Theme: "Cruise Control" - Last word in each theme entry is part of a ship.
25A. Crossing with a charge: TOLL BRIDGE.
48A. Violinist awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992: ISAAC STERN.
70A. Longest serving Secretary of State, 1933-'44: CORDELL HULL. Never heard of him. Wiki says he was "best known as the longest-serving U.S. Secretary of State, holding the position for 11 years (1933–1944) in the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during most of World War II. Hull received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1945 for his role in establishing the United Nations, and was referred to by President Roosevelt as the "Father of the United Nations"
96A. Longest-serving Republican senator, 1977-2019: ORRIN HATCH.
119A. TV reporting VIP: NEWS ANCHOR.
121A. Gesture of respect to a monarch: COURTLY BOW.
37D. Metaphor for an unfair advantage: STACKED DECK.
43D. Simple home in the woods: RUSTIC CABIN.
I hope Commander Spitzboov solves this puzzles. His local paper does not carry the Sunday LAT.
Notice the last word in each theme entry has a distinctive non-ship meaning. That's key to this type of theme.
Mark used a classic pinwheel design. Terrific model for a 9-themer 93 theme square grid. The grid is also typical Mark. No weird names or obscure abbreviations.
Mark used a classic pinwheel design. Terrific model for a 9-themer 93 theme square grid. The grid is also typical Mark. No weird names or obscure abbreviations.
Across:
1. Friend of d'Artagnan: ATHOS. The other is Aramis. And 21. Parting from 1-Across: ADIEU.
6. Turning point: CUSP.
10. Organ array: PIPES.
15. Cunning: WILY.
19. Didn't lose a game: SWEPT.
20. Site of Italy's Festival of Festivals, featuring local food and wine: ASTI. Informative clue.
22. Managed care gps.: HMOS.
27. Crab in space: NEBULA. Crab Nebula.
28. Whenever you want: AT WILL.
30. Carpenter's supply: LUMBER.
31. Herbie of jazz: MANN.
33. Cuts back: PARES.
34. Debatable claim: ESP.
35. Repeated word in the Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash": GAS. It's a gas, gas, gas.
38. Suffolk slammer: GAOL. This is a picture of a few Chinese prisoners in 1900.
40. Diarist Anaïs: NIN.
41. Landing flight paths: PATTERNS.
46. Camera setting: AUTO.
51. TD Garden skater: BRUIN. Boston Celtics play there also.
52. Southern accent feature: DRAWL.
54. Long-necked wader: EGRET.
55. 128-Across' __ Vecchio: PONTE. And 128. See 55-Across: ARNO.
My sister-in-law Connie plans to use "Monastery Stay" when she
vacations there in a few months. Sounds very meditative and calming.
57. __-Caps: candy: SNO.
58. Rights advocacy gp.: ACLU.
59. German article: DER.
60. 18th-century lexicographer Johnson: SAMUEL.
61. Thrice, in Rx's: TER.
62. Taproom containers: KEGS.
64. Intend that one will: AIM TO.
67. "Top Hat" star: ASTAIRE (Fred)
69. Procure: GET.
74. Many desktops: PCS.
75. One getting on in years: OLDSTER.
77. Ice cream serving: SCOOP.
78. Actor Baldwin: ALEC.
80. Okra unit: POD. Our local farmers' market has fresh okra in August.
81. Puts on the books: ENACTS.
84. Fed. benefits agency: SSA.
86. Student stressor: EXAM. One of my frequent dreams is not to be able to finish the exam. Too much pressure in my school days.
88. "__ we good?": ARE.
89. "Ditto": ME TOO.
90. Summer refreshers: ICEES.
92. Start of an acting career, ideally: DEBUT.
94. Nouveau __: RICHE.
99. Location: SITE.
100. Parting words: TAKE CARE.
102. The first of two T's, in a familiar sequence: TUE. Oh. Our blog has three T's.
103. Flue residue: SOOT.
105. Trawler's tool: NET.
106. Caribbean export: RUM.
107. Wet dips: SWIMS.
109. Secured, in a way: TIED.
111. Actress Lansbury: ANGELA. 93 years old now.
114. Nova __: SCOTIA.
115. Single-masted ships: SLOOPS. Bonus fill.
124. Piece for two: DUET.
125. Nursed, say: DRANK.
126. Tolstoy's Karenina: ANNA.
127. Get hitched in haste: ELOPE.
129. Lew in old films: AYRES.
130. Foucault with a pendulum: LEON. Learning moment for me.
131. Candy mogul H.B. __: REESE.
Down:
1. PGA part: Abbr.: ASSN.
2. So precious, in Penzance: TWEE.
3. Oregano, for one: HERB.
4. Old den indulgence: OPIUM.
When I was a kid, this TV series "The Legendary Fok" was very popular.
