google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Saturday, August 8, 2020, Peter A. Collins

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Aug 8, 2020

Saturday, August 8, 2020, Peter A. Collins

Themeless Saturday by Peter A. Collins


Today's constructor has 113 NYT puzzles published and many in other venues. He has been a math teacher in the Ann Arbor, Michigan school system since 1980 and  is now the department head at Huron Public High School in that city.

Peter was kind enough to offer these thoughts about himself and this puzzle:


Hi Gary,


I moved this over to my non-public school email.  Someday I might retire and when that happens, the other address will go up in a puff of smoke.

Thanks for reaching out.  I'd be happy to share my thoughts on my 8/8 LA Times puzzle, and a bit about myself.    

As you may or may not know, I submitted answers to an interview on the Crossword Corner site back in 2011.  Here's the link:


I'm still a high school math teacher in Ann Arbor, about to start my 41st year (albeit virtually).  I also still teach at the University of Michigan in the summer.  I'm still married with four daughters, but now we have two grandsons as well.  We're fortunate that everyone is still local, so we get to see the family a lot.

The seeds of this themeless puzzle were the two grid-spanning Across entries -- MOVING THE NEEDLE  and GOING OFF THE GRID.  From there it was just a matter of trying to keep the fill lively and the crosswordese to a minimum.  Looking back on it, I like most of the longer entries -- GOT MARRIED, MILLER LITE, MR ROGERS, MINIMART, I DIDN'T DO IT, LAID IT ON, SEVEN HILLS, and RON SANTO.  I think entries like ROKU can help keep a puzzle feeling a little more current -- for those who have no idea who RON SANTO was.

I always enjoy working with Rich and Patti, and I hope you found this puzzle a fun diversion in these strange times.

- Pete Collins.

Now let's see what this former Michigan Wolverine, now a Huron High River Rat,  has for us today:

Across:

1. Snatch, with "onto": GLOM - A few months ago many people tried to GLOM on to as much TP as they could


5. Low dams: WEIRS - A WEIR on the Russian River in Alaska used for a fish census




10. Party lineup: DIPS - Hopefully not the people you invited but sauces to enhance the flavor of your chips


14. Renaissance painter Guido: RENI and 2. "Blade Runner 2049" actor Jared: LETO - The E for 
R_NI crossing L_TO was my last fill


15. Terse denial: AM NOT - Ah, echoes of the playground 


16. Classic concert halls: ODEA - Plural for an ODEUM like this




17. Letters followed by a colon: ATTN.


18. Joined a union: GOT MARRIED - Fun cluing, Pete!


20. Making a noticeable difference: MOVING THE NEEDLE - like casting 
36. 2019 Tom Hanks role: MR ROGERS.




22. Scrap: MELEE.


23. Hoot?: DAMN - As in Give a ___


24. Borgia who was the son of Pope Alexander VI: CESARE - Is said to be the inspiration for Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince

Machiavelli                          Borgia
27. Was effusive with flattery: LAID IT ON and 47. Full of smarm: OILY.- Nobody did it better than Eddie Haskell
31. Last Olds made: ALERO.

32. Harry's love: GINNY - Last Sunday we had his owl 

33. Translate, perhaps: DUB - I remember watching Who's The Boss DUBBED into Italian in Venice late one night

34. G.I. component: Abbr.: GOVT - Government Issue


35. 39-Across numbers: CENTS and 39. It's often on a tag: PRICE.

36. Homer Simpson's mom: MONA - Either you knew this or you're like me

37. "... __ the set of sun": "Macbeth": ERE - If Wyatt Earp had lived in 17th century England, "Receiveth out of town ERE sundown, you poisonous bunch-backed toad!"


