early in the morning before I go (I get to their place by 6:40 am) but there never seems to be time to post. So, if I miss a few days, you all know I am okay, just busy.
There was snow the last couple days at home, but here in Greenwood Village, a suburb of Denver, it was near 70° yesterday and we spent half a day at a park. That’s good enough for me to say I am a snowbird from Montana.
Have a good week, everyone,
Montana (in Colorado)
The other side of that 45 was in this morning's NYT.
Spitz, from last night: Really enjoyed the hyperlapse of Guangzhou. PK, I believe the city, in English, was originally called Canton. You've probably heard that name. I spent a night there back in the early 80's. I don't remember it looking like that video, but then again, that was 30 years ago.
CC’s lovely puzzle brightened this Monday where we are getting a foretaste of winter. I saw the reveal coming and tried to not look but, like Argyle, didn’t get it.
Happy Vet’s Day to all who served or supported someone who did!
Musings
-Someone today called them the ALLAS COWBOYS because they had no “D” yesterday in giving up 49 points
-We all wore these shoes in the 50’s and 60’s in high school when there weren’t hundreds of choices
-My PERKS were TEMPS first
-Think you’re done shoveling? Wait ‘til the SNOW PLOW passes
-Pink was a big hit at Lincoln’s new Pinnacle ARENA this weekend
-It was hard to tell SIDE A from SIDE B with the Beatles and Elvis
-You probably can’t be in the NFL if you’re an OMEGA male
-Goalie kicking it into the NET (:44) from the other end of the field
-If I had a dime for every parent who said, “He has the ability if he would just USE it”
-How about some Finnish glass IGLOO’s
-State Farm CLAIMS people from all around the country are in Lincoln today so my daughter can train them on new procedures
-There are other formations GEESE leave on our golf course
-Didn’t we all first hear of Anne HECHE when she dated and then broke up with Ellen DeGeneres? As Seinfeld would say, she now plays for the other team.
Great Monday offering C.C.!
The brothers Gibb are thought of as Aussies, but they were born in England, and grew up in Oz.
I also had ESSES before BENDS, and never notice logos enough to have known where the theme was headed before the unifier. But no other pauses.
HeartRx,
Interesting that you alluded to the Star Alliance. Thinking of Miles and More?
Thank you C.C.! Another great Monday with Argyle's review.
D-O: I'll try not to recall that ASIDE is in NYT when I get it today for MIL (she went to the hospital yesterday with a bad topical infection - had to get anti-body IV).
Spitz - I KNoW you are a Vet, have a good one too.
18a amost got me, but I had a 100% today. 1- 0 for the week. My first bSIDE was Immigrant Song from Led Zepplin. I can't recall SIDEA.
Off to work, see you folks later..
Cheers, -T
HG, The allas Maverick's also seem to be short some D.
Those Finnish glass igloos look like they'd lack some privacy in the loos. I ain't goin' there. Palm trees and sunshine sound better.
Montana, I babysat my grandson several years ago when he got pneumonia after his first week at the daycare center. I remember thinking the same thing: that babies took a lot of time. By the time my kids showed up to take over, sometimes after 12 hours, I was exhausted. I stayed at their house for several weeks. My daughter-in-law wanted me to sleep in the same room as the baby so she could get more sleep and be refreshed for her work. Since she was the boss at work and it was her baby, I had to "regretfully" decline night duty.
My son ended up doing it. He had a day job too but he is a nurturing person.
Thank you, veterans, for your service. I emailed my active duty guardian to thank him last night. I also emailed thanks to my DIL for her service as a military wife raising tomorrow's productive citizens. Sometimes I think her duties are harder than his.
Good morning everyone.
A snappy salute to all the veterans.
Solve went quickly; no searches, no strikethroughs. Kind of a neat theme. Also had one of my favorite beers - HEINEKEN.
While solving this I was thinking to myself how in awe I continue to be by C.C.'s facility with English.
