Tuesday, January 3, 2023 - Rebecca Goldstein

Toys to Grow On...

Rebecca is a scientist developing immunotherapies for cancer. A New Yorker at heart, she lives in the Bay Area with her wife. Rebecca started making crosswords as a pandemic hobby and has been published in several venues, including the LA Times, USA Today, and Universal, with more to come. [The Inkubator] This doesn't mention Rebecca's 5 NYTimes grids.

Wait, she's only been constructing for 3 years?!?  Color me impressed.

Today's puzzle gives us all the BLOCKS to BUILD a structure. Let's take a look:

20. Smile broadly because of one's own achievement, say: BEAM WITH PRIDE. BEAMs are horizontal structural bits that supports laterally to its axis. //I had one (1) CivE class :-)

33. New York City district that's home to the Fearless Girl statue: WALL STREET. Walls make it a room (or an office).

Respect Les' Walls

Fearless Girl

41. Desirable feature of kids' clothing: ROOM TO GROW. ROOM - a 'block' in a house / building made of four walls.

51. Amino acid, vis-à-vis protein: BUILDING BLOCK. Seems right up Rebecca's ally.

Organic Chemistry

How much fun was that? Bits, pieces, parts, and BLOCKs to create & BUILD something. You know, like a nice Tuesday puzzle.
I also like how the theme BUILDS from a beam to a wall to a room.

Across:
1. Country music sound: TWANG. The genre is not my cuppa (though Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, & Dolly Parton are exceptions to the rule).

6. Coordinating pillowcase: SHAM.

DW says I can't use them - the pillow is a sham!

10. Roasting rod: SPIT.

14. "Yippee!": WAHOO! Woot! was too short.

15. Basketball commentator Rebecca: LOBO. Can't get your name in the grid?, put it in the clue ;-)

Rebecca (not our Constructor) played 6 years in the WNBA but only one for Houston's Comets

16. Long-haired lap dog, familiarly: PEKE.

One missed hair-cut away from Cousin ITT?

17. Change with the times: ADAPT. Adjust, ADAPT, and Overcome. Semper Fi! Right, WC?

18. Major composition: OPUS. Not to be confused with...

Bloom County's OPUS

19. Working hard: AT IT. Working hard or hardly working? If you love your job, it's both.

20. [See: theme]

23. Place for a scrub: SPA.

Not to be confused with ER Scrubs

24. Devoutness: PIETY.

25. Grabbed a bite: ATE.

28. Chicken __ king: ALA.

30. Red carpet walker: VIP.

31. Electric key: FOB.

RKE Hack

33. [See: theme]

36. Soup du __: JOUR. Soup of the day.

French Onion - A Recipe

37. Sign of spring: ARIES. Cute. Not a robin (come a bob-bob-bobbin') but Astrological.

38. Lead-in to Z or Alpha: GEN. Apparently they're already classifying kids born in the early to mid '10s?!?
Read what I found on the interwebs: Alpha children are permanently connected. Such is their attention to new technologies that it becomes a way of life. Independents. They are independent when it comes to making their own decisions and managing their digital identities, and they expect their individual needs and preferences to be taken into account. Bah!

39. Koalas and emus, in Australia: FAUNA. Fauna == animals; flora is the plants.

40. Novelist Atkinson: KATE. A CSO to Dr. DW.

41. [See: theme]

43. WSW opposite: ENE. Compass directions.

Compass Rose

44. Prohibit: BAN.

45. Rowboat need: OAR.

46. Cap letters at Busch Stadium: STL.

I've seen games at Busch Stadiums II & III. Busch I was b/f my time.

47. Get ready to drive?: TEE UP. Golf. Not seat-belt up #PSA

49. Mike and __: fruit-flavored candy: IKE.

Great at the movies 'cuz no one else likes them and they're all mine!

51. [See: theme]

56. Aquarium growth: ALGA.

57. Void's partner: NULL.

58. "Ta-da!": VOILA. WAHOO!

61. Thai currency: BAHT.

1 Baht ~= 2.9¢

62. Leave out: OMIT.

63. "Black-ish" star Tracee __ Ross: ELLIS.

Interview - Ross' Mom is Diana Ross!

64. East, in Spanish: ESTE.

65. Recedes: EBBS. And then it flows.

66. Pomelo peels: RINDS.

Read More

Down:
1. Pan Am rival: TWA. Rival airlines - both, sadly(?), defunct. DW's Aunt was a flight attendant back in Pan Am's glory-days. She was on Nixon's plane to China - I KID YOU NOT(12d). Visit Leo III at 1940 Air Terminal Museum to see flying posh.

