google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, June 16, 2014 David W. Cromer

Gary's Blog Map

Jun 16, 2014

Monday, June 16, 2014 David W. Cromer

Theme: Tempus Fugit - Yes, how time flies...all around this grid, landing in front of the first word of the starred answers.

56A. Store posting, and what the first words of the answers to starred clues could literally be doing : CLOSING TIME. The first word can close a "time" phrase.

18A. *Mood : FRAME OF MIND. Time frame - A period of time during which something has taken or will take place.

37A. *Philatelist's prize possession : STAMP COLLECTION. Time stamp - A device for stamping the date and time of day.

3D. *Like a baseball fouled into the seats : OUT OF PLAY. Time out - Suspension of play, sports or kids.

34D. *Solid baseball hit : LINE DRIVE. Time line - A linear representation of important events in the order in which they occurred, like a baseball scorecard.

Argyle here, for the time being. David has been providing us with early week puzzles for some time now. Had a good time with this one. I looked at an early write-up of David and I mentioned my dial-up was giving me trouble. Boy, was that back in the dark ages.

Across:

1. "Little Red Book" chairman : MAO

4. Hardly enough : SCANT. As in scantily clad.

9. Online memo : E NOTE. or like online Cliff Notes.

14. School URL ending : .EDU

15. Like most white bears : POLAR

16. Bedsheet material : LINEN

17. Body art, briefly : TAT

20. Self-images : EGOs. Interesting, following tat.

22. Scornful look : SNEER

23. One of a Valentine's Day dozen : ROSE. CSO, by any other name.

24. Vandalizes : DEFACES. Graffiti.

26. Made amends : ATONED. They were made to scrub off the graffiti.

28. Map that may show land subdivisions : PLAT

29. Longed (for) : PINED

31. Conger catcher : EELER. No conger picture before breakfast.

33. River through Russia : VOLGA. Volga-Matushka (Mother Volga)


34. Auburn rival in the SEC : LSU. Southeastern Conference(SEC)/Louisiana State University(LSU)

40. Salary : PAY

41. Author Joyce Carol __ : OATES. She was born in Lockport, NY and grew up in Millersport, NY. (Looks like that's as close as we'll get to Erie today.)

42. One of India's official languages : HINDI

43. Hang in midair : HOVER

44. Surrender, as territory : CEDE

45. Words that attract shoppers : *ON SALE*

48. Nothing-to-do feeling : BOREDOM. Two weeks after school gets out.

51. Planted : SOWN. Got your gardens sown?

52. Equip with new weapons : REARM

55. Lass of La Mancha: Abbr. : SRTA. (seƱorita)

59. "__ now or never" : IT'S



60. Put on the radio : AIRED

61. Waited-for show character who never showed : GODOT. Play by Saturday's Irish playwright, Samuel Beckett. A waste of time?

62. Pet doc : VET

63. Angling gear : REELS

64. Signs of things to come : OMENS

65. EMTs' destinations : ERs

Down:
(I hope this takes less time.)

1. Doled (out) : METED

2. Old saw : ADAGE

4. Tanning lotion letters : SPF. (sun protection factor)

5. Constricting garment : CORSET

6. Greenspan and Ladd : ALANs

7. Title : NAME

8. Genealogical chart : TREE. With lots of names on it.

9. Santa subordinate : ELF. Sorry, it isn't pc to call them that. (subordinate)

10. Idiot : NIMROD

11. Bermuda veggie : ONION


12. On edge : TENSE

13. Concluded : ENDED

19. Southern California county : ORANGE

21. Witch trials setting : SALEM

25. Commuting convenience : CAR POOL. Certainly so when they have their own lanes.

27. One working with pupils : TEACHER. Not Lois anymore.

29. Gondola helmsman : POLER. A pole is used to propel the boat.

30. Pandora's boxful : ILLS

31. So-called sixth sense : ESP

32. Letter after zeta : ETA

33. Go to the polls : VOTE

35. Ready-to-go lawn starter : SOD

36. Prefix with cycle : UNI

38. Spot for spelunkers : CAVERN

39. In-and-out ocean phenomena : TIDES

43. Gretel's brother : HANSEL

44. Ordinary : COMMON

45. Actor's prize : OSCAR

46. "I kid you not!" : "NO LIE!"

