The theme of yesterday’s puzzle was revealed at 61A with the clue “Slangy question of greeting.” The answer was WHAT’S POPPIN’? and the puzzle had four theme answers that were things that “popped.” CORN KERNALS, PIMPLES, CHAMPAGNE BOTTLE, and WHEELIE (as in to “pop a wheelie”).
LMS proposed these additional theme answers, KNUCKLES and BALLOONS, and went on:
“Mom hates it when I pop my knuckles, so I try to do it just one at a time, stealing glances her way between each pop, as we sit in our matching recliners watching whatever. She probably hears but is too nice to let on that she does.
“Speaking of Mom, we have ESTEE [in the puzzle] today. Sigh. Mom’s go-to church perfume is Estee Lauder’s Private Collection, and I don’t think I’ve hated any perfume more than that one. She adores it, feels beautiful and sophisticated when wearing it. I think it smells like it went bad back in the Reagan administration, but I’ve never let on how I feel. So maybe we’re even.
“Mom’s church had this big meeting about whether to split from the main group, and the issue involved their stance on gay marriage. I put my toe in that water, asking what the current stance was, like, were they voting to leave because they wanted to allow it or not allow it? She said she wasn’t sure. Hmm. I dropped it, afraid of my rage bubbling to the surface. But I popped a couple of my knuckles a little louder.”
As careful readers of Owl Chatter will recall, the Monday puzzle is so easy that Rex, to increase the challenge, solves it by using the down clues only. Several others have chimed in with other methods to increase the challenge.
Last week, Joseph Michael posted:
My Monday blindfold is at the dry cleaners, so I tried solving this in a pitch black closet and found it to be extremely challenging. Not only did I have trouble knowing what the clues were. I also ended up with a DNF because I didn’t realize that my pen had run out of ink.
Here’s what I posted yesterday:
“I did today’s puzzle while suspended head down by bungee cords from the Williamsburg Bridge. JM: How’d it go with your blindfold?”
He came back with:
Even though I solved this blindfolded and left handed, I was able to complete the puzzle in under two minutes, so it did seem awfully easy, even for a Monday. I do acknowledge that the letters I entered into the grid don’t form any actual words, but that’s mainly because I couldn’t see the clues. I wish I had bungee cords and a bridge to work with, but all I’ve got right now is the blindfold.
To which I replied:
JM: I’m impressed you got answers onto the grid. I was writing with my right hand, and once the winds kicked up much of my writing went onto the clues area or onto my left hand. And yes, you should get a bridge, for sure.
Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers has been traded to the Jets. Look for a giant foot to drop out of the sky and squash him fairly soon. The curse is immutable. Some of you may recall the story connected to my prostate surgery of ten years ago. The doc could tell I was a little nervous, so he said “Look – I’ve done thousands of these. Here’s what’s going to happen. You’ll walk into the room, and the doctor you just met will put you under. You’ll wake up later this morning feeling like you got hit by a bus, but you’ll get stronger soon and live a long and happy life.”
I said, “Doc, will I live long enough to see the Jets win another Super Bowl?” and he said “No.”
How’s this for gracious? Rodgers’ uniform number with Green Bay was 12, but that’s the number Joe Namath wore, and the Jets have retired it so it’s no longer available. But Namath said Rodgers could use 12 — he was okay with that. Equally gracious, Rodgers said he’ll use 8, the number he used in college. He went to UC Berkeley, btw. Here’s a stat you can amuse your friends with — his SAT score was 1310. (He was an A- student in high school.)
Here’s Joe, as a grown-up, with the only Super Bowl trophy the Jets ever won (Jan. 12, 1969, 16-7 vs. Baltimore, in Miami).
As for Rodgers, here’s a shot of his current babe, model Mallory Edens, a photo of whom I’m including instead of him for obvious reasons.
We must have told Owl Chatter photographer Phil a dozen times to let the subjects finish dressing and get out of bed before shooting, but it’s beyond him to hold back. You’re incorrigible Philly!
It’s the day for knockouts in Owl Chatter (hi Chris!) because two more appear in today’s puzzle, actresses Keira Knightly and Parker Posey, boringly clued as Actress Knightly and Actress Parker, respectively.
Knightly has been married for ten years to British musician James Righton (Right On!), and they have two daughters. She was supposed to be named Kiera (i before e), the anglicized form of “Kira,” after the Soviet figure skater Kira Ivanova, whom her father admired, but Keira’s mom screwed up the spelling on the birth certificate. Keira herself was diagnosed as dyslexic when she was six, but improved enough by eleven that it did not impede her development. She is still a slow reader and cannot read out loud. [She also has trouble pronouncing Popocatépetl, the active volcano located in Mexico, but, really, who doesn’t? Plus, how often does it come up?]
Keira was intent on acting from the get-go and told her parents she wanted an agent at age 3. (I’m not kidding.) Her parents were both actors. She had an agent at age 6 and started appearing in children’s roles. She turned 38 last month.
Parker Posey is 54 (ouch!), but Phil worked his usual magic with the lenses, and she looks pretty spry in this shot, no?
Posey was born in Baltimore, but got her BFA at SUNY Purchase. Let’s hear it for public colleges! Go Panthers! She’s had a very successful career, including a guest spot on The Simpsons. Here she is as Becky, Otto the school bus driver’s fiancee.
In the episode, it doesn’t work out for them. On the wedding day, Becky privately confesses to Marge that she doesn’t like heavy metal music, and is worried this will cause tension in her marriage. Marge brushes it off, until she sees that Otto has hired a loud Poison tribute band named Cyanide to play her down the isle. Taking Marge’s advice, Becky gives Otto an ultimatum; either herself or heavy metal. The wedding is immediately called off, the guests get their wedding gifts back, and Otto departs with the band in the school bus.
In today’s puzzle, the only reason I knew 1D is from previous puzzles. The clue was “Headwear for a chef,” and the answer is TOQUE. Here’s a note from LMS on it:
I misread the clue for TOQUE as “headwear for a chief.” My daughter uses my Amazon Prime account and then pays me via Venmo for her various purchases. I realized that I could kinda stay abreast of what’s what with her by taking note of the stuff she puts in the cart. Dog enrichment toys, bathroom organizer, face creams, etc . So then it occurred to me that she could likewise keep tabs on me. I immediately added some items to the cart that would get her attention: an expensive male nude bronze statue, a Squatty Potty, bed bug spray, head lice kit, and an elaborate Native American headdress. It didn’t take her long to call. Mom? Um. Well. That headdress? You can’t wear that. It would be beyond racist.
OMG, I just saw that it’s Ted Kooser’s birthday today. He’s 84, kinahora. Happy Birthday, Buddy!
This is from his Winter Morning Walks.
My wife and I walk the cold road
in silence, asking for thirty more years.
There’s a pink and blue sunrise
with an accent of red:
a hunter’s cap burns like a coal
in the yellow-gray eye of the woods.
See you tomorrow (or Thursday), everybody. Thanks for “popping” by.
The Wellington Files 