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03.01.10 — Breakfast...

Breakfast, THE PUBLIC ENEMY (1931): After spending a night doing whatever it is small-time gangsters do, Tom Powers (a snarling James Cagney) has heard just about enough from his girlfriend Kitty (Mae Clark). Nothing says ''please be quiet'' like a grapefruit in the face.

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Monday, March 1, 2010

Puzzle by Brendan Emmett Quigley, edited by Will Shortz

Good morning! Have you had breakfast yet? BACONS REBELLION (3D. 1676 Virginia uprising), TOAST MISTRESS (5D. Woman presiding at a banquet), PANCAKE MAKEUP (19D. Cosmetic applied with a damp sponge) and COFFEE TABLE BOOK (11D. Photo-filled reading matter in the living room) are the interrelated group of this Monday back-to-work crossword puzzle. For a good breakfast puzzle, HERE.

Other -- ASPECT (55A. Facet), PAPER PROFIT (18A. Unrealized gain on an investment), HIGH FALUTIN (36A. Fancy), HINT AT (24A. Merely suggest), RABBIT’S FEET (44A. Good luck charms), SHAMUS (29A. Detective, in slang), TIMBAL (49A. Kettledrum) and WEIGH SCALES (64A. They measure the tonnage of trucks).

Five-letter -- ARENA, BERTH, CANTO, DANES, ENOLA, IHOPE, ITEMS, MCCOY, MOXIE, ONEUP, OPIUM, OTERI, PAWED, SAJAK, SEEPY, SERIN (8D. Small finch), SHAFT, SHARK, SONIA, TACOS, TROTS, YETIS.

Short stuff -- AAH, ALEE, APT, ARLO, BADE, BOB and BOZ, CEDE, CHOP, DUB, EEL, EMIR, ETA, EXPO, FIR and FOR, FREI, HAS, IBM, IDO, IIN, IMP, INA, JANE, KOS, MIEN, MIR, NET and NEZ, NNE, NTH, OGLE, ONEI, ONO, OTT, PAL, PFUI (23A. “Bah, humbug!”), REC, SPY, TBAR, TBS, TRON, TBAR, UGHS (Terse critiques).

Terse, terse is good…

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Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games.

If you subscribe to home delivery of The New York Times you are eligible to access the daily crossword via The New York Times - Times Reader, without additional charge, as part of your home delivery.

Remaining clues -- ACROSS: 1. 1996 candidate Dole; 4. “10 ___ or less” (checkout line sign that grates on grammarians), 9. The real ___; 14. When a plane is due in, for short; 15. Nerve; 16. [Crossing my fingers]; 17. ___ center (community facility); 20. Suffix with cyclo- or Jumbo; 22. Braga a k a the Brazilian Bombshell; 26. SSW’s opposite; 28. Letters on an ambulance; 32. Give up, as rights; 34. Evergreen; 40. “That’s ___ haven’t heard!”; 42. “Jaws” menace; 43. Wished; 47. Charles Dickens Pseudonym; 48. Kuwaiti leader; 51. Buddy; 53. Mesh; 58. Guthrie with a guitar; 60. Pat of “Wheel of Fortune”; 63. Mountain lift; 67. Singer Yoko; 68. W.W. II bomber ___ Gay; 69. Outdo; 70. Giant great Mel; 71. Copenhageners, e.g.; 72. Tending to ooze; 73. Flattens in the ring, fort short. DOWN: 1. Train sleeping spot; 2. Former “S.N.L.” comic Cheri; 4. Little devil; 6. Giant fair; 7. Appearance; 9. Former Russian space station; 12. Poppy product; 13. Reported Himalayan sightings; 21. To the ___ degree; 25. What to say to a doctor with a tongue depressor; 27. Snakelike fish; 31. Path down to a mine; 33. Talk over?; 35. Once ___ blue moon; 37. Costing nothing, in Cologne; 38. Wedding vow; ___ Perce tribe; 41. Company called “Big Blue”; 45. “Am ___ your way?”; 46. Atlanta-based sta.; 50. Well-put; 51. Manhandled; 52. Indoor game site; 54. Tex-Mex sandwiches; 56. Poetic chapter for Ezra Pound; 57. Gaits between walks and canters; 59. Look at amorously; 61. Tarzan’s woman; 62. On the sheltered side; 65. Contains; 66. Word repeated in Mad magazine’s “___ vs. ___”.

