sumdaze here. I believe congratulations are in order for our constructor, Ajay Bhargava, for his LA Times debut! I am 99% sure this is A.B. and this is his puzzle, published in UC Berkeley's newspaper this past July. It looks like he is off to a running start!
Theme: Pace Yourself
The three themed clues are:
20 Across. Exciting end to a baseball game: WALK-OFF HOMER. This is a home run that ends the game. For this to happen, it must be the bottom of the final inning and the home run puts enough points on the scoreboard to beat the other team, who, at that point, will not have another opportunity to score runs of their own. Fun Walk-Off Home Run Stats
Here's one for The Corner's biggest Mets fan (1:06 min.):
Also, in case you missed it, a WALK-OFF bunt recently made the news. Little League World Series Final
33 Across. Review class notes, e.g.: JOG ONE'S MEMORY. 
43 Across. Grammatical flaw that may be fixed with a semicolon: RUN ON SENTENCE.
And the reveal:
59 Across. Welcome break in one's routine, or the progression found at the starts of 20-, 33-, and 43-Across: CHANGE OF PACE.
The starts of the three themed clues are each a PACE. Furthermore the PACE quickens from a WALK to a JOG to a RUN. In other words, the PACE CHANGEs.
I especially like the way Ajay used phrases that transform the meanings of WALK, JOG, and RUN. Well done! and BRAVO, Ajay!
Let's trot on ahead to the remaining clues....
Across:
28. __-ray: video format: BLU.
29. Valuable mineral: ORE.
31. "Descendants: The Rise of Red" star Rita: ORA. She plays the villain in this 2024 film available on Disney+.
38. Devoted fan, in slang: STAN. I think most of us now know this term for a superfan/stalker fan. If not, please see my blog from last Monday #25-D.
39. Settle the bill: PAY.
40. Follow closely behind: TAIL. Def. (verb) to follow for purposes of surveillance.
71. Department with quotas, maybe: SALES.
72. Farm pen: STY.
73. __ boom: SONIC. The X-1, piloted by Captain Chuck Yeager, was the first plane to fly faster than the speed of sound, thereby creating the first SONIC boom, on October 14, 1947.
Down:
1. "Mic Drop" K-pop septet: BTS. This song was released in 2018. Here is the video.
1. "Well done!": BRAVO. Early in The Phantom of the Opera, Christine sings Think of Me. Raoul recognizes her as his childhood friend. He stands up and yells, "BRAVO!" at 2:19.
6. Album insert, briefly: PIC. I had to change my thinking from "record album" to "photo album".
9. Amazon or Adidas: BRAND. While I do appreciate alliteration, vocalic or otherwise, I did not care for the categorical mismatch in this clue. Perhaps Asics and Adidas would be a better fit.
14. Discussion theme: TOPIC.
15. Tumult: ADO.
16. Like some Hitchcock scenes: EERIE. Here is the Bell Tower scene from Vertigo (1958), starring Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak (2:23 min.). The scene was filmed at Mission San Juan Bautista, about 45 miles (72 km.) south of San Jose, CA.
17. Like the taste of 23- and 25-Down: SWEET. The answers to those clues are PBJS and SUGAR, respectively.
18. Hoop edge: RIM.
19. Lacking company: ALONE.
23. Collect $200 in Monopoly: PASS GO.
26. Radial, to a Brit: TYRE. TYRE is the British spelling of "tire".
27. "What __ the odds?": ARE.
6. Album insert, briefly: PIC. I had to change my thinking from "record album" to "photo album".
9. Amazon or Adidas: BRAND. While I do appreciate alliteration, vocalic or otherwise, I did not care for the categorical mismatch in this clue. Perhaps Asics and Adidas would be a better fit.
14. Discussion theme: TOPIC.
15. Tumult: ADO.
16. Like some Hitchcock scenes: EERIE. Here is the Bell Tower scene from Vertigo (1958), starring Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak (2:23 min.). The scene was filmed at Mission San Juan Bautista, about 45 miles (72 km.) south of San Jose, CA.
