Theme: The Progressive Write
Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here on what would have been Elvis Presley's 89th birthday. Due to a twist brought about by today's theme, we instead have Elvis Costello & The Attractions with Everyday I Write the Book (1983).
Constructor Paul Coulter submitted a textbook Monday grid. The first word of each of the four longest answers progresses from LINE to PAGE to CHAPTER to BOOK, as does the writing process. The gimmick is logical and cleanly presented. Paul earns extra points for the inclusion of nine multi-word fill answers (in addition to the four themers).
16 Across. Activity at a country western bar: LINE DANCING. 
26 Across. Error message that results from clicking a broken link: PAGE NOT FOUND.
Flashback from yesterday's puzzle, anyone? This one happens when your browser is asking a website to display something but the website cannot find the right page to display so it gives you an error message. Example
47 Across. Fraternity building: CHAPTER HOUSE. According to this Greek Life Glossary, this is a house on a college campus where members of the organization reside. Not all campuses have CHAPTER HOUSEs. Some have designated rooms given to each fraternity or sorority called Chapter Rooms, or a special residence hall where each group gets a floor.
If you were not sure of this one, sussing the theme provided an extra clue.
62 Across. "Hawaii Five-O" catchphrase: BOOK 'EM DANNO. This was a Steve McGarrett (played by Jack Lord) catchphrase in the original series (1968-1980), spoken to James MacArthur's character, Dan Williams. To the delight of viewers, the line was reprised in the 2010-2020 re-make.
Across:
1. "SNL" alum McKinnon: KATE. She is so funny! Here is KATE pretending to be an airport chauffer in The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018) with Mila Kunis. 5. Made off with: STOLE.
As the mastermind of the largest known Ponzi scheme in history, Bernie Madoff made off with tens of billions of dollars of investors' money.
10. Set the dog (on): SIC. as in "sic 'em"
13. Wildly out of control: AMOK. Today AMOK is synonymous with "unruly" but its etymology reveals a murderous meaning.
14. Don, as boots: PULL ON. The straps on the sides of cowboy boots are called mule ears and are used to PULL ON the boots. Some styles are more pronounced than others. You can see how they got their name.
15. __-la-la: singer's syllables: TRA.
18. Crew team's blade: OAR.
19. __ foo yung: EGG.
20. Wrap up: END.
21. Nervous system cells: NEURONS. NEURONS in the news
23. Longtime Dodgers manager Tommy: LASORDA. (1927-2021)
10. Set the dog (on): SIC. as in "sic 'em"
13. Wildly out of control: AMOK. Today AMOK is synonymous with "unruly" but its etymology reveals a murderous meaning.
14. Don, as boots: PULL ON. The straps on the sides of cowboy boots are called mule ears and are used to PULL ON the boots. Some styles are more pronounced than others. You can see how they got their name.
18. Crew team's blade: OAR.
19. __ foo yung: EGG.
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| This 5-star recipe is very adaptable to whatever is on hand. The foodie writes, "It is believed to have originally been created by Chinese chefs in America as a way to use up leftovers, so it’s not strictly authentic though there are similar dishes in China." |
20. Wrap up: END.
21. Nervous system cells: NEURONS. NEURONS in the news
This is a great fit for an LA Times puzzle! He managed the LA Dodgers from 1976-1996, winning two World Series plus two more National League pennants. National Baseball Hall of Fame page
25. Snow vehicle pulled by huskies: SLED.
25. Snow vehicle pulled by huskies: SLED.
31. "Are you really making me do this?": MUST I.
34. Director DuVernay: AVA. crosses 28 Down. Reproductive cells: OVA.
35. Practice in the ring: SPAR. boxing
36. Absorbed, as a cost: ATE. To "eat the cost" is to agree to bear the cost of something, usually monetarily and often begrudgingly.
37. Skill on the verge of extinction: LOST ART. Hand up for trying to think of a specific skill as opposed to a synonym.
42. "Darn it all!": RATS.
