Life's a Beach

Happy Monday! It's June 4th but if feels more like October 4th. It's definitely not a day to be "On the Beach", which is today's puzzle by Gail Grabowski. Here are the theme answers.

20A: Roofed area between a house and a garage (BREEZEWAY). This is what a breezeway looks like (see below). My friend converted hers into a loft.  Her ex-husband lived there before he moved out for good.

 

58A: Abrasive wood smoother (SANDPAPER). Sandpaper is a DIYer's best friend. It can be just as sharp as a saw and in fact works like a saw, except it can't be sharpened. There are many categories of sandpaper from superfine to coarse. There are two different grades of sandpaper, commercial (which is sold at hardware stores) and industrial (only available at industrial supply stores). Looking for sandpaper doesn't excite me as much as looking for shoes.

10D: Big name in Irish crystal (WATERFORD). I think I must have something Waterford in my apartment from our engagement party. Lots of wedding registry gifts from which to choose. Some of it is nice, most is downright tacky.

35D: Tall yellow-petaled plant (SUNFLOWER). The sunflower is not only beautiful and vibrant, but it's an excellent source of food. Sunflower oil is a healthy fat and sunflower seeds proved an excellent and tasty snack. My brother Brian eats them by the pound. However, I will always think of the Sunflower Girls, the organization (similar to the Girl Scouts) that Marcia Brady makes her brother Peter join in order to prove a point about equal rights.

Notes on Mad Men: Last night's episode of "Mad Men" was one of the saddest in the show's history. RIP, Lane Pryce we will miss you. Lane Price was a tragic character, but we can sympathize him thanks to Jared Harris's acting. Lane was in a lot of trouble financially and he sexually harassed Joan Harris (Christina Hendricks). If Lane was in that much trouble, he should have come to Don Draper (Jon Hamm) and company for help instead of embezzling money. It's ironic that he came to Sterling Cooper to trim its budget and he committed fraud. His crime came back to haunt him. Permanently. Click on this link for recaps. In the second main plot, Sally Draper (Kiernan Shipka) went to the museum with creepy Glenn Bishop and she also became a woman. There was a rare tender moment between her and Betty (January Jones), the ice princess. BTW, Marten Weiner (who plays Glenn) can't act to save his life. He got the part only because Daddy created the show.

Till tomorrow. . . .

Signing off,

The Puzzlechick

Like Water Under the Bridge

Hi! Hope everyone had a nice weekend. The weather was just beautiful here in the city. That all changed to rain today for a gloomy Monday. 

I started my summer schedule so I'm a bit tired tonight, so it's Music Monday.

Today's puzzle by Gail Grabowski is called "Holding Water." The theme answers, please:

20A: New Orleans "blues" thoroughfare (BASIN STREET). The song "Basin Street Blues" is a Dixieland jazz staple. It was first made famous by Louis Armstrong (see video below) in 1929 and recorded by several other artists, including Glenn Miller, Sam Cooke, and Louis Prima. The title refers to Storyville, the notorious red-light district of the early 20th-century French Quarter.

51A: Sports-Car Features (BUCKET SEATS). Last night on "Mad Men," Don Draper and Joan Harris test drove a Jaguar. They looked great inside the car! Don was trying to calm down Joan after she was served divorce papers. Don was also back in full swing as he announced that they would be working 24/7 in order to land the Jaguar account. You remember that they lost a chance at the account because of Pete Campbell's extra-curricular activities with a hooker.

11D: Success-vs.-failure choice (SINK OR SWIM). Here is a song called "Sink or Swim" by the folk-pop artist Tyrone Wells that was first featured on "Gray's Anatomy."

29D: Prohibition-era liquor (BATHTUB GIN). See The Great Gatsby. Also see the video for this jazz-inspired song by the band Phish.

Speaking of music, we have lost many musicians in 2012 at the prime of their lives: Whitney ("Witless") Houston, Adam Yauch (MCA), Robin Gibb, Donna Summer, Davy Jones, Levon Helm, etc. And the year isn't even half over yet. So sad.

Till tomorrow. . . .


Signing off,
The Puzzlechick

Shave and a Haircut

Back after a two-week hiatus and feeling much better.

Today's Newsday puzzle by Gail Grabowski is called "Barbershop Quartet", and here are the theme answers.

20A: Head of a political group (PARTY CHAIR). I don't wish to talk about the 2012 Presidential campaign. 

62A: Narrow escape (CLOSE SHAVE). I know that my hubby loves nothing better than a close shave. It's also the name of a popular cartoon by Wallace and Gromit, but I couldn't find the video.

10D: Extremely slim (RAZOR THIN). Something that Betty Draper no longer isn't. On last night's episode of "Mad Men", she's joined Weight Watchers and is trying to be nice to everyone. When she sees Megan put a blouse on over her slim figure, she can't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. Betty drowns herself in whipped cream and retaliates by telling Sally about the first Mrs. Draper.

36D: Minor Rural Blaze (BRUSH FIRE). With all the global warming, there have been too many of these lately. There was a serious one at Brookhaven Labs a few weeks ago.

I've always loved the sounds and harmonies of the barbershop quartet. There have been many variations on TV. One of the funniest was a very pregnant Lucy, Ricky and the gang singing "Sweet Adeline." They try to keep Lucy from singing by stuffing shaving cream in her mouth:

On an episode of "The Flintstones," Fred, Barney, and their friends want to appear on the "Hum Along with Herman" show. Barney can't sing unless he's in taking a bath or shower:

Wow, I just found some interesting news. There was supposedly claims of an assassination plot hidden in a crossword puzzle from a Venezuelan newspaper. The alleged target was President Hugo Chavez' older brother. Of course, the creator of the crossword puzzle said it was "ridiculous."

Ghostface Killah (from the Wu Tang Clan) was an answer in last Monday's New York Times puzzle. I've noticed that the contributors to the NYT puzzles are getting younger and are supplying hip clues.

Till tomorrow. . . .

Signing off,

The Puzzlechick

Fast Track

Happy Monday! After a glorious week of above-average weather, we're stuck with rain for most of this week. :-(


Today's puzzle by Billie Truitt is called "Zippy." Here are the theme answers, which are not the most exciting. It was hard to find  cute commentary and videos. 


20A: Great beginning (FLYING START). British Airways and Comic Relief have teamed up to form a charity called Flying Start. The goal of the charity is to help disadvantaged children from the U.K. and around the world. Money goes to educate children and to give them a break from caring for sick family members. Dollars can also help people buy the tools they need to make money, and to provide meals to the world's poorest children.


41A: Package shipping option (EXPRESS DELIVERY). FedEx. DHL. UPS. Express Mail. These are all the options we have for quick shipping. It's expensive but convenient. Sit back and enjoy an old FedEx commercial from the early 80s (When it absolutely has to get there overnight!):

58A: Defendant's constitutional guarantee (SPEEDY TRIAL). Time for a cartoon:

Last night's "Mad Men" was a trip. Literally. Roger and Jane took LSD and ended their marriage. Don and Megan took a trip to HoJo's. Don left Megan in the parking lot after an argument. Peggy had a rough day, went to a movie, smoked pot, and hooked up with a random stranger in cool pants. This season has been so bizarre already; the best is yet to come!


It's getting late and I'm beginning to nod off. I hope the weather gets better.


Till tomorrow. . . ..


Signing off,
The Puzzlechick