17. Like the taste of 23- and 25-Down: SWEET. The answers to those clues are PBJS and SUGAR, respectively.
18. Hoop edge: RIM.
19. Lacking company: ALONE.
23. Collect $200 in Monopoly: PASS GO.
26. Radial, to a Brit: TYRE. TYRE is the British spelling of "tire".
27. "What __ the odds?": ARE.
Barenaked Ladies ~ Odds Are ~ (2013)
28. __-ray: video format: BLU.
29. Valuable mineral: ORE.
31. "Descendants: The Rise of Red" star Rita: ORA. She plays the villain in this 2024 film available on Disney+.
38. Devoted fan, in slang: STAN. I think most of us now know this term for a superfan/stalker fan. If not, please see my blog from last Monday #25-D.
39. Settle the bill: PAY.
40. Follow closely behind: TAIL. Def. (verb) to follow for purposes of surveillance.
Inspector Clouseau was a master at disguise while conducting surveillance of unsuspecting criminals. (2 min.)
48. Underwater vessel: SUB. SUBmarine
49. __ Paulo, Brazil: SAO.
50. Barbie's bae: KEN. The Barbie movie portrayed Ken not so much as her bae but more as a forever #2 to Barbie. He had to work though an inferiority complex.
51. Rep for NY-14: AOC. a lot of abbreviations for Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
54. Top Olympic prize: GOLD.
57. Wallet holders: PURSES.
62. 1950s FLOTUS: MAMIE. Mamie Eisenhower [1896 - 1979] was the First Lady Of The United States from 1953 to 1961. She met future POTUS #34 Dwight D. Eisenhower in Colorado in 1915. They were married the following year. more about Mamie
63. Actor Mahershala: ALI. He has won two Oscars: Moonlight (2016) and Green Book (2018).
64. URL letters next to a padlock icon: HTTPS. Chrome replaced the padlock with the Tune icon. more about the change
68. Put up, as a skyscraper: ERECT.
69. __ Geo Wild: NAT.
70. Use the back end of a pencil: ERASE.
48. Underwater vessel: SUB. SUBmarine
49. __ Paulo, Brazil: SAO.
50. Barbie's bae: KEN. The Barbie movie portrayed Ken not so much as her bae but more as a forever #2 to Barbie. He had to work though an inferiority complex.
 |
| I am KENough. |
51. Rep for NY-14: AOC. a lot of abbreviations for Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
54. Top Olympic prize: GOLD.
57. Wallet holders: PURSES.
 |
| Hand up if you are a DH who fearlessly holds your DW's purse. |
62. 1950s FLOTUS: MAMIE. Mamie Eisenhower [1896 - 1979] was the First Lady Of The United States from 1953 to 1961. She met future POTUS #34 Dwight D. Eisenhower in Colorado in 1915. They were married the following year. more about Mamie
63. Actor Mahershala: ALI. He has won two Oscars: Moonlight (2016) and Green Book (2018).
64. URL letters next to a padlock icon: HTTPS. Chrome replaced the padlock with the Tune icon. more about the change
68. Put up, as a skyscraper: ERECT.
69. __ Geo Wild: NAT.
70. Use the back end of a pencil: ERASE.
Johnny drew a monster.
The monster chased him.
Just in time,
Johnny erased him.
author unknown
71. Department with quotas, maybe: SALES.
72. Farm pen: STY.
"Put the spurs to her, Chuck."
The Right Stuff ~ Sam Shepard ~ (1983)
Down:
1. "Mic Drop" K-pop septet: BTS. This song was released in 2018. Here is the video.
Note: ATLGranny (I miss her) taught me this memory trick: Boys That Sing. This is the first time I've watched one of their videos. Now I think they are BTSAD (Boys That Sing And Dance).
2. One of 15 in a typical daily crossword: ROW. This was my favorite clue today! Most Mon.-Sat. grids are 15 X 15.
3. Donkey Kong, for one: APE. The first Donkey Kong video game was released in 1981 by Nintendo. The story is that designer Shigeru Miyamoto thought "Kong" meant gorilla in English. He wanted to use "Kong" as the last name and came up with "Donkey" as the first name, which he thought meant "stupid" in English.