47. Took an oath : SWORE. Another interesting follow up.

48. Woman often followed by a train : BRIDE

49. Aquatic frolicker : OTTER

50. Sail supports : MASTS

53. Frozen waffle brand : EGGO

54. Quark locale : ATOM. No images of Quark from Deep Space Nine before breakfast either.

57. SSNs, e.g. : IDs

58. UFO crew, supposedly : ETs

Ahh! My time has ended.


Argyle


69 comments:

  1. A VOLGA boatman is a puller, not POLER.
    Few ships venture towards regions POLAR.
    And yet daily masses
    In vehicular chassis
    Commute in the guise of CAR POOLer!

    It's two A.M. in the morning,
    A new day will soon be aborning.
    It's the bar's CLOSING TIME,
    A bedTIME FRAME OF MIND,
    But a limerick is in my brain forming!

    It's my Muses who make my verse twinkle,
    Inspiration, like glitter, they sprinkle.
    There's Erato, for poetry,
    Or Thalia, for comedy,
    But sometimes I get only Bullwinkle!

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  2. Welcome to the rest of your life Lois!

    A very nice relaxing Monday and only EELER not pleasing to the eye.

    Hello Rose.

    Have a good week all.

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  3. Good morning all.

    Thank you David Cromer and thank you Argyle.

    What about 45A ? Words that attract shoppers : ON SALE. ON TIME. If you can not be on time, then be early.

    Fun and quick solve this AM. Had a couple of temporary errors with DEFilES rather than DEFACES and since my Auburn opponent was initially from Florida, I had fINEDRIVE as opposed to LINE DRIVE.

    Argyle, I did see ERIE in this puzzle. Reading east to west in 60A and then heading south in 46D. Also meandering SSE starting in BOREDOM.

    A belatedly Happy 49th Anniversary to the BG's ! "You Should Be Dancing"

    I hadn't noticed the time. Time to go make the coffee.

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  4. Morning, all!

    Computer is fine, but we lost power and can't get the Internet running. Going fishing, catch you all later!

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  5. Good Morning, Argyle and friends. This was a good puzzle to start off the work week.

    I liked seeing the EGOS and EGGO in the same puzzle as well as the POLAR and POLER.

    Interestingly, although an Idiot may be called a NIMROD, the Biblical Nimrod was the great-grandson of Noah and was considered to be a powerful man and a great hunter.

    In honor of the 76th birthday of 41-Across, here is today's QOD: Our house is made of glass … and our lives are made of glass; and there is nothing we can do to protect ourselves. ~ Joyce Carol Oates (June 16, 1938)

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  6. Good morning!

    I ACHED before I PINED, but otherwise this was a speed run to the bottom. After finishing I looked for, and failed to find, the theme. Natch.

    Argyle, DSN was also my first thought for Quark. I put the wrong spin on it. D'oh!

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  7. Quick sashay today. Often perps were not needed. Argyle,this is one of your best efforts, so witty and informative. You make Mondays and Tuesdays interesting.
    I learned something here. A few perps let me wag NIMROD, but it surprised me. I knew of Nimrod in Genesis. He was a mighty hunter and from him we get nimrod as a synonym for hunter. I see now that it is also slang for idiot. Who knew?
    I'm off to the gym and a morning full of errands,including the doctor.

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  8. Easy peasy Monday, but I too was unaware of Nimrod as an idiot.

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  9. Strange thing just happened--my comment posted but the message came up saying I didn't match the idiot/robot numbers. Let's see if this time the message goes away.

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  10. Good Morning:

    Nice, easy-breezy offering from David Cromer. Only write-over was sewn/sown. Thanks, David, and thanks, Argyle, for your spot-on expo.

    We have a beautiful day-supposed to hit 87. Glad to have A/C when it gets that hot. Can't wait for sweet corn season!

    Have a great day.

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  11. Thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Cromer's puzzle today. Easy enough for a Monday, but had some very nice and unusual fills.... VOLGA, CAVERN, NIMROD.

    Thanks, Argyle, for your always witty write-up.

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  12. Morning All!

    David's puzzle was a nice confidence builder before I give this speech. Argyle, as always, a fine writeup.

