Saturday, Sep15th, 2012, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: None

Words: 70

Blocks: 29

This would be Jeffrey's first LAT puzzle, based on the history of the blog - there isn't even a link to his name, so I would say congratulations are in order~!!! (I did find a link to another CW of his, but....). Sadly, I have to concede a DNF (Did Not Finish) this time, as the NW corner was left partially unfilled by my allotted time....ah, well, every now and then I have to have a learning moment. Not a terribly daunting grid, triple stacks of 8's and 9's, and a smattering of 8's and 7's along the way. Some odd parsings;

2D. Confident declaration : I SURE CAN - Can you solve this puzzle in short time? "I SURE CAN'T"

53A. Repulsive : UGLY AS SIN - I can hear my mother saying this when I was a kid; there are some actresses that make me wonder how they got their jobs in front of a camera - want to know who?

12D. Ont. site of a War of 1812 battle : FT. ERIE - When I had F and T, I thought, "no, that can't be right", but then the V-8 can came sailing in....Some history here

36D. Popular burning spot : DVD DRIVE - Dah~! I had "---DRIVE" and couldn't figure out the rest; and the "D" for Cholesterol names, either H-DL or L-DL had to be right, so fooD drive, blooD drive~??? It won't fit ~!!!

Onward....

ACROSS:

1. Twisted : SICK - not BENT; I had the "C" from CAME NEXT, so I tried RACY, too - hey, my mind is SICK and TWISTED and RACY, like the DF types on the blog....

5. Completed : CAPPED OFF - Capped off a great weekend in July with a huge bonfire

14. Virtually done deal? : E-SALE - knew it would be "E" something....

16. Pure as the driven snow : LILY WHITE - you can kiss my lily white 'uglyassin'

17. Light unit : LUMEN - pretty sure it was not WATT(S)

18. Mentalist who failed to bend Johnny Carson's spoons : URI GELLER - before my time, but I was pretty confident this was right

19. Out : FREED - too many options for the term "OUT", so I had to wait on this

20. Rips into : SLAMS - not TEARS or REAMS

21. Go down the wrong path : ERR

22. Brooding sort? : HEN

23. Like some ball gowns : SATINY - my first thought; I didn't fill it in because I thought it was a bit cheesy; then I had S----Y, so....

25. Cheese originally from the department now called Seine-et-Marne : BRIE - not BLEU, but enough to get going

26. Prevented a return from : ACED - ah, tennis; I had ICED because I was thinking along a different line

28. Safari setup : TENT

29. Troubled : BESET - makes me think of this movie quote @1:09 (language~!)

30. Expense account item : TAXI FARE

32. The younger Hardy boy : JOE - the only thing I know about the Hardy Boys was the TV show that was on when I was about 8

33. Involves : ENTAILS

34. Canines : CUSPIDS - crossing 29D. Top dog : BOSS - had me on the wrong wavelength for too long

38. Gov., e,g. : POL - GOVernor and POLitician makes sense

39. Husband : CONSERVE - this is a new definition for me, and it didn't fill in easily

40. Throws in the towel : GIVES - not CEDES

43. Traditional time for hot cross buns : LENT - not YULE - hey, I'm a recovering alcoholic, not a recovering Catholic ( a little AA humor there )

44. Early word : DA-DA

45. Co-star of Hugh on "House" : OMAR - Epps, or "Foreman"; I was just watching some HOUSE yesterday; there are some episodes where I just can't tolerate House....Theme song

46. One who got plenty of sack time in Rome? : VANDAL - OK, I cheated - I went to Google to see who had a name with second letter -A- and ended -L; didn't find "a" name, but a group

48. Crestor target, for short : LDL

49. Acct. entry : BALance

50. Green sauce : PESTO

51. One may be seen from a box : OPERA

55. "Good __": 1966 #1 song : LOVIN'

56. "Evidently ..." : SEEMS TO ME - makes me think of this song

57. Energetic : ALIVE

58. Locke pieces : TREATISES

59. Candy machine input : ONES - DAMN~!! Candy has gotten expensive~! I tried DIME, COIN and CENT

DOWN:

1. Therapist's challenge : SELF-HATE - just couldn't figure this out; I had the ----HATE part, but was looking for psychological term, not a hyphen phrase