38. "Treasure Island" pirate Billy: BONES - "A habitual drunkard, Billy BONES terrorizes the customers of the Benbow with his swearing, singing and general bullying"


40. Hall of Fame third baseman who spent 14 seasons with the Cubs: RON SANTO - His rookie card can fetch over $100 or perhaps you could 
42. Trade: BARTER like C.C. and Boomer would

43. Sting, say: HURT.

44. En __: on a streak, in slang: FUEGO - Dan Patrick's catch phrase

46. Not staying connected, in a way: GOING OFF THE GRID.

52. Bud competitor: MILLER LITE.


53. Frankfurt article: EINE - How 'bout six minutes of EINE Kleine Nachtmusik (Little Night Music)



54. For-care connector: ALL I


55. Trucking allowances: TARES - (5) below 


56. Big name in streaming players: ROKU Here ya go!


57. Skin malady: CYST.


58. Hägar's hound: SNERT.


59. Indirect contributor to Achilles' vulnerable spot: STYX - Achilles' mother Thetis dipped her son in the river STYX to protect him but...



Down:


1. What "g" might mean: GRAM - Mass to this physics guy


3. Airing: ON TV.


4. Quick-stop shop: MINI MART.


5. Many a golfer's pre-swing move: WAGGLE - If you're a golfer, you probably know this movie and waggling actor (*if not, the answer is below)


6. Avoid being flat?: EMOTE.


7. At great risk: IN THE LINE OF FIRE - She was a good sport about getting caught IN THE LINE OF FIRE


8. 26-Down's city: ROME and 
26. 8-Down feature: SEVEN HILLS Here they are


9. Subs: STAND INS - Reese Witherspoon's

10. Musical start: DO RE MI.

11. Innocent response: I DIDN'T DO IT - The Alcatraz theme song


12. Take (off): PEEL.


13. "The Sweetest Taboo" singer: SADE - A very nice song by an artist whose name (shaw DAY) comes from her mother's home country of Nigeria 


19. Good to go: READY.


21. "Quo Vadis" role: NERO - A 1951 role for Peter Ustinov set in the Seven Hills of Rome


24. Blazer or Cav: CAGER and 
30. Blazer or Cav: NBAER.Portland or Cleveland pro basketball CAGER (basketball player). A twofer for Pete!


25. Ecuadoran province once famous for its gold: EL ORO - Now famous for exporting bananas


28. Word with red or army: ANTS.


29. Beverage unit: OUNCE.


32. Refined chap: GENT.


35. Twists: CONTORTS.

38. Canal craft: BARGE - A BARGE on cwd favorite Erie canal in 1919 ("Low bridge, everybody down!")

39. Document part: PAGE.


41. Bright, as a patio: SUNLIT.


42. Urgent request: BEHEST - Godfather - Senator to Willi Cici, "You kill people at the BEHEST of your superiors?"


45. Say: UTTER 

46. Ally Financial Inc., once: GMAC - Okay

48. Eggy dessert: FLAN.



49. Cut-up: RIOT.


50. Black: INKY - We had INK SACS Wednesday




51. First French prime: DEUX 
DEUX est le premier nombre premier en français (Two is the first prime number in French)


Explanation of this Schrödinger puzzle below made by Pete. He said he started it when he saw  FRANK SINATRA and ELVIS PRESELY had the same number of letters and he worked for it over the years until it fell into place.



Comment at will or at Pete!

*That golfing waggler is Ted Knight as Judge Smails in Caddyshack 

59 comments:

  1. Very much enjoyed the puzzle - great long entries. I was equally entertained by Gary's writeup - always a treat.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm not going to say you shouldn't wiggle,
    I AM NOT complaining when you WAGGLE.
    But if you're golfing
    'Stead of Rolfing
    Are you just showing off for the gaggle?

    I FIWrong by one cell. From my poem above, can you guess which one it was? I bet a lot of you had the same error.

    I DIDN'T DO IT, I AM not at fault!
    And it's not like I robbed a bank vault!
    Yes, I went and hid,
    GOING OFF THE GRID,
    But I blame the accident on the asphalt!

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  3. Had wiggle, not waggle. "I'm not" worked, so it was my only error. (sigh)

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  4. Good morning!

    Just sittin' here eatin' muffins, drinkin' coffee, listenin' to WWDTM, and working the puz. It doesn't get any better than that. Well...it is better if you finish the puzzle correctly. IM NOT/WIGGLE put this one into the loss column. Bzzzzzt! Enjoyed it, though. Thanx, Peter and Husker.

