Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Happy Monday! The Giants won the Super Bowl in a very close game against the Patriots. I heard the commercials were pretty lame and Madonna looked terrible. I went to bed early, so I didn't miss much. However, I did miss my weekly dose of Angry Boys, which stars the talented and adorable Chris Lilley. This series is not as good as his previous outing, Summer Heights High, but it has some very funny moments. Chris Lilley is the master of "mocumentaries", and he plays all the major characters, both male and female.

Today's puzzle by Gail Grabowski is called "How to Get There." A nice, easy way to start the week. Here are the theme answers:

17A: Low-tech pest-control device (FLY SWATTER). A fly swatter doesn't always work in my apartment. We always need something a little stronger, like an exterminator. Speaking of that, there hasn't been one in over three months! Anyway, here's a nice little game you can play with a virtual fly swatter: http://www.majman.net/flyswatter/

60A: Auto mechanism (DRIVE SHAFT). I haven't driven in a very long time, so I know absolutely nothing about the mechanics of a car. This is a drive shaft (pictured right). I still don't understand what it does, but I'm sure it's a very important part of the engine.

10D: Domineer (WALK ALL OVER). When I was growing up, I was used to this treatment. I allowed everyone from my parents and my peers take advantage of me all because I wanted to be liked. I got hurt in the long run and didn't trust people. That's why I don't go out of my way for anyone except my family and a handful of close friends. I found a very good article from the Daily Mail on this subject.

24D: Become exhausted (RUN OUT OF GAS). How far can a car go after the gas light comes on? With gas prices at $4 a gallon, it better be pretty far! Did I say how much I love being a devout pedestrian?

George Santayana

The cryptoquote for the day is by George Santayana (1863-1952), a Spanish philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist.

There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval.

Although he was born in Spain, Santayana came to the United States and attended the Boston Latin School and Harvard University. He taught at Harvard as well. Santayana is best known for his books The Sense of Beauty, Interpretations of Poetry and Religion, and The Last Puritan (his sole novel).  His aphorisms have been frequently used and have become clichéd. 


As for the quote, it's so true! We don't have a choice of your parents or your ultimate ending. It's up to us to make the right choices in life and to make the best of things, even when they go wrong.


Till tomorrow. . . .

Signing off,
The Puzzlechick

Saturday Stumper, 2/4/12

Super Bowl XLVI is on. There is nowhere I can disappear since we have only one TV. I'm looking for something to watch on the computer. Anyway, I'm behind on reporting yesterday's Saturday Stumper. As always, there were lots of hard clues. Here is a list of some of my favorite clues:

6A: Conclusive procedures (ACID TESTS)

 16A: "10-4" (ROGER THAT). Here is a classic scene from the movie "Airplane" (1980):

18A: Longfellow lover (MINNEHAHA). Native-American woman documented in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's epic poem The Song of Hiawatha. Lots of places are named for her, including a park and a town. As most of us know, the poem begins with these famous lines:

By the shores of Gitche Gumee,

By the shining Big-Sea-Water,

Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,

Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.

Dark behind it rose the forest,

Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees,

Rose the firs with cones upon them;

Bright before it beat the water,

Beat the clear and sunny water,

Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water.

54A: Source of fast-acting carbs (ENERGY BAR). There is a company in Chicago called Element Bars, where you can create your own energy bar. You choose your own fruit, nuts, sweets, and boosts (such as soy protein). They also suggest recipes. I think this is really cool.

There were some giveaways in this puzzle too:

5D: Jeremy Irons in The Lion King (SCAR). Would you believe I never saw this film in its entirety? When I was down in Disney World in '93, they were working on the animation.

27A: Beloved Hollywood nickname (THE DUKE). Otherwise known as Marion Morrison, a/k/a John Wayne. One of the greatest Western performers of all time, his achievements are too numerous to mention. He just missed getting into Annapolis, so he went to USC on a football scholarship instead. Not too shabby. John Wayne did not win an Oscar until 1969, for his role as Rooster Cogburn in True Grit.

56A: 2007 Best Director Oscar Winner (ETHAN COEN). Ethan and his brother Joshua won the Oscar for No Country for Old Men. It was just the type of movie the Academy liked, and it won Best Picture as well.

28D: Mel Brooks' Robin Hood (ELWES--As in Carey). Hey, he's the same age as me!