3. Ensued : CAME NEXT

4. Bauhaus school teacher : KLEE - more here

5. Many flowers grow in them : CLUSTERS - Considered GUTTERS, even though I needed one more letter; the church where I am working now has plant life growing in the gutters

6. High overhead business? : AIRLINE - I had WIRE--- to start, since here on LI there is a 'backbone' of high wire transmission lines that runs right through the UPS grounds where I work

7. Supple : PLIANT

8. __ hippo : PYGMY



9. Lea grazers : EWES - Ewww~~!! That picture is UGLY ASS IN

10. FedEx rival : DHL - meh, I have gotten a DHL package once; it always fascinates me when a FedEx or DHL package comes down my slide. Plus, the work van I bought was once an Airborne Express courier

11. Four-time 1980s Stanley Cup champs : OILERS - with the "Great One", Wayne Gretzky. They won one more in 1990. Yes, eddyB, today (well, tomorrow AM) is the day we learn about our hockey future

13. Bring to light, with "out" : FERRET

15. Purposes : ENDS

24. Whatsoever : AT ALL

25. Emitted a backup signal? : BEEPED - not really sure the "?" is needed

27. Bum wrap : DIAPER - har har har

31. Verizon communications service : FiOS - Their Fiber Optic service

32. Interim ruling group : JUNTA

34. Backs up : CONDONES - yeah, I get it, but my mind was stuck on burning a 'back-up' to DVD

35. "Deathtrap" playwright : IRA LEVIN

37. Cruise routes : SEA LANES

39. Haitian coin : CENTIME

40. Fail : GO BUST

41. Satellite's eye : IMAGER

42. Crooner Rudy : VALLEE - new to me; more here

43. They may be seen around calves : LASSOS - not these - c'mon, you should know me by now....

46. "__ la giubba": "Pagliacci" aria : VESTI - filled via Perps

47. 1970 Kinks classic : LOLA - someone else can link; I can't stand the tune

50. Over : PAST

52. Game with four-person teams : POLO - Four horses, too, I hope

54. Sumac of song : YMA - Learned from crosswords

Answer grid.

Splynter

Friday, September 14, 2012, Marti Duguay-Carpenter

Theme: RHOTACISM: (Now a word from our education sponsors: LINK)

This is Marti’s homage puzzle to 63 Across: ELMER FUDD. Each of the four theme answers (the 1st and 4th being grid spanners!) take common two-word phrases and morph them into a new and legitimate phrase, clued with a question mark to warn you the game is afoot. Each first word changes not only the R sound to W but changes the rest of the word as well. I WOVE (love) this puzzle! This is also why I will never finish constructing one, as I am intimidated by the ability to create two 15 letter answers which work in this very limiting theme. As an alternative theme because so many of you watch Big Bang Theory, please watch the following SNIPPET (1:13).

17A. About 98 degrees Fahrenheit? : WOMB (ROOM) TEMPERATURE. (15) For all the nit pickers, I do not know or care if the actual reading of body temp is the same in the womb as the rest of the body, this is just plain funny.

25A. Gardener’s agenda? : WEEDING (READING) LIST. (11) Keeping Bugs from the carrots?

43A. Bikers? : WHEEL (REAL) PEOPLE. (11) I am not sure if she was thinking of the old TV SERIES, (1:39) or just the general expression.

55A. Jack Daniel’s field? : WHISKEY (RISKY) BUSINESS. (15) I am back with more TOM CRUISE (1:54) as well as some Tennessee sipping whiskey (not BOURBON!). Did you recognize Balki and Booger?

and the hint:
63A. Toon who inspired this puzzle's four long puns : ELMER.(7:21) Early Elmer.

Well that was such fun let’s see what she did to top herself.

Across:

1. Dessert with a hyphen : JELL-O. I have the jingle in my ear. They did some pretty absurd TV ADS.(0:31). I also mourn Soupy Sales.

6. "Good for me!" : TADA. The crossword puzzler's best friend.

