google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday, July 3rd, 2024, Michael B. Berg

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Jul 3, 2024

Wednesday, July 3rd, 2024, Michael B. Berg

 ALL IN THE FAMILY

 I never knew the first line....

Splynter reporting for duty - another quick solve this Wednesday, albeit containing circles, but with very few names, a small number of 3LWs, and a theme that, while I don't use the term, was understandable - synonyms for family, "found" across two words in the theme answers.  I suppose AA would be my version of a 'found family', and certainly the 20 employees at the Pipe Organ company.  Some alliteration going on, as well - CLAN, KIN, CREW, KITH.  One eleven-, two thirteen-letter, and one spanner for the theme answers, and an 11-letter reveal;

16. Road division: TRAFFIC LANE - Keep your LaSalle between the lines~!

A GM/Cadillac Concept Car - very cool, and clearly where the Corvette came from

23. Task that's a piece of cake: WALK IN THE PARK



36. Home of Christopher Robin's friends: HUNDRED ACRE WOOD



46. Japanese dramatic form with elaborate costumes: KABUKI THEATER

Gene Simmons, before KISS

58. Closely knit community that provides social support, or what 16-, 23-, 36-, and 46-Across contain?: FOUND FAMILY

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Adele's "Water __ the Bridge": UNDER

6. Salsa choice: MILD - AND -
6D. Salsa choice: MELON - never heard of this variation

A recipe for you

10. Covertly include on an email: BCC - I get this a lot in crosswords

13. "Nope" and "Get Out" director Jordan: PEELE - filled via perps; his IMDb

14. Mountaintop nest: AERIE

15. Sound from a warm tub: AHH - I seriously want to swap my cast iron bathtub to a Jacuzzi

18. Reed of the Velvet Underground: LOU - before my time, but I know of him

19. Like most prime numbers: ODD

20. Thai neighbor: LAO

21. Band output: MUSIC - this is a song about "family", right~?

I crossed my old man. . . .Don't Take Me Alive, Steely Dan

28. Accurate: TRUE

29. Burgundies: REDS - quit wining - get it~?

30. Dough: MOOLA - bread, cheese, cash, fundage~!

31. Open a tad: AJAR

33. Fundraiser for STEM programs: PTA - STEM is "new" for me in crosswords; I don't recall seeing it during my last blogging stint - Science, Technology, Engineering, Math

40. Gp.: ORG

41. Walkman maker: SONY - the original iPod

I still have one

42. Quite a distance: MILES

43. "Stat!": ASAP

45. AirPlay tablet: iPAD - I'm a PC

52. Soccer Hall of Famer Lalas: ALEXI - More here

53. Aardvark's snack: ANT

54. Vegan milk choice: OAT - I make my mac N cheese with Soy Milk

57. Streamlet: RIA - learned by doing crosswords

63. Apple on a teacher's desk, perhaps: MAC - clever - could be both computer AND fruit

64. Simmers with rage: FUMES - >😡<

65. Low point: NADIR


66. Pokémon trainer Ketchum: ASH - no idea, but glad to see a non-tree/bat clue for "ASH"

67. Small samples: SIPS

68. Pic-sharing app: INSTAgram - I am still planning to do a better Organ blog, and an Instagram page, too - here's the latest from The National Cathedral organ renovation


DOWN:

1. As many as: UP TO

2. One with deep knowledge of a subject: NERD - of what subject can you say you're proud to be a NERD~?

3. Completely mistaken: DEAD WRONG - I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken

4. "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear" film: ELF - sorry, but I simply cannot stand this "holiday classic".  At All.  Period.  End of Comment.

