tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post6385845779144232709..comments2024-01-25T10:14:06.567-08:00Comments on L.A. Crossword Confidential: SATURDAY, January 30, 2010—Brad WilberOrangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-76715850341562204332010-01-30T20:25:11.087-08:002010-01-30T20:25:11.087-08:00@Orange - VV - vivisection? - Learned this one as ...@Orange - VV - vivisection? - Learned this one as a teenager visiting Boston with a church group and seeing the Anti-Vivisection Society. We all proceeded to give soap box speeches on the subject on the Boston Commons. Happy hicks.<br /><br />Very difficult, verging on impossible. (NYT was impossible.) Wanted "marls" for MERGE, PROMgoers for PROMDATES, "omens" for BODES, "heels" for CLOGS, and many more. Wanted the wallowers to wallow in pity, but too long.<br /><br />GEHRY was my first gimmee. I have two coffee table books on him. That's not his real name, but made up by his ex-wife.<br />@Ddbmc - sad to hear they leak. I heard there were outdoor reflection problems in some directions, also. The Disney in LA has raised the temp around it to 120. They sure look dreamy, though.<br /><br />Like @Hazel - Is HAYMOW local? We call it a hay loft.<br />Around here, a Marley is a place you can buy ganja/weed.<br /><br />Sue Grafton isn't even 70. Is she going to use numbers next?<br /><br />Where was the clip of Ren & Stimpy?<br />I was thinking Triumph, the Insult Dog.<br /><br />Zero degrees, here. Baltimore sister says it's 15 there, almost unheard of. I could use some titanium reflection, now.Sfingihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06903616949048940858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-36796817010467208962010-01-30T19:14:55.771-08:002010-01-30T19:14:55.771-08:00I didn't find it particularly difficult. I fle...I didn't find it particularly difficult. I flew through the western side and got stuck in the east where I boldly wrote in TEENAGERS for PROMDATES and ISH for ULE. Realized my mistake by REN and completed the puzzle. <br /><br />I believe this is the second puzzle where Mr. Wilber has used LAVA LAKE and ERNANI. Some of the long fill seemed a bit blah such as ENERGY AUDIT and ALTAR RAIL. I did like SNOW GLOBE and XENOPHOBE.*David*noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-30599006083847113462010-01-30T18:37:02.214-08:002010-01-30T18:37:02.214-08:00I just thought of this when reading @Tinbeni's...I just thought of this when reading @Tinbeni's remark about DIEHARDS. For those of you who care, my mechanic informed me earlier this week that those great DieHard batteries you used to get from Sears are now made by Exide. Like many things these days, your choices are constantly narrowing, and not necessarily for the best! Back to Consumer Reports.<br /><br />Hmmm. Have to add Gasparilla to my KB.Rubehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04773241241484881566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-77792779182208195202010-01-30T18:31:26.278-08:002010-01-30T18:31:26.278-08:00This puzzle was an exercise in my answers being 1 ...This puzzle was an exercise in my answers being 1 letter too short.<br /><br />"Fully Loaded" I wanted Hash Browns, the kind they have at Waffle house.<br />"Like Marley and me" first thought was Stoned!<br />"Castaway's dream" = Rescue boat.<br /><br />BUT NOOO!<br /><br />Never been to Rome, so the Via Veneto was totally by crosses, even then it didn't look right.<br /><br />ROOKS, WEBB & JAIL TERMS were great clues.<br /><br />@Orange - your Marley clip, like your write-up was perfect.Entropyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17021233793082839038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-78423560371082279172010-01-30T18:19:00.026-08:002010-01-30T18:19:00.026-08:00@ddmc - agree with you about Merrill shoes/CLOGS a...@ddmc - agree with you about Merrill shoes/CLOGS and Reefs. I wore 2 pairs of Merrills the entire time I was in Italy. They were great on cobblestone streets. Reefs are my shoe of choice about 9 months out of the year. I also love Fit Flops and Eliza Bs. This has nothing to do with the puzzle, but I can't resist talking about shoes.<br /><br />Googled KFC Famous Bowl nutritional info - 720 calories, 32 grams of fat and 2,390 grams of sodium - a failure pile in a sadness bowl fER sure.CrazyCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00245025301434920905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-64862379327018461482010-01-30T17:15:28.896-08:002010-01-30T17:15:28.896-08:00@ddbmc
I meant embed.