Yesterday's crytoquote is by Christian Nestell Bovee (1820-1904):

Living with a saint is more grueling than being one. 

I couldn't find too much on Bovee, but he is best known for his work Thoughts, Feelings, and Fancies (1857).

I scored some good end-of-season sales over the weekend. I bought a pair of camel pants from The Gap and a nice shirt with sequins from Macy's. Today, I had whole-wheat pizza for the first time. It was really good!

Back to the shrimp platter.

Till tomorrow. . . .

Signing off,
The Puzzlechick

Silence is Golden

TGIF!

I'm going to start with today's cryptoquote first because it's more interesting than the crossword puzzle. This one is by that jack of all trades and author of many quotes, Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790):

As we must account for every idle word, so must we account for every idle silence.

Simply, Franklin is saying that if we have nothing nice to say, don't say it at all. When we have gripes, there are ways of going about resolving them without putting people down.

Ben Franklin was also an inventor, a journalist, a politician, a scientist, and an activist, among many other things. There is not enough space to list all his accomplishments. I found the best online guide to his works by a history professor named Richard Jenson.

Today's crossword by Randall J. Hartman was trickier than yesterday's but the theme answers weren't as much fun. The puzzle is entitled "Crackpots", and I don't quite get the connection between the title and theme answers. Anyway, these are the theme answers:

17A: Electricity source: POWER PLANT. I have just three words: Three Mile Island. Remember the 1979 accident? A meltdown occurred as a result of equipment malfunctions, faulty design, and human error. Lung cancer and infant mortality increased as a result for the next two years. The movie China Syndrome had been released just 12 days before the accident and became a blockbuster hit. Interested in pictures of the 100 largest power plants in the world? I have them right here.

40A: Organization's procedural guide: POLICY STATEMENT. You want to learn how to write one? Just follow these simple instructions.

50A: '50s fashion: POODLE SKIRT. Let's turn back to more innocent and easier times. A poodle skirt was a wide skirt made out of felt with the simple applique of a poodle. Paired with saddle shoes, it became very popular at school dances and sock hops. My mom (who graduated high school in 1958) told me she had a poodle jumper, which she had to pay with her own money. I never saw a picture of her in it. The poodle skirt remains a very popular Halloween costume today.

63A: Justin Bieber gig: POP CONCERT. Will Demi Moore pursue Justin next? Just kidding! Personally, I never attended a concert by the teen idols of my day (David Cassidy, Donny Osmond, Bobby Sherman, etc.). I guess I developed a distaste for their music once I reached my teens. However, I would have lived to see the Beatles and the Stones during the 60s. Matthew got to see the Fab Four at Shea when he was just 6 years old! That was a perk of attending the World's Fair every single day.

Everyone in New York has one thing on their minds this weekend: Super Bowl Sunday. Is there a place where I can disappear while the game is on? I HATE football!

I'll be back tomorrow with the Saturday Stumper.

Signing off,
The Puzzlechick

Bad Hair Day

Punxsutawney Phil

Mayor Bloomberg with
Staten Island Chuck

Happy Groundhog Day! Punxsutawney Phil, the most well-known groundhog in America, saw his shadow, which means six more weeks of winter. However, Phil's rival (and my local groundhog), Staten Island Chuck, did not. I'm going with Chuck! 




Today's puzzle is by Stan the Man himself. It's called "Hair Apparent" and you guessed it, it's about well-known people with BIG hair! Drumroll, please. . . .

19A: Giant of theoretical physics: ALBERT EINSTEIN (who else?). Experts say that Albert Einstein (1879-1955) may have had Asperger's Syndrome. Although he excelled in math and physics, he was a loner and often repeated sentences as a young child. If nobody turned up to his lectures, he would go on talking anyway. Listen to Einstein explain his famous Theory of Relativity (E=MC2):

36A: Raucous-laugh comedienne: PHYLLIS DILLER (b. 1917). Never one of my favorite performers, but she's still going strong at age 94! Thanks to extensive plastic surgery, she looks much better now than she did 50 years ago (see below).

