I mean, there are probably a lot of phrases that could morph into another phrase without the initial letter – gold record/old record, but not ones that could still be clued the same way. It’s pretty cool that Chase found symmetrical phrases that could be clued the same way with/without the initial letter. So at first I was crestfallen that the four optional letters didn’t spell anything, but the more I thought about it, the happier I was with this trick. I look forward to more tales of terrorist felinery. “So it seems I have adopted a terrorist and a con artist.” Great line. $20 to anyone who can find a theme in BUTT DIAL / JAW-DROPPING / "I MEAN COME ON!" / UNDEROOS, I'm serious. Of course it's an ACE CARD, we're playing blackjack, what was it going to be, an ACE VASE? An ACE DUNE BUGGY? There's just a so-what quality to the whole theme, and the puzzle seems to know it and is trying real hard to distract you from it with a barrage of long Downs that just scream "look at me! pay no attention to the SO-SO theme!" BUTT DIAL, JAW-DROPPING, "I MEAN COME ON!" and UNDEROOS completely upstage the theme answers as a set. Do you really not just call it an "ace"? I thought "lingo" was supposed to abbreviate, clarify, shorten. and throw in the fact that ACE CARD just sounds stupid. I guess the cluing is kind of inventive at times (with the last two themers, specifically), but the first themer clue involves no effort at all (two kinds of milk, shrug, OK), and I'd say the same about the second themer clue as well. Maybe if these "shaded squares" had spelled something, I could've seen the point, but they don't, so I don't. yes, they do make wine from GRAPEs, I suppose. Like, I can be tearing through the grid (as I did through most of this grid) and then hit a clue like 56A: Chardonnay, for one, and have no idea what it could be. And then once I finally fell asleep the alarm went off, huzzah! So back downstairs, heat up a mug of water, give each cat a handful of kibble to keep them quiet (they don't get fed til I'm done writing!) and now here I am. Lost a full hour of sleep just lying there trying to go back to sleep (with that feeling where you want to sleep but you can hear and feel Everything, ugh). So it seems I have adopted a terrorist and a con artist. She looked at me and was like, "Oh, cool, let's go get me some food" and trotted off to the kitchen. Why wasn't she climbing the stairs and coming into our room to bother us like a normal cat, like her brother typically does around 4am? I got worried and hauled myself out of bed and sleepily tottered down the stairs and found the cat (so white she glows in the dark) just sitting in the middle of the living room. A needy, desperate crying that was coming from downstairs, which made me worried that she was sick or hurt. Was awakened at 2am by the crying of the cat. He has hosted several podcasts and satellite radio programs featuring the music of the Grateful Dead. Walton is a noted fan of the Grateful Dead, as a self-described " Deadhead ", and often mentions them in his broadcasts. After retiring from the NBA, Walton overcame stuttering and embarked on a second career as a sportscaster, working both as a studio analyst and color commentator, mostly for ESPN, with stints for several other networks and teams. He was named to the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams. Walton was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. He won another NBA title in 1986 as a member of the Boston Celtics. After being selected as the first overall pick in the 1974 NBA draft, Walton led the Portland Trail Blazers to an NBA championship in 1977, earning the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award that season. He played college basketball for coach John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins, winning three consecutive national college player of the year awards (1972–1974), while leading UCLA to NCAA championships in 19 and an 88-game winning streak. William Theodore Walton III (born November 5, 1952) is an American television sportscaster and former professional basketball player.
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