tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post4649598140905874236..comments2024-03-29T10:22:19.863-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Olympians brought them down / FRI 4-13-12 / Upper house support / Big inits in paperback publishing / Pulitzer-winning poet Armantrout / Home of U.S. Army Women's Museum / Word repeated before lama sabachthani in Mark 15Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger107125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62789197020668686572012-05-19T09:46:05.974-04:002012-05-19T09:46:05.974-04:00On behalf of the Montreal Tourist Bureau, thanks f...On behalf of the Montreal Tourist Bureau, thanks for all the unsolicited promos. And Seattle, New Mexico, et al are great places to visit as well! Now on to Saturday...Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34025289375215596672012-05-19T00:56:27.033-04:002012-05-19T00:56:27.033-04:00to @jaxinLA from syndiland. I wish you and the ot...to @jaxinLA from syndiland. I wish you and the other students comfort and peace after such a horrible event.<br /><br />Doubt that anyone will see this, as it's so late. Started this morning while waiting in the 'we'll do the best we can' (beauty)salon, where my first pass produced next to nothing. Then....took a toe-hold in the bottom section and finished the south with no errors. Knew LETHE, though from where I've no idea. Then tonight I bombed in the north. Nothing worked. I can blame ore at 15-D, but my wheelhouse was obviously closed for repairs. "Tomorrow is another day."Gingernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86854250122058911332012-05-18T23:39:11.366-04:002012-05-18T23:39:11.366-04:00@Solving in Seattle & @Waxy, I adore France to...@Solving in Seattle & @Waxy, I adore France too, but I'm not kidding -- I have never had better French cuisine than in Montreal. The scenery ain't bad, either. (It's that nine feet of snow in the winter that might deter me, though.)Lola505https://www.blogger.com/profile/09249427833942985450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21923700536901589972012-05-18T22:57:31.633-04:002012-05-18T22:57:31.633-04:00@Lola, & @Waxy, I, too, love Montreal. My wife...@Lola, & @Waxy, I, too, love Montreal. My wife and I were there for the first time last Summer over the 4th of July weekend and stayed at a charming auberge on the river. Fabulous dining, and we walked up to Mont Real one day and ended up at St. Joseph's Oratory. It was a $25 cab ride back to our auberge. Your city is like Vancouver, "Once in a world."Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7653326739218794662012-05-18T21:31:31.264-04:002012-05-18T21:31:31.264-04:00@Waxy in Montreal (I LOVE Montreal, BTW!) ... naps...@Waxy in Montreal (I LOVE Montreal, BTW!) ... naps are good, too!Lola505https://www.blogger.com/profile/09249427833942985450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75964880855307574272012-05-18T19:52:27.280-04:002012-05-18T19:52:27.280-04:00I'm with those who found this one easy "f...I'm with those who found this one easy "for a Friday" although I finished with one error DEi volente as the actress was no help. A bad guess at 4d had improvE instead of ENHANCE and the underscore neighbor was dash at first but all my other "throw 'em in and see if they work" guesses worked.<br /><br />So far we have had centennial puzzles for the Titanic and Clara Barton and yesterday I suggested that Fenway Park is due for one in a couple of days (in syndi time); here's another possibility - LL Bean (the company, not the man) is having it's 100th birthday celebration in 2012. Seems like a Double L theme would have lots of possibilities.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38404300877831968512012-05-18T19:44:53.493-04:002012-05-18T19:44:53.493-04:00Fun Friday other than a personal Nattick at the LE...Fun Friday other than a personal Nattick at the LETHE/SEMPRE intersection where I guessed LETHO/SOMPRE. Also contributing to generalized confusion in the SW was the combination of ROOFSTRUT and TUSH that I remained committed to for way too long.<br /><br />@Lola505 - while it empowers you to fill-in those 15's, I actually feel exhausted each time I complete one and in dire need of a nap! Different strokes for...Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41284857212780132142012-05-18T18:33:51.523-04:002012-05-18T18:33:51.523-04:00@JaxinLA, what a tragic event.