2. Roll of dough: WAD. Total Baller!

Put one Benjamin [$100] on top,
one on bottom,
and fill the middle with Bahts :-)

3. Literary captain described as a "grand, ungodly, god-like man": AHAB. Herman Melville's Moby-Dick Cap'n.

4. Casual rejections: NOPES. Still, a hard-no.

5. Skated by, say: GOT A PASS. Until you get to grad-school, you can skate-by with a few DEEs outside of your major. Ask me how I know :-)

6. React to a yellow light, say: SLOW. Rebecca doesn't drive in Houston where 'yellow' means "floor-it!" //seriously, don't be the first off the line at Green or you'll get TEE-boned.

7. Indigenous language in Arizona: HOPI. Hopi is a Uto-Aztecan language spoken by the Hopi people of northeastern Arizona, United States. The use of Hopi has gradually declined over the course of the 20th century. In 1990, it was estimated that more than 5,000 people could speak Hopi as a native language, but only 40 of them were monolingual in Hopi. [WikiP]. Language is culture and, unfortunately, HOPI is dying.

8. Touch borders with: ABUT. I'll let Ray-O handle this :-)

9. Slam-dancer's place: MOSH PIT. '90's Grunge music and slam-dancing.

10. Emergency tire: SPARE. The donut in your trunk.

11. Bite-sized treats whose name means "small ovens" in French: PETIT FOURS. Little tiny baby-cakes.

I Count 8 (not FOUR) of these :-)

12. "Honest!": I KID YOU NOT.

13. Spot for un chapeau: TETE. More French - already? A French hat on your French head.

21. Home brewer's ingredient: MALT. Mmmm, beer.

22. Domino indent: PIP.

25. Up and about: AWAKE.

26. Some hairy pets: TARANTULAS. I'll refrain posting image citing The Breakfast Test.

27. Sweet Sixteen winners: ELITE EIGHT NCAA Basketball aka March Madness. I fill out the office-bracket every year but have no idea what I'm doing. This year, I should ask PK and then split the winnings ;-)

29. Alphabetically first noble gas: ARGON. Third lightest Noble Gas. In the Bohr model, noble gasses have a full valence shell of electrons in the outer ring and ergo, ARGON (et.al), is inert. Mendeleev, a Russian chemist, came up with this beautiful periodic-classification that makes inorganic chemistry calculations a snap.

Periodic Table

30. Mobile payment app: VENMO. I don't use it but the kids today do to pass money to each other. I still don't know how VENMO makes money as it doesn't appear there's a vig associated with paying a buddy / PK for our March bracket. //My tangent made TTP (greatest proofreader, ever! [even caught no hyphen in proof-read ;-)]) give me this:

SNL's First CityWide Change Bank 2

32. Fighting chance?: BRAWL. I'll be honest, I filled it but I don't get it. Like, why the ?, huh? Where's the 'chance'?

34. Director Spike: LEE. We had Spike's Inside Man [movie] Wed, 12/28.

35. Fair-hiring initials: EEO. See also 12/28's memo: it's no longer EOE [Equal Opportunity Employer], apparently.

36. Spree: JAG. Binge.

39. Pay, reluctantly: FORK OVER. Can one FORK OVER a losing bet on VENMO or do they have a no gambling policy?

41. Soccer star and equal-pay advocate Megan: RAPINOE. Female soccer is more winning than males' and yet, until recently, were paid a heck of a lot less.

42. Donkey's need, in a party game: TAIL.

Eeyore's Tail-Pin

44. Future flower: BUD. What to do?, what to do?...

Fast Times at Ridgemont High - this quote was not in AFI's Top 100(?!?)

48. Overjoy: ELATE. Jeff Spicoli [Sean Penn - See: above] was always "elated."

50. Common lab culture: ECOLI. In the lab, there's a refrigerator for lunch and a refrigerator for samples; don't confuse them. //I bet Rebecca already knows this.

51. Paul Bunyan's blue ox: BABE. I did a consulting gig for IHS [Indian Health Service] in Bemidji, MN and I got to visit BABE.