Opium War was part of the background. Love, betrayal, kung fu, just
amazing.
5. "The Great Escape" setting: STALAG.
6. Limit: CAP.
7. "Operation Phone Home" gp.: USO.
8. Sundress part: STRAP.
9. "Mere" amount: PITTANCE.
10. Like a good waiter: PATIENT. You in the waiting room.
11. Beloved stars: IDOLS.
12. Vitamin __: PILL.
13. Slender swimmer: EEL.
14. Rental from a renter: SUBLET.
15. Petulant complaint: WHIMPER.
16. Source of film trivia: IMDB.
17. Opera house section: LOGE.
18. River of Flanders: YSER.
24. Tropical veranda: LANAI. Dream place.
26. Region of industrial decline: RUST BELT.
29. Watch holder: WRIST.
32. Poked (around): NOSED.
35. Wander (about): GAD.
36. 2000s Saturn midsize model: AURA.
39. Athletic shoe once endorsed by Paula Abdul: LA GEAR. Look a bit uncomfortable.
41. Limo destination: PROM.
42. Like yearbooks: ANNUAL.
44. NorCal NFL team: NINERS.
45. Keep a roomie awake, maybe: SNORE.
47. Hooting young: OWLETS.
49. Sure competitor: ARRID.
50. Greener Living org.: EPA.
53. Haul: LUG.
56. Electric wheels: TESLA.
60. Unassisted: SOLO.
63. One of 20 in "Hamlet": SCENE.
65. Military meal: MESS.
66. Help for a sad BFF: TLC. Here is my BFF Carmen with her husband Lao Pan. How I miss Guangzhou and the food there!
68. High points: APEXES.
69. Latin carol word: GLORIA.
71. Figure of speech?: ORATOR. Great clue.
72. Biblical prophet: HOSEA.
73. Sports shockers: UPSETS.
75. Eye-catching display: OP-ART.
76. SoCal wine valley: TEMECULA. Another learning moment for me.
79. Set the pace: LED.
82. Center: CORE.
83. Rocky peak: TOR.
85. Knotted neckwear: ASCOT.
87. Tone down, as a color: MUTE.
90. Arctic people: INUIT.
91. Like many reactions: CHEMICAL.
93. Vietnam New Year: TET.
95. Opening words eventually followed by clinking: HERE'S TO.
97. Inventor's jubilant shout: IT WORKS. My reaction to various tips D-Otto gives me also: "Oh wow, it works, the rugs stay down." I'm a budding handywoman.
98. Raise aloft: HOIST.
101. Seyfried of "Mean Girls": AMANDA.
104. Employee in a cage: TELLER.
107. Tea go-with: SCONE.
108. Rhône tributary: SAONE.
110. Professor Challenger's creator: DOYLE. Not familiar with the character.
111. Forever __ day: AND A.
112. Nerve: Pref.: NEUR.
113. Tony-winning Verdon of "Damn Yankees": GWEN.
114. __-Pei: dog breed: SHAR.
116. Wind ensemble member: OBOE.
117. Bursts: POPS.
118. Popeye's __'Pea: SWEE.
120. Shed a tear: CRY.
122. Card game shout: UNO.
123. Got into the race: RAN.
C.C.
41 comments:
FIWrong. A natick got me. EmA + mONTE > P.
FYI: New article and video about crosswords.
The NEWS ANCHOR thought he had a SCOOP
So off to the shore-front he went to snoop.
But fog hid his goal,
An escapee from GAOL,
Who fled in a vessel of SWEE' pea SLOOP!
Perry had an orchard of which he TOOK CARE.
He'd dance thru his trees like Fred ASTAIRE.
Two trees stood aloof,
They grew oblong fruit,
With a pair of shears Perry'd PARE his pear pair!
{A, A.}
Good morning.
