google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Thursday December 6th 2018 Ed Sessa

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Dec 6, 2018

Thursday December 6th 2018 Ed Sessa

Theme: The In and Out Club - the four theme entries club together as follows:

17A. Heist that really puts a burglar on the map?: BREAKOUT BREAK IN

25A. Retro renege?: BACK IN BACK OUT

42A Unexpected visit from a hippie?: DROPOUT DROP IN

56A. Scene-stealing understudy?: STAND-IN STANDOUT

Very nice theme from Mr. Sessa. I like the variations in the one-word, two-word or hyphenated entries; it's not something you'll notice if you just fill in the grid, but when you write the solution out it adds another element.

I think my favorite was the stand-in standout, but they're all pretty cool. Nice job!

My theme title comes from the home of the Naval and Military Club on London's Piccadilly which acquired the nickname "The In and Out Club" for reasons which are obvious when you see the gateposts:


Let's see what else we've got to tickle one's fancy:

Across:

1. Free-speech inhibitor: GAG LAW

7. Rep.'s opponent: DEM. Dem democrats vs. dem Republicans.

10. Southwest art colony: TAOS. A pretty little town in New Mexico.

14. From the beginning: AFRESH

15. Blood type letters: ABO. Not a blood type itself, but the classification system.

16. Palindromic French pronoun: ELLE

20. Seeded: SOWN

21. Corrida cheer: OLÉ!

22. Cable network that airs vintage sitcoms: TV LAND

23. Place for rest and exercise: SPA

24. AFL partner: CIO. AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Nations.

32. "Me too": SO DO I. Tried "AS AM I" first, and was punished for my impatience.

33. Word with goal or detail: ORIENTED

35. Remote power sources: AAA'S. Clever. Batteries for remote controls.

36. Bucks: MOOLA

38. Top of le corps: TÊTE. Some more French for a diversion. The top of your body is your head. Is "haut" too unknown for the entire clue to be in French?

39. Purplish reds: CRIMSONS

41. Oil __: BARON. I had to wait a little while for some crosses before this one became apparent.

45. Two for dinner?: ENS. Two letter "n"s in DINNER.

46. Made a getaway: RAN

47. Performer with a record 21 Oscar nominations: STREEP. She won Best Actress for Sophie's Choice and Iron Lady, and Best Supporting Actress for Kramer vs. Kramer. I find the last one a little odd, wasn't she the lead in the movie with Dustin Hoffman? I guess not.

51. ESPN broadcaster Shriver: PAM. Tennis great and a good broadcaster to boot.

52. Energy units: ERGS

59. Sushi seaweed: NORI. I know it well. I buy in packs of 200 sheets, I use quite a lot of it!

60. Trauma ctrs.: ER'S

61. Delicate: DAINTY

62. Did 90, say: SPED

63. Took a load off: SAT

64. Relaxed: AT EASE

Down:

1. Speaks freely: GABS

2. Spherical hairdo: AFRO. I guess it is spherical, never really thought of it like that.

3. Went up a size: GREW

4. Low-fat: LEAN

5. Say "pretty please," say: ASK

6. Actress Goldberg: WHOOPI

7. Oasis fruit: DATE

8. Weaken: EBB

9. Wednesday's mom: MORTICIA. Characters from The Addams Family

10. Blue-green hue: TEAL

11. __-Seltzer: ALKA

12. Lena of "Alias": OLIN. She was a successful theater actress in her native Sweden before launching her film career.


13. Really excite: SEND

18. __ Bator: ULAN. A friend of mine from school joined the British intelligence service; she quit when she found out that her first posting was going to be to Ulan Bator. Mongolia didn't match her aspirations.

19. Call to mind: EVOKE

23. Master moguls: SKI. I never mastered the bumps, but I did ski. I lost count of the number of times I smacked myself in the chin with my knee skiing moguls.

24. Fenway great Yastrzemski: CARL

25. Corporate body: BOARD

26. Red who put out fires: ADAIR. Along with his partner "Boots" Hansen, he became known to me in 1977 when his team were brought in to deal with an oil rig blowout in the North Sea oilfields which had been spewing oil for seven straight days.