10. Goes for : OPTS. marti opted to be funny once again!

14. Foreign : ALIEN.

15. Answer to a nagging roommate : I'M UP. Said more than once, with feeling!

16. Textbook pioneer Webster : NOAH. Dictionary anyone?

20. Nurse : SIP. Like drinking slowly, though the word also can relate to a similar sounding three letter word....

21. Name on an airport shuttle : AVIS. Do they still try harder?

22. Pleased as punch : ELATED. I was elated to see miss m and I were doing another of our Friday fun frolics.

23. Pakistan neighbor : IRAN. This word comes from the Sanskrit meaning ARYAN. the same word used by the Nazis.

24. After-dinner drink letters : VSOP. Very Superior Old Pale, cognac designation.

29. Rested : SAT.

32. Probability number : RATIO. The ratio of fun Fridays goes way up with our crew creating..

33. Cask wood : OAK. Where they age the whiskey.

34. Part of a plot : ACRE. Not a story plot, a plot of ground!

35. Online qualifier : IMHO. In My Humble Opinion. Again!!!!!!

36. Absolut rival, briefly : STOLI. Hmm, our fifth liquor reference, marti?

38. Hideaway : LAIR.

39. Bundled off : SENT. In England, the rich kids were bundled off to public school.

40. "___ for Cookie": "Sesame Street" song : C IS. C'mon, SING (1:21) along!

41. Kind of renewable energy : SOLAR. Is this related to Solar Plexus?

42. General on a a menu : TSO. Back on the menu, like the old Buddy Hackett joke about Chinese Jews.

46. Time : HOUR. I hope it does not take you that long for this puzzle.

47. DoD fliers : USAF. Department of Defense. United States Air Force.

48. Topnotch : SUPERB. an excellent word to describe this creation.

51. Proficiency measure : EXAM. I found this to be a testy clue.

52. "Wanna ___?" : BET. Yes I do!

58. 2000s GM compacts : IONS. These were built by Saturn and I owned one for a week. Fun car.

59. Bust a gut : ROAR.

60. High capital : LHASA. I bet you knew this was in Ti-bet.

61. Butter used to deep-fry samosas : GHEE. Gee, we have not had this clarified butter since a John Lampkin Sunday puzzle in 2010.

62. Drama award : TONY. These were not named after Tony Orlando.

We press on...

Down:

1. Chews the fat : JAWS. I presume from the way we flap them while we speak.

2. Childlike sci-fi people : ELOI. Yvette honey, where are you?

3. Like a wet noodle : LIMP. Now Dennis, here is a perfect opening for you and the rest of the old timers to return some DF to the puzzle, to keep our Morel strong!

4. Isr. neighbor : LEBanon. The most beautiful woman I know is Lebanese. I had a great Uncle from Lebanon who my father used to introduce as his wife's "Lesbian" Uncle.

5. Hudson Bay province : ONTARIO. Home of Ottawa, the capital of Canada, which is where the 57D. Senators' org. : NHL play. Lots of hockey clues. Do any of you watch Matt LeBlanc in Pucks?

6. Comedian's art : TIMING. Also an important belt.

7. Rock boosters : AMPS. Amplifiers.

8. Unsettled : DUE. Pay up, please.

9. Time for a hot toddy, perhaps : APRES SKI. You knew miss m would get some skiing in, now that there is snow. Of course what you do after skiing is to drink alcohol, hmmmm.

10. Ready to be drawn : ON TAP. Okay, our mandatory beer reference. My nephew is now working for Victory Brewing.

11. Diva's fit : POUT. Can you tell?

12. Weight allowance : TARE.

13. Shake off : SHED. Like the Octomom has been doing with her clothes to get money.

18. Writer Hunter : EVAN. Wrote many books as Ed McBain, prolific writer who began writing serious novels like Blackboard Jungle, and then went to crime novels. He took his first nom de plume from the College where he went in NY.

19. Oodles : A LOT. Not to be confused with AGOB.

23. Target of a series of guide : IDIOT. Not to be confused with the KAMA SUTRA.

24. Medicine holder : VIAL. I had so many vile thoughts about this clue.

25. Something to keep a watch on : WRIST. Oh you tricky one, where else would you keep your wrist watch?

26. Name in chair design : EAMES. I learned from CW puzzles of this COUPLE. They ended up doing much more than chairs.

27. Cultural prefix : ETHNO.

28. Rough, as a translation : LOOSE. Many rough women I knew were also quite good at translating.

29. Re-sell to desperate fans , maybe : SCALP. Is this derived from the totally un-pc native American reference?

30. Standard Windows typeface : ARIAL. What type are you? We use Georgia here.

31. Land at Charles de Gaulle airport? : TERRE. En Francais on dit Terre. More translation sensation.

34. Disinterested : ALOOF. Of course many of you who read and never post are not shy, just....

36. "Trout Quintet" composer : SCHUBERT. I love this VIDEO,(7:04) not only the music, but look at their faces.

