google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, September 2, 2013 C.C. Burnikel

Advertisements

Sep 2, 2013

Monday, September 2, 2013 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Honey, your folks are here - Phrases with Ma and Pa at the head of the line.

18A. *File folder material : MANILA PAPER

24A. *Halloween bash with costumes : MASQUERADE PARTY

39A. The Kettles, or a hint to the answers to starred clues : MA AND PA

52A. *Law firm bigwig : MANAGING PARTNER

61A. *Foam bedding item : MATTRESS PAD

Argyle here with a C.C. Monday gem. It helped if you remembered who the Kettles were but the starred clues didn't really need the central reveal. It does tie the theme tighter. Two grid spanners and two strong climbers tie it up tight. Should be a speed run for regular solvers but still a pleasant result.

 Bill G, you listening?

Across:

1. Beach lotion letters : SPF

4. Piece of information : DATUM

9. Like a visit from Francis : PAPAL

14. Lao Tzu principle : TAO

15. Really angry : IRATE

16. Musical in which Madonna set a Guinness World Record for "Most costume changes in a film" : "EVITA"

17. That, to Teresa : ESO. (Spanish)

20. Book of maps : ATLAS

22. Police force member : COP

23. Eye drop : TEAR

28. Only brother not in any Marx Brothers films : GUMMO. If you missed CED's link to Harpo, go back to yesterday's comments at 8:25 PM.

29. Belgian river : YSER

30. "Stop, horse!" : "WHOA!"

32. The Spartans of the Big Ten: Abbr. : MSU. (Michigan State University)

34. Old Russian leaders : TSARs

38. "You've got mail" company : AOL

42. Lav of London : LOO. Lav is short for lavatory.

43. Cowboy contest : RODEO

45. Onassis nickname : ARI. (Aristotle Socrates Onassis)

46. Barristers' degs. : LLBs. (Bachelor of Laws)(Legum Baccalaureus Latin)

47. Norse prankster : LOKI

50. First of four Holy Roman emperors : OTTO I

58. Bird sacred to Tut : IBIS

59. T, to Socrates : TAU. Not the hemlock tea that did him in.

60. Pong producer : ATARI

65. Fishing pole : ROD

66. Trap during a winter storm, maybe : ICE IN

67. Chopin work : ETUDE

68. "__ to Joy" : ODE. I know you like a good flash mob.


69. About, date-wise : CIRCA

70. Managed somehow : COPED

71. Filmmaker Craven : WES. Well-known horror director.

Down:

1. Cook, as asparagus : STEAM

2. Carb-loader's entrée : PASTA

3. Forty-niner's disillusionment : FOOL'S GOLD. (Pyrite)


4. Bite-sized Chinese dish : DIM SUM

5. Parseghian of football : ARA

6. Light brown : TAN

7. Mohawk River city : UTICA. Shout out to the Mohawk Valley.

8. Something to hum : MELODY. Like "Ode to Joy" for the rest of the day.

9. Energy : PEP

10. Blog posters' self-images : AVATARs

11. Peter, the pickled-pepper picker : PIPER. A lot of alliteration.

12. Dined in : ATE AT. A misfire.

13. Comedic Cable Guy : LARRY

19. Jungle swingers : APEs

21. Color of water : AQUA

25. Actress Thompson : EMMA

26. Civil rights pioneer Parks : ROSA

27. Animal rights org. : PETA. (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) Pronounced the same? 41D. Pocket bread : PITA

30. Civil __ : WAR

31. "Yoo-__!" : HOO

33. One, to Juanita : UNA. More Spanish.

35. Aligned perfectly : ALL IN A ROW

36. Hold up : ROB

37. Sailor's distress signal : S-O-S

39. Synthesizer pioneer Robert : MOOG

40. Fall : DROP

44. Stretchy, as a waistband : ELASTIC

46. Former Senate majority leader Trent : LOTT. Senator from Mississippi.

48. Flying toy : KITE

49. "Be right there!" : "IN A SEC!"

51. Dealt players : TRADED

52. Act like : MIMIC

53. Calculators often made with bamboo frames : ABACI

54. Compound in fireworks : NITER

55. Exuberance : GUSTO

56. Gradually wear away : ERODE

57. Fair attractions : RIDES

62. Genetic letters : RNA

63. Newborn dog : PUP. Nap time.


64. Fruity drink : ADE


Argyle


61 comments:

River Doc said...

