google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday April 24, 2023 Brian Callahan

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Apr 24, 2023

Monday April 24, 2023 Brian Callahan

  

Hello Cornerites!
Today's title is a tribute to the Little Old Ladies of the Corner. We love reading your insights, comments, and stories!

Our constructor is Chicagoan Brian Callahan. We met him earlier this year when he collaborated with Katie Hale on this puzzle. Congratulations on your first L.A. Times solo grid, Brian!!

Brian has packed an impressive 5 lengthy themers plus a brief reveal into his puzzle.  Here they are:

17 Across. Palm crease read by fortunetellers: LINE OLIFE.

24 Across. Wash unit: LOAD OLAUNDRY.  

36 Across. Esports giant from Riot Games: LEAGUE OLEGENDS.  New to me. It was easy enough to guess for the puzzle but I had to look it up in order to explain it to you.
Esports is a term for competitive video gaming.
Riot Games, Inc. is an American video game developer, publisher and esports tournament organizer based in Los Angeles.
LEAGUE OF LEGENDS, commonly referred to as "LEAGUE", is a 2009 multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games.

46 Across. Illinois nickname: LAND OLINCOLN.  A CSO to Brian's home state. President Abraham Lincoln lived in Illinois for 31 years. 
I knew this one from their license plates.

57 Across. Letter ender similar to XOXO: LOTS OLOVE.  
The reveal is the very last Down clue:

60 Down. Response to a funny text, and a hint to this puzzle's five longest answers: LOL.

Across:
1. Desert plants on Arizona's state quarter: CACTI.  CSO to our Cornerite Arizonans!
6. "Succession" cable network: HBO.

9. Mr. Potato Head limbs: ARMS.  I think maybe the humor here is that he has feet but no legs???  
13. Feature of many a clock app: ALARM.

14. "Sunday Night Baseball" nickname: A-ROD.  Alex Rodriguez

16. Lye, to a chemist: NAOH.  Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH)

19. "__ Murders in the Building": Hulu series: ONLY.  
Season One teaser (2021)
20. Really angry: MAD.

21. Malty beer: ALE.  Anything "beer" with 3-letters, I guess ALE or IPA. Interestingly, the A in IPA stands for ALE. So is this one of those things where all IPAs are ALEs but not all ALEs are IPAs?

22. __ party: BRIDAL.
In 27 Dresses (2008), Katherine Heigl played a character who was in 27 BRIDAL parties.
In this scene, she shows James Marsden the dresses she wore. (2:39 min)

28. Backyard border: FENCE.  "Good FENCEs make good neighbors" is the theme of this Robert Frost poem.

29. "Gangsta Rap" rapper: ICE-T.

30. Gem: JEWEL.

31. Ring up: CALL.  

33. Persian Gulf fed. with seven members: UAE.  The 7 members of the United Arab Emirates are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al-Quwain, Fujairah, and Ras Al Khaimah.

40. Old Mac platform: OSX.  Operating System X

41. Superficially cultured: ARTY.  
This cartoon made me think of Friday's puzzle
and today's 2 Latin clues, 51A and 2D.
42. Wall-climbing vines: IVIES.  
predecessor to rooftop gardens???
43. Spanish "other": OTRA.  Spanish adjectives are challenging because we have to wait for perps to see if they will be masculine or feminine (like this one).

45. Hunter who shines at night?: ORION.  
Look for him November - February.

51. Latin for "as originally positioned": IN SITU.
Example sentence from the internet:  At Titan, the on-going Cassini mission has been providing a rich dataset of IN SITU measurements of the ionosphere.
Today's assignment: work this phrase into your next Starbuck's order and report back on the response.

52. Slangy turndown: NAH.  

53. Wager: BET.  Wanna BET Calvin's mom was not happy when she walked into the kitchen?

56. Frozen dessert brand: EDY'S.

61. Chap: GENT.

62. Type: SORT.  Oh...the noun!  
63. __ the Riveter: ROSIE.  
link to an article from The History Channel
64. PC bailout keys: ESCS.  
Keyboarding tip:  The Esc key can be faster when you are in a stack of nested dialog boxes where each Cancel button is in a different position. Instead of chasing the Cancel buttons around your screen with your mouse, just keep pressing Esc until all the dialog boxes are closed.