44. Wrestler Flair nicknamed the "Nature Boy": RIC.
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| Ric, flaunting his flair |
51. Snowblower brand: TORO. In the summer, this word is clued as "Lawnmower brand".
52. New York's Waldorf __ hotel: ASTORIA.
The original Waldorf Hotel was built at 33rd Street and Fifth Avenue in 1893 by William Waldorf Astor. Four years later, John Jacob Astor IV, William’s cousin and familial rival, built an even taller hotel next door in an act of one-upmanship. The cousins finally agreed to a truce and the two buildings were connected through a 300-foot marble corridor known as Peacock Alley. The Waldorf-Astoria was born. more history
56. Shield from harm: PROTECT.
59. Simple top: TEE.
60. Early ISP: AOL. Internet Service Provider and America Online
61. __ and reel: ROD.
65. Throw in: ADD.
66. Whole: ENTIRE.
67. End-of-the-week letters: TGIF. not the Monday end
56. Shield from harm: PROTECT.
59. Simple top: TEE.
60. Early ISP: AOL. Internet Service Provider and America Online
61. __ and reel: ROD.
65. Throw in: ADD.
66. Whole: ENTIRE.
67. End-of-the-week letters: TGIF. not the Monday end
68. "You got it": YES. Also, a rock band from London that released this song in 1971.
I've Seen All Good People: Your Move
69. Wails with grief: KEENS. Learning moment. KEENS is the 3rd person present form of the verb keen, as defined in the clue. Example: She KEENS over her lover's lifeless body.
In a similar vein, KEENS are Irish funeral songs accompanied by wailing.
70. Ham or lamb: MEAT.
Down:
1. Superman's birth name: KALEL.
70. Ham or lamb: MEAT.
Down:
1. Superman's birth name: KALEL.
Five for Fighting. Superman (It's Not Easy) (2001)
2. Latina friend: AMIGA. Latina is feminine so we did not have to wait for perps to see if it was amigo or amiga.
3. Kitchen picker-uppers: TONGS.
4. __ out a living: just get by: EKE.
5. Dairy Queen order: SUNDAE.
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| My friend calls these "Texas stop signs". |
6. Special attention, for short: TLC.
7. Lena of "Chocolat": OLIN.
8. Symbol on the Texas flag: LONE STAR. Speaking of Texas...
9. Overwhelm: ENGULF. Are there any other David Sedaris fans on The Corner?
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| When You are Engulfed in Flames (2008) |
10. Didn't back down from: STOOD UP TO.
I Won't Back Down was the lead single on Tom Petty's first solo album, Moon Fever.
Look for George Harrison and Jeff Lynne (co-founder of XWD favorite ELO) on guitar.
That's Ringo Starr in the video but he was not the drummer for the recording.
11. Shiraz's country: IRAN. Along with being a city in IRAN, Shiraz is a red wine historically produced in that area. I think it is the same grape as an Australian Syrah. Perhaps C-Moe, our wine guy on The Corner, can elaborate.
12. Autos: CARS. and 22 Down. Early 20th century autos: REOS.
14. Ivory soap company, informally: P AND G. Procter AND Gamble
17. Upset, as a plan: DERAIL.
24. Decide to leave, with "out": OPT.
27. Slangy "Of course!": NATCH. NATCH-urally
29. Bread baked in a tandoor: NAAN. This man makes NAAN every Tuesday at my local Farmer's Market. He told me that the dough sticks to the sides of the oven because it (the dough) is a little bit wet.
30. Medication: DRUG.
31. Painter Chagall: MARC. (1887 Belarus - 1985 France)
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| In this self-portrait (1912-1913), he has seven fingers on his left hand, possibly because he was born 7/7/1887. |
32. Provo's state: UTAH.
33. Caused a disagreement between, say: SET AT ODDS.
38. Cookie-flavored ice cream holder: OREO CONE.
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| Will wonders never cease? |
40. Had a bite of: TASTED.
43. "You missed a __": SPOT. So annoying!
46. Zodiac sign before Virgo: LEO. also the only 3-letter sign
48. Alex whose job was in "Jeopardy!" for many years: TREBEK.
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| After hosting 11 previous game shows, he started his Jeopardy! gig on September 10, 1984. I am not sure but I think this pic is from that first show. |
49. Horse operas: OATERS. a.k.a. westerns
50. "I'm at your disposal": USE ME.