Happy Monday everybody!

Very first-day-of-the-week-degree-of-difficulty puzzle from C.C. today, so thanks! Only write-over was ISIS for IBIS during a speed run….

Favorite clue = Like a visit from Francis….

Oh, if only life was easy as it seemed to be for MA AND PA Kettle….

Embarrassed to admit knowing LOKI mostly as Thor’s P.I.T.A. brother in the movie….

Big fan of the general idea behind PETA, but not quite as enamored with some of their supporters who have more…., well…., let’s just say GUSTO than necessary….

Timing Is Everything – regarding Justin Morneau being TRADED by the Twins over the weekend….

49ers disillusionment = FOOLS GOLD, but only because FIRST AND TEN FROM THE RAVEN’S SEVEN YARD LINE WITH UNDER TWO MINUTES TO GO IN THE SUPER BOWL AND WINDING UP TURNING THE BALL OVER ON DOWNS didn’t quite fit….

I may have to invest in some ELASTIC pants because I’ve lost CIRCA XX LBS here in Beautiful Downtown Doha...!

If that newborn PUP was dining in, wouldn’t he be ATEAT…? I know, I know, *groan*….

BTW, really enjoyed that shot of CED and Manac napping together at the end of today’s expo (insert happy face emoticon here!)….

Finally, here’s one of the many You Tube clips of a Bach MELODY played on the MOOG organ…. Enjoy!

Lemonade714 said...

Wonderful to start the week with one from our fearless leader, and it did go quickly. I agree the stars and unifier were not needed but I enjoyed as the Kettles again without the corn. Also liked the ending mini shout out and the PA PA L fill. Enjoy the day off all

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Nice to sleep in a bit on a Monday for a change...

Fine puzzle and theme today. Struggled a wee bit with MANILA PAPER at first, since I've only heard of MANILA folders and Manila envelopes before (although it certainly makes sense that both are made of MANILA PAPER). Also misread the clue to 4A as "pieces" instead of "piece" of information and went DATAS at first (which annoyed me to no end until I realized what the clue actually said).

Happy Labor Day!

[accWorke)

desper-otto said...

Zip zip! No writeovers today. C.C., thanks for the speed run. Argyle, you were in top form again today.

Does UNO also mean one in Spanish?

Nice shoutout to Irish Miss and Spitz with UTICA, or am I geographically challenged again? And, yes, I think PETA and PITA are pronounced the same -- just like Mary, merry, marry. That'll start something...

Argyle, I had to right-click on that picture to see if it was supposed to be LOKI, OTTO I or Aristotle.

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. thank you, C.C., for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the fine review.

Got started easily. Got held up at DIM SUM. No idea what that was. it came later with 5 perps. Crossing with GUMMO was the 6th perp which I did not know. So, I wagged it. Couple of tough words crossing.

Theme was easy. Very good.

UTICA was a recent word we had, a month or so ago. That's OK.

AVATARS is a word I learned in this corner.

Hope I have lots of PEP today. In a parade in Zion, IL. Of course, we ride on a float. No marching for some of our older gentlemen.

Watched The Butler last night. Good movie. Different than what I expected.

Happy Labor Day.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

(siuelec)

Avg Joe said...

Easy romp today, appropriate for its lack of labor. Only erasure was changing UNo to UNA. Otherwise a race to the bottom with any unknowns filled by perps.

From yesterday, enjoyed the story from your sister, Argyle. Hilarious. Also enjoyed Harpo playing Hungarian Rhapsody. First time I've heard it on a harp, and quite an interesting twist on the Troika with his brand of syncopation.

Have a great Labor Day.

HeartRx said...

Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.

Fun, fun puzzle today. Thanks for the cool write-up, Argyle. (I went back and read last night's posts, and roared at your little prank on your daughter...or, did you really think you had signed up for a parachute club??? (^0^)

Nice fill, with DIM SUM (yum!), AVATARS and ALL IN A ROW keeping my attention going. Thanks, C.C. for a nice Monday wake up work out, and Argyle for an equally enjoyable write-up.

Happy Labor Day, everyone!

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Nice shout-out to UTICA and the Mohawk Valley like Argyle said.
D-O - Irish Miss is in Troy which is athwart the mouth of the Mohawk River. She probably considers herself a denizen of the Hudson Valley.
Sfingi lives in Utica.