4. YouTube units: VIEWS. The BTS video I embedded for 1-Down had 1.4 billion VIEWS. Holy mackerel!!
5. Stop sign shape: OCTAGON.
6. The "P" of PRNDL: PARK. This one felt familiar but took a while to place...probably because I drive a stick.
7. "D'oh! Why did I do that!?": IDIOT.
8. Snug: COMFY.
9. Save the day: BE A HERO. I am happy to share this story from my local news about a 13-year-old boy who recently saved a 7-year-old boy from drowning.
10. Transfer to a new city, casually: RELO. RELOcate. In the military it is called a PCS (Permanent Change of Station).
11. Cologne feature: AROMA.
12. SF NFLer: NINER. and 37 Down. Bronx team, familiarly: YANKS. and 44 Down. Denver NBA team: NUGGETS.
2. One of 15 in a typical daily crossword: ROW. This was my favorite clue today! Most Mon.-Sat. grids are 15 X 15.
3. Donkey Kong, for one: APE. The first Donkey Kong video game was released in 1981 by Nintendo. The story is that designer Shigeru Miyamoto thought "Kong" meant gorilla in English. He wanted to use "Kong" as the last name and came up with "Donkey" as the first name, which he thought meant "stupid" in English.
 |
| Mario (left) was a protagonist in the original Donkey Kong game. |
4. YouTube units: VIEWS. The BTS video I embedded for 1-Down had 1.4 billion VIEWS. Holy mackerel!!
5. Stop sign shape: OCTAGON.
6. The "P" of PRNDL: PARK. This one felt familiar but took a while to place...probably because I drive a stick.
7. "D'oh! Why did I do that!?": IDIOT.
8. Snug: COMFY.
9. Save the day: BE A HERO. I am happy to share this story from my local news about a 13-year-old boy who recently saved a 7-year-old boy from drowning.
10. Transfer to a new city, casually: RELO. RELOcate. In the military it is called a PCS (Permanent Change of Station).
11. Cologne feature: AROMA.
12. SF NFLer: NINER. and 37 Down. Bronx team, familiarly: YANKS. and 44 Down. Denver NBA team: NUGGETS.
football, baseball (Yankees), and basketball
13. John __ tractors: DEERE.
21. Legends and such: LORE.
22. Flight booking word: FROM.
23. Sammies with two spreads: PBJS. "Sandwiches" is shortened, cluing the initialism for "Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches".
24. So, so much: A LOT.
25. Icing ingredient: SUGAR. Get ready to dance because here are The Archies with Sugar, Sugar (1969):
13. John __ tractors: DEERE.
21. Legends and such: LORE.
22. Flight booking word: FROM.
23. Sammies with two spreads: PBJS. "Sandwiches" is shortened, cluing the initialism for "Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches".
24. So, so much: A LOT.
25. Icing ingredient: SUGAR. Get ready to dance because here are The Archies with Sugar, Sugar (1969):
30. Network that airs Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest: ESPN.
Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti, 39, won the 2024 Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest by stuffing down 58 hot dogs (and buns!) in 10 minutes. Patrick also won the first-ever world poutine eating competition in Toronto.
32. Museo display: ARTE. "Museo" is a clue that the answer will be a foreign spelling for "art".
34. Heavy burden: ONUS.
35. More, in Spanish: MAS. "In Spanish" is a clue that the answer will be a foreign spelling for "more". 😜😜
36. Spots on potatoes: EYES. I liked the clever play on the word spots.
41. Drink whose logo has frosted letters: ICEE. 
42. Microscope piece: LENS.
45. Woodwind section member: OBOE.
46. California wine valley: NAPA.
47. Deeply moves: TOUCHES.
51. Topmost points: ACMES.
52. "The Parent Trap" actress Maureen: O'HARA. [1920 - 2015] She played the mom.