Harley Davidson Custom Chrome Engine

Aftermarket harley davidson parts:
Harley Chrome Skull Horn Cover With LED Lighted Eyes

Harley Hammered Aluminum Evil Twin Skull Horn Cover W/O Back Lit LED Eyes

Harley Hammered Aluminum Skull Horn Cover with LED Eyes

Harley Davidson Custom Chrome Engine

Aftermarket harley davidson parts:
Harley Chrome Skull Horn Cover With LED Lighted Eyes

Harley Hammered Aluminum Evil Twin Skull Horn Cover W/O Back Lit LED Eyes

Harley Hammered Aluminum Skull Horn Cover with LED Eyes

Harley Davidson Custom Chrome Engine

Coleen Rooney shows off her post-baby curves in a leopard-print bikini in Barbados

Sinitta stripped down to a sequinned bikini as she performed at the Kremlin nightclub in Belfast

The singer soon got into the party spirit and stripped down to a sparkly bikini

Original Swim

My group wanted to use the Avatar Xbox game as the inspiration for our swimwear range, but a few other groups had the same idea so we scratched that. This was the mood board we came up with though.

Photo credits: http://justfad.blogspot.com

Beautiful Blue Boats

I thought you might enjoy this photo I took at the beach in a little fishing village. I love the colors in the photo, so bright and brilliant that you can't help but smile. If some day I ever have a house I think I will decorate a room around this photo!!

Muchos Besos,

Karen

02.28.10 -- Freeze! -- the Acrostic

Sunday, February 28, 2010

ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon, edited by Will Shortz

With this winter’s blizzard weather casting itself throughout the United States, the quote of today’s acrostic applies at least in part to the whole nation --- from Dateline America by Charles Kuralt (1979) the quotation appears most notably in The Traveling Curmudgeon, Irreverent Notes, Quotes, and Anecdotes on Dismal Destinations, Excess Baggage, The Full Upright Position, and Other Reasons Not to Go There, compiled and edited by John Winokur.

The quotation: THE MINNESOTA STATE SEAL SHOULD BE CHANGED TO ICE CUBES RAMPANT ON A FIELD OF WHITE A GRINNING BAREFOOT SWEDE IN A T-SHIRT RIDING A SNOWMOBILE AND A SHIVERING VISITOR WHOSE STRICKEN BREATH IS FREEZING INTO CRYSTALS

The author’s name and the title of the work: KURALT DATELINE AMERICA

The defined words:

A. Advise without consent, KIBITZ;

B. Fair minded, evenhanded, UNBIASED;

C. Current-regulating gizmo, RHEOSTAT;

D. Sudden, overwhelming rush, AVALANCHE;

E. Truth, or wide acceptance, LEGITIMACY;

F. Sully, stain, muddy, TARNISH;

G. Prepare for an uphill effort?, DOWNSHIFT;

H. Ben Franklin’s “daughter of ignorance”, ADMIRATION;

I. Subjected to an X factor?, TENFOLD;

J. Gloaming, twilight, EVENTIDE;

K. Bound to advance over others?, LEAPFROG;

L. At fault, guilty, culpable (3 wds.), IN THE WRONG;

M. Roald Amundsen or Fridtjof Nansen, e.g., NORWEGIAN;

N. Heyday of Pac-Man and Cabbage Patch Kids, EIGHTIES;

O. Good at picking things up, ABSORBENT;

P. Cold wind in the south of France, MISTRAL;

Q. Practice of making designer babies, EUGENICS;

R. Replace an old coat with a new one, REFINISH;

S. Figure with 20 faces, ICOSAHEDRON;

T. Viewpoint of Ishmael in “Moby-Dick” (2 wds.), CROW’S NEST;

U. Chrysotile or crocidolite, ASBESTOS

The full quotation: The state seal shows a farmer, a waterfall, a forest, and an Indian riding into the sunset. It should be changed to ice cubes rampant on a field of white, a grinning barefoot Swede in a Grain Belt Beer T-shirt riding a snowmobile, and a shivering visitor whose stricken breath is freezing into ice crystals.