Enjoyed the puzzle. My older eyes didn't notice the starred entries, but the solve went easily anyway. Got the MA PA theme when coming here. No lookups, no issues.

Enjoy the day.

desper-otto said...

Wow, Argyle, five jumps a week! Are you gonna put notches on your cane?

Anonymous-T and Klilly -- the Barnacle has officially dropped the LAT puzzle on Sunday's. The NYT used to appear on Thursdays, but they've reworked that section of the paper and there was no longer room for it. So they decided to run the week-old NYT on Sunday so as not to upset the NYT fans. The LAT fans have no "pull", -- "Well, you still get the LAT the other six days of the week..." Bah humbug!

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Another fun run from C.C. Thanks!

Argyle, thanks, "ODE to Joy" was a great start to our day.

I used to love Ma & Pa Kettle. Theirs were some of the few movies I got to see as kid. Had to drive a whopping 12 miles to a movie so didn't go often.

Gee whiz, I didn't know Moog was a guy's name. I thought it was an acronym. Bob Moog? Dear me, you'd have to do something great to overcome that name. He'd have to be special to convince a woman to become Mrs. Moog. Enjoyed the Bach.

Doc, I'm coming to Doha if you can sweat off that many pounds. They should have weight loss spas there in the desert countries instead of wars.

thehondohurricane said...


Hello there everybody,

What former baseball radio announcer opened every game broadcast by saying "Hello there everybody"? This should be in Lemonades wheelhouse.

CC, thanks for a fun Labor Day puzzle. Other then the North, not much labor required.

Couldn't get going in the North, so I finished the Middle & South first. FOOLS GOLD, MELODY & AVATAR opened the North for me.

________________________________

Some "ketch in" up to do.

CC, in addition to you, Twins fans can't be too happy about Presley for Morneau. Sounds like a salary dump. Will Mauer be next.? At least he's safe now. Judging by New Britain, their farm system appears weak, but you never know how a player will develop as he gets older,

HG, Wyoming as little tougher the Husker fans expected? At least they prevailed, unlike UConn.

____________________________

The pup at the end of the blog could be Riley's brother. One of the wife's cats likes to sleep with him, but he's is not always accommodating.

Argyle said...

Let's make one thing clear, the story was NOT about me. It came from my sister and was probably apocryphal.

River Doc said...

Hondo, that sounds a lot like Vin Scully's opening line on Dodger TV broadcasts, "It's time for Dodger baseball! Hi, everybody, and a very pleasant good (day/evening) to you, wherever you may be...."

Anonymous said...

Where is John Lambkin these days?

Husker Gary said...

“How good is your blog master as a constructor, Gary?” “Well, she built a wonderful Monday puzzle built on American farming couple comedies CIRCA 1949 and even included her disdain for her fav baseball team trading its best player and a Chinese food item! How zat for cross cultural acumen?”

Musings
-Husker fans are IRATE and haven’t COPED well over how bad the FB team looked Saturday night. Hondo, either Wyoming is better than predicted or the ’13 Huskers are FOOL’S GOLD! However, Kansas State and Iowa did lose to second tier opposition and one loss in football is worse than any other college sport.
-A Little Bitty TEAR Let Me Down
-Many a golfer has futilely yelled WHOA at a putt hit too hard
-Remember when PONG was ultra high tech?
-No other piece of music can stir me like Beethoven’s Ninth or Ode To Joy
-PEP of my misspent youth
-Larry The Cable Guy (nee Dan Whitney of Pawnee City, NE) has given a lotta money to UNL
-Did anyone else see/like this this EMMA Thompson film?
-I don’t like to face a day unless ALL my ducks are IN A ROW
-ELASTIC waistband inspector? DIESEL fitter! Right, Spitz?
-My friend says that if one farmer turns on his center pivot, his neighbors will MIMIC him within the hour

HeartRx said...

Argyle @ 9:04, yeh, sure, whatever you say. "I have a friend who..."

HG, I did not know the Twins traded Morneau for DIM SUM?

Montana said...

Good morning from Montana, back in Montana.
CC, your puzzles are very enjoyable and Argyle, it's always interesting to read your expo. Thanks to both of you.

This wasn't a speed run, but I moved right through it, with perps helping here and there. MA AND PA parsed easily.

Loki is my son's cat's name.