32. Museo display: ARTE. "Museo" is a clue that the answer will be a foreign spelling for "art".
34. Heavy burden: ONUS.
35. More, in Spanish: MAS. "In Spanish" is a clue that the answer will be a foreign spelling for "more". 😜😜
36. Spots on potatoes: EYES. I liked the clever play on the word spots.
45. Woodwind section member: OBOE.
46. California wine valley: NAPA.
47. Deeply moves: TOUCHES.
51. Topmost points: ACMES.
52. "The Parent Trap" actress Maureen: O'HARA. [1920 - 2015] She played the mom.
My last box was to change O'HARe to O'HARA to make 71-Across work. BTW, O'Hare is the airport in Chicago (ORD).
53. Caravan creature: CAMEL. Japanese artist Ikua Hirayama [1930 - 2009] created many CAMEL caravan paintings as part of his Silkroad collection. more
55. Transactions with interest: LOANS.
56. C sharp equivalent: D-FLAT.
58. In style again: RETRO.
60. Pleasant: NICE.
61. "Bummer": PITY.
65. Sunbather's goal: TAN.
66. Pitchfork-shaped Greek letter: PSI.
67. "Just gimme a __!": SEC.
53. Caravan creature: CAMEL. Japanese artist Ikua Hirayama [1930 - 2009] created many CAMEL caravan paintings as part of his Silkroad collection. more
55. Transactions with interest: LOANS.
56. C sharp equivalent: D-FLAT.
60. Pleasant: NICE.
61. "Bummer": PITY.
65. Sunbather's goal: TAN.
66. Pitchfork-shaped Greek letter: PSI.
 |
| Upper case (left) and Lower case PSI |
Here is the completed grid: 
That's all for today. Time to skip on outta here! Have a safe holiday, everyone!
I went through this puzzle at lightning speed, pausing only briefly at “AOC” and “Stan.” It was another Monday “walk in the park” to me. I imagine that most of you other cruciverbalists will agree. FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteNo problem, no drama. BEAHERO took a little parsing, but otherwise it was a race to the bottom. Thanx, Ajay (do you spell it A.J.? Nice debut.) and sumdaze.
MAS: Learned that word back in the '70s when I spent a month in Coatzaqualcos one week. "Una MAS cerveza por favor."
And "¿Dónde está el baño?"
DeleteFIR, but erased hexagon for OCTAGON. (In keeping with D-O, I spent a year one semester studying geometry.)
ReplyDeleteBrits put their spare TYREs in their boots. Must make it hard to walk.
Olympic GOLD medal golfer Scottie Scheffler won the FexEx Championship yesterday. The $25 million first place payout nearly doubled his previous 2024 prize money total. (His caddie has earned a little over $5 million this year.)
I love Nat Geo Wild. Dr. Pol, Dr. Oakley, Critter Fixers and the Secrets of the Zoo shows are terrific.
So "Donkey Kong" is the name of the character as well as the game? Learn something new every day.
We had a car where "Reverse" was the very bottom selection. I think the feds standardized the pattern shortly thereafter.
ESPN? Not so fast there, DirecTV customer. Maybe in a month or two.
DW has lost interest in eating. I'm going to make PBJ for her today to see if she'll bite. I'm also getting some ice cream for her, although I know I won't be able to stay out of it. Unfortunately, she can no longer communicate when or why she doesn't like something - or what she would like to eat - so it's a guessing game.
Thanks to Ajay for the fun Monday. Good thing you aren't O'Jays, or I woudl think that you might be one of the Back Stabbers. And thanks to sumdaze for another stellar review, especially the uplifting song from those Barenaked Ladies.
Jinx, you have a very heavy cross to bear. Stay strong. 🙏
DeleteCongrats Ajay, and thank you, sumdaze.
ReplyDelete2D - One of 15 in a typical crossword - According to some, the answer should be NAME if the clue is about LA Times crossword puzzles.
This silly driving lesson scene cracked me up: The PRNDL
"The BTS video I embedded for 1-Down had 1.4 billion VIEWS. Holy mackerel!!" And, it has over 3M comments!