27. Jerry's neighbor: COSMO

28. Help for a child at a parade: BOOST

29. Like some bar offerings: ON TAP

30. Development sites: UTERI

31. Grand __ National Park: TETON

32. __ bunt: productive MLB out: SAC

34. Mink lair: DEN

36. Marshmallow-filled treats: MOON PIES

37. Burden: ONUS

40. Clip: SPEED

41. "__ appétit!": BON

43. "Shoot!": DRAT

44. Wyndham-owned chain: RAMADA. It's amazing the consolidation of hotel chains now. Hilton and Starwood seem to have most of the hotel world covered.

47. Taxpayer IDs: SSN'S

48. Firebird roof option: T-TOP. They don't make 'em anymore. The feathered paint job amused me when I first moved here.

49. More than pink: RARE. Food! I went to a restaurant in Manhattan recently which serves only one entrée - Steak Frites. There's only one cut of steak, and you can have it rare, medium, medium-well or well. You can't get medium rare. I went for medium, it was excellent.

50. City near Vance Air Force Base: ENID

51. Hissed attention-getter: PSST!

52. Pop singer Brickell: EDIE

53. "Mazes and Monsters" novelist Jaffe: RONA. Crosses filled this in for me. I didn't even notice the entry until now.

54. Inner workings: GUTS

55. Lid problem: STYE

57. FDR agency: NRA. The National Recovery Administration.


58. __ King Cole: NAT. A little late for a music link, so I'll save it for next time.

With that, here's the grid!

Steve


Note from C.C.:

Happy 81st birthday to dear Lucina, who's been with our blog since Feb 2010.  Lucina travels to CA once a year. Not sure if she met with our Californian Coven there this year.


Left to Right: Chickie, JD, Garlic Gal and Lucina.
June 3, 2015 

58 comments:

  1. Greetings!

    Thanks to ED and Steve!

    Only a few hesitations: RAMADA, COSMO, MOON PIES and NRA.

    Been raining a lot here. Great for the parched trees!

    Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You may search in Washington for a DEM.,
    You'll most likely find him in his DEN
    That's where he SAT
    Thru the big SAC.,
    When the government went to pot again!

    Why do lights go OUT, but don't come IN?
    Why do donuts run out, that didn't run in?
    A run of hose is never out,
    A spire goal will never out,
    But a run in hose: lose, to inspire: a win!

    {B-, C+.}

    ReplyDelete
  3. A fine puzzle, without any added difficulty and a wonderfully creative theme. Having it go OUT/IN, IN/OUT, OUT/IN and IN/OUT was awesome. Not much else to say except thank you, Dr. Ed and Steve, as always for the entertaining tour.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good morning!

    I hate it when I start out wrong at 1a, as I did this morning with CENSOR. Bzzzzzt! Got the theme early on, and it helped a lot...so much that I failed to read the next three theme clues. STAND-IN STANDOUT could'a been STANDOUT STAND-IN, but the perps had already decided when I got there. Also fell into the AS AM I/AS DO I/SO DO I trap. That's what Wite-Out is for. Our MUD (municipal utility district) office also has a semi-circular IN-OUT driveway, except it's marked "In" and "No Entry." Thanx, Ed and Steve.

    SSN: Caused me to get one wrong on my recertification test. In 2017 a kid with a TIN was qualified for the "Child Tax Credit." In 2018 that kid must have an SSN to qualify. It's not something I need to remember -- the software will figure that out automagically.

    Happy Birthday, Lucina. You're a bright light in our little corner.

    ReplyDelete
  5. IN and OUT CLUB? I'll take the IN-N-OUT DOUBLE-DOUBLE.

    Ed had a neat theme that made the puzzle too easy for a Thursday offering. MORTICIA, TETE, & COSMO were unknown perps but the rest were easy after the first IN & OUT theme answer.


    WYNDHAM & RAMADA; I also have loyalty numbers for Hilton, Starwood, Marriot, Choice, IHG but you never know which group merged or broke up. I don't travel too much but occasionally I get a free room.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks Dr Ed and Steve .
    Managed to fill with a few lookups and write over at CIO .
    Too slow , working from top to bottom so I went on a “walk about “and ended up in the South East.
    Had filled STANDOUT and caught the theme when I read the clue .
    Next the “ rum springers “ gave me DROP OUT DROP IN and the rest came together okay with a little help .
    Looked up NORI because I wasn’t hungry enough to think of food for “more than pink”.
    Mild weather has given way to sub zero temps here in the midwest.
    Brrr # “Baby It’s C Cold Outside”
    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
  7. Amusing puzzle today from Mr Sessa- it had a cadence in the theme clues which reminded me of the "wax on wax off" line from Mr Miyagi in the Karate Kid.