53. Driving __: golfer's practice site: RANGE.
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| Free Range Golfers |
54. Ancient Aegean region: IONIA. I worked this one out by remembering the three types of Greek columns: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian then later looked it up. IONIA was a territory in western Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). Twelve cities formed the Ionian League but it was not a political nor a military alliance. One of those cities was Miletus, as in the Greek philosopher, Thales of Miletus (624 BC - 527 BC).
56. Seek divine guidance: PRAY.
57. Went in a biker's sidecar, say: RODE. This clip is from the Marx Brothers:
58. Handy bag: TOTE.
63. Extended family: KIN.
64. Spot for fast cash: ATM.
That's all for today. I look forward to reading your comments!
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| NPR knows we like them! |
63. Extended family: KIN.
64. Spot for fast cash: ATM.
The epilogue:
That's all for today. I look forward to reading your comments!
39 comments:
When I first saw one across and one down, I thought this puzzle might have some “bite” to it, but it turned out to be quite the “teddy bear,” or, as I like to say, the usual “walk in the park.” FIR, so I’m happy.
Sorry, I left out a word. That should be “the usual Monday ‘walk in the park…” Now you’ve got it!
FIR, but erased file not found for PAGE NOT FOUND and charter house for CHAPTER HOUSE. For a change I got the theme before coming here.
Today is:
NATIONAL BUBBLE BATH DAY (not too long, or you’ll need…)
NATIONAL WINTER SKIN RELIEF DAY (Chapstick bath, maybe)
NATIONAL CLEAN OFF YOUR DESK DAY (I’m sorry – is this written in a foreign language?)
NATIONAL ARGYLE DAY (we still miss him)
NATIONAL CAREER COACH DAY (not like Tom Lasorda, this coach tells you how to succeed in business without really trying)
NATIONAL ENGLISH TOFFEE DAY (yes please)
NATIONAL JOYGERM DAY (good moods impact the lives of people around us, and those people become infected with that same positive joy and spread it to others. JOYGERM - coming soon to a crossword puzzle near you.)
When I lived in LA, there was a TV commercial that was supposed to be a sportscaster interviewing Tommy LASORDA. He asked "Tommy, you only played in the Majors for three years and had an ERA of over 6. How did YOU get into the hall of fame?" LASORDA: "I managed."
You can't think of LINE DANCING without thinking of Boot Scootin' Boogie.
Bill Withers has a huge hit song with USE ME.
CSO to our missing aviation docent LEO. Hope he and Uncle Fred are OK.
FLN - I'll bet everyone has heard "hater's gonna hate." You may not know that it's from Taylor Swift's Shake It Off, but I think that at least that one has legs.
Thanks to PC for the fun start to the week. Welcome back to the LAT venue. And thanks to sumdaze for summing it all up for us.
Good morning!
Zipped right through this one theme-free. D'oh. Paul is a cw master; I should've noticed it. Excellent summation, sumdaze. (Loved that "Lost art" cartoon.)
Back on the M-o-W trail this morning. First delivery of the new year, and it's a double-meal day. M-o-W will be taking another holiday next Monday.
Not very hard but SET AT ODDS, KEENS, and OATERS hung me up a bit. Not familiar with those words or phrases.
Took 3:40 today for me to finish the series.
There's not much to say about this one, so I won't say anymore.
FIR. Definitely a Monday puzzle and a clever theme. The only trip wire in this endeavor was keens, a learning moment for me. Without circles or obscure proper names, this was a fun Monday romp.
I'm surprised that KEENS was a stumbling block for so many cornerites.
Good Morning:
This was a nice, easy breezy solve to begin the week. It's a perfect "newbie" puzzle with its cute, straightforward theme and user-friendly fill. My only goof was at 3D Kitchen Picker-uppers=Tongs because my immediate thought was Bounty ads and I just threw in Towel, despite the pluralized clue. Line dancing corrected that very quickly. Seeing Alex Trebek's name is timely as there has been constant criticism of the current show, its hosts, even its contestants. I don't watch it, so I can't give an opinion.
