Taking a Break

Dear Puzzle Fans,

I am going to take another hiatus from this blog while I work on setting up my Etsy shop. There will also be changes to this blog coming soon.

Have a great weekend!

Signing off,
The Puzzlechick

Joint Commission

Newsday X-word 5-7-14

Good morning . . . allergies are making me miserable.

Today's crossword by Carolyn Stewart is called "Joint Effort" and the theme answers consist of common body parts:

Joan Collins in "Dynasty"

20A: Football protective item (SHOULDER PAD). I could've used some shoulder pads a few months ago when I pulled my shoulder at the gym. For two weeks, I used the heating pads and popped Advils twice a day. Eventually, I went back to work out, but still stayed away from the weights. I'm OK now. For football, shoulder pads first appeared in the early 20th century. What did players do without them? Also refers to '80s fashion faux pas (see "Dynasty").

37A: Space to maneuver (ELBOW ROOM). Who remembers Schoolhouse Rock? It was one of my favorite Saturday-morning staples. There was a song called "Elbow Room," which was about territorial expansion beyond the 13 colonies.

44A: Old-fashioned boy's trousers (KNEE PANTS). On women, the knickers fad of the early '80s, as well as a few years back, looked really cool. However, on young boys (see picture on right), they looked sort of ridiculous. I'm glad to see that boys can wear regular shorts and pants now.

59A: Tricky pitch (KNUCKLE BALL)  Although the origins of this type of pitch are unclear, it's said to have been invented by Eddie Cicotte of the Chicago White Socks back in 1908. In fact, his nickname was "Knuckles."

Very interesting: 17A: Two of a kind (PAIR) crosses with 3D: Three of a kind (TRIO).

Alphabet soup:

26A: Societ spy org. (KGB)
35A: Wendy's competitor (IHOP)
39D: Film rating org. (MPAA)
38D: Ship's petty officer (BOSN). This is really "Bos'n", which is short for Boatswain.

Yogi Berra in 1956

Speaking of baseball, today's cryptoquote is by the Yankee great Yogi Berra (b. 1925). He is known for his mangled quotes, know as Yogiisms (e.g.., "It ain't over 'til it's over," "90% of the game is half mental," You can observe a lot by watching'). Here's another (today's solution):

In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.

Aww, Yogi and his wife Carmen (who just passed away in March) were married for over 65 years. Of course, there is no sense to rehash his career because so many great sports writers have done so.

Finally, we have another groaner in today's JUMBLE. This one is really bad. The picture is of a couple at a dude ranch, who looking for the rest rooms. The caption reads "The sign on the ladies' room at the horse ranch said ______."

Word List:

REWAA = AWARE
UNMIS = MINUS
DOWASH = SHADOW
CAPEUT = TEACUP

Scrambled solution: WMNHOEA
Solution: "WHOA-MEN"

A dude ranch is one place where I would never vacation, but to those who wish to, enjoy the experience!

Tonight, we are going to see Joy Behar try out some new material. She'll be at a theater called The Triad on the Upper West Side.

That's all for today. Till tomorrow. . . .

Signing off,
The Puzzlechick

If the Suit Fits

Newsday x-word 5-6-14

Uniforms. They're everywhere. Some are good (firefighters, police officers, military personnel, sports teams) and some are downright ugly (school uniforms, gym uniforms). It's no wonder that the girls hike those ugly plaid skirts above the knee and accessorize them with Uggs or Doc Martens. It least the footwear gives them some individuality. I do understand why there are uniforms in private schools--to eliminate the class distinction between the haves and the have nots. I remember at Alex's school, the parents took a vote on uniforms. The response was an overwhelming "no."

The worst uniform I ever had to wear was the gym uniform in middle school. It was an ugly one-piece romper with your last name embroidered on the pocket and your first name on the back. They looked like the picture on the right, except ours were grey.

My other nasty uniform was for the Girl Scouts, but at least they were 100% cotton. Today's uniforms are strictly polyester and there are vests and skorts instead of the dresses we had to wear. The vests are for the many badges that a Scout will earn (there are Brownie badges, too!). Girl Scouts are even allowed to wear pants now. This is a good thing because I can't stand skorts.

Then there were the band uniforms. In elementary school, I wore a blue cape over a white blouse and skirt, along with a hat. I looked like a rejected war veteran. In middle school, it was a red jacket and cap with white jeans and a blouse. That wasn't so bad. Then in high school, we were stuck with the garnet polyester jacket and pants, with an overlay. I actually had to show up to games with that geeky uniform. At least we got to wear black skirts and blouses for concerts.

This brings us to the theme today's crossword by Sally R. Stein, which is called "Uniformity":

2A: Persevere (SOLDIER ON). There's something about a man in uniform. :-)
53A: Freeway safety barrier (GUARD RAIL)
10D: Feature of some gas stoves (PILOT LIGHT)
29D: Robin Hood's girlfriend (MAID MARIAN). I've always wished I had a maid like Alice Nelson from "The Brady Bunch." She was funny and didn't seem to work too hard. Even though Carol Brady was a SAHM, I guess Mike didn't have the heart to let Alice go. After all, she was his housekeeper. After a long week at work, I have zero energy to do any housecleaning.

Alphabet soup:

36A: Genetic material, for short (DNA)
41A: Newspaper essay (OPED)
45A: Tax agcy. (IRS)
60A: Helper: Abbr. (ASST)

Please forgive my errors in pen. 1D should be HUTS, 51D should be HERB, 52D should be OREO, and 62D should be AREA.

David Hume

David Hume (1711-1776) is the author of today's cryptoquote:

A purpose, an intention, a design, strikes everywhere, even the careless, most stupid thinker.