Paul & Babe

52. Feeling nothing: NUMB. Comfortably?

From Pink Floyd's The Wall [9m]

53. Smooth-talking: GLIB. Or Jive Talkin' with the Gibbs?

54. Nonkosher sammies: BLTS. I think the no pork rule had to do with trichinosis and was smart b/f meat-thermometers. My Jewish uncle (Mom's Sister's Hubby) ate ham - what say our Jewish Cornerites?

Yummers!

55. Potter's oven: KILN. Waseeley will explain.

59. Jar topper: LID.

60. Donkey: ASS. Eeyore redux?

Can you help him with his TAIL?

The Grid:

The Grid. Click to see mine (with blog scribble notes)

WOs: N/A
ESPs: RAPINOE, ELLIS
Fav: I'll go w/ BLTs - goes great with Soup du JOUR. //Did I ever mention I love soup?

There you have it folks - my last pinch-hit for a while. I'll now return you to our regularly-scheduled programmed hosts.

I hope everyone had fun with the puzzle & post-game today.

Cheers, -T

Monday January 2, 2023 Dylan Schiff

  

Hello Cornerites! Happy New Year to you all! Best wishes for health & happiness in 2023!

It is my pleasure to take you through Dylan Schiff's 5th L.A. Times puzzle. He has one Friday, two Sundays, and two Mondays to his credit. I hope we will see more from him in the coming months.

Today's offering has a well-hidden theme, four themers, ten 2-word answers, only four 3-letter fills (Hi Irish Miss!), a pair of 10-letter fills, and a reveal neatly tucked into the SE corner. Well done, Dylan!

Our theme is:  BURN, BURN, BURN

Johnny Cash, Ring of Fire

Let's start with the 4 starred clues:

20. Across*  Frozen structures that help with some winter migration: ICE BRIDGES.  Here's one theory.

27. Across*  Food that lacks nutritional value: EMPTY CALORIES.  Definition, Food List, & Examples

44. Across*  For all to see, after "in": BROAD DAYLIGHT.

50. Across*  Yoga mat material: FOAM RUBBER.  Types of Foam in Yoga Mats

What could possible connect these 4 themers? Let's go to the reveal:

54. Down.  "Hamilton" song about destroying love letters, or what one can do to the ends of the answers to the starred clues: BURN.

If you are not familiar with the song, you might guess at BURN. Here is the song with the lyrics:

Burn is sung by the character Eliza Hamilton. (See 42 Down.)

So now, with 20A we have BURN BRIDGES.  An idiom meaning to do something that cannot be easily undone or reversed in the future (often because one has behaved offensively or unfavorably.)

... with 27A, we have BURN CALORIES. Perhaps a New Year's resolution?

... with 44A, we have BURN DAYLIGHT. My first thought went to this clip from The Cowboys (1972), starring John Wayne. (42 sec.)

That is Roscoe Lee Browne playing Jebediah Nightlinger.

... and with 50A, we have BURN RUBBER.  peel out

Let's not BURN any more daylight before we move on to the rest of the grid...

Across:
1. List on the side of a taco truck: MENU.  ¡Muy Delicioso!

5. TV's __ at Nite: NICK.  a cable TV channel

9. College student's declaration: MAJOR. They call it that because it is a MAJOR decision.

14. 8-Down mineral: IRON. and 8D. Leafy vegetable rich in 14-Across: KALE.

Prior to becoming a "superfood", one of the biggest purchasers of KALE was Pizza Hut. Surprised? They used it to decorate the perimeter of their salad bars.  Kale & Pizza Hut

15. Vegetable pod that thickens gumbo: OKRA.

16. Photoshop maker: ADOBE.  an American software company

17. NPR journalist Totenberg: NINA.  You can hear her on All Things Considered.

18. Rotary phone part: DIAL.

the evolution of the phone

19. Add to an email, as a gif: EMBED.  The above comic is EMBEDed into this blog.

Bonus:  hard or soft 'g'?

23. __ facto: IPSO.

adverb

1. by that very fact or act.

   "the enemy of one's enemy may be ipso facto a friend"

24. Small batteries: AAs.

25. Pang: THROE.  We usually encounter this word in its plural form, as in "collapsed in the THROEs of agony".

33. Stories: TALES.  Tall TALES are skyscrapers.

34. Valentine's Day icon: CUPID.

35. Bubble bath spot: TUB.  where you can wash off the CRUD

38. Yucky buildup: CRUD.

39. __ throat: STREP.

40. Word on some diet products: LITE.

41. Stitched border: HEM.

42. Scornful smile: SNEER.

43. Trite: BANAL.

47. Before, with "to": PRIOR.

48. 20-vol. lexicon: OED.  "Vol" is abbreviated. So is The Oxford English Dictionary.