Gasparilla normally gets ab...@ddbmc<br />I meant embed.<br /><br />Gasparilla normally gets about a half-million to the invasion, parade, after party.<br />Crowds were down in the 300,000 range due to the front that past over exactly as it was beginning.<br />But it's not like I don't know a few (all) of the watering holes in Downtown Tampa.<br /><br />And it was, as I said earlier, Hokey to the MAX. <br />A GOOD TIME was had by all!Tinbenihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14661395078047234853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-32234247736552453712010-01-30T17:08:09.922-08:002010-01-30T17:08:09.922-08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-88378301391203400602010-01-30T17:07:15.773-08:002010-01-30T17:07:15.773-08:00@Rube
You owe me nothing. Since I enjoy playing ch...@Rube<br />You owe me nothing. Since I enjoy playing chess, it should have been a gimmie.<br />But at first I was thinking along the line of 'corner pieces' being corner cabinets.<br />Like 'Friday player' WEBB, at first I was thinking teen, as in High School football player.<br /><br />THEN you see it (the Rooks & Webb)and a smile & nod happens.<br /><br />Jailterms & Die Hards got groans, but in a nice way.<br /><br />@ddbmc<br />Thank you for the Gasparilla clip.<br />I am more of a flip-flop fan. <br />The Invasion was rained on, kept the festivities a little more sobber, but not me.<br />3 Mugs-of-Coffee puzzle = 3 Scotches Parade, 7 bands of beads booty.<br /><br />@Orange<br />1% who have read READE is probably about right, but the clue was excellent and solvable.Tinbenihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14661395078047234853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-68815813121125060362010-01-30T16:22:56.081-08:002010-01-30T16:22:56.081-08:00Whoa is me! I, like @Shrubb, wrestled (not like th...Whoa is me! I, like @Shrubb, wrestled (not like the Hawks) with this puzzle. I've been tossed from the Red Sox fan club for not knowing Wade BOGGS immediately. Sigh!<br /><br />Toughies: Augurs-kept thinking this was a drill (augEr) like WilbEr! Need to learn more vocab and spelling...; ERNANI-I know I've seen this one before; Via Veneto, barn loft and Galba-just plain didn't know and had plum forgot HOMES. <br /><br />Cracked up at CORNER PIECES-(my men love to play chess); Used to work for DOE, so ENERGY AUDIT was a gimme. LOVE Frank Gehry designs, however I hear they leak like crazy (he has a building in NYC that does, anyway). <br /><br />@Orange, I am a Merrill CLOG and shoe junkie. If they could make a dress shoe, I'd be in heaven! In @Tinbeni town, REEFS sandals are the footwear of choice.(the squishy kind) Arrh, hope the Pirates behaved!<br /><a href="http://gasparillapiratefest.com/index_event.shtml" rel="nofollow">Gasparilla Pirate Fest</a><br /><br />Fun clues: FRIDAY PLAYER, RED RYDER (You'll shoot your eye out, Ralphie!)JOES AT A DINER-(Eat at? Joe's); PLACE FOR WALLOWERS (MUD?) no STY.<br /><br />Today was a two googles/one dictionary day for me. (ERNANI and BOGGS) and aforesaid AUGURS. Can't even use @KJGooster or @Lit.Doc's excuses!<br /><br />@Orange, there was a friend of the family, who's daughter looked like an OLD CRONE at the age of two! It was horrifying! In her 20's, she is stunning! They do grow out of the larval stage, eventually! :)ddbmcnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-32534218985063626962010-01-30T16:05:24.056-08:002010-01-30T16:05:24.056-08:00Started my slog through this CW at breakfast waiti...Started my slog through this CW at breakfast waiting for a friend. Finished NE and SW corners but filled in LAVAFLOW instead of LAVALAKE which caused me to come to a complete halt in that area.<br /><br />4 javas later and back home, I plugged what I had into the online version. I think I was more awake so actually finished with only 2 googles and 3 or 4 red letters to help me.<br /><br />Although I read augurs with a 'u', my brain was thinking augers so luckily, I guess, I plugged in BORES. The R obviously caused a problem. I had to look up the meaning of AUGURS to even understand how it connected to BODES. Learn something new every day!!<br /><br />All in all, a tough puzzle but gratifying in the end.VTQUILTMOMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05587284618821308165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-17700990956427784132010-01-30T14:27:03.893-08:002010-01-30T14:27:03.893-08:00There are no Naticks in this puzzle (that I can se...There are no Naticks in this puzzle (that I can see). True Naticks are actually pretty rare. You might make an argument for ERNANI / VENETO crossing, but ... that's a stretch.