Thanks, Paul, and welcome back after such a long absence and thanks, sumdaze, for the usually fun and facts. Today's rib-tickling cartoons were the "Meme" Cat, the Page Not Found, and the Lost Art. Notice how they're all focused on the Internet!
Have a great day.
Well, it happened again. As I was writing I went back to Sumdaze’s write up to check on something, then when I returned to the blog post, all blank. I’ll have to learn not to do that.
I was saying I thought I was in trouble when I saw 1 across, 1 down, and 23 across, but moved on and relaxed. All good and I was able to FIR. Really nice puzzle and great WRAP up from Sumdaze.
They’ll make anything out of OREOs, won’t they?
Didn’t need to recruit many NEURONS for today’s CW. A very “novel” theme, progressing from LINE to BOOK easy to figure out without ⚪️⚪️⚪️’s or *’s or ?’s
Inkover: Trebec/K, Paul/MARC (“Je suis tellement stupide”)
“Skill on the verge of extinction”: Diagnostic Radiology: although 40 years ago it was the right choice for me I now discourage med students from considering this specialty as we will eventually be replaced by AI
LASORDA: It: “the deaf woman”
RIC “Flair, wrestler” only unknown PN, kynova (SIC) unfair Monday level clue for that answer. The rest, old familiars. Was ready to quickly fill Deere but only 4 spaces (TORO as in “Taurus” can join Virgo and LEO) Almost filled cap for “simple top” and shelter for PROTECT…✋David Sedaris fan
Whiner@ 6:46am: many of us had never heard the term OATER(S) either, learnt from CWs
☘️M@ 9:14: I almost put tines but perp checked first
Made off with a fox fur wrap … ___ a ____
STOLE
Funds lent from a UTAH town :…..PROVO LOAN
DANK…… MUSTI
Barn feature…… ALOFT
Oversee an exam while playing the slots….PANDG
Finally stopped snowing cats ‘n’ dogs, or should I say penguins and polar bears 🐧🐻❄️
Off this week, just got done shoveling the front and side walks. My back should seize up in about a half hour 😖
Musings
-Not even I needed a reveal on this snowy Monday
-TEE: The weather will keep me from using either version of this today
-The only unknown was KEENS which still seems fairer than the obscure people in the arts we get
-LOST ART: I have second thoughts every time I open a door for a woman
-Our kitty is definitely not a vegetarian. She wants (and gets) MEAT and lots of TLC
-The TREBEK substitutes don’t have the same elan of Alex but the show itself endures
-Use me – “Put me in coach, I’m ready to play, centerfield”
-A hilarious SIDE CAR scene
-Seinfeld is a big Superman fan, so his bank code is Jor-El, KAL-EL’s father.
-Fun write-up Renee!
Fresh, fast and fun Monday outing. Clever theme. (And I actually got it!) Spent more time on Sumdazes excellent review than on the puzzle. Knew "oaters". Growing up in the 50's, they were probably 80% of the TV shows!
Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Paul and sumdaze.
This should have been a walk through the library, but although I finally remembered to look for the theme, I carelessly forgot to recheck my fill. Thus FIWed - in several spots!
I forgot my Spanish lessons from Lucina, and had AMIGo. I should have checked with DH for LASORDA. Then I entered RIa, not knowing RIC (NATAH made as much sense as some of the slang here!).
Oh well, I liked this CW (even with 20 three-letter words).
I saw a mini-food theme as we used our TONGS, and then TASTED and ATE EGG (OVA), NAAN, MEAT, followed by a SUNDAE and OREO CONE.
I smiled at TEE and the golf RANGE
I knew KEENS, but it is not heard much nowadays. Much grief is suppressed in public as being too emotional and hard for others to see. There may be something therapeutic to the old-fashioned wakes, where family, friends and neighbours keened through the night.
Wishing you all a great day. No snow here. Are you sending it north?
Hi All!
Welcome back to the LAT, Paul, and thanks for a nice Monday "walk in the park."