Brrrrrrr!

Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games.

If you subscribe to home delivery of The New York Times you are eligible to access the daily crossword via The New York Times - Times Reader, without additional charge, as part of your home delivery.

02.28.10 -- Easy Does It!

The Letter E, Erté

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Sunday, February 28, 2010

EASE-E DOES IT, Puzzle by Yaakov Bendavid, edited by Will Shortz

The title of this crossword seems to mean that E is eased into eight identically pronounced words in the stead of an A, e.g., substituted for A in WEAK, TEA, PEAK, FLEA, HEAL, REAL, DEAR and MEAT, resulting in changed meanings for eight familiar phrases with clues justifying the new phrases.

NOT FOR THE WEEK OF HEART (22. Inappropriate on a honeymoon?);

AROMATIC TEE (36A. Item at a golf boutique?);

PEEK SEASON (55A. Summer next door to the nudist camp?);

FLEE COLLAR (71A. What a pursued perp might do?);

A TIME TO HEEL (90A. The point when Fido’s master starts walking?);

REEL MEN DON’T EAT QUICHE (103A. Bit of advice when packing anglers’ lunches?);

FRANKLY MY DEER (15D. Buck’s candid conversation opener?);

HAMBERGER MEET (54D. Dating service in a northern German city?).

Other -- ART FORM (99A. Film or sculpture); BASE PAY (66A. Datum on an employment contract); CAMELEERS (87A. Desert drivers), FILED IN (25D. Entered, as a classroom); FORESEE (71D. Divine); FRED ALLEN (40A. “Imitation is the sincerest form of television” quipster); GARRETS (82A. Struggling artists’ places); IVORIES (92A. They may be tickled); LOCKERS (33A. Health club lineup); REELECT (48D. Sent back to the Hill, say); REFRAME (4D. Change the focus of, as an argument); SCALERS (56D. Dental hygienists, at times); SEEDILY (44A. With a run-down look); SO-AND-SO (44D. Scoundrel); STYMIED (62A. Hampered); THE FIRM (86D. John Grisham best seller) USER FEE (26A. Parkgoer’s charge).

Six-letter -- ADESTE, ALBUMS, ASSISI, ATONED, ATTIRE, AVERSE, BLAISE, BLEATS, ROADIE, ZADORA, PROBES, BOGART (78A. Frequent gangster portrayer), DIRECT, EASTON, FEASTS, IMPEND, MORELS, OFF AIR, PROBES, ROADIE, SCORED, SHORT U (80D. Thumb‘s middle?), TERCEL, TORQUE, ZADORA (61A. “Butterfly actress, 1981).

Five -- ALLES, ALGER, ALICE, AMEND, ARRET, BALDS, CENTS, EPEES, ESTOS, HTEST, ITSOK, LOOIE, MYLAR, NAFTA, OBIES, PRESS, REDOS, REPRO, RERUN, SILTS, SLEET, STIES, STINT, STOKE, TOMEI (42A. “Before the Devil Knows You‘re Dead“ actress), WALES, ZAIRE.

Short stuff -- AFC, AHA, ALEE and ALI, ALOP and ATOP and ATOM, ANNE and ANTE and ANTS, APSE, ARE, BREE, CAL, CAME, CIG, DRAG, DRUM, EGOS and ENOS, ETC, GERM, IAGO, INTL, LEO, LON (81A. Chaney of “The Phantom of the Opera“), MANX, MASC, MESS and MOSS, MIEN, MOE, MOOS, MTS, NAH, NANU, NARA and NEAR, NCIS, NOSE, OCTO, ODIE, OMAN, ORE, OVA, PENH, RANI, RATE, RHEO, ROVE, RTES, SAKI, SDAK and SKED, SOUS, SPRY, SSN, TAKE, THOU, TRES, UGH, XRAY, YORE, YSER.

Easy does it!

Click on image to enlarge.

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games.

