The Lighter Side of JzB

Here you will find photos, poetry, and possibly some light-hearted foolishness. For the Heavier Side
of JzB
see my other blog,
Retirement Blues. (There be dragons!)

I claim copyright and reserve all rights for my original material of every type and genre.


Every day visits*
From Moose, Goose, and Orb Weaver
All seized by Haiku


"Why moose and goose?" you may ask. Back on 2/04/13 Pirate wrote a haiku with an elk in it, and I responded with
one with a moose and then included him every day. A few days later in comments Mystic asked "Where's the goose?"
So I started including her with this post on 2/07. A week later on the 14th, Mark Readfern
asked for and received a spider. The rest is history.

*Well, most days, anyway. Grant me a bit of poetic license.

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

L.A. Times Crossword, Wednesday, April 25, 2018 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke


Theme:  Whatever moves you.   The second word of each 2 or 3 word theme entry indicates a descriptor for being highly motivated.  I wouldn't say they are quite synonyms, by they do have a common feel.  These are the characteristics of ambition and, with along with some luck, skill, and tenacity, success - in business, sports, music or any meaningful endeavor.

17 A. Solar power, e.g. : RENEWABLE ENERGY.  Five types are recognized: solar, wind, biomass, geothermal and hydroelectric. Personally, ENERGY is what gets you out of bed to face the challenges of the day.

26 A. Soul mate : KINDRED SPIRIT.  Those with similar interests and attitudes are KINDRED SPIRITS.  Soul mates are bound together more tightly than that, IMHO.  Many years ago, I wrote a sonnet about them [see below].    Personally, SPIRIT is the enthusiasm that keeps you going.

THE SUBSTITUTE

There are those whose lives are meant to be entwined,
Lovers thrust together by the force of destiny,
When choice and fate converge, that they may be
Connected at the soul, the heart, the mind.

Within their closed circumference one can find
Two curves in perfect fit -- his yang, her yin,
That in each cycle once again begin
To cluster into love's sweet spiral bind.

But consider -- if in the vast span of infinity
One of them becomes displaced in small degree;
Is born a decade late, perhaps is sent
To the farthest corner of the continent --

The distant echo of an unfelt touch, an unseen face.
Who will be the one who comes to take his place?

48 A. Heavy military barrage : ARTILLERY FIRE.  An assault using cannons, mortars, and other weaponry with greater range fire power than rifles and hand guns.  Personally, FIRE [as, in the belly] is powerful ambition and determination.

63 A. Common transmission feature : FRONT WHEEL DRIVE.  Unsurprisingly, this is a tranny system that provides power to the front wheels of a vehicle.  Personally, DRIVE is the urge, sometimes innate, to achieve a goal or satisfy a need. 

This theme is at once simple, but also possibly a bit elusive.  And there's plenty of it, with 2 grid-spanning entries and 2 more at 13 letters each.  The trade-off is more words of shorter length than is typical for a Wednesday.  The lack of a unifier mid-week is also a little strange.

Hi, gang, JazzBumpa here, somehow feeling motivated.  How about you?  Lets FIRE it up, get the SPIRIT moving, and use that ENERGY to DRIVE through today's puzzle.

Across

1. Dull : HO-HUM.  What - bored already?  C'mon, let's keep it moving - at least as far as 20A.

6. "Stronger than dirt" cleanser : AJAX.  This is how I remember it.  [Yes, I am THAT old!]


10. PCs' "brains" : CPUSCentral Processing Units.

14. Backspace over : ERASE.  On a computer, not a typewriter.

15. Try to throw, at a rodeo : BUCK.  The highly motivated action of an unwillingly mounted animal.

16. Tall concert instrument : HARP.  One harp player I've worked with transports hers in a repurposed hearse.


20. Animal that sounds dull : BOAR.  Male hog.  Here's an insect that sounds even duller.
21. Those opposed : NAYS.  Used in voice votes.

22. Simplifies : EASES.

23. Charged particle : ION.  Formed by the transfer of an electron from one atom or molecule to another.

25. Gender problem : GAP.  The discrepancy between men and women in opportunities, status, attitudes, etc.

33. Humiliate : ABASE.  Disrespect.

34. Grand-scale poetry : EPOS.  EPIC also fits, and giving it up gave me fits.

35. It's right on the map : EAST.  Clever clue.  I like it.

38. Slo-mo reviewer : REF.  Baseball, football and hockey all have slo-motion replay reviews for close calls.

39. Inning with a stretch : SEVENTHThis tradition, however, remains unique to baseball.  

42. "Michael Collins" actor Stephen : REA.