    I just realized I think I thanked Steve for yesterday's blog - sorry Hatoolah! I have had a different schedule this week since my daughter and SIL are here from Seattle- not sure which day is which!

    Thanks Steve!
    HBD Lucina!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks Ed and Steve. Interesting theme, it made this very easy. Also there was no unfamiliar fill. I know Lena Olin from X-words.
    I liked GABS crossing GAG LAW. People who gab at movies or during dance class need a gag law.
    TV LAND is Alan's favorite channel.
    Meryl Streep is one of my favorite actresses. I have thoroughly enjoyed more than a dozen of her movies, many of them I have seen several times.
    Two of my old time favorite actresses are Katherine Hepburn and Bette Davis. Scene stealing understudy describes Eve in Bette Davis's All about Eve movie. Another great show.
    Our attorney yesterday said that Alan has a good chance of being accepted. If not, we can have a court hearing. Much of the decision to accept Alan will be based on a ridiculous survey which we can redo today. For example: Can he do these things independently? Feed himself. I was told I should answer no because he can't grocery shop, meal plan, cook and clean up. The answers to many other questions should be similar. I feel relieved that we likely will reach our goal, but feel angry at the illogical and inane hoops we must jump through. The attorney says this procedure will take many months after Alan is accepted, so after that we can relax and drop it from our radar for a while.
    Lucina, have a very happy birthday. I enjoy and can relate to many of your posts. I often find a kindred spirit in you.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Fun theme, but not hard to figure out, so a bit too easy for a Thursday IMO.

    Carl Yastrzemski, Yaz, had one of the greatest seasons ever in 1967, and lead the Red Sox to the American League pennant. I became a Red Sox fan at age 12 in that unforgettable season, and have been a fanatic since then. Now four World Series championships in the last 15 years, worth the wait!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hello Puzzlers -

    Fun theme today! Of course, it did lead to a faster solve.

    Morning, Steve, thanks for ‘splaining. Until reading your post I didn’t realize I never learned what CIO stands for. The things you learn doing crosswords!

    Morning, Lucina, and Happy Birthday! Thanks for your offer of moral support with my not-yet-scheduled hysterectomy. :-) Today, I’m coping with the more immediate matter of prepping for tomorrow’s colonoscopy. Blech.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Clever, but too easy for a Thursday level. I finished in Mon/Tues time.

    On your scorecard, be sure to deduct a point for "afresh".

    ReplyDelete
  12. Dudley, that O is for Organizations, not Nations. My former boss was a CIO. He said it stood for Career Is Over.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Lucina Feliz cumpleanos.
    Que tengas un buen dia lleno todo cosas bien.

    Dudley. Maybe this is not your first time and you know what to expect . I tell you my first colonoscopy experience was somethin else. My first hint that all might not be cosher was when the prep nurse asked my name and wrote it on a chalk board . I asked why that was important and she said we would be conversing during the exam and I would not remember any of it . She showed me the camera tool that would be used and my misgivings grew.She said not to worry they would blow me up like the michelin man so lots of room for the tool. The room went dark and a while later I sensed a little pain and opened my eyes . Bad mistake. First I saw ceiling tiles then floor tiles , then ceiling then floor and realised I was almost rolling off the table from the action that felt like a vaccumn cleaner hose pushed in pulled out . I tried to get up and they opened a valve and next thing I knew I woke up in recovery only to hear my wife and Florence Nightengale laughing hilariously. Somebody had put on my undershorts and I was trying to put on my socks but could in no way bend over to reach my feet. Florence was laughing and telling my wife now would be a good time to get even with me for whatever and I wouldn’t remember anything. “You don’t know me” I said . “I have a memory like an elephant. I can remember being born , sliding through the birth canal my nose flattened out and that cold air hitting me . The first thing I saw was an old woman(grandma I later found out) grinning and flicking her finger under my scrotem gleefully saying “dits en yunkye , dits en yunkye” it’s a boy, it’s a boy her first grandson.
    After I got home I didn’t dare take large steps as the flatulence continued for a couple of days
    Cheers

    ReplyDelete

  14. Good morning. Thank You Ed Sessa and Steve.

    Speed run for a Thursday. Happy Birthday Lucina !!!