If you subscribe to home delivery of The New York Times you are eligible to access the daily crossword via The New York Times - Times Reader, without additional charge, as part of your home delivery.

Remaining clues -- ACROSS: 1. ___ miss; 5. Oil holder; 9. It’s often vaulted; 13. Pact of ‘94; 18. Mrs. Shakespeare; 19. Shakespearean schemer; 20. Bummer; 21. Stop overseas; 27. Italian home of the Basilica of San Francesco; 28. Mark Harmon action drama; 30. One side in the Pro Bowl: Abbr.; 31. Some bank deposits; 43. Shade of green; 45. Sperm targets; 46. Camera-ready page; 48. Microphone tester, perhaps; 49. Stub-tailed cat; 53. Phnom ___; 57. Solar sails material; 58. Set right; 60. Things often put in twos; 65. Develops an open spot?; 67. Some space missions; 68. Über ___ (above everything: Ger.); 69. “Falstaff” soprano; 70. Late-late-night offering; 73. Eastern noble; 77. River deliberately flooded in W.W. I; 79. Annual awards announced in New York’s East Village; 82. Struggling artists’ places; 84. ___-chef; 85. Explosive event of ’54; 93. Filthy quarters; 94. Mountain treasure; 95. Idea’s start; 96. City near Bethlehem; 108. Possible flight delayer; 109. Proceeds; 110. Grand; 111. Itinerary segments: Abbr.; 112. These, in Madrid; 113. Convention handout, for short; 114. Showed; 115. Lows. DOWN: 1. TV alien’s word; 2. Son of Seth; 3. Kick in, say; 5. Face-to-face; 6. Bank quote; 7. Zero-star restaurant review?; 8. Baseballer and O.S.S. spy Berg; 9. Carol opener; 10. Basketball tactic; 11. Pseudonym of H. H. Munro; 12. Teamwork thwarters; 13. “Uh-uh”; 14. The Who’s “Who ___ You”; 16. Onetime Toyota model; 17. Outfit; 23. Like some TV interviewers’ questions; 24. Land with a red dragon on its flag; 29. W-2 datum: Abbr.; 31. Made it home safely; 32. “There there”; 34. Dog in a cat comic; 35 Nev. Neighbor; 36. On; 37. Go all over; 38. Yemen neighbor; 39. Loom; 40. Dinners likely to have leftovers; 41. Some major changes; 47. Alternatives to foils; 50. Crooked; 51. Former Japanese capital; 52. Airport security measure; 57. Pronoun designation: Abbr.; 59. Bearing; 61. 1990s war locale; 62. Agile, for a senior; 63. Los ___ Reyes Magos; 64. Days of old; 65. Flock sounds; 66. Mathematician Pascal; 68. Rags-to-riches author Horatio; 69. iPod heading; 72. Sarge’s superior; 74. Direction at sea; 75. Narrow margin; 76. Like many conglomerates: Abbr.; 78. One of the housewives on “Desperate Housewives”; 83. 2001 biopic; 84. Be sparing; ; 87. Smoke; 88. Disinclined; 89. Gourmet mushrooms; 90. Made up (for); 91. It’s measured in pound-feet; 93. Feed; 97. Line at a picnic?; 98. Neb. Neighbor; 99. Accelerated bit; 100. Prefix with mom; 101. Current: Prefix; 102. Quagmire; 104. “The West Wing” chief of staff ___ McGarry; 105. McKinley and Washington: Abbr.; 106. And other things: Abbr.; 107. “So that’s it!”.

Gabriel's Update!

A wild boar tattoo. Was actually a cover up of a faded old tattoo. Fun subject!

Some dotty dotwork! Enjoy.

-gabriel

Top 10 most popular cars bought by over the 65's (U.S)

With most customers favouring smaller cars, there is still one demographic that Detroit has a solid hold on… Retirees. Buyers over 65 are the last hope for the good American car. In some dealerships, anything upto 85% of all Buick buyers are 55 and older.

The over-65’s look at brands like Buick, Lincoln and Cadillac as status symbols. Those brands have what advertisers call the “Mind Share” in that demographic. Retirees remember a time when the only people driving those cars were celebrities and other high profile members of society; now they want in to that high-profile group of Cadillac drivers. Plus, older folks like familiarity, they know these brands, they’ve heard them their whole life.