49. Many an Eastern European: SLAV.

57. Group of pundits on a TV news show, e.g.: PANEL.

Hi unclefred!

59. Difficult trip: TREK.

Hi Picard!

60. Mystical glow: AURA.

61. Braugher of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine": ANDRE.  I have seen this show so I am familiar with this actor. The show aired for 8 seasons (2013-2021). It is full of laughs and has a talented, fun-to-watch cast. ANDRE played the intensely pragmatic Capt. Raymond Holt.

Capt. Holt giving work & life advice. (35 sec.)

62. Oscar winner Malek: RAMI.  2019 Best Actor for Bohemian Rapsody

RAMI in the role of Queen's Freddy Mercury
He rocked!

63. Baby bed: CRIB.

64. Authority to decide: SAY-SO.

65. __ vera gel: ALOE.  good for sunBURNs

66. ACL location: KNEE.  Anterior Cruciate Ligament

Down:
1. Short skirt: MINI.

a history of the MINI skirt by Vogue (5:39 min.)

"While short skirts were worn by noblemen in Ancient Egypt and in China by women of the Duan Qun Miao, the miniskirt entered the contemporary fashion lexicon in the West during the swinging 1960s."

2. "What Truth Sounds Like" writer Michael __ Dyson: ERIC.  4.1 stars on goodreads

3. Zero: NONE.

4. Without any reduction in intensity: UNABATED.

5. DVD player error message: NO DISC. Fun clue!

6. "Just messin' with ya!": I KID.  the opposite of "I KID you not"

7. Jagged rock: CRAG.

9. "Parenthood" actress Whitman: MAE. I have never seen this show. Here's a pic of Mae and her beautiful smile.

10. Respect: ADMIRE.

11. Entry on Indeed.com, e.g.: JOB POSTING.  Indeed.com explained

12. Like many sumo wrestlers: OBESE. I am a bit uncomfortable with this clue because we are talking about dedicated athletes with intense training regimes. There is more to it.

13. Start over: REDO.  Need a REDO? No prob! Just hover over this button.

21. Tampa Bay team: RAYS.  Baseball. "Bucs" (football) also fits.

22. Narrow piece: STRIP.  Ray Stevens sang about STRIPping in 1974.

"Don't look, Ethel!"

26. Kept secret: HID.

27. __ A Sketch: ETCH.

28. Female horse: MARE.  In common cowboy parlance, a female horse is a filly until she is bred; after which, she is referred to as a MARE. The world of horse racing has its own criteria.

29. Distilled alcohol made with fruit: PLUM BRANDY. My friend Aki-san's dad gave me a bottle of his homemade PLUM BRANDY. He knew what he was doing.

30. Played a part: ACTED.  theater

31. Drew (in): LURED.

A LURE is used to LURE fish.

32. "The Phantom of the __": OPERA.  So many wonderful songs from which to choose. Today I will go with Michael Crawford singing The Music of the Night (1987).

36. Salt Lake state: UTAH.  State motto:  Industry;      State snack:  Jell-O

37. Accessory with a buckle: BELT.

39. Wolf (down): SNARF.

40. Easygoing: LAID BACK.

42. Tony nominee Phillipa: SOO.

Phillipa originated the role of Eliza in Hamilton.

43. Chicken cordon __: BLEU.  5-star recipe

45. Missouri and Ohio: RIVERS.  "States" also fits. Nice misdirection!

46. Small terrier: YORKIE.

Yorkshire Terrier
originally bred for "ratting"

47. Opening strategy: PLAN A.

49. Health resorts: SPAS.

51. Spanish "other": OTRA.  used to modify feminine palabras

52. Depleted Asian sea: ARAL.  I need to keep these straight:  Ural Mountains & ARAL Sea.

53. Personnel note: MEMO. I was surprised to read that the first known use of "MEMO" was in 1705.

55. Cleveland's lake: ERIE.  My idea of Eden is to play an aria on an oboe as I roam the shores of Lake ERIE while snacking on an Oreo before going to two spas where they will cover me in aloe.

56. Broccoli __: RABE.

58. Novelist Tolstoy: LEO.  Born 9/9/1828, making him a Virgo.

Here's the completed grid:

That's all for today. I look forward to reading your comments!

Sunday January 1, 2023 Laura Effinger-Dean & Christina Iverson

Theme: "Before Tea" ( "B for T") - T is changed into B in each familiar phrase.

