Theme: Say it Again - The last words are all homophones
17A. Persistent ache: NAGGING PAIN.
23A. Window section: GLASS PANE.
48A. Heartthrob in the band One Direction: LIAM PAYNE.
57A. "Common Sense" author: THOMAS PAINE.
Boomer here.
Hello
Auld acquaintances! Trust me, you will not be "forgot". Happy New
Year! Now for the bowling scores - Monday 171-209-188, Thursday
158-179-158. The Thursday bowling center has changed the oil pattern and
it's fairly difficult for me because I am still weak and my ball speed
is around 10 MPH. I think as I get healthier my Thursday results will
improve.
I
peeked in on last week's blog about the West Virginia and noticed
someone mentioned that John Denver replaced Chad Mitchell in the trio.
They changed the name to the "Mitchell Trio" but did not last long after
that. This vaulted a solo Mr. Denver to huge success. I might add
that I attended a single performance by Chad Mitchell at a crummy
speakeasy bar in a Minneapolis west suburb back in the sixties and he
was terrible.
Across:
1. Actress Vardalos: NIA. I had only heard of Nia Peeples
4. Chapel vow: IDO.
7. Fine apparel: ATTIRE.
13. Bird that gives a hoot: OWL. In Minnesota, we used to have a grocery called "Red Owl". An interesting name and logo.
14. Stock horror film servant: IGOR.
15. Came down and spoiled the picnic: RAINED. Uh Huh, Oh No Don't let the rain come down.
16. Open __ night: MIC.
19. Ski resort feature: SLOPE. Chad Mitchell Trio -
Well, they called him Super Skier
As he sat around the sun-deck,
For he swore that he would never take a spill
When they finally took him down
They had to use three toboggans
To carry all the pieces down the hill
As he sat around the sun-deck,
For he swore that he would never take a spill
When they finally took him down
They had to use three toboggans
To carry all the pieces down the hill
21. Self-defense spray: MACE. This is nasty stuff.
22. Fey of "Date Night": TINA. On SNL she looked more like Sarah Palin than Ms. Palin did.
25. D.C. pro: POL.
26. Yard sale caveat: AS IS.
27. Bar for circus swingers: TRAPEZE. "He flies through the air with the greatest of ease."
31. Long-faced: SULLEN.
34. Tire, with "out": WEAR. Replace your tires when they wear out.
35. Controlled Substances Act org.: DEA.
Drug Enforcement Administration. One of the decent ideas of
Richard Nixon around 1973. I wonder if they are working during the
shutdown.
36. Hyde Park buggy: PRAM. I thought they called these "Handsome Cab". Reminds me of when Kramer fed his horse beans.
37. Madison Ave. pro: AD MAN. Now we get hundreds of ads on Facebook.
39. Main point: GIST.
40. Lincoln or Ford: CAR.
41. Poker variety: STUD. 5 cards without a draw, or where they send retired racehorses.
42. Lawn service company that merged with TruGreen: SCOTTS.
I have never found anything that works. Maybe because winter messes up
lawns and it takes until May just to start turning green again.
44. Fairbanks resident: ALASKAN.
46. Period of prosperity: BOOM. Not reason for my boom. I am part of the "Baby Boom" of 1947.
47. Windy City train org.: CTA. If the Chicago Transit Authority, (Better known as the CTA) raises their rates, "Charlie may never get off of that train."
53. Off-kilter: AWRY.
55. Fuzzy green plant that grows on rocks: MOSS. Number 84 Randy of the Minnesota Vikings. Was controversial, however now headed for the hall.
56. Dimwit: IDIOT.
60. Down Under bird: EMU. It's a pretty big bird, but also an acronym for Eastern Michigan University.
61. Make pure, as sugar: REFINE. This could happen if you park in a restricted zone more than once.
62. Maker of Aspire laptops: ACER.
63. Young fellow: LAD.
64. Show up at: ATTEND.
Did anyone attend a bowl game this year? I did not go, but our Gophers
took care of Georgia Tech in the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit.
65. Winter hrs. in Minneapolis: CST. While you are reading your L.A. Times, I'll be getting ready for lunch.
66. Beats by __: audio equipment brand: DRE.
Down:
1. Chinese menu assurance: NO MSG.
2. Volunteer's words: I WILL. Who will take out the trash ?
3. Reynolds Wrap maker: ALCOA. Also producer of Aluminum wire of which Graybar sold many thousands of miles.
4. Grocery chain letters: IGA.
5. Rigid beliefs: DOGMAS.
6. Church instrument: ORGAN.
Here's my experience. I sang in a church choir back in the 60's and
there was an organist who played wonderfully. The church I attend now
has an electronic piano which can sound like an organ, a flute, bongo
drums, an accordion, a trumpet, two guitars, and a tambourine. It
sounds like a bit much, but they are well- rehearsed and don't play
everything at the same time.
