tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post8219957439116187202..comments2024-03-19T00:21:49.519-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2008 - Susan Gelfand (Essayist Charles's favorite entree? / Hollywood's Dennis or Randy / QB's cry after a string of numbers)Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46605223872941476442008-12-16T05:04:00.000-05:002008-12-16T05:04:00.000-05:00@ joho -- Happened to me too, once, "hearing" some...@ joho -- Happened to me too, once, "hearing" someone calling me, but I was on the road and it was in the days before I had a cell phone, so I went to the person's place of business and when I saw it was closed I went on to the person's home. Lingered on the porch for a while wondering what I was doing, finally rang the door bell, and the person greeted me with an astonished "I was just trying to phone you". I didn't say "I know", as I couldn't have explained it and it would have been very off-putting if the other way around... <BR/><BR/>As I said, the whole ESP thing is not usually something one would or could act upon. Most times it's been something life-threatening on the immediate horizon such as the nightmare of a nearly-fatal accident, even one of my own! In that case, it was so vivid I actually told three people about it at breakfast even knowing it was an unacceptable subject -- then it happened 24 hours later. Both of us in the head-on collision with a truck were severely injured, and I wasn't expected to survive -- but I'm fine. Did it help somehow that I'd "seen" it coming? I doubt it... I've happened to be able to save lives of a few people on other occasions since then, but maybe just because of being hyper-aware of danger, not foresight. Mostly, it makes me a bit reclusive.ArtLvrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03869528391374878601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54888550435610511062008-12-16T01:19:00.000-05:002008-12-16T01:19:00.000-05:00SUNBATH is in the dictionary but it's a word I hav...SUNBATH is in the dictionary but it's a word I have never heard used anywhere or anytime before.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85357281017406039192008-12-15T23:27:00.000-05:002008-12-15T23:27:00.000-05:00El-AL can be associated with ALI as in Mohammed AL...El-AL can be associated with ALI as in Mohammed ALI, meaning "the exalted one"... both from the same word origin meaning high up. <BR/><BR/>Those months are also in the Moslem calendar, Shebat, Adar, Nisan, Elul...I only realized that some of the months were shared between the Hebrew and Arabic calendars after I started doing the NYTimes puzzle...But I agree, Rex, this is all pretty esoteric for a Monday.<BR/><BR/>@jeff in chicago, I need to check out this book, if it can change beliefs... People of course do change their beliefs for various reasons. However, (I believe : ) it's rarely because someone offers a counterargument based on another set of beliefs...But I'm always happy to investigate opposing evidence.foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40323375671547439582008-12-15T23:01:00.000-05:002008-12-15T23:01:00.000-05:00@NDE,If this were an Israeli puzzle, then sure, EL...@NDE,<BR/><BR/>If this were an Israeli puzzle, then sure, ELUL is great for Monday. For an American puzzle, no. ELAL is well known to non-Jews. ELUL, not so much. They aren't even close to comparable. <BR/><BR/>Fittingly, after I finished this puzzle, I sat down to do some Simon and Schuster puzzles from the big book I've got by my bed, and I immediately came across ... ELUL. <BR/><BR/>rpRex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24679336653742004642008-12-15T23:00:00.000-05:002008-12-15T23:00:00.000-05:00Noam, just the other day I saw a clue along the li...Noam, just the other day I saw a clue along the lines of [It means "skyward" in Hebrew] for ELAL. I can't remember which puzzle or which day, but I know I saw it. Either that, or I'm psychic and anticipated your comment.Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24805732635398358262008-12-15T22:40:00.000-05:002008-12-15T22:40:00.000-05:00I notice that the puzzle for 12/15 is No. 1215. (T...I notice that the puzzle for 12/15 is No. 1215. (This is in the paper version -- I have no idea what is on electronic versions).<BR/><BR/> Anyhow, I'd like to know if this is a coincidence.Michael Chibnikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04700426644898924644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53065237184442173272008-12-15T20:38:00.000-05:002008-12-15T20:38:00.000-05:00If ELAL is legitimate for Monday then so is 7D:ELU...If ELAL is legitimate for Monday then so is 7D:ELUL -- happily the Jewish calendar doesn't change as often as a Top 40 chart, so there's no reason to dismiss a month with such a useful letter combination as “bygone crosswordese”. Ditto ADAR (which always contains Purim, and is repeated seven years of every 19), and IYAR.<BR/><BR/>I see that ArtLvr already suggested a mnemonic to tell ELUL apart from ELAL. FWIW "El Al" means "upwards" in Hebrew; if you already know Hebrew then you don't need a mnemonic here, but one of these days "It means “upwards” in Hebrew" might show up as an ELAL clue.