Sunday July 17, 2022 Doug Burnikel & C.C. Burnikel

Theme: "All-Star Break" - Seven stars are broken up by the black squares.

21. Stopped suddenly: SCREECHED TO A HALT. And 24. Makes public: AIRS. (Altar)

30. Summons for a certain assistant: HEY SIRI. And 32. Medication warning: USE AS DIRECTED (Sirius)

48. "Marie Antoinette" director: SOFIA COPPOLA. And 53. Gets higher: RISES. (Polaris)

69. Zen temple feature: ROCK GARDEN. And 72. Tide fluctuation: EBB AND FLOW. (Deneb)

87. Thyme unit: SPRIG. And 89. Many a Pro Bowl player: ELITE ATHLETE.  (Rigel)

109. News program format: LIVE BROADCAST. And 113. Dessert with a crushed cookie crust: OREO PIE. (Castor)

119. Glowing review: RAVE. And 120. Get an advantage over: GAIN THE UPPER HAND. (Vega)

Boomer came up with this idea during one of our All-Star talks. We brainstormed together and I made this skeletal grid and sent to Patti for a query. In case you don't know, she's a diehard Mets fan.

 

As you can see, the final 3rd and 5th entry spots were not where they were in the grid we sent to Patti. I moved them a bit for better fill. Quite a bit of theme material. 

 

Boomer is excited to make this L.A. Times debut. My sister-in-law Barbara & a few Graybar friends solve the LAT puzzles every day.

Across:

1. Lab warning: BARK.

5. Provence city that inspired van Gogh: ARLES. This is on the cover of my compact mirror.

10. Duolingo, e.g.: APP. Language-learning app.

13. One in a onesie: BABY.

17. Mystical glows: AURAE.

18. __ kebab: SHISH.

19. Utter delight: GLEE.

20. Ohio border lake: ERIE.

25. Initials between names: AKA.

26. Dada: PAPA. Baba in Chinese.

27. "Black Dog" singer Parks: ARLO. British singer.

28. Avoided a deer in the road, say: VEERED.

35. "Let's do this!": IT'S ON.

36. New Year celebrated with bánh chu'ng: TET. I showed this on the blog once. So tasty. Our Asian store carries this during Tet/Chinese New Year period. Sticky rice with mung beans.

38. Bic Clic __ pens: STIC.

39. Truly bizarre: OUTRE.

40. JFK alternative: LGA.

42. Princess who wields a chakram: XENA.

45. Place for a catnap: SOFA.

47. Statue bottom: BASE.

55. Vietnamese soup: PHO.

56. "I did it!": TA DA.

57. Comfy slip-ons: MOCS. Never had a pair. I wear these slides all-year long. 

 

59. Writer Anaïs: NIN.

60. County fair animal: PIG. Our state fair starts August 25 this year.

63. Stop on the Taj Express: AGRA. Taj Express is named after the Taj Mahal of course.

65. The least bit: ONE IOTA.

67. Jujitsu kin: AIKIDO. The ending "do" is the same as Chinese dao/tao, path.

75. Work boot tip: TOECAP.

76. Climbing needs: LADDERS. Got a nice one at the Home Depot, at D-Otto's recs.

78. "Pretty please?": CAN I.

79. Toss into the mix: ADD.

80. "You hate to see it": SAD.

82. Attempt: STAB.

83. Schedule info: ETAS.

86. Director Browning: TOD. Director for the original "Dracula".

92. Paul who plays the Riddler in "The Batman": DANO.

95. Cat costume part: TAIL.

97. "My goodness!": EGAD.

98. "Who, me?": MOI.

99. Like some watches: SMART.

101. Maasai Mara antelopes: GNUS. Game reserve in Kenya.

103. School in L.A.: USC.

105. Author Evelyn: WAUGH.

115. President after Jack: LYNDON.

116. Per person: EACH.

117. Court plaintiff: SUER.

118. Ohtani's team, on scoreboards: LAA. Boomer really likes Shohei Ohtani. Shotime!

124. Western Shoshone neighbors: UTES.

125. Colonnade trees: ELMS.

126. Borden spokescow: ELSIE.

127. Malt-drying kilns: OASTS. Never saw one in person.

128. Gets in a pool: BETS.

129. Ginger paste amt.: TSP. Used widely in Japanese cooking. Indian also.

130. Bench planks: SLATS.

131. Gumdrops brand: DOTS.

Down:

1. Fried chicken container: BUCKET. Have any of you tried Taco Bell's Cheesy, Double Meat burritos? $2. Boomer really loves them. 

 

2. Ordered displays: ARRAYS.

3. Issa of "Hair Love": RAE.

4. Persevering with: KEEPING AT.

5. Barbecue receptacle: ASH PIT.

6. Seehorn of "Better Call Saul": RHEA.

7. Kimchi jar top: LID. I always get the real deal at the Korean store. But you can find this at Walmart.

8. "¿Cómo __?": ESTAS.

