google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, December 28, 2015 Warren Stabler

Advertisements

Dec 28, 2015

Monday, December 28, 2015 Warren Stabler

Theme: By The Numbers - 40's, 50's, 60's.

20. 19th-century military service revolver : COLT FORTY-FIVE


37. Steak sauce brand : HEINZ FIFTY-SEVEN

53. Highway originally from Chicago to Santa Monica : ROUTE SIXTY-SIX



Argyle here. If there is more to this than ending in double-digit numbers, I don't see it. Not as complex as Warren's Ground Hog Day puzzle last Feb.

Across:

1. "__, poor Yorick!": Hamlet : ALAS. Hamlet: Act 5, Scene 1.

5. Fig. on a new car window : MSRP. (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price)

9. B equivalent, in music : C FLAT

14. Phnom __, Cambodia : PENH. Capital city

Psa Thmei Market
 
15. Prefix meaning "god" : THEO

16. Vivien of "Gone With the Wind" : LEIGH. Katie Scarlett O'Hara Hamilton Kennedy Butler.

17. Jason's ship : ARGO

18. Walt's friend, and enemy, in "Breaking Bad" : HANK. No idea.

19. "L.A. Law" lawyer : ARNIE. No idea.

23. Visine dose : EYE DROP

24. In the thick of : AMIDST

27. Brit. reference : OED. The Oxford English Dictionary originally published in 1884 and there is an interesting story behind it, too.

28. Barbie's guy : KEN

30. Piddling amount : DRIB. Often partnered with DRAB. LINK

31. Famous : KNOWN

34. "__ bet?": "Care to wager?" : WANNA

36. Altar promise : I DO

40. Piercing tool : AWL

41. See 13-Down : YANKS. And 13D. With 41-Across, Bronx ball club, familiarly : THE

42. Slammin' Sammy of the links : SNEAD

43. Catches in the act : NABS

45. Robert E. Lee's org. : CSA. (Confederate States of America)

46. Asian New Year : TET

47. Position in the batter's box : STANCE

49. Luxury apartment feature : TERRACE

56. Under way, to Sherlock : AFOOT

58. Weight loss plan : DIET

59. Karma : FATE

60. Eponymous swindler Charles : PONZI. Quite a schemer.

61. Former student : ALUM

62. Fed. power dept. : ENER.

63. Plagued : BESET

64. Sulk : MOPE

65. From Chicago to Boston : EAST. For those with no wish to head West.

Down:

1. Quickly : APACE

2. "Bad, Bad" Brown of song : LEROY. There is a nice bio about Jim Croce with the clip if you go to YouTube.



3. One of four in a square : ANGLE

4. Debunked : SHOT DOWN

5. Highest peak in Ore. : MT. HOOD

6. Like a honed knife : SHARP

7. Landlord's charge : RENT

8. Slammer : POKY. Jail.

9. Insurance case : CLAIM

10. Marked by intense feeling : FERVID

11. Solid baseball hit : LINE DRIVE. (frozen rope)

12. IRS Form 1040 calculation : AGI. (adjusted gross income)

21. Agitated state : FRENZY

22. Keister : FANNY

25. Album's first half : SIDE A

26. Govt. obligation : T-BOND

28. "The Trial" novelist Franz : KAFKA

29. Tolkien tree giants : ENTs

31. Ruling descendants of Genghis : KHANs

32. Unfamiliar with : NEW AT

33. Some Oklahoma billionaires : OIL BARONS

34. Comes out on top : WINS

35. State as fact : ASSERT

38. Diamond surface : FACET

39. Competitor's payment : ENTRY FEE

44. Clock radio "Shut up!" button : SNOOZE

46. iPhone user's "Keep in touch" : TEXT ME

48. Be effective : CUT IT. Can you cut it?

49. Traffic jam : TIE UP

50. Yoga posture : ASANA. I'm starting to learn it - the word, not the positions.

51. Quotes as a source : CITES

52. Apply, as pressure : EXERT

54. Netherlands cheese : EDAM

55. Farm storage cylinder : SILO. Nit free today, I hope.

56. LAPD alert : APB. (all-points bulletin)

57. Friend's opposite : FOE

Argyle


55 comments:

Nice Cuppa said...

Good Morning! It's noon here.