    Edie Bricknell - married to that guy that sang Kodachrome and was once partners with that other guy when they sang Bridge Over troubled Waters and many others.

    Dudley, I did the prep and had mine last month. It all came out clear in the end.

    J from VT, I agree on Yaz. One of my all time favorites, and that Triple Crown year was spectacular ! BTW, did you see the news coverage of the guy in Westford that has been at odds with the town over a permit ? I saw the piece of yard art he erected in response on the local news in Chicago.

    Gotta go. Just broke the aerator on the kitchen sink while doing the dishes. Parts run.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, right down the road from me. He’s getting mostly favorable press, but people that know him say he is a jerk.

      Delete
  15. Terrific Thursday. Thanks for the fun, Ed and Steve.
    I saw the In-Out theme early which SPED up the solve.

    Like YR, I noted GAG LAW crossing GABS.
    I too enjoy and am impressed by STREEP's varied acting skills.
    I debated whether an Updo was spherical but AFRO filled the spot.
    Lite changed to LEAN.
    I smiled at the clues for UTERI and GUTS.
    Fortunately a Wag gave me the C in CARL and CIO, and I dredged my memory for ADAIR, COSMO, and MORTICIA.

    I smiled at the semi-clecho of 25D "Corporate body=BOARD" and 38A "Top of le corps=TETE".

    Was 62A SPED and 40D SPEED a clecho or a dupe?? And BTW, this Canadian does not think that doing 90 (kph) is Speeding; we can do 100 legally on our highways.

    No politics but I found the friendship of REP Bush Sr. and DEM Clinton interesting and reFRESHing (not AFRESHing).

    Enjoy the day.
    Happy Birthday Lucina!

    ReplyDelete

  16. Nice puzzle from Ed Sessa and Steve's expo was great.

    Like others, once I saw the IN-OUT theme, the puzzle filled in quickly.

    Dudley @ 9:03 am: I've found that the prep is the worst part of the Colonoscopy. Over the years I've had a half dozen or so procedures and each time the prep was different with each new doctor swearing that their prep procedures weren't so bad. Not So. The first few started with drinking a gallon of foul tasting liquid, then to the last one where I mixed a bottle of Miralax in a glass of water and took a large dose of Dulcolax tablets. They were all a PITA. I hope everything comes out OK.

    Have a great day everyone.

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  17. Good Morning.

    Thanks, Ed, for some challenging Thursday fun. I especially liked the cluing for AAAs, UTERI, and NNS. I always miss the letter references, and today I did not. Yay for me. I enjoyed the theme, which registered at DROPOUT DROP-IN.

    Thanks, Steve for the tour. It's always fun--especially when you have some culinary commentary. I'm hoping for a Foodie Thursday soon.

    Ms. Streep did not have a lead in Kramer vs. Kramer; she supported Dustin Hoffman as his story is central to the film. She was also still relatively new and not receiving the automatic nods she has later. I've said this before, but I like her better when she plays characters rather than mimicking (in a positive way) real people. She is the master of accents and personality. She plays her character in K vs K with powerful depth. Creating that complex woman with such excellence is far more difficult than playing Isak, Julia, or Margaret. We know what to expect in the bios, but not so much with characters such as Joanna Kramer.

    Lucina, A very Happy Birthday to you! You are most certainly a bright light on our Corner.

    Have a sunny day. It's still cloudy here, but the sky seems to be lifting. I'll leave my tree lights on all day anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Musings
    -Carol Hanes’ STAND-IN STAND OUT in The Pajama Game was Shirley McClain after Carol sprained her ankle
    -Every August, teachers can start AFRESH and try to get better
    -My wife’s radishes are SOWN whereas mine are planted one-by-one
    -What happened to one OIL BARON in 1911
    -Our AFRO-sporting constructor Eric Agard
    -Went up a size followed by Low-fat – hmmm…
    -We had ALKALINITY at 11 Down yesterday and today ALKA seltzer at 11 Down
    -John Wayne’s Hellfighters was based on ADAIR’S life
    -As I disassemble something, I take pictures of its GUTS and their positions
    -HBD, Lucina!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Musings 2
    -Yesterday in Omaha, a car SPED around us at a very fast CLIP, changed lanes, spun out of control, side-swiped a pickup and then SPED off down I-80. I was so shaken I couldn’t remember the color or make, let alone the license plate, of the car. I now understand why eye-witnesses are sometimes unreliable. Ever happen to you?