    I didn't know NIMROD was a hunter. I always assumed idiot moron when Dad called me that after I did something dumb :-)

    There was much more to like, but now to steel my nerve and talk. TIMEs up.

    Cheers, -T

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  13. Good morning, folks. Thank you, David Cromer, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle for a fine review.

    TTP: Goodncatch on the reverse Erie.

    Argyle: I heard Miss Oates once passed through Erie on her way to Cleveland.

    Zipped through this easily. MAO was easy for a start.

    Theme was good.

    DEFACES really ires me. These gangs, etc, that mess up everybody's property is bad news. Hey needed help growing up.

    Agree with ATONED, Argyle.

    Now on Rockaway Peninsula, NYC, to work on a house. We are staying in Jamaica which is not close. Having a tough time finding the house. Anyhow, persistence will prevail.

    See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

    (9547)

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  14. Never heard of Plat, but I was constrained to it by corset...

    26A Made amends, atones of course!
    13D concluded = endes? Must go to the Blog to see if somebody screwed up!

    (Boy, do I feel like a nimrod...)

    Timeframe?

    Oooh! Can I get a timestamp?

    New time out tool!

    I have enough trouble trying to figure out Facebook, there is no way I am going to create a creative timeline...

    Speaking of Nimrod... Closing Time?

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  15. Good day, friends! Argyle, I always admire your style which you keep fresh every week.

    Thanks to David W. Cromer who gave us a quick romp today. Much of it I solved downward for some reason; one fill down just led to another.

    I enjoyed woman often followed by a train and though it's been used before, it's amusing.

    Irish Miss:
    Do you really think 87 is hot? That's a cool down in these parts.

    TIME to read last night's posts.

    Have a beautiful Monday, everyone!

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  16. I believe Mark Twain is responsible for the characterization of NIMROD as an idiot. I'll have to research it to verify.

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

    Nice write-up, Argyle. Timely, too...

    Fun puzzle from David. I enjoy a Monday puzzle that has interesting fill like NIMROD, VOLGA, GODOT and CORSET (crossing SCANT, no less!!) The unifier was spot on, too. I was looking for the theme to be something to do with baseball - OUT OF PLAY and LINE DRIVE steered me in the wrong direction!

    I'm in the throes of a full-blown allergy attack that started yesterday. Claritin isn't even touching this one. Ugh!

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  18. Musings
    -Silly (sexist?) Mickey Gilley CLOSING TIME (5:56) song
    -Would a visible TAT on a prospective employee influence your hiring decision?
    -Self Image – I saw a t-shirt Saturday with this message “This is what a feminist looks like” Your point?
    -Who does this GRAFFITI?
    -Does anyone else remember The VOLGA Boatman dirge being played in old cartoons when hard work was being done?
    -LSU and their wonderful fans are sorely missed in the Omaha College World Series this year
    -HINDI – We went to Million Dollar Arm about taking two boys out of India and trying to make them MLB pitchers. It was about different cultures, trying your best and not giving up. It was predictable and fun.
    -The kids loved my HOVER Craft (1:58) like this one
    -The dark clouds in the west were sufficient OMENS to chase me off the course this morning
    -I like my ONION raw on my hamburger. Joann likes her grilled along with the meat. You?
    -Every CAR POOL has at least one member who…
    -A 1984 movie (1:19) about TEACHERS in the most dysfunctional school imaginable

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  19. Lucina @ 10:00 - For me, temps above 80 are hot. Of course, everything being relative, I understand why 80's in Phoenix would be downright cool compared to your 100+ days. (The older I get, the more I mind hot weather but our summer goes by so quickly that it's bearable. Here we are half-way through June already!). In any case, I hope your weather will be moderate! :-)

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  20. Hi Y'all! Fun & fast puzzle, thanks, David. I didn't understand the theme even with the unifier. Duh! Only unknown was Auburn's rival so let perps fill it.

    I thought those who caught eels were called "elvers".

    Thanks, Argyle! Loved hearing Elvis, but he sure looked bad at that concert.

    A dear classmate of mine slipped half in and out of the bathtub this weekend and broke her ankle in 3 places. She lives alone. Luckily, she had taken her cell phone into the bathroom and could call her daughter. I seldom think to take the phone there, but I sure remembered today.