Pretty classy for a Monday. Not difficult but nicely put together with no lame fill. FERVID is certainly not an everyday word, but guessable. Neither is FANNY, for a Brit, but we've been there before (no pun intended).

Still in Britland for the Christmas hols. Today is a public holiday (since Boxing Day fell on a Saturday) but most shops are open in this tourist town. A variant of "New Year Sales", Brits sneak ahead with "Boxing Day Sales". There's a full premier league schedule, but I can't watch them live - what irony! The primetime games are blocked. Will have to wait for the highlights tonight.

It's very mild here (mid 50s) and damp, but we are 100 miles south of the severe flooding you may seen on the news.

See you next week.

NC

desper-otto said...

Good morning! And where is everybody?

Warren's puzzle had a greater-than-normal share of Monday write-overs. TNOTE/TBILL/TBOND. Bond, TBond back for another appearance. COUNT finally made way for CUT IT.

Has anybody ever paid MSRP?

Interesting about the DRIBs and Drabs, Argyle.

MT HOOD looms over Portland about the way Mt. Rainier looms over Seattle. Both are volcanoes, but of the two, Mt. Rainier is thought to be much more likely to blow. I wouldn't want to be near Seattle when it finally does.

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Found this one to be a bit on the crunchy side for a Monday. I got the theme easily enough, but shot myself in the foot (pun intended) by entering COLT FORTY-FOUR instead of FORTY-FIVE. Add to that the fact that I couldn't remember anybody from L.A. LAW, couldn't think of AGI, and didn't know FERVID... well, the NE corner wasn't looking so good until I finally fixed the first theme answer.

HANK was another unknown, since I've never seen the show in question.

Today's the day I take my son and finally see the new Star Wars movie. I've tried to remain as oblivious as possible to the actual plot, but the inevitable spoilers have crept in. Still, it should be fun...

unclefred said...

I, too, had TNOTE/TBILL/TBOND trouble, and NE was last to fall. A lot over my time for a Monday, but eventually got 'er done. Nice puzzle, thanks Warren!! Good write up, too, thanks Argyle!!

thehondohurricane said...


Nice offering from Warren with a bit of spice added in. Couple of Connecticut references today. ROUTE SIXTY SIX is the main street of the town I live in and COLT FORTY FIVEs were manufactured in nearby Hartford.

I knew POKY, but thought it should be spelled pokey. HANK was all perps.

I wish my golf swing had been like Sam SNEADs.

I can never remember how to spell Phnom PENH and probably never will.

Christmas began last Tuesday when youngest son visited. He and his wife left for Hawaii on Christmas Eve. Oldest son has been in NYC with family and in-laws. They arrive today. Then I officially declare Christmas finally over.

Jets/Pats had a terrific game yesterday. For this year, I am a Jets fan. Giants have left the building.

Montana said...

Nice puzzle to start the week with. Thanks.

Montana

inanehiker said...

A little crunchy for a Monday WEES about fervid and wandering around with TNOTE finally ending with TBOND, but a good wake up for my brain as I head back to work today.

Thanks Argyle and Warren!

Steve said...

CFLAT is not equivalent to B in music. It's equivalent to B SHARP.

Not a Robot said...

Nice puzzle by Warren Stabler, and a wonderful writeup, Argyle. Thank you, both.

Argyle, three of your pictures are MIA... black, ebon... Route 66, 'Black, black' Leroy Brown and Friend's opposite, Foe is pure white. Maybe a little tinkering might mend matters.


FWIW, my broadband connection is also on the blink. So, maybe its too many stay-at-homers trying to access the internet. Good luck.

oc4beach said...


Not a bad puzzle for a Monday. Great write-up Argyle.

I had a few nits like everyone else: TBOND vs tbill, POKY vs pokey, AMIDST vs among, etc. Perps took care of the nits.

Like Hondo, our Christmas started on Christmas eve when we went to my niece's home to celebrate with the nephew who was leaving that evening. Then on Christmas day we had the number 2 gift exchange with the other nieces and nephews at our home. Today our daughter and her family are arriving from New Jersey for celebration #3 (ie gift exchange.) On New Years day our son and his wife are stopping on their way from her family get together in Michigan to their home in Maryland. Then there is Russian Christmas a week later that gets celebrated with the remaining aunts (95+ years old) from the old country. Then the tree FINALLY comes down.

