tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post1620590979532056561..comments2024-03-28T20:49:13.267-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: SATURDAY, July 19, 2008 - Todd McClary (HERO/GIANT CREATED BY RABELAIS / RECORDING STUDIO SOUND SHIELDS)Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72283090186956359422008-08-23T18:03:00.001-04:002008-08-23T18:03:00.001-04:00Wade- Dig up Homer and Jethro's take on "Waterloo....Wade- Dig up Homer and Jethro's take on "Waterloo." It was the flip side of "Battle of Kookamonga." Thanks for the sassy commentary on this puzzle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79263432248066291932008-08-23T18:03:00.000-04:002008-08-23T18:03:00.000-04:00Wade- Dig up Homer and Jethro's take on "Waterloo....Wade- Dig up Homer and Jethro's take on "Waterloo." It was the flip side of "Battle of Kookamonga." Thanks for the sassy commentary on this puzzle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70436351832401420372008-08-23T16:05:00.000-04:002008-08-23T16:05:00.000-04:00Kraft grated parmesan (would you believe I just ha...Kraft grated parmesan (would you believe I just had to add this word to my Firefox dictionary) is a staple around here. It spices up almost everything. I also make instant garlic bread by sprinkling garlic salt on freshly buttered toast. I know, I know, this reveals a flaw in my character, but nobody is going to read it anyway. :)<BR/><BR/>I savored this puzzle over two or three sessions, and Wade's blog made me laugh out loud again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7196031661874375872008-08-23T15:04:00.000-04:002008-08-23T15:04:00.000-04:00Bikinis mentioned two days in a row now.I was thin...Bikinis mentioned two days in a row now.<BR/><BR/>I was thinking roller skates on the Tstop, but maybe a skateboarding term.<BR/><BR/>Old Smokey my fav for the day. Hope to remember Noah's grandson for future reference.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7785789810983204492008-07-20T04:47:00.000-04:002008-07-20T04:47:00.000-04:00I started this so I might as well wrap it up. Fin...I started this so I might as well wrap it up. Fine job Wade, and Rex, even though I am a tad tipsy, you still rule!jaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03385568014046336373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72789360591527174022008-07-20T00:21:00.000-04:002008-07-20T00:21:00.000-04:00Rex, Few, or no other public commentary sites are ...Rex, <BR/><BR/>Few, or no other public commentary sites are as refined as what I find here.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32482104961049093662008-07-19T23:53:00.000-04:002008-07-19T23:53:00.000-04:00I'm a million hours ahead of you N. America people...I'm a million hours ahead of you N. America people. It's, let's see ... it's late afternoon on Sunday right now. Every time we fly to NZ, we lose a day. And by lose I mean LOSE, completely. In 2002 we took off from LAX on Dec. 24 and landed in Auckland on Dec. 26. Christmas disappeared somewhere over the Pacific. <BR/><BR/>Wade, I like to imagine that you are drunk, and that that's why you write the way you do (brilliantly). Otherwise I have to contend with the fact that you do this puzzle write-up stuff at least as well as I do, with no performance-enhancing drugs, and my Ego doesn't like that thought. So in my head, you are a drunken coot. Just so you know.<BR/><BR/>rpRex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51935592822330040832008-07-19T22:46:00.000-04:002008-07-19T22:46:00.000-04:00So, Rex I'm guessing that puzzle distribution time...So, Rex I'm guessing that puzzle distribution time is zone-invariant? That is what 'one' might expect, but when I read your post it seemed like you got privileged dispensation. It's all sort of confusing, like when I'm happy to receive a call from my cousin in NZ, but not so delighted that it is 4 in the morning in California, and he's surfing time zones in Asia and Europe, but sort of forgetting the quiet time in North America.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10761643049472459272008-07-19T22:38:00.000-04:002008-07-19T22:38:00.000-04:00Poor Seth is probably already working on the puzzl...Poor Seth is probably already working on the puzzle and the blog and all the bits he wants to link to it.... I wonder if he is going to keep Puzzlegirl (loved her reference to puzzle husband!) up all night!<BR/><BR/>Rex sounds pretty relaxed vacationing in NZ. I was there once quite a few years ago, and loved it, the friendly people and beautiful sites. Never went to the South Island, will have to go back.<BR/><BR/>OK, chefbea, I roasted these b's, now I'm putting on the rubber gloves to peel them and store them in the fridge to slice and serve them tomorrow with balsamic vinegar, evoo and maybe a little goat's cheese. We had a wonderful dinner of garlicky shrimp, artichoke hearts and chopped fresh tomatoes with parsley and basil tossed with some "al dente" spaghetti.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38176748755213121522008-07-19T22:19:00.000-04:002008-07-19T22:19:00.000-04:00The maker has more than made his mark, with more d...The maker has more than made his mark, with more diligence than most can imagine. Wade, it is a testament to you, and especially to Rex, that the quirks of your personalities shine in the write-up. Same goes for Puzzlegirl. OK, Seth, you're on.