After spending 3 weeks with my son & D-I-L in Austrailia, they asked if there were any places I would like to go eat again. One of my first choices was back to the restaurant for DIM SUM. Loved it. Other one was for Bavarian/German. (My son proposed to my DIL near Doha.)

PK, I lived down the street from a Mr. & Mrs. Moog. They had 12 children and I taught all but one of them. Their last name was a common one in the county.

Have a safe Monday, everybody,

Montana



Avg Joe said...

The story from Argyle's sister reminded me of a joke I heard a few year back about the Best Bar in the World

thehondohurricane said...


HG,

A lot of experts and one non-expert (me) did not consider the K State loss surprising. ND State is a legit team. Only thing they lack is depth.

Doha Doc, Nope! But good guess. I heard Vin when he was learning the trade from Red Barber. His broadcasts have a lot of Red in them.

Husker Gary said...

Sidebar – Yesterday Joann gave me a choice of going to church or driving two hours out to Grand Island for the Nebraska State Fair. After 3 nanoseconds, I chose the latter and we had a great time in wonderful weather despite the huge crowd.
-My decision would have disappointed FRANCIS but I’d love to get the chance to tell him some things about his institution that ain’t all that whippy either.
-There were countless MA and PA’s there with their kids and their 4H projects or just taking them to the fair
-We ATE AT the Nebraska Cattlemen’s Beef Pit where we had a great prime rib sandwich, corn, coleslaw and a soft drink for $10.
-Serta had a MATTRESS tent full of models at the fair that might have had some interesting residue on the PADS after people had walked through the barns and then laid on them
-We didn’t even walk through the RIDES
-I never thought I-80 would be too crowded but it felt like bumper tag most of the way with uncountable numbers of DIESEL semis
-Very funny Marti! The Yankees might trade the A ROD mess for less than that.

desper-otto said...

Anon@9:34 -- John is related to a light fixture, not a sheep.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Whenever I see CC as the constructor, I know I'm going to be a happy solver and today was no exception. Clever theme and fresh fill, so thanks, CC, and thanks to Argyle for a great expo. N(ice) shout-out to Tin at 66A-Ice in! Not!

Spitz and DO - I am definitely a denizen of the Hudson Valley. As the crow flies, I live about a mile or so from the Hudson River which meets the Mohawk in Cohoes.

Argyle, your sister's story is hilarious.

Happy Labor Day.

Irish Miss said...

Forgot to mention the adorable picture of the pup (Manac) and the kitty (CED). Doha Doc @ 6:07, we both had the same thought! I bet you can't "weight" to get back home!

PK said...

HG, I saw "Last Chance Harvey" many moons ago and couldn't decide if I liked it or not. Kinda sad but hopeful at the end.

Montana, 12 Kids! Guess Dad was always in the Moog for love.

Bill G. said...

Happy Monday! That was a fun Monday puzzle right up my alley. I finished about 80 percent of it last night and the rest just now.

Heh heh, I used to show that Ma and Pa Kettle math to my students. They didn't quite know what to make of it. Was I expecting them to learn it? Well, I had fun with it anyway.

I've got to drive Barbara and a neighbor down to the big Labor Day fair in Hermosa Beach. With Barbara's recovering leg, she doesn't want to ride the bus. So I'll drive her as close as I can get. There's a Beatles cover band she enjoys as well as her favorite jewelry booth. For me, it's the same as last year, the year before that, etc. and I'm happy to give it a pass,

Lucina said...

Greetings, all!

C.C., before too long, I believe you'll make the Guinness Book for the most puzzles published.

This was a fun run, family style puzzle. I loved the MA AND PA Kettle movies.

Desper-O:
Yes, UNO, UNA does mean one as well as the articles "a, an."

And that was my one erasure, changing ESA to ESO. for FOOLS GOLD.

Argyle, I love that flash mob scene! Thank you for posting it.

Has anyone else read The Color of Water by James McBride? It's excellent.

Have a labor-free Labor Day everyone!

Ol' Man Keith said...

Thank you, THANK YOU, Argyle, for posting the flash mob "Ode to Joy." That was the happiest happening I've seen or heard in weeks and a great way to launch September.
I marveled at how well choreographed were the seemingly casual arrivals of the players and singers. The surprised faces of the Spanish "civilians" and tourists are priceless.
It reminded me of a similar occasion many years ago in Berlin, when the Berlin Phil performed the Ninth outdoors--and had it purposely interrupted in the middle, apparently to make the point that we (or Germans?) mustn't take too easy comfort in nice sentiments. But truth to tell, we often crave Schiller's and Beethoven's healing forces.