7. Obama Education secretary Duncan: ARNE.
8. Garment label: TAG. You're it. Played in Minnesota in the summer.
9. First-rate: TIPTOP. Retailers have used this as an adjective for their business. I seem to remember Tiptop Bread.
10. "Aced that test!": I NAILED IT. Hit a golf ball 300 yards.
11. Horse rider's strap: REIN.
12. Writer Ferber: EDNA.
14. Actually existing: Lat.: IN ESSE.
18. Summer pitcherful: ICE TEA. I think I saw this before. I prefer to call it "Iced tea."
20. Biblical song: PSALM.
24. Whacked gift holder: PINATA.
25. Links standard: PAR. A rare event for me these days (especially in winter). A piece of cake for Dustin Johnson.
28. Coerced payment: RANSOM.
29. Citrus peel: ZEST. A tricky clue. I would prefer soap or energy.
30. Puts away dishes?: EATS. I am not too fond of these tricky clues. Especially in a Monday Puzzle.
31. Animal welfare org.: SPCA. I only know them as ASPCA from TV commercials where they ask for donations.
32. Eurasian border river: URAL. What Peggy Bundy calls her husband. ("Married with Children")
33. "Tomb Raider" heroine: LARA CROFT.
34. Iraq War armament: Abbr.: WMD.
38. Big name in tires: DUNLOP. They have also sneaked into the Tennis market, balls and racquets.
39. Lose one's marbles: GO MAD. Which loss made you madder? Peeries, steelies, agates, or shooters ?
41. Jamaican music genre: SKA.
43. Paper jam site: COPIER.
45. Thwart: STYMIE.
The only Stymie I remember appeared with Buckwheat in the our gang
comedies back in the 1930's. No, I am not THAT old, I saw replays in
the 1950's. When I watched, I did not realize it was a racist
characterization.
46. Nuts and bolts: BASICS.
49. Sir __ Newton: ISAAC.
50. Give ground: YIELD. A triangular yellow sign.
51. Red Sox great Garciaparra: NOMAR. Great Major League. He received his unique first name from his father, Ramon.
52. Practice piece: ETUDE.
53. Razor brand: ATRA. I don't use these. I like the Bic 5 blade.
54. Spark, as an appetite: WHET. I think this can also mean sharpen like a knife, dear Liza.
55. Grad. degree for teachers: MSED.
Master of Science in Education. This is a highly scholarly degree so
why break acronym rules by using the first two letters of Education
58. Landers of letters: ANN.
The sister of Abby Van Buren, who is grandmother of Minnesota's new
congressman Dean Phillips. (3rd Congressional District where C.C. and I
live).
59. Driving range barrier: NET. Not too often on the range, but how might you get the fish into the boat ?
Boomer
Notes from C.C.:
Here
are three more pictures of Baby Boomer. The older girl is my
sister-in-law Barbara, who lives in San Francisco. (Note from Boomer: I
believe this is a Cushman motor scooter, owned by my dad. We did not
have a car when I was young.)
A wee bit crunchy for a Monday, but I guess you get what you're payin' for. I suppose I ought to write a paean to this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteA puzzle on Monday is easy to grok,
It shouldn't take any more brains than a rock!
I NAILED IT in moments
With minimal torments --
Easy as raiding a tomb with LARA CROFT!
My REFINED ATTIRE I had to rent
Then the sky RAINED on my raiment!
My WEAR was AWRY,
As also was I,
Still I had to ATTEND my arraignment!
The MIC was suspended from a BOOM
To give the TRAPEZE plenty of room.
But the aeronaut
Let the mic drop,
And the cannonball guy went zoom!
{A, A, A-.}
RANSOMWARE hit newspapers (did any ransom get paid?), I still haven't read details on CenturtyLink/Verizon shutdown. Syncronized hacks?
Are people still having trouble getting the puzzle?
ReplyDeleteHere I have posted the most recent puzzles, including Monday's, in PDF form
Does anyone find this helpful?
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteDang! Lost my post. First time this year, and it happened on the last day of the year! I zoomed right through C.C.'s offering with nary a trace of Wite-Out. When NOMAR showed up I rechecked "Florida" to see what was wrong. Nope, apparently the guys name was really NOMAR. Alas, the Iced/Ice TEA argument has raised it's ugly head again. Thanx to our dynamic duo for the end-of-year puzzle and tour. 2018 hasn't been a great year. I'm hoping 2019 will be peachier.
BOOM: Not a "boomer." Missed it by t-h-a-t much.
MSED: Dw has an EDD. I've never had the nerve to call her Mr. EDD -- she speaks softly and carries a big sheepskin.
OWL: Boomer, we also had a Red Owl store in the town of my ute. It was right across the street from our house. It closed and became Art's Liquor Store -- more appropriate for Wisconsin. Soon an IGA store opened next door. Today both of those buildings are gone -- razed to empty lots.
DOGMAS: Ever heard Merle Haggard's Mama Tried? Well she did, but it didn't take.
