Happy Presidents Day, Cornerites!
sumdaze here. Today's puzzle comes to us from the desk of a well-known constructor, Bruce Venzke.
Our theme is: 
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| Cat lovers will get this one. |
We have 3 starred clues and a reveal. Demonstrating an extra touch of skill, all are 15-letter entries. Let's start with the reveal:
63 Across. Reason for a courtroom objection, and what the start of the answer to each starred clue has: LEADING QUESTION. a question that suggests the answer to the person being interrogated
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| Everybody conga! |
Bruce is proposing we take the first word (the word in the 'lead') of each starred clue and add the word QUESTION to get a common phrase.
17 Across. *Sincere intention to be fair: GOOD FAITH EFFORT.
GOOD QUESTION.
27 Across. *One who can't help but see the bright side: ETERNAL OPTIMIST.
ETERNAL QUESTION. We can get pretty deep in this one. For many people, it boils down to, "What is the meaning of life?" Another version is posed by the great 21st century philosopher, W.A. Yankovic:
47 Across. *Private fashion consultant: PERSONAL SHOPPER.
PERSONAL QUESTION
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
HAL's tone gives me the heebie-jeebies.
1. Sport played on horseback: POLO. I liked last Thursday's clue, "Response heard during a pool game."
5. Make fun of: RAZZ.
9. Goes up: RISES.
14. Bibliography abbreviation: IBID.
Def.: in the same source (used to save space in textual references to a quoted work which has been mentioned in a previous reference).
15. Furniture chain that also sells lingonberry preserves: IKEA.
16. Feeling of existential boredom: ENNUI.
15. Furniture chain that also sells lingonberry preserves: IKEA.
16. Feeling of existential boredom: ENNUI.
20. Sight or smell: SENSE. or taste or hearing or touch
21. Granny: NANA. CSO to all the Cornerite Grannies & NANAs!
22. Some Wall St. deals: LBOS. Street is abbreviated, so is Leveraged BuyOutS.
the acquisition of another company using a significant amount of borrowed money (bonds or loans) to meet the cost of acquisition. more from Investopedia
23. Joan of __: French heroine: ARC.
23. Joan of __: French heroine: ARC.
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| Jeanne d'Arc and the archangel Michael Eugene Thirion 1876 |
25. Pampering place: SPA.
36. Assignment for a swimmer or a bowler: LANE. a nod to a champion Monday blogger
37. Ore deposit: LODE. 2018 gold mother LODE in Western Australia
38. Beat: TEMPO. music -- not an eggs or sports or exhaustion reference
39. Chicago winter hrs.: CST. Hours is abbreviated, so is Central Standard Time.
40. Central Pennsylvania city: ALTOONA. and 45 Across. Salad fish: TUNA.
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| Al TUNA mascot for the ALTOONA Curve (AA Minor League Baseball Team named for nearby Horseshoe Curve) |
42. Luv: HON.
43. Go-to crew: A-TEAM.
46. Stud farm stud: SIRE.
50. Sunflower St. school: KSU. According to this Kansas State University website, Kansas ranks 4th in the U.S. in sunflower production.
51. __-pitch softball: SLO.
52. See 64-Down: FLOE. and 64 Down. With 52-Across, floating Arctic sheet: ICE.
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| penguins chillin' on an ICE FLOE |
55. Biblical ark builder: NOAH. Need an ark? I NOAH guy.
59. Songs for two: DUETS. I used to own this bicycle for two. Twice the fun!!
66. Silly activity: ANTIC.
67. Red gemstone: RUBY.
Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town
I chose Mel Tillis' 1967 version because he wrote the song.
68. Writer Bombeck: ERMA.
69. "Let's Make a Deal" host Brady: WAYNE. He was brilliant on Whose Line is it Anyway? (4:24 min. clip)
70. Unworried state: EASE.
71. "Whoa, trippy!": DEEP.
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| Keanu Reeves played Ted in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989). |
Down:
1. Green animals in Angry Birds: PIGS. Fun clue!
Angry Birds is a 2016 animated movie based on a video game. (30 sec.)