I never saw the clue and answer for MAMIE until reading the review.
BTW, the actress in the PRNDL video above is Brenda Song. The clue for DISNEY STAR in the Saturday, August 24th puzzle was "Brenda Song, once"
DeleteThe prndl link is broken
DeleteOK, here's the link directly to YouTube: The PRNDL
DeleteTTP - Youngest saw the Aug 24 puzzle and when I asked, "Who's Brenda Song?" she said, "Think PRiNDL." :-)
DeleteTook 3:52 today for me to trot through this one.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I finished, I thought our good buddy SubG would use "walk in the park" today, and as usual, he did not disappoint.
Welcome, Ajay. I understand this is your first LATimes puzzle. Nice job! And as a sports aficionado, I appreciated all the sports references: NINER (yay!); YANKS (boo!); and Nuggets (meh!). And that dramatic baseball occurrence, a WALKOFFHOMER.
ReplyDeleteAlso, if your name can be pronounced as if it were two letters (A.J.), I can think of many such sports personalities (AJ Pierzynski, AJ Foyt, AJ Pollock, and many others).
The puzzle is well-constructed, including an appropriate progression in the theme answers, from WALK to JOG to RUN, reflecting the CHANGE OF PACE.
Thanks for an enjoyable, fun and satisfying Monday-appropriate challenge.
I once played golf with a group of guys and two of them were AJ and JC. I called them Caesar. Augustus Joseph and Julio Cesar were their names.
DeleteGood Morning! Good puzzle to start the week. I encountered some places where the crisscross came one letter at a time but finished without a WO! Yay!
ReplyDeleteHow nice to have all familiar names & phrases.
Thanks, sumdaze, loved the Pink Panther clip! Classic fun!
FIR. I wasn't a fan of some of the cluing that resulted in idiot, be a hero, and stan, but persistence saw me through.
ReplyDeleteThe theme was clever, but was no help with the solve.
I did however enjoy the sports references, so there's that.
Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Ajay and sumdaze.
ReplyDeleteI FIRed in good time (hi Yooper Phil) and saw the CHANGE OF PACE theme early in the solve. (Only the RUN might win a GOLD medal.)
Two inkblots. Hexagon changed to OCTAGON (hi Jinx), and Rats to PITY.
Hand up for thinking PRNDL looked familiar - and then the gear shifted into place.
I noted ORA following ORE.
This Canadian should know AOC by now, but perps were needed.
BE A HERO took a while to parse.
At least the STAN clue was Monday-clear.
I wanted the cologne to have an Odour, but knew it would not have the U. Ah, AROMA fit.
Brits have TYRES but Canadians have Tires. Go figure.
Happy Labour Day.
FIR in typical Monday time (for me). Two W/Os: BTM/BTS, and VIDEO/VIEWS. I was thinking Boys To Men with the BTM error. O.K., I know, but I hadn't had my morning caffeine yet, so give me a break. Lack of being fully awake also led to not recognizing FLOTUS or PRNDL at first. Not all that many names, but of the names I only knew two, so needed some perps there. I guessed the theme with the very first theme clue, then once I had WALK, JOG, and RUN, thought the clue for 59A would lead to a fill of SCRAMBLEDEGG, as in WALK-JOG-RUN-SCRAMBLE. Obviously I thought wrong. Fun, appropriate Monday difficulty level CW, I enjoyed the time spent filling it, thanx, AB. Thanx too to Sumdaze for all the time and effort put into the write-up to make it both fun and informative...as always! Once again disappointed that the Bare Naked Ladies video didn't have any bare naked ladies. Dang!
ReplyDeleteJinx- my thoughts go out to you as you lovingly care for DH. How frustrating to try to guess at what she might prefer. BRAVO to you.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis was a perfect Monday puzzle, IMO: Proper difficulty level for newbies and a cute theme, with a clever reveal that would be readily understandable to the solver. There were no unknowns and no w/os but the many clusters of TLWs affected the otherwise smooth flow of the grid.