I solved all 23 of his Mark's puzzles that were ranked moderate difficulty at the Best site. A) Because I like his puzzles and B) Because I wanted to more deeply understand his cluing style. Figured that would help in solving his puzzles here, and it did.
Except that I still managed to fail today. Had PONcE where PONTE belonged, and I have no idea why or how that happened.
Oh well. It was fun and a nice challenge today.
C.C., I'm with you. I hope Spitzboov gets an opportunity to solve this one. I believe he mentioned the other day that when his paper didn't get delivered, he went to the MENSA or some other site and printed it out.
Like a good waiter: PATIENT. I had the IENT when I read the clue. Typed in AMB. Made sense to me. Ambient. Always around, in the background, not too intrusive, yet there when you needed another drink or were ready to order desert. Perps said no.
Good morning!
I went wrong too many ways to count on this one. Hooray for Wite-Out! Got 'er done, but never noticed the theme, and missed the reveal, if there was one. Needed C.C. to parse LAGEAR, figured it was just another brand I'd never heard of. Thanx, Mark and C.C.
LEON: Didn't know that was Foucault's first name, but I remember his pendulum. There's one in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. They set up dominoes around the perimeter with a note as to the time each domino will get knocked over, as the plane of the pendulum shifts due to the rotation of the earth.
WRIST: I'm one of those old fogies who still wears a wrist-watch. Yes, I could use my flip-phone, but it's in my pocket...and it isn't turned on.
LUMBER: I've mentioned before that on my 20th anniversary my employer gave me a table saw. On my 25th they gave me a laser-inscribed plaque. I joked that first they gave me the saw, and then provided lumber for it.
Should have been obtrusive, not intrusive.
Good Morning, C.C. and friends. I lived this puzzle. At first I thought that the theme might refer to the long-terms that public officials held, since we had the Longest Serving Secretary of State and the Longest serving Republican Senator. Nope, we were actually on the High Seas.
I learned about CORDELL HULL from the book In the Garden of Beasts, by Erik Larson. The book discusses Hull's role in World War II.
TEMECULA was a learning moment for ME, TOO.
QOD: Never underestimate the power of the dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us. ~ Wilma Rudolph (June 23, 1940 ~ Nov. 12, 1994)
Add to the "We are all unique and solve the puzzles for different reasons and in within our own experiences" department: I look for the theme as I solve and try to avoid the reveal until I need it for assistance. But I always see the theme and enjoy tying the seemingly unrelated answers together ala a Jeopardy category. It's high on the list of reasons enjoy solving puzzles. I also appreciate and admire the lengths constructors go to trying to cleverly build a theme and their surprising reveals/titles. It's hard for me to imagine not noticing or even not trying to decipher a theme.
Kudos to Mark McClain and thanks to C.C. explaining how the ship related words have non ship-related meanings until the title and a little sleuthing exposes them. Fun workout this beautiful Sunday morn.
Good Morning:
I enjoyed solving this offering very much which, for me, is high praise, indeed, as Sunday grids are usually filled with unknown proper names and scads of three letter words. Not that it was a walk in the park, mind you, but the title and clever cluing made for a pretty smooth journey. The only truly unknown was Temecula, but I also needed perps for Doyle, Aura, Gas, and Reese, all as clued. I had Mugs before Kegs and Enters/Inputs/Enacts; only two w/os on a Sunday is unheard of for me. Chuckled at the duo of Twee and Swee.
Thanks, Mark, for a satisfying Sunday solve and thanks, CC, for the insider's critique and enlightening expo.
Have a great day.
I decided to share a story with you all. It happened in the fall of 1989 while I was working during my college years. I was a pimply faced bellman/driver at a high end hotel and was tasked the honor of picking up a VIP at the airport and returning him to our hotel. His name was Isaac STERN and the concierge tried to explain who he was and of his celebrity but it didn't impress me as I was more enamored by my stringed instrument heroes of the day, Eddie Van Halen and Stevie Ray Vaughn(both of whom also stayed at the hotel that year).
I met the STERN at the gate and offered to carry his belongings to the baggage claim, to which he passed. After getting his suitcase and garment bag and placing them in the trunk of the limo I offered to put his carry on in with them but he again declined.
I made some small talk with him on the way to the hotel and assured him that even though I had never heard of him, I l would ask my grandmother if she had. At the hotel I open the doors for him and take a cart to the trunk to load the luggage as he went to the front desk to check in and meet the concierge. I fretted over him still insisting that he carry the one bag he had with him since he deplaned because I thought the concierge would suspect me of not doing my job properly.