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Never a speed rune for me. Fun Puzzle, C.C. Just right for a Monday, and not too much Labor.

Love the Ma and Pa Kettle humor. Remember them vaguely from my 'Ute.

Benoit blew it in the 9th yesterday - 3 walks and a grand slam - while the Tigers got shut out. Ick!

For Labor Day.

Cool regards!
JzB

Ol' Man Keith said...

Lucina,
I just finished McBride's THE GOOD LORD BIRD, his funny and eye-opening take on John Brown. The abolition movement is a major interest of mine, and it was refreshing to get a sharp witted black author's view of the Harper's Ferry raid.
What's the theme of COLOR OF WATER?

Misty said...

Oooh, I love a C.C. puzzle on a Monday morning, and even better on Labor Day! I thought this was a speed run but didn't notice until Argyle's expo that I goofed on MOOG and PITA. Had POOG and MITA, can you believe it? I'm so gullible that when I see totally impossible words, I just assume that I've simply never heard of them--not that they're wrong. (Of course, I've heard of MOOG synthesizers and eaten PITA bread). But this was lots of fun and TWO grid spanners are simply amazing, C.C. And sweet photo of doxie pup and kitty, Argyle.

Now I finally understand the logic of all your AVATARS on the blog. Helpful definition, C.C. I really should give going blue another try sometime. But then I'd have to think about my self-image. Hmmmm?

Haven't enjoyed DIM SUM in ages. We should see if there's a handicap accessible Chinese restaurant in our area somewhere. That would be a fun excursion!

Have a great, relaxing and fun-filled Labor Day, everybody!

JD said...

Good morning, and hail to all who labor,

Loved your CW, C.C., and Argyle I would not have seen the ma and pa until you pointed them out. Cute theme.

Perfect for a Monday. It would have helped if masquerade had been on my 8th gr. spelling list.Noticed something wrong when I was a letter short. Also had to change Les to Wes.

I really had to laugh at the Spartans joining the Big 10. The ONLY Spartans I'm familiar with (besides those who lived in Sparta)are the San Jose State Spartans... never gonna be in the Big 10. Their big game is against Fresno!

Much prefer Ronnie Lott.

Abejo, I also enjoyed The Butler yesterday. Since it was only based on a real person, there were many things that didn't happen, like his son being a member of the Black Panther Party.It was like a medley of many things that happened back then.

Nobody read Beautiful Ruins? Strange novel.

Have a lovely day. We have cloud cover.

Anonymous T said...

Happy Labor Day All!

C.C. delivered a very fine Monday puzzle (alas, no Mort Walker ref) and Argyle a delightful writeup.

I can't see the flash mob link on my iPad, but found one that starts w/ a little girl thowing money in the hat of a double-bass player and then the orchastra slowly appears. Is that the same one? ODE to Joy is one of the few songs that give me goose bumps every time I hear it...

Hand up for UNo before UNA. Also I put PIPER in 12d's space so things are a bit messy over there.

Misty - you don't need a picture of you to go blue. Keith called me Anonymous T one day, so I created a graphic of just that. If you zoom in, you will see Anonymous in the top bar of the T.

Ave Joe - My sister owns a pub, she will love that joke!

MOOG is one of my fav Rock & Roll instruments. I bought a whole album from Weezer because I heard a MOOG in one of their songs. I think the Violent Fems where the only one with a xylophone. And we all know from the other day, a flute in Jethro Tull. :-)

Cheers,
-T

Argyle said...

Yes, -T, that is the one.

Avg Joe said...

On flash mobs, today's Sherman's Lagoon mentions the topic.

But they clearly weren't at the same one. This one was neither silly or pointless. Can't quite imagine what it would be like to actually be there.

CrossEyedDave said...

Well CC, you did get me with one write over. The A at the end of Ma & Pa combined with a possible "C" in Csar made me think 27D animal protection agcy was "SPCA." But the "P" in masquerade party forced the write over. Maybe it's because I have to much imagination...

(note: I linked todays 9/2/13 comic, it may be different tomorrow.)

A little Ma & Pa wisdom...

Lucina said...