@Masked and Anon...@JaxinLA, what a tragic event. <br /><br />@Masked and Anonymous, great list!<br /><br />I thought this was entertainingly do-able. I've got no problem with 15's -- makes me feel powerful to fill 'em in.<br /><br />Had CowPIES for quite awhile, but thought that was a little icky for the NYT puzzle, and sure enough, it was. <br /><br />Only other mis-starts were <br />1d - Plot for GIST, and<br />51a - Tush for RUMP.<br /><br />Had fun working several of the Crosswords LA Tournament puzzles yesterday -- I'm within the time limits, but certainly not prize-winning speedy. At my point in life, I feel, what's the point of rushing?<br /><br />Good fun on a Friday!Lola505https://www.blogger.com/profile/09249427833942985450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83948157712450055782012-05-18T15:04:14.808-04:002012-05-18T15:04:14.808-04:00From Syndieland it is rare to have a thought that ...From Syndieland it is rare to have a thought that somewhere in the ninety or so RT posts hasn't been voiced already, so..curses on you @ACMe for COWgIRl. <br /><br />I got my toehold in this puzzle in the middle section and smiled when I thought of 36A as a gIRl. Next to fall was the bottom, and last was the top. ADSImES held me up for awhile. OYE has me humming Santana. Actually wore out two LPs.<br /><br />Discussion of COWBIRDS makes me wonder if they, like lampray eels, have no redeeming attributes.<br /><br />@Sir Hilary, you get biggest laugh of the day.<br /><br />Capcha: sagemov rdsofts. Bulgarian, for "YOURPLACEORMINE."Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64308869452690841662012-05-18T13:00:32.917-04:002012-05-18T13:00:32.917-04:00@Masked & Anonymous.
A hearty Amen to your we...@Masked & Anonymous.<br /> A hearty Amen to your well printed words. Sometimes I think the could-be-puzzlemaster is like the Asian cook who shuns food from anyone's wok but his own. Sad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75200688054429488532012-04-15T15:03:33.889-04:002012-04-15T15:03:33.889-04:00Rex has become pretty predictable. The puzzles he ...Rex has become pretty predictable. The puzzles he breezes through, he likes and are "easy" (relatively speaking, of course) and the ones he struggles with, he just plain dislikes and don't even deserve a "challenging" because they are "bad" puzzles. I also noticed he totally sucked at the tournament, so maybe that's his problem. Who cares.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9302025256063619822012-04-14T01:55:41.579-04:002012-04-14T01:55:41.579-04:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation. In a nutshell, the higher the ratio, the higher this week's median solve time is relative to the average for the corresponding day of the week.<br /><br />All solvers (this week's median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Mon 6:16, 6:49, 0.92, 17%, Easy<br />Tue 8:59, 8:52, 1.01, 61%, Medium-Challenging<br />Wed 8:33, 11:49, 0.72, 2%, Easy (3rd lowest median solve time of 145 Wednesdays)<br />Thu 16:26, 18:56, 0.87, 24%, Easy-Medium<br />Fri 21:28, 25:00, 0.86, 24%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:19, 3:40, 0.91, 12%, Easy<br />Tue 4:36, 4:35, 1.00, 58%, Medium<br />Wed 4:33, 5:52, 0.78, 3%, Easy (5th lowest median solve time of 144 Wednesdays)<br />Thu 8:33, 9:18, 0.92, 40%, Medium<br />Fri 10:03, 12:22, 0.81, 22%, Easy-Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18972360081405020972012-04-13T18:25:12.824-04:002012-04-13T18:25:12.824-04:00JaxinLA: so sorry. I can empathize as we lost a 21...JaxinLA: so sorry. I can empathize as we lost a 21 y/o neighbor to a senseless shooting, a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Besides being so sad it is also infuriating.quilter1https://www.blogger.com/profile/09569747169212018177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31690047978604897962012-04-13T18:16:09.837-04:002012-04-13T18:16:09.837-04:00@JaxinLA - How very sad. Good thoughts winging y...@JaxinLA - How very sad. Good thoughts winging your way.chefwenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03999206352243329280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47864043998883172442012-04-13T17:06:12.617-04:002012-04-13T17:06:12.617-04:00@JaxinLA What a tragedy and so tough for you. Sen...@JaxinLA What a tragedy and so tough for you. Sending all good thoughts to you.santafefranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10725714399611552299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6536263556395322962012-04-13T16:40:40.408-04:002012-04-13T16:40:40.408-04:00Is it cheating (or technical DNF) if you look at y...Is it cheating (or technical DNF) if you look at your keyboard to get underscore's neighbor?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46266986033146954682012-04-13T16:40:37.094-04:002012-04-13T16:40:37.094-04:00@JaxInL.A. the news of the shooting made top news ...@JaxInL.A. the news of the shooting made top news in the Sacramento Bee. This has to be awful for you. Good thoughts being sent your way.GILL I.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05605766053820226324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59472642545390902622012-04-13T16:36:58.959-04:002012-04-13T16:36:58.959-04:00@Jax - Sending good thoughts.