Studies in the U.S have shown that the next generation of OAP’s prefer sporty, performance type vehicles as opposed to the large cloud cars on this list. As for now, here are the 10 best sellers with the old folks:

(The models are ranked based on the percentage of buyers age 65 or older, using market research data from J.D. Power and Associates. All the cars on this list get less than 20 mpg in town driving and less than 30 mpg extra urban driving.)

10. Ford Taurus – The Taurus is one Ford’s best selling models, in fact it was the best selling car in the 90s. Ford went through some weird phase where all the cars had names starting with ‘F’. They got rid of the Taurus title and called it the “Five Hundred”. Either way, the Taurus is back now and old people still love it. Upto 35% of all buyers are 65 years old or older.

9. Lincoln MKZ – Compared to the rest of the cars on this list, the Lincoln MKZ is a lightweight. It’s marketed to a fairly younger consumer, but just like the Taurus, 35% of it’s buyers are 65 or older.

8. Cadillac STS – The STS is probably the “sportiest” car on this list, although like the rest of the cars, it has a roomy interior and the blind spot/back up cameras that older people like. Retirees love the Cadillac brand, they remember it as being the ultimate car brand. 39% of all Cadillac STS buyers are over 65.

7. Toyota Avalon – The only foreign car on the top ten list is Toyota’s flagship sedan. That’s because Toyota specifically designed the Avalon to compete in this particular market of over-65’s. Because of all the press, 39% of all Avalon sales went to retirees.

6. Mercury Sable – The Sable is the Ford Taurus’ upmarket cousin, and just like it’s always been, it’s essentially just a Taurus with a Mercury badge. Old people love it though, nearly half of all Sables sold (48.5%) have gone to people over 65.

5. Buick LaCrosse – The top five on this list is where the real favourites lie; there is a substantial jump in the percentage of over 65 buyers as we go from #6 to #5 on the list: Only 48.5% of all Sables want to old folks, meanwhile, almost 64% of all Buick LaCrosse sales were to people over 65.

It has old folk favorites like OnStar, electric seats with memory and remote audio controls on the steering wheel. We’re in the over-50% zone now, so it’s a safe bet to avoid all Buick LaCrosses you see.

4. Buick Lucerne – The Lucerne is the beefier version of the Buick LaCrosse, plus is has parking sensors and reversing cameras. It also has ‘Lane Departure Warning System’ that alerts the driver if the car starts to move out of its lan. Still, with a full 67% of all Lucerne’s out there belonging to over 65’s, I’ll still steer clear of them, with or without lane departure warning system.

3. Mercury Grand Marquis – The Mercury Grand Marquis costs a little more than half the price of the Lincoln Town Car and the two cars are virtually identical. If you exclude cops and other fleet drivers, a full 69% of all Grand Marquis drivers are over 65.

2. Cadillac DTS – The DTS is slightly larger and less sporty than the STS. It’s actually a direct competitor to the Lincoln Town car, so it appeals to retirees for all the same reasons. Brand recognition, quality image, and lots of technology like lane-departure warning system and blind-spot systems that many of the other top ten have make 72% of OAP’s buy one.

1. Lincoln Town Car – More than 75% of all Town Cars out there are driven by someone over 65, so keep an eye out. The Town Car is probably one of the spacious sedans for less than $47k. It has more interior space than many large executive cars.

The car is just the typical old man car: huge interior, rear-wheel drive, mirror like ride, plush seats and a powerful V8 petrol engine.

The Footware Solution to Slush

After all of the snow and rain in New York this winter I have been trying to figure out a solution for footwear. I learned a lesson last week when I wore my rubber boots to work all day and didn't bring another pair of shoes to change into. Rubber boots are awful to wear for long periods of time because your feet start to sweat. Yuck! But these new shoe covers by Shuella are great because they slip on over your other shoes. They keep the slush out but you don't have to tote around your other shoes in your purse. And they come in several cute colors although I prefer the black myself. $49.50