Keith:
The Color of Water is James McBride's autobiography subtitled, A Black Man's Tribute to his White Mother. Very poignantly written and evoking emotional responses. Our book club had a lengthy and spirited discussion of it.

Tinbeni said...

C.C. Thank you for a FUN Monday offering.

Hondo @8:36 "Hello there everybody" was a Mel Allen catch-phrase.

Misty: Using your logic ... someone might think my AVATAR implied I enjoy a scotch 'now & then' ... lol!

Well, "It's Five O'clock Somewhere!"
Cheers!!!

Yellowrocks said...

Carl Sandburg's "Chicago" is a kind of ode to labor. Happy Labor Day to all.

CHICAGO

HOG Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders:

They tell me you are wicked and I believe them, for I
have seen your painted women under the gas lamps
luring the farm boys.
And they tell me you are crooked and I answer: Yes, it
is true I have seen the gunman kill and go free to
kill again.
And they tell me you are brutal and my reply is: On the
faces of women and children I have seen the marks
of wanton hunger.
And having answered so I turn once more to those who
sneer at this my city, and I give them back the sneer
and say to them:
Come and show me another city with lifted head singing
so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.
Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on
job, here is a tall bold slugger set vivid against the
little soft cities;

Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action, cunning
as a savage pitted against the wilderness,
Bareheaded,
Shoveling,
Wrecking,
Planning,
Building, breaking, rebuilding,
Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with
white teeth,
Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young
man laughs,
Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has
never lost a battle,
Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse.
and under his ribs the heart of the people,
Laughing!
Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of
Youth, half-naked, sweating, proud to be Hog
Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with
Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation.

LaLaLinda said...

Hi Everyone ~~

I enjoyed your work today, C.C. ~ a quick, but very enjoyable Monday puzzle! I have to admit - I didn't notice the MA- and PA- until the unifier. Duh. As always, Argyle, your write-up was informative and entertaining - I like your titles!

My husband and his son (who went in my place) were at Fenway Park today for the Red Sox - Tigers game. Since my husband is a Tigers fan, it didn't hurt so much that it ended Tigers over Sox 3-0. I'm glad he got to see his team win.

C.C. ~ I thought of you immediately when I heard of the Justin Morneau trade, and also today at 51D - TRADED. I remembered your Morneau AVATAR from when I first started reading the blog. Are you really a Pirates fan now??

Hope everyone is having a nice long weekend ~~

Marge said...

Hi all,
Thank you C.C.for a great puzzle. It was fun to do. I even finished. And thanks Argyle for the Ode to Joy.

I had the most trouble in the SW. easiest NE. I got paper first but waited a bit for Manila. We used to use it a lot but don't any more.

The dog and cat were cute, they remind me of APL's Too Cute show.

I like the music in Evita, My favorite song is 'Don't Cry Me Argentina'.

Have a good evening all!
Marge

Bill G. said...

One of the segments on 60 Minutes last night was about the Khan Academy whose specialty is online math teaching. I thought to myself, "Self, why don't you check out their calculus tutorials?" I've been wanting to try to relearn calculus so I thought they might be just the ticket. I know this won't make any sense to some of you but once I got the hang of differential calculus years ago and could look back on it with some perspective, I thought it was a beautiful thing. I am through about the first 12 sessions or so and it's going well so far.

Manac said...

Evening all,
CC's puzzle was quite appropriate today. Ma and Pa just left here yesterday after a three week visit on
their way home to Fla. Which by the way is just spitting distance from Tin's Villa Incognito.

We took Nicole and her friend back to school today and bought them lunch.
I now write this in one big quiet empty. The silence is deafening.

Oh! And I prefer a Nap Mate with a little less Facial Hair;~)

thehondohurricane said...

Tin wins the baseball. As Mel would have said....... "How about that!"

Misty said...

Anonymous T and Tinbeni, I love your avatars--they're so YOU!

Husker Gary said...

test of new avatar when no one is looking/reading

Anonymous T said...

HG - I was looking/reading. Who's the girlie? Does DH know? Nice Avatar. Cheers, -T

Manac said...

HG
Hmmm, Reminds me of an age test I
once saw but I can't remember it :)

Blue Iris said...

CC, I really enjoyed a speed run for Labor Day.
Argyle, thanks for "laboring" for all of us today.

Watched Ma and Pa Kettle movie every Saturday afternoon in the 60s.