D-O @ 0739 - Good point about Canton. I forgot about the name connection.
"Being hove to in a long gale is the most boring way of being terrified I know."
- Donald Hamilton
To our (presently awol) Marine and all other veterans who grace this blog by their presence: God bestow His Presence and rich blessings upon each of you. Your selflessness and sacrifice are akin to His. I hope each of you takes advantage of the offer from Applebys to feed you a meal today.
From my heart, I thank you.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, C.C., for a fine Monday puzzle. Thank you, Argyle,for the fine review.
Got home from Los Gatos, CA, at midnight last night. Hit the hay and got up early to give a pint of blood. Did this crossword while I was laying on the cot oozing blood. I finished the pint and the crossword at the same time. The Phlebotomist was amazed. I told him it was Monday.
Zipped through this easily. Theme appeared after I got 64A, STAR. I was familiar with some of the stars, but not all.
Liked PASSEL. Not a word you hear every day in this neck of the woods.
So, if a lady lobster is a HEN, what is a male lobster? A rooster? A buck? A gander? A tom? I am not leading up to a joke, I really do not know. And, I do not eat lobster. Ever.
Very good puzzle.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
(hossihe)
Thank you to all the veterans and their families who have sacrificed.
These moments never get old.
Hello, all! What a great way to start the week! Argyle and our prolific C.C. Thank you, both. I didn't know the origin of PERKS, thank you.
I loved sashaying through this and finding the PERKS today, SWALLOWS and GEESE for one. I know, 4D is gulps, but they are also birds who return to Capistrano.
Really laughed at FEET.
DALLAS COWBOYS were hot in the 70s so that came easily. Did anyone see the interview with Tony Dorsett? Apparently he is suffering from BRAIN damage. Surprise, surprise!
HG:
Actually, Oscar Wilde said that first.
MACYS was one of our stops yesterday on our shopping trip. Express was the other where they have that now almost unheard of "service assistant" who fawned all over my daughter and outfitted her.
And finally, but most importantly, thank you to our veterans!
Have a beautiful Monday, everyone! Temps are in the 80s here.
Kazie @ 8:01, yes, exactly - I always fly with Lufthansa or Austrian Airlines when I go to Europe, and immediately thought of that when I saw the theme!
Thanks CC for a nice and easy puzzle.and thank you Argyle for the write up and the humor. Thank you, all veterans.
Thank you Dotto for the Sela Ward - Draw Ales .... anagram .... Very cute.
Abejo, A male lobster is a. cock. You were very close
....
Finally, Lemonade , in all good spirits .... When I saw 'our feelers leader', my eyes perked up. Ok, so it was only a typo.
Have a nice day, you all.
-Lucina, I couldn’t tell whether the original Wilde quote was about OMEGA men or “switching teams”. I couldn’t find either one on the web but here is the Seinfeld dialogue after Elaine was serving as a beard for a gay man.
Jerry: Not conversion. You're thinking conversion?
Elaine: Well it did occur to me.
Jerry: You think you can get him to just change teams? He's not going to suddenly switch sides. Forget
about it.
Elaine: Why? Is it irrevocable?
Jerry: Because when you join that team it's not a whim. He likes his team. He's set with that team.
Elaine: We've got a good team.
Jerry: Yeah, we do. We do have a good team.
Elaine: Why can't he play for us?
Jerry: They're only comfortable with *their* equipment.
-BTW, if you understand all the quotes on these Seinfeld T-shirts, you are as addicted as I am
-PK, I also would have declined. Parent is also a verb.
-25 B-SIDES that became hits
Did anyone notice all the stars, as shown, and clued, .... are Pentagrams... not Hexagrams ??
I always thought, Hexagrams were Jewish, and pentagrams were so .... You know, goy. Or maybe the devil ? Or is that the hexagram ? Well, anyway, seeing 5 stars, all at once, in one puzzle is enough to give a guy a headache ....