<br /><br />This was the hardest LAT of the year — by 42 seconds (which is a pretty big margin considering the gap betw. 2nd and 3rd hardest is 7 seconds and gap betw. 3rd and 4th hardest is also 7 seconds). Feels like an NYT reject. OK, but not terribly memorable, with nothing that feels current or particularly daring.<br /><br />rpRex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-81332532637118165192010-01-30T12:28:28.093-08:002010-01-30T12:28:28.093-08:00Had the same and same number of Googles (1) as @Cr...Had the same and same number of Googles (1) as @Crazycatlady and the same crushed feeling with today's NYT puzz as @Lit.doc. <br /><br />After finishing, I googled ROOKS thinking it was some wood thing that went on the corners of cabinets or such. Groaned most piteously when @Tinbeni said it was "clever". I owe him a glass of Laphroaig.<br /><br />This is the 2nd time in 2 wks that we've had ERNANI, (or was the other appearance in the NYT).<br /><br />My Xwdeese word-for-the-day is ARCO.<br /><br />Thank you RN and BW for giving me a very fine and "doable" Sat puzz. (Unlike that misanthrope over at the NYT.)Rubehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04773241241484881566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-194953425169235032010-01-30T11:09:27.266-08:002010-01-30T11:09:27.266-08:00Oh, good. I read Orange's entertaining and inf...Oh, good. I read Orange's entertaining and informative post, watch with particular pleasure (and tears running down cheeks) the Patton Oswalt bit (my solving experience with the NYT puzz was, indeed, "a failure pile in a sadness bowl"), and then spell it "Wilbur" in my comments. Geez.lit.dochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06729199575329286046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-73592480248624233502010-01-30T10:54:45.366-08:002010-01-30T10:54:45.366-08:00Surprisingly, I was able to finish this one, and t...Surprisingly, I was able to finish this one, and to do so in 24:35. I think if it hadn’t been about two a.m. and my blood-alcohol level had been lower, my time might also have been lower. But at my skill level, a Saturday LAT under half an hour is cause for celebration. Can’t figure out why it went so smoothly.<br /><br />It was almost as if Brad Wilbur had sat down with me before he constructed this one and asked me to tell him all the stuff that I actually *do* know. It certainly wasn’t CW skill. I had just come from such a soul-crushing experience with the NYT puzz that I posted a dreadful rant which I tossed into the trash can when I got up this afternoon. Hope none of you read that one.lit.dochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06729199575329286046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-80550444234534544812010-01-30T10:52:13.081-08:002010-01-30T10:52:13.081-08:00@Orange--The comedy clip is LOL! A
relative was an...@Orange--The comedy clip is LOL! A<br />relative was an exec. with KFC. Wonder if he would find it funny. Oswalt looks like he's had a few bowls. A shame about the twins. Wallace Shawn, a distinct persona like Peter Lorre, but gets more cheerful roles. Loved his Dinner With Andre!Parsannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-21772605700981799232010-01-30T10:44:53.679-08:002010-01-30T10:44:53.679-08:00By the way, that's Brad WilbEr, with an E, not...By the way, that's Brad WilbEr, with an E, not a U. Lotta people spell it as Wilbur. Anyone have a good mnemonic for remembering that this guy's name has an E? "WE like his puzzles." Or "WE call him our nemesis." <br /><br />Try remembering:<br />Well I Love Beers Enery RushFrank460https://www.blogger.com/profile/14694087685804352353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-82987422183845227052010-01-30T10:37:58.076-08:002010-01-30T10:37:58.076-08:00The puzzle this morning almost caused my brain to ...The puzzle this morning almost caused my brain to PETER out. But, the good news is that I finally finished. Started off well. My husband knew BOGGS - I like it when he's home to help with the sports clues. Didn't know GALBA so I resorted to one google. Knew GEHRY. His Disney Concert Hall has become quite the landmark in downtown LA. I got totally discombobulated in the lower right. Had RESCUE PARTY and couldn't come up with TIDAL or EELER, but finally everything fell into place. Phew! Nice puzzle with lots of tricky clues and fresh answers. Thanks for another outstanding write up, Orange. The KFC Famous Bowl clip was hilarious. Won't be ordering one of them any time soon.CrazyCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00245025301434920905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-1026362467756757142010-01-30T10:03:52.709-08:002010-01-30T10:03:52.709-08:00@Orange - duly noted. Just making sure. I hope the...