Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here.
Theme: 
We'll start things off with some appropriate background music and a funny dancing dog. Enjoy!
The Tokens ~ The Lion Sleeps Tonight ~ 1961
Constructor Catherine Cetta gives us these four themed clues:
18 Across. Virtual thumbs-up: LIKE BUTTON. 
23 Across. "You can't please everyone," for one: LIFE LESSON.
1. Onesie fastener: SNAP. "Onesies" and "any confusing similar terms" was trademarked by Gerber Childrenswear LLC in 2013.
5. Fourth-down option: PUNT. Seeing SNAP then PUNT makes me think we need an "oof!" video.
9. OshKosh __: B'GOSH. They make clothes for babies and young children. The OshKosh B'gosh brand is owned by Carter's. It looks like OshKosh calls their onesies (See 1-Across.) "Baby Short-Sleeve Bodysuits".
14. "All done!": TA-DA.
15. Puccini's "Nessun dorma," e.g.: ARIA. Here Luciano Pavarotti sings it (with subtitles!).
16. Bank offerings: LOANS. Here are some interesting statistics on the average American's debt.
17. Forgets to add an attachment, say: ERRS.
20. "West Side Story" role for Ariana and Rita: ANITA. Here is Rita Moreno (blue skirt) as Anita singing "A Boy Like That" (1961).
22. Film critic Roger: EBERT.
26. Hawaiian dance: HULA.
30. Did not stand: SAT.
31. Just a number, some say: AGE.
32. Postcardworthy: SCENIC. and 41 Across. 32-Across view: VISTA.
37. South American range: ANDES. The Earth's longest mountain chain is the ANDES.
42. Wringing wet: SOAKED.
43. Baseball unit: INNING.
45. Grassy tract: LEA.
46. "Vous ĂȘtes __": Paris map line: ICI. This is a clever play on the word "line". In this case, it is not a line drawn to represent a street. It is a "horizontal row of written characters" as in "the last line on the page".
49. Security camera letters: CCTV. Closed-Circuit TeleVision, a.k.a. "video surveillance"
54. British Columbia border state: IDAHO. Their border is only 45 mi. (72 k.) long.
56. Parts of Groucho Marx disguises: NOSES.
62. Actress Garr: TERI.
63. Stews (over): FRETS.
64. Weary sigh: AH,ME.
65. Parentheses shapes: ARCS. ( )
66. "Jumpin' Jack __": Rolling Stones hit: FLASH. At first I drew a blank but it's all right now. ♪
67. Ready to eat: RIPE. Oh, the food is ready to eat -- not the human.
68. Editor's "never mind": STET. Never mind always makes me think of Gilda Radner. Anyone else?
Down:
1. Takes an extra base: STEALS. baseball
2. "The Chronicles of __": C.S. Lewis series: NARNIA.
3. Floating aimlessly: ADRIFT.
4. Crafting adhesive: PASTE.
5. Good buddy: PAL.
6. Sch. in the smallest U.S. state: URI. The University of Rhode Island is a school.
7. Sneakers with swooshes: NIKES. Did you notice an abundance of track & field athletes sporting orange shoes during the Olympics? I did and I wanted to know why.
8. Billy Blanks fitness regimen: TAE BO. This is a group exercise class that incorporates some martial arts movements.
9. Make fuzzy: BLUR.
10. Received permission to proceed: GOT THE NOD.
11. Granola morsel: OAT.
12. Nestlé's __-Caps: SNO.
13. Cable channel with daily deals: HSN. Home Shopping Network
19. C-notes: BENS. C is the Roman numeral for 100 and BEN is short for Benjamin Franklin. His picture is on the $100 bill. Is this drug dealer lingo?
21. Nome resident: ALASKAN. Today in Nome the sun will rise at 7:05 a.m. and set at 11:02 p.m., making the day almost 16 hours long.
24. Omelet ingredients: EGGS.
25. Boarding pass assignments: SEATS.
27. Cancel, in a document: UNDO.
28. Property claim: LIEN.
29. Bldg. coolers: A/CS. Air Conditioners cool buildings. The houses in my neighborhood do not have A/C because we get a cool breeze from the ocean.
33. Peninsula northeast of Boston: CAPE ANN. Hand up for first having CAPE COD.
34. Protesters, often: ACTIVISTS.
35. P-like Greek letter: RHO. not to be confused with the Vietnamese soup, pho
38. Partner of Julie and Pete on "The Mod Squad": LINC.
39. "It just __ fair!": ISN'T. another LIFE LESSON
40. __-Ball: arcade game: SKEE.