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  21. Good morning all,

    almost a speed run..had to go thru the ABC's to get the L in linedrive/LSU. Perps filled Ms Oates and plat/ I had plot and it seemed awkward. Still do not understand the clue =ing go dot... a fun run for a Monday.

    Who has linen sheets?

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  22. Happy belated anniversary Bill and Barbara. Nothing better than celebrating with the family.

    Thanks for all the anniversary comments . As I was savoring my Sea Bass dinner, I looked at Bob and said,45 years is a long time!" Then we laughed, and reminisced... a fun evening. Celebrated Fathers Day with the family last night and made ALL of the things my 3 big boys loved. And, to top off the evening, Dylan decided it was time to walk.

    Have a lovely week. We are FINALLY putting in AC, but only upstairs.

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  23. Elvers are baby eels.

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  24. Woke up late after a good sleep and so only had ten minutes to do the puzzle. Luckily it was a wonderful speed run and I did it without a single write-over. Hurray! Many thanks, David, and Argyle, for an always fun expo!

    Lots of items in my wheelhouse today: EDU, GODOT, OATES, HANSEL, OSCAR, and more. Only NIMROD was a real surprise to me.

    Owen, your BULLWINKLE limerick cracked me up.

    AnonT, good luck on your speech today!

    Have a great Monday, and a great week, everybody!

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  25. I wanted to have no write-overs so I checked the PERPS on every entry and did a clean 0ne.

    I wonder if Edward Elgar had some idiot in mind when he wrote the NIMROD variation of the ENIGMA VARIANTIONS.

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  26. I need a little help...on vacation last week, I was jonesing for a crossword puzzle but could not find a website compatible with my Nexus 7 tablet. Does anyone here in the Corner do the puzzle on-line with an Android (KitKat) device? BTW - The Chicago Trib site works great on my PC but not my tablet.

    TIA

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  27. HG@10:32

    I was not aware of Mickey Gilley's version of closing time, & really disliked his joke at the end... (Glass eye jokes?) But, when did Joan rivers ever have a talk show???

    It made me do some research, as I was not aware of Joan Rivers until I was older... That's so true...

    Oh, & this is the closing time I thought you were linking! I know who I want to take me home....

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  28. Enjoyable Monday 10 minute speed-run.

    TRI before UNIcycle and METES instead of METED held me up. Couldn't get the TADA until I rechecked and saw SEFACES instead of DEFACES.

    ROSEs are flowering in my garden. Beautiful day here! 22C (72F)

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  29. PK @ 11:03, an “elver” is a young eel, as anon pointed out. The one who catches eels is called a “sniggler.”

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  30. I finished. Thanks for the wishes JD. The talk went OK, but I was 20 minutes under TIME. Now I'm going to sleep

    CED - You beat me to the Semisonic link! Also, I think we had PLAT just last Thurs

    HG - Saw TEACHERS before going to my first public school HS. I was seated next to a huge jock and the Teacher (with a blue bee-hive) said, "Don't worry, he doesn't bite."* He looked at me with a grimacing grin. Talk about an unsettling FRAME OF MIND!

    WEES - lots of fun sparkle. I sped through so fast missed GODOT. Or did he never show?

    Cheers, -T
    *He was 1st string lineman; 1st chair viola, and an Eagle Scout. We became good friends through HS.

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  31. Argyle: When I first saw Quark, I misread it as Quasar. The DS9 reference probably explains why my subconscious identified it as astronomical instead of quantum.
    desper: spin on it? *Groan*

    I first knew NIMROD as an insult, probably from watching Bugs Bunny long before the Fundamentalist Christian portion of my life when I learned the Biblical meaning, which I at first assumed was obsolete. Which bugged me a bit, because if the Bible said it, wasn't it supposed to be eternally true?

    HGary: Onions grilled AND minced! Can't stand onion strings on my burgers, tho I do like onion rings on the side.

    JD: The clue gave a one-line description of the play Waiting For Godot.

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  32. Karl@12:48 -- You can get the LAT daily crosswords via the Shortyz app. Note -- not all versions of Shortyz download it properly. I've got a clone version that Steve (Wed blogger) modified when the filename changed at the download site. Install Shortyz on your Nexus 7. If it doesn't download the LAT correctly, shoot me an email and I'll send you my cloned copy.