37. Piece of cake : TIER. Easy this was not, though certainly not the icing on the cake either. A nicely layered clue.

41. Nautical distance : SEA MILE.Which are really different from land ones.

43. Get the job done : WORK. Well this is still fun, but it does take a bit of time.

44. More than just creature comforts : LUXURY. Yes, the American Dream.

45. Educ. radio spots : PSAS. Public Service Announcements.

46. "Siddhartha" author : HESSE. A German born author outspoken against Hitler. LINK.

48. Snort : SWIG. Okay, we are back to getting soused again!

49. "That doesn't sound good" : UH OH. When you have that hangover...

50. Needle dropper : PINE. I went all around the medical tree and had trouble parsing this simple one.

51. "Voice of Israel" author : EBAN. I had the pleasure of meeting this gentle man when I was working with a local television show Shalom.

52. Send, "Star Trek" style : BEAM. me up Scotty.

53. ___ quam videri: North Carolina motto : ESSE. "To be rather than to seem to be." There is a wonderful author, ROBERT HARRIS who has written about Cicero, the creator of this phrase, enlightening reading.

54. Abdicator of 1917 : TSAR. Nicholas II.

56. "___-hoo!" : YOO. It is Lemonade, here saying goodnight; marti entertains but wears me out with so many provocative clues. It is way past my bedtime, so don't call too early, but have a great time. L'shana tova to those who are about to begin a New Year. Congrats marti on your Sunday and Friday coup!

Peace out.

Answer Grid.

Thursday September 13, 2012 Gary Lowe

Theme: POP STARS! (OK, I just made that up...you can write whatever theme you want!)

17A. *"Karma Chameleon" band : CULTURE CLUB. Ooooh, we start of right away with a music link!

25A. *Space traveler : STAR SHIP. Are we talkin', like Jefferson Starship???

52A. *It's not good to meet with it : FOUL PLAY. Open your mind?

64A. *Used car selling point : SINGLE OWNER. Sorry, no "Single Owner" link, but how about "Single Ladies"???

And the unifier:
39. With 40-Across, kid's toy...and a word that can precede the first word of the starred answers : POP. = Pop Culture, Pop Star, Pop Foul, Pop Single (OK, a "Pop single" hit has echoes of Pop culture and pop stars, but it is an "in the lingo" phrase, right???) Great entries!!

40. See 39-Across...and a word that can precede the last word of the starred answers : GUN. = Gun club, Gun ship, Gun play (would that be like, Russian roulette?), and Gun owner (or, NRA member, for short?)

Marti here, with a fun and excellently executed theme, with both unifiers as lead ins to each word in the theme entries. I like before-after puzzles, and this one delivered in spades.

Did anyone here have a POP GUN as a kid?

I had a BB Gun, until my mother took it away when I started shooting at my sisters...
OK, moving on....

Across:

1. 14-Time All-Star catcher Rodriguez, familiarly : PUDGE. HAH! I have an in-house expert visiting this week, and when I asked him about Rodriguez, and wanted a five-letter fill, he immediately said "PUDGE"!! Not Alex ("A-Rod" Rodriguez), but Iván Rodriguez!! Who knew??

6. Smarten (up) : SPIFF. I had to really spiff up the guest room for him...

11. Data proc. equipment : PCS. And he forgot his PC charger. So, tomorrow our first trip is to Best Buy to get him one (the 58 adapters I had in my desk drawer didn't fit...) And 59-Down. Programs for 11-Across, briefly : APPS

14. Amer. economic assistance : US AID.

15. Dermatologist's concern : TINEA. You don't even want me to link an image of this!!

16. Skill : ART

19. Boot part : TOE. Where you might get tinea?

20. ___ Sutra : KAMA. I looked up images, but wondered, "Can people really do that???"

21. Dipped in a well, maybe : INKED

22. Behold, to Livy : ECCE

23. Tilts : SLANTS

27. Corrida celebrity : TORERO. Ole!

29. Global positioning fig. : LAT.itude. (Or, Los Angeles Times!)

30. ___ alai : JAI

32. Turner memoir : I TINA

34. State with a 45-mile Canadian border : IDAHO. Yep, according to the scale, it is exactly 45 miles (see for yourself!!)