This is only a joke, and is meant to be read, as such. Please no diatribes. There are no subliminal messages involved, and no hidden meanings, and no political statements. So save your breath .... And take a deep breath.
Hi everybody. I hope we all have an enjoyable Veterans Day and that we remember and honor the service and sacrifice of all of our veterans. Did you catch the ceremony honoring our Veterans at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers this morning? President Obama introduced a 107-year-old WWII veteran. Very moving.
I enjoyed the puzzle and the writeup. It seemed like it was an easy Saturday puzzle in disguise since I had no clue about any theme. It just didn't make any sense until STAR was revealed.
All gave some...but some gave all.
Thank you. All of you.
If there's anything I love more than a Monday speed romp, it's a Monday C.C. puzzle. And this one was terrific! I loved all the pairings: SASHA and MALIA, MENSA and BRAIN, HEN and GEESE. And like the rest of you, the FEET shoe inserts will be a favorite of mine for a long time. Just a delightful puzzle, although even with the reveal, I didn't quite get the STAR theme until Argyle's write-up. So thank you too, Argyle.
I'm always relieved to know at least some of the folk who appear in the puzzles: LENNY BRUCE, ENYA, and ANNE HECHE today. Didn't know my Bee Gee's, however.
Montana, what a terrific grandma you are.
Have a great day, everybody!
Great puzzle, great write-up. Got a little stuck in the central section. Didn't know the names of the first family.
Monday, Monday - Thought for sure you'd mention this B-side...Got a Feelin'
Too obvious?
Barbara and I were discussing a bit-part player on TV. We couldn't remember his name but some Googling yielding the desired result. You won't believe how many shows he's been in. He's a very recognizable face that made the big time but not as a leading man.
Jeffrey Tambor
Hi Everyone:
Late to the dance due to a very hectic day.
Fun puzzle, breezed right through with nary a hiccup! Great job, CC, and ditto, Argyle. Needed the reveal for the theme.
Just got a call from my furnace/AC service company to reschedule my appointment for tomorrow's annual check-up. (This is the second reschedule since my original request in early October.). Their next opening is January 14th which I balked at and asked for a refund so I could get someone else to come sooner. They do not give refunds, so, as much as it irks me, I'll have to wait until January. Of course, my day had already started out on the wrong foot because Cruciverb didn't have the puzzle. (It's up now, though.)
Thank you to all veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice.
Have a nice evening.
One of the fun things about this site is that we "get to know" some of the constructors when they stop by to tell the backstory of their creations. Marti, Gareth, Jeff Chen and John Lampkin come to mind.
This one's for you CC...
We finally got a replacement remote that was missing from our new gas fireplace. DW asked me to turn it on. Everything checked out fine.
It runs on propane, which is heavier than air, and unbeknownst to me, there must have been a small leak in the pipe connections. I ran it for a while, & then shut it off (except for the pilot light) so we could use it after dark.
We got Chinese take out, & DW decided we should eat outside in front of the fireplace. We had just set everything out, & sat down, (& this is the spot where you would normally say Grace...) When the fireplace exploded.
The propane must have built up under the fireplace for a good two hours before it reached the pilot light. The explosion bent the fireplace frame & cracked the masonry.
Luckily no one was hurt, (except my pride, because DW is blaming me...)
wow! It's 6 something in your neck of the woods already? I'm with Montana; the kids leave little time for blogging.
Finished puzzle by 7:00, but by 7:30 had 2 little ones and 2 more came later.Ironic that it's a holiday for kids, but fun for me.
Mucho thanks to all the vets who have served and those who continue to give their time to our country.
Loved the puzzle, CC., especially the feet.LOL! Thanks Argyle for flagging the stars.Loved the theme after you pointed it out.
(prozec) LOL!!!
My newest daughter-in-law and her son are from the Philippines. We now know their family is safe. A nice relief. They live north of Manila.