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  33. If you have the time (11:00) and headphones (for the full effect):

    Time Has Come Today by the Chambers Brothers.

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  34. D-O - Thanks a bunch. App works great, just need a little practice on the navigation. I tried today's LAT & all seemed OK. Puzzles are so easy the second time!

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  35. CC, (Re Yest.) I am afraid that Cantonese cooking is still on my ToDo list.

    However, Paella is cheese free, my preference would be a Spanish Paella, avoiding chicken & fish, but heavy on the shellfish. (Lobster & Clam, with shrimp, & mussels, Oh Yeah!)

    Nachos seem to be created around cheese. The only cheese free nacho recipe I found contained This Stuff?

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  36. A Monday funday...

    I hope all dads had a good dad day yesterday. I spent part of the time scanning and sorting old crinkled photos of my dad and his and my mom's dads, preserving them for my sons. It is really rather wonderful to look back to when they were younger than I am now. They certainly seemed OLD at the time.

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  37. Good morning. That was a perfectly pleasant Monday puzzle though the theme didn't do much for me. I was whelmed, even after the reveal.

    There are lots of Mexican restaurants in this area. Nachos are always good, even when they're not so good. I even like Taco Bell's ersatz Mexican food.

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  38. Musings 2
    -Dave – Joan was a guest host for Johnny Carson many times and then got her own show opposite him and he never spoke to her again. We Nebraskans remember who “done us wrong”. This appears to be her own show which did not last long.
    -I didn’t know Jerry Lee was a cousin to Mickey
    -Owen – If a restaurant offers O-rings, I always have if they are fresh (I’ll take some) or frozen (fuh get about it)
    -Anon T – Did the last line of your post go with the boy with the grimacing grin and just get misplaced? ;-)
    -A more familiar OATES to this literary troglodyte
    -Graffiti removal
    -Rudy Giuliani believed in repairing windows and cleaning up graffiti immediately and it helped revive neighborhoods

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  39. Lucina, I may be wrong, but I think that Mark Twain referred to Nimrod Castle in Israel as part of his travelogue, Innocents Abroad.
    When I was growing up as a rural kid the local weekly in hunting season was full of pictures and articles about nimrods. The word seemed common. Later I picked up the biblical reference.
    I may have heard of nimrod as idiot, but so very infrequently as to be forgotten. As a PK in a rural area I had virgin ears. People were not called morons or idiots or nimrods in my hearing.
    My father in law initiated me into the words kike, wop, dago, limey, etc. which I had never heard before.
    I learned common DF sexual slang in college which many of my compatriots knew as preteens.
    NIMROD as idiot is even now off my radar, but NIMROD hunters were there all my life.
    What is common knowledge and what is obscure in crosswords is dictated by our varying life experiences. It is interesting to see other points of view. We are so heterogeneous in our outlooks.

    Taco Bell, no thanks, I prefer to cook my own.

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  40. CED - Yes I did misplace my **. Apologies all around.

    I find most DEFACING graffiti a form of art. I love watching the trains go by with cool murals - maybe it's just the hippy in me wondering where the train was tagged - LA, CHI, STL?

    It's the restroom graffiti I find bothersome - 867-5309.

    Speaking of hippies (which my father was not) my brother found pics of dad from '76 (post mom #1 - she's still a hippie) and posted them for Father's Day. Talk about a guy with a mop. Not bad for a 'Nam era VET. So yes, Father's Day was nice not withstanding the work-work I did.

    Cheers, -T
    *Asterisk :-)

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  41. YR - I've got Italian tires on my car. Dago through water, Dago through mud, and we 'da flat, Dago WOP, WOP WOP, WOP.

    Being half Limey (Irish, right?) half Dago (I thought it was Dego, but I'll go with your spelling since iThing red-underlines both) I can tell this joke :-) C, -T

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  42. Here we go again. It's a brutally fugly day in the plains, and the tornados are starting to fire. The only cell in NE is at least 100 mi N of me, but only about 50 miles from Gary. Looks like a big one and it's now between Stanton and Pilger (or Pigler, as the locals like to call it) . Here it's much nicer...only 87f, 75% humidity and gentle breezes of 40-50 mph.