2. Slender woodwind: OBOE. I suppose a saxophone would be a plump woodwind.
3. Zebra hunter: LION. Here is a clip from Madagascar (2005) where zoo friends learn about "going savage". (3:32 min.) Listen for the Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom music at 3:10.
4. "There's a nonzero chance ... ": ODDS ARE. In Probability, if the chance is:
0 = impossible
1 = certain
There are an infinite number of numbers between 0 and 1.
5. Coastal inlet: RIA.
5. Coastal inlet: RIA.
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| Types of Coastlines |
6. Comparable (to): AKIN.
7. Oscar winner Catherine __-Jones: ZETA.
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| Captivating Catherine is a Welsh actress born 9/25/1969. |
8. Journalist Paula: ZAHN.
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| Professional Paula has been in journalism for 50 years. |
9. NFL official: REF.
10. Fill with passion: INFLAME.
11. __ appeal: SNOB.
12. Currency named for a continent: EURO.
13. Follows an obedience school command: SITS.
18. Houseplant with fronds: FERN. and 34 Down. 18-Down seed: SPORE.
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| This is my Boston fern. It is a happy plant. |
19. Sunup direction: EAST.
24. Match a bet, in poker: CALL. to put chips in the pot to match the bet of another player
more info.
26. Bread served with hummus: PITA. I make sourdough PITAs with honey, flax seeds, and whole wheat flour. Here is a pic of them puffing up on my pizza stone.
26. Bread served with hummus: PITA. I make sourdough PITAs with honey, flax seeds, and whole wheat flour. Here is a pic of them puffing up on my pizza stone.
27. Rock formation in Yosemite, familiarly: EL CAP. EL CAPitan stands over 3,000 ft. (914.4 metres) above the Yosemite Valley floor. Park visitors can enjoy vistas of its majesty from many locations. Talk about a granite countertop!
28. Have a spoonful, say: TASTE.
29. "The door's open!": ENTER. and 44 Down. Welcomed at the door: ASKED IN.
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| Here's a welcome mat for cruciverbalists! |
30. Led Zeppelin's "Whole __ Love": LOTTA. This was the first track of their second album, Led Zeppelin II, released in 1969.
official music video
31. Near-beer name: O'DOUL.
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| non-alcoholic beer |
32. Lowly workers: PEONS. If you are curious, here is its etymology.
33. Reply to "Ya dig?": I'M HIP.
35. Copier cartridge: TONER.
40. Songwriter Tori: AMOS. I only know her from XWDs.
41. Slangy turndowns: NAHS.
46. Mouthed (off): SPOUTED.
In 1937, Soda Springs, ID residents hoped for a swimming pool for the town. However, when drilling started, hot water shot out of the ground “to more than 45 feet in the air.” Now the town of less than 3,000 caps the geyser off and sets it to a timer for every hour during winter, every half hour during summer. The city claims it’s the only captive geyser in the world.
48. Former Georgia senator Sam: NUNN. This is his Congress.gov page.
49. Bygone GM line: OLDS. General Motors is truncated, so is OLDSmobile.
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| 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Hotcars article |
52. Imperfection: FLAW.
53. "Chocolat" actress Olin: LENA. "LNA" seems like a good answer, too.
54. Like Cheerios: OATY.
56. Mythical menace: OGRE.
57. Teal shade: AQUA.
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| Confused? They are both blue. |
58. Busy airports: HUBS. United Airlines' North American HUBS are in Chicago, Denver, Guam, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, and Washington Dulles. With so many flights, it seems these HUBS have no caps!
60. Ireland, to the Irish: EIRE.
61. Heavy book: TOME. I am currently reading Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat. It weighs 2.72 lbs. (1.23 kilos).
62. Simple fastener: SNAP.
65. Potato spot: EYE. as in a famous spot for potatoes, Eye-da-ho!
Here's the grid:
Have a great holiday, everyone!
Ah, a Monday level CW on a Monday, what a treat. I love Monday CWs, and especially loved this one. What’s not to like? Good clues, nice theme, with theme answers easily sussed. Thanx, BV, I thoroughly enjoyed this creation. And Sumdaze, another brilliant fun informative write-up, thanx for all your work for our entertainment. Happy President’s Day, everyone!