Easy top and middle...@Jax - Sending good thoughts.<br /><br />Easy top and middle, but the bottom 15s took me awhile. Have to agree that 15s are easier than tricksy short fill. Cases in point - 51D was hUll, 59D was dEc, 60D was sot, and 56 was arf than bow before YIP.<br /><br />Remembering that we had to special order our addition's ROOFTRUSS's finally gave me RUMP then IT HURTS and a tentative PLUS and the bottom 15s finally went in. Easy medium in the end.<br /><br />alummi vicoerd - chewy,sentimental graduates?Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6407695996560718412012-04-13T16:31:54.297-04:002012-04-13T16:31:54.297-04:00Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2...Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation of my method):<br /><br />All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Fri 21:05, 24:59, 0.84, 22%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Fri 10:27, 12:22, 0.85, 25%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />Sorry if today's numbers burst anyone's bubble. I know they burst mine. I rarely even finish a Friday or Saturday puzzle that Rex rates at Medium-Challenging or Challenging, let alone finish with an Easy-Medium time as I did today. Oh well.sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30706974655690325892012-04-13T16:17:40.537-04:002012-04-13T16:17:40.537-04:00@Anon 3:54 - Aw, was Bird's post too long? Too...@Anon 3:54 - Aw, was Bird's post too long? Too friggin' bad! That is also my fav skit. Think I'll ask them if I can host again 'cause I need to catch up to Alec and Steve.<br /><br />I'd love to do a character with a wife, a nice little house, a couple of kids, a dog, maybe a bit of singing, and no guns and no killing, but nobody offers me those kind of parts.Christopher Walkennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14782050516847278752012-04-13T16:16:49.867-04:002012-04-13T16:16:49.867-04:00I'm back from my two martini lunch and in a go...I'm back from my two martini lunch and in a good mood, so I will agree with Matthew G and Loren. Acme always saves her best stuff for this site but is so serious when she comments on Wordplay. <br /><br />I think long answers are fun to uncover, regardless of the fill required. These were particularly amusing. @Acme, YOUR PLACE OR MINE followed by INSTRUMENT PANEL is indeed a Biblical way of getting to know someone....<br /><br />JFCAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74365877527687653952012-04-13T16:13:40.201-04:002012-04-13T16:13:40.201-04:00I needed a couple of Googles, with which the puzzl...I needed a couple of Googles, with which the puzzle fell quickly (for me). My wheelhouse is such that I've never heard of SALAD DAYS or LETHE, but I think I'll remember them for the future.Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09709142959535977331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43972465558204485572012-04-13T16:02:52.874-04:002012-04-13T16:02:52.874-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09709142959535977331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65225183098648872802012-04-13T15:54:59.856-04:002012-04-13T15:54:59.856-04:00Bird's favorite Christopher Walken skit in SNL...Bird's favorite Christopher Walken skit in SNL, brought to his mind by the More Cowbell skit, brought to my mind my favorite scene from War and Peace where Prince Andrei and Princess Maria were having a disagreement over who to invite to a party.<br /><br />I'll post it here once all 1000 pages finish downloading. Come back in an hour, and good luck scrolling past it to the next post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12109116445787417252012-04-13T15:47:38.457-04:002012-04-13T15:47:38.457-04:00@Bob Kerfuffle - Thanks. I just thought the clue w...@Bob Kerfuffle - Thanks. I just thought the clue was too vague, but then again it is Friday. And I'm total agreement that 2000 was old milenium. I remember having arguments with friends about Y2K. There is no year zero so how could 2000 be the 2000th year? Isn't that why we say 1980 was in the 20th century? Not saying I didn't party . . . like it was 1999.<br /><br />Enjoy your weekend folks!Birdnoreply@blogger.com