41. Singer Damone: VIC. (1928 - 2018)
44. Happy: GLAD. "Happy/Glad" made me think of my favorite song from The Addams Family musical. Gomez (Nathan Lane) sings Happy/Sad to describe the complex emotions he feels watching his daughter grow up.
46. Magazine extra: INSERT.
47. Force: COERCE.
48. Refuse to take "no" for an answer: INSIST.
51. "Everybody's saying ... ": I HEAR ....
52. 2014 Winter Olympics city: SOCHI.
53. Itty-bitty bits: IOTAS.
55. Platter: DISH.
57. Amiss: OFF.
58. Latimes.com, for one: URL. Uniform Resource Locator
59. Herbal brew: TEA.
60. Rock concert need: AMP.
61. Casual top: TEE.
Here's the grid:
23 Across. "You can't please everyone," for one: LIFE LESSON.
38 Across. Tastes brownie batter before baking, perhaps: LICKS THE SPOON.
50 Across. Attend while muted, as a virtual company meeting: LISTEN IN ON.
 |
| Click to enlarge. |
And the reveal:
57 Across. Feline user of a pet door, and a feature of 18-, 23-, 38-, and 50-Across?: OUTSIDE CAT.
A LION is a member of the cat family. Also, the letters LI and ON are on the "outsides" of the answers to the themed clues. I noticed all of the LIs while solving; but, strangely, not the ONs.
Next, the lion's share of the grid:
Across:
1. Onesie fastener: SNAP. "Onesies" and "any confusing similar terms" was trademarked by Gerber Childrenswear LLC in 2013.
5. Fourth-down option: PUNT. Seeing SNAP then PUNT makes me think we need an "oof!" video.
9. OshKosh __: B'GOSH. They make clothes for babies and young children. The OshKosh B'gosh brand is owned by Carter's. It looks like OshKosh calls their onesies (See 1-Across.) "Baby Short-Sleeve Bodysuits".
15. Puccini's "Nessun dorma," e.g.: ARIA. Here Luciano Pavarotti sings it (with subtitles!).
16. Bank offerings: LOANS. Here are some interesting statistics on the average American's debt.
17. Forgets to add an attachment, say: ERRS.
 |
| Click to enlarge. |
20. "West Side Story" role for Ariana and Rita: ANITA. Here is Rita Moreno (blue skirt) as Anita singing "A Boy Like That" (1961).
22. Film critic Roger: EBERT.
26. Hawaiian dance: HULA.
30. Did not stand: SAT.
31. Just a number, some say: AGE.
32. Postcardworthy: SCENIC. and 41 Across. 32-Across view: VISTA.
 |
| Big Sur, CA |
34. Realm reached by the rainbow bridge Bifröst: ASGARD. At first I thought this might be a clue for IKEA. đ Marvel Comics Universe Fandom explanation
37. South American range: ANDES. The Earth's longest mountain chain is the ANDES.
42. Wringing wet: SOAKED.
43. Baseball unit: INNING.
45. Grassy tract: LEA.
46. "Vous ĂȘtes __": Paris map line: ICI. This is a clever play on the word "line". In this case, it is not a line drawn to represent a street. It is a "horizontal row of written characters" as in "the last line on the page".
 |
| Translation: You Are Here (ICI) and: Your shoelace is untied. |
49. Security camera letters: CCTV. Closed-Circuit TeleVision, a.k.a. "video surveillance"
54. British Columbia border state: IDAHO. Their border is only 45 mi. (72 k.) long.
56. Parts of Groucho Marx disguises: NOSES.
63. Stews (over): FRETS.
64. Weary sigh: AH,ME.
65. Parentheses shapes: ARCS. ( )
66. "Jumpin' Jack __": Rolling Stones hit: FLASH. At first I drew a blank but it's all right now. ♪
The Rolling Stones ~ Jumpin' Jack Flash ~ (1968)
trippy lyrics video
67. Ready to eat: RIPE. Oh, the food is ready to eat -- not the human.
68. Editor's "never mind": STET. Never mind always makes me think of Gilda Radner. Anyone else?
Saturday Night Live (1:21 min.)
1. Takes an extra base: STEALS. baseball
2. "The Chronicles of __": C.S. Lewis series: NARNIA.