Montana
C.C. Really enjoyed your puzzle today.
CED... you seem to have the worst of luck. First, you're a cat lover (cmon, who didn't see that coming?) Now your fireplace blows up. Was it a do it yourself install? Use a soap and water solution to check all fittings.
Was it a professional installation? You should treat all your corner denizens here a lobster dinner after you win your lawsuit. ;~)
Greetings!
Great speed run, CC! Thanks to you and to our wonderful Argyle!
Received my new iPad Retina today! (Wore the old one out playing Sudoku Takeout. Also could no longer receive apps that I want to ancient system.) New one was a joy to set up!
Jeffrey Tambor is one of my favorite actors. Was star of Arrested Development.
Thanks to all of our veterans!
Cross-Eyed Dave, so sorry to hear about the fireplace explosion. What a huge disappointment to what should have been a lovely evening.
Irish Miss, I hate when you pay companies for annual check-ups and then they don't give you the service you deserve. We used to pay to have our plumbers come once a year to check everything out, and they always recommended cautionary work in the hundreds of dollars to prevent future problems. Then one Saturday mornings both toilets clogged out and water came up from the showers. A total emergency. I called the plumber and the first appointment they would give us was three days later, on Monday afternoon. I cancelled the annual check-up and gave one of the managers such an ear-ful that I did get a refund. Needless to say, we will never do business with that plumber again. Anyway, good luck with your furnace.
Hello everybody, and respectful greetings to you veterans. Great, fun puzzles the last several days.
I have been feeling sad, yet supportive, to a friend who has 4th stage lung cancer and is on chemotherapy, taking several pills a day. Not a cure, just a treatment. He feels like crap most of the day every day. We'll see how it goes. He's a good 20 years younger than us and otherwise so vibrant and enthusiastic about everything.
Best wishes to you all.
Manac, it was a professional install when the house was built 15 months ago, the fireplace was tested by the house builder when we took it over in August. I tested it Friday, & it worked fine. The leak was so small, that it took two hours for the propane to rise the 4 inches from the bottom of the fireplace frame to the pilot light.
I don't see how I could sue, no one was hurt, & the installer is repairing it. But I can tell you, I was the closest, (about 3 feet)with my back to it. & I felt the blast wave push me, but believe me, I didn't need any help jumping out of my chair!
Dave, As long as no one got hurt
is all that matters.
CED, you are a very forgiving person, ... I would have promptly shot the installer,
AND the previous seller .
.. And even any plumber, who happened to pass nearby, ....and .(who did nothing, btw )
,.... Just to get back my sanity.
You were darn lucky to get away with your life, and all your lived ones....er, loved ones.
It's is ridiculous that you have to get blown out of your own house, by a "small" leak .... Small leak ??? .... Is like having a "small brain tumor."
As for the heaviness of the propane ..... Oh my god, if you ever visualized how instantaneously, gaseous diffusion works .... It had probably mixed all over with the rest of the air in the house ... ... Another couple of hours and it could've blown your heinie to the moon.
Anyway, we are all very glad you that you're ok, and so is your family. .... ( so, you can continue to give Maniac, (thanks, autocorrect), the run for his money .... ).
The next time you run that contraption, .... Handcuff the installer to it, for the next 24 hours. That way, you'll be really sure.
You take care ....
Vidwan @ 8:23,
Thank you for your concern and sharing !
I just wanted to say thank you to all our veterans. You have all sacrificed a portion of your life for all of us.
CED, I'm thankful you came out unscathed. Too bad there is not a medal for survivors of exploding fireplaces. Good thing it was an outdoor fireplace. There is not always someone to blame... That's why they're called accidents.
CC, nice Monday puzzle with some fresh cluing and fills. Thanks, Argyle,for your unfailing help.
CED - Sorry for the problem but glad no one was hurt. Must have been very scary, nonetheless.