55A: The View moderator: WHOOPI GOLDBERG (b. 1955). I had the pleasure of seeing the comedian Judy Gold interview this comedy icon at the 92nd Street Y. Both women were very entertaining. Unfortunately, I fell asleep during the interview, and we were sitting in the front row. That was a bit embarrassing. Her one big regret in life was that she never got to spend a birthday with Sammy Davis, Jr. Whoopi's biggest inspiration is Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura on "Star Trek." Nichols was the first black woman she saw on TV who didn't play a maid. And yes, she used to date Ted Danson. I never figured out that one!

Today's cryptoquote is by George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950):

Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it cease to be serious when people laugh.

A bit verbose, but such wise words! I've laughed at funerals because those making eulogies are remembering good things about the deceased. Often, they have funny stories to share.

Shaw was best known as a playwright (more than 60 plays). His most famous, of course, is Pygmalion, from which the classic musical My Fair Lady was adapted. Shaw was also a founder of the London School of Economics. For more information about GBS's life and works, see The Shaw Society Web site.

In gossip news, Demi Moore is pursuing Zac Efron? Hasn't she learned from her disastrous marriage to Ashton? Leslie Carter, Aaron and Nick's sister, died suddenly and mysteriously at age 25.

Finally, I am outraged that the Susan G. Komen foundation pulled its funding from Planned Parenthood. It's a step backward for women by about 40 years. Mayor Mike has stepped in and will make up for the loss. At least he did something right.

Till tomorrow. . . .

Signing off,
The Puzzlechick

I'm Back!

It's February 1st, so why is it 60 degrees outside? After spending most of last winter in snow, I'm not complaining, believe me!

After a two-month hiatus, I've returned to blog about the Newsday puzzles and other happenings in the puzzle world as well as my life. November and December were crazy-busy at work with QA-ing a new app containing the SEC rules. I had to work three weekends in a row, including the Thanksgiving holiday. Then December came and my knee was in a lot of pain. Too much Zumba, I thought, so I pulled back a bit and went low impact. Finally, I figured out that I must have busted my knee while doing yoga. I was doing a lot of poses my body wasn't used to doing. At the end of January, I was summoned for jury duty. I was called to a panel and got on a civil case. This was on a Thursday, and the trial was supposed to begin on Monday. On Monday, I showed up at 9:30 and we didn't even go into the jury room until 10:00. Although we were sworn in, we spent almost two and a half hours sitting in the jury room. At about 11:30, the judge announced that the case was settled and we were free to go home. The case involved a car accident in which a livery driver hit a little girl on Halloween 2009. The family was suing the cab driver and his company for negligence.

Today's puzzle is called "Instrumental" and it's by Fred Piscop. Incidentally, he is the author of the 10-Minute Puzzles calendar that I received for Chanukah. I'm way behind on the puzzles in the calendar and I intend to catch up on them this weekend. Here are the theme answers:

20A: Wedding-toast Glass: CHAMPAGNE FLUTE. I'm not a big fan of champagne but I think there are some gorgeous glasses out there. For example, take a look at these beauties on the right. They're made by a company called MOYA and they're very contemporary and minimalist. I don't like things that are too ornate.

39A: Region of unexplained disappearances: BERMUDA TRIANGLE. Much has been written about paranormal activity in this region in the North Atlantic. In the past, articles were criticized as sensationalist and examples of poor journalism. However, an author named Gian Quasar has done extensive research about the Bermuda Triangle incidents through his Web site. Quasar provides a list of missing ships, air craft, and theories.

55A: Aircraft installation: FLIGHT RECORDER. This is also known as the "little black box." There is a Web site that contains a selection of audio clips from recovered voice recorders in air disasters. For more on how flight recorders work, see http://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/flight/modern/black-box.htm.

Ursula Andress in Dr. No

The author of today's Cryptoquote is Ursula Andress (b. 1936). The Swiss-born actress is best known for her role as Honey Ryder, the first Bond girl, in the movie Dr. No (1962). She was married to John Derek from 1957 to 1966, and dated Marlon Brando and James Dean. Here are her words of wisdom: "I take care of my flowers and cats and enjoy food. And that's living."

If life were only so simple.

Till tomorrow. . . .

Signing off,
The Puzzlechick

Back in 2012

I'm sorry I have not been posting lately. Things have been crazy between work and the holidays. I will be back in 2012 with new entries!

Keep puzzling!

Why I've Been AWOL

Sorry I haven't been posting lately. Things are really crazy here but I hope to be back next week.

Hope everyone had a happy and safe Halloween!