    Am I dreaming? I clearly recall a recent puzzle where the across answer could either be FRANK SINATRA or ELVIS PRESLEY, and somehow both answers worked with the down clues. Couldn't have been in the LAT. Maybe that other newspaper which shall not be named.

    Ecuador: Perhaps most famous as the source of the Panama Hat.

    GMAC: Yup, Gemeral Motors Acceptance Corporation morphed into one of the foremost online banks. TTP and d-o both bank at ALLY.

    Canal Craft: Back in the 1850s my great-grandfather loaded his family and a few treasured belongings onto a barge, and started off down the Erie Canal and through the Great Lakes to Wisconsin. Not sure I'd have had the guts to do that way back when.

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  5. I had IMNOT and WIGGLE and count it as a win. I have several ROKUs scattered around my house since I cut the cable years ago.

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  6. Yes, I too had wiggle waggle troubles today, as well as errors in three other spots, but got much more than I expected starting out. Thanks Peter for the challenging puzzle and Gary for straightening me out.

    Off now for a bike ride on The Path.
    Have a good day!

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  7. Good Morning:

    Add me to the Wiggle instead of Waggle crowd and a FIW. Despite that bit of treachery, I enjoyed the solve a lot, even though there were numerous unknowns: Cesare, Reni, Sade, Mona, Fuego, GMAC, and El Oro. I also had Hulu before Roku, and Sally before Ginny. I had no idea who Ginny is until reading the expo. I liked the cluing clecho for Cager and NBAer. I was impressed with the lively fill and, if my eyes are to be believed, only two three letter words! After poring over the completed grid for several minutes, looking for the theme, it finally dawned on me that today is Saturday. Senior moment or confinement syndrome?

    Thanks, Peter, for a challenging but enjoyable solve and for dropping by and thanks, HG, for a another scintillating, sparkling summary!

    I have to go to a bridal shower later on. It’ll be interesting to see how the venue handles the social distancing rules. This is for my sister Peggy’s grandson’s bride to be on September 6th. I know they can have only a total of 50 guests at the reception, but I don’t know how they were ever able to decide who made the cut, as the groom’s immediate family is huge. I know I won’t be going.

    FLN

    CED, did you ever figure out how to play your DVD?

    Have a great day.

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  8. My post that was readied Thursday. Pre-writeup
    Lots of tricky clueing and I'd imagine unknowns. Then again my RON SANTO is someone else's Jared LETO.

    That X on DEUX was not Ajax but the river STYX into which Achilles was dipped but held by said heel. Then there was PEEL not pare.

    GOT MARRIED and NERO but WIGwag gave way to WIGGLE. Grab became GLOM; One of the NBAERs had to go and I was stuck with CFG???* The "-" in cut-up was initially overlooked.

    I did remember Billy BONES. When he saw Hawkins he asked "Do you have any cheese?". And the Dr actually was carrying some.

    Just enough long solids(MR ROGERS ETAL*) to provide needed perps.

    Since the likes of Wilbur could solve it I can at max call it Med. Diff)

    WC

    *But it was FIW. It wasn't the Fiero but ALERO. I believe CAGERS/NBAERS dup was a XW no-no. No?

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  9. After reading Gary's most excellent write-up:

    Ah, HARRY Potter. How quickly I forget.
    Oh my, I confused the cad BONES with the island refugee who was named ??
    Forward press didn't fit for that WAGGLE. I had I'M NOT. But the Olds model did me in. If not I'm with Hungry Mother.

    IM, you say my dup" is an XW clecho. I guess I don't know the rules.

    WC

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  10. Quick FIW for Saturday. These are my errors.
    Natick: LaTO RaNI
    WiGGLE
    iMNOT
    DUEx
    Caddy Shack - Ted vs. Rodney with Bill, Chevy and a pesky gopher backing them up.
    Thanks to Pete & H.G.
    MO

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  11. Too smart for me.

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  12. Good morning everyone.