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83712316117223617902008-07-19T21:55:00.000-04:002008-07-19T21:55:00.000-04:00Haven't had a chance to check in on the comments m...Haven't had a chance to check in on the comments much today--been buildin' an office, y'know. Yeah, that's a picture of my dad and kids from back around Christmas time. But he dresses like that year round, including today, when it was a thousand degrees with 100 percent humidity (not the coat, but the jeans and long-sleeved shirt and hat and boots.) <BR/><BR/>Rex, I don't blog drunk anymore. I do not take these responsibilities lightly.RodeoToadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03374112725461339067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84330850929179520812008-07-19T20:54:00.000-04:002008-07-19T20:54:00.000-04:00But Chris, it's a Saturday puzzle. The clue can go...But Chris, it's a Saturday puzzle. The clue can go ahead and use a solid dictionary definition of a word to mislead sports fans who think it couldn't possibly be what it seems.<BR/><BR/>Philly at 12:53: OMG, spoilers! You ruined the ending! :-)Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59874626617218503292008-07-19T18:48:00.000-04:002008-07-19T18:48:00.000-04:00Loved your write-up, Wade.Is the "Waterloo" song y...Loved your write-up, Wade.<BR/><BR/>Is the "Waterloo" song you're remembering from your childhood something about "My Willie's not returning from the plains of Waterloo"? I had that "Doggie in the Window" 45, too -- I think it was red plastic instead of black.<BR/><BR/>I thought this was a fine puzzle.<BR/><BR/>Wendy Laubach<BR/>(Lost my Google identity again somehow)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84356920769906025652008-07-19T18:26:00.000-04:002008-07-19T18:26:00.000-04:00With all due respect, Orange, you're wrong on the ...With all due respect, Orange, you're wrong on the national vs. world champions nomenclature. National champions has become a phrase that specifically refers to college champions, while world champions refers to the pro league champions. This is true in every major team sport we have in America. You can argue that they're not <I>really</I> world champions because not everyone in the world played (or whatever), but that's not the point.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53683038563294185562008-07-19T18:17:00.000-04:002008-07-19T18:17:00.000-04:00@jubjub: I see you do research on flies! If you lo...@jubjub: I see you do research on flies! If you look at my so-called blog, I just posted for you a poem I wrote in honor of Seymour Benzer...<BR/><BR/>@Mac: had similar purchases at our farmer's market, plus gooseberries and salad burnet, which smells GREAT. <BR/><BR/>@Seth, I agree OKRAS sounds awkward as a plural. I think one would need to add the word "pods" to go from the class of food to individual items. It's interesting that this way of referring to food applies mostly to herbs (sage and thyme, not sages and thymes).foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19198789426103356662008-07-19T17:51:00.000-04:002008-07-19T17:51:00.000-04:00much easier today than yesterday. Started the puzz...much easier today than yesterday. Started the puzzle at the beach while trying to cool off with my daughter and 2 grandaughters who are visiting from Italy. Of course I knew osso bucco and would never use parmesan cheese from a can let alone plastic.<BR/><BR/>never have heard of okras in the plural. You add a handful of okra to the gumbo<BR/><BR/>@mac enjoy your red roots - roasted of course and with feta cheesechefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77129936701164222008-07-19T17:42:00.000-04:002008-07-19T17:42:00.000-04:00@ michaelGlad I'm not the only one. I always took...@ michael<BR/><BR/>Glad I'm not the only one. I always took the North and always lost to my (older) brother. I think I tended to put my cavalry batteries too far out on the road. Worked in real time; not for me. IMO, Killer Angels by Michael Shaara is one of the best books ever. If you haven't read it, do.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51414183071601858632008-07-19T17:38:00.000-04:002008-07-19T17:38:00.000-04:00Here's another beautiful thing about NZ - in half ...Here's another beautiful thing about NZ - in half an hour, it will be 10am, and my Sunday puzzle will be ready for me. So civilized. Sunday puzzle on Sunday morning, fresh out of the oven.<BR/><BR/>NZ remains lovely, Hobbits aside.<BR/><BR/>I am now in Lake Hawea (not the lake itself, but the town, named for the lake). I will soon post a picture of the view out the front window. It's ... disgusting. Impossibly beautiful. Picture postcards everwhere you look. This is god's way of making up for the fact that I have to live in a depressed post-industrial cultural sinkhole most days of my life: all of my closest relatives live in the most beautiful places on earth.<BR/><BR/>This puzzle was hard. 20+ minutes, I think. I was disgruntled at MET ONE'S WATERLOO, mostly because of the icky pronoun. Beyond that, there was GOBOS, and beyond that ... well, I forget.<BR/><BR/>Fighting off a cold that refuses to develop but also refuses to go away. My recommendation for future NZ visitors: don't do the trip in one fell swoop while seated next to two sick people while downing coffees like they're water while simultaneously failing to drink compensatory water. <BR/><BR/>I'm back on Monday, probably for M and T and W, at a minimum. Then I may end up going dark for a while, at which point Puzzlegirl or SethG or Drunken Yarn-Spinner McGee will once again pinch hit.