I hope everyone has had a good holiday so far and that the New Year is better than the last.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

A nice, easy breezy outing to start the countdown to the New Year. No problems, no nits.

Our weather has turned the corner into Winter. Snow coming tonight, followed by sleet and rain in the morning. We have nothing to complain about after seeing the deaths and destruction caused by those tornados and flooding.

Thanks, Warren, for a fun Monday, and thanks, Argyle, for the walk through.

Have a great day.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

NUMBER OF HOURS IN THE WEEK

The theme numbers add up to 168, the number of hours in a week.
So there you have it.
Solve was easy; no look-ups or strikethroughs were needed.

Have a great day.

Madame Defarge said...

Good Morning.

Indeed winter has arrived. DH and I will do a couple of errands then stop at the Evanston beaches along Lake Michigan to check out Mother Nature's show of Winds Out of the East . I wonder if the third coast surfers will be out.

Thanks, Warren for Monday fun. I spent as much time going back over the puzzle to find the reason for no Tah Dah. Finally turned on the red letters, and voila: AGI across ARNIE. I didn't know ARNIE from Arnee, and I didn't see age in lieu of AGI. Duh! Lookin' right at it. Liked FERVID and AFOOT.

Argyle, thanks for the tour. I like the new avatar!

Stay cozy and safe today.

Tinbeni said...

Argyle: Nice write-up, really enjoyed the Bad, Bad, LEROY Brown link.

Warren: Thank You for a FUN Monday puzzle with a "Numbers Theme."

Like others I needed ESP (Every Single Perp) to get ARNIE.

Nothing to drink in the grid ... but the Bar-Is-Open at Villa Incognito.
Cheers!

VirginiaSycamore said...

Morning all!

Nice easy Monday puzzle from Warren.
Thanks for the write-up Argyle. The COLT FORTY FIVE image slowly filled in row by row on my screen.

I needed perp help to spell PENH and PONZI, and to get HANK, ARNIE, AND FERVID.

48a CUT IT must be from the confusing “Cut the muster/mustard” phrase.

I plan to see the new Star Wars movie, but I am hopelessly confused by the 3 prequel movies and worry that I won’t know what is going on in the movie. I did find out from my son that it takes place after the movie with theTeddy Bears, um, Ewoks.

Christmas is a complicated holiday. The commercial emphasis is BEFORE on buying gifts. But there are the 12 days of Christmas and the traditional 3 Wise Men visiting the manger on Janary 6th. EPIPHANY
Also, those on the Orthodox calendar celebrate everything 13 days later than those on the Western calendar.

Because of all these variations, I think Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the 3rd Monday in January, would be a good cut off day for taking decorations down. Plus it could add to traditions for that day.

Live Well and Prosper,
VS

Not a robot said...

Argyle, just a correction, for the record. Never mind, about the 'blank' pictures. It was my computer, and the internet connection. Things ok now. Sorry, didn't intend to mislead you.

Husker Gary said...

Me too Argyle, I looked for more than the numbers in the theme on this piece ‘o cake Monday.

Musings
-The initials on the handle should tell you owned this COLT FORTY FIVE
-The prospect of working with Errol Flynn made Bette Davis pass on the Scarlett role
-We will be AMIDST a lot of snow by tonight (we took down outside lights yesterday)
-Drip, drop, drib, DRAB
-Silent H’s are a crossword bane to me
-KNOWN – Scroll down to see 10 people who are famous just for being famous
-THE YANKS are in the “love ‘em or hate ‘em” category
-We all know what became of Robert E Lee’s Arlington House mansion
-Nutrisystem’s new DIET allows “weekends on your own”.
-“Rob from Peter to pay Paul” – How did PONZI not get elected to the House
-Mount Hood is spectacular as seen from Portland’s International Rose Test Garden
-My SNOOZE button doesn’t work. She just keeps tapping my nose until I get up.

Argyle said...

The Colt picture has a lot of pixels; that's why it is slow loading.

Lucina said...

Hello, friends!

Thank you, Warren, for a nice, easy Monday fill except that not knowing ARNIE from L.A.Law caused me a FIW and ARNEE stayed. And of course I spelled PENH as PENN until SHOTDOWN appeared.