65. Spanish "today": HOY.  

66. Last name of the "Full House" twins: OLSEN.  
10 times twins shared an acting role
Mary-Kate and Ashley OLSEN

Down:
1. Relaxed: CALM.  

2. Et __: and others: ALIA.  (Latin) We usually see et al. This is from grammarly.com:
Et al. is an abbreviation for et alia (neuter plural). But it can also be an abbreviation for et alii (masculine plural), or et aliae (feminine plural). This phrase means “and others.” Most commonly, et al. indicates other contributors (authors, editors, etc.) in a bibliographic list. There should always be a period after et al. to show it is an abbreviation.

3. Drip from a menorah: CANDLE WAX.

4. Final album in the Green Day trilogy that includes "¡Uno!" and "¡Dos!": TR
É  
I got mixed up thinking about this U2 song:
Vertigo (2004)

5. "As I see it" shorthand: IMO.  IMOpinion, it is no surprise that AISI didn't catch on.

6. Winnie-the-Pooh greeting: HALLO.

7. Legal write-up: BRIEF.  
Tighty Whitie takes the stage.
8. Gasp of pain: OOF.
9. Appropriate rhyme for "appoint": ANOINT.

10. Dept. that tests new products: R AND D.  Research AND Development
In the pharmaceutical world, the average R AND D for a new drug is from $1 billion to more than $2 billion dollars.  source

11. Back tooth: MOLAR.

12. In a timid way: SHYLY.

15. Utter fiasco: DEBACLE.  (noun) a sudden and ignominious failure; a fiasco.
Example:  a zeppelin filled with hydrogen. #Hindenberg.

18. Grow dim: FADE.

23. Regret: RUE.  

25. Universal donor's type, briefly: O NEG.  
26. First Amendment advocacy gp.: ACLU. and 33 Down. Labor leader: UNION BOSS.

27. Activist Ledbetter for whom the 2009 Fair Pay Act is named: LILLY.  
Born April 14, 1938 in Jacksonville, AL, she was the plaintiff in the
2007 U.S. Supreme Court case Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
regarding employment discrimination.
28. Bank add-ons: FEES.

30. Half of Bennifer, familiarly: J.LO.  
Jennifer Lopez married Ben Affleck last year. In 2003 they starred together in Friday's puzzle's 52 Down movie, Gigli.
Ben + Jennifer = Bennifer.
Coincidentally, she started dating 14 Across A-ROD in 2017, became engaged to him in 2019, and ended the relationship in 2021.
Meh.

31. Reef makeup: CORAL.  OTOH, I am much more interested in this answer.
an underwater video of a coral reef
amazing ... beautiful ... CALMing

32. Away from the bow, on a boat: AFT.  as in AFTer the front

34. Yemen coastal city: ADEN.  ADEN is found in the Old Testament's Book of Ezekiel. source
35. Snaky letter: ESS.  

37. Lengthy rebukes: EARFULS.  (noun) [informal] A prolonged amount of talking, typically an angry reprimand.

38. Big name in bike and snow helmets: GIRO.  I just checked. Mine are GIROs.
At first the company only made bike helmets so the name referred to a circuit or tour, as in a cycling competition.
Bike (left) & Snowboarding (right)
I wear them to protect my grape!
39.  Really, really bad:  EVIL and 50 Down. Really, really bad: NASTY.

43. Laudatory poets:  ODISTS.

44. Tyke:  TOT.

45. Nueve menos uno: OCHO.  9-1 = 8

46. Feudal lord: LIEGE.  When I looked this up, I kept finding pictures of LIEGE waffles. recipe

47. South American mountain range: ANDES.  
3 Fun Facts:
  • The summit of Mount Chimborazo in the Andes is the planet's tallest point when measured from the Earth's center.
  • The Andes are the longest mountain chain in the world.
  • Potatoes and tomatoes originated in the Andes.  (Gotta love them for that!!)

