Last, Lest, List, Lost, Lust

I missed yesterday's post -- I was too busy trying to meet all my deadlines at work before I take off for the Windy City tomorrow. So here is today's puzzle solution grid:

The puzzle, by Bruce Venzke, was called "Rundown." Each clue began with the letter "L" and was followed by the vowels "a," "e," "i," "o," and "u", respectively. It was more complicated than the usual Newsday puzzle. Here are the theme answers:

New York's State Veggie!
It takes it's place alongside
the apple, official fruit of NYS.

17A: Quitting precursor, perhaps: LAST DITCH EFFORT. At this moment, New York is making a last-ditch effort pass the gay marriage bill. The Senate acted quickly in naming sweet corn the official state vegetable, but they seem to be stalling on this important issue, as well as the rent regulations.

23A: Line from Kipling: LEST WE FORGET. This is phrase from the poem "Recessional." This poem was written for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. It warns us against the perils of haughtiness and arrogance and the decline of imperial power. For a complete text of the poem, see http://www.daypoems.net/poems/815.html.

38A: Lean right, at sea: LIST TO STARBOARD. This is also the name of a book by the American author and artist Francis Hopkinson Smith (1838-1914). You can download the complete book at http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/23702,

46A: Came unglued: LOST ONE'S HEAD. Something I do often, and it was especially true with all the stress I was under this week. I've always been an emotional eater; whenever I was bored or things went wrong, I would head to the fridge. Now I use exercise to get out my frustrations.

58: Lifelong asset: LUST FOR LEARNING. No explanation necessary.

Today's cryptoquote was a tough one and is by Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910):

"In difficult circumstances always act on first impressions."

Initially, I thought letter "v" in the puzzle would be coded for "e."

Tolstoy is most famous for his very long tome War and Peace and Anna Karenina. To read his works, link to http://tolstoy.classicauthors.net/.

In entertainment news, Peter Falk, aka Columbo, passed away at the age of 83.

I found out something interesting about David Laffer, the psycho pharmacy killer. His father was a science teacher when I was in middle school (called Junior High back then). Mr. Laffer was a bit odd, and I found out he was a card-carrying member of the NRA. He passe away in 1996. The whole thing is very creepy.

I will be taking vacation from the blog for a week. See you in July!

Signing off,
The Puzzlechick