WEES on AMONG/AMIDST which was completed by LINEDRIVE and BOND was already in place so the T finished it with AMIDST. Otherwise it was all by the numbers.

Thank you, Argyle, for the snappy walk through.

And speaking of continued Christmas celebrations, tonight I shall host the HOA Board of Directors for tamales and whatever they bring then tomorrow the tree and decorations will come down. When my mother was alive she insisted that we wait until the Epiphany, January 6. Then Wednesday I'll meet for lunch with my "sorority" that is, the former Sisters. On Saturday, the 2nd, we'll have the Progressive Dinner except that we've now settled it to one house instead of driving to three destinations.

Have a wonderful Monday, everyone!

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

A few stumbles on the way. Tried two wrong positions for the H in PENH. BILL before BOND.

FANNY was all from perps. Never saw the clue.

I think it was Churchill who said that the U.S. and England are two countries separated by a common language.

I wonder if the ignorami who post their one-line faux corrections are ever embarrassed by their wrongitude?

Steve @ 8:27 - C FLAT is indeed the enharmonic equivalent of B. B SHARP is the enharmonic equivalent of C.

Spend a few seconds at a piano keyboard and this will become clear. Not every adjacent pair of letter-named notes has a pair of sharp/flat equivalents between them. In other words, theres is no black key between B and C. Nor is their one between E and F. So E Sharp = F and F flat = E.

Cb, B#, Fb and E# are almost never found in jazz. You will find them occasionally in classical music where the proper spelling of chords is more pedantically accurate.

As I have been emulating in this comment.

Are you aware of the OED - ENT connection?

Cool regards!
JzB

Misty said...

Hurray! This morning I sailed through the crossword puzzle, got a Sudoku, and a Kenken, all before 8:30 in the morning. How's that for a wonderful way to start the week? Yay! Many thanks, Warren and Argyle, you've made my day!

Had a quiet weekend but back to work this morning, writing (well, trying to write) an article or talk about adultery in James Joyce's work. Should be fun.

Stay warm, Irish Miss.

Have a great week, everybody!

Chickie said...

Hello Everyone, A fairly easy Monday, though Hank and Asana were all perps. I am not familiar with Yoga terms. Help! Lucina!

Amidst and Fervid were a little beyond Monday words, but easily perped, also.

Mt. Hood and Mr. Ranier are both beautiful sights when driving in Oregon and Washington. They are always with snow on the top and rise up into the skyline with spectacular results. The chain of fire is a real phenomenon here on the Western edge of the world. Mt. St. Helens blew it's top not too many years ago, so those peaks are alive and well so to speak.

Christmas seems to be more than just one day in many families here on the blog. Our day was quiet on the 25th, but exploded on the day after Christmas. We had 19 (all family) for a chili feast and gift opening. We have two great granddaughters--the youngest only 8 weeks old. Both were here with us and were joys beyond compare!

Have a great day, everyone.

Yellowrocks said...

Good puzzle. I made the same mistake as many. I wrote AGE, but doubted it. I knew it should be ARNIE, but I did not go back and change the E to I. So I had one needlessly bad cell. That bugs me more than a cell I feel I had no chance at.
JzB, I’ve been awaiting your enlightenment on C FLAT. Thanks. I, too, wonder about the writers of faux corrections. Just a tad of Internet research would help them.
Great pictures, Argyle. They came through fine here.
I usually take my decorations down the weekend after New Year's Day or later. I sometimes wait until January 6. I enjoy them. Realizing how much work the decorations are to put up and take down I want to get more use from them.

Yellowrocks said...

FERVID is frequently seen in current serious publications.

• The resulting mineral rush was so fervid that it precipitated the formation of the Toronto Stock Exchange.
New York Times Dec 19, 2013
• In the eyes of his fervid opponents, and many of his fervent supporters, Madiba was a radical, and a violent one.
Salon Dec 8, 2013
• Somehow it was all so much more spectacular, more enthralling, as I’d pictured it in my fervid little imagination.
New York Times Aug 21, 2013
• Even the fervid finale had a few off-the-wall side jokes.
New York Times Mar 19, 2015
• All this belongs, of course, to the world of fervid fantasy and café millennialism.
The New Yorker Jan 19, 2015
• In the fervid depths of the second hour, I grew emboldened, as my shots connected and bad guys were dispatched to the underworld.
Newsweek

CanadianEh! said...

