Not Quite Spanglish

It's wacky Wednesday and the third rainy day in a row. At least it's a little warmer today.


I finished the New York magazine crossword puzzle last night. Usually, their puzzles are filled with cute, punny clues and this week is no exception. The puzzle's theme was "Not Quite Spanglish." You needed to know nothing more than basic Spanish in order to solve.


Theme answers:
23A: Anatomical feature of a Spanish lad?: TONGUE IN CHICO
32A: Gets a Mexico chip from above?: TAKES DOWN A NACHO
48A: No longer having Spanish fat?: OUT OF ONE'S GORDO
66A: Is becoming for any Spanish uncle?: SUITS TO A TIO
77A: Conductor Stokowski with a Spanish wolf?: LEOPOLD AND LOBO
94A: Nickname for a Spanish quintet of chefs?: THE KITCHEN CINCO
107A: Cry of someone whose Spanish cheese has been taken: GET OFF MY QUESO (My favorite!)
3D: Country that's cold in Spanish?: LAND OF THE FRIO
55D: Take place: PICK UP THE PESO


Stumpers:
I got stumped at 104A (Rope down, in rock climbing) because I have never gone rock-climbing in my life. The answer was RAPPEL, but the more common term is ABSEILING. 


27A: I thought the answer to "Apart as shoe laces come" was UNTIED, but it turned out to be UNDONE.


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Today's Newsday Cryptoquote: "When the Gods wish to punish us, they make us believe our own advertising."--Daniel Boorstin


Daniel Boorstin (1914-2004) was the 12th Librarian of the Library of Congress. He was a historian, professor, lawyer and writer. Boorstein became known for his trilogy on the American experience: The Americans: The Colonial Experience (1958), The Americans: The National Experience (1965), and The Americans: The Democratic Experience (1973). He was one of the first historians to examine the corruption of modern advertising, which is where the quote originated.


Today's puzzle theme was "Furniture Store" by Fred Piscop. Theme answers:


17A: Charts of interest to Anglers (TIDE TABLES)
27A: Nattily dressed folks (SHARP DRESSERS)
43A: Kids' party game (MUSICAL CHAIRS) (Note: They played this game at my brother's bar mitzvah in 1981 but not at my son's 37 years later. I think kids are too sophisticated these days to play).
55A: Homes to some shellfish (OYSTER BEDS)


Loehmann's purchase today was a pair of bike shorts for the gym. Zumba and Yogatone tonight then it's off to bed. 


Tonight's "Idol" finalists have to sing three songs. I am so not into this show anymore since Simon left.


Till tomorrow. . . . 


Signing off,
The Puzzlechick

Today's Newsday Cryptoquote: "An age is called dark not because the light fails to shine but because people refuse to see it."--James Michener

James Michener (1907-1997) was the Pulitzer-prize winning author of Tales of the South Pacific (which would be adapted as the musical "South Pacific" and historical sagas such as Hawaii, Sayonara, Alaska, The Drifters, and Centennial.


The Dark Ages refers to any period of cultural, intellectual, and economic decline. We associate this negative term with the fall of the Roman Empire. Despite all our advances in technology and improvement with communication (thanks to the Internet, cell phones, and social networking), many economists fear a return to the Dark Ages. Many companies are clueless on how to make the Internet their profit center. Without continued advancement in their technology, they will experience stagnant growth.

Now on to today's puzzle answers (author is Billie Truitt). The theme (along with all clues) was "Not Now."

2A: WAIT JUST A MINUTE
41A: I'LL BE RIGHT THERE
56A: PLEASE BE PATIENT

Patience. I lose patience with many things. Call centers. Crowds. Long lines. Stupid people. Foul-mouthed kids. I always feel guilty after I yell at someone.

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In the gossip world, Arnold Schwarzenegger admitted he fathered a love child just before he ran for governor. No wonder Maria walked out on him! Then again, is it a surprise to anyone?

Seth McFarlane doing a remake of "The Flintstones?" I have mixed feelings about this. Many people are afraid he will inject his brand of raunchy humor. However, he did several excellent shows for the Cartoon Network (e.g., "Johnny Bravo," "Dexter's Lab," and "Cow and Chicken"). Let's hope he takes the latter route when he creates this new version. I can see him voicing Fred Flintstone, but he needs to get a big name for Barney's voice.

My friend's 20-year-old daughter just got engaged to a marine! They have mixed feelings because they want her to finish college first. I don't blame them.

It is another dreary, rainy day here in NYC. A good night to do some cleaning.

Till tomorrow. . . .

Signing off,

The Puzzlechick

A New Beginning

For the third time, I have decided to renew my blog. This time, I have moved it to Blogspot and I have vowed to keep up with it faithfully! There are several excellent blogs about the NYT crossword puzzle so I will not follow suit. Instead, I will be commenting on the Newsday puzzle themes as well as what is happening in my own crazy life. Once I am able to access my Newsday account online, I will be publishing the crossword puzzle grid for that day.

To start off on this dreary Monday, today's cryptoquote is a cheery one by Mae West: "Don't cry for a man who's left you. The next one may fall for your smile." Mae West may have been a brash bombshell, but she was very smart! Breakups are difficult, but there is someone out there for everyone. There are many places to meet someone besides the neighborhood bar and Match.com: church/synagogue, volunteer groups, niche singles groups, etc. Communication is the key to successful relationships, whether it's family, business, or romantic. . . . After a breakup it might be good idea to get some "alone time" and cultivate your own interests.

The x-word puzzle theme was called "Oral Exam" by Gail Grabowski. Overall, a nice and easy Monday puzzle. Here are the main theme answers:

20A: Yak and yak (I know MANY who do that): TALK A BLUE STREAK

40A: Phrase to used to prompt "please": SAY THE MAGIC WORD

51A: "Look who just showed up": SPEAK OF THE DEVIL

Over the weekend, Matthew and I went to a wonderful monologue by Jack Finnegan called "City Love Song." This is his account of a 13-week train trip he took across the United States. More information can be found at his Web site: 

http://www.citylovesong.com/

We can't wait to hear Jack's impressions of 26 cities next year! 

Congratulations to "Boston Rob" Mariano for finally winning "Survivor!" Also, congrats to John Rich and Marlee Matlin (just as I predicted) for making the final two in "Celebrity Apprentice."

'Till tomorrow. . . .

--The Puzzlechick