5. NBA official: REFeree - also hockey, football, etc.

7. 401(k) alternative: IRA

8. Songwriter/actor __-Manuel Miranda: LIN - Filled via perps

9. Considered: DEEMED

10. Model material: BALSA - oh, those models . . . .



11. Gospel singers: CHOIR - CHOIR is also a division/chamber of some pipe organs; the main divisions are Great, Swell, Pedal; and additionally, Choir, Solo, Positiv & Antiphonal

12. Toss away: CHUCK


14. Fruit from a Brazilian palm: ACAI

17. Sort: ILK

22. FedEx rival: UPS - UPS wins~!

Sumo Delivery vans

24. "__ Lang Syne": AULD

25. TV producer Norman: LEAR - Creator of "All in the FOUND Family"~?

26. "Fast Car" singer Chapman: TRACY

27. Munich mister: HERR - and the funny female equivalent. . . .

Blücher~!

28. Series of gigs: TOUR

30. Old electrical unit: MHO - learning moment for me - the Wiki

31. Bring home from the pound: ADOPT - I would SO love to adopt a dog - but if I am in the field for work, I'd need to find a dog-sitter, and I'm not a big fan of that idea

This would be my pick - a Schnauzer

32. Abbr. at the start of a day planner: JANuary

33. Pictures that don't need to be shaken: POLAROIDS - Ah.  This is true - the "instant" photos of old did NOT need to be shaken - more info here

34. Pigeon-__: TOED - I went with HOLE first; pigeon-TOED, like last week's "TOE-IN" of a car's alignment, describes someone who walks with their toes pointing "in"



35. Spots that may be classified: ADs - and advertisement is referred to as a "spot"

37. "Titans" actor Morales: ESAI - something something crossword Morales = ESAI

38. Radiate: EMIT

39. Diaper bag cloth: WIPE - oh, duh; I parsed it differently, and was trying to think of the fabric a diaper bag is made from

43. Stereo input letters: AUX

44. Flat-bottomed boats: SKIFFS

46. Cosmic fate: KARMA

47. Name on a false document: ALIAS

48. Sandy spot: BEACH - I am not a summer person, and having lived in a place made of, and surrounded by sand, desperately needed to move north - the irony is that I USED TO live in Connecticut, because Long Island was made by a glacier scraping off the surface of CT.

49. Jockey rival: HANES - possibly Splynter's most beloved product~?

I couldn't decide - but the center image includes a crossword reference

50. Loose __: ENDS

51. DOJ branch: ATF - Department of Justice, and the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms now includes Explosives in their wheelhouse - should they change the name to "FETA, FEAT"~? Or better yet, "FATE"!?

55. Touched down: ALIT

56. Supermodel Banks: TYRA

59. Yes, from Yves: OUI - Frawnche

60. Strike caller?: UMPire - Baseball for C.C.

61. Vader, as a boy: ANIkin - Skywalker, the father of the Star Wars "family"

62. Guy: MAN - and one last family "guy"


 Be safe and enjoy being with your family this Fourth of July~! 


Since I can rarely get to read the comments on the day, I decided to add a "FLW" to the end of my blog. . . .
 
From Last Week - CED, I loved your "Laser Bird"~!  TTP - I watched the clip, but that's not the quite it; it really does sound like "pew-pew" - I have been waiting to capture a sound bite from my window, so I can add it here, but I think "mating season" may be over.  zzzzzzz - send me an email.

Splynter

36 comments:

  1. Should I take a CSO for “walk in the park”? After all, I use it every Monday, it seems! And while I wouldn’t call this puzzle a “walk in the park” it wasn’t terribly difficult this time. FIR, so I’m happy.

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  2. Good morning!

    Took a minute longer than Monday, which is par for the course. Went the same wrong direction as Splynter on WIPE -- was thinking canvas or some such. Thanx for the exercise, Michael. Splynter, I had no idea the National Cathedral organ project was going to go one until 2029. Was thinking months, not years.

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  3. FIR, but erased shore for BEACH.

    Does the bovine economy rely on MOOLA?

    Does C-Eh watch KABUKI THEATre?

    Were circles really needed for the contiguous theme fill?

    I think folks who eat MELON salsa should be tossed out of la familia.