<BR/><BR/>NDEAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87624546677412738592008-12-15T20:26:00.000-05:002008-12-15T20:26:00.000-05:00Out of respect for Rex's rule that posting should ...Out of respect for Rex's rule that posting should stay on-puzzle, I will simply recommend Michael Shermer's fascinating book "Why People Believe Weird Things." I know several people who did, indeed, change their beliefs about certain things after reading this book. [Yes, foodie, it can be done!! :-) ]<BR/><BR/>(Sorry...I can't help myself...Are you considering all the times when you did not predict who was calling? Are you considering the times that you thought you knew who was calling but it turned out to be someone else? Is this someone from whom you get calls regularly? Have you ever had this occur when getting a call from someone you did not know? The chances of someone predicting a call from someone close or regarding a known situation are actually pretty good. But it will still strike most as "odd" when it happens. I'm just saying.)<BR/><BR/>We now return you to your regular programming.<BR/><BR/>3 and OUT!!!!!jeff in chicagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10492964479021891094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64526963773631660242008-12-15T19:59:00.000-05:002008-12-15T19:59:00.000-05:00@andrea carla michaels: hilarious joke about Calle...@andrea carla michaels: hilarious joke about Caller ID ... but I was talking about years ago when there was none. And the story is actually more complicated than I will ever get into here. <BR/><BR/>Snuck in here with a 4th comment as I sounded so stupid with the phone example of ESP AKA Caller ID!!!johohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12708487230515532492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-300312746397019292008-12-15T18:50:00.000-05:002008-12-15T18:50:00.000-05:00don't be silly...of course there is ESP! It's jus...don't be silly...of course there is ESP! <BR/>It's just now called Caller ID!<BR/><BR/>Re: mixing desserts and entrees...<BR/>instead of inconsistency, to me it just felt like a full meal!<BR/>(or two)<BR/><BR/>Here I am, commenting 12 hours later and I'm still sated by this puzzle.<BR/><BR/>CHeers, Susan G, whoever you are!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15862984904586888832008-12-15T18:13:00.000-05:002008-12-15T18:13:00.000-05:00LOL, Green Mantis!LOL, Green Mantis!machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88560363398034666592008-12-15T17:09:00.000-05:002008-12-15T17:09:00.000-05:00"Do you believe in infant baptism?""Believe in it?..."Do you believe in infant baptism?"<BR/>"Believe in it? Hell, I seen it done!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88059526864561923572008-12-15T16:51:00.000-05:002008-12-15T16:51:00.000-05:00Okay so what about dogs that know their owners are...Okay so what about dogs that know their owners are on the way home from three blocks away? <BR/><BR/>Just in my general, musing, uninformed way, I don't find it totally outside the realm of possibility that whatever brainschmastic energy involved in thinking about a person before you make a phone call to him/her might somehow, since all Stuff is connected at a certain level, make a ripple in the receiver's more concentrated field of Stuff.<BR/><BR/>Is this Extra sensory? It would be outside the traditional five, but could be a plausible faculty, if comparatively less reliable/organized/tested/material. Any quantum physicists in the house?green mantishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01823785147354157816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33960623426019100622008-12-15T16:29:00.000-05:002008-12-15T16:29:00.000-05:00Mr. Webster says sunbath; an exposure to sunlight ...Mr. Webster says sunbath; an exposure to sunlight or a sunlamp.<BR/>Sunbathe, to take a sunbath. It's raining here on this rock so I won't be doing either today.<BR/><BR/>ChefwenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91633654268975657002008-12-15T16:19:00.000-05:002008-12-15T16:19:00.000-05:00Back in NYCity where it's in the 60's! I had no ES...Back in NYCity where it's in the 60's! I had no ESP about that, so packed only very warm clothes.<BR/><BR/>I really liked this puzzle. Easy, breezy and about food! My mom had the best rice pudding recipe, where there was a layer of pudding and a layer of real orange juice thickened somehow. The tartness of the orange was a wonderful counterpoint to the sweetness of the pudding. I gotta find that recipe. <BR/><BR/> I agree with joho that beliefs are ideas that you cannot talk people in or out of-- almost by definition. They are a fascinating aspect of our minds, and I wish we understood more about them. Right or wrong, they are essential for humans. Interestingly, even animals develop certain beliefs, some of them strongly held superstitions, that come to run their lives. And we have just completed a study that shows that the tendency to develop these types of superstitions may be genetic.foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42193844334993936162008-12-15T16:15:00.000-05:002008-12-15T16:15:00.000-05:00Liked the