48. Justin Timberlake's former band: NSYNC.  1995's BTS

49. Many a 101 course: INTRO.  true clue!

54. 1960s pop singer Sands: EVIE.  Born 1946 in Brooklyn, NY. She was the first artist to record the classic song Angel Of The Morning, but her version was overshadowed by Merrilee Rush's when legal problems rendered Evie's single out of print.
Juice Newton's 1981 cover of Angel Of The Morning

55. Many a character in YA fiction: TEEN.  YA is Young Adult. These are books written for readers between the ages of 12 and 18.  Need to buy a present for a YA? Check out this list:  
Time Magazine's 100 Best YA Books of All Time

58. "__ la la!": OOH.

59. Move to and __: FRO.

And that is the Last Of the List!
Here's the grid:

FWIW, I count 18 +1 L's and 21 O's. That's 21% of the white squares. So about 1 in 5 of the letters is either an L or an O.

That's all for today. Have a great week!

40 comments:

  1. CSO today to my youngest grandson, Zaben ORION Laurion.

    ORION the Hunter, hunting for b'ar,
    Made a wrong turn, ended up very far!
    At his guest house,
    You can order a belt,
    But it's not very good, it's only three star!

    The MAD scientist hosted a DEBACLE!
    His R AND D produced something awful!
    Not an EVIL robot,
    But a plushie rabbit
    With eyes like crystalline JEWELS a-sparkle!

    {B+, A-.}

    ReplyDelete
  2. This puzzle seemed somewhat more difficult than the usual Monday puzzle, with all its Spanish and Latin terms and in particular the clue “Esports giant from Riot Games.” I had no clue what that meant until Sumdaze explained it. But it did have one standard Monday feature: the perps were obvious and helpful. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy .

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good morning!

    Thought "Esports" were like "exports" -- should've remembered the development here called "The Estates" which I always refer to as "The E-States." (They just sold their demo home, so I guess they're finished.) Four-letter helmet company? Gotta be BELL, right? Wrong. Was I showing my age there? Thanx for the solo debut, Brian, and for the elucidation, Sumdaze.

    ReplyDelete
  4. My thoughts exactly Subgenius.

    ReplyDelete
  5. A little crunch to this Monday, but the LOL theme made it zip along. Needed a few perps before I could fill LEAGUE OF LEGENDS. My one son likes to watch E Sports online- like other people like to watch football or soccer.

    IN SITU on a biopsy report is a good thing if you have a cancer diagnosis. It means the malignant cells are still staying within the boundaries and playing by the rules of the organ they are in, and so they are usually easier to treat and cure. In cancer staging they are called Stage 0 (zero) whether e.g. melanoma IN SITU , DCIS for breast cancer (ductal carcinoma IN SITU.)

    Thanks SD for the blog and Brian for the puzzle!

    ReplyDelete
  6. FIR, but erased jen for JLO. And I'm usually SOOOO up-to-date on all that "who's who (and who's doing who) in show biz" stuff.

    My granddaughter's husband is an egame pro. Employed by one of the big egame companies (don't remember which one), he goes to conventions and tournaments all over the world representing the company.

    "Ring up" has so many meanings. CALL is probably the nearest to obsolete. You can ring up a sale of a YA novel at the cash register (er, POS), an umpire can ring up a hitter with a called strike three, or a Corner blogger can ring up another fine review.

    Notice that legal BRIEFs are never BRIEF?

    Thanks to Sumdaze for the fun write up, even though my remote data supply won't display a lot of your images.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Took 4:30 today to Live Or Let die.

    I didn't know the esports game either, nor Evie, nor Pooh's greeting (hallo?).

    I briefly wanted to put saguaro before cacti, before I ran out of spaces.
    Did I ever tell you about my friend D-O, and what he says about putting something wrong in 1A...?

    I love the show "Succession."

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is considerably more difficult than most Mondays, with too many proper names for my liking. It always depends on your definition of “proper name” but by my reckoning there are 18! The theme is good, and fun, though, and relatively easy to suss, so the CW is still fun, thanx BC, and congrats and your first LA Times solo. Dopey me made a mess by trying to enter LOADSOFLAUNDRY instead of LOADOFLAUNDRY, running out of cells, re-reading the clue, and having a big old W/O mess. My carelessness. Oy. Terrific write-up, Sumdaze, thanx for all the time and effort you obviously put into it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Brian and sumdaze.
    I FIRed in good time, and saw the LOL theme.
    I wanted Land of Lakes for 46A. This Canadian mixed up the Minnesota butter with the Illinois slogan.