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  20. Good Morning:

    It took awhile to grasp the theme but, when I did catch on, everything fell into place quite easily. DO and I got off on the wrong foot with Censor/Gag Law but that was the only hiccup. I can never remember if Olin is with an I or an E. My only unknown was TV Land; lots of TV channels are unknown to me. Rona Jaffee is better known for writing "The Best of Everything." Nice CSO to Owen at Taos. Speed and Sped stood out to me.

    Happy Birthday, Dear Lucina, you are a special presence on this blog! 🎂🎈🎉🎀🎁🎊🍾

    YR, that's very encouraging news about Alan. Too bad that you've had to fight every inch of the way for such an obviously necessary resolution.

    I was preparing a birthday card yesterday and, as I was putting the gift card inside, all of a sudden it dawned on me that I had never paid to have the gift card activated. Where, oh where has my mind gone?

    Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  21. That same missing mind forgot to thank Dr. Sessa and Steve for a fun offering and jolly good review. Mea Culpa, gentlemen!

    ReplyDelete
  22. What an outstanding puzzle from Ed Sessa! Thank you and thanks to Steve for a fine commentary. 200 sheets of NORI? I can't imagine it!

    This was quick and easy especially once I caught the theme and filled the opposites.

    Meryl STREEP is my favorite actress, too. I love so many of her movies, The Devil Wears Prada, Mamma Mia and so many others. Yes, YR, I see that we are often on the same wave length.

    The beautiful and interesting town of TAOS was one of the stops on the first road trip with my sisters.

    TETE and ELLE are a few of the French words I know.

    Lena OLIN is also on my favorites list especially in Chocolat.

    Thank you d-o, inanehiker, YR, Dudley, Oas, TTP, CanadianEh!, oc4beach, Mdme Defarge and Gary for the birthday wishes. You all entertain me and inspire me. 81 is an awesome number to contemplate!

    Last night I went out for my third birthday celebration. I highly recommend Longhorn Steakhouse for their delicious and tender steaks highlighted with a salad, mashed potatoes and red wine. Yum. Yum. Tonight I'll be at my daughter's home.

    Have a spectacular day, everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Meryl Streep was not the lead in K vs. K. She had a short scene at the beginning of the film, and appears at the end in the courtroom scene when she is trying to regain custody of their son. Many questioned the award as best supporting actress because of her scant on-screen appearance. However, she does manage to convey a lot of emotion in those few moments. She and Hoffman exchange a lot of information without dialogue in that courtroom scene. They are both marvelous actors. I'm not much of a movie-goer, but I saw the film twice (second time on Netflix).

    ReplyDelete
  24. D-Otto - I see, didn’t catch that the first time through.

    Oas - something tells me you had an older type of procedure, using a rigid endoscope. That was said to be a tough process to tolerate, and I believe it! I had the good fortune to come of age with flexible endoscopes, which some brave patients can tolerate without sedation. I inquired about that possibility, but chose to stick with the usual sedative.

    Oc4, thanks. This will be #2 for me. Both have involved the full gallon of antifreeze or whatever that slop is. I chose not to refrigerate the stuff because a) it doesn’t help the taste much, and b) that much cold stuff chills me to my bones.

    TTP - methinks I sense a double entendre there...

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  25. Misty:
    Thank you. Apparently I was typing at the same time as you.

    YR:
    I wish you continued success as you navigate the many miles of red tape on behalf of Alan.

    ReplyDelete
  26. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Lucina ... Tonight's FIRST Sunset Toast is to YOU !!!

    Husker: The thing I really like about Tarpon Springs is the "Low Speed Limits" ...
    With the Tourists, Pinellas County has about a million people, so speeding isn't going to get you there faster ... but it could get you killed.

    Back in the day, we use to DROP IN before we "DROPPED OUT" ...

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Always a good puzzle day when you get a 1a/1d clecho...