    FedEx and UPS should be watching their real rival - Amazon. USPS too. The others get fed crumbs by Bezos when they are more practical than the current Amazon distribution system.

    Okay, I didn't mention this last time it appeared here, but aren't ALL dogs and cats adopted? Show me an example where that's not so, and I'll just say, "well son-of-a-..." oh, never mind.

    I love the bumper stickers that say "My KARMA just ran over your dogma"

    My first instinct for "stereo input letters" was RCA. That became the standard name for the type of connector, regardless of the vendor.

    I love the deep. melodic voice of Lou Reed. What? Oh, Zoё says that's LOU Rawls. Never mind.

    Michael and Patti could have used a cleco today: "Football official" for REF and UMP.

    Thanks to Michael for the fun, and to Splynter for another fine review.

    Off to Roanoke Rapids today for a short camping trip. We're mainly going to get Zoё away from the worst of the fireworks. I'm sure there will be some illegal use of them where we're going, but hopefully much less than the scheduled displayed around our seven cities. (PS - Please don't tell Zoё that she's adopted.)

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  4. Took 4:46 today for me to find my blood, with little issue.

    Didn't look for, nor see, the theme.

    Jinx: circles are never needed.
    Wild dogs and strays may not be adopted. Just saying.

    I didn't know "Mho" or anything from Yves.

    "Elf" is a revered movie in our house.

    Oh joy, circles!

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  5. FIR. When I saw the circles I groaned, but soon realized they were completely unnecessary for the solve.
    This puzzle ran the gamut from very easy to ridiculously hard, what with melon for a salsa choice (?), and Ash (?). But well placed perps helped a great deal.
    Overall I enjoyed this puzzle, and considering it's Wednesday I finished in good time.

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  6. Anon @ 6:41, I should have said "ALL dogs and cats in the family..." That also covers "strays" and some wild dogs, I guess. I think that some wild dogs (like dingos) aren't supposed to be domesticated, but the ordinary feral mongrels can become great pets, especially when they are obtained when they are young.

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  7. Like an easier than usual Monday with obvious circled theme answers, two start with “K” and two start with “C” (glad CLAN did t start with a “K”)

    HANES… was sorting laundry in a hurry to get dressed one day and get to work. Struggled into a pair of my underwear that felt “odd” but didn’t have time and drove off. During a bathroom break realized printed on the waistband “HANES HER WAY” Yikes 😳

    Didn’t the old Polaroids photos need to be shaken to dry out?

    Didn’t know ALEDI and that MELON was a “Salsa choice”….MHO? … who?

    “stat”/ASAP? I give up. 😡 …. It’s like “Odin is the Norse god of war”… some constructors keep using the same data base with the same errors, missed or ignored by the editors

    Will Have been “radiated” quite a bit by the end of the day 🩻

    Bovine currency….MOOLAH
    “I don’t think so, honey” in Scotland….NADIR
    Wines favored in the USSR….REDS

    Happy hump day

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    Replies
    1. Hope constructors will get STAT as "instantly" not ASAP. ER surgeon in triage doesn't yell ASAP. Get it right STAT!

      Delete
  8. Took a little under 9 minutes for the FIR on this OJC puzzle. KABUKI was all perps, have never heard or used the word KITH, and not familiar with MHO. Lou Reed didn’t take a WALK IN THE PARK, but he did Take a Walk on the Wild Side, with Sweet Jane maybe? Thank you Michael and Splynter for the morning entertainment!

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  9. Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Michael and Splynter.
    I FIRed in good time and FOUND the FAMILY (oh joy, circles!)

    One inkblot to change Soy to OAT.
    Off to water the gardens before the heat of the day.
    Back later.

    Wishing you all a great day.

