Purple Passion

Back to posting after having been under the weather all weekend. I had a sore throat and very little energy. Thanks to tea, soup, and lots of rest, I'm feeling much better.

Because the quality of the paper has gone downhill and there is no city coverage anymore, we have canceled our subscription to Newsday. I can complete the crossword puzzle on the Facebook Puzzle Social app, but I will no longer be commenting on the cryptoquote.

Today's puzzle by Billie Truitt is called "Violet Bouquet" and it's about all things purple! Purple is one of my favorite colors. It is the color of royalty, magic, and mystery. Historically, purple also stands for good judgment, trustworthiness, and leadership. Here are the theme answers:

20A: Overly ornate writing: PURPLE PROSE. As a copy editor and a proofreader by profession, I cringe when I see poorly written sentences. Purple prose contains too many adjectives and sentences run into oblivion. One of the most famous examples of purple prose can be found in the novel Paul Clifford by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton (1803-1873).

It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents—except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness. 

41A: Chance of a lifetime: PLUM OPPORTUNITY. I wish that opportunity would come along for me one of these days.

60A: Calming aromatherapy liquid: LAVENDER OIL. I love the smell of lavender oil and no home should be without it! Not only is it good for stress, but you can cure basic cuts and bruises too.

I just signed up for Lollapuzzola 5, which is happening on Saturday, August 4. This is a smaller tournament and attracts people mainly from NYC and LI. There are lots of gag prizes and fun games. We're allowed five or six "Google tickets", where we can get help with clues as long as it's not the theme answer. It's more relaxing than the ACPT, which is St. Patrick's Day weekend this year. I've been brushing up on variety puzzles and the tough Saturday puzzles.

There was a big controversy over the use of the word "ILLEGAL" in last Thursday's NYT puzzle. This article by Univision correspondent Juan Gastelum contains comments by NYT puzzle editor Will Shortz and several other commentators.

Tonight we are hearing Woody Allen in a rare interview at the 92nd Street Y. Dick Cavett is one of the moderators. After the interview, they are showing "Radio Days." It should be a fun evening.

We're supposed to get temps close to 60 the rest of the week. This weather's crazy!

Till tomorrow. . . .

Signing off,
The Puzzlechick

Satisfying My Sweet Tooth

Today's puzzle by Fred Piscop was nice and easy and was called "Sweet Breaks." It was enough to satisfy my sugar cravings without the calories. The theme answers, please:

20A: Child's Sweet Break (MILK AND COOKIES). I'm a cookie fanatic; my favorite flavor is chocolate chip.  There is a store called the Milk & Cookies bakery (http://www.milkandcookiesbakery.com/site/) down in the West Village that is screaming my name. Why I didn't know about it until I did a cyber search is beyond me. They offer ice cream sandwiches, pastries, and brownies. OMG, they even have dog bones! You can decorate your own cookies and even try baking one of their creations at home with their mixes. I'll have to make a trip there soon! My all-time cookie character is the Keebler elf (sorry, Nabisco).

37A: Commuter's Sweet Tooth (COFFEE AND DANISH): I'm not a big fan of most Danishes, especially cheese. Overall, I find them too sweet. I'd much rather have a bagel, a muffin, or a croissant. For coffee, give me Dunkin Donuts over Starbucks any day!

51A: Brit's sweet break (TEA AND CRUMPETS). Every afternoon at about 4:00, the British enjoy their afternoon tea. I never know exactly what a crumpet looked like, so I found a picture. Funny, they look just like English muffins with all the nooks and crannies. For more information on this treat, check out http://www.teaandcrumpets.co.uk.

And now it's time for today's cryptoquote:

"I don't know what you would say about a day in
which you've seen four beautiful sunsets."--John Glenn

John Glenn (1921-  ) was the first American in orbit the earth and the third American in space. Glenn is one of the last survivors of the Mercury Seven (the other is M. Scott Carpenter). He also is a former Sentaor from Ohio and served from 1974 to 1999.

The Mercury Seven was a group that flew on all the classes of NASA's space program. At age 77, Glenn flew on the STS-95 space shuttle mission (RIP to the end of the space shuttle program and thousands of lost jobs at NASA). NASA, however, offers an excellent retrospective of Glenn's career. See  (http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/about/bios/john_glenn.html.

Tonight is the final night of the Woody Allen film festival at the Jewish Heritage Museum. We're seeing Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex. . . . I haven't seen that movie in years and I'm looking forward to it. Lots of famous people were in this movie, including Vanessa Redgrave, John Carradine, Burt Reynolds, Gene Wilder, and the first Mrs. Woody Allen, Louise Lasser.

That's all for today.

Signing off,
The Puzzlechick

Good or Bad? You Decide

I am slightly behind with the post from Sunday's Puzzle, but here it goes. . . .

Courtesy of makefive.com

The quote acrostic is from Woody Allen: "As I think about it it seems to me that the world is divided into two types: the good people and the bad people. The good ones sleep better at night while the bad ones enjoy the waking hours much more." (Source: To Be Good or Bad).