ReplyDeleteFIR, but erased etal for IBID, mock for RAZZ, and ark for ARC. Waited for ipo/LBO. My only real unknown was WAYNE Brady. (The REAL show featured Monte Hall, Carol Merel and Jay Stewart.)
ReplyDeleteI don't eat TUNA salad, but I loves me some anchovies on a Caesar.
SNOB appeal - A guy I worked with had a wife who was an executive at a bank. She was able to snag a (crossword-favorite) repo Porsche at a bargain, and made it a gift to her husband. He was prone to flashing his key fob around to remind everyone that he drove that fine machine. One of our engineers was a smart, good looking woman who didn't care for people who put on airs. After he had the car for a couple of weeks, most of us were at an after-work happy hour gathering. She happened to sit next to him, and when he flopped down his fancy key fob, she asked him if he knew the difference between a Porsche and a porcupine. When he replied that he didn't, she said (with a forced smile) "with a porcupine, the pricks are on the outside." The other customers in the bar wondered why the bunch of nerds at our table were roaring with laughter.
Thanks to Bruce for another fun puzzle. Finally a Monday grid that isn't Thursday-hard. And thanks to Sumdaze for explaining it all.
The most interesting thing to me about this puzzle was the two “Z” answers; Zeta and *Zahn. Other than that, it was the usual Monday walk in the park. FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteYay, this one was smooth as a well-boiled icicle. Zip, zip, done. ETERNAL OPTIMIST evoked images of cockeyed optimist Mitzi Gaynor in South Pacific. Interesting factoid about Soda Springs. Great start to the week, Bruce and Sumdaze. (I remember that Asimov story from my ute -- I was a big sci-fi fan.)
PERSONAL question: Sumdaze linked Douglas Rain as the voice of the HAL-9000 computer in 2001, A Space Odyssey. Rain was a well-known Shakespearean actor from Canada. He passed away at 90 in 2018.
The puzzle was Monday-easy, for sure. But the fill? IBID LBOS ZAHN, CST crossing ELCAP, KSU crossing NUNN (luckily the crossing is the U that I always expect in "sch." acronyms), ALTOONA crossing ODOUL... come on.
ReplyDeleteForgot to mention that in '68 I got to see 2001, A Space Odyssey in a brand-new 70mm theater on Guam. The theater had a great sound system, and sounds of action on the left came from the left, sounds of action on the right came from the right -- newfangled in those days. The voice of HAL came from everywhere -- front, back, to the sides, and above. Impressive. There weren't a lot of 70mm movies. In addition to 2001, I only remember one other movie, Ice Station Zebra, during the 18 months I was on the island.
ReplyDeleteTook 3:47 for me to finish this Monday puzzle, and I'm not being rhetorical....
ReplyDeleteThis seemed to be a weird mix of super-easy clues with some proper names (Zeta, Zahn, Altoona, Odoul, Lena, etc.) & abbreviations (CST, ibid, KSU, LBOs).
Without being "political," thoughts and prayers to Jimmy Carter on this Presidents' Day.
Enjoyed this outing with Bruce and the creative blog by SD.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't want to wade through the TOME - the author of "Salt,Fat, Acid, Heat" has an enjoyable mini-series on Netflix by the same name.
I tried cockeyed OPTIMIST before changing to ETERNAL.
Have a good Monday - living in a state capital the minor federal holidays are usually very busy at work, as the state workers are off and want to come in without having to take off of work!
DO - The first 70 mm flick I saw was To Fly at the brand spankin' new National Air and Space Museum's IMAX theater. It was 1976, and the opening of the museum was a great exclamation point to our bicentennial. The following year 70mm film and Dolby sound provided an incredible audience experience for Star Wars. I had just moved to LA, and stood in line with the other nerds for what seemed like forever to get tickets for the show. It was worth the wait.
ReplyDeleteI can always tell that a puzzle is fairly easy when I solve in a fast time, then in the expo see words that I didn’t even see in the grid cuz they were ESPs, and today was like that. Thank you Bruce for the nice start to the week, and to Patti for assuring a very solvable puzzle for all to enjoy. This was the second time in the last few weeks that LANE was clued with a bowling reference on a Monday, coincidence? I think not, and we all appreciate it I’m sure.
