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

Kiss My A---!

Cyrano de Bergerac

Happy Valentine's Day! The pressure is on this day to hook up with someone and do something romantic. It's also one of the most over-emphasized holidays when it comes to the card printers and candy makers. Technically, it's a Catholic holiday so we don't make a big deal of it in our house. However, even the puzzle creators jumped in with today's cryptoquote:

A kiss is a rosy dot over the "I" on loving.

The quote is from the author Cyrano de Bergerac (1619-1655). He was known for his fictional works based on his life story, and was often portrayed with a very large nose. In the play by Edmond Rostand, Cyrano pines for his distant cousin Roxanne but she is infatuated with Christian, a fellow guardsman, and Cyrano wants to bring them together. He offers to help Christian win Roxanne by writing eloquent letters and signing his name to them. I think you know how the story ends. Rostand's play has been adapted into many stage, screen, and TV productions.

How many songs can you name that have the word "kiss" in the title?

Today's Newsday Puzzle, by Billie Truitt, has nothing to do with hearts and kisses. It's called "At the Races" and here are the theme answers:

20A: Gymnastics apparatus (POMMEL HORSE). I loved gymnastics, but I hated like the pommel horse. We had to jump over it, and I never managed to do it as I was scared to get hurt. When gymnasts do stunts on the horse, they make it look so easy.

51A: Much-traveled route (BEATEN TRACK)

Fatboy Slim

11D: San Francisco bridge (GOLDEN GATE). San Francisco is on my bucket list of places to visit in the U.S. This bridge has been declared on of the "Wonders of the Modern World". Connect to this Web site to learn more about this beautiful structure.

28D: Radio station employee (DISK JOCKEY). The days of the classic disk jockey--Alan Freed, Cousin Brucie, Scott Muni, Pete Fornatelle, Wolfman Jack, Casey Kasem, etc.--are long gone. Now the DJ is concentrated in the clubs, my favorite being Fatboy Slim. As Norman Cook (his real name), Fatboy Slim was a member of the Housemartins, one of my favorite bands in the 80s. Unfortunately, I missed seeing him at Voodoo in New Orleans because it conflicted with the Raconteurs

I've been watching the Westminster Dog Show. So far, three of my favorite breeds--a German shepherd, a dalmatian, and a Dachshund--are in the finals. It all ends tonight with "Best in Show."

As a final note on this Valentine's Day 2012, the most important person you can love is yourself!

Till tomorrow. . . .

Singing off,
The Puzzlechick

It's Just Us!

Today's Gail Grabowsky puzzle is called "It's You and Me." The word "us" was hidden in all the theme answers:

20A: End of some game shows (BONUS ROUND). Oh, how I miss the daytime game shows! The bonus round started in the 1960s with "Beat the Clock." The wife of the contestant would try to unscramble a quote within 20 seconds for a bonus prize. My favorite concept of a bonus round was to ask the contestants how studio audiences responded to a question. This concept started in "Match Game" and picked up in "Family Feud." Below is a video of "Family Feud" bonus round where the family started off poorly but made a nice comeback.

55A: Row of dancers in a musical (CHORUS LINE). I saw "A Chorus Line" toward the end of its original run (see video below). Although there were some very good songs, I didn't think it was that great as a play. It was about a bunch of has-been dancers looking for one last chance at a career. It did, however, win several Tony Awards and was one of the longest-running shows on Broadway. We did a rip-off of "A Chorus Line" in my senior year of high school. We called it "Stagestruck." The movie version was absolutely horrible.

10D: Current condition (STATUS QUO). Not to be confused with the British band of the same name. 

31D: Performance in a tent (CIRCUS ACT). Every spring, my family used to go to the circus. It was a very long (almost 3 hours) and boring affair. My favorite acts was the trapeze artists. I was into gymnastics and acrobatics at the time and wished I could perform their death-defying stunts. When I learned later how Ringling Bros. treated the animals, I vowed I would never take my son there. Instead, we took him to the Big Apple Circus , which was only one ring and featured a very funny clown named Grandma. BAC treats their clowns very well and offers them pension plans upon retirement. 

Today's cryptoquote is by Edward ("Ted") M. Kennedy (1932-2009):

Violence is an admission that one's ideas and goals cannot prevail on their own merits.

Did he say this before or after Chappaquidick? The former Massachusetts senator (47 years!) was just a mediocre student in school (compared to his older brothers). Teddy was caught cheating at Harvard (gasp!). He also saw lots of trauma in his young life: the untimely deaths of his brothers Joe, Jack, and Bobby, the labotomy of his sister Rosemary, and the airplane crash that killed his sister Kathleen. He turned out to be one of the most prolific speakers of our time, but he never quite caught the brass ring (President of the United States), thanks to the Chappaquidick incident.

Violence never solves anything, my friends.

Till tomorrow. . . . 