43. Any of three 10th-century Holy Roman Emperors : OTTOThe HRE started with Charlemagne in 800 A. D. and ended with Francis II in 1806.  For several decades it was run on Otto-pilot.

Otto I [The Great] 962-973
Otto II 973-983
Otto III 996-1002

45. Jazzman Jackson : MILT.   Vibraphonist Milton "Bags" Jackson [1923-1999] was a founder of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Here is a slightly different line up.



46. Caravan stops : OASES.   Fertile desert spots, with water.

51. Exact revenge on : GET.   As in GET even.

52. Big lug : OAF.  Lout, churl.

53. Letters after thetas : IOTAS.  Not fond of this at all.  The Greek alphabet is a unique thing, as are each of the letters in it. Sure, some word could have multiple IOTAS in it, but that is not the sense of this clue. 

56. Until next time, in texts : TTYLTalk To You Later.

59. Slanted page? : OP-ED. Located Opposite to the Editorial Page.  Viewpoints are only slanted if you disagree.

66. Sportswear brand : IZOD.  Ordinary clothing adorned with an expensive alligator.

67. Lawman played by Russell and Costner : EARP.  Wyatt, of OK Corral fame.

68. Ill-fated Ford : EDSEL.  Manufactured from 1958-60.  Now a collectors item.

69. Lady Gaga's "Cheek to Cheek" duettist Bennett : TONY.  These kids are having way too much fun.



70. Helpful hints : TIPS.  Pro-tip: see if you can land a gig with Lady Gaga.

71. Virtual transaction : E-SALE.   On-line commerce.

Down

1. Chef's flavoring : HERB.  Tasty and/or aromatic plant leaves.

2. Double Delight cookie : OREO.

3. Tennis great Mandlikova : HANA.



4. Password partners : USER IDS.  Protection for your on-line activities.

5. Litter cry : MEW.  It's the cat's meow.

6. "SOS" band : ABBA.


7. Month with fireworks : JULY.  This is what makes the 4th of July my least favorite holiday.

8. Blackjack components : ACES. Along with face cards or 10s.  Blackjack is the name of the game, but also a 2-card holding consisting of an ace, counting 11 points, along with one of the other mentioned cards, counting 10.  Other spot cards have the count of their pips.  Winner is the player who comes closest to 21 without going over, regardless of the number of cards held.

9. Vintage Jag : XKE.   Jaguar car.



10. Inexpensive brand : CHEAPIE.  Probably won't last.

11. Golf targets : PARS.  In the abstract.  PINS, the physical targets, also fits.

12. Try to convince : URGE.  In another sense, could have echoed the theme.

13. 1974 Gould/Sutherland CIA spoof : SPYS.


18. "Worst Cooks in America" judge Burrell : ANNE.  This is a thing?!?

19. Within walking distance : NEAR.  Close

24. Mine extractions : ORES.  Pay dirt.

25. Main idea : GIST.  The heart of the matter.

26. Syrup brand since 1902 : KARO. Corn syrup.  Not the same as high fructose corn syrup, which is highly processed.

27. Skeptical words : I BET.  

28. Tripartite commerce pact : NAFTA. North American Free Trade Agreement.

29. Underworld boss? : DEVIL.  No typical crime syndicate don, instead the master of Hades.

30. Be in a bee : SPELL.  Participate in a spelling contest.  I would lose.

31. Florence's __ Vecchio : PONTE.  A closed bridge over the Arno, dating to some uncertain time before the 1400's.  



32. Foot bones : TARSI.  A cluster of 7 articulating bones at the back of the foot.  Five of them connect to the metatarsals - the long bones of the foot.

36. Lifeline reader : SEER.  Fortune teller, mystic.

37. Overpower with a shock : TASE.  Use a Taser, an elecroshock gun, on someone.

40. Give off : EMIT. As light, heat, or an odor.

41. Boxer Oscar De La __ : HOYA. [b 1973] He holds dual American and Mexican citizenship.  Representing the U. S., he won an olympic gold medal in 1992.

44. Fine cotton fabric : ORGANDY. A translucent fabric that is usually stiffened and used in women's clothing.

47. Provides with, as an opportunity : AFFORDS.  From an Old English root meaning "go forth."

49. Trial : TEST.

50. Hot streak : ROLL.  Experience a prolonged spell of success or good luck.

53. "__ ain't broke ... " : IF IT.  Don't fix it.

54. Minestrone pasta : ORZO. Noodles the approximate size and shape of rice grains.

55. Snagglepuss, e.g. : TOON. Created in 1959, he was featured in a series of shorts, then became a semi-regular on the Yogi Bear Show, and also appeared in other Hanna-Barbera series.
56. Bangkok native : THAI.  From the Kingdom of Thailand. The country has always been called Mueang Thai by its citizens.  Until 1949 it was called Siam by outsiders.