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  10. Starting early on the 4 day weekend with a 5 day weekend - though I probably have 3-4 hours of work to do with my stuff and then I am covering for someone else too

    Quick but creative puzzle today for a Wednesday
    I love MELON salsa in the summer time - yummers as Hatoolah would say.
    The elementary school a few blocks away from me has become a STEM academy in our district- I'm looking into volunteering there this next year

    We never lived near our family and with my DH being a pastor we didn't travel on holidays- so we always celebrated with our FOUND FAMILY

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  11. Good Morning! Nice surprise for a puzzle today. Thanks, Michael.

    The theme jumped out in the circles and left the door AJAR to self-reflection of those who walk this path with me. I would add The Corner posters to that list. Thanks.

    One WO: Salsa Verde -> MELON. The picture looked more like a fruit salad…but tasty.

    Easy ESP for PEELE, LOU, ALEXI, ASH, TRACY, MHO.

    My only encounter on the screen with ESAI Morales was in NYPD Blue, but that was enough to remember him all these years later. Now I encounter him frequently in the CWs.

    Thanks, Splynter. Loved the trivia about CT & LI. I did not know!

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  12. Agree with the POLAROIDs needing to be shaken, hence the phrase "shake it like a Polaroid picture"...but what else could it have been?

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  13. Good Morning:

    After seeing Clan and Kin (thanks to the spoiler circles), I knew the theme would be family centric, but the reveal was a surprise as Found Family is a term I have never heard nor seen. I enjoyed the strong themers and the solve, but thought some of the cluing was odd. The unknowns were Alexi and Ash and the stumbles were Money/Moola, Aud/Aux, and Hole/Toed. The duos of Mac/iPad and Ump/Ref were cute but I find the decision to use 15 words to clue the three letter Elf baffling. I'll also take issue with Splynter's "a small number of TLWs" praise, as my count was a whopping 27.

    Thanks, Michael, and thanks, Splynter, for an informative review and for pinch hitting once again. Enjoyed your visuals, especially your ideal adoptee, that cute Schnauzer, and the nostalgic trip down memory lane with the iconic Archie and Edith. I also enjoyed and was impressed by the article on the National Cathedral's organ restoration project. You must be very proud and delighted to be part of such a monumental and rewarding undertaking. Kudos to you!

    Subgenius @ 3:39 ~ Most certainly take a CSO at Walk In The Park. You were my first thought as I filled it in! 😉

    Have a great day.

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  14. Pleasant puzzle this morning. I liked the theme very much.

    We had 2 Apple products this morning, MAC and IPAD. I own both as well as an iPhone. I’ve been an Apple aficionado for over 30 years.

    Splynter thank you for the picture of my sweet bogie look alike.

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  15. 16 proper names, knew 8. Some filled by crosses. Didn't know : 10 across - Bcc, 6 down- melon, 28 down- tour, 30 down- Mho, and 51 down-ATF. Otherwise nice Wed.

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  16. Musings
    -One stupid mistake at POLAROID (I needed Splynter’s explantion) and OAT.
    -So proud to have written in KABUKI THEATER into 13 blank cells
    -I remember this movie line: “That’s spilled milk UNDER the bridge” :-)
    -ACCURACY is sometimes not enough
    -…and MILES to go before I sleep
    -I take a request from my lovely bride to mean ASAP but she means STAT
    -My NERDISHNESS maxes out on space
    -Splynter, me too on ELF. I only liked Will Ferrell in the Cowbell skit
    -More than most of us, REFS and UMPS are constantly dogged by cameras
    -Some delivery companies will now deliver packages inside your closed garage if you sign up
    -Newspaper classified ADS have gone the way of the buggy whip
    -Splynter has become Manny Mota, the LA Dodgers former very productive pinch hitter
    -What Irish said, again!

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  17. Puzzling thoughts:

    FIR in just 9 and 2/3 minutes (Yooper Phil => you got me today!)

    Hand up for SOY/OAT - SOY milk is our staple for adding to recipes; Margaret uses it on her cereal

    Not much else to add

    Thanks Splynter and Michael

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  18. FIR and enjoyed it, but found myself erasing more than usual as perps made me reconsider my initial choices. DNK soccer player ALEXI, Pokemon trainer ASH, electrical unit MHO, or MELON salsa. I liked FOUND FAMILY, as many people find folks to fill in where birth families are wanting, and of course we FOUND a FAMILY in each of the theme answers.