    Lucina had the advantage today with all the Spanish words. But perps were helpful.
    Some Canadian disadvantage with LILLY.
    Hand up for Jen before JLO.

    I noted EVIL and EVIE, NAH and NAOH.
    Like inanehiker, I thought of the medical term “in SITU”. I have spent the last month supporting an elderly extended family member whose melanoma was not in situ.

    Yes, I’m back after a whirlwind month that included two Celebrations of Life, 3200 kms. (nearly 2000 miles) of travel, (yes, I said HALLO to Pooh in his home town), plus a bout of Covid (not too serious thankfully).

    Happy to be here today. Carpet diem!
    Wishing you all a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Musings
    - A lovely walk in the park where themers made for an easy solve
    -I have not used an ALARM for decades
    -I could see ORION in the morning sky when I had to get up early for detasseling.
    -ACLU – Some now request “trigger warnings” to be protected from hearing ideas with which they disagree.
    -The EVIL that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones
    -Nice job, Renee, and welcome back, CanadianEh!

    ReplyDelete
  11. JLO crossing with OSX was impossible to figure out.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I am having trouble reading the comments, because my mind keeps wandering to last nights comments about pets. Are they more trouble than they are worth...

    I am not sure why this is troubling me so.

    Perhaps it is because I never had a pet (except one I adopted) that didn't come to me, wanting to be friends. And I have had many pets. Every one of them had the choice to stay or go, as I firmly believe that if you set it free, and it doesn't return, it did not belong to you anyway. (I lived in wide open suburbia, i'm not talking apartment cats here...)

    Many were birds, or bunnies, or fawns, and they were wild and free, and I enjoyed my time with them while it lasted. Many were domesticated, (by me) and they spent their entire lives with me, not so much as pets, but as friends. Yes, losing them can break your heart. But it only hurts so much because they made your heart bigger by their presence.

    I am not saying saying go out an adopt an animal. The animal must adopt you....
    And if they do, and become friends with you, are your friends too much trouble?

    Food for Thought...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm waiting for the answer to your food for thought, CED....

      Delete
  13. Third FIR since Friday's one square DEBACLE. A nice debut puzzle from Brian to start the week! LOL! Saw the theme with the first themer and it was helpful. Growing up in Illinois, I am familiar with LAND OF LINCOLN. I admit to a few missteps (BRIDge/BRIDAL and xmEN/TEEN) but found the perps helped to fill my unknowns. Spanish knowledge definitely helped with clues today!

    FLN, I solved yesterday's puzzle with difficulty and with return visits during the day but finally tumbled onto my error of tIN/BIN. LITTLE BURDEN was my last fill, trusting WISE KRAKEN only because of perps. Thanks, C.C. I echo comments others said about pets and going slow for now.

    Sumdaze, you entertained us as usual, reviewing today's offering. Thanks for explaining OSX and finding all the cartoons, etc. This Little Old Lady appreciates you!

    Sorry to hear of your bout of Covid, C E. Stay well, everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  14. FIR, but found it a little crunchy for a Monday puzzle.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Good Morning! Enjoyed the puzzle but seemed more for a little later in the week than Monday. Thanks, Brian! Can’t say it often, but FIR!! Today!
    Lots of missteps were averted by going in the right direction at the right time, eg. 58D, waited to put in “tra” until OOH appeared.
    Thanks, sumdaze, for another most enjoyable recap. I loved the Golden in the laundry basket. Do any of you follow Charlie the Golden on FB? Alicia has 2 Goldens, 2 Newfies, and now a new adorable Golden puppy, Oliver. The antics and dialogue are hilarious!
    When I first started texting, I thought LOL stood for Lots of Love, so I’m right in tune with the theme.
    I can never remember if it’s OLSoN or OLSEN. It’s a vowel thing with me, sometimes they’re so fluid…

    ReplyDelete
  16. I got the theme very quickly also, therefore was able to traipse through this puzzle comfortably and had no problem guessing at what I didn’t know like NAOH. RosE I too used to think LOL meant LOTS OF LOVE.