My daughter is a Spartan at MSU. She is a semester away from her PhD! She has spent appox. 60 hrs a week in the lab for the past 5 yrs.

Remember LOKI now because he was Thor's brother in Avenger movie.

ODE to Joy was played in my wedding 37+ years ago instead of "Here Comes the Bride."

aka thelma said...

Husker G...

Nice picture.... :) I was looking/reading.. :)

thelma

Tho with a captcha that is stalkir I'm having second thoughts about post... :)

aka thelma said...

That should have been "posting"... sorry..

thelma

Bill G. said...

HG, well hell, I was reading too. Introduce me.

Thelma, don't fret about it. My captcha is {dntworybhapi}.

Anonymous T said...

Argyle - I just watched the ODE to Joy flash mob video again for the 9th time today. I shared it w/ DW, MIL, daughters, and even emailed to my parents in IL. All loved it so much. Thanks for the JOY! Am I right in thinking Beethoven was deaf when he wrote that? SNL.

YR - Enjoyed the poem. Of course, I like my home-state's biggest city to be remembered by Sweet Home Chicago ala Blues Brothers .

BTW, C.C. Your puzzle, while not a slog, was actually more challenging that today's NYT. I picked up the NYT while out this afternoon and was bored by the time I finished it; your puzzle kept me entertained top to bottom. Nice Job!

Cheers, -T

Husker Gary said...

OK, it's Joann and me watching the Royals and Red Sox play in KC. Thanks for the comments!

Anonymous T said...

Blue Iris - what is daughter studying? I remember long weeks in the computer lab while working for masters, but it sounds like she's doing some serious work - my work was fun and games.

Bill G. I meant to comment on Kahn earlier. I'd love to go back and revisit Diff-E. I remember getting out of there by the skin of my teeth (and needing the CRC for every homework assignment). BTW, Nice Avatar. Behind every successful Woman is a Man? :-)

Cheers, -T

Manac said...

Ah..HEM!!
HG, Then why aren't you two wearing
your required Red Sox Caps?

Husker Gary said...

Manac, What was your geography grade in high school? We can drive to KC in 3 hours and it would take 23 hours to make Bahwston! ;-)
I hope Nicole is tearing up the SB diamond at school!
Now go get some sleep!

Bill G. said...

I see where CBS and Time Warner have finally settled their dispute. Screw 'em. I switched to Verizon's FIOS. I wouldn't have switched without being provoked by the CBS blackout but now that I've switched, I am so irritated at them, I wouldn't switch back if they gave me two months free service.

ettubutte said...

the picture shown of "fools gold" is NOT iron pyrite. Iron pyrite is shiny. Those are real gold nuggets in the picture. Somebody got fooled.

Argyle said...

And how! It was part of an ad for vapes, something I never heard of before. Although now, we may see vape in a puzzle some day.

LINK to the original page.

LINK to real fool's gold.

Anonymous T said...

Argyle - Vape is the new smoke. It's using an e-cig in place of a real Lucky Strike/Salem/Camel/insert brand here. I started "vaping" 2 years ago and have not had a real cig in 2 years. The smoker's cough is gone and I don't smell like an ash tray. I get my nicotine and DW loves that I don't stink (Except on Sundays when I get my cigar :-)).

Who said the least pitches in a game was 53? Did I get that right (no money is riding on this, just my trust in my memory)? Oberholtzer pitched a complete game last night w/ 113 pitches. Astros actually won one!

Bill G. Glad you solved your CBS problem. I don't suppose you saw Letterman the other night complaining that we wasn't mentioned in the "good" CBS shows in their adverts re: TW issue.

Oh, Argyle - ODE video got daughter thinking about doing a flash-thing at town square or the mall this Christmas with her choir and theater group.

Cheers, -T

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Caregiver had her 2 hours off today. Causes lots of problems. Had a long swim. Finally managed to get myself put back together, started to read the blog and fell asleep. (Rough night with Charlie wanting to go out every 3 hours.) Started to read it again and was interrupted by phone calls. Alex made dinner at 10:30 and we gave the dog medicine afterward. Well, here I am! (I reload the page after I come back to it. Puts me where I want to be.)

Very nice puzzle, CC! Cool theme! Great expo, Argyle. Thanks especially for Beethovan! Watched it several times.

Jerome: thanks for the cool Tuesday puzzle! Really got a kick out of it! Write more!

Cheers!