57. Maryland athlete, for short : TERP.  Terrapin, for long.

58. Slangy affirmatives : YEPS.

60. Tuscan tower site : PISA. Home of the leaning tower, in Italy.

61. First name in stunts : EVEL.  Mr. Knievel [b 1938, d 2007.] Contrary to rumor, he never jumped the Grand Canyon.  His Snake River Canyon jump was a bust, both as a stunt and financially.  

62. Proofreader's "drop this" : DELE.  Delete.

64. Just out of the pool : WET.  Untoweled

65. Dead end? : DEE.  Spelt out terminal letter.  Rather a sad way to end a puzzle.

That wraps up another Wednesday. With only a couple of nits, my enthusiasm remains undampened.  Don't lose that passion, peeps!

Cool regards!
JzB


Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Dave Pell - 1957

Somebody posted a link to this album at a jazz arranging page I follow on Face Book.

Great west coast coast mid-50's sound, and very precise playing.  A real treasure.

Posting it here in case anyone else digs this kind of thing.

Enjoy.

Here is the track listing.

L.A. Times Crossword Puzzle Wednesday, April 11, 2018 John Guzzetta

Theme: Use Your Noodle.  This one would be pretty close to themeless if it weren't for --

55A. Old family recipe (and see circles): SECRET SAUCE.  

The remaining long fill entries, in a pinwheel array, have nothing obvious to do with each other.  If you didn't get the circles, this SECRET will be a real mystery.  If you did get them, you'll see they are centrally located in the shape of the letter S, which can stand for either SECRETSAUCE, the word that the circled letters spell, SPAGHETTI, or the letter S occurring twice each in the other long fills.

This is an original theme concept.  At least I don't remember seeing anything quite like it before.  The fill entries with the circled letters also have nothing else in common. Here they are in order.

26A. Filing tool: RASPA coarse file used for rough shaping.

30A. Collars: ARRESTS.  Places under legal custody.  When the bandit fell in love with the police woman who captured him, it was cardiac ARREST.

34A. Web unit: PAGE.  An element of internet presence, not typically associated with silken threads.

38A. Skater Sasha or comic Sacha Baron: COHEN.  Alexandra Pauline "Sasha" Cohen is an American figure skater. She is the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, a three-time World Championship medalist, the 2003 Grand Prix Final Champion, and the 2006 U.S. Champion.  Sacha Noam Baron Cohen is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Baron Cohen is most widely known for creating and portraying four fictional characters: Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, BrĂ¼no Gehard, and Admiral General Aladeen. Both per Wikipedia.  You probably don't confuse them.



41A. Veggie burger veggies: PEAS.   The PEA pod is actually a fruit, and the PEAS we eat are immature seeds, but are generally though of as vegetables.  I don't associate them with veggie burgers, but I'm an omnivore, so what do I know?.

43A. Struggled to achieve: EKED OUT.  Just barely succeeded at something, like survival, frex., often via excessive effort.

47A. With 31-Down, "Proud Mary" singer: TINABecause Creedence Clearwater Revival doesn't fit.



Also -- 17. Phoenix-based hotel chain (and see circles): BEST WESTERN.  The chain operates 2163 hotels in North America, and over 4000 world wide.

11D. Produce served in the fall (and see circles): ACORN SQUASH.  So named because of it's shape.  



25. Feature of some penny loafers (and see circles): SADDLE STRAP.  It's not clear to me what these last three have to do with the theme, other than each containing the letter S twice; but since the circles are mentioned, I'll include them here.  Am I missing something?


Hi, Gang.  JzB here.  And there is your tasty theme, complete with SAUCE, a veggie burger and even an unusual dessert.  The theme visual can be found in the grid diagram at the bottom of this post.  Now, let's get out of the kitchen and explore the rest of this offering.

Across:

1. Film director's honor: OSCAR.  One of 24 awards issued annually by the Academy of Motion picture Arts and Sciences for artistic or technical merit.

6. Rich, dusty soil: LOESS.  A loosely compacted deposit of windblown sediment.

11. Greeting at a dog park: ARF.  Sound of a dog's friendly bark.

14. 100 kopecks: RUBLE.  Russian money, if you are in a hurry.