22A. Give orders, even while dreaming?: BOSS IN ONE'S SLEEP. Toss is one's sleep.

42A. Request from one robot to another in "Futurama"?: LOVE ME BENDER. Love Me Tender

70A. One who starts a fight over the last crustacean at a seafood buffet?: SHRIMP BRAWLER. Shrimp trawler.

99A. Decorations for a "Bob the Builder" birthday cake?: BRICK CANDLES. Trick candles.

120A. "Oh, you're not acting so brave now, are you!"?: LOOK WHO'S BALKING. Look Who's Talking?

15D. Maintain forest health with a planned fire?: DO A GOOD BURN. Do a good turn.

69D. Illustrative tools in a neuroscience lab?: MODEL BRAINS. Model trains.

Looks like Laura's LAT debut. Congratulations! You all know Christiana, who used to be Patti's assistant. 

Such a great title! I'd be at loss. Slight tweak on a classical pinwheel Sunday design. This one has eight 9-letter fill!

 
Across:

1. Humidifier output: VAPOR.

6. Ratio phrase: IS TO. :

10. Dweeb: DORK.

14. Hubbubs: ADOS. And 78. Bobs and weaves: DOS.

18. Angry: IRATE. And 20. Fencing implement: EPEE. We see IRE, IRA, IRATE & EPEE frequently due to their friendly letter combo.

19. Twosome: PAIR.

21. Dark beer: STOUT. And 29. Light beer: LAGER. And 104. Brewpub handle: ALE TAP.

25. Muse of poetry: ERATO.

26. Tolkien creature: ENT. Tree being.

27. Contributes: ADDS.

28. Swiss chocolatier: LINDT.

30. Tanning bed fixtures: LAMPS.

33. Stripped (of): DIVESTED.

35. Bauxite, e.g.: ORE.

36. "Don't lose hope!": CHIN UP.

38. Mining engineer who became president in 1929: HOOVER. I did not know this.

40. Maine college town: ORONO.

44. In the center of: AMIDST.

47. List unit: ITEM.

48. Flit: DART.

49. Update, as charts: RE-MAP.

53. Vintage ski lift: T BAR.

54. Davis of "Grumpy Old Men": OSSIE.

56. 2022 World Cup city: DOHA. Argentina won the Cup.

58. "Dune" director Villeneuve: DENIS.

60. Ancient character: RUNE.

61. Small battery: AAA.

63. Target of some bark beetles: ELM.

65. Gets there in no time?: TELEPORTS. Nice clue/fill.

67. Rapper will.__: I AM.

74. "Hip Hop Is Dead" rapper: NAS.

75. Episodic option in some games: STORY MODE. Like this.

77. Feel crummy: AIL.

80. Put on board: LADE.

81. Colleague of Sonia and Ketanji: ELENA.

83. Latch (onto): GLOM.

86. Like Wiccans and Druids: PAGAN.

90. Domain: AREA.

91. Diploma word: LAUDE. Here's a typical Chinese diploma.

93. Monogram pt.: INIT.

95. Humorist Barry: DAVE.

96. Not as harsh: MILDER.

102. Via ship, e.g.: BY SEA.

105. Large grinders: MOLARS.

106. Polite title: SIR.

108. Face up to: CONFRONT.

110. Found loathsome: HATED.

111. Poet who wrote, "The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt": PLATH. Sylvia.

113. __-Roman: GRECO.

114. Darling: DEAR.

116. Narrow inlet: RIA.

119. Chateau-dotted valley: LOIRE.

124. Word with circle and tube: INNER. And 16. Word with space and planet: OUTER.

125. Capri, for one: ISLE. My sister-in-law Connie might have visited the place. She spent a few years in Italy and she still goes back there every year.

126. Voting no: ANTI.

127. Pizza slice, say: PIECE.

128. Charge (with): TASK.

129. Really, really overcook: CHAR.

130. Deli array: MEAT. Followed by 131. Introductory course: SALAD.

Down:

1. Hard-to-describe feeling: VIBE.

2. "East of Eden" brother: ARON. Cal's brother.

