I snuck this one past the OC guard puppies. I don’t really understand it, but that doesn’t mean I can’t like it, right? It’s from Poets.org, by Jameson Fitzpatrick, called “Refrain.”
Sometimes still
like light I catch
the mermaids’ singing
swimming back to me,
a certain strain on the air.
They sing for the hell of it.
The pure, fresh hell.
Snow on the inconsolable shore.
Somehow still,
half a person later,
I know all the words.
Or would, were there words
to the chorus the mermaids,
who are angels, my sisters, make.
I changed my face
but my face was still there:
neither innocent nor gay
nor heartless.
I lean out, no longer dangerously,
and answer them.
I asked a very pretty mermaid to go out with me but just got a flippant response.
Ba da boom.
I just got an email with an offer for a credit card. It may be a scam, though. It’s from Bank Off America. What do you think?
Another email is from Wendy, who lives in Western Canada, having escaped the U.S. and Philly. She’s in a band that plays Scandinavian folk music and contacted me via Rex’s blog to comment on one of my jokes. (My e-address is in my profile and once in a rare while someone reaches out.) Her friend/bandmate Joe shared this joke with me:
Bronstein calls a law office and says: “This is Bronstein. I want to talk to Schacter.”
The receptionist replies, “I’m sorry, but Mr. Schacter died last week.”
The next week he phones again and says “This is Bronstein. I want to talk to Schacter.” The receptionist replies, “I told you last week that Mr. Schacter died.”
The next week he calls again: “This is Bronstein. I want to talk to Schacter.” By this time the receptionist is getting a little annoyed and says, “I keep telling you, Mr. Schacter has died. Why do you keep calling?”
Bronstein says, “I just like to hear you say it.”
Good one, amirite? I answered with a similar one of my own, below. We’ll see what I get back.
A man picks up the phone and says “Law Offices of Bernstein, Bernstein, Bernstein, Bernstein, and Bernstein. Our receptionist is out today. May I help you?”
Can I speak to Bernstein please?
I’m sorry he’s in court today.
OK, then how about Bernstein? Is he available?
He’s with a client right now.
Hmm. Is Bernstein there?
No, he’s on vacation until the fifteenth.
How about Bernstein then? He might be able to help.
Sorry, he’s on another line and will be tied up for a while.
OK, in that case can I talk to Bernstein?
Speaking.
In the puzzle today the clue at 11D was “Pressed sandwich” and the answer was PANINI. Nothing too controversial, right? Wrong! A lot of folks take umbrage at it because, technically, like in Italian, panini is plural. So, today, I appreciated commenter Gary’s acerbic note:
“The joy I feel typing in PANINI for a singular pressed sandwich knowing there are those out there with exploding pedantic brains is akin to the joy I feel watching elk ANTLERS goring tourists videos from Estes Park. Pure glee.”
Here’s a girl who knows how to eat a panino.
You must have heard about Trump’s recent trip back from low-sodium smoked Turkey? He was supposed to fly with the press and aides on Plane A. But our intelligence agencies learned of a credible threat to his life. So they engaged in subterfuge to slip him from Plane A to Plane B via a large catering container, see below.
Okay. Smart.
But they didn’t bother to tell the press or aides about it or take any steps to protect them from being blown up. Are you kidding me?
Owl Chatter has gained exclusive access to the transcript of the phone call to the Secret Service setting this all up:
We have to get POTUS onto a different plane. We learned this one has a decent chance of getting blown up.
Okay, we’ll do it secretly so the killers think he’s still on it.
Good. Maybe you can use one of those giant catering containers for the transfer.
Perfect! Will do.
How will you protect the reporters from getting blown up?
What?
How will you protect the reporters from getting blown up?
What? The connection has gone bad.
How will you protect the reporters from getting blown up?
I can’t hear you.
How will you protect the reporters from getting blown up?
Gotta run. Later.
Meanwhile, during the few minutes Trump was in the catering container, he ate close to two pounds of corned beef and a large jar of potato salad.
In yesterday’s NYTXW, “Got too old” was AGED OUT. I noted:
“AGED OUT could be a euphemism for one who died of old age. ‘Is Frank still alive? No, he’s still dead. He aged out at 94.’
“Personally, I hope to die peacefully in my sleep when my time comes, like my grandfather did. And not screaming in terror like the passengers in his car.”
Beverly C responded: So sorry to hear about Ed! 😁 Then she corrected herself and wrote: Frank.
So I responded: Ed’s gone too. Been a tough year.
I also noted that three separate answers in the grid (near each other) were OYS (“Yiddish laments”), CAMO (“Military wear, for short”), and VIA. So I wrote: “OYS CAMO VIA rings a bell. Did Santana have a song along those lines?”
And Commenter DAV could not tell I was kidding and replied:
“@Liveprof, you’re thinking of OYE COMO VA, and yes, by Santana. lt’s a lively song; we learned a Latin dance to it.”
(OY, indeed. I let it go.)
Other notes of mine on the puzzle were on ELMO, YOLO, and EIDER (“Duck down”):
ELMO: El Cid’s goofy sidekick.
YOLO: How Superman addressed Lois Lane when they were chillin’.
If it comes down to a choice between duck down and metals that can be mined and processed, it’s an EIDER/ore decision.
Here’s Milly Alcock, the latest incarnation of Supergirl, out of uniform. Looks tough, but Phil tells us she’s a real sweetheart. She’s 26 and an Aussie.
Let’s close today with a video of a Scandinavian folk song performed by Gammel Dansk, a band from Vancouver, BC. Wendy, discussed above, sent it to me, after I asked if they ever played in the NYC region. She said they’ve never gotten further than Seattle, and then went on:
“Since you won’t be hearing us live, I found one short fairly recent video that doesn’t have screechy sound.
“I’m on guitar. I also play ukulele, and I play bass when Joe plays clarinet. Yogi the dog belongs to Joe. We usually look even more grim than in this video.”
OMG — it couldn’t possibly be any better!
See you tomorrow! Thanks for dropping in.
The Wellington Files 