We have no big plans for New Year's Eve. I'm sure we'll be abed well before midnight. How 'bout you?
Note: Please move that apostrophe from its to guy's.
ReplyDeleteFIR, but erased THOMAS PAyNE, and appear for ATTEND. First time checking in here at the Corner for about a week. Hectic times, with a last-minute certification exam prep class to teach and lots of last-minute details to ATTEND to before we leave for Florida on Sunday.
ReplyDeleteBought six new tires for our motor home. We opted for Toyos over Continentals (or DUNLOPs). A little over $500 each with labor. The old ones looked fine, almost new actually, but were seven years old and blowouts become much more common after that age.
The only problem I've had getting the puzzle is that the LAT web site no longer allows me to ignore its demand that I disable my ad blocker. There was an article in yesterday's Virginian Pilot revealing that a virus had affected all the papers owned by the formerly-named TRONC organization.
Thanks to CC for the fun Monday. Didn't know Beats or LIAM PAYNE. My favorite was TIP TOP. Haven't heard that in decades. And thanks to Boomer for the chuckles.
Gee, I managed to erase my post. But I am back!
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect way to end 2018 with a collaboration of C.C. and Boomer. The puzzle has a nice SO - Period of prosperity: BOOM
The puzzle was full of PAIN but not painful. Boomer, I think the clue/fill Hyde Park buggy: PRAM refers to England and where the GOVERNESSES take their per·am·bu·la·tors
May all of the Corner and the world have a healthy, happy 2019 and continue to share our puzzles, our thoughts and our camraderies.
Yes, Yes NO more rain we have had too much..... 11 inches in 4 days and still coming down as I type and more to come.... My yard hasn't dried up in almost 5 months....No way to work in the garden at all.
ReplyDeleteHands up for Thomas Payne. Crosses got the right, but everything else was a run thru.. I noticed some in the write up I didn't see while doing the puzzle...
Happy New Year / Bon Annee' from Cajun Country.........
Nice Monday with a little crunch - I didn't know LIAM PAYNE - but easily solved with crosses - LIAM is the most popular name for boys these days- wonder if he and Liam Neeson had something to do with that, and PAYNE was the only alternative spelling that hadn't been used that could be a last name!
ReplyDeleteOff to work- for those who are sick and those who are trying to squeeze in one last visit before the new deductible year turns over. All the retirees in the State of Missouri plan are being changed from regular Medicare with a supplement to a Medicare advantage plan - we'll see soon if the transition is smooth or not. Hate to be a pessimist, but most major changes like that are NOT smooth!
Thanks CC and Boomer! ENjoyed the pics!
NOMAR, reverse spelling of Ramon, was a great player his first six or so years, then injuries and other issues over the rest of his career. Was famously on the cover of Sports Illustrated bare-chested, then started getting hurt and was never the same. The SI cover jinx. Others think steroids caught up with him. Notably surly, the Red Sox traded him during the 2004 season, which created a better atmosphere in the clubhouse and lead to their first World Series championship in 86 years.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year everyone. I enjoy reading the comments every day, and especially thanks to the constructors and the folks that do the daily write-ups!
36A:Actually they are called Hansom Cabs
ReplyDeleteKramer fed the horse Beef-areeno after buying many large cans of it at a warehouse club.
ReplyDeleteCC and Boomer, thanks for an entertaining puzzle and expo. I agree, Mondays have become crunchier. My last fill was wagging the R in NOMAR. I have heard his last name, but not his first name. Also did not know Beats by DRE. I know Bose. IMHO Dr. DRE would have been more Monday friendly.
ReplyDeleteHand up, Inanehiker, "PAYNE was the only alternative spelling that hadn't been used that could be a last name!"
For years a dear friend had a great New Years Eve party featuring a sit down dinner with all the fancy linen, crystal,fine china, etc. She is 90 and in failing health so we have been urging her to simplify and to let us all bring dishes, to no avail. This summer she took another downturn. Her granddaughter who attends college in Boston picked her up and took her home with her to be with family in the Carolinas. We had been trying to get in touch with her for several weeks and are relieved that she is with family. However, there are now wrenching decisions she and her family have to make about her future.
I will enjoy staying home tonight reading and glancing now and then at the TV celebrations. I have a new Jodi Picoult book.
Happy new year to all.
Boo! Good to see you , Cher! Bob annee!
ReplyDeleteGreat end to 2018, from our favorite duo. The puzzle was fun, the write up was better! Keep on getting well, Boomer.
No real problems. I loved Bird that gives a hoot for OWL. Also Hyde Park buggy for PRAM. Fun misdirection.
Reynolds Wrap maker almost caught me because ALCOA and Reynolds were fierce competitors before ALCOA finally won and bought out Reynolds.
Owen, great work!! Thanks for another year of pleasure !
Have a great 2019 everyone.
I just can’t defeat auto correct. Boo, I fought with it to let me get ANNEE’ but didn’t notice it turned BON into bob! Who??