Signing off,

The Puzzlechick

P.S. On a sad note, Whitney Houston died Saturday afternoon at the age of 48.  All around the world, people sang her praises. We had a moment of silence for Whitney at Zumba yesterday. Come on, people! In truth, she was an addict. Marrying Bobby Brown killed her career and her life. They haven't revealed the cause of death yet, but I am sure drugs were involved. Whitney's music was definitely not our style. In fact, Matthew and I called her "Witless." Because of her, Taylor Dayne's career was ruined. Besides being a childhood friend of my husband's, Taylor is a much more talented singer. 

You're No Good/Kaiser's Korner

TGIF! It's another gorgeous day in New York City (nearly 50 degrees) . . . the calm before the storm. We're supposed to get about 2-3 inches of snow tonight. :-( 

Today's puzzle, by Richard Silvestri, was a toughie. It's called "They're No Good." In other words, there is a "NG" for "No Good" hidden in each of the theme answers:

20A: Cairo beach patrons? (SUNNING MUSLIMS). And what is the difference between Sunni and Shiite Muslims? The answer is right here on a Web site called History News Network. I guess it's like comparing Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews.

39A: Big-time sport? (PRONG BASKETBALL). The NBA lockout may be over, but we still can't get MSG on our cable system! We pay $200 a month for this?? Knick and Ranger fans are mad! 

52A: Rule of everything? (QUEEN OF SHEBANG). My friend Sheila just bought a Siberian Husky and her name is Sheba. She is a beautiful dog and I want to see her before she outgrows her puppy years. As for the legend of the Queen of Sheba, it's explained in this essay. And who could forget William Hung's infamous rendition of "She Bangs" (with apologies to Ricky Martin)?

Henry J. Kaiser

Today's crytopquote was on the tough side too. It's by Henry J. Kaiser (1882-1967):

When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt.

Henry J. Kaiser is known as the "Father of American Shipbuilding." He also founded a steel company, an aluminium company, and two automobile companies. I never even heard of the latter, but a picture of the Kaiser 1953 Manhattan is pictured on the right. The car company was in existence from 1945 until 1969, when it was sold to American Motors (makers of the infamous Gremlin). Kaiser was involved in building roads, civic centers, and schools. He was also quite the philanthropist through his foundation. In addition, he also established the first HMO called Kaiser Permanente. 

Well, that's all for the day. I'll be sitting back and waiting for the snow with the rest of the peanut gallery.

Till tomorrow. . . . 

Signing off,

The Puzzlechick

Birds of a Feather

Today marks my 90th post! Had I not taken two months off, I would have had over 150. Oh, well. . . .

We have another celebrity puzzle today (see my previous post "Bad Hair Day"). This is by David W. Cromer and it's called "Audobon Society." You guessed it; the celebrities all have types of birds in their names:

Raven Symone, age 3

16A: Daughter on The Cosby Show (RAVEN SYMONE). Raven Symone was only 3 or 4 when she made her debut on The Cosby Show as Denise's stepdaughter, Olivia. They needed someone to replace cute little Rudy's place since she was about to hit puberty. Wasn't Raven cute? She also was on "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper and appeared in two of the Dr. Dolittle movies. Also a singer, she eventually had her own show in The Disney Channel called "That's So Raven." OK, she gained a few pounds over the years, but there's nothing wrong with having curves. She showed off a much slimmer look last summer (see before-and-after picture on the left). 

61A: Cheers star (RHEA PERLMAN). Carla Tortelli, the wise-cracking waitress at Cheers, was such a great character. She had disdain for many people, especially her fellow waitress Diane Chambers (played by Shelley Long) and Cliff Claven, the hapless mailman (played by John Ratzenberger). Carla had a reputation for being promiscuous. When the series started, Carla had four children but had eight by the time it ended. Carla knew Sam during his baseball days, and invited Carla to work for him when he opened the bar. Her first husband, Nick Tortelli  (played by Dan Hedaya), re-married a blonde bimbo named Loretta. Nick had an unsuccessful spin-off series of his own. Carla's second husband was the hockey star Eddie LeBec (played by Jay Thomas). Unfortunately, Eddie was released from the Bruins' contract and had to take a job as a mascot for a traveling ice show. He met his demise with a Zamboni machine.

10D: Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous co-host (ROBIN LEACH). Champagne wishes and caviar dreams! This show focused on celebrities and all the material possessions they owned so they could rub it in our faces. The show was often parodied (badly) on other TV series, such as Sesame Street and Saved by the Bell. Leach was a former journalist who hosted this show from the mid-80s to the mid-90s. Pictured on the right is Leach interviewing the divine Miss Piggy. 

28D: Norma Rae director (MARTIN RITT). A successful TV director, Martin Ritt (1914-1990) was blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities committee for directing Communist-party members of a local NYC union in their annual show. He was associated with other theater groups who had Communist leanings. He then returned to the theater until the Red Scare decreased its intensity, and he went on to direct movies. Some of his most successful films included The Long, Hot Summer, Sounder, The Great White Hope, Hud, and Murphy's Romance. Sally Field, of course, won an Oscar for Norma Rae. 