    DH and I are FOUND FAMILY to the terriers we ADOPTed from a high kill shelter. They've been with us for 15 years.

    Many thanks to Michael Berg, to Patti, and to Splynter.

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  19. Pete
    Concerning ASAP vs STAT, is it possible to get something sooner than it is possible to get?

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  20. Another day, and another fun puzzle! Dare I hope that the string will continue? Only time will tell. Nice recap by Splynter to top things off, too! ATF is now ATFE? Oh, no! Don' tell me that F Troop now gets to play around with explosives! Perhaps they can get advice from Wiley Coyote.

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  21. Thanks to Michael for a fun solve. FAVs: DEAD WRONG and the clue for POLAROIDS

    As always, I enjoyed your Wed. write-up, Splynter. Thanks for the link to the organ update. very cool that you are a part of that. Why is FBI stenciled on some of the boxes?
    Also loved the CHUCK Norris "facts".
    = )

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  22. Yes, WILEY would fit in at Atf. He sometimes moves FAST, and often seems FURIOUS. He does tend to go a little WACO at times, but that probably would not hurt with FTROOP!

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  23. Hola!

    Wednesday fun! Thank you, Michael. This puzzle felt like a WALK IN THE PARK.
    My choice for salsa is never MILD but not scathingly hot either.
    I, too, thought diaper cloth would be the kind of cloth, not the WIPE, but it filled nicely.
    Lisa See is an author from whom I've learned something about KABUKI THEATER. I love her books.
    Mexican style restaurants around here often have a variety of salsas including MELON. Salsa in that sense is more of a salad, not the kind you would shake from a bottle.
    LOU (Reed) is perched above MUSIC! I love that!
    If it wasn't for XWDS I would not know today's singers and entertainers including TRACY Chapman. Adele, however, is a headliner but I'm not familiar with any particular songs. Thank you, perps, and good guessing.

    It's good reading you all. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

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  24. Wow, I can't believe how fast I managed to FIR! I did not notice the theme until I finished the CW: veery nice. There were some DNKs but they perped easily. I agree 100% with Splynter: I watched ELF and could not believe how BAD it was. Worst. Movie. Ever. (Except one, some horror movie I can't recall the name of). I was surprised to see Jinx finds it entertaining, but there ya goes: different tastes. Splynter, I loved your 'sumo vans" picture! Where do you FIND such things? Anyway, thanx MBB for the fun, and thanx Splynter for the excellent write-up. I hope everyone has a great 4th of July holiday!

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  25. Hello Splynt and all. A DNF today due to a brain freeze. the "Pictures that don't need to be shaken" had me stumped. The first letters of PTA and OAT and I couldn't decide between IPOD and IPAD. But I had OATmeal for breakfast today. The rest was easy and the circles gave away the family ties.

    ELF- thanks for the movie review. Now I know I'll never watch it.

    Just a few unknowns-ELF, ALEXI, ASH, PEELE, MELON. BE has been eating HOT salsa & Chips since the 1960s. Drank milk with it until I turned 18 and then it was beer.

    "Take a Walk On The Wild Side" by LOU Reed- they won't play that on over the air radio these days. Not for the PC crowd.

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  26. I have never figured out why circles offend some people so intensely. Never heard the term FOUND FAMILY, but I get the idea and I enjoyed the theme. Hand up learning moment about MELON SALSA.

    We got to experience a bit of KIBUKI THEATER in Japan, but we were not allowed to take photos.

    MHO was a gimme for this electronic engineer. Always happy to see terms from engineering and science and not another forgettable sports person. It is also an inside joke to spell OHM backwards. Truly NERD humor and I plead guilty. NERDS are one FOUND FAMILY for me.