    Didn't think I would ever get it started but finally took root with SNERT and FLAN. The SE grew rapidly. Couldn't think of what verbs would go with ……OFF THE GRID, and ……THE NEEDLE. Finally thought GOING and MOVING would work, respectively. Had 'costs' before CENTS. Ultimately got 2 letters wrong, but was satisfied for a Saturday solve.
    Excellent intro, Gary. Thanks.

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  13. Lucky for me I recalled KEVIN NA'S WAGGLE debacle. I used to watch the SIMPSONS but did not recall MONA

    PAWEL FLUDZINSKI has had 22 LAT published including a number which were reviewed by our Saturday superstar HG. He showed up today as our leadoff batter for posts. Always good to see you Pawel.

    This reminds me to express my joy at hearing from my brother from a different mother, VIDWAN 827 . As we approach our joint birthday, it is good to know you are well V.

    -T, yes your monitor display shows and is most impressive.

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  14. Good morning. Thank you, Peter, and thank you, Husker Gary.

    This golfer knew WAGGLE is the term. I don't have a waggle, but I do have a pre-swing forward press.

    FIR, but it took 31:30 so I definitely had to work through some errors and misdirection to get there. Ajax before STYX, hulU before ROKU, IN THE rINg OF FIRE before LINE, RENo before RENI, liter before OUNCE, hTTp before ATTN.

    En FUEGO = on a steak ? "Oh, streak", he said to himself as he rubbed his eyes.

    A WEIR is often just a gate that is used to divert the water away from the wheel on a watermill.

    MOVING (and move) THE NEEDLE - Those became worn out phrases so often heard in financial reviews and business planning meetings at work. It was as bad as paradigm shift, and six sigma. In the words of Tom Waite, "I'm not missing you at all"

    Yes, moving to ALLY was a great decision.

    Me too, IM. No idea who GINNY was, but she had to be.

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  15. Hi Y'all! Thank you, Peter, for a challenge & learning experience. Thank you, Gary, for smoothing out the wrinkles.

    Gee, can't believe I was one of the few who got WAGGLE! That's a balm for my pride. This was a slog for me. Never have heard the term MOVING THE NEEDLE.

    GMAC began having problems when I was a bookkeeper for a GMC/Buick dealership. We were filling out quite a few GMAC finance contracts on new cars so this concerned us. We went to Intrust Bank for contracts after that. I left before GMAC became Ally, so did not know that. I'm surprised I didn't read that later. I was interested.

    I like how IN THE LINE OF FIRE crossed FUEGO which means FIRE. Never heard that slang term before tho.

    Last to fill was the "P" in DIPS/PEEL cross. Haven't heard anyone say they "PEELed out" since HS. Haven't been to a party with DIPS in almost that long.

    DNK: almost all the proper names for a total of 11, count 'em. Obviously Peter & I don't run in the same circles.

    I got NBAer but struggled a while because I hadn't heard CAGER recently & didn't know CESARE.

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  16. Despite the DNF, though, I enjoyed this one! Got the rest of the puzzle but NW did me in. Once again it came down to a single letter personal Natick. Didn't know Leto or Reni.

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  17. FIR. I went through the WIGGLEWAGGLE routine as did others. Not much time this morning. I am sitting in a car outside the ER. Valerie broke her wrist but it seems as if it will be okay. She'll learn more when she sees her hand surgeon (not for the first time, they are already well acquainted) next week.

    On behalf of my daughter and son-in-law: GO BLUE !

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  18. The spanners saved me today. Like Gary, the cross of LETO & RENI-both unknowns- was my last fill. SADE- shows up with the Marquis but I thought it was a man's name. Live and learn. Didn't know MR. ROGERS or NERO but after a few perps they were easy guesses. CESARE, Billy BONES, and En FUEGO- all perps.

    The center was the hardest. Changed COSTS to CENTS. Harry's love? It wasn't SALLY? Didn't "Harry meet Sally?" I had to make a mess of the INKY grid to correct it. Not having seen any Potter movies GINNY was a total unknown. At least I had _ _ _ _Y right before having to change it. INKY let me fill STYX, which I would have never filled as I had no idea.