9. Clambake locale: SHORE.

10. Pie __ mode: ALA.

11. Stabilizing appendage for a shark: PELVIC FIN.

12. Fizzle (out): PETER.

13. Grizzly youngsters: BEAR CUBS.

14. Short operatic piece: ARIETTA. Don't confuse it with Jake ARRIETA.

15. Cardinals' followers, say: BIRDERS. Not Pujols' team.

16. "You betcha!": YES.

17. Sapporo competitor: ASAHI. Meaning "morning sun" in Japanese. I have no idea why it's said "spicy" on the bottle. Are you still there, MitziMouse?

 

19. Cuts off contact with: GHOSTS.

22. Jam ingredient?: CAR. Traffic jam.

23. "What a shame!": ALAS.

29. Fair-hiring letters: EEO.

31. Recital high points: SOLI. Sorry. Gluey. SOLOS please.

32. Sch. that hosts the Sun Bowl: UTEP.

33. J'adore perfumer: DIOR. I like Miss Dior Rose N'Roses these days.

34. "Bessie" director Rees: DEE. I wonder if she solves the LAT every day.

37. Open more stores, say: EXPAND. I know a TV star who solves the LAT every day.

41. Obamacare, initially: ACA.

43. Propose for an award: NOMINATE. That TV star was once nominated for an Emmy.

44. __ tikki: potato patties: ALOO. Literally "potato".

46. From China, e.g.: ASIAN. Also 68. Largest fast-food chain in China: KFC.

48. City-state known for its austerity: SPARTA. Hence Spartan.

49. "Happy to hear it!": OH GOOD.

50. Not natural: FORCED.

51. What hydrogen lacks: ODOR.

52. Feigned toughness: ACTED BIG.

54. Oklahoma city: ENID.

58. "¿Quién __?": Spanish "Who knows?": SABE.

60. "Jesus Christ Superstar" character: PILATE.

61. Emphatic denial: I DO NOT.

62. Miss a field goal attempt, say: GO WIDE.

64. "Best in Show" org.: AKC. 73. 64-Down concern: BREEDS.

66. Fish in Hamburg Aalsuppe: EELS. Eel soup from Hamburg.

70. Sound of surprise: GASP.

71. Not together: APART.

74. "The Thin Man" dog: ASTA.

77. Glass artist Chihuly: DALE.

81. Bishop's paths: DIAGONALS.

84. 20s source: ATM.

85. Bathroom fixture: SHOWER ROD. Our bathroom is probably safer than yours. We have 4 grab bars.

87. Post-marathon feeling: SORENESS. Also 111. Dull pains: ACHES.

88. "Suits" actress Torres: GINA.

90. Stretched tight: TAUT.

91. "Fuller House" actress Ashley: LIAO. Hope her name did not cause you trouble. Chinese uses "liao" a lot. See those characters when I type in "Liao"? It can mean "chat" (liao tian), or "understand" (liao jie), depending on the tones. It can also be a sign of past tense, which is always placed at the end of a sentence. Like "wo chi liao" (I ate already), or "wo shi guao liao" (I tried already).

Let me type in "Liao"

92. Cable alternative: DSL.

93. "Is there still time?": AM I LATE.

94. Former Seabee, say: NAVY VET. D-Otto is one.

96. Cough drops brand: LUDENS.

100. Not yet settled, briefly: TBD. To be decided.

102. "Get lost!": SCAT.

104. Two-door cars: COUPES.

106. Batting ninth: UP LAST.

107. Titans: GIANTS.

108. Coin flip choice: HEADS.

110. Word often used as a synonym for "thesaurus": ROGET.

112. Snail's home: SHELL.

114. "The Pioneer Woman" host Drummond: REE. Hugely popular.

117. Rotisserie part: SPIT.

119. Tofu steak coating: RUB.

121. Little rascal: IMP.

122. Erin Jackson's Olympic team: USA. Erin Jackson won a gold at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Wikipedia says "She is the first Black American woman to medal in speed skating".

123. "Ni __": "Hello," in Hangzhou: HAO. Hangzhou is a very beautiful city. There's a saying in China: "上有天堂，下有苏杭", meaning "In heaven there is paradise; on earth there are Suzhou and Hangzhou".

 

Boomer's ortho doctor is happy with the x-ray result. Now we just need more time and PT sessions to regain his range of motion. 

Boomer also received the Denosumab injection last Monday and started the oral chemo Olaparib last Tuesday.  

His legs are getting weaker. They suddenly caved behind the cart when we were checking out at our grocery store on Friday. Luckily I caught him. With the help of the checkout lady, we were able to pull him up. Then he had a few more wobbly moments behind the walker on Saturday.

We'll just keep fighting. Thanks for being here supporting us.

C.C.