ReplyDeleteSumdaze ~~ another enlightening illustrative review which has been the norm since you took the reins on Monday’s, very much appreciate your efforts! Not being a cat person I didn’t get the cartoon...lol. I also saw yesterday that you stated that you drive a vehicle with a standard transmission, was wondering what make it is as the manuals have become increasingly rare?
I’m probably not the only one in here who bought the Led Zeppelin II album back in the day, interesting fact about the band is that they lifted a lot of their songs from other artists without originally giving credit, ”Whole LOTTA Love” being one of them. Now the song is co credited with writer Willie Dixon (and was originally sung by Muddy Waters).
And in keeping with today’s theme - What if there were no hypothetical questions?
FIR, finally a Monday CW on a Monday! Only slip for me was to throw down IPO I stead of LBO, but quite quickly saw the error of my haste.
ReplyDeleteDue to a silly spelling slip up, my puzzle fill has a FLAW. More time and coffee might have caught it, but it doesn't spoil the enjoyment I had doing the puzzle and understanding the theme. Thanks, Bruce!
ReplyDeleteSumdaze, your review was interesting as usual, full of information and fun. Thanks! All QUESTIONs have been answered and your ANTICs noticed.
D-Otto @ 5:45 AM, did you think up "smooth as a well-boiled icicle" all by yourself?
On to the rest of the day. Enjoy!
Inkovers:ICE caps/FLOE; T not m on OPTIMIST/TONER
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of RUBY I think of Dion
O'DOULs is the Coca-Cola of N/A Beers. Give me Genesee (cheapest is best in that genre)
TUNA with a little mayo is ok, the reverse, not ok
Just one true Natick (WAYNE/LENA) and Monday easy solve
WC
Very easy. I needed a perp or two for prompts, but there were no unknowns for me. I didn't suss the theme.
ReplyDeleteO'Doul's needs the S as a part of the name. I would not ask for an O'Doul. It sounds off. Because of Alan's meds he drinks O'Doul's.
We had a yellow Cutlass convertible in 1967, the most beautiful car we ever had, but it had tons of mechanical problems. We traded it in after a year or two.
Wayne is so funny. I like "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"
Why is a saxophone called a woodwind? Though the saxophone is made of metal, it generates sound with a single reed, and so it is classified as a woodwind rather than as a brass instrument.
A spore is not a seed. Fifth grade science. Wikipedia, "The main difference between spores and seeds as dispersal units is that spores are unicellular, the first cell of a gametophyte, while seeds contain within them a developing embryo." Sciencing.com agrees.
Musings
ReplyDelete-Grid-spanning fills and reveal made for a fun Monday
-There’s another furniture store that sells food?
-Some organizations have incorrectly called Florida elections before they realized that the extreme panhandle is on CST
-Our bird feeders handle a lot of sunflower chips from somewhere!
-We baby boomers were big into SLO-pitch softball. Then we got older/smarter.
-Dr. Theodore Maiman invented the LASER when he made a RUBY crystal emit coherent light
-The ODDS ARE pretty small that we would have two names starting with Z abut each other
-I hope to gently use the treadmill today at surgery +5 days
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteIt’s been a while since we’ve had a Bruce concoction and this offering reminds me of how much I’ve enjoyed his work, whether it be solo or with the much missed Gail. It’s a rare Monday puzzle that is friendly to a newbie, yet offers some challenge to a more experienced solver, all while presenting a clever, well-hidden theme, four grid spanners, minimal pop culture, a clean grid with no junk, and very few three letter words. Bruce checked all those boxes today, no question about it. No w/os and no unknowns led to a quick, easy, and enjoyable solve.
Thanks, Bruce, for always pleasing and never disappointing and thanks, sumdaze, for the informative and factual, not to mention entertaining, review and commentary, plus the visuals and links and, best of all, the nod to our dear Boomer. Loved the Madagascar clip, all of the cartoons, especially the one for Sits but, like YooperPhil, I don’t get the Cat with the raised paw. Chuckled at your asides of Granite Counter Top, Hub/Caps, and Eye-da-Ho.