    Had some rough spots, that were cleared up by the theme answers (eventually)

    Never heard of Taos/olin, or Adair, but perps won out...

    Wanted beg b/4 ask,
    BTUs b/4 Ergs
    More than pink? Bare b/4 rare...
    Maroons b/4 Crimsons
    (did u hear about the red ship, and blue ship that collided...)
    (both crews were marooned...)

    YellowRocks!
    grocery shop, meal plan, cook and clean up?
    Hmm, realization that I have only recently been able to feed myself...

    I may be undecided, but not about liking this puzzle!

    I actually had fun with it!

    Happy Birthday Lucina! (I think...)

    ReplyDelete
  28. I always love Ed Sessa puzzles and this one was a treat even though I needed help finishing the southwest corner. After a few OUTs appeared, I started to get the theme, and that was fun. Many thanks, Ed, for making a rainy morning in the middle of the week enjoyable. Like CanadianEh, my favorite clues were the ones for UTERI and GUTS. Didn't get STREEP until the end, and I too love her movies. And delightful write-up, as always, Steve--many thanks for that too.

    Happy birthday, Lucina--you are indeed a bright light on our blog!

    Dudley, hope your procedures go well. What a difficult experience you had, Oas.

    Hope all goes well with the provisions for Alan, Yellowrocks.

    Hope I make it to the eye doctor okay in this miserable rain.

    Have a good day, everybody!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Ladies, I too have enjoyed watching Meryl Streeps's many portrayals through the years. So many favorites, but for some reason, The Bridges of Madison County always comes to the top of the list. Hope I don't lose points on my man card for admitting it.

    Husker Gary, no, that never happened to me, but I've only been to Omaha a few times.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Happy Third Birthday Lucina...although I’m thinking that’s not what you meant...

    I’m with the others that liked the puzzle construction but thought this was not Thursday level.....because the theme was a big time giveaway.

    Some markovers...BREAKOUTBURGLER/BREAKOUTBREAKIN, ASAMI/SODOI, GUIDE/BOOST,SPEND/SPEED.

    And on to Friday.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Lucy, I am sorry I neglected to add my birthday wishes as you are always a joy in your comments and compliments to all of us. 81 is the mirror image of 18, so this should be a great year for you. I certainly hope so and many more.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Tinbeni: My generation was told to TUNE IN, TURN OUT, DROP OUT.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Lucina, rain is probably headed your way by now. I'm still enjoying it although I am hearing of mudslides in the burn areas. And really happy birthday wishes for you!

    Time for a mini-vacation.

    Mind how you go...

    Bill G

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  34. Hi All!

    WEES, theme was very helpful with the fill. DROPOUT DROP IN was first themer and I was able to fill the others and correct missteps.

    Thanks Ed for the fun; thanks Steve for the expo and pic of IN and OUT club; I've heard of it but now I get it!

    WOs: Buck ≠ MOOse, SO am I, Old King Cole b/f NAT, rested b/f AT EASE, Pat b/f PAM
    ESP: just RONA but most c/as took some serious perpage to suss.
    Fav: GAG LAW xing GAB was fun

    {B+, B}

    Oy! I've not had one (colonoscopy) yet and I'm certainly not looking forward to getting cleaned OUT.

    IM - TV LAND spun out of Nick at Nite for classic reruns. In college, DW and I caught up w/ all the Dick Van Dyke shows on N@Nite. Now-a-days, I've got 200 channels but usually only look at four if I look at TV at all.

    If you have 33min, check out Red ADAIR's narration of shutting IN a blow OUT.

    TTP - I gotta; how'd you break an aerator? Or should I not ASK? :-)

    Happy Birthday Lucina! You know I enjoy your daily musings and you're a fellow UP-late poster. Enjoy your B-Day dinner tonight!

    Cheers, -T

    ReplyDelete
  35. Happy Birthday, Lucina! Nice to see your smiling face, and in such glamorous company!

    Ta ~ DA! ~ Ed Sessa's pzl seemed a perfect balance between challenge & do-ability. I found it truly tough at the outset, but P&P brought me to the master's wavelength.
    The theme certainly helped. I caught on at 17A and so could easily fill the several "INS" & "OUTS" that followed.