ReplyDeleteThe King Feature / Eugene Sheffer CW has TIPPY TOP as fill. Coincidental? That's just as coincidental as 24 being the number of hours in a day, AND the number of beers in a case. Remember when we first saw WEN as fill a month or two ago? Now it seems we see it almost weekly.
ReplyDeleteNIA Vardalos became a star in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, next answer is I DO
ReplyDeleteDiscussed last week that RANSOM was Olds’ first name
Good Morning, Boomer and friends. Almost a Monday speed run. Like the others, Liam PAYNE was the last of the "pains" to fall. It was by process of elimination, as that was the only spelling variation left.
ReplyDeleteIt has RAINED far too long here. Enough already!
The DEA staff is still working during the shut-down. They just aren't getting paid.
Since Boomer mentioned John Denver, and he was the subject of comments a few days ago, you might be interested to know that today would be his 75th birthday.
Nice photo of young Boomer!
QOD: For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing. ~ Simon Wiesenthal (Dec. 31, 1908 ~ Sept. 20, 2005)
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteFigured out the PAIN in the prat theme.😄 - - After it was done.
Seemed slightly edgy for a Monday, but it was easy enough. FIR. No look-ups or erasures.
Wanted J to lead GIST, but GO MAD kept me on track.
Nice job, Boomer. I see from the pictures that your handsomeness evolved early. Sister must have been a lot of fun.
Ich wünsche Euch allen einen guten Rutsch in's Neue Jahr 2019.
In retyping my comment I forget to add how precious the Boomer baby pics are; thank you C.C.
ReplyDeleteTIP-TOP BREAD was a product of WARD BAKING which bought the HOSTESS brand as well.
Musings
ReplyDelete-A just right Monday!
-Fun write-up as usual, Boomer, and wonderful pix! BTW, if you don’t like a clue, tell the constructor at dinner! :)
-Mr. and Mrs. Tom Hanks produced NIA’s My Big Fat Greek Wedding and it returned a 6150% return at the box office
-Gable and Colbert sang Man On The Flying Trapeze on a bus in It Happened One night Link
-Farmers know the BOOM/bust cycle well
-AWRY - “The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft a-gley.”
-My friend was just in Australia where she had a nasty run-in with an EMU
-I don’t know what a fugue or toccata are but ORGAN makes me think of the minute of this Bach piece
-Whacked gift? I once gave kids cash in a block of ice
-I like the ZEST in orange marmalade
Mark Twain is reported to have claimed that he liked to have a preacher in the audience, because it added ZEST to his swearing.
ReplyDeleteAn enjoyable CC ride. Not at all a PAIN!
ReplyDeleteBoomer thanks for explaining NOMAR/Ramon! Never heard of him and I was once a Bostonian. Thanks also for noting that WHET means "sharpen". Loved the childhood photos and the scooter!
Here we witnessed many CIRCUS SWINGERS last week in San Francisco at Cirque du Soleil "Volta"!
The story was about Gray Phone Zombies who shed their gray clothes and phones to be come colorful and lively! I do not own a phone and am always feeling like an alien visitor among the phone zombies!
Here children were WHACKing a PINATA in the park near our apartment.
Perhaps WMD should have been clued "non-existent Iraq war armament?"
Good Morning.
ReplyDeleteAnother fun Monday. Thanking our Dynamic Duo is right on target. I agree with the explanations for PRAM and Hansom. Unless you were speaking of Kramer: then I'll make no comment. Red OWL was a fine recollection for me. National Tea Co. (NATCO) bought Red Owl in the 60's. I worked for National as a checker in high school. Toward the end of my career, our green uniforms were swapped for red as a result of the sale. By the way as a kid, I always wanted to work in a grocery store; I thought playing with the register looked like so much fun. Ha! and as a result, I had my two dream jobs: grocery clerk and school teacher. I couldn't ask for a better life.
Hahtoolah: Perfect quote today.
YR, I like your celebrating the New Year with a new book. I will be finishing some knitting today and tomorrow.
I wish everyone good health and happiness in 2019. Thank you for all the fun, wit, wisdom, poetry, and good will. Not to mention so many amazing links--oops, I just mentioned them.
From yesterday
ReplyDeleteOlManKeith thanks for the appreciation for the puzzle PDFs. I have not heard from anyone else.
CanadianEh glad to know you also tried MEdAL before METAL!
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteHow fitting that we get to usher out 2018 with a fun puzzle from CC and a humorous expo from Boomer. My only unknown was Liam Payne but perps solved that hiccup. CC has such a talent for creating simple, yet successful and satisfying themes for these early week puzzles.
Thanks, CC and Boomer, for everything you do to entertain and educate and nurture our Corner family. Best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year. Great pictures of young Boomer, BTW.
Nothing planned for this evening but I'll probably see the ball drop at Midnight. I find Auld Lang Syne touching, but sad.
Stay safe everyone and watch the "bubbly"!