When I return with his bags and he is getting the VIP treatment from the others, I decided to go above and beyond and grab the case he had been carrying since his arrival and place it on the brass bell cart with the others. A look of shock overcame him but he quickly waved his hand as if to say "ok, take it" but very reluctantly.
When we get to his suite he allowed me to handle all the bags and place them in their appropriate places and he instructed me to place the one small case on the bed. He gave me a very generous tip and thanked me for everything and commented on my obvious eagerness to provide service.
When I got back to the lobby, the concierge and front desk clerk were still laughing about the look on his face when I grabbed his case. It wasn't until then did I understand that I had snatched his likely million-dollar Stradivarius(or similar violin) from him to whip around and put it on my cart. We all got a good laugh when I told them I kept trying to take it from him at every turn; the gate, the baggage claim, the curb and the front door. I finally snagged it while he stood in the lobby!
Jinx here.
FIR, but erased stops for PIPES, floppy disc for SERIAL PORT, test for EXAM, icons for IDOLS, moses for HOSEA, and aluet for INUIT. WAGged Naticks correctly at 1a x 2d and 120a x 108d.
New computers have SERIAL PORTs, just advanced ones. You can get an adapter that will allow old serial peripherals to be plugged into a Universal SERIAL Bus port. Good luck if you try to get it to work with Windows 10.
Most of our bridges here are toll-free, but a couple of tunnels have tolls. We have tunnels under waterways accessing strategic naval installations. If the enemy blows up a bridge it will close the waterway temporarily. If it blows up a tunnel, war ships can transit without delay. Bridges are MUCH cheaper.
Anyone else want Herbie Hancock instead of MANN?
I wonder what percentage of freshly-graduated bachelors can name the current Secretary of State?
As Jimmy sang, "where I go I hope there's RUM! Not to worry mon, soon come." (Volcano)
Van Morrison reference again today with "You know she comes around here, At just about midnight, She make me feel so good, Lord She make me feel all right, And her name is G-L-O-R-I-A"
More banks around here have the TELLERs isolated in back rooms. Lobbies have customer stations with audio, video and pneumatic tubes connected to the tellers. Prevents robberies. Only paperwork is conducted by employees in the lobby.
Thanks to Mark for another fine puzzle, and to CC for the interesting review.
Jinx: why learn the names of the current cabinet members when they will be replaced on such an arbitrary basis.
Musings¬
-¬Yay, SAONE is a river and it’s OP ART not OPART
-Me too Fletcher, I try to avoid the reveal but today…
-My first five-letter organ parts
-“Fire AT WILL!” “What did Will do?”
-Cwds have taught me TWEE, NIN, TER, GAOL,
-My open-note EXAMS took stress off bad memorizers
-HGTV’s Lottery Dream Home shows Nouveau-RICHE selecting new houses
-Sorry, LEON, I am very familiar with your pendulum but not your first name
-Sheldon called Vitamin PILLS producers of “very expensive urine” on Big Bang
-Kids look at me quizzically when I say ANNUAL instead of yearbook
-My roomie of 52 years loves that a C-PAP eliminates SNORING
-Number 798’s job is to set the pace for a record time, not to win
-HOIST is in the chorus of SLOOP John B
Good morning everyone.
C,C, and TTP - - Let not your hearts be troubled. I had done the weekend WSJ puzzle last night because TV is such a vast wasteland. So I had time this morning for the LAT which I printed from C. C.'s link. Thanks for the SO.
Got it solved without any lookups needed. A rich mother-lode of nautical terms in the theme fill. They were all very common words so it should have been fun for most solvers.
I had 'axle' before CUSP, and MESSed around with LEON before the crosses became firm.
CORDELL HULL - I remember hearing and reading of him when I was just a wee lad.
……CABIN - Our berthing spaces were called 'staterooms", but the Captain had a secondary resting spot just off the BRIDGE called a Sea CABIN. CABIN is commonly used on passenger vessels, I believe.
DECK - I use it in my everyday patois to mean 'floor'. Also 'head' for WC.
HATCH - I grew up with the German word for hatch: Luke and L. German Luuk.
2d TWEE - L. German for 'two'. (Sounds like 'twain' without the 'n'.)
Have a great day.