    Dudley ~
    The worst part of a colonoscopy today is the night-before prep! Yuck-o!
    The procedure itself has become so much more civilized than when I first had to endure it.
    Back in the day, they didn't knock you out.
    Younger victims (er, patients) can only imagine the horror.
    ~ OMK
    ____________
    DR:
    One diag, on the flip side NE to SW.
    Today's anagram seems to honor a bunch of military types in the mindset for a coup d'etat, the ...
    "SORE COLONELS"!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Fun puzzle; I enjoyed it.

    Happy birthday, Lucina.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Lucina Happy Birthday! Good for you for your travels and spirit of adventure!

    I very much enjoyed this IN and OUT puzzle!

    Steve I loved the IN and OUT Club photo!
    CrossEyedDave loved your very appropriate cartoons!

    CARL is one of the few sports names I knew. I still count the Red Sox as my home team. And I was able to WAG SAC from the concept of being OUT but productive.

    I eat sushi often, but never knew NORI is the seaweed I am eating. Learning moment. I have never seen or heard of MOON PIES. I know of Mallomars which are similar. Apparently MOON PIES came first.

    Here we saw DATE palms near where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.

    That cave in the last two photos is where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the 1940s by Bedouin shepherds.

    Once again I saw this moose near Grand TETON National Park.

    I only know WHOOPI Goldberg for her role as the mysterious alien Guinan on Star Trek. She offered to play the part for free because she thought Star Trek offered such an important value to society.

    Did anyone else think of a certain scene in the movie A Clockwork Orange when it came to the IN and OUT theme today?

    Here is that A Clockwork Orange IN and OUT scene.

    "No time for the old IN-OUT, love. I've just come to read the meter."

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  38. Husker Gary I had a similar experience as a witness. I was bicycling home from work and saw two cars on a collision course at an intersection. I watched the entire scene play out and saw them crash right in front of me. And then realized I forgot to notice who had the green light and who had the red light. I felt so frustrated that I was of no value as a witness.

    From yesterday:
    Jayce thanks for explaining Green Paint. I had no idea there were such arcane rules for crossword construction. TALL WOMAN seems perfectly good to me. When I am looking for my wife, I will often ask if anyone has seen a tall Asian woman which does make her somewhat unique.

    CanadianEh glad you also thought of BTO for TCB. Not sure if you noticed in my QUITO post the day before that my traveling companion was a Canadian Native. He leads tours in his remote Yukon area for the rare "spirit bear" which is white.

    MikeSherline and PK: Thanks for asking about how my Costa Rica RAIL journey ended. At that point there were many possibilities, PK. They could have sent another train. We could have been ferried out on a river boat or on horseback. We might have had to hike for days. As I said, roads were not an option.

    Here is what happened:
    We all scrounged along the tracks for any piece of scrap material we could find. Bits of wood or sheet metal. We piled it up under the derailed wheel. Then the engineer rocked the locomotive bit by bit onto that pile. An inch or so at a time we alternated the rocking with re-piling the scraps. I was in awe that this actually got the massive locomotive back onto the tracks without damaging the tracks or the locomotive wheels.

    Yes, the whole locomotive easily could have rolled over. And we were in a very precarious spot with a sheer drop below. When we derailed the whole train easily could have gone over the edge. Did I mention that the engineer was speeding?

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  39. So being a numbers person, someone who grew up near Boston and watched much of Yaz' Triple Crown season. I had to share this chart. I also knew Miguel Cabrera was going to be a Hall of Fame ballplayer when the Florida Marlins brought him up in 2003 and he acted as a catalyst to a World Series win against the Yankees. He did not do much in the series but he was there and they won.
    There have been 9 triple crown winners in the American League, two played left field for the Red Sox. Ted won it twice. 5 in the NL, with the most recent Ducky Medwick in 1937, the same year dear Lucy was born. Rogers Hornsby won it twice which arguably were the two best seasons anyone ever had.