38. Notable time : ERA

42. White ___ : SOX. Bah!! The clue should have read "Red ___"!!

43. Ministers to : TENDS

45. Lengthwise : ALONG

47. "Deadwood" channel : HBO . Did anyone watch this series?

48. Tampa NFLer : BUC.caneer.

50. Learn well : ABSORB

56. 18-and-overs : ADULTS

60. ___ Reason : AGE OF

62. Trendy NYC section : NOHO . No how, not to be confused with SOHO (which is what I first entered here...). Of course, "North of Houston" is a trendy neighborhood in NYC. Is that where Carrie Bradshaw lives?

63. Hwy. : RTE

66. D. Petraeus's title : GEN. Current director of the CIA.

67. Shorthand system : GREGG. It's all Greek to me! ένα είδος στενογραφίας

68. Seen enough : HAD IT

69. Not quite right : ODD

70. "The Gondoliers" bride : TESSA. Also known as "The King of Barataria", by Gilbert and Sullivan. Typical G&S offering. 1:00

71. Actor Mike : MYERS. Ok, who else had a problem with "Actor Mike"??? Douglas...Minor....Evans..Connor...Farrell...Henry

Down:

1. Kings shoot them : PUCKS. HaHa, funny clue for the Los Angeles Kings Hockey team!

2. Unremarkable : USUAL

3. Firehouse mascot : DALMATIAN. Why are they a firehouse mascot? Ask Yahoo!

4. Jeans brand : GITANO. Not very sexy, IMHO...

5. URL ender : EDU

6. WWII weapon : STEN

7. Singles out : PICKS ON

8. Shoreline recess : INLET

9. Middle Aged? : FEUDAL. Loved this clue! I wish I were more "feudal" than I am...

10. "Swell!" : FAB

11. Sewing kit item : PATCH

12. Spring bloomers : CROCI (diles?)

13. Awfully expensive : STEEP

18. Not back down from, as a challenge : RISE TO

22. Founded: Abbr. : EST'D. Established.

24. Outwits on the stand : TRIPS UP

26. One invoked during a drought : RAIN GOD. ("Please let it be rain, and not snow!")

28. "Live! With Kelly" host : RIPA. This cutie.

30. Shark attack victim? : JET. From "West Side Story". Not this guy on Cape Cod!

31. "___ you for real?" : ARE

33. Lots : A GOB

35. Fair-haired : ASH BLONDE

36. Fireplace food-warming shelf : HOB. I first wanted "Hod", but that is for bricklayers, I guess...

37. Tic-tac-toe loser : OXO. Or, OOX, XOO, or XXO or XOX

41. Dicey : UNSAFE

44. Two-Baggers: Abbr. : DBLS. (Doubles)...I am actually starting to learn baseball!!

46. Birds do it : LAY EGGS. Ummm, I had another image in mind!

49. Eau ___ : CLAIRE. Wisconsin.

51. "Project ___": fashion design show : RUNWAY. You mean, you have never seen this show?!?!? Such DRAAAMA! 2:49

52. Red River city : FARGO

53. Made a choice : OPTED

54. Topple : UPEND

55. Actress Moorehead : AGNES

57. The enemy's : THEIR

58. Separates by type : SORTS

61. "Three Sisters" sister : OLGA. Chekhov play.

64. Pvt.'s boss : SGT

65. Electrical measure : OHM. Or, an alternative Buddhist chant?

Answer grid.

I had fun with this one -- did you?

Hugs,
Marti

Wednesday September 12, 2012 Gareth Bain

Theme: seven seas (cees)

whether by design or not, this is a lovely tribute to our c.c., how can you not love the c.c. rider right in the middle?

melissa here.

17a. Perspective-bending artist : MC ESCHER. Maurits Cornelis Escher.

19a. "Beau Geste" novelist : PC WREN. i knew the book/movie, but not the author. Percival Christopher Wren.

30a. Sears rival : JC PENNEY. department stores. James Cash Penney.

39a. Blues standard first recorded by Ma Rainey : CC RIDER. by elvis, too. from wikipedia: the song uses mostly traditional blues lyrics to tell the story of an unfaithful lover, commonly called easy riders: "see see rider, see what you have done," making a play on the word see and the sound of easy.