3. Floating aimlessly: ADRIFT.
4. Crafting adhesive: PASTE.
5. Good buddy: PAL.
6. Sch. in the smallest U.S. state: URI. The University of Rhode Island is a school.
7. Sneakers with swooshes: NIKES. Did you notice an abundance of track & field athletes sporting orange shoes during the Olympics? I did and I wanted to know why.
Source: Pretty Purple Track Proves Popular in Paris "Sportswear brands such as Nike, Adidas, and Puma have also prepared for purple, producing shoes in lurid orange and yellow hues to clash with the track."
 |
| Mens' 10K Final (Yeah, I know. The track looks blue in this pic.) |
8. Billy Blanks fitness regimen: TAE BO. This is a group exercise class that incorporates some martial arts movements.
9. Make fuzzy: BLUR.
10. Received permission to proceed: GOT THE NOD.
 |
| Paul Newman ~ The Sting ~ 1973 |
12. Nestlé's __-Caps: SNO.
19. C-notes: BENS. C is the Roman numeral for 100 and BEN is short for Benjamin Franklin. His picture is on the $100 bill. Is this drug dealer lingo?
21. Nome resident: ALASKAN. Today in Nome the sun will rise at 7:05 a.m. and set at 11:02 p.m., making the day almost 16 hours long.
 |
| Hi inanehiker! |
24. Omelet ingredients: EGGS.
25. Boarding pass assignments: SEATS.
27. Cancel, in a document: UNDO.
28. Property claim: LIEN.
29. Bldg. coolers: A/CS. Air Conditioners cool buildings. The houses in my neighborhood do not have A/C because we get a cool breeze from the ocean.
33. Peninsula northeast of Boston: CAPE ANN. Hand up for first having CAPE COD.
34. Protesters, often: ACTIVISTS.
35. P-like Greek letter: RHO. not to be confused with the Vietnamese soup, pho
36. Distributed, as cards: DEALT.
38. Partner of Julie and Pete on "The Mod Squad": LINC.
 |
| I love the tagline: Justice never goes out of style. |
39. "It just __ fair!": ISN'T. another LIFE LESSON
40. __-Ball: arcade game: SKEE.
41. Singer Damone: VIC. (1928 - 2018)
44. Happy: GLAD. "Happy/Glad" made me think of my favorite song from The Addams Family musical. Gomez (Nathan Lane) sings Happy/Sad to describe the complex emotions he feels watching his daughter grow up.
46. Magazine extra: INSERT.
47. Force: COERCE.
48. Refuse to take "no" for an answer: INSIST.
51. "Everybody's saying ... ": I HEAR ....
52. 2014 Winter Olympics city: SOCHI.
 |
| scene from the Opening Ceremonies |
53. Itty-bitty bits: IOTAS.
55. Platter: DISH.
57. Amiss: OFF.
58. Latimes.com, for one: URL. Uniform Resource Locator
59. Herbal brew: TEA.
60. Rock concert need: AMP.
61. Casual top: TEE.
 |
| another LIFE LESSON |
Here's the grid:
Please lion up to add your comments below.
47 comments:
Other than the quick French lesson, there was nothing in this puzzle that caused me the slightest hesitation. This was a true Monday “walk in the park.” FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Catherine can take pride in today's lion-themed offering. See what I did there: LION/pride? But d-o failed to see the theme until sumdaze 'splained it. No stumbles, no Wite-Out, no nits.
LOANS: We paid off our former house loan in the early '90s and have carried zero debt since then. (I don't count credit card debt, since we pay the total amount every month.)
ACS: We had to replace our 20-year-old central air system this spring. Since the 20-year-old furnace is attached to the A/C condenser unit in the attic, we replaced it at the same time.
VIC: Vic Damone was a gimme, but I can imagine everyone under age 60 scratching their heads at that one.
LI sten up, I needed 4:38 today, but I won't go ON.
Too many proper names, especially for a Monday.
I didn't know today's French lesson, the Greek lesson, Linc, or Vic (as D-O predicted).
FIR without erasure. Hand up for seeing the LI but not the ON. I guess The Eagles were wrong - Catherine can hide my LION eyes.
CCTV has largely given way to virtually-closed circuit TV over IP. DirecTV and the phone companies used to [crossword favorite] make bank selling private video connections to big companies for multilocation meetings / presentations.
Nice Rolling Stones tie-in with today's Jumble.