I found this to be a little crunchy for a Monday and see that others had the same issues, especially in the NE. WBS except my COLT was a FORTY-nine!

I report to the CRA not IRS so AGI was not in my wheelhouse. We calculate Total Income, Net Income and Taxable Income.

AMONG yesterday and AMIDST today, but OED was consistent.
I started to fill 35D with Aver but switched to ASSERT when I had spaces left over.

Like Nice Cuppa, we are celebrating Boxing Day here because it actually fell on a Saturday. Many stores are open but no banks, government offices, Canada Post or LCBO.

Thanks JazzB for saving me from needing to explain C, C flat and B sharp to Steve @8:27.

Like Irish Miss, we have dire weather warnings about freezing rain tonight. Staying home!

Jayce said...

Fun puzzle today. I enjoyed it.

Whoo, it's been cold here! Below 30 last night and below 25 the night before. Yesterday it only got up to 40; today it's forecast to get up to 50. (All readings taken from our backyard outdoor thermometer.)

Best wishes to you all.

Anonymous T said...

Hi all!

WEES - the NE was a WAG-fest but a few ABC runs got'er done.

Thanks Warren for a fun puzzle. Thanks Argyle for the writeup and the music - I love me some Croce (there's another sample of what y'all missed in the UK Steve & NC).

Anyone else find the pzl 'F' heavier than normal? I DO.

Fav: A TIE UP intersecting ROUTE SIXTY-SIX.

I hope y'all are out of the brunt of the storm's path. I was watching the radar last night and it's a biggun'

Thanks for the OED / ENT article JzB - interesting...

Cheers, -T

SwampCat said...

Great, crunchy puzzle today. Thanks, Warren. I loved AMIDST and FERVID. Not usual Monday words.

And thanks, Argyle, for the fun links.

My decorations come down the weekend after New Years, usually. I get no company after that and the holiday seems to be over.

Then on to Mardi Gras..... I seem to be celebrating something or other from Halloween to Easter!!

Jazzbumpa said...

Where DF and pedantry come together.

Cheers!
JzB

Abejo said...

Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Warren Stabler, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review.

In music, I am not real well-versed in the terminology, etc. However, when I play, my music is normally written with a B flat, and it is noted as such. Now and then the B is natural. My C is usually natural, but occasionally written with a sharp. I do not ever recall seeing a B sharp or a C flat in my tuba music. I agree with Jazzbumpa's explanation.

Puzzle went quickly. Theme answers were easy. Santa Monica being the western end of Route 66 brings back memories. I worked there for a while. It was a nice area. Probably still is. Never lived there, though. Now I am on the eastern end in Chicago area.

ASANA was unknown to me. Perps.

Did not know KAFKA. Perps.

Weather here in NE Illinois is terrible today. High winds and lots of sleet.

See you tomorrow. Abejo

( )

JD said...

Good afternoon all,

This one took a little longer than a usual Monday although I didn't find it difficult. I had the same problems as most of you, but I am so disappointed in my continual spelling errors. I used to spell most everything easily. These little errors slow me down.
Anyway, it was great start to the week.

Montana said...

My newest daughter-in-law and grandson are from the Phillipines. They just saw their first 'snowfall' in Abilene, TX. They loved it. Even built a snowman. I've invited them to come back to visit Montana in the winter!

Keep warm,

Montana

Avg Joe said...

It's all been said. A bit crunchy, and did fall into the Colt Forty Four trap but otherwise pretty smooth sailing.

I haven't played the piano regularly since I was in high school, but I can only vaguely remember seeing a C flat, B sharp, E sharp or F flat one time. There's no legitimate reason to do that as far as I know. But I guess it does make for a fair crossword clue.

The weather powers that be were kind to us here. Yesterday it was nearly a guarantee that we'd see ~10". At daybreak it was dialed back to 4-6" and by mid morning ~1-3". It's cold and nasty with high winds, but no threat of heavy snow. I'll take it.

Tinbeni said...

Avg Joe
Now I'm feeling kinda bad ... being stuck here with a Sunny, Beautiful, 82 degree, perfect day.
I'd say the "weather powers that be" have been kind to us here.