Spitz, Rutsch (meaning slide) was used quite a bit in our family. In combination English/PA Dutch we were told to stop rutsching around on the pew in church, for instance. I always associate rutsch with slide on one's behind.
ReplyDeleteAt Susquehanna U. we had an eccentric prof who taught theology. I ran into him at a college guest lecture. The prof did not agree with the speaker and said to me, "I'll bet that talk would have had your father (a pastor) rutsching around on his seat. I laughed and said, "You've got to take it standing up."
Stream of consciousness: NOMAR is the reverse spelling of RAMON. It reminds me that--
OPRAH's production company is HARPO, the reverse spelling of OPRAH. Wikipedia says, "Winfrey's first name was spelled "Orpah" on her birth certificate after the biblical figure in the Book of Ruth, but people mispronounced it regularly and "Oprah" stuck.
YR @ 1022 - - As a corollary to your first paragraph, my mother would typically say in L. German about a kid who couldn't or wouldn't sit still: "Se het keen Ruh in de Mors." (He/she has no peace in (their) rear end."
ReplyDeleteThe dynamic duo strikes again! Thank you, C.C. and Boomer! No PAIN was involved for me. Yes, I NAILED IT!
ReplyDeleteNIA is a familiar name here as my girls love My Big Fat Greek Wedding which she wrote and starred in along with the handsome John Corbett.
I have often wondered why NOMAR's name was Ramon spelled backward. Thank you for that information.
LIAM PAYNE was my only unknown but it quickly perped.
Picard:
Thank you for the links but my newspaper arrives daily so I don't need it. It's very kind of you to do that.
Boomer:
What cute pictures of you and your sister.
If anyone completed Saturday's puzzle without assistance you should be rewarded! The center contained too many current cultural references and if I have to look up a large number of answers it's not worth for me. I like to mentally work out the fill.
I hope 2019 brings tranquility, joy and prosperity to all. It's a pleasure joining you all here every morning; may it continue to be so.
Good morning. Thank you C.C. and thank you Boomer. Good stuff all around.
ReplyDeleteIt figures. No TADA. REIu and TIuA (REIN and TINA). Not sure how that happened. D'OH !!!
If only crossword puzzles had spellcheck...
I did not know about Nomar's name being the reverse of his father's Ramon.
Boomer, I went 186, 158, 210 in my set Thursday night. Picked up a 2-4-10 in the middle game. Felt real good about that after a terrible shot to leave it. Funny you should mention speed. A long time opponent on the next pair told me my speed had dropped way down during the 158. I hadn't noticed. No bowling for me until Thursday the 10th. Still hovering at a 181 average.
Boomer - one word : BEARS
ReplyDeleteFun facts:
ReplyDeleteNOMAR is actually Mr Garciaparra's middle name. His first name is Tony. When asked why they decided to refer to his son by the middle name, the father answered "ynot?"
Nomar is married to BillG's friend Mia Hamm and must live somewhere near Mr BillG. They have twin girls and a son. We'll soon see if they have inherited their parents impressive athletic skills.
Nomar once jumped into Boston Harbor to save a woman who had accidentally fallen in, hitting her head in the process.
He is muched loved here in Boston.
Well, lots of blessings on this last day of the year. After a week of no newspapers the LA Times finally arrived again this morning, and I was able to do the puzzle on the sofa with Dusty curled up next to me. Thank you for the kind link, Picard--if the paper hadn't come, it would have been a huge help. The Times, by the way, had an article stating that hackers, probably from out of the country, were responsible for messing up the distribution of a number of newspapers in the country in the last week. So we were not alone here in California.
ReplyDeleteAnd, of course, what better way to start the week than with a C.C. and Boomer puzzle! Yay! Sadly, I did not get a perfect score--didn't know NOMAR and put NOMAN, as a guess--but hey, it was still a lot of fun, especially when I noticed the PAIN theme. So, many thanks, C.C., and Boomer, and thank you for posting those adorable little boy pics.
Owen, your poems were great this morning and we're so glad you're back.
Spitz and Yellowrocks, enjoyed your German discussion.
Thank you all for the lovely New Year's Eve messages. It has been a great gift all this year to have such a lovely Corner community to visit every morning, and I wish us all a wonderful 2019--especially C.C. and Boomer.
Lots of fun solving this puzzle and reading Boomer's comments. Thanks to you both.
ReplyDeleteI loved what Gary said: "...if you don’t like a clue, tell the constructor at dinner! :)"
I once worked with a guy named Nomer.
I wonder if Ransom was hansom. No doubt Mrs. Olds thought so.
Happy last day of 2018!
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteThanks C.C. for the cute homonym puzzle. I figured PAINE would show up after PAIN & PANE, but wondered what would be the fourth-themer? //I just Googled "PYANE," I guess that is a common-enough last name.
Thanks Boomer for the score, expo, and reassuring me that a PRAM is a something.
WOs: 'Open All night' b/f MIC; started writing Printer before counting squares and relizing it's a Copier; PETA b/f SPCA (25%!)