Per wiki, STERN's instruments:
"Stern's favorite instrument was the Ysaÿe Guarnerius, one of the violins produced by the Cremonese luthier Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù.[11] It had previously been played by the violin virtuoso and composer Eugène Ysaÿe.
Among other instruments, Stern played the "Kruse-Vormbaum" Stradivarius (1728), the "ex-Stern" Bergonzi (1733), the "Panette" Guarneri del Gesù (1737), a Michele Angelo Bergonzi (1739–1757), the "Arma Senkrah" Guadagnini (1750), a Giovanni Guadagnini (1754), a J. B. Vuillaume copy of the "Panette" Guarneri del Gesu of 1737 (c.1850), and the "ex-Nicolas I" J.B. Vuillaume (1840). He also owned two contemporary instruments by Samuel Zygmuntowicz.and modern Italian Jago peternella Violins."
I wonder what he took on the road with him? Anyone, Jzb? Favorites or contemporaries? FIW, he was visiting to help celebrate the retirement of our well known Philharmonic director in a star studded weekend.
Anon, "A look of shock overcame him..." Did you mean to say that he gave you a stern look?
Nova Scotia- Latin for New Scotland
Temecula- Temecula Indian tribe
Thanks C.C. for the very kind comments about this puzzle! And everyone else for your remarks. Just FYI, recently I've done a couple of 21x21 puzzles that have eight themers with four across and four down. It's a bit unconventional but worked well and made for a somewhat different look. Interesting comment about solving puzzles on BEST CROSSWORDS - there you definitely see the unadulterated voice of the constructor in the cluing. When you see the constructor's work in other venues, the editor's voice comes through (either through changing the original clues, or from the constructor's efforts to match the clues to the editor's style).
Yes DO!
He even bowed his back as I plucked his Strad from behind his rear.
Anonymous @ 8:52
I liked your story.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Mark McClain, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, C.C., for a fine review.
Got up at 7:00 this morning and started the puzzle shortly after. Got it done in about an hour and a half. Pretty good for me.
After I finished, then I looked for the theme. Caught it with all the ship parts and terminology. Good job for Mark in constructing this and good job for me in finding it.
I had heard of CORDELL HULL, but could not remember his name until I had a few perps. Never heard of ISAAC STERN. Got him with many perps. However, ASTAIRE was easy.
Now I know REESE's initials, H B.
ORRIN HATCH was easy once I had one letter.
Hahtoolah: I also read "In the Garden of the Beasts." Very good book.
"RUSTIC CABIN" reminds me of a book I recently read, "Where the Crawdad's Sing," by Delia Owens. Excellent book with a giant twist at the end.
Rained this morning early, now quite nice. Too bad I can do no work as yet. Another few weeks I suspect.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
My ship hit a couple high waves during the solve , but mostly smooth sailing.
After noticing a few nautical terms, I was expecting AFT. I knew STARBOARD would be hard to fit without looking to obvious.
TWEE, LEON Foucault, Lew AYRES, TEMECULA- thank you perps and thank you C.C. & Mark. The puzzle was a BREEZE ( nautical?) for a Sunday.
I loved this Sunday puzzle as soon as I got ATHOS right off the bat. Then things slowed down until the middle when everything started to slowly fill in. I did get ISAAC STERN and just loved Anonymous's story about picking him up at the airport and driving him to the hotel, with that precious bag he was trying to protect. Also got other names like SAMUEL and ALEC and ORRIN HATCH and, of course, my very favorite: ANGELA Lansbury. So glad you posted her lovely picture, C.C. and may she have many more good years ahead of her. I cracked up when after playing around with that watch holder it turned out to be my obvious WRIST. So many fun clues and answers--many thanks, Mark, for giving us a fun Sunday morning, and for stopping by. And thanks for explaining the theme, C.C., which I never noticed and would not have gotten.
My sweet Dusty made this a tough Sunday beginning, by peeing and pooping on the bedroom rug during the night and then throwing up on the sofa while I was working on the crossword puzzle. Very unusual for him, and hope he's okay. Hey, he's 16 years old which makes him an OLDSTER for a dachshund.
Have a great Sunday, everybody.
Just be clear, I was a naive young man but not an idiot...
