Here’s a headline from The Onion: Trump Watching Movie On iPad During Trial Without Using Headphones. The story goes on to state: “According to court transcripts, Judge Juan Merchan repeatedly attempted to get Trump’s attention to ask him to turn off the 1994 Harrison Ford CIA thriller Clear And Present Danger, but the former commander-in-chief’s eyes remained locked on the screen, seemingly unbothered by the disturbance he was causing.
This is a terrible poem that was submitted to Met Diary by Lou Craft. Or maybe it’s not terrible after all. You decide.
Anything is possible in Coney.
Everyone believes that dreams come true.
It’s an Eden of Illusion,
That indulges your confusion,
A mystery without a clue.
Everything is wonderful in Coney.
The Ferris wheel will bring you to the sky.
As you gaze across the ocean,
You can somehow get the notion,
You will soar and you will fly.
I found my love, she’s gone now, in Coney.
In Coney.
Everything is possible in Coney.
In Coney Island all your dreams come true.
You must never ask what is it,
But just know that it’s exquisite,
And all you’d ever want
Is there for you.
In today’s puzzle the clue at 31D was “Ball handler?” and I was about to fill in POINT GUARD which would fit. But that question mark tells us it’s got to have something cutesy about it. So I waited for some crossing letters to appear, grudgingly — it was a hard puzzle. It turned out to be PODIATRIST. I guess it’s the ball of your foot that’s being handled. (UROLOGIST wouldn’t fit.)
My favorite was 17A: “Iconic line on 1950s TV.” Remember it? — LUCY I’M HOME. Actually, however, in the entire series, Desi only said “Lucy I’m home” once (in the fur coat episode). He typically said “Honey I’m home.” People think he said “Lucy.” It’s an example of the Mandela Effect (discussed in earlier OC posts).
35D was new to me. The clue was “Japanese aesthetic that embraces imperfection,” and the answer was WABI-SABI. From Wikipedia: It’s a world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. It appreciates beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete” in nature. It’s derived from the Buddhist teaching of the three marks of existence: impermanence, suffering, and emptiness or absence of self-nature. [The Jewish version adds the ungratefulness of children.] Characteristics include asymmetry, roughness, simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy, and the appreciation of both natural objects and the forces of nature.
Rex noted that Wikipedia includes a warning not to confuse WABI-SABI with wasabi, the spicy sushi condiment. He writes: “WABI-SABI is obviously a term that is getting used carelessly by non-Japanese speakers; otherwise, why would Wikipedia warn me ‘Not to be confused with wasabi?’ Hey, Wikipedia, you’re not the boss of me. If I wanna apply WABI-SABI to my tuna roll, I’m gonna apply WABI-SABI to my tuna roll.”
Hrrrrrrumph!
But never mind all that. Very sexy TARA REID paid her first visit to Owl Chatter in today’s puzzle. Hey TR!
She was clued with her role of Bunny Lebowski in “The Big Lebowski.” You may also remember her from “Sharknado.” I missed “Sharknado,” but this trailer is pretty informative. It’s sort of a cross between Jaws and Singin’ in the Rain.
How’s this for a pairing? Rainer Maria RILKE with MR T. They crossed in the grid at their shared R.
Jeez Louise — lighten up, guys. Rilke said the following:
“For one human being to love another: that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks, the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation.”
Amen to that, Bro. I’m sure T is with you on that, RMR.
You hear of Dan Bern? Word of him had not reached me under my rock until yesterday. In yesterday’s puzzle, at 42A the clue was “Pip’s love in ‘Great Expectations’” and the answer was ESTELLA. It led Son Volt to share this pretty amazing (IMO) Dan Burn song called “Estelle.” Before we hear it, this is the first para in his Wikipedia entry: “Dan Bern (also known as Bernstein; born July 27, 1959) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, novelist, and painter. His music has been compared to that of Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Ochs and Elvis Costello.”
This song is very much ala Dylan; the words reward close attention, if, you know, you like Dylan.
Everybody’s favorite clue/answer yesterday was “Shell fish?” The answer was GAS STATION SUSHI. (It’s probably not too bad with wabi-sabi on it, amirite?)
Rex wished that the Japanese beer ASAHI which appeared elsewhere in the grid, were more closely paired with the sushi. He wrote: “After that GAS STATION SUSHI you are definitely gonna want something to wash it down, and ASAHI seems fitting. The SUSHI / ASAHI crossing would’ve been the cherry on top (which, coincidentally, is how they serve GAS STATION SUSHI. Me: [looks dubiously at plastic container of sushi next to the beef jerky jar] “Maraschino cherry?” Cashier: “Yup. It’s sweet. Kinda hides the fishy taste, you know? You want a Miller Lite with that?” “Uh … you got any ASAHI?”).
Now, that is some goddamn Grade A puzzle commentary. I can’t top that sh*t.
See you tomorrow!
The Wellington Files 