    Oh great, now it looks like a 2nd funnel has formed, SE of the first. Keep an eye out, Gary. It's going to be a long evening.

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  43. One of you reminded me about beet greens a day or two ago. I was at the supermarket this morning and saw several nice bunches of beets with some pretty greens attached. So I got me a bunch. I even swiped a few greens from some other neighboring bunches and added them to my bag. ("But officer, most people just throw away the greens anyway...)

    YR, I'm positive I would prefer your home-cooked Mexican food also. But if you haven't invited me over for dinner, that doesn't mean I won't enjoy Taco Bell crispy taco supremes once in a while when I'm hungry.

    You guys in the tornado vicinity, be safe!

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  44. You Nebraskans, Gary & Joe, stay safe.

    YR:
    You may be right about Nimrod. My search has yielded nothing yet I distinctly recall reading a book to my class in which one of the characters was Nimrod. Maybe James Thurber.

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  45. I never knew of the biblical NIMROD, or have forgotten it.

    HG at 10:32, "Would a visible TAT on a prospective employee influence your hiring decision?"

    What's the job ?

    -T,
    "... wondering where the train was tagged - LA, CHI, STL?"

    Based on all of the CN's, I'm going with Canada :>)


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  46. If any of you have ghoulish interests, the real time drama being played out right now on TWC is pretty amazing. Dueling funnels, about a mile apart.

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  47. Musings 3
    -I’m looking at the weather also, Joe. One storm in NE Nebraska had three funnels dropped down to the surface. Much of that area is empty farm ground but it seems that the town of Pilger has had extensive damage. Yikes, the storm chasers have just put pix of what’s left of that town on TV.
    -I wonder what Omaha will do with all the people in T.D. Ameritrade Park in Omaha for the 7 pm College -World Series game tonight. There’s a lot of energy around yet.
    -TTP – Would you let a person with clearly visible TATS be in a job that involved meeting people in public? I wouldn’t but otherwise…
    -Iowa-based American Pickers hired hired Dani
    -On an informal basis, I have no issue with TATS but have little sympathy for people who complain about negative consequences as a result of having them.
    -We have a big basement and aren’t afraid to use it!

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  48. Avg Joe and HG, I am worried about you. The prospect of tornadoes and horrific hail are daunting.

    This morning during our medical appointment Alan had another negative incident. Just discussing his medication needs brought it on. We are continuing with the increased meds and now, hours later, we are back to normal.
    Despite many scientific advances, countless medical problems do not yield to scientific objectivity. Every patient has different reactions to treatment. We are increasing the meds and hoping for the best. The down side is that the side effects from these meds are terrible. The meds are absolutely necessary, but the balance is hard to achieve. We have been through countless trials to balance this using many mixtures of meds,creating disastrous results, either healthwise or side effects wise. The latest mixture has worked well for a long time. I am hoping that this is just an anomaly.

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  49. Wow! Thanks for the Weather Channel heads up. That's scary stuff.

    I was recording the World Cup. Like ice hockey, I'm not interested enough to watch the whole game but I enjoy the scoring plays.

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  50. Wow, I went in to watch TWC. WOW !

    HG, I was being funny. That gal you show in your "Clearly Visible TATs" link might get a positive reaction from a tattoo shop owner as a prospective employee.

    Mostly elsewhere, not so much.

    The consequence of those decisions may be a lifetime of lost opportunity, social rejection and stigma.

    It is what it is.

    None for me thanks !

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  51. Greetings!

    Great work, David and Santa!

    Was considerably faster than Fri., Sat., Sun., (all no cheats in case you missed my horribly late blogs).

    Waiting For Godot is an interesting play.

    Caregiver has been ill. Fever and lots of aches and pains. She was going to have a bunch of today. Hope that they went well.

    Does the Volga just die somehow near the border? (Left side of map.)

    Watched a 4.5 check movie (Animal Kingdom last night. Kept hoping that it would get better. It didn't. Quite the opposite!

    Cheers!

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  52. Lucina, might you be thinking of the book "Penrod and Sam" by Booth Tarkington? I never read it but I heard of it during my elementary school years.