<BR/><BR/>Aroha nui,<BR/>RPRex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61786380517452905262008-07-19T17:31:00.000-04:002008-07-19T17:31:00.000-04:00@mac: Have you ever made beet jam? Great stuff. ...@mac: Have you ever made beet jam? Great stuff. Too hot even to think of this today (south shore Suffolk County, LI).miriam bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506593846362044050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36119540512604487192008-07-19T16:56:00.001-04:002008-07-19T16:56:00.001-04:00To answer my own question, it seems that lots of p...To answer my own question, it seems that lots of people play stratego nowadays http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StrategoMichael Chibnikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04700426644898924644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16008032250206066582008-07-19T16:56:00.000-04:002008-07-19T16:56:00.000-04:00A typical Saturday for me. I did miss the N in LI...A typical Saturday for me. I did miss the N in LIANA/UNA, though- I had a T.<BR/><BR/>Got STRATEGO and MS PAC MAN right away and was happy for that.<BR/><BR/>NASTY in my household as a slightly different meaning. It means "good", as in that brownie sundae dripping with fudge and whipped cream or that plate of chili cheese fries is NASTY.<BR/><BR/>Enjoyed your write-up today, Wade.Doc Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12540112168511893896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90355160885300027152008-07-19T16:51:00.000-04:002008-07-19T16:51:00.000-04:00When I looked at the jumble of crosses I had in th...When I looked at the jumble of crosses I had in the middle of the puzzle and saw METONESWATERLOO, I realized that two games that were part of my game-playing background STRATEGO and MSPACMAN occupied both ends of the answer and neatly broke this puzzle's back.<BR/><BR/>When I re-read my previous post I saw that I had left any mention of the game part out of the post. Which was going to be the main point of what I had to say.<BR/><BR/>Jeez, I made a mess of my comment and, looking back at it, saw that. I guess I was just proud of the fact that I have been finishing Sauturdays puzzles for a while now and wanted to describe in detail how I did it. <BR/><BR/>I don't got into much detail when I comment on the early-week puzzles because they are simple enough on their own merits not to require much detail.<BR/><BR/>But Fridays and Saturdays need detail.Bill from NJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10103923612595508277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83439546130866343092008-07-19T16:45:00.000-04:002008-07-19T16:45:00.000-04:00For the most part I thought this was a typical Sat...For the most part I thought this was a typical Saturday, challenging, but doable. Three were three answers -- all of which I eventually got -- that struck me as unfair, even if they were gettable by crosses. These were gobos, tstops, and (even though I am a baseball fan and vaguely knew the name) randa.<BR/><BR/> I knew stratego from long ago, but is this game still played by anyone? Despite being decent at chess, I don't think I ever won a game of stratego as a kid (or for that matter Gettysburg in which I always took the North and managed to reverse history).Michael Chibnikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04700426644898924644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74309160268255248322008-07-19T16:24:00.000-04:002008-07-19T16:24:00.000-04:00Joe Randa? Joe Randa?!?! Really? He was a very ...Joe Randa? Joe Randa?!?! Really? He was a very so-so player, even in his prime. He was a career .284 hitter with 123 HRs, and was only a full-time player for 4 seasons. I got that one without any crosses because I'm a big baseball fan and he was on one of my fantasy baseball teams years ago. But he was so "eh" that he rode the fantasy pine all season. I turned to my wife and said, "Joe Randa is in the puzzle. That seems really unfair." Her retort, "Well, it IS Saturday." Indeed.<BR/><BR/>I made slow but steady progress on this and finished in a faster-than-normal time. I found it enjoyable, but not overly so.Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00171716627914528357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1726610356134284802008-07-19T16:17:00.000-04:002008-07-19T16:17:00.000-04:00FLOWERY STUFF / SOME PINBALL TARGETS THAT DON'T LI...<B>FLOWERY STUFF / SOME PINBALL TARGETS THAT DON'T LIGHT UP</B><BR/><BR/>I don't know if it was the early hour or what, but Wade's stream-of-consciousness write-up was even more hysterical than his outstanding debut! Brilliant job, old top!<BR/><BR/>As for the puzzle, it kicked me up one side, over, around, down, under & through. My first pass yielded one whole, entire <B>CNN</B>! Orginally tried to Saturday-up my BIKINI from yesterday with "BRA STRAPS", but was shocked to find <B>BIKINI TOPS</B> back in vogue! Flew in on instruments, winging such as <B>MENSA, OPEN FLOOR, PETER NERO, STRATEGO, & GARANTUA</B> without a clue, only crosses. This is to say nothing of <B>GOBOS</B>, a bogus coinage if I ever heard one. Ultimately I had an "L" at the crossing of <B>ATTAR</B> and <B>RAMPS</B>, leaving ATTAL and LAMPS - yeah, it looked good after staring at this thing for 45 minutes...<BR/><BR/>Thanks again, Wade - another fun day riding shotgun, er, BB GUN, on your dizzying jaunt through Puzzleworld.Bill Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13741876820211768387noreply@blogger.com