Never heard of Billy Blanks, but I'm a big fan of Billy Bass.
I won 't share my first thoughts for "itty-bitty bits" since I already had __TAS.
I was a little taken aback by the average American debt link. "The average debt in America is $104,215 across mortgages, auto loans, student loans, and credit cards." The genius who wrote that bullet didn't notice that it does not include mortgages.
My credit rating is very high, and I wondered what it would take to max it out at 850. So I looked at their hints and got: 1) Too many accounts with balances, and 2) Two few accounts currently paid as agreed. How can both be true? What are my next steps?
Thanks to Catherine for the fun Monday morning romp. And thanks to sumdaze for the great explanations. Hard to believe that the day in NOME will be 12 hours long in just 34 days.
FIR, but I had to work to fill in Asgard and ici. Neither came to me. In the case of Asgard, I had no clue and it didn't help that the Greek letter I threw down was tau. That left a real mystery for me. Persistence finally won out.
Also, I threw down outside pet before cat, but that one was quickly corrected.
Overall though a very enjoyable puzzle. Happy Monday!
A fine creation by veteran constructor Catherine Cetta (not to be referred to as C.C. on here :). I agree with SubG that this was a perambulation in the (safari) park as I FIR in 9:31. Had to get the reveal to see the LI ON, and didn’t need circles!! I’m old enough to know VIC and EBERT, but didn’t know ASGARD or ANITA. “Fitness regimen” was an Ektorp for TAE BO, has anybody on here ever heard of Billy Blanks?
sumdaze ~ thank you for your analysis of today’s CW! Especially liked the forgotten attachment meme, the fumbling punter getting decked, the shrink and the frown, and the photo from Big Sur!
FLN Picard ~ condolences on your loss of your mom.
Good Morning:
I saw the Li On connection early on, but the reveal was still a cute surprise. Circles would have been overkill, as I'm sure Patti wisely decided. The only unknown was Asgard and there were no w/os, a sure sign of an easy peasy and rapid solve.
Thanks, Catherine, for a very pleasant start to the week and thanks, sumdaze, for a very pleasant start to my day. Hearing Pavarotti sing his signature Aria, Nessum Dorma never gets old, and seeing Zubin Mehta conducting him added another layer of enjoyment. I'm also a big Nathan Lane fan and was charmed by his rendition of the poignant Happy/Sad song, a song I've never heard before but absolutely loved! And it's always nice to be reminded of the wonderful talents from the past, i.e., Rita Moreno, Paul Newman, and Gilda Radner and, of course, Vic Damone!
FLN
Picard, sincere condolences on the recent loss of your mother.
Lucina, welcome back. Glad you enjoyed your trip.
Have a great day.
Forgot to mention that the best PUNT I ever saw was by the Saints circa 1993 against the Cowboys. The Cowboys were outplaying the Saints, and had them backed up near the Saints goal line. The Saints had a 3rd-and-forever situation, and opted for a surprise PUNT. That PUNT flew over all the defensive Cowboys, and rolled and tumbled all the way to the Cowboys one yard line before being touched by a Saints player. Making it more memorable was that I was there, not watching on TV.
Yes, a walk in the safari park today. I saw the LI beginnings right away. I needed the reveal to see the the ON for LION. Only one unknown, Billy Blanks. Perps had already supplied -AE BO. It had to be T. The other names were easy, favoring us elders.
I read 4 down option, punt. Why? I was looking for paste. Oh, it said 4th down,
I have a very high credit rating, but not perfect. I would need more credit accounts. I like to have it all on one card which I pay monthly. I use a second card very occasionally just to keep a backup open.
Musings
-A fun puzzle with a cat theme, a Sumdaze write-up, The Lion Sleeps Tonight and Nessun Dorma? Score!
-If you try to please everyone, you’ll please no one. Administrators make the big bucks to make decisions.
-Our Lily is definitely an INSIDE CAT. If she were outside at night, Joann would not sleep until she was inside.
-ASGARD filled from deep within my brain box
-The Rolling Stones are also featured in today’s Jumble
-Television violins? No, television violence. Emily Litella, “Never mind”.
-Baseball adage for base stealers: You can’t steal first base.
-INSERTS are fine. The ones that wrap around the outside of the newspaper are annoying.
-FORE!
Good morning. I noticed the LI beginnings but not the ONs at the end. The puzzle was filling rapidly and I didn't look for it. My OUTSIDE CAT is over 16 years old. Hardly ever leaves the backyard.