VS @10:00 am
Thanks for the EPIPHANY link.
Here in Tarpon Springs, EPIPHANY is celebrated with the Greek "Cross-Toss" in Spring Bayou.
As such, NO Christmas decorations come down before January 7th (the day after Epiphany).

Cheers!

VirginiaSycamore said...

To Husker Gary @ 10:21 - is the gun owned by a Texas Ranger? Or is it someone in particular? I see T and R on it.
VS

Anonymous T said...

I didn't watch more than a min or two of this link but I had to Google .44 Cal (never fired one - .38, .45, .50, .9mm but not a .44) after reading y'alls posts.

Apparently it does exist (learn'd somt'in' new today!) and... well, these ship-dips don't know how to hold a weapon (the woman @2-ish had the best grip after 2 rounds). Turn you speakers off @:30 unless you like death-metal.

Christmas decoration come down next weekend b/f I return to real work and blow through another year.

Cheers, -T

Tinbeni said...

VS @2:57
I believe the "T R" on the handle indicates it was Teddy Roosevelt's Colt 45.

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Thought the puzzle was interesting, fast & fun, Warren! Thanks, Argyle, pictures were there intact on my screen.

Unknowns: WEES & KAFKA. My biggest nit was DRIB. Never heard that one. Read the clip. Before that I supposed it was short for "dribble". Now I think maybe DRIB came first then extended to DRIBble.

Not FERVer but FERVID.

After barbequed steaks on Christmas, heavy rain on Saturday, and now it's snowing. Probably have a white New Years when my younger son's family is supposed to come. My BFF who is 74 drove up from Dallas where they were having tornados through heavy rain in Oklahoma with heavy traffic. Her 86 yr. old husband kept wanting to stop, but she wanted to beat the expected icing. I have been shuddering ever since I learned that. If it had been me, I would have stayed in Texas til spring. Plucky gal made it home.

No Christmas decorations at my house to put away. Just a Christmasy flower arrangement my farmer sent me which had to be tossed yesterday.

JzB: I am shocked by your "dirty" poster. Shocked, I say! Not by content, but that they would have the audacity to charge $125 for it! And where would you put it? My daughters would have a cow if they saw it on my wall. Sure was funny though.

Anonymous T said...

Dern it TIN, you burse'd my bubble - I thought it was Trigger & Roy's COLT that HG linked. C, -T

Avg Joe said...

AnonT, I'm disappointed you didn't automatically know that a .44 existed. Let me cite two authorities on this:

First, MTB at the 2:41 mark Fire on the Mountain.

And while I'd forgive you for not knowing that one, this one is unforgivable (at the 2:01 mark) Do you feel lucky punk?"

Tin, Don't feel bad. I despise Florida weather just as much as you dislike winter. And in honor of that, I'm making soup tonight. Homemade beef noodle soup. Can't see doing that in Tampa.

Yellowrocks said...

AJ, me too. Our average temp for today is in the 40's, better than 82. The forecasted storm is preferable to repeated hurricanes, bugs, 80 plus temps. Many aspects of a NE winter are lovely. There are good and bad aspects in all climates.I would miss the changing seasons.
Happy to live in NJ.

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

Not so drab, by Monday standards. I was reminded of some old comedy routine in which the scores were given: "...and it's Phillips, 66, Heinz, 57!" (Maybe it was the same routine that had "...and MIT, 3 to the 4th power!")

All that winter weather is headed our way...I guess our unusually mellow December is done, and now it's getting real. Bummer.

Anonymous T said...

Ave Joe - I totally mis-remembe'd-called that scene as a .48! I'll go back to my Hobbit-hole and re-school myself to not be such a little Punk. C, -T

Bill G. said...

I've heard about pistols that were 44s and 45s. Is there only a tiny difference in the bullet diameter? Why bother with such a small difference? Or am I confused as is often the case?

JD, what do you meen about more mispellings these days? Not I. :>)

JzB, I loved your cartoon. Another one of my favorites was at the bottom where the dog getting into heaven has one request...

Irish Miss said...

Avg Joe - You and I must be on the same wave length as I have a pot of French Onion soup simmering away on the stove! Enjoy your beef noodle.

thehondohurricane said...


YR @ 4:11. Agree with you 100%. Frankly, I wouldn't mind seeing the ave temps in the North East go down a few degrees.