ESPs: NIA, IN ESSE, EDNA, PRAM, NOMAR, LIAM PAYNE.
Fav: 'Whacked gift holder' is just a great clue; evokes a MAD-man with a present or what HG said :-))
Clue for OWL was cute (and don't pollute!).
{B, A, A-}
BooL! Nice to see you! Drop by the Corner more often.
In 2014, Apple acquired Beats by DRE for $3 billion. [Forbes]
My hunch Saturday was right, RANSOMEware, specifically Ryuk, is responsible for the Tribune issue Bleeping Computer's Ariticle.
Zully@11:36 - "ynot?" That's funny.
No plans for me to go out. Instead, I'm making ham-bone bean soup. The bone is boiling now.
Cheers, -T
Wishing all of you at the corner a healthy and hopeful 2019.
ReplyDeleteThanks C.C. and Boomer for a delightful puzzle. Loved Boomer's pictures.
AnonT, ham-bone pea soup. Yum!
ReplyDeleteBoomer, Charlie rode beneath the streets of Boston on the MTA.
ReplyDeleteI am jealous of you, Misty, for getting your LA Times today. I am yet again paper-free! I wrote the Times for the umpteenth time, urging them to get on top of this ongoing problem. Their malware excuse is history.
ReplyDeleteOne of my neighbors says it's "not their fault; it's a distributor problem." To which I say it's the Times' responsibility to assure delivery. We pay them, not the distributor.
Anyway, I printed out today's Xwd from C.C. and enjoyed it very much. Despite being loaded with PAIN and its homophones, it was a painless start to the day.
Lovely photos of the young Boomer!
And, yes, that is a Cushman. I always wanted one, but never got mine. Now that I'm retired and require a scooter to get around, I've moved to other brands. I have three now, and my fave is my SmartScoot.
~ OMK
____________
DR: One diagonal on the mirror side, NE to SW.
Thank you, C.C.: your diagonal's anagram brings me back to my undergrad days on our fencing team. It gives me pride to recall that I served as team captain in my senior year.
But there really are very few professional swordsmen these days, so it must be said in truth that each of my teammates wielded an ...
"AMATEUR EPEE"!
So sorry to hear that, Ol'Man Keith. When I read the LA Times article about the hacking, I figured it was all over. So sorry to realize that it's not. You're right, the paper should have a system for dealing with all this in emergencies. Let's hope and pray it gets better.
ReplyDeleteZully, thx for the NOMAR info. I doubt that rumor that he was SULLEN. The new owners decided they didn't want to pay market value for him, set their hired curs on the sports talk station to slur him.
ReplyDeleteYes, their other bete noir Manny along with Big Papi salvaged the WS that year
NONAR's rapid decline after leaving Boston is curious. I know pitchers started throwing at his head* as if he'd gotten gun-shy.
I fortunately received my Tbtimes with no problem.
When I pause and check out the author it's often CC. What a gift - making a Monday level so entertaining. A great intro to xwords if one can get anyone to try.
At Winn Dixie Saturday I shared a table and the person was surprised how quickly I did the J. I then showed her the Saturday xword.
She got up and left, shaking her head. I used to think they were undoable. And I'm in a great mood if I FIR
And kudos to the Burnikels for brightening up this Monday and hopefully all the 2019 Mondays.
WC
* One particular afternoon at Fenway against Tom KelkysK Twins a Boston pitcher, in retaliation, threw two balls BEHIND the batters head. Thats scary
Ps. FLN. Like YR I didn't know Michael Stipe nor would care to listen to REM.
Hi Y'all! Happy New Year! May 2019 be PAINless for everyone. Thanks for a fun puzzle C.C. & thanks, Boomer for a fun expo. You were such a cute baby!
ReplyDeleteI watched the Kansas - EMU basketball game the other night and giggled at the "flightless bird" EMU scoreboard designation. Don't know who won, but Kansas was 20 points ahead when I fell asleep. Must have given EMU a real PAIN.
ADMAN: I had a notification on FB today from Eagle Mountain Soccer Ass'n. wanting me to register for the spring season. For some reason I hid the ad, marking it as irrelevant. It was definitely inappropriate for a 77 yr. old woman with bad walking apparatus. Besides, I have no idea where Eagle Mountain is. No mountains within hobbling distance from me. FB ADs are an increasing PAIN.
My daughter has been an adjunct history professor at the local college. She is finishing her 2nd masters degree, this in ED, so she can start teaching 2nd grade in an affluent school district locally. She'll make more money and the kids are more excited to learn than college-aged kids, she says. After monitoring the class she'll teach, she comes home energized by the little ones.
Years ago my sister got a MA degree in Applied ORGAN. Think that caused a few racy comments? Right!