ARIA- don't know opera solos but with Puccini as a clue I filled aria.
ICI- all perps. What's that song by Herman's Hermits that has the line "Don't know much about the French I Took"? Neither do I.
CAPE ANN or COD- wait for a cross
ASGARD- the umlaut gave away that unknown
SOCHI- a few too many illegal drugs by the Russians got them kicked out of the Olympics. They had to kill thousands of stray dogs at the Olympic construction sites before the 2014 Olympics,
Yellowrocks--My Credit rating?- don't know and don't care. The last thing I financed was a 1979 Dodge. I have a credit freeze at all the Equifax, Experian, and TRW.
Big Easy ~ I think the song you are referring to is Sam Cooke’s “What a Wonderful World”.
Good Morning! I found a little bit of crunch in the SW, but not bad. Finished with a few WOs until it all came together.
WO: K -> C for LINC; C -> H for DISH
Perps for ASGARD, SOCHI, FLASH
I couldn’t find the theme. I never associated a pet door with a LION đČ
Thanks, sumdaze, you start the week off on a cheery note.
An uncomplicated Monday ☺️
Ana (Sp.), Anna (It.), Anne (Fr.) = ANN, ANITA, Annita, Annette = little ANN…Though ar first I got caught hanging out on CAPE Cod ANN helped me to FIR.
OK, so the theme ? …. 23a. contains the letters for “FELINE” and 38a. and 50a. each contain the letters for “LETS IN”. Is that it? (Ohhhh LION !!! Next time gimme sum circles. I’m impressed, those of you who figger’d it out đ).
I originally thought HI was smaller than RI and thus the HULA State took the smallest state title away from the Ocean State. Wrong!! But OTOH it’s true that the largest state title, formerly Texan, became ALASKAN after HI and AK see both joined the union.
I HEAR: “”Everybody’s talkin’ at me, I don’t hear a word they’re sayin’ ” (hearing aid jingle?)
So today Teri GARR is an “actress” not an actor.
Something of mine you get…. ADRIFT
Seat cushion at a football game….ASGARD đ«ąđ
If you don’t “parlez français”getting around Paris ain’t ___ ….ICI
Traveling from hotel to hotel ….. INNING
Last step in wrapping a present… TAEBO
It’s actually kind of dangerous to LICK THE SPOON from uncooked cake batter ….but Mom let me lick the eggbeaters all the time. (No not while the mixer was running wiseguy đĄ)
Just got a call from Subaru about my car repair bill. YIKES
Our non-Zhouqin C.C. (Catherine Cetta) treated us today to a delightful and satisfying opening-week puzzle. Thank you!
Yes, there were a few proper names, but in my view they were hardly obscure. I enjoyed seeing such honorable folks as Roger Ebert, Vic Damone, and Anita from "West Side Story."
My one run-in with a Natick occurred in the center, where ASGARD met RHO. Perps saved the day.
I guess I need to get out more: I did not know that a $100 bill was called a Ben.
Jinx, I loved hearing your first-hand account of the surprise punt. I believe in the element of "unexpectedness" in football. Coaches should try an onside kick more often, because, like a surprise punt, it is counter-intuitive--and therefore carries a good chance of success.
Catherine, I appreciate your getting the week off to a solid start with a fun and well-constructed challenge.
outside cat?
honorable mention...
Wow! No proper names I wasn’t familiar with, a cute theme, a nice recap from sumdaze, what’s not to like this morning.
Hi All!
Easy-peasy Monday puzzle. Thanks Catherine for the grid and cute theme.
Loved the expo, sumdaze! Thanks for the music. Oh, and Gilda Radner was one of the best.
WOs: aiNT -> ISNT, mOTeS -> IOTAS
ESPs: ICI, VIC
Fav: TERI Garr - Roll in ze Hay.
Violins on TV is LOL, HG.
I can carry a BENnnie tucked inside my wallet - just in case.
//I don't think it's only drug-dealers that have slang for cabbage, sumdaze.
BigE - ARIA was an ektorp :-) And, with the NPD breach et.al., we all need to freeze our credit.
Funny links CED! Glad to see you back in fine form.