3. Old incarnations: PAST LIVES. Buddhists believe in reincarnation.

4. Extra NFL periods: OTS.

5. Outdoor gear giant: REI.

6. Old Apple devices: IPODS. Do you guys listen to Sam Harris?

7. Beachfront property?: SAND. Good clue also.

8. Links: TIES.

9. RN workplaces: ORS.

10. Came through: DELIVERED. Like this guy in black. Always came through. Always comes through. Do you like his bag?

 

11. First act: OPENER.

12. Swamp grasses: REEDS.

13. Didn't stray from: KEPT TO.

14. Razor brand: ATRA.

17. Put away for later: STORE.  D-Otto got me this onsen powder.  I have more coming. I'll never run out of this again.

21. Rarely: SELDOM.

23. Was out briefly: NAPPED.

24. Thin shard: SLIVER.

31. Iron deficiency: ANEMIA.

32. Fall flower, for short: MUM.

33. Pentagon org.: DOD.

34. "Mrs. America" political cause, briefly: ERA. The Equal Rights Amendment.

36. Advertising award: CLIO.

37. Red __: spicy candies: HOTS.

38. Protagonist: HERO.

39. Available, in a way: ON THE MENU. The Eucharistic Minister Bill and his wife invited me to their house for lunch on Friday. I had Cane's Chicken Fingers for the first time. Boomer would have loved them.

41. Drag racer's fuel, briefly: NITRO.

43. Awful: BAD.

45. Sleigh driver: SANTA.

46. Lock of hair: TRESS.

50. "Enter Sandman" band: METALLICA. I think Splynter likes this band. How are you doing, Splynter?

51. Fresh: ANEW.

52. Caplet: PILL.

55. "Gentle, gentle": EASY.

57. Jungfrau, e.g.: ALP.

59. Germ: SEED.

62. Sighed line: AH ME. Do you actually say this phrase?

64. Many an exec: MBA.

66. Hold (up): PROP.

67. Quran faith: ISLAM.

68. Breakout gaming company: ATARI.

71. Wallpaper unit: ROLL.

72. Inkling: IDEA.

73. Fix unlawfully: RIG.

76. Hide-and-seek word: READY.

79. Prepare to ride, in a way: SADDLE.

82. Ghostery, for one: AD BLOCKER.

84. Cleaning up the mess, say: ON KP.

85. Audio jack abbr.: MIC.

87. Cate Blanchett's "The Lord of the Rings" role: GALADRIEL. Ethereal.

 

88. Declare: AVER.

89. "Queer Eye" expert Jonathan Van __: NESS.

92. Prior to today, poetically: ERENOW.

94. "The Savages" filmmaker Jenkins: TAMARA. Learning moment for me.

97. Artist known for optical illusions: ESCHER. That M.C. guy.

98. __ Speedwagon: REO.

100. Hairy Addams cousin: ITT.

101. "__ so fast!": NOT.

103. Old English: ANGLIC.

104. Ring of color: AREOLA. I can't link this again. Will cause our blog trouble.

106. Go 50-50 on: SPLIT.

107. Massey of old films: ILONA.

109. College newbie: FROSH.

110. Sister's attire: HABIT.

112. Long haul: TREK.

114. Thoroughly cooked: DONE.

115. "¿Cómo __ usted?": ESTA. Ni hao ma?

117. Ancient Cuzco dweller: INCA.

118. Like much cheddar: AGED.

121. Hawaiian-style pizza topping: HAM. And pineapple.

122. Record collector's collection: LPS.

123. Carnival maker: KIA. Why did they stop using Sedona?

A few extra notes:

I gained access to our account for a few days with a temp code. But the code lost its magic yesterday. I really need the post office to hurry up their piled-up mail and get me my ATM card. The credit card was also a mess also due to our address "84 1/2 Ave. No." Wells Fargo site does not allow dash marks and the local banker was simply too incompetent to solve my glitches. Very frustrating.

I do have some good news. My best friend Carmen has improved greatly. She still has throat problems and body aches from COVID, but she feels good enough to WeChat me again.

I also found this clip of the musical fountain in the north square of the Great Wild Goose Pagoda, 30 minutes away from where I grew up. The guy who took the clip (and showed up in the end) happened to be my friend David, whom I last saw at the Gare Du Nord back in 2000. Thanks to our own Steve Marron, who's been in London for the holidays, David and I got reconnected. He now works in IT for the UK Cabinet Office.

Here are a couple pictures from David's archive. Both taken millions of years ago. I think the first one is in front of the Centre Pompidou. Pas certain. Does that bold red scene look familiar to any of you? I actually didn't recall having my picture taken with that sword guy, much to David's surprise.

Happy New Year! Wishing you lots of love and laughter in 2023!

C.C.