Monday Monday

Today's cryptoquote is a Slovenian proverb: "Never whisper to the deaf or wink at the blind."

I don't know much about Slovenia except that it's a former SSR. For more information, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovenia.

Once again, the Newsday puzzle site continues to act up on me and I can't post the solution grid. :-(

Gail Grabowski is the author of today's puzzle, "Dealer's Choice."

Here are the theme answers:

20A: Having long-running resentment: HOLDING GRUDGES. We've all been hurt by the actions and words of others. You become angry, hurt, and confused. Some people, however, are quicker to forgive than others. Holding grudges will only increase stress and your blood pressure. After all, life is too short.

39A: Mail-order fees: HANDLING CHARGES. When I order something online, I think the shipping fees cost more than the actual product sometimes! Here's the link to an interesting article about excessive shipping and handling charges: http://wlflawyers.com/blog/setting-shipping-and-handling-charges/.

49A: Small Christmas gift: STOCKING STUFFER. I don't celebrate Christmas. However, if I did, here are some things I would want for my stocking: beauty products, funky magnets, a Coach wristlet, some cool desk accessories, pocket puzzle books, and some patterned tights.

I made a Word Search puzzle for Matthew for Father's Day. The theme was "Pinstripe Pride" and it was about his favorite team, the Yankees. He got all the words, but he didn't quite get the secret message. That was my fault . . . I should have told him to go in order with the unused words.

We saw the filmed performance of "Company" yesterday. Neil Patrick Harris, Martha Plimpton, Patti LuPone, Stephen Colbert, Craig Bierko and several other actors performed this classic musical with the Philharmonic. It was truly excellent! Before the movie, we had breakfast at Good Stuff Diner (http://www.goodstuffdiner.com/), a place that I highly recommend. The food is great and they serve you quickly. We also went to Barnes & Noble to buy some DVDs for Alex and puzzle books for me.

I had trouble swiping my MetroCard this morning. I hope it cooperates when it's time to go home.

I'll be back either later or tomorrow with the Sunday puzzle comments. I have quite finished the quote acrostic yet. Till then. . . .

Signing off,
The Puzzlechick