Thanks, Ajay and congrats on your debut, and thanks, sumdaze, for a top-notch review. I enjoyed the Phantom music, the bumbling Peter Sellers routine, and the account of the brave young boy who saved a life. Favorite comics were the Goldfish and the Porky parents! Your ASICS/Addidas example was not only more apropos alliteratively, but it might also have been a clever misdirection to guessing Shoes before Brand!
FLN
Picard, I hope you're none the worse for wear after your tumble! 😉
Yesterday's cookout at my nephews's was a lot of fun, especially catching up with seldom-seen relatives. The weather was beautiful, if a little on the hot side, but it cooled off later on with a nice breeze. This event christened their new, beautiful deck which is huge, 30' x 50'. I haven't done a head count yet, but there were oodles of children and adults.
Happy and safe Labor Day.
ReplyDeleteSome initial hesitation in the NW. But managed to WALK, JOG, and finally. RUN to FIR. 🚶🏃🏃♂️ Nice “daybyu” puzzle AJ!
Raoul, you should have yelled “Brava”
In 7th grade English class we would get a failing grade if our essay had even one RUNONSENTENCE which meant we would be at risk of failing the class because we didn’t know how to use a “semicolon” and we had to explain it to our parents so they’d get angry with us and wouldn’t let us play our transistor radios. 😰
“C sharp equivalent” hadda picture my piano’s keys 🎹. Not de sharp but D FLAT
Hitchcock scenes are often scary but today they are EERIE.
“One of 15 in a typical daily CW”? Proper Names wouldnt fit. 😉
💥 SONIC booms a once common sound from the 60’s
Hoagie, grinder or what could “be a hero” …. SUB
LOANS are what a bank___ … LENS
“Very interesting” Laugh-In Comedian Johnson….. ARTE
“Ya got me’s”…… TOUCHÉS
Happy Labor Day to workers and third trimester pregnant ladies at term 😄
For some reason I stumbled at first, but as got midway, there was a CHANGE OF PAC and I started filling the grid, then went back north and once I entered WALK OFF HOMER, which, not being a baseball fan, seemed odd but had to be.
ReplyDeleteI noticed ORE, ORA, ARE near each other. Just yesterday we had a clue involving skyscrapers .
Thank you sumdaze for some nice entries.
Jinx, I admire your devotion to your DW. She’s very lucky.
I wish it would be easier to review my posting; not only do I have an I and the E at the end of PACE missing, but I have a RUNON SENTENCE. IDIOT me. After to be, I should have inserted I knew before had to be.
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-51F on the prairie this morning. A good cup ‘o coffee, a PBJ on a double-toasted English muffin, a nice puzzle and Renee’s always pleasant write-up have warmed me up.
-Back when pop music featured instrumentals, this was one of the best
-Basketball teams say they need a big man who can “protect the RIM”.
-People who rarely PAY the check are said to have alligator arms
-Been there, held that purse!
-Were BTS singing (lip synching) in Korean or English (like the subtitles)?
-Did anyone else play this early Donkey Kong?
-Around here, farmers are mostly either green (John DEERE) or red (Farmall).
- The only connection I ever made with my dad was baseball. This final scene still TOUCHES me today
-I fell in love with Haley Mills in The Parent Trap when I was 13
-Jinx, thinking of you.
-Did anyone else play this early Donkey Kong?
DeleteNot me. Pong, Pac Man, Space Invaders and Frogger were my primary time gobblers back when my trunk didn't have so many rings..
I'll see your Walk, Don't Run and raise you some Green Onions.
Ray-O @ 9:57am: I saw what you did there with that run-on sentence. LOL.
ReplyDeleteA real CHANGE OF PACE because I actually knew every single fill (if you count ORA and BTS). I had not idea what the show was, but a 3-letter fill after a clue with Rita in it means ORA should do the trick. "K-pop" means BTS. But I never saw the clues for TAIL, END, MAMIE, ERECT, SALES, or ALI as they were already filled by perps.