DNK: WEES
Note to TTP - You and I are in the same boat. I went 188-170-167 this morning. Only got one double but I tossed many good shots. Once I left an 8 pin between two strikes, and a few times I followed a strike with a ten pin. But I am working on it, and my average was sooo bad from the first few painful weeks that my handicap is not hurting the team. And of course, I would rather be bowling lousy than sitting at home taking pills.
ReplyDeleteNote to xtulmkr. Thanks for your comment. I once sang MTA in a solo for my High School Glee Club so I knew poor old Charlie rode in Boston. I was just trying to be clever. I thought maybe Charlie's wife went down to the Scully Square station at quarter past two and smuggled a nickel in Charlie's sandwich so he could get off the train and fly to Chicago to watch Nomar play against the White Sox.
I am content.
ReplyDeleteAlthough First Night would be a thrill in warm and clement weather, the last time I attended was when the temps were in the teens; even the fireworks elicited a Brrr, instead of an Aww. I will not go there in the rain tonight.
Times Square, no way.
Over the years we enjoyed Ruth's elegant parties, but in the last years we felt guilty because she bit off more than she could chew, with the most loving intentions. So sad. And I dreaded the 1:00 AM 45 minute ride home alone.
I am looking forward to a cozy night at home with a fire and a new novel.
I'm thankful for the friendship of each of you, my virtual family. Every morning I can hardly wait to greet you. I wish you the best of health and happiness in 2019.
BillG - MIL and I are w/ you -- However, nobody else in the clan likes split-peas :-(
ReplyDeleteNorthern beans for this marrow.
OMK - Stellar DR! And, even though no one's called me out on it, I mucked up my homophones with homonyms. Boomer even tried to clue me in at the TOP of the expo.
Misty, OMK, SoCal readers - The BCP (Business Continuity Plan)/DR (Disaster Recovery) is in place and News is still getting out. Obviously a bit of the last-mile was overlooked [or the powers that be said "They can still get the news online in that event"]. I'm sure all the IT guys are working their butts off (and some are worried about their future employment) at this point [and what a shitty way to spend their holiday!]. This is a targeted malware attack IMHO [see: all my RASOMware/Ryuk posts over the last 3 days]
PK - I don't Facebook (well, with a real one anyway - I've only accounts for hacking giggles) but, IMHO, most AD algorithms are fubar'd. I keep getting ads for stuff I just purchased - "Dude, I've got one already!"
Boomer - FWIW, I got the CTA joke. Keep throwing gutters & strikes, ups and downs. [I know the Corner knows that reference].
Mini-vacation time :-)
Cheers, -T
This was a pleasant Monday puzzle, no issues. A couple of markovers, but I am still too tired to list. Or too lazy, haha.
ReplyDeleteI’m too old to drive 1000 miles and back within 11 days, I fear. Next year I fly.
Happy New Year to one and all. I betting I’ll be asleep by 11 despite my intention to watch the ball drop.
For Christmas I received Michelle Obama's book, Becoming. So that's what I'll be reading tonight when the ball drops in NY. By 12 here I'll be in bed. Oh, happy day! It's been raining all afternoon!
ReplyDeleteLW and I will probably be in bed and asleep long before midnight. Nevertheless it will be nice for us both to wake up to a new year in the morning. Much to look forward to as our DIL gets treatment for her triple negative breast cancer and our grandson adjusts to the complex medication and rehab treatment for his bipolar disorder. It is good that they have been good keeping each other company and supporting each other. He lives in Arizona and she (and her husband, our son) live in California, but she's been with him in AZ, traveling to CA for her treatments. She has had a port installed and that will take a week or so to heal and stabilize, after which she starts her chemotherapy. LW is knitting her hats to wear over what will become her bald head. Our grandson's employer has been good to hold his job open for him when he is ready to go back to work. So far, life is good.
ReplyDeleteYellowrocks and others ~
ReplyDeleteI did a New Years Eve in Times Square once, back in the '80s, when I had nothing else to do--and nothing to lose. I was young (well, younger) & healthy and didn't mind being knocked about and pressed by multiple bodies.
Once is enough.
I certainly wouldn't have done it in the rain. That reminds me of all the idiot on-camera reporters who go out in hurricanes to show us how foolish humanity can be.
Anonymous T @5:13 ~
Yeah, I know. Every time I complain about a missed paper, they tell me I can read the digital version. I tell them I know, I know! It's not the same. Can't do a proper crossword without downloading and printing out.
Can't swat a fly; can't line a birdcage!
Quit telling me what I already know.
~ OMK
Jayce, I will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers as the new year begins. Hope everything goes well, and that there is health and healing in everyone's future.
ReplyDeleteFWIW, "That's Entertainment" is on TCM now, from 8:00-10:30.
ReplyDeleteOMK, if you don't like to be told what you already know, why do you subscribe to a newspaper in the first place? I also got the "it's the distributor's problem" two weeks ago. My rock-solid carrier missed three days in one week. I was just trying to find out if I had either a new carrier or a temp due to vacation, sick leave, etc. When I finally got to contact someone in the USA I was told that they didn't know, didn't have any way to find out, and the only thing they could do was pass along my concern to the distributor.