    Anon@9:56- I'm with you but I'd seen LETO in puzzles before so the E guess made more sense than A, I, O, or U. RANI shows up but she's not in Europe.

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  19. Lots of fun clues and some nice answers, but I'm going to pick two nits.

    I understand that WAGGLE is the technical term, but "wiggle" isn't really wrong. A lot of golfers do some pre-swing re-positioning (wiggling the fingers, for example, or shaking out the legs) that could be called, "wiggling." And "I'm not" is certainly not wrong. The WAGGLE/AMNOT vs WiGGLE/iMNOT ambiguity should have been avoided.

    Does a BEHEST have to be "urgent"? Urgent implies some kind of time pressure to me, and I don't think of BEHEST as having that connotation.

    I particularly liked the clues for ELORO, which made it gettable, and DEUX, which was a fun way to clue the word. I just saw a Zoom version of a Broadway play called, "The WEIR," which was really well-done. No live performances coming any time soon, and the online Zoom performances are great to see.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Fun puzzle and excellent write-up as always.

    Southeast was the last to fill. Cut-up didn't fit riot imo but it had to be. And that got the x.

    Hot one in Chicago today.

    Stay safe and well everyone.

    JB2

    ReplyDelete
  21. A real Saturday challenge. Lots of dead ends in the maze even with early fill of the long horizontal clues

    I knew I had FIW from answers that made no CENTS (instead of dents as a result of distorts for CONTORTS). Put Ceni for RENI which I should know leading to gcam which I figured was some kind of camera. Almost put kwikMART (a take on the old "APU" clue) but there's no W in the Italian alphabet so I knew the perp wouldn't work at all.

    Other inkovers: Imnot/AMNOT led me to wiggle/WAGGLE (should be accepted as secondary answers cuz they both work). Knew with the Ecuador (sp.) clue I would dig up ORO somewhere in the answer. But never heard of EN FUEGO (matches the mid vertical ....FIRE?)

    Went from a bad case of acne to an itchy rash to finally an ugy CYST! Anyone know a good dermatologist?. . .Isn't it Misterogers?

    Wasnt anyone else upset that Harry has been cheating on Sally with GINNY? ("I'll have what she's having"). BTW the actress who said that line was Billy Crystal's Mom. Oops wrong Harry..

    Ironically as I was doing the puzzle I was texting a bud in Florida telling how much he has enjoyed GOINGOFFTHEGRID. No more cable except for interent..Just ROKU, NETFLIX and HULU.

    So I end a crazy work but fun puzzle week with

    Suturing...or... GRAM warning" Little Ray, You'll scratch your records if you keep _______ on the Victrola. MOVINGTHENEEDLE

    A last cigarette, final words and a blindfold .....INTHELINEOFFIRE.

    ______ the beef? ....WEIRS

    Better if everyone just _____ to the script.....STYX.

    Sunny and warm in the Adirondacks this weekend. Stay safe.




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  22. FLN, It came to me suddenly. Ben Gunn was on the island; Billy BONES was in the bar. Dr Livesy had a little tete a tete with him too.

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  23. My problem with CAGER was the use of the same clue yesterday for DIFFERENT answers. Today same clue(Cav and Blazer) for essentially the same answer. What I call a "Dup."

    Since I notice there are unwritten clueing rules I thought this broke one.

    Also, I see the Fiero was a Pontiac.

    WC

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  24. WEIR - A hard cap of Onondaga limestone of Devonian age forms the Onondaga escarpment which acts somewhat like a broadcrested WEIR at the outlet to Lake Erie. It is very resistant to erosion. After passing over the outlet, the Niagara River elevation quickly drops about 5 feet resulting in very high velocities; 10 or more knots. Only boats with high power can traverse this reach up bound. Commercial traffic and most recreational boating use the Black Rock Channel and Lock to bypass this area.

    ____________________________________________

    Anon @ 1023 - - Thanks for expanding on the wiggle - WAGGLE conundrum. I've seen lots of golfers wiggle before swinging on TV. And it meshes nicely with I'M NOT which satisfies the clue: IMO.

