L..A. Times Crossword Puzzle Blogging - Wenesday, April 20, 2011

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Don Gagliardo and C.C. Burnikel 

Cross-posted at The Corner 


 Theme - CLANDESTINE CLAN - each asterisked theme answer contains a hidden family member, spanning words, and stated familiarly.  (Good Lord, I just used "asterisk" as a verb.  Don't tell my daughter.) 

21 A. *Ages : FOREVER AND A DAY.  Or the 12th of Never perhaps.  That's a long long time.  DAD spans three words.  Hi Dr. Dad!

29  A. *Surgery prep area : SCRUB ROOM.  I read recently that doctors are more careless about ygene than they should be, and neckties are horrible germ carriers.  Hence the need to scrub.  BRO is brother, of course.  I am one.

39 A. *"Aha!" : JUST AS I SUSPECTED.   Sometimes I get it right, but that might be by accident.  Wow.  SIS spans three words.  Makes BRO seem like a piker.  Well, my SIS is pretty industrious.

48 A. *Bout with very big contestants : SUMO MATCH.  Those SUMO wrestlers are big guys, aren't they.  We can let MOM get away with only spanning two words, 'cuz MOMs work hard all the time.

And the unifier --  59 A. Groundbreaking sitcom, and a hint to four different three-letter words concealed by starred answers : ALL IN THE FAMILY.  Archie, Edith, Gloria, and the Meat Head. 

Constructors' notes are at the end.  Full disclosure - I gleaned the theme title from the notes.  It's been a great few days for me, with the granddaughters' dance competition, performing with Wayne, and now getting inside this puzzle from the dynamic duo of Don and our own gracious hostess.  No walk in the park for me, but achievable with good Wednesday level effort, and lots of fun, to boot!

I'm quite proud of myself for detecting the theme and sussing the unifier before I saw it.  Finding nothing in common among the first three theme answers, I started probing for hidden words, and had an "aha!" moment when I found them.  Wonderful pattern with 5 theme entries, the center one spanning the special 16 x 15 grid, and just a Q and Z away from a pangram.

Hi gang, it's JazzBumpa.  I guess incuding Bumpa was too much to hope for, but Gloria, the lovely wife is implied in the unifier, and, ironically, I sneak in at 69A.  Well, the family's all here.  Let's stop in for a visit.

Amanda

An action shot from the tambourine dance from Esmeralda in competition last Friday.

Update:  Here are two more views of her amazing performance.

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Six Word Saturday

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Dance Competition weekend - three granddaughters dancing.

Amanda got PLATINUM on her solo!

Yep - PLATINUM is higher than GOLD!

Here is a version of the Esmeralda  Variation that is pretty similar to what Amanda did.






Did I mention --- Amanda is 13?

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Sensational Haiku Wednesday - Attention

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ATTENTION

I wanted to write

A Haiku on this weeks theme  --

What was it again  .  .  .  ?

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Shadow Shot Sunday - Mellow Yellow Monday -- PIE!

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About a month ago my lovely wife made the most perfect and beautiful lemon meringue pie ever.

Since there was no yellow in the original shot, I took another with the lemon pudding box included.

PIE (f)or PI

Such a perfect lemon pie

That I felt compelled to try

To test a basic geometric thesis.

But in spite of all my thinking

(It nearly drove me to drinking)

I couldn't cut in 3.14 pieces!

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Six Word Saturday

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Fun With Nate and Em today.

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Sensational Haiku Wednesday - Growth

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Growth

Young minds working hard,

Projects on cause and effect,

A method of growth

I'm judging a science fair today - 3rd and 4th graders.  It's always a treat to see what they've done and hear what they have to say.

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Shadow Shot Sunday - Mellow Yellow Monday

Granddaughter Alexa's 5th Grade Class had an original poetry event on Wednesday.  Here she is, reciting her poem, "Shadows."

             SHADOWS

With a shadow by your side
You'll never be alone,
Even down the emptiest street
Of a deserted town,
Down a long, twisted road
Both of you walk together,
With haunting memories
Following close behind,
Ghosts of memories
That will never leave your side.

© 2011 by Alexa

In the brightest light

Your shadow friend will connect

You to the dark side.

And now the Yellow!

Here is the entire class in a group shot with their teacher and student teacher.   

(Back row, either side of the "V.")

And another Shadow

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Six Word Saturday

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Retired?

Why am I so busy?

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Sensational Haiku Wednesday - Paradox

PARADOX

I

You save more and spend

Less - Bad Economy, the

Paradox of thrift!

II

Where does logic takeYou? 

On a long, strange journey
To a paradox.

III

Sometimes life just aint

Easy.  Good choices, but bad 

Outcomes: Paradox.

IV

My paradox is

Quite unorthodox: it has

Metaphysicians.

Sorry.  That last one is an even worse play on an old, bad chemistry joke.   It's marginally funnier (at the link) if the symbols are "MD" rather than "Doc."

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