puzzle. Contemplated jumping in with li...Liked the puzzle. Contemplated jumping in with links to explanations of why certain things aren't true but figured I wouldn't change treedweller's mind about SUNBATH. <BR/><BR/>The Costco LAMBSHANKS are very good for a quick meal. <BR/><BR/>TATUM O'Neal is fantastic as Dennis Leary's sister on Rescue Me which IMOO is one of the best shows on TV.jaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03385568014046336373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1883975716195551452008-12-15T15:58:00.000-05:002008-12-15T15:58:00.000-05:00Twas a nice and easy Monday puzzle for me. All th...Twas a nice and easy Monday puzzle for me. All this talk of comfort food is making me hungry. I, unlike the rest of my household, like rice pudding; Dina Shore had a good recipe. I've heard that using arborio rice gives it a nice texture.PlantieBeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01960277851368508036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40638018774605816782008-12-15T15:48:00.000-05:002008-12-15T15:48:00.000-05:00One of my fastest Mondays ever, too! Agree that on...One of my fastest Mondays ever, too! Agree that only rarely and briefly are one's legs crossed during yoga. During meditation, on the other hand, they're mostly crossed.<BR/><BR/>I had a massive crush on TATUM O'Neal in the '70s. Her and Kristy McNichol in "Little Darlings," mmm. Too bad her life seems to have gone downhill since.Vegahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01893157908004486201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53989670471323403852008-12-15T15:30:00.000-05:002008-12-15T15:30:00.000-05:00What can I say... a yummy puzzle!!! Don't care for...What can I say... a yummy puzzle!!! Don't care for rice pudding. Make london broil in the summer using flank steak. Love lamb shanks. BTW you can buy them at Costco in the freezer section - 2 in a package already done. All you have to do is heat them (for those of you who don't like to cook). They really are pretty good and are cooked in a yummy mint gravy.<BR/><BR/>Going to make some onion bread now which calls for a package of liptons onion soup.chefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60856715421558528102008-12-15T14:55:00.000-05:002008-12-15T14:55:00.000-05:00This site must have instilled some smugness in my ...This site must have instilled some smugness in my puzzle evaluations. The mixing of desserts and entrées would never have bothered me prior to my exposure here and yet today it leaves my solve less than transcendent. Still a fun and (as said above) breezy solution. Of course I liked all the obscure letters. Mmmmm Q. [drooling]<BR/>I do possess a strange desire to have ESP proven true. The whole oneness concept and world as an illusion would seem to offer the potential for this. And yet way too polluted with science and cynicism to give it any kind of chance. Déjà vu on the other hand I think is probably more of a mishandling of information by the brain. Sorta of like filing a thought in memory before it can get realized in the conscious – order of execution not followed in the brain data storage techniques. Haven’t we had this conversation before?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85374712207184042492008-12-15T14:11:00.000-05:002008-12-15T14:11:00.000-05:00Sneaking back in with post #4 to say:@Karen, addin...Sneaking back in with post #4 to say:<BR/><BR/>@Karen, adding to ArtLvr's mnemonic...and ELUL is a mUnth. (Of course, this is no help when the answer is ADAR.)Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9610683345851424622008-12-15T13:56:00.000-05:002008-12-15T13:56:00.000-05:00Ok language mavens, I have a question. Would you s...Ok language mavens, I have a question. Would you say deja vu is the obverse of ESP? Or inverse? Or converse?<BR/><BR/>-------> Joe in NYCAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84230963920088785392008-12-15T13:49:00.000-05:002008-12-15T13:49:00.000-05:00ESP? "Aw, quit your joshin!"IDLE? "Lady's man"PUCK...ESP? "Aw, quit your joshin!"<BR/>IDLE? "Lady's man"<BR/>PUCKER? "Activity in a darkened room"<BR/>POUNDCAKES? Perfect tennis serves<BR/><BR/>I just think the clues and fill didn't track.fikinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06324570637549775751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41237397894417569322008-12-15T13:32:00.000-05:002008-12-15T13:32:00.000-05:00I truly believe we all can tap into the unseen wor...I truly believe we all can tap into the unseen world if we allow ourselves to be open to it. Some are more "tuned in" than others but surely all of us have experienced coincidences or had feelings we cannot explain that later played out and amazed us. The brain is a wonderful thing. That "gut feeling" actually comes from about 18 inches higher.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91313859382127357242008-12-15T13:29:00.000-05:002008-12-15T13:29:00.000-05:00To add to what Hydromann said, you may have heard ...To add to what Hydromann said, you may have heard the term "snap count" - it refers to the Hut or Hike to snap the ball on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com