15. Common film festival film: INDIE.  Independent - i. e. not associated with a major studio.

16. Loving murmur: COO.  Get a room  .  .  .

19. Mac platform: OSX.  Version 10 of the Apple Macintosh operating system.  I'm using Version 10.10.5 Yosemite.

20. Crankcase reservoir: OIL PAN.   The bottom section of the crankcase where the oil resides.

21. Small bouquet: SPRAY.  

23. "Help!" at sea: SOS.  The Morse Code international distress signal, a continuous sequence of 3 dots, 3 dashes and three dots.  So if you panic and start sending out OSO, it really doesn't matter.

27. Threadbare: WORN.  Thin and tattered with long use.

28. Place for prayer: CHAPEL.  Typically, a small church.

33. __ the hills: OLD AS.  Contrary to popular belief, I am younger than some of the hills.

36. Here, in Spanish: AQUI.  There is Ahi or alli.



Wait for it

37. Agrees quietly: NODS.  

39. Short: CURT.

40. Indianapolis NFLer: COLT.  


Are they out of Luck?

42. Accra is its capital: GHANA.  West African country located on the Gulf of Guinea.

45. Yellowstone attraction: GEYSER.  A hot spring that emits a column of water and steam.



46. Brewski: SUDS.  AKA a cold one.

49. Nine and five, in nine-to-five: Abbr.: HRS.  Typical working hours.

50. Cast a ballot: VOTED.

52. Sources of fragrant wood: CEDARS.  True CEDARS are conifer trees of the family pinaceae. There are many other many other conifers that have similarly colored and scented woods.

54. Make a mistake: ERR.  It's only human.

60. Salty body: SEA.  Of water.

61. "Carmen," e.g.: OPERA.

62. Not yet realized: UNMET.  As needs.

63. Peak: TOP.

64. Ten-time French Open winner: NADAL.  Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player, currently ranked world No. 1 in men's singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals.

65. Sounds from a belfry: PEALS.  The loud ringing of bells.

Down:

1. Mercury or Mars: ORB. A celestial sphere - in this case a planet.

2. Alphabet Series novelist Grafton: SUE.

3. "Young Sheldon" network: CBS.

4. Kind of clarinet: ALTO.  The clarinet you typically think of is the soprano version.  This one is larger and pitched a 5th lower in Eb and has a curved metal bell.  Little known factoid - the clarinet was invented by a French musician who named it after his daughters, Claire and Annette.

5. Does some electrical work: REWIRES.  Could be shocking.

6. Speech therapist's concerns: LISPS.  Eathy for you to thay.

7. Ready to pour: ON TAP.  As, frex, SUDS.

8. Genesis garden: EDEN.  Life was simpler back then.

9. Ringo Starr's title: SIR.   Ringo was knighted by Prince William just a few weeks ago.

10. Motion detector, e.g.: SENSOR.

12. Civil rights hero Parks: ROSA.  Rosa Louise McCauley Parks [1913 -2005] refused to move to the back of the bus in Montgomery ALA in 1955.   She was arrested for violating the segregation law, and became an important symbol of the civil rights movement.

13. Sly: FOXY.  Clever and cunning.

18. Airline to Tel Aviv: EL AL.  The flag carrying airline of Israel since 1948.

22. Tediously moralistic: PREACHY.  Often implying an undeserved tone of moral superiority.

23. One carrying a torch?: SCONCE.  A wall mounted fixture, not a person.

24. "Hey, check it out!": OH LOOK.  Get a load of that!

27. Small, chirpy bird: WREN.

29. Incurring late fees: PAST DUE.  As library books or loan payments.

30. Forever: AGES.  

31. See 47-Across: TURNER.  Tina, from the thema.

32. Indian lutes: SITARS.



34. "Always be a __, even in prose": Baudelaire: POET.  

35. Finder's cry: AHA!  Eureka!

38. Computer "brains," briefly: CPUS.  Central Processing Units.

42. Gets ready (for): GEARS UP.

44. Heavily favored: ODDS ON.

45. Pesky flier: GNAT.  Annoying insect.

47. __ cotta: TERRA.  Unglazed, typically red-brown earthenware.

48. Exemplary: IDEAL.  Perfection!

50. Garment for brisk days: VEST.  COAT also fits.

51. Two-toned snack: OREO.  More food, common x-word fare.

52. Sent a dupe to: CCED. Carbon copies are so 1980, but still the abrev persists.

53. Reasonable: SANE.  That's not-crazy talk.

56. Org. that monitors wetlands: EPA.  Environmental Protection Agency.

57. Actress Thurman: UMA.



58. Cartoon sheet: CEL.  




59. Purported UFO crew: ETS.  Extra-Terrestrials, off planet expats.

OK, Kids.  That wraps up another Wednesday. Hope you enjoyed it.

Cool regards!
JzB