STERN's violin case was not like that of a gangster Tommy gun type. It was just a generic rectangle hard case like a thick, elongated briefcase. Looking back it seems so obvious but again I was just a kid who didnt even known what a virtuoso was. Lol
Satisfying puzzle. Well done, Mark. One sticking point, one red cell, the U in AURA and AUTO. When the light dawned I needed a slap with the V-8 can. Duh!
TEMECULA needed every single perp. It still looked wrong. I have never seen it on wine shelves in the store.
CORDELL HULL also needed every single perp. 20 minutes after writing it, I recalled having heard of him, but still recall nothing else.
Hahloolah, Garden of Beasts looks tempting.
My contemporaries as students and my own students later did not do well on open book tests, especially tests that covered several chapters. Not knowing the material and context, they could not quickly find the references. I think they believed they did not need to study. They were better at dredging up what they had temporarily memorized. Personally, I liked open book tests.
In WV we rent a housekeeping cabin with a fully equipped, but not fancy, kitchen and bathroom. Comfortable furniture, AC, linens, and pots and dishes are included. My older sister unaccountably, calls it camping. For me camping is tent camping. I love it, but as the saying goes, "We get too soon old..." My knees and back protest.
I do not care at all for OKRA. Yes, I have tried it!
GAOL is pronounced like JAIL. The Ballad of Reading Gaol is too long to quote here.
I wonder why solvers worry about no writeovers. When I solve online, I use Master Mode and type very "iffy"trial letters which I often erase as I get more crosses. On paper with an erasable pen I very lightly write in "iffy" trial letters. I don't wait to be absolutely sure, so I often have write-overs on late week puzzles. I don't care. That's just me.
Greetings!
Thanks to Mark and C.C.!
Wonderful puzzle! 30 min. FIR.
Perps for TEMECULA, AURA, MANN and REESE.
Have a great day!
Pretty straightforward puzzle, nice for a relaxing Sunday. I played golf this morning, watching golf on TV now. I guess I like golf.
Hi Y'all! Really enjoyed this puzzle & expo. Thanks, Mark & C.C.
Theme easily floated to the surface. Some unknowns WEES.
Did the puzzle at midnight between waves of storms with hard rains. Groggy today, but rain has stopped.
I loved this puzzle! Thanks Mark for so many clever clues. My favorite was Figure of Speech. But I also liked Old Den Indulgence. Oh! That kind of den.
Like others, I couldn’t parse LA GEAR, but perps said it had to be.
C.C. your expos are always delightful and this was great Thanks.
Owen, I thought the sloop-y poem was my favorite until I got to the second. So much fun! Both A++
CORDELL HULL was a gimme because of the WWII museum. Interesting man. Interesting era.
I liked this puzzle. I usually like Mark McClain's puzzles. Almost got stuck at LAGEAR and ARRID; I'm not so good at brand names until after they've been filled. Had to change CANCER to NEBULA. Didn't know Foucault's first name; RENE turned out to be wrong. Last cell to fill was the Y crossing WILY and YSER. Loved the clues for PITTANCE and ORATOR. A very pleasant 40 minutes.
Hand up for thinking of Herbie Hancock.
There are five TOLL BRIDGEs in this area.
I remember the Saturn Ion; my DIL used to drive one. I did not know there was a Saturn AURA.
I'm also an OLDSTER who still wears a wrist-watch. So convenient to see the time with merely a quick glance.
I'm familiar with TEMECULA but not with any wine produced in that area.
Anonymous @ 8:52, I liked your story too.
I loved the old RS-232 SERIAL PORT. So useful and easy to use. USB is very complicated but at least it does work. I'm not sure, but I think one reason it took so long to become widely (universally) adopted is because it's so damn hard to make one. There's a lot of software involved behind the scenes.
Good wishes to you all.
Are there a lot of first-person singular objective pronouns, or is it just me?
This is from Dave Barry's new book. Geez, I love Dave Barry...
My dog, Lucy, turned ten around the same time I turned 70, so if you go by dog years, we're the same age. But I've noticed that Lucy seems a lot happier in her old age than I am. Everything makes her happy and excited. Like when it's time for her walk, I'll be like, "Oh man, I gotta walk the dog." But Lucy sees the leash, she's like, ""A WALK!! WHAT A GREAT IDEA!! HOW DO YOU THINK THIS STUFF UP??!!"
Lucy also loves to make new friends. I almost never make new friends. I'm not even sure all my old friends are still alive. But Lucy immediately makes friends with everybody she meets. She has way more friends than I do.