I never really heard of David Hume, so I Googled him. Fugly, isn't he? Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist  He was one of the great British empiricists. Empiricism is the theory that knowledge comes primarily from sensual experiences. Hume divided knowledge into two categories: relations of ideas and matters of fact. Our beliefs, he said, are a result of accumulated habits. 

I solved today's JUMBLE before I had a chance to unscramble the word list. The picture is of a man trying to teach his puppy (awww!) to retrieve a stick. The caption reads "The dog thought the idea of retrieving was ______.

Word list: 

CHOAV = HAVOC
PMETT = TEMPT
SUDARI = RADIUS
FEMIDF = MIFFED

Scrambled solution: HCTERADFFE
Solution: FAR-FETCHED

I took my first walk across the Highline for the season (yea!). I was unable to see the view at 30th Street because they are building the ugly Hudson Yards project. They are also working on the final phase of the park, which will extend to the Javitz Center.

When I got back from the gym last night, I watched the season premiere of "Louie,"which returned after a 19-month hiatus. Poor Louie, he never has any luck. In the first episode, he hurt his back while trying to buy a sex toy. Jerry Seinfeld was on the second episode. Louie opened for Jerry at a Hamptons benefit and bombed. However, he got lucky with a model but punched her in the face by accident. He was sued for $10 million and has to pay back $5,000 a month for the rest of his life.

Enjoy the rest of the afternoon! Until tomorrow. . . .

Signing off,
The Puzzlechick

Celebrating Life's Milestones/"Mad Men" Mini-recap

Newsday x-word 5-5-14

Good morning and happy Cinco de Mayo! For those who are celebrating, please be safe and drink sensibly!

Speaking of celebrations, today's crossword by Gail Grabowski is called "On Occasions":

20A: Cake-with-candles occasion (BIRTHDAY PARTY)

37A: Pre-wedding meal (REHEARSAL DINNER)

48A: Gathering of the clan (FAMILY REUNION)

See also 6A: "____ Lang Syne." (AULD).

To be honest, I've never been one for parties. I didn't get invited to many birthday parties as a child. In fourth grade,I tried to weasel my way to a classmate's slumber party but it backfired. At the parties and receptions that I attended during my teenage, college, and adult years, I just felt very self-conscious. There were even a few times where I got drunk and made a fool of myself. In addition, I find parties too noisy and crowded for me. However, I do attend my company's annual party as both a networking opportunity, and for the free food and booze (one of the few times they give anything for free).

In my religion, the rehearsal dinner isn't a big deal, so I was grateful that I didn't have to have one. We just had the "rehearsal" and photo-ops the day of the occasion. The night before my wedding, I had a hamburger and salad and was relegated to the couch in my parents' den. As far as a family reunion is concerned, my mom did have family get-togethers at the house, but they were just BBQs on Sunday afternoons. Many "formal" family reunions involve games and activities over an extended weekend. All members of the extended family then get to wear a tacky T-SHIRT (see 25A: Casual top) and pose for a group picture. Definitely not for me.

Alphabet soup:

1D: Many ozs. (LBS)

50D: Community swimming center (for short) (YMCA)

44A: Grade-school support groups (PTAS)

46A: Maine clock setting: Abbr. (EST)

60A: Sgts. and cpls. (NCOS)

The cryptoquote for today is by François-Marie Arouet (better known as Voltaire):

God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.

This means eating right, exercising, and getting a good night’s sleep!

Voltaire

Voltaire (1694-1778) was a French writer, historian, and philosopher who was famous for his attacks on the Catholic Church, as well as his advocacy of freedom of speech and religion. He also believed in the separation of church and state. Voltaire wrote more than 20,000 letters, along with 2,000 books and pamphlets. Interesting fact: he was also an early advocate for coffee and was known to have drunk more than 50 cups daily! He must have had a terrible case of insomnia.

Today's JUMBLE is reminiscent of what is happening in retail America: the big-box discount store overtaking the old-time mom-and-pop stores. The picture shows people arriving at a new store called Lots O' Boxes (take off on Target or Walmart?). The caption reads "The new discount store was ______."

Word list (these were very easy):

LEYID = YIELD

SOGBU = BOGUS

COLUNK = UNLOCK

GLEEDP = PLEDGE

Scrambled solution = YBUSOCLE

Solution = CLOSE "BUY"

"Mad Men" mini-recap: SC&P gets a new addition, the IBM 360, a step into the future of corporate America. The creative room is literally a casualty of that acquisitions. Don Draper returns to work and is assugned under Peggy on the Burger Chef account. FYI, we did not have Burger Chef in the NYC/LI area. Don throws a typewriter through the window, gets rip-roaring drunk, and attends a Met game with Freddie Rumsen, of all people. Freddie, if your remember, got fired for peeing in his pants during a presentation. And it's Freddie who talks sense into Don at the end.

Roger's daughter has joined a cult (or commune) as I and many fans predicted. He and his ex-wife Margaret go up to retrieve their son-in-law, who is in jail for a bar room brawl. Margaret is now "Marigold" and seems happy and peaceful. Margaret refuses to have anything to do with it and drives away in a huff. Roger, who has already experimented with LSD and free love, joins in at first. The following morning, however, Roger is back to his old self and tells "Marigold" to go home and be a mother to her son, Ellery. She wants nothing to do with that life anymore, so Roger leaves by himself.

Song at the end: "On a Carousel" by the Hollies. This is supposed to be up beat, but life on a carousel also has its ups and downs. Could this be the beginning of the end for our hero?

After Friday's derailment on the F line, the subways in Queens are back up and running, albeit very slowly.

I haven't yet finished with my Saturday post, so I hope to update it either tonight or tomorrow. So sorry for the delay.

Till tomorrow. . . .

Signing off,

The Puzzlechick