Sumdaze - I need you or Hahtoolah to punch up my expos with your excellent comics. Well done.
And, yes, I'm also a fan of Sedaris' humor (and the band YES).
WO: PAth NOT FOUND
ESPs: AVA as clued, ibid TORO; MARC, KEENS
Fav: Can I go w/ 1a? A CSO to DW (and McKinnon is no slouch either).
Fav song about Superman is Jimmy Olsen's Blues [Spin Doctors*]
Before LOST ART filled, I wanted 'cursive'. //hey!, it fit and I only print or type
Play later, Cheers! -T
*DW met them at NLU when she was an RTVF major**. Her buddy called them a stinky bunch sitting on the couch wanting an interview. DW missed the biggest story of the summer before their album dropped to huge radio play.
**One class on Shakespeare and she changed majors!
Hand up cross of ?ATE/?ALEL made for a very unpleasant start. Could have been C, K or N. As a professional writer, I enjoyed the theme, but I didn't get it until I FIR.
sumdaze Thank you as always for the many illustrations. Fascinating learning moment for this member of the UC Santa Barbara Psych department about NEURONS. And I loved the YES song with lyrics. YES, I saw David Sedaris speak here at UCSB.
We saw many HUSKIES and SLEDs in our Iceland and Greenland travels. Nice video.
After all of the discussion yesterday about COROLLA and then CAR today:
DW took this photo of me with our COROLLA CAR on our way to Lake Tahoe to visit friends.
My COROLLA just had its 29th birthday. Over 200,000 miles. Looks and runs like new. So much better than any new car. Like my shirts: They don't make 'em like that anymore.
Well, clearly I'm out of practice with CWs. After cataract surgery Nov 16 left me with a detached retina, and a nightmare of three surgical procedures on my right eye, I can finally see well enough to attempt a CW. I ended up filling but with Google cheats. Hafta take a DNF on a Monday.
5his puzzle lent itself well to my solving method, so I FIR. Knew all the names and phrases.
Aloha to Paul and Sumdaze for their quick disposition of today's contribution.
There is satisfaction in a life well lived and time well spent.
Never
Thanks for your kind words!
Hi unclefred! Great to see you back! I'm sorry to hear of your eye surgeries. Hopefully the recovery will continue.
-T @ 11:57. Re cursive writing. One of CA's new laws for 2024 brings cursive writing back to its public schools. Here's a quote from the LA Times:
By 2016, only 12 states mandated learning cursive. Since then, however, 11 have reconsidered and restored cursive, with the latest being California and New Hampshire
Hola!
Today was counting day so of course I'm late. It's really nice to read your comments, though.
I definitely agree that KATE McKinnon is a funny lady.
One of my friends is named EVA not AVA.
Being an avid reader has made me acquainted with odd words like KEENS and even IONIA. When I visited there, it was not referred to as IONIA, just southern Turkey. I believe IONIA is an ancient name.
Any time we stopped in New Mexico my mother would quiz the wait staff and sure enough, she discovered they were KIN.
I love the movie, Chocolat, and Lena OLIN's role in it.
Ray-O
Good catch on LA SORDA. I didn't.
As much as I miss Alex TREBEK, I admire Ken Jennings for his great efforts to be a good host. Lately he seems more relaxed and settled into the role.
For some reason organizations send TOTEs and I now have a collection of them. They are useful for groceries.
Puzzling thoughts:
FIR with no extraneous help
Enjoyed both Paul's puzzle and Renee's amazing recap; your images and tunes today were awesome
I thought OREO CONE to be a bit of green paint until I googled it and found the exact same image as sumdaze used
Enjoy the week ahead; it's bitter cold here in Arizona - we had our first semi-hard frost last night
"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" I enjoyed solving this well-constructed crossword puzzle. Interesting we had STOLE yesterday as a wrap. And for those who missed "Error 404" yesterday, we have it today. Thanks for a terrific and informative write-up, sumdaze. Good wishes to you all.
U. Fred, sorry to read about your eye trouble.
When anyone tries to read my writing, they usually become cursive. Hell's bells, I can't even read it a day later. Like Bayou Tony, I print or type.
