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

Support System

It is the perfect weather for Tax Day in NYC--windy and rainy. I hope those who have to file at the last minute don't have to wait too long.

Today's crossword by Gail Grabowski is called "Means of Support." There is a support system for everyone, whether they need financial advice or are entering rehab for substance abuse. The theme answers are below:

18A: Daily newspaper feature (ADVICE COLUMN). I miss the original Ann Landers and Dear Abby. Sure, they made some snafus along the way (remember the Halloween candy panic?) but I enjoyed reading their words of wisdom. Unfortunately, the conflicting columns put a strain between the real-life sisters. I understand their daughters have taken over the columns, but I don't see them in any of our local papers.

39A: Military scout's position (OBSERVATION DECK). There are also observation decks in many of our tourist landmarks. How about the Empire State Building or the Space Needle? The ESB has the nerve to charge $46 for one to go to both the 102nd floor and the 86th floor! That's a tourist trap if I ever saw one! At least the Space Needle has a revolving restaurant, and the food was very good when I ate there several years ago.

54A: What a compass needle points to (MAGNETIC POLE). There is a great site called "How Magnets Work" that will provide all the technical sources one needs for their physics class or research papers. I happen to collect fridge magnets and I pick up one (along with postcards) wherever we go. Between my office and home, I have over 100 magnets.

Ronald Reagan

The cryptoquote is very appropriate for today. The author is former president Ronald Reagan (1911-2004).

The taxpayer that's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination.

I would say that at least 30% of my paycheck goes for taxes, FICA, Social Security, etc. That's disgusting if you really think of it.

Many people joke that President Reagan's years in the White House were his greatest performance. Before Reagan became a politician he was a radio announcer, an actor, and a Democrat! He appeared in some pretty bad films ("Bedtime for Bonzo, anyone?) an turned down the part of Rick in "Casablanca." He was eventually hired as host of "General Electric Theater," a popular drama series. Reagan then became governor of California and a Republican. Yes, he became ultra-conservative, but at least the economy improved during the '80s. I tolerated him, but I couldn't stand his wife, Nancy.

The JUMBLE shows a picture of a man getting ready for his wedding. His best man is asking him he's all ready to take the plunge. The caption reads "Before the wedding ceremony, the husband-to-be was ______.

Word list:

ROLOF = FLOOR
TALOG = GLOAT
CANGLE = GLANCE
SOIPEM = IMPOSE

Scrambled solution: RGOGNIMO
Solution: GROOMING

Now to relax and stay dry for the rest of the day. Till tomorrow. . . .

Signing off,
The Puzzlechick