    Sumdaze’s explanation of Esports was welcome. I had no idea what it referred to, yet I correctly guessed the answer.

    Welcome back C-Eh? ATLGranny, I too am waiting for the answer to Food for thought.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wasn’t sure it was Monday, had to turn on the red letters to get it done.
    I’ll take a CSO to “Land of Lincoln” as I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois ( remember there is no noise in Illinois).
    Also, I’ll take one for CACTI, as I currently live in Arizona. We had a wet winter and the desert is in full bloom, wish I could post some pictures…is awesome! Off to Zumba.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hola!

    Yes. This puzzle suited me starting with CACTI and ending with HOY. WE even had to add in Spanish. BTW, all the CACTI I've seen are in bloom. It's a beautiful sight!

    I have to laugh at LOAD OF LAUNDRY. It awaits me after I return from volunteering today.

    Canadian Eh! Maybe you'll share some of your adventures with us. Welcome back!

    In high school I studied both Latin and Spanish simultaneously. One helped the other.

    Ugh. I had JEN instead of JLO so that's a DNF

    Have a memorable Monday, everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  19. More of a workout, still too many obscure names, but a nice start to the week. Also from Illinois, I thought that we had changed the motto to "GO DIRECTLY TO JAIL. DO NOT PASS GO" (Illinois pol retirement home). Wouldn't fit, though. Thanks for the Cavin & Hobbs, Sumdaze! A comic strip I really enjoyed. FIR with perps and WAGs.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Carpet diem indeed. Gotta love autocorrect!

    Lucina- they were very sad adventures, and best left to the memory.

    ReplyDelete
  21. ATLGranny, Tante Nique,

    Well,
    It was supposed to be food for YOUR thoughts,,,
    But if you need help to get started, how bout'

    Baby food, kitchen cleaner, and prophylactics...



    ReplyDelete
  22. A challenging but fun Monday puzzle. Thank you Brian. Loved the lab in the laundry and I am always pleased to see Rosie the Riveter from WW11, symbol of the women who went to work to support the war effort but received little recognition. Thanks Sumdaze.

    CrossEyedDave @9:47 - As an animal lover, what you have written is the sweetest, most heartfelt thing I have ever read on this blob.

    Happy day, all!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Parsan@10:57. I’m so glad you brought up CED@9:47 ‘s description of his experience with animals. I agree, that was wonderful.

    By coincidence I just started reading Animal Wise: The Thoughts and Emotions of our Fellow Creatures by Virginia Morell.

    ReplyDelete
  24. From Yesterday and Today:

    Lucina Thank you for the kind words about my KITE Festival video. Glad that you have happy KITE memories in Hawaii. This was right above the ocean, but it was an exceptionally calm day with no UPDRAFTS.

    PK, sumdaze, anons, Michael, Cross Eyed Dave Thank you for your thoughtful comments about pet ADOPTION.

    Even questioning this is more taboo than discussing religion or politics, so I appreciate the thoughtful comments.

    Michael You asked if pets have a larger environmental impact than humans. That is similar to asking if cars have a bigger impact than humans. Pets and cars both exist because of humans, so their impacts are human impacts. One Australian study claimed that a medium-sized dog has the same impact as two SUVs.

    Here is my recent article "What is an Animal Lover?"

    We each do things that make a negative impact. Having a carnivorous pet can be of great value to some people and they are willing to make that tradeoff. But we can make better decisions if we realize those impacts. I keep treefrogs and they eat insects.

    Thank you all again for keeping it civil and thoughtful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Picard, I found your article "What Is an Animal Lover?" thought provoking. Thanks for linking it.

      Delete
  25. I don't TEXT, but LOL is a frequent puzzle visitor. Pleasant Monday theme. Learning moment about BRIDAL PARTY.

    I wore my BIKE HELMET Saturday as I rode my tall unicycle for the first time in three years!