Last night was the season finale of All Creatures Great and Small. I hope there will be a continuation of this heart-warming story, with its wonderful cast of characters who range from sinner to saint, figuratively, of course, with Tricki Woo, the pampered, Pekingese holding court!
Have a great day.
ooper, cats assume that paw-in-the-air position while taking a bath. My MIL referred to it as "playing the cello."
ReplyDeleteAtlGranny, nope. Wish I could take credit for it, but it's a well-known Spoonerism.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bruce Venzke, and thank you, Sumdaze.
My leading question... :-)
"If you enjoyed today's puzzle review, would you recommend this blogspot to your friends?"
Splendid summary, Sumdaze !
Wilbur Charles, I did not know anyone named Dion Ruby, so I googled before playing your video. D'OH !
Good Morning! Thanks, Bruce, for a breezy Monday puzzle. Good way to start the week - no WOs!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, sumdaze, your recaps are so fun and informative. I remember Mel Tillis on the Tonight Show. What a great guest. Funny, funny SENSE of humor! Thanks for the memory.
Curiously, in the same vein as Ruby, just last night I watched Dolly Parton sing Jolene on YouTube.
HG, your comment about CST in FL begged the question - Why? So, I found out that the Dept of Transportation is charged with time zone lines, and they can actually be fluid. Changes have been made as recently as 2010. FL is one of 13 states that span two time zones. I love the tracks post comments can lead!
What a lovely CW. Not just smooth sailing Monday, but satisfying and fun.
ReplyDeleteI bet ERMA Bombeck didn’t know how long her fame would last thanks to CW puzzles.
Sumdaze provided us with amusing little jokes. I’m not a cat owner now but I got the cute cat joke.
I just read that even though today is called Presidents’ Day, officially it’s still called Washington’s day.
No Tada!?!?
ReplyDelete(On a Monday?)
I had to turn on the red letters to find I put oat"s" instead of oaty. (Spell check doesn't like it either) and could not see wa"y"ne from wasne as Let's make a Deal turns me off. (Love him in whos line though.) how anyone can dress up and act like an idiot to win free stuff is beyond me.
(Now, if it was for free beer, I might be interested...)
I did get sidetracked looking at snob/LBOs, but none of the alternatives had any appeal. (SNO-blank-appeal? No thanks, where's that red letter reveal button?)
O'douls, the only beer I have tasted that I think tastes worse than Molsen. In fact I don't even like lite beer, (except maybe Corona) so much so that I got mad when I discovered (must have been kids) had left an entire 30 pack of lite beer at Tom Jones Shelter. a little background:
This camping shelter is in Harriman State Park, on top of Tom Jones Mountain. (The highwayman, not the singer...) the shortest way up from the road parking is a 500 foot climb at an angle that exceeds 45 degrees for 90% of the climb. The long way does the 500 foot climb via the back , a two mile hike. But to be honest, on that hot day, after a long climb, I must say that was the only lite beer I ever really enjoyed...
(Cont...)
Thank you for the Last Question PDF, I will save it for a read on the beach, wifi permitting.
ReplyDeleteLeading questions led me to:
how the Beatles responded...
Ringo's response to are you a Mod, or a Rocker question is my favorite.
Finally,
I have posted this before,
But if you have ever tried to make bread in the woods, camping without an oven, here is the best solution. (Besides pizza! Making pizza while camping requires a longer link session.)
Food Wishes Pita Bread! can be made in a frying pan anywhere. The hardest part in the woods is bringing a flat surface to roll them out on. Note: the 5 minute rest after rolling is critical. I can honestly say that this recipe came out better than any store bought, or restaurant Pita I have ever tasted. Being fresh is wonderful, but these pitas tasted great even days later!
Oh,
ReplyDeleteI forgot to say why finding a 30 pack of lite beer in the woods, on a 500 foot mountain, made me so mad...
Stupid kids!
They could have dragged up "real beer!"
I mean, it costs and weighs the same...
Delightful Monday puzzle, many thanks, Bruce. And your commentary is always a great treat, Sumdaze, thanks for that too.