Cheers, -T
Truly enjoyable Monday level CW, FIR in 10. One W/O, only because I wrote the fill in the wrong space. I failed to see the theme, might have seen it had I looked, but got the FIR and came here before searching for the theme. Last fill was ICI, needed all perps. Thanx other CC for the fine feline fun. Jinx, I read your comment about credit scores and have seen the same exact things you mentioned, and had the exact same thoughts. I too have a very high credit score, but it has come down because they say I'm not in debt enough. How does that make any sense? I don't really care what my credit score is anyway, but... Sumdaze thanx for the terrific write-up, all the fun videos, and especially for the punt fumble video. Was that the Packers recovering the fumble? I watched the first half of their pre-season game against the Broncos last night. Pack played SO BAD I couldn't bear to watch the second half. Someone commented about using surprise in play calling, and it is my pet peeve on Packers' coaching: Run, Run, Pass, Punt. Run, Run, Pass, Punt. Geez, Louise, TOO predictable. RosE mentioned a lion coming through the cat-door and my imagination really came up with an image! Thanx for that. Nice to start the week with a smile.
Monday fun day from Catherine and sumdaze! It was a SNAP from the get go!
LIONs are definitely OUTSIDE CATs, but in our time of declining wild animal populations, domestic cats belong indoors. "In the United States alone, outdoor cats kill approximately 2.4 billion birds every year" (American Bird Conservancy). Cats have contributed to the extinction of many species of birds, mammals, and reptiles.
One of my best friends adopted the cats she found living in her yard and turned them into grateful indoor cats. She rescues others living rough in her neighborhood, gets them veterinary attention, and finds loving indoor homes for them. Better for the cat, and better for our native wildlife.
Looks like everyone had a good time with this one.
IM@8:31. Thanks for saying something about the "Happy/Sad" song. Listening to it always takes me back to being at the live performance. The whole audience was moved.
Jinx@8:33. Do you remember who punted the ball? I don't mean the player but rather the position. It seems like the jig would be up if they brought the punter onto the field (in his clean uniform) on the 3rd down.
CED@10:12. LOL on the outside cat? meme
FLN. Lucina. I saw your late post. Thanks! That's funny about GC being the night visitor.
A fast and fun start to the week! A refreshingly straightforward outing, enhanced by the great collection of 'toons and tunes from sumdaze. What's not to like?
Hola! What a fine Monday morsel from a different C.C. Thank you, Catherine! My fourth grade class loved "The Chronicles of NARNIA". This was definitely a blast from the past with "The Mod Squad" and recalling LINC, VIC Damone, ANITA from West Side Story, and though it never gets old, the ARIA from Nessun Dorma. It was JFK who taught us "ICI". VISTA is also a city in California near Oceanside.
I, also, have a high credit rating.
During the summer ALASKAN nights require black-out curtains to keep out the midnight sun. If I hadn't experienced it I might have a hard time believing it. Have a wonderful day, everyone!
Fun puzzle Fun clues. How many of you are old enough to have actually watched the Mod Squad?
The $100 bill is sometimes called a "Benjamin" in the United States because of its portrait of Benjamin Franklin, hence the nickname Ben or Benny,
When someone tried to get credit in my name, Experian caught it. Now I use the credit rating agency to freeze my credit. I always pay my full bill and so have no interest charges,
Some thoughts on the “credit” industry…
The credit bureaus make the rules, and they referee the game as well.
No conflict of interest there at all.
My credit rating was 835… not a typo. I then finished paying off the 60 month loan on the car, every payment an electronic debit from my checking account, so never a late payment either.
I was looking forward to the change in rating when the paid loan was processed by the credit bureaus.
And there was a change…it went down 40 points.
“Your loan was cancelled by the lender”. Ummm…cancelled? It was a 60 month loan and it was paid off.
Also…they keep wanting you to increase your amount of open credit….”not enough credit accounts”…again, they make the rules up..
So I keep one credit card, I pay it off every month (which shows up as a balance because the card never has a zero balance and they cannot quite figure out the payment equals the previous balance.
Now it’s over 800 again but I scarcely care. And I pay zero attention to their helpful hints.
From Yesterday and Today:
sumdaze, Monkey, Anon at 5:14PM, Lucina, YooperPhil, Irish Miss Thank you for the kind words on the passing of my mother. A lot of mixed feelings. She was a good mother when it counted.
Interesting discussion about LOANS and credit. My UCSB Physics mentor and employer sold our company and retired when he turned 60. The company sold for about $250 million. He later tried to take out a loan for a million dollars to buy a house. He was refused because he was "unemployed".