Greetings! Not a quick fill for me but finished with perp help. Thanks, Paul.
WO: step -> SPOT which changed CHArTER -> CHAPTER. Loved the Beta Carotene house toon. Thanks, sumdaze, and for lotsa fun & info.
I think my sussing the theme is commensurate with my interest in the puzzle. That and being in a hurry to get to the Corner ….
Nat’l English Toffee Day – Thanks, Jinx. They’re at the top of my list of favorites. I have a quick & easy recipe using Saltine crackers as the base (no candy thermometer needed) - a big hit in my Christmas goodie gifts.
Yay, Paul, thank you for a great doable puzzle with words in my vocabulary. Thank you, Sumdaze, for adding much to the fun.
KEEN: I knew this word. Maybe because of the Irish lineage in my family tree. But I never heard any family members KEENing but me at my grandmom's funeral at age 11. I was reprimanded. Think I learned the term from novels which is apt for this puzzle theme.
Didn't know the wrestler but had _IC and filled "R" as if I knew it.
Uncle Fred, welcome back. Sorry for your difficult time with your eyes. Hope they continue to improve.
I guessed IONIA at once. We had a little wide spot in the road town near one of our farms named IONIA. No Greek columns there.
UNCLEFRED: Sorry to hear of your eye issues. Hope you were able to "see" JLove maintain ownership of daBears. Go Pack Go!
Uncle Fred, so glad to see you back and so sorry about your detached retina. It makes me appreciate my successful cataract surgeries.
Sumdaze @ 12:55 concerning cursive in school. At Christmas when the whole family was assembled to open presents, my 9year old great grand nephew was handing out the gifts, but for several he had to ask his mother for help when he looked at the name on the gift because he said, “It’s in cursive”.
I wasn’t aware he wasn’t learning cursive and he attends a “good school”
Thank you Paul for starting the week off right. I waited until I got here to get the theme from Renee, as I'm working on a hook for the January 18 theme which I'm trying to put to bed before next Monday morning's cataract surgery.
And thank you sumdaze for the sparkling review and especially the theme explanation. Would you care to consult on a theme of about romance?
A few favs:
26A PAGE NOT FOUND. Flashback to just an hour ago when I tried to send a message to our investment counselor and I got a "550 5.1.0 Address Rejected". Geez, I hope they haven't gone out of business!
10A SIC. I noticed you spelled it exactly as in the original.
13A AMOK. A very timely etymology.
19A EGG. I think "chop suey" is also made with leftovers.
21A NEURONS. I've long believed that EVERYTHING is connected.
37A LOST ART. Hand up for thinking it was something specific -- like building a gothic cathedral. The problem isn't the LOST ART, it's the LOST ARTISTS -- like artisans who can still make something like this.
68A YES. I haven't heard that song in a long time. Thanks for the riff Renee.
69A KEENS. Like Juliet in the tomb.
31D MARC. Chagall also created the murals that decorate the entrance to the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
Cheers,
Bill
Monkey, I was told when the retina detached, "Only about 1% of cataract surgeries result in a detached retina." Well...lucky me! The first procedure involved injecting a bubble of Argon into the eye, and having me lie on my left side for two weeks. The idea was for the argon bubble to float to the right side of the eye and push the retina back into place and allow it to reattach itself. Success rate: ~80%. Lucky me: in the 20%. Next was surgery inside the eye. I was awake but sedated and numbed with fentanyl, and could see what was going on in my eye. The eye surgeon would say, "Look far left", and I would look far left. He would say "Suction" and I would see I tube in my eye sucking things into it. "Laser, 300" and there would be flashes of light in the eye. "Look far right"....etc. for the 45 minute surgery. Then the worst: I had to lie flat on my belly, looking down, for two weeks. Only get up to pee, poop, or grab a quick bite, no more than 15 minutes at a time. Two weeks later, at an exam, a new retinal tear was found. This time he just lasered thru the cornea to try to contain the new tear, after asking me, "How's your pain tolerance?" which is a good indication of what fun THAT procedure was. Then stay upright for at least two weeks, including trying to sleep sitting up. Anyway, now, for the first time in quite a while I can finally see well enough to try the CW...unsuccessfully...on a Monday.