    Batting Triple Crowns

    Year Lg Player Team BA HR RBI
    2012 AL Miguel Cabrera DET .330, 44 139
    1967 AL Carl Yastrzemski BOS .326, 44 121
    1966 AL Frank Robinson BAL .316, 49 122
    1956 AL Mickey Mantle NYY .353, 52 130
    1947 AL Ted Williams BOS .343, 32 114
    1942 AL Ted Williams BOS .356, 36 137
    1937 NL Joe Medwick STL .374, 31 154
    1934 AL Lou Gehrig NYY .363, 49 166
    1933 AL Jimmie Foxx PHA .356, 48 163
    1933 NL Chuck Klein PHI .368, 28 120
    1925 NL Rogers Hornsby STL .403, 39 143
    1922 NL Rogers Hornsby STL .401, 42 152
    1912 NL Heinie Zimmerman CHC .372, 14 104
    1909 AL Ty Cobb DET .377, 9 107
    1901 AL Nap Lajoie PHA .426, 14 125
    1887 AA Tip O'Neill STL .435, 14 123
    1878 NL Paul Hines PRO .358, 4 50

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  40. Not sure when you last visited Asia Robert, but Asian women are not only rich and crazy, they are tall.

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  41. Good afternoon, Steve and friends. Not much to add that hasn't already been said.


    Wishing you a wonderful, wonderful birthday, Lucina!

    QOD: When everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane. ~ Steven Wright (b. Dec. 6, 1955)

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  42. TTP:
    You just shot up on my list of people to admire as I also love The Bridges of Madison County!


    Thank you all for the kind words and birthday wishes. It's overwhelming! I consider this Blog and our own Corner a cyber family so you are all special to me.

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  43. Carl Yastrzemski, Carl Yastrzemski the man they call Yaz. 1967.
    Who was the running back in the old AFL who worked with Red in the off season?
    And of course there was Jerry Adair who played 2b for the Orioles

    I didn't see Texaco on that chart

    It must be me, I'm not a STREEP fan.

    I see some other '67 Redsox fans. Tony C beaning and the Ken Harrelson saga. I remarked awhile back that Killebrew tied Yaz for the HR Crown on his last AB

    WC

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    Replies
    1. And.. HBD Lucina . Thx to Ed and Steve

      Owen. Solid B's

      WC

      Delete
  44. Hi Y'all! I came, I saw, I conquered the ins & outs of the puzzle. Thanks, Ed for a really different puzzle. Thanks, Steve.

    Happy Birthday, Lucina! Hope you have many more.

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  45. It is hard for me to choose my favorite Meryl STREEP film.
    But the one that has stayed with me the longest--the most poignant--is surely Sophie's Choice.

    Everything in that characterization, from the physical gestures and Polish accent to the lost eyes of her final despair, supported the agony of her moral dilemma. She was the perfect surrogate for that tormented woman.
    I craved a different ending for her but knew it was not possible.
    ~ OMK

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  46. Happy Birthday, Lucina. Hope you are having a great day.

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  47. Dash T,
    It was one of these swivel spray aerators that decided not to swivel when I swiveled it.

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  48. Ruth is the obvious omission. Why? Because with batting averages between.376-.393 he was unable to be tops.
    Not with Cobb, Sisler and Harry Heilman around.

    WC

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  49. OMK, I agree with you about Meryl Streep's acting in Sophie's Choice. But I wouldn't watch it again if you paid me. Way too painful...

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  50. Good evening, folks. Thank you, Ed Sessa, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Steve, for fine review.

    This puzzle was a little tough for me. Got it eventually.

    Happy Birthday, Lucina, and many more.

    Theme was swell. Very clever.

    TAOS was an easy one in the North. All the rest were harder. MORTICIA?

    MOON PIES was not obvious to me.

    There is another NRA that I am very familiar with.

    Got me knee braces today. Lessens my knee pain, but adds addition pain and stress to my legs where they are strapped on. We will see how this works.

    Anyhow, I hope to get into tomorrow's tomorrow. I am cashing in my chips.

    See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

    ( )



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  51. Abejo, MORTICIA and Gomez were the parents of Wednesday on The Addams Family.

    Best wishes with the braces, and hope that after awhile that you start to not notice them.

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  52. CED:
    Muchas gracias for the cake!

    Tinbeni:
    Thank you for the toast!

    Once again, thank you for all the good wishes! My life is very blessed.

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  53. You are a blessed person Lucina (and I knew you'd post late!).

    TTP - Oh, an external aerator. I could only imagine a typical insert-type broken w/ trying to pick out calcium w/ an ice-pick or, for muscle, a hammer :-)

    Cheers, -T

    ReplyDelete

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