46a. "Never Give a Sucker an Even Break" star : WC FIELDS. William Claude Dukenfield.

61a. Pepsi alternative : RC COLA. Royal Crown Cola.

63a. Justice League publisher : DC COMICS. wikipedia says the initials DC came from the company's popular series Detective Comics.

and more C initials:

29d. One of three in Coca-Cola : HARD C

35a. Final Four initials : NCAA. National Collegiate Athletic Association

39d. Online tech news site : C|NET. Computer Network or Communication Network?

41a. KGB counterpart : CIA. Central Intelligence Agency.

55a. CNBC interviewees : CEO'S. Chief Executive Officers.

across

1. "Rumble in the Jungle" champ : ALI. october 30, 1974, george foreman vs. ali.

4. Hanging on every word : RAPT

8. Crumb bum : BAD EGG

14. Actor Chaney : LON. lon chaney, sr., known for the hunchback of notre dame, and phantom of the opera. lon chaney, jr. known for the wolf man, the mummy, frankenstein's monster, and lennie small in of mice and men.

15. Dot on a map : ISLE

16. Delphi's claim to fame : ORACLE. wow.

20. Grade for a tween : SIXTH

21. Scottish hillside : BRAE

23. Convent residents : NUNS. i admit it, i own a nunzilla.

24. Runner Sebastian et al. : COES. british athlete, won four olympic medals.

26. Second and third in a sequence : RE MI. do re me fa so la ti.

28. Port relative : SHERRY.

34. Subdue with a stun gun : TASE. don't subdue me, bro.

37. "Mercy!" : I GIVE

38. Penn Sta. users : RR'S. railroad station.

42. Prettify : ADORN

44. "Roots" author Haley : ALEX

45. Game with a 32-card deck : SKAT

48. How some beer is sold : IN CANS. ew.

50. Mil. plane for small runways : STOL. short takeoff and landing.

51. Civil wrong : TORT

52. Barbershop member : BASS. quartet singer.

58. Reverend's residence : MANSE

65. Charm : AMULET

66. Entry point : DOOR

67. Kite on the links : TOM. tom kite. pro golfer.

68. "Who wants ice cream?" reply : ME ME ME

69. Lid malady : STYE. eyelid.

70. Lamb mom : EWE. ewe never stay away for long.

down

1. Poor box donations : ALMS

2. Focal points : LOCI

3. More than : IN EXCESS OF

4. Having deeper pockets : RICHER

5. Hibachi residue : ASH

6. Roman commoner : PLEB. i thought it was always spelled plebe.

7. Okla. or Dak., once : TERR. territory.

8. Inept sheep keeper : BO PEEP. little bo peep, nursery rhyme.

9. Circle part : ARC

10. Beginning : DAWNING in the forest.

11. Color of raw silk : ECRU

12. Narrow valley : GLEN

13. Mil. bigwigs : GENS. generals.

18. Five-and-dime, e.g. : STORE

22. Game player's haunts : ARCADE

25. iPad-to-iMac activity : SYNC. not always simple to do.

27. Fourth prime minister of Israel : MEIR. golda.

28. It may be bendy : STRAW. or phoebe buffay.

30. Locks up : JAILS

31. Cable venue for vintage sitcoms : NICK AT NITE

32. Poland Spring competitor : EVIAN. bottled water. eye opening documentary tapped.

33. Dublin-born poet : YEATS

36. Pacifier site : CRADLE. aw.

40. Parkway off-ramp : EXIT

43. Meat- or fish-filled pastry : RISSOLE. don't think i've ever had one.

45. "Vamoose!" : SCRAM

47. Pin down : LOCATE. that' i've had.

49. "Mercy!" : NO MORE.

52. "Dracula" novelist Stoker : BRAM

53. Peak : ACME

54. Fountain build-up : SCUM

56. Track numbers : ODDS

57. St. Andrew's Day celebrant : SCOT

59. Garbage barge : SCOW

60. Salinger heroine : ESME. with love and squalor.

62. Apollo lander, briefly : LEM. lunar excursion model.

64. Affectedly shy : COY

Answer grid.

melissa

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to our serious foodie Steve, who's been busy traveling. Found anything exotic in Amsterdam?