Irish Miss, I empathize with your furnace service frustration. I think I'd be looking for a different company that is more committed to customer satisfaction.
CED, I'm glad you're OK. Where I lived at Cornell, an old gas oven went out but the gas stayed on. When the cook for that day went to relight the oven, the explosion blew open the doors to the kitchen and rattled everything upstairs. No one was hurt though the cook lost all his eyebrows.
Jayce, good thoughts and wishes for your friend.
I have had an indoor gas fireplace in NJ for over 6 years, (I still prefer wood, but you can't beat flipping a switch to get warm in the morning.)& every spring, I shut it down to save gas. Every fall I go thru the ritual of turning on the gas & relighting the pilot light for the season. But it uses house gas (natural gas, same as your stove.) which is lighter than air & rises.
This outdoor fireplace uses propane, which is heavier than air & sinks, & accumulated in the tub created by the fireplace frame.
I say this because the pilot light is a safety feature, & it did it's job, igniting the gas before it reached (more) dangerous levels. I hate to think what would have happened if the entire propane storage tank emptied (equivalent to about 20 BBQ tanks) before it found a flame.
The only thing that pisses me off, is that DW, (who knows nothing about gas fireplaces) is absolutely positive it was my fault!
(Dang it,,,she asked me to turn it on, sometimes ya just can't win for try'n...)
HG:
I'm so sorry. I believe it might have been Somerset Maugham. Haven't had time to research today, maybe tomorrow. I'm quite sure it's an older quotation than Jerry, though.
Bill G @ 9:10 - After this service, which I have already paid for, I will be switching to a new provider. So, their intransigence cost them a loyal ten-year, twice-a year customer.
Anon T and others - Thanks for the good wishes
CED - Glad you're OK. Just tell DW that propane is heavier than air and there isn't much that you can do about it. If you burnt natural gas (methane) which is lighter than air, like everyone else, the mishap wouldn't have happened even with a leak. So it isn't your fault.
Irish Miss and everybody, it's very odd how some businesses treat their customers, as if they aren't the most important people to keep satisfied and happy. Were I a small business owner, I would always choose to keep a loyal customer happy with a free replacement, their money back, a discount, whatever... The only exception might be if a customer begins to have a pattern of complaining or having unreasonable demands, etc. to the point where I felt like they were taking advantage of my good nature. I am very loyal to a business, restaurant, etc. that treats me fairly and goes out of their way to make sure I'm satisfied. Not only do I continue being a customer but I also recommend them to anybody who is interested. I may continue to frequent their place of business rather than a cheaper, more impersonal place.
Bill G - The most important word in your post is "fairly"' and that is so important to me in all aspects of life. And when it is absent, I have a really serious problem.
Here here IM!
CED - Giant Jeapers Batman! So glad no one was injured. DW will likely never get that it's not your fault (I've got the same issue w/ computers around here.) Accept blame and say "it will never happen again dear..." and then recite the Man's Pledge.
Bill G. Fair is fair is relative to people's moods some days (yes, I have a teenaged daughter... Expectations appropriately adjusted). I do frequent businesses that offer a fair deal (even if they are ripping me off, I don't know better).
MIL is out of the hospital today. W/ 3 ringers of antibodies, she is good-to-go again...
Spitz - don't put my Vet status in the same category as yours. I was in the Reserves (to pay for school) and surprisingly got called up for Desert Storm to back-fill for the real Army. I never saw combat or ugly stuff, just worked in a med-lab for 89 days.... With 3 days of leave on hand I qualified w/ 92 days as a vet during that campain. Go figure...
My brother, on the other hand, had two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. I didn't agree with the former, but he performed duty with valor. Happy 11/11 bro and to all the other Vets!
Cheers, -T
After getting off of the phone with MIL, I just re-read my post and it could be misconstrued. Spitz, by "the same catagory", I'm saying you did way more than I. I was just a rear-echelon-(fill in the blank) :-). C, -T
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