ReplyDeletePARK and PRNDL- neither of my cars has a L. Toyota is PRND and Mercedes is RND and P to the side of N. The shift for the Toyota transmission is mechanical; Mercedes is electronic.
AOC- proof you can graduate from college and be totally know nothing about the subject that was you major.
AROMA or ODOR- in the nose of the beholder; it either smells good or stinks.
Kyna like MTG
DeleteDesper-otto at 5:28 AM: you need to go back for another week in Coatzacoalcos -- or however long it takes to get the word order right: "Una cerveza MAS, por favor!"
ReplyDeleteJinx at 6:49 AM, you are twice the man you make yourself out to be. You know how to BE A HERO.
Ajay, thanks for a lovely puzzle, and sumdaze, thanks for making it extra SWEET by putting the icing on the cake.
Even though it was incorrect, it was effective. I did get some weird looks ordering beer for breakfast. I didn't trust the water.
DeleteI'm more likely to break up a run-on with a period/new sentence than with a semicolon.
ReplyDeleteHola! Happy Labor Day!
ReplyDeleteJinx, congratulations to you. You are showing us the meaning of your vows, "for better or for worse." I admire your dedication. BRAVO.
Since I solve the puzzle in ink, I don't have to ERASE but do, occasionally have to use wite-out.
Retirement brings about a definite CHANGE OF PACE.
NAPA is one of my favorite places to visit in California and I frequently correspond with Brother Ricardo of the Christian Brothers. Their monastery is at the top of a hill and although they established the vineyards there, they now rent them to others who run them and they have use of the name CHRISTIAN BROTHERS in their products. The brothers who reside there are now retired and many are sick.
IrishMiss, I'm so happy for you that you had a successful reunion with your relatives. I know what you mean by losing count of the many younger ones.
Have a safe, eventful day, everyone!
In teaching grammar, one of the hardest concepts to teach is the use of a semi-colon.
ReplyDeletei remember the Harbrace College Handbook with all those nitpicky rules. Most of us went by it just to get through college English. Science and math courses didn't need it. Neither did the 16 credit hours of German.
DeleteSuper puzzle (congrats, Ajay) and wonderful review (thanks, sumdaze). Jinx, it's a privilege to pray for you and your DW every morning.
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle today. The friendly perps helped immensely with any unknown names. Thanks, Ajay - and welcome!
ReplyDeleteSumdaze’s tour was especially fun. Phantom is my favorite musical of all (well, except for Oklahoma!) time so I
appreciated the clip. The Little League clip was so poignant - a tough loss for Taipei, but the empathy for them shown by the winning team, with hugs, was lovely.
Jinx, my heart goes out to you and your DW. My brother in law went through the same thing, and he was a hero, just as you are.
From Yesterday and Today:
ReplyDeleteYellowrocks, NaomiZ, Monkey, Lucina, Irish Miss Thank you for the good wishes and concern. I am relieved to have made it through three nights without any dramatic concussion issues, so I think I am safe. My wrist is the big problem now. Lots of ICE BAGS.
Lucina I did not know about Liam Neesan's late wife, Natasha Richardson. I looked it up. Very sad.
I was hiking with two friends. Henk was the big Dutch guy leading the way. Danielle is my dear companion for hiking and unicycling. Henk took off way too fast at the start and I asked him please to slow down. He only has one speed. I got tired before even beginning the very challenging part that involved a long steep climb and lots of rock hopping in a stream bed. It was one of those rock hops coming back down that got me. I am pretty sure it was the exhaustion at the start that was the problem.
There is more to the story, but I am grateful to Danielle for driving me home and checking on me. Thanks!
Picard, sorry to hear about your climbing accident. Hopefully your recovery will continue quickly.
DeleteHand up this was a fun, smooth Monday with a simple theme.
ReplyDeleteTTP Thanks for that PRNDL video clip. I never heard of that show. Hilarious and so close to reality. Good to know that was BRENDA SONG.
sumdaze Thanks for that CAMEL art. We went to that Ikua Hirayama museum near Hiroshima and I have photos of his CAMEL art there. How did you know about this? Have you been there, too?