    This was at our Isla Vista Juggling Festival at UC Santa Barbara. It is not a GIRO. But I keep a second bike downtown at the bus station and I think that BIKE has a GIRO HELMET.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Good Morning:

    Yes, this had more crunch than the usual Monday but, as SG said, the perps were fair and with such an obvious theme and reveal, I believe a newbie would do well and enjoy this solve. The themers were all solid, in-the-language phrases but League of Legends was new to me, as were Giro and Evie. I could do without ARod in the grid, but two L Lilly is close enough to the one L Darling Lily to bring a smile.

    Thanks, Brian, and congrats on your solo debut and thanks, sumdaze, for the delightfully entertaining review. The “Brief” speaker brought a chuckle and the ivied covered building is similar to several college campus buildings in Troy.

    CanadianEh, nice to see you back and I’m glad you’re feeling better.

    FLN

    OMK, based on your experiment, my guess was incorrect. The mystery remains, it seems.

    Michael, my thoughts exactly.

    Has anyone watched The Diplomat on Netflix? I liked it very much, but I would have enjoyed it a lot more with a whole lot less crude and offensive language. I just can’t accept that educated, civilized people speak that way under normal, every day circumstances.

    Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Fun Monday puzzle, many thanks, Brian. And your pictures were a delight, Sumdaze, thanks for those too.

    This puzzle had both joyful and worrisome items in it, with the happy ones starting off with that BRIDAL party. Did ROSIE get them to serve ALE to her GENT and the other guests, and did she get a JEWEL as a gift. I bet she got LOTS OF LOVE on that day. Afterwards things will get a little tougher, when she has to wake up to an ALARM every morning and has LOADS OF LAUNDRY to do. But hopefully the marriage won't be a DEBACLE and she'll still have a happy LINE OF LIFE with her new husband.

    Have a good week coming up, everybody.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I enjoyed reading all of your interesting comments this morning!!

    D-Otto@5:42. "Bell" was my first thought, too Yes, they still make bike helmets. I have a couple of those, too. GIRO are generally considered more high-end but I have seen teams wear Bell helmets on Le Tour. #sponsorship$$$

    Inanehiker@6:58. Thank you for sharing your knowledge of IN SITU.

    CanadianEh! I'm glad we'll be hearing more from you again!

    CED@9:47. "But it only hurts so much because they made your heart bigger by their presence." My dog is 10 and considered "senior" for her breed. I hear ya. I am currently reading Dave Barry's "Lessons from Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog". Good stuff.

    Picard@11:21. I don't know how you ride that unicycle! In the pictures you've posted, you always look like you are having fun on it. Good for you!

    Misty@11:54. "Wake up to an ALARM every morning and has LOADS OF LAUNDRY to do. LOL!!

    ReplyDelete
  29. sumdaze brings us a Callahan PZL.

    I had a tough time for a Monday PZL because the only Ledbetter I know is the great "Huddie" Ledbetter, aka "Leadbelly," the famous folk singer/guitarist.
    I finally worked 27D (and learned) the name of LILLY Ledbetter, but only after giving up on CASH for CALL at 31A.
    ~ OMK
    ____________
    DR:
    : Three diagonals on the far end.
    The center line gives us a JACKPOT anagram (a full 15 of 15!) that describes the wrong way to control a horse.
    This is when a panicking rider makes the mistake of transferring his fears to his mount's bit.
    He may lose SELF-control and ...

    "REIN FEROCIOUSLY"!

    ReplyDelete
  30. The puzzle was a fun challenge, Brian! Enjoy your expos, Sumdaze.

    CED: many of our pets found us as I recently told about our beloved dachshund. Probably no one on this blog has given a home or communed with more animals (both domesticated & wild) than I did on the farm. I loved them and dealt with their problems as they occurred. And I had my heart broken with some regularity. But I stand firm on my advice to C.C. If she isn't used to a pet, she may not enjoy one at this stressful time in her life. Unless you have lost your mate, you cannot understand the devastation that can bring.

    ReplyDelete
  31. CanadianEh
    I'm so sorry if my post caused you sorrow. Please forgive me.