She also has more fun. Despite her age, she still loves to play. I'll be sitting around reading my catheter mail, and Lucy will come trotting up with some old dog toy in her mouth, taunting me, daring me to try to take it away from her.
Lucy may be old, but she finds joy in life, all the time, every day.
I envy that. I'm going to try to be more like Lucy, to take the time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, like play and friendship. I'm going to make a point of doing the things that Lucy does that make her happy.
Although I draw the line at drinking from the toilet.
Superb Sunday. Thanks for the fun, Mark and C.C.
This CW filled steadily, but like YR, the U in AUTO and AURA was very slow to arrive.
TEMECULA was unknown, as was CORDELL HULL. But even this Canadian knew ORRIN HATCH.
Shall I take a CSO for Nova SCOTIA because it is a Canadian province? I think that is a stretch- like HuskerG taking a CSO for NY!
If we have an anon lurking here from Nova Scotia, please speak up!
Great STERN story from another anon.
I'm off to enjoy another beautiful sunny afternoon.
Wishing you all a great day.
Sunday Lurk Say...
{A+, A} Thanks for the link to the NewYorker article.
HG / YR - I had a few professors that took "open-book" a step further - we were allowed one 4x5" cheat-sheet. Taking the time to figure out what exactly to put on that card really helped me learn AND no test anxiety.
The cheat-sheet method was so effective, I used it for all my classes [no, I didn't actually use them during the exam].
Funny story @8:52. Based on the dates and your citing Eddie VH, I'm guessing your +2 to 5yr older than I. Nice to have another Youngin' around The Corner.
Bill G - I love Dave Barry. Didn't know he had a new book out... Alexa!* order me...
Jinx - good luck getting anything >4yro work with Windows 10.
Jayce - RS232 is indeed Universal. Remember when Jeff Goldblum hacked the alien ship in independence day? I figure the aliens were advanced and used IPv6** (which Apple didn't support in '96) so it musta been RS232. :-)
No one bit on my WOP comment FLN. WOP==With Out Papers #ItalianSlur. But Great-GrandPop had papers, they read: TONY***
Cheers, -T
*No I don't bug my house just for convenience. I'll order it from Amazon manually.
**The aliens gave The IETF IPv6 in '98 :-)
***To N.Y.
Not to speak of Porthos.
My nightmare was not being able to find the classroom because I'd cut the class so often
My "writeover" was NEWSCASTER/ANCHOR. Pen adds a challenge eg mess. Usually I'd've checked a perp but forged ahead.
I was discharged about 1pm. Couldn't wait to get at the Sunday. Not hard, thankfully, but I missed the Down theme words.
WC
Bill G., I love your Lucy story! And that last line, well . . .
I forgot today was Sunday, the day with 2 Jumble puzzles, until I checked in at the Jumble blog this afternoon. (Still haven't rebuilt all my reminders on this new 'puter, abetted by my healthcare concerns) But I still wrote a very late poem, and believe it's my best one in a long time. Do go read it, Jumble not necessary, over here.
Here's another oldster who prefers wrist watches. My phone and every electronic device I own tell the time, but I like it instantly available at a glance. But then, I don't have my phone in my hand every second of the day, as some do.
At the gym I would be waiting for the last machine in my routine while someone just sat on it and played with his/her smartphone. I would politely ask if he would be finished soon. He would do two or three more reps and go back on the phone, still sitting there Grr!
Bill G. I loved your Lucy article. Yesterday, feeling a little down, I made a quite long list of what is going great in my life right now, and much shorter lists of what is going badly and what is up in the air. What a day brightener. So much to appreciate and be thankful for!
An hour ago I returned from taking Alan back to his new home. I realize that another bright spot is how much he is growing up and becoming more adult by being away from home. He is quite happy there, but coming home every weekend is very important to him. Right now he needs both. I am thankful we found this wonderful program and competent, caring staff.
Among my day brighteners are this blog, CC, the daily sherpas and you, all my virtual friends.
That's a great post YR, we've been following your journey and I can speak for all us you polloi posters that we're delighted at how things turned out .
Misty, I hope all is well well with Dusty.
Now for Owen's J poem. The six J's are just too much on a Sunday.
. WC
Hoi polloi eg moi
Ah, Wilbur, using the Liturgizische Sprache again!
Post a Comment