Here we posed on a CAMEL in Israel.
I have shared the more dramatic CAMEL photo of us at Petra in Jordan, but I don't think I have shared this one.
Ach! I wasn’t signed in for my “Get Better Wishes” above. And the camel photo is great also. You have so many great photos from your travels.
ReplyDeleteAmen to Jinx….from Jerry in Michigan
DeleteThanks to all of your warm thoughts as I go through this sad journey with my wife.
ReplyDeleteLucina, I haven't told this story before, but your comment prompts me to do so now.
A couple of years ago we were on a camping trip on the beautiful Piankatank River. We drove to a nearby father-and-son BBQ joint for lunch. It is a small place where customers go inside to place and pick up their orders, and either take their food to go, or sit at one of the handful of picnic tables outside.
I asked my wife to wait outside and hold the dog while I went inside to get our food. When i returned, a nice lady was with my wife, and told me that my wife appeared to be walking away from the store. I thanked her, and she told me she had just gone through the same journey with a relative. She looked and sounded like her formal education may have stopped around the 7th grade, but she was very comforting. She told me that when we got married, I took that vow "for better and for worse, and in sickness and in health." She added that when I answered "I do," God added a promise that he would be there to help.
Earlier this year I was telling this story to my daughter-in-law. She asked me if I had seen her there before. When I said that I hadn't, she asked "did you ever consider that she might have been sent by God to comfort you and to give you strength?" I tear up every time I think of either or both both exchanges.
Thank you for triggering these potent memories.
My heart goes out to you Jinx - Paul from Akron
DeleteJinx, you are an inspiration of strength and courage. You're in my prayers.
DeleteFinally a GOOD puzzle!!
ReplyDeleteTTP@7:29. Thanks for linking that PRNDL clip. Good one!
ReplyDeleteH-Gary@10:18. Nice tie-in with The Ventures! Also, thanks for answering the purse question. = )
Jinx@6:49. Adding to the "warm thoughts" for you and DW.
IM@9:47. I'm happy to hear you had a lovely day with your extended family and congrats on your milestone with that other puzzle (I forgot its name).
Picard@1:28. Yes, I have been to that museum. DH bought a print similar to the one I posted.
Ray-O@9:57. RE: BRAVO. I was thinking about that, too, because of that recent puzzle. IIRC, in Spanish, the masculine form of an adjective is used even if there are 100 women and only 1 man. I assume BRAVO would match an applause for everyone on the stage & in the orchestra pit. Is this how it is in Italian?
FLW (from last week)
Picard. Sorry to hear about your fall. Keep an eye on that wrist. You might want to get it x-rayed.
NaomiZ. Very sorry to hear about your dog. They teach us many things. Unfortunately one is how much a heart can ache.
Lemonade. Wishing you a very belated Happy Birthday!
Italian collective form of BRAVO (mixed men and women) would be “ bravi” . A group of only women would be “brave” (BRAH veh), only men BRAVI . And if really outstanding would be “bravissimo” etc etc etc 😊
ReplyDeletePicard and sumdaze, that was a fun little video clip, wasn't it?
ReplyDeleteI was trying to identify the car. I was confident it was a BMW, but it didn't the emblem at the front of the hood. I scanned through the comments and someone ID'ed it as a BMW 645ci. I was satisfied with that.
But wait, there's more. Someone made a comment that the PRNDL joke was actually a riff on a joke by Lisa Douglass (Eva Gabor) from a Green Acres episode where she is taking lessons to learn to drive.
I found it. Here's Lisa getting a driving lesson (cued to start at about 2:50 in) : Green Acres S2E47 "School Days" Jan 4, 1967
I still like the 2005 version better than the 1967 version. It fits better with the PRNDL answer.
Carissimo Jinx: We humans are really powerless ... I remember a popular line from the 50s, about 'being the master of my fate, the captain of my soul' ... except when it matters.
ReplyDelete