ReplyDeleteAre there any Cornerites that think Tribune Publishing Company DOESN'T stink?
Anon-T @ 5:13 "PK - I don't Facebook (well, with a real one anyway - I've only accounts for hacking giggles) but, IMHO, most AD algorithms are fubar'd. I keep getting ads for stuff I just purchased - "Dude, I've got one already!""
ReplyDeleteI'll top that ... my car just hit 5000 miles, time for the ol' oil change, yesterday. In TODAY's junk e-mail was an 'offer' for oil change coupons!
I am deeply suspicious of such coincidences, but for the life of me I cannot figure out how the heck any ad like that can work inside a mere 24-hour cycle.
There is another great CC crossword puzzle today at the Puzzle Society Crossword site at http://uclick.iwin.com/game/play/psc-crossword
ReplyDeleteThe CC Puzzle is at:
ReplyDeleteCC Puzzle
Lucina, I'm reading "Becoming" too. I had it out in the coffee shop when a tennis-pro acquaintance noticed me and the book. He said hello and such. Then he saw the book, made a face and muttered something. Republican I'm guessing...
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year everybody! Mind how you go...
Jinx @ 7:31 ~
ReplyDeleteAn excellent question, deserving of an answer.
I stay with the LA Times, despite its failure to assure delivery, for two reasons. First, I have subscribed for more than 30 years and the latest lapse is an anomaly. Something unusual is going on, and I am willing to give them some latitude in working it out.
My second reason reaches more deeply. The LA Times used to be a conservative rag, a tool that catered to the old Orange County GOP reactionary elite. But now that it has evolved to become a serious investigative journal with progressive leanings, I want to support its editorial staff.
Last year, a local doctor bought the Times from the Tribune corporation, guaranteeing its independence.
I expect them to honor their subscriber commitments, but it is not a simple one-for-one transaction.
They give me far more than I have lost in missed papers over the past month.
I'm sorry that you've had a bad experience with the Tribune. But I hope the above answers your question.
~ OMK
A Pram is a baby stroller not a hansom cab.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Ol'Man Keith, and that's also why I'm staying with the LA Times in spite of all the delivery problems they're having at this time. I too think it's a fair and balanced paper with respect to reporting.
ReplyDeleteBoomer, I hope you didn't take my comment on the MTA as a personal attack. As a fellow septuagenarian, I thought you may have simply mis-remembered. And I do think you are clever.
ReplyDeleteAs for bowling, I wish you well on recovering your lane skills. I bowled regularly years ago but gave it up when I could no longer tolerate the second-hand cigarette smoke. I would come home from work, shower, grab some dinner, and head for the lanes. Three hours later, arriving back home I would strip my clothes at the back door and toss them down the basement before taking another shower to rid myself of the foul smell. I took up golf instead.
The celebratory fireworks are starting a little early here so I suppose it is appropriate to wish all the cornerites a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Jayce:
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear of your DIL's cancer and your grandson's health problems. I wish them both well and will offer prayers for them. My oldest granddaughter was also diagnosed bipolar but as she grows older (she's 22) it seems to be diminishing. Now that she's pregnant I have to ask her how that is affecting her.
Bill G:
I hope you like Michelle's book; as for the person who scorned it, it's just sad that some people can't be accepting of others even when they disagree with them.
I wish everyone of our Cornerites a healthy new year for you and your families.
Keith & Misty & others: Has anyone considered that the LAT, etc., distribution problems may be an effort by the publishers to get the subscribers so fed up with the distribution they will accept online subscriptions? Having had the experience as editor of a small town newspaper, the printing and distribution costs are high. Distribution itself is an ongoing pain in the patoot. When I attended a state press conference where the first all-computerized information was presented as possible, I immediately grasped this (then) dream as a wonderful thing and certainly more reliable than kids on bikes throwing papers in the bushes or frequent printing press snafus. Many years later, I've gone electronic for news & crossword so I can enlarge the print to read it comfortably. Acceptance wasn't easy.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
A little Toast to you all for New Years!
ReplyDelete//Eldest just told me about this - I'm a year behind :-)
Cheers!, -T
Good Tuesday afternoon, folks. Thank you, C.C., for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Boomer, for a fine review.
ReplyDeletePuzzle went Lickity-Split. Nothing slowed me down.
Never saw the theme until I came here. That's how easy the puzzle was.
LIAM PAYNE was unknown, plenty of perps fixed that. Same for NOMAR. And LARA CROFT.
TTP: Since you remember TIP TOP bread, I remember well Firch's Sunbeam Bread from Erie, PA. I grew up with that. My best friend's father and brother both worked for the Firch Baking Co. Later they got bought out by somebody.
Since it is New Year's Day, I will run for now. The Parade this morning was real nice. Looking forward to the Rose Bowl later on.
See you tomorrow (Wednesday).
Abejo
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