    During the time that my daughter was growing up we had a variety of pets: a goldfish, a snake, two dogs and a cat. One of the dogs was actually my pet, a papillon, that lived for 17 years. Prior to that before my daughter was born I had another papillon that died giving birth. She had mated with a very large neighbor's dog and she being very small could not deliver her puppies. It was too sad.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Irish Miss ~
    I wasn't sure you'd see my post (FLNx2) yesterday, but obviously you did.
    Yes, that seems to prove your not-unreasonable suggestion was wrong.
    It leaves us back where we were, still baffled by the Bot's "logic" for exercising its CENSORing proclivity.

    I have noted of late an increase in essays and postings warning us that we humans may one day be at the mercy of these A.I. masterminds.
    Hmm. one day?
    How about already?!
    ~ OMK

    ReplyDelete
  33. Yes, a bit crunchier than most Monday puzzles.

    It was nice to see Calvin and Hobbes in the recap, Sumdaze. Thanks for that and for the rest of today's fun.

    ReplyDelete
  34. I liked this puzzle and reading all your comments.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Here's a famous Wrigley ivy


    Esports are in fact a big deal. Phil's fav:Dota 2 sells out 60k venues with prize money over ten million. China is big


    Only male 65+ have dialup RING tones. I liked the guy who had two ring tones: "Liar , liar" and "Ain't that a Kick in the Head"
    The first for his gf, the second for his wife


    Yep, Sumdaze outdid himself on today's write-up


    I was thinking Fighting Illini


    Yes, the former method of graduated difficulty is gone. Yes, Friday is more difficult than Monday but that's it. Saturday of course is in a different realm


    WC

    ReplyDelete
  36. Hi All!

    Something must be wrong w/ my brain today. I FIR but blanks should have filled faster.
    WEES: Crunchy Monday.

    Thanks Brian for the puzzle. LOL was fun.

    Sumdaze - you never fail to impress. My (and my kids') helmet is also a GIRO and I need a new one after my last #fail.
    Giro's are solid and save your noggin.
    //wait, wah? You read Dave Barry too? - Lessons from Lucy was beautifully funny prose.

    WOs: Jen -> J-LO (Hi Jinx!), EAU -> UAE [I claim dyslexia]
    ESP: ICE-T (as clued)
    Fav: I know it's a themer but I grew-up in SPI - LAND OF LINCOLN. Rode my BMX though his posthumously named park and almost got my first kiss by the bridge there, I did -- I don't know what the Nuns were thinking: us having a toga party lunch there and pairing me with a my crush at the time. //#TMI?
    I've rode my bike through Lincoln's Tomb [rub the copper nose for good luck] and visited the presidential library more than once.
    Good Rail-Splitter him.
    And, yes, I'be been to New Salem many times.
    //thought I found a dead body in the dry pond. Pop came over and we both discovered it was a Batman pogo stick someone dumped.

    //More SPI Story? My uncle [trade UNION carpenter] got nick-named water-boy 'cuz he was told to cut though a wall at Lincoln's museum. He asked to see the blueprints but they insisted he cut now. There was a 2" water-pipe behind the wall and his Sawzall went right through it. 2' of water ensued! #LOL.

    {A+, B}

    @8:11 - your post can't slide w/o a link #Wings

    HG - I don't understand States (*cough* Texas out Floridaing Florida) trying to tell librarians what books kids can't read.

    Welcome back C, Eh! Yeah, two different states [see: above]
    Picard - Good on you getting back on one wheel! Thanks for the vid.

    CED: Sting | Pets. I grew up with dogs & cats but for the last 20 years, my pets are my kids. All I've had time for but I want a lab.
    I'm going to name it Texas. That way, every time the legislature does something stupid, I can yell "Bad Texas".
    //DW says that would be mean to do to a dog.

    Lucina - Blooming CACTI are amazing. Here's mine a few summers ago. As you know, they only bloom at night and light turns them off.

    Cheers, -T

    ReplyDelete
  37. CED, Baby food, diapers, & condoms.

    I thought it was mistyped from E-sports, but looked it up and Esports was the brand name from a company that puts them on.

    ReplyDelete

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