I have a high credit rating. My bills are paid on time and paid off when warranted. At present I have a car loan which is on a five year plan. I'm on year two. The credit union is my primary lender as they have a low interest rate and I have been a member for over 25 years.
I had my drivers license and a dark green Mustang fastback before the first episode aired. It wasn't the '70s yet, so yes, I do remember watching it.
The ultimate first-world problem! (I'll bet he could have gotten a "complying loan," but what's the fun in that when you've [crossword favorite] made bank! I was amazed to read that a complying loan can be up to $766,000, more in high-cost counties. I think the limit was about $350,000 the last time I bought a house.
'Course, most houses were made of logs back in those days, and some had three-buggy garages.
NiomiZ inre: Cats & Birds...
Pop had 4 OUT door CATs he found abandoned by mama cat underneath his front porch. He took them out to the garage, fed them, and made a little bed under his workbench. He also built a spiffy ramp to the window of the garage so the cats could go in and out at will.
Pop doesn't like cats and is allergic to them (even though his DW had 2 indoor cats when they got married).
But that's not the story...
One afternoon, while visiting Pop, I was getting a glass of water and I looked out the window over the kitchen sink at the back yard.
One of the cats (Newman) was sitting in the birdbath ala Looney Tunes' Sylvester waiting on a bird to think he was a statue.
Water came out my nose.
Cheers, -T
I just read a bit about the new rules for kickoffs in the NFL this year. Here’s a brief (as possible) summation:
The kicking-team defenders line up at the opponents’ 40-yd line (and can’t go until the ball hits ground or player), the receiving team lines up 9 players between their 30-35 yd line. The kick can still be returned or, depending on where it lands, be placed as a touchback at either the 20, 30 or 40 yd line, respectively.
It didn’t get into onside kicks, but I can only assume that the kicking team will have to declare it beforehand, making surprise onside kicks a thing of the past (sorry Dad)!
sumdaze explained that "C is the Roman numeral for 100 and BEN is short for Benjamin Franklin. His picture is on the $100 bill."
I am seeing lots of comments where it is impossible to tell what they are replying to. Is this a feature or a bug of the new setup? Can people please tell us what they are replying to?
This song, originally written by Sam Cooke, Lou Adler, and Herb Alpert, was popularized by Herman’s Hermits in the 1960s. I never knew about of heard the Sam Cooke rendition it makes me wonder: Did Herb and the Tiajuana Brass also make an instrumental?
Yeah, good Monday.
The funniest thing for me was that I had a completely different interpretation of the theme: I thought that each of the long answers contained a word in a cat phrase (catlike, cat-life, cat lick), so that these words would be “outside” of the word, “cat”.
I just assumed the reveal clue was poorly written lol, and didn’t understand how “listen” fit in… Never saw the lion thing til I came here, so thank you, Sumdaze!
At a HOA meeting a couple of years ago, one of the owners complained about all the cats in the neighborhood. I told her they were there because of rats and if people would keep garbage cans sealed, the rats wouldn't be there, and the cats would disappear. And they did, with an assist from coyotes.
Edward in Los Angeles:
I don’t remember South Chicago hosting the Olympics.
Picard, I'll SEE you and raise you one. I have a friend who recently died. He was a plastic surgeon in LaJolla and lived in the Del Mar Country club Estates. Very expensive real estate. And he made a lot of money. At his daughter's wedding about 10 years ago, he told me that he was turned down when he tried to refinance his house because the value had dropped over 50%.
PLEASE SAY WHO YOU ARE REPLYING TO. On a computer, there is no way to know. THANKS!
Big Easy Thanks for that story. Not sure which is more insane. My mentor challenged the bank, noting that he had many millions in his account in their bank. And he just wanted to borrow one million. They said he might take the money out. He pointed out that if he were "employed" he might lose his job. Which is the bigger risk? It seems a number of people here have pointed out the absurdities in the LOANS and credit system.
I liked this puzzle and sumdaze's write-up. Enjoyed reading all your comments too.
I remember Bob Acosta, the sports announcer, pronouncing SOCHI as "Soshee." Trying too hard to sound all sophisticated and chic, I guess. All it did was grate on my ears and further confirm my low opinion of him. He's also the guy who started (mis)pronouncing Beijing as "Bei zhing". Phony French "j" sound. It's "jing" folks, as in "jing a ling".
No need. We love the new program.
No need. We love the new program.
I believe that was Bob Costas
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