Today's Crytoquote is by Henry David Thoreau:

"There are few men who do not love better to give advice than to give assistance."

This is sort of a continuation of yesterday's quote. 

Till tomorrow. . . . 

Signing off,

The Puzzlechick

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Good evening! Sitting at home on a cold Wednesday night. I decided not to venture to the gym since it's started flurrying. Besides, Sandra's 7:30 Zumba class is so crowded that I feel like I'm in a can of sardines. Also, the room gets very hot, even with all the fans. I'll do Tricia's class tomorrow night, along with kickboxing. I'm not crazy about the kickboxing instructor who is temping for Aleigah, but I'll live with it. Aleigah is tough but at least she motivates people.

Today's puzzle, by Billie Truitt, is called "Recycling Day." You guessed it, it's about things that we have to put in separate bags and bring them to their proper places:

20A: Student project (RESEARCH PAPER). Do you remember the days when you were assigned a paper or report, made an outline, pored over books at the library and took notes, wrote a draft, and wrote the final paper? With all the concentration on test prep, it seems that students these days are lacking that skill. Thankfully, my son gets assigned many research papers at the online school where he is enrolled. If you're stuck on a topic, see the Web site Best Essays.

38A: Fine-print enlarger (MAGNIFYING GLASS). Fortunately, my eyes are in pretty good shape, save for the progressive lenses and multifocal contacts I wear for reading. Some things under a magnifying glass are pretty scary! However, I remember having so much fun playing with them when we were young.

58A: Gardening device (SPRINKLING CAN). I do not have a garden, so I have no use for this. Pictured on the right is the basic watering can that every mom (including mine) in my Long Island neighborhood owned. We used them for other purposes, like water fights.

Today's cryptoquote is by Francois de la Rochefoucauld (Pictured on the left. I think his name is longer than the actual quote):

There is nothing men are so generous of as advice.

Wow, Mr. de la Rouchefoucuald goes way back (1630-1680). Born to a wealthy noble family, he spent much of his life in the military. He was best known for his writings Maximes and Memoirs.

And my advice to you is to start drinking heavily! (John "Bluto" Blutarski in Animal House).

Have a good night!

Signing off,

The Puzzlechick

Sore Losers

Today's puzzle, by Sally R. Stein, is called "Why So Sore?" Each of the theme answers rhymes with the word "sore":

20A: Huge retail establishment (SUPER STORE). I used to love shopping at Target, otherwise known as Tar-jhay. They carried some nice home goods, a decent crafts section, and at one point, I was buying almost all of my clothes from there. They carried Isaac Mizrahi, whose clothes fit me well. There were also a few nice designer collaborations (Proenza-Schouler, Patrick Robinson, Calypso-St. Barth, etc.). Then they decided to pull a WalMart and concentrate on groceries. Isaac left and the clothes selection became shabby. Now I hardly go in there anymore.

63A: Old word for 140 (SEVEN SCORE). What to know what happened during the Civil War seven score and 10 years ago? Check out this site: http://www.7score10years.com/.

9D: Second-year student (SOPHOMORE). Sophomores are, of course, second year students in both high school and college. There's some responsibility (preparing college applications or declaring your major), but it's not as stressful as junior year. Then there's the "sophomore slump", where one's second effort fails to stand up to that of the first. For instance, take a look at some second albums by rock groups that definitely didn't live up to their debut albums. For many groups, those albums killed their careers.

35D: Asian city that's a country (SINGAPORE). English is the main language of this city-state. It looks like a very nice place to be. Singapore is one of the five busiest ports in the world and it is also a financial leader. However, the gap between rich and poor is just as great as it is here.

The cryptoquote for today is by the late, great comedian Flip Wilson (1933-1998):

Flip Wilson as Geraldine

The cost of living is going up and the chance of living is going down. 

Right on the money, Flip! 

Flip Wilson grew up in an impoverished environment and was in and out of several foster homes. After his discharge from the Air Force, he became a bellhop at the Manor Plaza Hotel in San Francisco but soon started performing comedy.  During the early '70s, I had the pleasure of watching "The Flip Wilson Show." on NBC. He played lots of great characters, especially Geraldine Jones (pictured right). Geraldine's catch phrase was "The Devil Made Me Do It!" "She" also said "What You See Is What You Get", hence the acronym WYSIWYG.

Happy 200th Birthday to Charles Dickens! He wrote many classics (A Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, etc.) and he incorporated autobiographical elements in his writings. . Mark Twain had a lot to say about Mr. Dickens during the one time he heard him read.

Giants' ticker-tape parade down Wall Street, ho-hum.

Latest Facebook Hoax: A woman in India supposedly had 11 babies at once. I fell for it, but it turned out to be false. The picture is of 11 babies who were born on 11/11/11, and they were all from different mothers.

Can you imagine if that really happened?!?

Till tomorrow. . . .

Signing off,
The Puzzlechick