@Orange - duly noted. Just making sure. I hope the twins' mom is not an LA Times crossword puzzle person....hazelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04627015904603641109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-8471322234243466762010-01-30T09:46:37.182-08:002010-01-30T09:46:37.182-08:00...and both parents are better-looking than P.O. K......and both parents are better-looking than P.O. Kid'll probably outgrow the resemblance. Another friend's little twin girls bear a resemblance to Wallace Shawn, but that'll be our little secret.Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-19998317537691652112010-01-30T09:45:17.014-08:002010-01-30T09:45:17.014-08:00Hazel, my husband and I know better than to tell s...Hazel, my husband and I know better than to tell somebody that her kid looks like that goof! The mom is much too nice.Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-18995792065325814092010-01-30T09:36:02.018-08:002010-01-30T09:36:02.018-08:00@Orange - word of advice - don't tell your fri...@Orange - word of advice - don't tell your friend her son looks like Patton Oswalt. While the video is pretty funny, I'm not sure she would take the uncanny likeness as a compliment. If she goes on frequent ego trips, though, it might bring her down to earth. <br /><br />Nice Saturday solve. Liked the geology subtheme with the LAVALAKE and the TREMORS and, for some reason, the little OBE alignment in the East. Never heard of a HAYMOW. <br /><br />Platte River by Rick Bass is an interesting read.hazelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04627015904603641109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-53471659248795074292010-01-30T09:35:08.019-08:002010-01-30T09:35:08.019-08:00Sue Grafton has just published "U is for"...Sue Grafton has just published "U is for" (I forget what--I wait for paperbacks.)<br /><br />I really liked the "It's trill opens the 'Rhapsody in Blue' clue." Had to stop and listen in my head to be sure of the instrument, though already having clogs helped. Clogs, clarinet, cloner--nice alliteration.<br /><br />Even so, I lost in the East. Had KPs instead of PXs and got bogged down, not to say clogged up.bluebellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07112978237190389791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-87754302595390234012010-01-30T09:13:32.148-08:002010-01-30T09:13:32.148-08:00So proud of myself! Didn't think I could get ...So proud of myself! Didn't think I could get through it. Just like Shrub5, many "wow" moments as answers emerged. Really liked the many two word answers - sometimes got one end and had to wait for the other; and the four word On AN EGO TRIP, cool!<br /><br />Took augurs as a noun and thought it was seers but knew BOGGS which gave me SEXTETS. Have not thought of the word HAYMOW (grandmother's farm) in years and loved seeing it.<br /><br />@Toady--Sue Grafton, I think, must now be working on V is For---. If you're not a book snob, her low key formulamatic detective stories make fun beach reads. Read them today, forget them tomorrow.<br /><br />JAIL TERMS, ONE BC, ARD, and<br />CLARINET are great clues. MUSEE d'ORSAY a good museum. Frank GEHRY's Guggenheim in Bilbao on my Bucket List.<br /><br />@KJGooster--10 mg. Valium and only a half hour? I'm not on anything but JAVA and it took me an hour. <br />Your injury--been there--feel better!<br /><br />@Orange--Good write-up, as always!Parsannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-13571855271541475982010-01-30T08:55:21.709-08:002010-01-30T08:55:21.709-08:00Not having gone to school in the US the geography ...Not having gone to school in the US the geography mnemonic was of no help at all! Omens for augurs totally threw out the northwest corner too. Liked Paris and Rome in the clues - know them both well. Good Saturday puzzleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-476011588701845742010-01-30T08:47:19.069-08:002010-01-30T08:47:19.069-08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com