Today is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Which I never understood — aren’t they all 24 hours? For the occasion, The Writer’s Almanac quotes Thoreau: “In winter we lead a more inward life. Our hearts are warm and cheery, like cottages under drifts, whose windows and doors are half concealed, but from whose chimneys the smoke cheerfully ascends.”
Okay. Whatever. Here’s a shot of the backyard this morning at Owl Chatter headquarters.
The puzzle today was co-constructed by a beloved member of Rex’s blog’s Commentariat, Lewis. He is the sweetest man who always finds something positive to say. And his puzzle (co-constructed with Barbara Lin) is terrific.
You know it’s going to be fun when the very first answer at 1A turns out to be BENDY STRAW, albeit clued trickily with “Shifty little sucker?”
My favorite clue/answer was “Worth a shot,” and the answer was IT CAN”T HURT. Here’s a joke: An actor collapses onstage and everyone is at a loss at what to do and a little old Jewish man from the balcony keeps yelling — “Give him an enema.” Finally, a doctor comes up from the audience, attends to the poor man, and turns to the balcony and explains that an enema is not what he needs right now. And the little old man yells back: “It vouldn’t hurt.”
BTW, my urologist’s book just came out — he gave me a copy. It’s called “An Enema of the People.”
“Jhené ___, Grammy-nominated R&B singer” at 26D was tough for me. I needed all the crosses. It’s Jhené AIKO.
Her full name is Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo and she’s from LA. Ever cook something up with, like, a zillion ingredients and you had no idea how it would turn out and then it’s beyond delicious? So, get this — Her mother is of Spanish, Dominican, and Japanese descent, and her father is of Native American, African-American, and German-Jewish descent.
Jhené has two kids. She was married to record producer Dot da Genius for a few years, and her partner since 2016 has been the rapper Big Sean from Detroit.
If you read this blog like I read Rex’s (and most blogs), you skip a lot of the clips I post. Hope you spend some time with this one:
This is neat. The clue at 18A was “Austrian composer Mahler,” and the only reason I knew it was ALMA was from a Tom Lehrer song my brother and sister used to play for me several hundred years ago. Every few years I’m reminded of him (Lehrer) and how good he was. Commenter Conrad was too, and he posted the relevant link for us. If you are not familiar with Lehrer’s music and wit, give it a listen. If you are, you don’t need my noodge.
Remember that BENDY STRAW from way up there somewhere? Well, how about Syd Straw? You hear of her? (New to me.) She’s good. So much music today! What’s with the suitcase?
This excellent New Yorker cartoon by Dan Misdea will be appreciated by baseball fans, well, maybe not Yankee fans. It reflects Juan Soto’s spurning of the Bombers in favor of the Amazin’s. (It’s the 4 train that goes to YS, BTW, not the 6, though the 6 does go elsewhere in the Bronx.)
Personally, I love the guy, but I think he’s been unfairly turned into Babe Ruth by the media. He’s a great hitter, for sure, but not Ruthian. And his fielding and baserunning are just average. He played a big role in the Nats’ brilliant championship run in 2019, but wasn’t their MVP in either the NLCS (Howie Kendrick) or the WS (Strasburg). IMO, the Yankees have done very well by signing Max Fried, Devin Williams, and Cody Bellinger.
BTW, when the Yankees introduced Max, he introduced his girlfriend, Reni Meyer-Whalley. She was seated with Max’s mom, which says something, though we cannot ascertain whether she’s Jewish. She was a volleyball star in college. We’ll have them over for a visit once Max settles into the area — before Pesach, we hope. George — we’ll give you enough warning so you can stock up the fridge. Here’s Reni.
Have you heard about the big flap in Yankeedom? It turns out that before marrying Cody Bellinger, Mrs. B was dating Giancarlo Stanton (of the Yankees) pretty seriously. Will jealous tempers flare in the locker room? Nah. GS is a very eligible bachelor, but the Bellingers are happily married with a pair of kids, and both guys are mensches.
And to whom is Bellinger married? We thought you’d never ask. She’s Chase Carter a model from the Bahamas who has appeared on the cover of Maxim. I wasn’t aware of this, but it seems that professional athletes who are good-looking and rich often attract beautiful women. Here’s the aptly named Chase. Phil has been drooling over her since long before Bellinger signed on with NY. Below are some of his photos.
We’ll start with a family shot to give you fellas a little time to brace yourselves. After that — kaboom!
Let’s close tonight with a piece by Linda Coleman from tomorrow’s Met Diary in the NYT.
Dear Diary:
It was my first autumn stroll in Central Park after getting divorced. I was reminiscing about my baby boy’s first time there in 1997. As I walked, I came upon a good-looking couple with a stroller at the edge of the lake.
The mother asked if I would take a photo of them. “It’s our baby boy’s first time in Central Park,” the father said proudly.
We did an impromptu photo shoot, strangers bonding over a common goal. “I hope they came out OK,” I said, handing the phone back.
“Yes, definitely,” the boy’s mother said. “This so exceeded my expectations.”
As I walked away, I began to relive my own experiences as a new mother of an infant son, swaddled by feelings of high expectations, first times, new beginnings.
The leaves were starting to turn but still had a way to go before the colors reached their peak. They were not yet exceeding expectations, and I intended to be there when they did.
The Wellington Files 