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  25. This puzzle started slow but then finished fast- lots of creativity. I went for the WIGGLE before WAGGLE especially as "I'm not" is also shortened as is AM NOT. I would have thought the GOT MARRIED answer would have had a ? after "joined a union" but Rich probably took it off to make it a Saturday clue.

    I had to switch from the SALLY to the GINNY answer. BTW - Ray-o-sunshine - the woman who delivered the "I'm having what she's having" line was Rob Reiner's mom (he was the director) instead of Billy Crystal.

    Have a nice Saturday - we've already had a downpour but our week of cool temps are over!

    Thanks HG and Peter! A two teacher duo today!

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  26. Beyond me.
    I had a car accident yesterday. Car in bad shape. Three cracked ribs. Too painful to think hard.

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  27. Hola!

    Thank you, Gary and Peter! This was quite challenging in some places, namely: I'M NOT/AM NOT, GINNY, ALERO which I can never recall. Otherwise, it readily filled and with the long answers in place, other fill branched off it. Of course I thought of When Harry met Sally so was I surprised when that didn't work. I guess I should watch Harry Potter one of these days. My granddaughter records them all.

    CSO to Gary for STANDINS, subs.

    I should have sussed EL ORO but for some reason I DID NOT.

    I love FUEGO crossing FIRE.

    Now I must get ready to go to Book Club meeting. We'll be discussing American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins.

    YR:
    I'm so sorry to hear of your accident and your injuries! Please take care of yourself.

    Have a lovely day, everyone!

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  28. Too much trivia for my taste today! I had to ask DH for help with sports clues, and rely on lots of perps, to FIR.

    Yellowrocks, I am stunned about your accident, and grateful you are well enough to visit the Corner today!

    Picard, there are no words. I am so sorry, and also angry.

    Irish Miss, is it too late for you to decide to stay home and send a gift?

    Take care, all. Thanks for 'splainin', H-G.

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  29. NaomiZ, you must've missed it. IM said she doesn't plan to attend.

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  30. Yellowrocks Oh, my. Please keep us posted. Very much thinking of you.

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  31. Picard, your comments have been deleted.

    This is not the forum.

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  32. YR @ 11:56 ~ So, so sorry to hear of your accident. Cracked ribs are very painful so I know what you ‘re going through. Feel better soon and take care of yourself. 💐🌸🌺

    NaomiZ @ 1:03 ~ I wasn’t concerned about going to the shower ((Maybe I should have been?), but I was pleased to see the strict adherence to the social distancing standards by the staff of the venue and my fellow attendees. I have really limited myself to exposure to other people and I hope my efforts to stay safe have not been in vain.

    DO @ 1:20 ~ It’s the wedding that I won’t be going to because of the 50 persons limitation of the venue.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Is Pete's puzzle alive or is it dead?

    Or, perhaps, both?

    ReplyDelete
  34. Thank you, Peter and Gary, for the challenge and explanations. This one is many levels above my pay grade. Got 3 or 4 answers, nothing else came to me so I gave up and read the blog. This is after I thought all week the puzzles were easier than usual. Got my comeuppance!

    YR, I'm sorry for your accident and injuries. I hope you heal quickly.

    Peter, nice to "meet" you! I grew up in the Ann Arbor area. If your girls were in Girl Scouts and went to Camp Crawford Day Camp, or if your wife went to Willis for ceramic lessons, they know my mother. Even though we've lived in Cincinnati longer than in Michigan, UM and Detroit teams are still my favorites.

    After a week of lows in the 60's and highs in the 80's, we're moving back into the 70's/90 an humid temps. I'm ready for Fall.

    Have a good weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Speaking of Schrodinger, I saw this the other day:

    Schrodinger's Dumpster

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  36. Tough pzl today.
    I confess I didn't have the patience to see it through.
    A few cheats let me finish-- and move on to the wealth of diagonals*.
    ~ OMK
    ____________
    *DR:
    A total of four diagonals today. One on the near side, and a 3-way in the mirror.
    Looking at the main diagonal, the one on the front end, we find its anagram poses a riddle.
    Q: What is the job most sought after by nerds and other social misfits?
    A: The answer is simple. It must be the...
    "GEEKIEST GIG"!