U. Fred - That sounds really rough. I worked with a guy that had retina surgery. They drained his eyeball, meaning he couldn't lay down to sleep. He also couldn't fly, and couldn't take any surface trips unless he avoided heights. But he said the weirdest part was that as the fluid refilled his eye, his vision slowly returned from the top of his field of vision to the bottom, because the eye's lens inverts what you are seeing. (The fluid, of course, filled from the bottom up.)
I wonder if they created the name for the sandals because customers KEEN when they see the price. I stick with my Kohl's specials. They only last half as long, but they cost only a quarter of KEENs.
Uncle Fred, what an ordeal. I wish you continued progress.The CWs will take care of themselves.
unclefred@5:33. What an ordeal! I truly hope the worst is behind you. BTW, waseely is scheduled for cataract surgery soon so you might not want to scare him off.
Monkey@4:31. Thanks for sharing about your nephew. When I think of bringing cursive back to school I tend to think about how ill-suited I was for that subject but you reminded me of another point -- kids cannot read it if they haven't been taught it. That reminds me of how sometimes I see Japanese written in a fancy way for advertising purposes. I tell DH that it's like when I was a kid and could not read my mom's (beautiful!) cursive writing. When it comes to Japanese, I'm much better at reading the plain "lettering".
waseeley@5:23. Thanks for your kind words. (Big smiles inside!) You added so much to the conversation! Also, yesterday you wrote to H-Gary, "HG @10:43 AM Got a 404 trying to open your "Waterfall counter top". Was that a "meta comment"?" I had already written today's blog with a purposefully broken link for 26A. I thought, "waseeley nailed it with 'meta comment'!" but I had to keep quiet yesterday....
Yes, I am happy (and curious) to help with a romantic theme. Email me.
I could see blood in my eye during cataract surgery.
uncleFred - Oy! stop or you're going to scare waseeley!
//Good luck Bill. Terri will take good care of you.
I'm sorry to hear the surgery went sideways on you; glad to know you're on the mend and getting back to fine form.
Re: Cursive (redux): Pop taught himself Calligraphy. Every birthday card's envelope is a work of art.
When I send a card, I'm just lucky to spell things right in Graffiti.
Cheers, -T
//my main keyboard just died on me; all mistakes are this little chicklet-keyboard (and my fat fingers) fault
Since my friends and I are of a certain "old" age we correspond with each other in cursive. I will have to speak to my grandchildren about their experiences in that regard. In fact, my closest friends have beautiful handwriting. We all taught cursive as well.
As I sit here looking down on my desk calendar, I see that all of my notes on it are in cursive but I use printing to emphasize something. And I just realized that when my granddaughter writes me notes, she prints.
I believe one of the reasons cursive writing is no longer taught (aside from the fact that perhaps the teachers don't know it) is that it takes up precious time on the schedule.
I also write in calligraphy and use it on greeting cards. It's so easy now that felt pens are available to use with calligraphy. Formerly, I used India ink which I love, but it's messy and even when fillable pens were available, they caused messes. I still use the fountain pens for very special occasions. Nibs in various sized are available which I find very nice.
Speaking of cursive, I love looking at old documents, or images of them, because of the lovely handwriting on them. It is definitely a lost art.
When I met my DH, he never used cursive. He printed everything. I never knew anyone like that. Of course now is really “with it” as we used to say.
Lucina, you said cursive may not be taught because it takes up precious time on the schedule. I took two years of algebra which I never used, but I used cursive writing every day of my life so it was much more important to me than algebra. My grandsons write me in print and I asked if they were taught cursive since I usually wrote to them in cursive. He said they learned it but didn't practice it much.
Monkey, my husband always printed too. He had been a sgt. in the USAF and had to write reports in print form about work done as an aircraft radar mechanic foreman.
PK
That is an interesting point about Algebra which I also took, two years in high school and two years in college. It's the most useless subject I ever wasted time on.
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