Anonymous said...

Of course...Arnie Becker played by Corbin Bernsen.

Chairman Moe said...

"Puzzling Thoughts":

Better late than never! I was visiting my aunt and uncle in Naples this weekend; they get a daily paper and aren't puzzle solvers, so I took (with permission) the puzzle page when we left this afternoon, and just now finished it. WEES, it was pretty straightforward, and maybe a slight bit harder than some Monday's. No ink blots or smudges today; ASANA was filled by perps; I've done Yoga but never heard of that pose

Regarding ARNIE, of course as a golfer and lifetime fan of "The King" ( Arnold Palmer ) I would've preferred a clue referencing him. But I was an erstwhile fan of LA LAW, and knew about Corbin Bernsen, the actor who played misogynist lawyer Arnold Becker. LA LAW was a pretty good show, as were many other "dramas" from the 1980's

I hate to say "meh" to all of the weather comments. As a now 6-year full time Floridian, I know that I wouldn't trade our 80+ degree Decembers for a winter full of snow and cold! I will never complain about a "wind storm" or "humid" "bug-filled" days, if I never have to shovel snow, ever again!

SwampCat said...

Chairman Moe, I loved your "meh" weather comment. To each his own, of course, but I love our "mild" snow-less winters!

Husker Gary said...

Musings 2
-Yup, that COLT 45 belonged to the old Rough Rider
-Does anyone else remember this ALUM from our yute?
-As Joe said our weather forecasters have not covered themselves in glory this past week. They predicted an inch of snow last week and we got five and last night they predicted eight to twelve inches and we got two. No apologies either.
-School superintendents caught a break in that they would surely have called off school today on the strength of that forecast if it were in session and looked like fools after noon.

Avg Joe said...

I want to be clear about this weather issue. I get it that those who prefer warm weather have no use for winter on the plains. That's fine. But it's also worth mentioning that there are those who prefer a change of seasons and that really, really dislike high humidity coupled with heat. There's a seat for every ass, and an ass for every seat. But gloating is another matter. I like winter. YMMV.

JD said...

Bill G., Most of my spelling errors come from a lack of seeing the words written down many times. I knowSammy Snead and ___ Penh, and I've even heard of Kafka, but unless I write them or see it them many times, the spelling does not stick. Still, my worst errors are the many abbreviations.I must have said AP_, AP_ 10 times before it clicked! Not liking the aging process in this respect.

Hopefully everybody loves something about winter wherever you live. Wow, if not, that is 1/3 of your life. And Gary, I'm wondering why the news guys get a bad rap when they don't "predict" the right amount of snow? My DH also blames these guys.I'm sure they don't like being wrong, but science prediction isn't perfect. The BIG earthquake has been going to happen since I was in college!!!

PK said...

My daughter's mother-in-law winters in Texas and summers in the Colorado mountains where it is cool. That's a lifestyle to which I think I could acclimate. I don't like extremes of temperature at all. I like spring and fall outdoors here in middle USA. Since I stay in and rarely do anything outdoors anymore, my HVAC levels the non-playing field.

TTP said...

Hi all.

A belated Merry Christmas and Happy Birthdays to those that I missed.

We drove down to central Texas a couple of weeks ago. We had high winds that blew down three huge trees and tore the roof of a barn and threw it a few hundred feet while leaving the walls intact. We were under the same tornado watch that Dallas had, although we are a couple of hours south.

Too many variables for any weather forecaster to get every single forecast exactly right for every location. The weather supercomputers that compute hundreds of thousands of scenarios for a weather event aren't perfect.

Plus, carping about the weatherman's forecasting ability is not as volatile as politics, religion and other subjects, so it is generally harmless and is pretty much a bandwagon anyone can safely jump on.

Other than that bit of damage we had, it has been pretty mild. We had mid 70s on Christmas day. Then built a fire last night and this morning.

Might have to extend the visit if the current patterns hold their stead.






Anonymous T said...

Houston weather: BBQ time! - "Dern hot it is" - More BBQ - "Dern cold last week it was" ("yeah, 'twas in the 40s"). Rinse & repeat for another year.

Ave Joe - I just figured out how I mixed up the .44 to an .48; I conflated it w/ Johnny's .88. Cheers, -T