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  37. Avg Joe ~
    That dumpster is brilliant!
    ~ OMK

    ReplyDelete
  38. Well, I simply couldn't get on the ole wavelength until after having looked up 5 or 6 answers. So, technical FIW. I liked the interesting and, to me, fresh fill. Some DAMN sneaky cluing.

    Take care, all.

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  39. Me too, Avg. That dumpster was a metaphyical, existential, quantum and language treat!

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  40. Musings
    -Pawel, thanks for the very nice comment. We are having nicer summer weather than you peeps in the desert. I had to put on a jacket a couple of times last week
    -YR, I am so sorry to hear about this! I know you’ll “push through”!
    -Pete and I have had some pleasant exchanges about baseball cards and Caddyshack today
    -AtlGranny has been added to our 2020 LA Times Blog Map

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  41. Loved the dumpster, Avg Joe.

    There's a dumpster at the Senior Center at nearby Bull Sallas Park. It's clearly marked, "This dumpster for seniors only."

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  42. Well, Peter, you nearly did me in. Given the hard time I had and the fact that there are 41 comments already, I think I will leave it alone and just quietly fade into the woodwork. So once again, “Me too.” (Does that answer your question, TTP?)

    YR, I hope you have a quick recovery. Broken/cracked ribs are not even remotely fun.

    We’ve been descended upon by grandchildren; three days’ worth of seven, five, and three year olds are exhausting.

    Stay well.

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  43. Closed captioning interpreted Isaias as I say yes!.

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  44. On the puzzle, it wore me out. Almost got there and enjoyed a lot of it. Most of it in fact. But by the end I was just drained and gave up on the SE corner. Neither Styx or Deux dawned on me, so I plugged in an E and quit. Otherwise, FIR, but foiled by one cell.

    Very sorry to hear of your misfortune, YR. There aren't many pains sharper than broken ribs. The bad part is you can't do a damn thing about it (other than pay close attention to your breathing). The good part is the intense pain isn't constant and only lasts about 3 to 5 days.

    Glad Y'all liked the dumpster pic. I roared when I saw it. D-O, your citation is a bit more macabre.....but still very funny.

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  45. "You say poTAto, I say poTAHto, I say WIggle, you sat WAggle", let's call the whole thing off!" Fun challenge today. Long fills were quirky, the way I like
    em!

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  46. Puzzling thoughts:

    Excellent puzzle, Peter; entertaining recap, HG. Like others mentioned, it took a few trips around the GRID to get a foot hold, but once I did, the puzzle solved itself. I was EN FUEGO!

    Being a golfer, I knew WAGGLE.

    Only a few write-overs: I had NBAER in 24d, but switched to CAGER when I saw ALERO. Had DARN/DAMN, but the Sound of Music soon corrected that. EBON/INKY (I had a Shakespeare moment, I guess). I also agree that it should have been MISTER ROGERS; perhaps the clue could’ve suggested an abbr.

    Loved the SEVEN HILLS / ROME connection, as well as the crossing of EL ORO with ALERO

    YR: hope you heal quickly

    Picard: how’s the house hunting coming?

    My Facebook “memory” from this date last year, was a Haiku I crafted. Not sure if “Haiku Harry” shared it here, but since I was OFF THE GRID last August, I’ll offer it here for your enjoyment or groans ... or both:

    Pandora started
    Charging me, for their music.
    Are they Sirius?

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  47. Gone less than a month and already it is not Carl Reiner's wife, Estelle, in WHEN HARRY MET SALLY but Rob Reiner's mother. It was a memorable scene and MOVIE.

    YR, sorry to hear about your accident. Heal quickly.

    Sadly, the dumpster sign makes perfect sense to me

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  48. Oh my, Yellowrocks! So sorry to hear about your accident! What a horrible, terrible, no fun week you have had! Did you get your electricity back? Praying you heal quickly. Hope you have someone to help you. Sending virtual no-hurt hugs your way!

