The Sap Doesn't Fall Far from the Tree!

When I read today's cryptoquote, I thought it was more appropriate for spring.

"I like to think of thoughts as living blossoms borne by the human tree"--James (Jim) Douglas

There are a million men with this name out there, but I found the correct one. This James Douglas is a four-time Vermont governor and is currently the executive in residence at Middlebury College. He was the first governor to meet President Obama, and the initially vetoed the same-sex marriage bill. The House and Senate of Vermont overrode him, and it became a law in 2009.

Today's crossword by Gail Grabowski is called "Watch List." Here are the theme answers:

21A: Romantic songs, informally (SLOW NUMBERS). I find most romantic songs sappy and I simply can't listen to them. When I was in 5th or 6th grade, there was a boy in our class (Joe, where are you?) who would sing along to "My Love" by Paul McCartney. . . .Give me some Barry White any time! His numbers could melt even the iciest person.

48A: Get a new owner (CHANGE HANDS). I can imagine in this economy how many companies have been reorganized.

3D: Formal event music group (DANCE BAND). When my brothers celebrated their bar mitzvahs, dance bands were the big thing. I think they're still popular at weddings, but DJs are in vogue for major celebrations these days. Watching "I Love Lucy" over the weekend brought back the days when dance bands and night clubs were big business. Those were the days when people got dressed up and went out in their finest clothes.

32D: Emotionless look (POKER FACE). I've been waiting for this answer for the longest time! It gives me the excuse to air Cartman's hilarious performance of the Lady Gaga hit:

A good friend of ours finally got a job after being out of work for over three months. He has been in and out of jobs for a long time; I hope this one lasts!

Sorry for another short entry, but it's a busy day at the salt mines. Till tomorrow.

Signing off,
The Puzzlechick

New Zoo Revue

I took off from blogging yesterday. It was a cold, rainy, lousy day. I spent the morning at the gym and the afternoon catching up on the NYT and Newsday puzzles.

Yesterday's Newsday puzzle used common animal metaphors:

23A: Go-getter (EAGER BEAVER) (Note: Eager they weren't, but "The Angry Beavers" was one of my favorite Nick cartoons. Here is a video of the classic episode featuring the Barry White bear. No copyright infringement intended).

25A: Cowardly one (FRAIDY CAT) (Note: I was a notorious fraidy cat as a child. I was scared of my own shadow). Here is some interesting trivia about the Cowardly Lion's (Bert Lahr) costume from "The Wizard of Oz."

45A: Usurer (LOAN SHARK)
76A: Courtroom whiz (LEGAL EAGLE)
84A: Experimental subject (GUINEA PIG) (Note: My parents would often tease me that I was the experiment that failed. Very nice, mom and dad! As an animal, however, guinea pigs are so cute!).

105A: Person above criticism (SACRED COW)
107A: Easy mark (SITTING DUCK) (See below Michael Bedard's famous lithograph). I didn't realize there was a book and a TV series based on this lithograph.

I'm still working on the quote-acrostic, which is nearly impossible. I will report on it when I'm finished.

Today's Cryptoquote is by Robert Frost (1874-1963): "Love is the irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired." I looked up his bio on Wiki (not always the most reliable source) but he was prolific poet! His most famous poem probably is The Road Not Taken. There is a collection of his poems at the Jones library in Amherst, MA. For more information:

http://asteria.fivecolleges.edu/findaids/amherst/ma181_main.html

A more detailed bio of Frost is posted here: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/robert-frost

Gail Grabowski's crossword theme was "Air Force", which had nothing to do with the armed-forces branch:

20A: Energy for a new effort (SECOND WIND)
40A: Has a chat (SHOOTS THE BREEZE)
60A: Early-stage manuscript (ROUGH DRAFT)

Saturday night there was a surprise party for my friend Vicki's birthday. I went to middle school and high school with Vicki but didn't know her very well. She is one of the most positive people I have ever met and she never complains about anything. Vicki married her life partner Flo in Connecticut almost a month ago.

John Rich won "Celebrity Apprentice" last night. This season was not the most exciting, but there were some very colorful characters (Gary Busey, Star Jones, Nene Leakes). Marlee Matlin's interpreter should get his own show!

Also, I watched the clowns from "Jerseylicious." It's all so phony and fake but it's a guilty pleasure. The best scene from last week was Christy jumping down Alexa's throat for not asking her about her pregnancy or her child. . . . Gayle (the salon owner) wants "world domination" and they tried to get into Guinness World Records for the most haircuts in an 8-hour day. The geniuses don't know how many centimeters are in an inch. Alexa compares the Gatsby to a used car lot! Last night they started a medispa and the employees told Gigi she needs like $100,000 in procedures. Needless to say, the medispa didn't go over too well. . . . Olivia made 2 snide remarks about Tracy's clothes (go Olivia!). . . . Filippo (the Gatsby's intern) got accepted to beauty school. There goes the neighborhood!

Jeff Conaway is still in a coma, and there was a story going around that George Clooney fell off a cliff (a hoax)!

Today at Loehmann's I bought the matching jacket for the workout pants that I bought on Friday, along with a matching t-shirt (TJ Maxx purchase).

We are finally getting our kitchen sink fixed. The pipe was all corroded and we need a major part. Our bathroom sink needed a new washer, which was repaired easily. No more drip, drip, drip.

On that note, have a great night everyone!

Signing off,
The Puzzlechick