ReplyDeleteA LOTTA good spirit in this puzzle, offered by an ETERNAL OPTIMIST who believes that the ODDS ARE GOOD and that the A TEAM is going to win today, and so will the guys playing POLO. Not much food today except for that bit of TUNA with a good TASTE, but there was a bit of music with that OBOE playing and that DUET singing "I'M HIP." So have a good day, everybody, maybe with a visit to the zoo to see that LION and those PIGS. It'll make you feel at EASE.
Have a good week coming up, everybody.
TGIM! Thanks Bruce for helping me reboot my streak, which now stands at ONE. So, as SG would say, "I'm happy".
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you sumdaze for another informative, funny review. Loved the lecture on cat cleansing, but I was a little disappointed that you didn't have any pics of you playing POLO. 🐴
Some favs:
17A GOOD FAITH EFFORT. It's always worth it.
27A ETERNAL OPTIMIST. I could on and on about this ... [yeah we know].
47A PERSONAL SHOPPER. TMI.
Thanks for the PDF sumdaze. I recall reading that story (from "Nine Tomorrows"?) years ago and even remember the ANSWER. I just don't recall the QUESTION. Now I'll rediscover it.
Cheers,
Bill
I am happy Bruce's puzzle was well received this week. Whew!
ReplyDeleteCat comic. Yes, I call it "playing the cello", too. The joke is how self-absorbed cats can be.
YP@8:08. She is a 2005 RAV4. I bought her new and she's now up to 112,440 miles & doing great -- although I did have to replace the clutch last year. DH sold his car in 2011 and we've shared mine since then. The (relatively) low mileage tells you she mostly relaxes in the garage. I prefer to go by bike. I think Picard said they are a one-car family, too.
WC@8:23. I liked your RUBY clip!
RosE@1022. Agreed. "Jolene" is a good one, with several good covers, too.
CED@11:23. John's answer, "Turn left at Greenland". LOL!
HG: Wasn't the issue not that they called the Florida election incorrectly, but that by calling the Presidential election early, many people in the panhandle decided not to go to the polls? The TV networks had essentially turned it into a midterm election, IIRC. I remember when it happened, but I'm a little fuzzy on the details. And my lack of Google expertise isn't helping to jog my memory.
ReplyDeleteMarvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Bruce and sumdaze.
ReplyDeleteI finished in good time and saw the theme, but thought I had FIWed.
This Canadian had a Natick cross at ALTOONA and ODOUL - I opted for an I instead of the first O.
But I did get the cat question!
“Mouthed off” immediately prompted me to enter Sassed, but I had squares left over. SPOUTED is not nearly as good a match for the clue IMHO.
“Welcomed at the door” prompted me to enter Ushered! But perps forced me to ASKED IN. That is much closer to the clue since ushering may include welcoming, but also includes seating.
I’M HIP, DEEP (as clued) and HON. (Honestly, I was expecting it to be Bae!)
Wishing you Americans a Happy Presidents Day (and thoughts and prayers for your oldest living former President).
We have Family Day holiday here in Ontario.
Mr. Venzke takes us on a questioning tour this Presidential holiday.
ReplyDeleteOn the plus side, he gives us several diagonals (See "DR," below).
As an academic, I am embarrassed to report my only write-over today was at 14A. I misspelled IBID, the abbreviation for IBIDEM, as IBED!
Tsk & For shame!
But I enjoyed this Monday XWD very much, just tough enough to ease me back into the week.
~ OMK
_____________
DR: 4 diagonals, 3 on the near side, 1 in opp.
The central diag (near) offers an anagram (14 of 15) in tribute to the necessary pastime of many unemployed & unhoused gentlemen in 1930s America,
or, alternatively,
a rage among some of the beat generation in the late '50s and '60s.
I speak, of course, of...
"POPULAR HOBOISM"!
Puzzling thoughts:
ReplyDeleteFIR with no hiccups
Thanks Bruce for the entertaining puzzle, and thanks sumdaze for the excellent recap. I honestly did not get the theme/entry connection until reading the blog today
Hoping that the creative side of my brain gets engaged here, soon ... I am about to embark on writing the blog for this Friday ...
Question:
ReplyDeleteCan someone remind us of what the PERSONAL QUESTION was?
It was fun hearing the clip of HAL, the A.I. computer, asking Dave if he minded getting one, but what was that question?!
~ OMK
OK, I did the research.