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  49. Lemonade...I think the credit goes to Rob rather than his father Carl because Rob directed the movie and was directly responsible for his Mom's cameo....according to Wiki The line was ranked 33rd on the American Film Institute's list of the Top 100 movie quotations, just behind Casablanca's "Round up the usual suspects".

    BTW the 7 hills of Rome

    Aventine Hill (Latin, Aventinus; Italian, Aventino)
    Caelian Hill (Cælius, Celio)
    Capitoline Hill (Capitolinus, Campidoglio)
    Esquiline Hill (Esquilinus, Esquilino)
    Palatine Hill (Palatinus, Palatino)
    Quirinal Hill (Quirinalis, Quirinale)
    Viminal Hill (Viminalis, Viminale)

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  50. YR, sorry to learn of your cracked ribs. I hope it heals quickly. I once injured my ribs trying to learn how to snowboard. The doctor said he didn't know if the ribs were bruised or cracked and, as the treatment was the same, it didn't really matter. Take a lot of Ibuprofen and come back in X weeks if they still hurt.

    IIRC, for the When Harry Met Sally "I'll have what she's having" scene the food was Katz's pastrami. Working on a batch based closely on the Katz's recipe now. About two weeks to go.

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  51. MManatee, I'm not a doctor and don't play one on TV, but I have had some broken bones. The numerous Orthopods I've dealt with have been universal in saying no NSAIDS!, including ibuprofen, for pain relief when dealing with broken bones. Evidently they inhibit bone formation,
    and thus healing. Acetaminophen is the best rec for pain relief, and of course no more than the daily dosage on the label. YMMV, consult appropriate medical professionals. BE might be interested in weighing in on this.

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  52. After thinking about it, I realize I was mistaken re. my "dup" comment. I was influenced by the different meanings of Monitor from yesterday.

    It's perfectly normal for a constructor to do the opposite. Same clue, similar answer: Blazer and Mav both NBA and CAGERS

    Picard, sorry for you to be reminded of your friends senseless death. YR, glad to see that you're coping with misfortune like the trooper you are. Also, re IBU, there's always hydrocodone.

    WC

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  53. Hi All!

    Hand-up for WiGGLE. Also, I had DArN so DORERI didn't mean anything to me [must be Italian(?) :-) ]

    Thanks Peter for the Sparkly Saturday puzzle. I loved the long phrases (after GLOMming on).

    Wonderful write-up HG - I knew the WAGGLEr.

    WOs: MARG [sic] b/f realizing the clue said Homer's mom, RENe b/f going to Apu's place (Kuik-E MART (Ha! I Ray-O!). Not sure why I put SNaRl in SNERT's spot.
    ESPs: yes, a-plenty; thank you kindly.
    Fav: clue for GOT MARRIED

    {A, B+}
    Nice OMK. I just watched Hacker Jeopardy - that's a pretty GEEKy GIG :-)
    MoeKu is LOL!

    Spitz - I had the same 'am I going to get one thing to INK?' feeling until I got down to the SW and filled GMAC.

    MManatee - let us know how things went with Valarie (your DW?)
    AND, YR! I know your pain and (what AveJoe said) there's nothing you can do about it. So sorry.

    LOL Schrodinger's Dumpster, Ave Joe. D-O: Bring out your Dead?

    Another busy day with DEFCON, rebuilt one of my hacking boxes, finally! got a new version of software for some friends to compile, AND I built ~5 gallons of vegetable & burger soup (had some meat in the freezer that was starting to freezer burn 'cuz I chunked it in there w/ the grocery-story Styrofoam still on.)

    Back to DEFCON's Who's Slide is This Anyway? //amateur Improve w/ a slide-deck they've never seen before :-)

    Cheers, -T

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  54. Gary:
    Thank you for updating the map and the link. I really miss Dudley.

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  55. Thanks for the challenge, Peter.
    I also grew up in Ann Arbor and think our families knew each other. I am part of the Dobson clan.
    GO BLUE!

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