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  53. Fermatprime, here you will find a much larger map of the region. The northwest corner(above Moscow) is actually the headwaters of the Volga. It flows to the Caspian sea, at the bottom of the map. Note the Caspian Sea is the lowest point in Europe (-28meter) and to its west is the highest point in Europe (5693 meter). I always assumed the highest point was in the Alps.

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  54. I think Owen had it right.

    What's up doc?

    Etymology

    In most English-speaking countries, Nimrod is used to denote a hunter or warrior, because the biblical Nimrod is described as "a mighty hunter". In American English, however, the term assumed a derogatory meaning, probably because of Bugs Bunny's references to Elmer Fudd as a "poor little Nimrod".[1] While this was most likely using the term's "hunter" sense, it contributed to the development of a sense "one who was easily confounded".

    Source: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nimrod

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  55. NIMROD

    Easy puzzle today. Nothing to add to others' comments.

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  56. Dear Lois,
    A big high five and warm hug to you on your retirement. Believe me, you are going to love this new phase in your life.

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  57. TTP, good explanation of how Nimrod came to mean idiot.
    Yellowrocks

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  58. Lois... HAPPY HAPPY days ahead! Good for you!

    Thanks Owen @ 1:53.

    Gary, glad to hear you have a basement. It looks scary back there. Joe, do you have a safe place?

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  59. Yes JD, we have a basement, and something that is almost a safe room. So we're covered if it gets nasty. Early reports from Pilger indicate at least one fatality. I know people from there, so there are concerns. Lots of injuries as well. Sounds like that little town was nearly wiped out.

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  60. HG and Avg Joe-Please give us an update when you can. Stay safe!

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  61. Everything happens for a reason.

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  62. HG & Ave. Joe - Hope the weather has settled down by now...

    TTP - Whoosh... Sorry, CN went over my head. Please elaborate.

    Hire someone with visible TATS? Not unless they are destined to stay in the lab. Kids, its just not appropriate in the professional world.

    Upon further reflection on how I knew about GODOT; it was a play I saw in HS. I was supposed to be on a blind date, but she didn't show until the play was almost over (apropos?). We went to the cast after-party. I came off as not-happy about her tardiness. Her plan then was to make me like her and then dump me.

    26 years and two kids later, I'm still waiting for that shoe to drop :-)

    Cheers, -T

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  63. WEES. Particularly liked WOMAN OFTEN FOLLOWED BY A TRAIN.
    And it's always nice to see LSU get some crossword time.

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  64. BillG@5:54
    You are probably right that I was recalling Penrod and Sam. In my memory, it was an old book and could have been that one.

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  65. Tats? I don't like them for the most part, but something discrete wouldn't be too bad. Small and/or decorative and/or on non-public parts of the body. (Did you hear about the girl who got a dachshund tattooed on her chest, and 40 years later it had grown into a giraffe?) But what really turns me off are piercings. They can trigger a gag reflex in me. I went to restaurant once where the waiter had several facial piercings, and almost got up from the table and left when he came over. Did order a much sparser meal than planned, and left just a minimal tip.

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  66. WHAT CAUSES ARTHRITIS?

    A drunk man who smelled of beer sat down on a subway next to a priest. The man's tie was stained, his face was plastered with red lipstick, and a half-empty bottle of gin was sticking out of his torn coat pocket. He opened his newspaper and began reading.

    After a few minutes the man turned to the priest and asked, "Say Father, what causes arthritis?"

    The priest replies, "My Son, it's caused by loose living, being with cheap, wicked women, too much alcohol, contempt for your fellow man, sleeping around with prostitutes and lack of a bath."

    The drunk muttered in response, "Well, I'll be damned,” then returned to his newspaper.

    The priest, thinking about what he had said, nudged the man and apologized. "I'm very sorry.
    I didn't mean to come on so strong. How long have you had arthritis?"

    The drunk answered, "I don't have it, Father. I was just reading here that the Pope does."

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  67. -T

    Canadian National

    http://www.abbreviations.com/acronyms/RAILROADS/29

    And speaking of Elmer, check out the bottom entry on page 146

    http://www.abbreviations.com/acronyms/RAILROADS/146

    ReplyDelete

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