ReplyDeleteHAL is asking about the reason for the secrecy surrounding the purpose of the spacecraft's mission. HAL has gleaned it may have something to do with the monolith dug up from the moon--and would like to know more.
~ OMK
sumdaze Thank you for the shout out. Yes, we get by fine with my Corolla wagon that I bought new in December 1995. 27 years old and looks like new. Because locally we get around mostly on foot, bus and bicycle.
ReplyDeleteI am mystified by a culture where people pay money to drive everywhere. Then pay more money to go to a gym to get exercise because they have been driving everywhere.
And thank you for your entertaining and educational writeups. Learning moment about cats and cellos.
Here we posed with a POLO player on HORSEBACK.
POLO is a sport for the wealthy, so they don't get paid at all. Our local POLO games cost just $10, or $20 to be under the canopy. Cheapest sports entertainment in town!
I very much liked this puzzle and sumdaze's write-up. Enjoyed reading all of your comments, too.
ReplyDeletePicard, many parents drove my preteen students to paid exercise classes because they didn't want the kids to have to walk three or four very short blocks to get there in a safe suburban upper middle class neighborhood with sidewalks.
ReplyDeleteI almost always eschew the elevator here and walk the stairs four or more times a day. And I do not try to consolidate trips downstairs.
Woo-hoo! A neat Monday puzzle, with Asimov for dessert.
ReplyDeleteThank you Waseeley,
ReplyDeleteI knew I had read The Last Question before, and nine tomorrows rings a bell as one of his short story anthologies.
I just finished (re) reading it, and enjoyed it so much, that I must now go back and reread others.
One benefit of having a bad memory is reading the same book twice and enjoying it as much as the first time...
One story that sticks out in my mind that I would like to read again is "The Ledge," by Stephen King, found in his short story anthology "Nightshift." While all the other stories are pure horror, The Ledge is not... it is pure suspense from beginning to end. And even though I have read it several times before, I know enough time has passed that I could enjoy reading it again...
ReplyDeleteEasy Monday... hmmm ...but what is the theme? GOOD QUESTION and a bit too PERSONAL but an ETERNAL... Guess I'll have to await the reveal...😉...
Always wondered if IKEA favors a herring bone furniture fabric pattern.
First time I heard "trippy" was just last year, from Zak Efron on his docu; "Down to Earth" Everyone knows "Marco POLO" is played in a swimming pool not on "horseback" 🤽♀️...sheesh.
At least the answer to the clue "Luv" wasn't BAE...🙄
A STARKIST fishnet devoid of "by catch".... ALTOONA
Frequent CW rapper L'il....NAHS
Joan, who Noah named his boat after...(see 24 across)...ARC
Ebb...WAYNE
What his "luv" called Attila....HON
Our 14 yo granddaughter spending part of the school vacation week with us... Went to the Strasenburgh Planetarium, at noon, in Rochester, where I promptly fell asleep in the comfy chairs, dark venue and celestial music.
Tomorrow off to Niagara Falls.
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteWhat was the Question? Oh, right - Bruce offered a perfectly fun Monday puzzle. Thank Bruce.
What a great expo, sumdaze. Entertaining and informative.
WOs: INFLAtE, OATs
ESPs: ZAHN, LENA
Fav: LANE? Is it me, or do we always get bowling on a Monday? Fitting.
Cute DR, OMK.
I read Final Question in HS - Azimov sticks with you. Upon re-reading it today... "own personal MicroVac" == iPhone :-)
"There is a non-zero chance," is management speak for I'm not going to make a decision if it involves any risk (to my career).
Clausthaler Dry Hopped is the best N/A beer I've found.
Enjoyed reading y'all!
Cheers, -T
It wasn't until Anonymous-T posted, that I realized what should have been posted, by its glaring omission!
ReplyDeleteThe Ultimate Question!
long version...
42 is only the beginning,
You need to know the ultimate question...
It will only take, 71/2 million years, plus another 10 million....
(Oh, forget it...)
I am mystified by a culture where more people don't listen to Metallica.
ReplyDeleteJames @6:10 PM As I am mystified by a culture where more people don't listen to Mozart 🎶🎶🎶
Delete