I don't need to list his all of Mr. Allen's accomplishments as that would take too much time. You can find them in his official Web site (www.WoodyAllen.com). His reputation was briefly damaged by his affair with Mia Farrow's 22-year-old daughter, Soon-Yi Previn. They eventually got married--he was 56 and she was 22! He also is an accomplished clarinet player and I think he plays in the soundtrack to most of his films.

The crossword (by Bruce Venzke) was called "As Seen in the Kitchen." Here are the theme answers:

23A: Fried-chicken coating: BREAD CRUMBS. Here is the link to an easy, 5-step fried-chicken recipe (with video): http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Fried-Chicken.

Courtesy of tvacres.com

25A: Grilled entrées: LAMB CHOPS: Many people don't like lamb chops, but I love the succulent flavor! The key is to pick the right chops and add the proper flavoring. When I think of Lamb Chops, I also think of Shari Lewis's famous puppet (her daughter Mallory now performs with Lamb Chop)

40A: Sandwich accompaniments: PICKLE SPEARS. There is nothing like dill pickles on a hamburger or a sandwich! Although they are loaded with sodium, they are also just 5 calories apiece. Below is the video to  Vlassic commercial from 1983 (courtesy of You Tube):

Courtesy of chocolate.com

50A: Poached fruit servings: PEAR HALVES. When I think of pear halves, I think of those in the can. Yuck! I'd rather have the real thing. They even have dried pears covered with chocolate!

67A: Sweet-and-sour sauce ingredient: PINEAPPLE CHUNKS. I have to admit that sweet-and-sour sauces are not among my favorites. However, I do love pineapple chunks on their own or in a fruit salad. Nothing beats Dole, of course!

88A: Cocktail garnishes: LIME WEDGES. Aaaah, nothing like a lime wedge and a Corona! This custom supposedly goes back to 1981 and supposedly is used to make the beer look more attractive and enhance its flavor.

Courtesy of cartoonstock.com

956A: Crudités displays: CARROT STICKS. My favorite veggie. No explanation necessary. . . . The psychological idiom of "carrot and stick" refers to a policy of offering rewards and punishment to induce behavior.

116A: Salad toppers: BACON BITS. The thought of artificial, dried bacon sort of makes my stomach queasy. Give me the real stuff any day!

118A: Party snacks: POTATO CHIPS. I am a salty snack aficionado. I am very critical when it comes to potato chips. My favorite flavors are  barbecue and jalapeño. I don't like anything cheesy. My favorite brands are Wise, Lays, and Cape Cod. Of course, they are addicting, so I don't eat them very often. A bag of Lay's Baked Crisps usually satisfies my potato-chip cravings.

I'll be back with today's Newsday puzzle and cryptoquote.

Signing off for now,
The Puzzlechick

Coming Apart

Today's puzzle theme is called "Coming Apart" (David O. Cromer). This one had some decent theme answers:

19A: Devices for multi-room viewing: CABLE SPLITTERS . . . Remember the episode of "Seinfeld" when Kramer arranges an illegal cable hook-up for Jerry?

36A: Electric safety devices: CIRCUIT BREAKERS. Here's how they work: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/circuit-breaker.htm'

52A: Marx Brothers Film: ANIMAL CRACKERS. I love the Marx Brothers' early films. The musical number "Hooray for Captain Spaulding" is from this classic movie. It was used as the theme song to "You Bet Your Life."

Courtesy of Wikipedia

The quote "One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know." appears in the AFI's top 100 movies quotes at #53.


The cryptoquote is by the painter Edouard Manet (1832-1883): "There are no lines in nature, only areas of color, one against the other." Manet was a pivotal figure of Impressionist movement/ Many of his paintings of cafe scenes, social activities, battles and flowers.   

Happening in the world:

Dominique Strauss-Kahn is under house arrest in a swanky $14-million Tribeca townhouse. Most good citizens like you and I don't live this way. Life isn't fair!

Kim Kartrashian is engaged to Kris Humphries following a 6-month courtship. Whoop-de-doo! Her bling is 20.5 carats and is estimated at $2 million! The engagement will probably last a minute, just like all her others. She and her genius sisters are also writing a novel and we get to name it! The novel is a fictionalized account of their real lives. I hope they hire a good ghostwriter.

I heard that Oprah's finale and "American Idol" were both as exciting as "watching paint dry." I've also heard that Lauren and Scotty are now a couple.

Last night's "South Park" episode was a little more tasteless than usual. Cartman started a league called the Crack Baby Athletic Association. This was a spoof on those sad ASPCA commercials and the NCAA. At the end, the crack babies get their own orphanage, thanks to "Vünter Slauche (aka Slash)".

I am off from work tomorrow and we're going to see Midnight in Paris. Looking forward to seeing the latest by Woody Allen!


Till tomorrow . . . .


Signing off,
The Puzzlechick