    I have quite a few GOSPEL CHOIR videos. But I want to share this one, even if the quality is less than perfect.

    The Soweto GOSPEL CHOIR did this audience participation impromptu performance outside the theater before their formal performance at UC Santa Barbara.

    Lucina Thank you for your late post yesterday. I sent you an email as I was curious to know more about what you got from that interview? Thanks!

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  27. I liked this puzzle somewhat, liked all your comments more, and liked Splynter's write-up even more.

    Chuckled at "something something crossword Morales = ESAI".

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  28. Hi there~!

    I got to cut out early from work today, as we had the truck full of organ from the National Cathedral unloaded in good time; now I get to read the comments from my blog readers, and then enjoy a four-day weekend~!

    sumdaze, the company I work for is Foley~Baker, Inc, and it's a bonus because we see less trouble in certain areas due to the "FBI" coincidence~!

    I agree, Jinx, that as a union, UPS will find it difficult to keep up with Amazon in the delivery business.

    Irish Miss, I don't know how I missed the higher count of TLW this time over last time....

    Thanks all, for the comments and compliments~!

    Splynter

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  29. Uncle Fred, I haven't seen ELF. It was Anon @ 6:41 who likes it.

    Splynter, Somewhere I saw dark blue jackets being sold with the big orange "FBI" on the back. In small print on the bottom, it declared "Female Body Inspector."

    Ray-O, hope you handled everything well, despite the HANES mixup.

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  30. Hi All!

    Thanks Michael for the easy Wednesday with some learning [see: KITH].

    Fantastic expo, Splynter. LOL "Gene Simmons'" picture and CHUCK Norris.

    WOs: ESAu
    ESPs: ALEXI, ASH as clued.
    Fav: PEELE of Key & Peele.

    I was looking for "verde" at Salsa. Nada.

    Mho (conductance) is the inverse of ohm (resistance) -- and ohm spelled backwards. //I see Picard mentioned that.

    Y'all have a happy 4th!

    Cheers, -T

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  31. MELON salsa? No, not ever touching the taste buds of this former Santa Fean (and now proud Tucsonan)! Viva la Salsa Roja y Salsa Verde!

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  32. Forgot to thank Splynter and Michael for the entertaining “4th Eve” fun: muchas gracias!

    ReplyDelete


  33. Another easy Wednesday puzzle, along with a stellar review by Splynter. What's not to like?

    Tomorrow is another day. Thursdays have not been a walk in the park lately. Let's see what tomorrow brings.

    Picard, to answer your question, some people do not care, or rather, could care less, about themes in crossword puzzles. For some, just being able to solve the puzzle is enough. Or perhaps their primary concern is about how quickly they can solve. For others, a theme brings an added dimension and joy to the successful solve. To each their own.

    Attribute - property - measurement
    Resistance - impedance - Ohms
    Conductance - admittance - Mohs

    2D. One with deep knowledge of a subject: NERD - of what subject can you say you're proud to be a NERD~?
    In my line of work, there were a select few people in their disciplines that we called SMEs. Subject Matter Experts. Nerd to some (or many), but SME to those that relied upon their expertise. Frex, a programmer may rely on the expertise of an SME in US Tax Code Law to code the intricacies of a filing program.

    Jinx, my boy (pictured) had a terrible time every 4th and NYE. The vet suggested Benadryl, and it helped. Not a panacea, but it did help. Best wishes that Zoe has an easy time tonight and tomorrow.

    Congratulations are in order to Husker Gary's cousin (and former student) Alec Bohm upon his selection as the National League starting third baseman in this year's Major League Baseball All Star team. He's improved every year in his 5 year MLB career, and to be recognized as an All Star starter is no small feat. He is a gamer, and I am a fan.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Picard:
    Thank you for the notice. I have been having problems logging on to my gmail; for some reason it is requiring more than the usual identification using my cell phone so I have not opened it lately, but I shall now do so.

    Happy Independence Day tomorrow!

    ReplyDelete

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