Cal Gal

Ya gotta have that second comma. My heroes are my parents, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Unless, of course, your parents ARE Superman and Wonder Woman: My heroes are my parents, Superman and Wonder Woman.

LOL. 34A "Big bust." I had DDD. A big bust indeed. I was lucky to get the word going down to correct it.

Wow, I feel dense. I got all the double letters but never saw that each set of doubles spelled a word. Pretty tricky - I still am amazed how some of the constructors come up with this stuff. This is one of those.

Two things that shouldn't be possible: 1. When the soloist with the symphony (usually piano or violin) plays a four-movement piece from memory (no sheet music!) 2. Construction of a puzzle like this take that, AI!

How is "ease" a word that sounds like its first and last letter. I went through the alphabet and couldn't get it. Oops, ok, it just clicked, two e's.

Tabby cats are my favorites. No, calico cats are. Wait, I love Siamese and ragdolls. But tuxedo cats, in gray or black, are so charming. Never mind, I just plain love cats, in crosswords or IRL.

Opposites attract even in a Lesbian bar. Haven't you ever heard of butch/femme?

Cute April Fool's joke. My best prank was on my mom. We do Wordle together over the phone. One morning, I did it on my own, and when we did it together I suggested the solution as the first word. Mom was so jazzed we got it on the first try, I almost felt bad saying "April Fool."

Wow, hardest puzzle in quite some time. I came here to cheat - the only way I could finish this. I'm not complaining, it's good to get a challenge now and then.

Really, "dieresis" on a Tuesday? TIL a new word. by tomorrow, it will be forgotten, as it's never one I'll need. I got it from the crossings and then looked up what it meant.

Wow, in the year or two I've been doing the NYT crossword, I think this might've been the most difficult yet. I haven't had to look up anything in a while now. But today, I let go of a 50 or 60 day streak, I googled the NBA guy and the actress, and I came here to get answers to difficult clues. Usually one or two cheats helps me finish, but not this time. I'm not complaining, I'm just sayin'. It is good to be challenged once in a while. I also had a hard time with Strands today, and yesterday I gave up on Connections without getting a single category. Win some, lose some, right?

Alexa, play Alicia Keys No One. Alexa, what's playing? This No One from As I Am by Alicia Keys. I didn't look it up!

I got a good laugh at "Why the long face?" I remember my dad telling that joke when I was probably a teenager. That was a ttiimmee ago!

I still don't get "no it on." What am I missing.

One of my favorite scenes from a movie is between Spencer Tracy and Emil Jannings in Judgment at Nuremburg: Emil Jannings plays a judge who convicted a Jewish defendant when he knew there was no evidence to support such a verdict. He says that if he had known what it would come to (the Holocaust), he would not have convicted the man. Spencer Tracy (playing the prosecutor) responds, “When you convicted one person you knew to be innocent, it had already come to that.” So profound it makes me cry.

I love Magritte. And he's right, it's a painting, not a pipe

This might be my favorite clue ever: 63A Locale for a couples cruise?

I solved the puzzle without cheating, but had to come here to understand the theme. It's like doing Connections: 90% of the time when only 4 words are left, I have no idea how they're connected.

If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now It's just a spring clean for the May queen

My first thought for blondes was Debbie Harry, and it fit. But if course, Dolly Parton is much worried than DH.

That was the easiest Friday I've ever done. Not a complaint. I have a lot to do today before I leave tomorrow for a week. I'm taking my cat with me and already dreading her meowing for the hour and a half drive. Poor thing.

Oh snap. Darling, you look fab, but I must add coyly, do trim that nose hair!

Here's my favorite April Fools joke: Mom and I do Wordless together. I had logged on earlier and done it alone. When we did it together later, I suggested the answer as our first word. Mom entered it and was gobsmacked to get it in the first try. I laughed "April fool!" Today I told her she has to pick the first word, just in case the first try is correct, so she won't think I'm tricking her again.

Just because I dislike (or even hate) something doesn't make it bad. I think the world would be better if people could just admit they are expressing an opinion, rather than stating it as a fact. That said, what a bear the SE corner was for me. I had to come read the comments to get answers. Someone said something about "keg stand" and someone else mentioned "kiva" and that did it for me. Thanks, commenters. BTW, I know the word kiva as a kind of Native American hut. Wikipedia says it's a " space used by Puebloans for rites and political meetings."

Was this puzzle easier than usual or is my solving improving? Another thought: Deb wrote "we may believe that being hard on ourselves spurs us to achieve our goals, but, most of the time, it really just holds us back." Reminds of a quote I clipped from a magazine years ago (and cannot find the speaker anywhere on the internet): "Nobody ever f'g hated themselves into being a better person." So true, with or without the expletive.

What a feat of construction! All the entries using the color were a word even without the color letter. And the puzzle even included indigo. I'm impressed!

I've subscribed to the puzzles for about a year (though I used to do Sunday in our local newspaper, which NYT owns). This is the most "wow" thematically I've ever seen. Amazes me that people can come up with this stuff.

I had zaatar on an English muffin for breakfast today! Pop it in the toaster oven to toast the sesame seeds - yum!

I solved it quite easily, but, like Deb, the theme flummoxed me. Came here to get it. (Slaps forehead!)

What?! A "Blue yarn" is not a sex story?

Even though I had little trouble completing the grid, I never got the theme. To me, that isn't really getting the crossword puzzle done. Oh well.

This theme was fun - it made me laugh when I realized what was going on. Thank you!

I was never good at pig Latin. So I'm flummoxed how that is "jumbotron." Looks to me like it would be "jumbotren" which is not a thing. Whatever, you needn't explain cuz I couldn't care less. Meh puzzle.

I am not grinning. I'm underwhelmed.

HaHa, 41-D might be my favorite clue ever. "Parliamentary seats?"

As a kid, we had a 45 rpm record. On the b-side was a yoko ono "song" called "Don't Worry Kyoto Mommy's Only Looking for a Hand in the Snow." It's the worst thing I've ever heard! So I definitely needed the crossing letters to get the sound of Yoko Ono. We used to play that single and laugh our heads off. I don't remember what was on the a-side.

I'm one dall with this puzzle in a jiffy!

This took me over 43 minutes. But how satisfying to solve it with no look-ups! Little by little...

Peoria, I never understood that to be a tough to please crowd, but rather a middle-of-the-road, cross-section of (white) America kind of place. So, if it played well in Peoria, it would do well everywhere.

TIL Nena was a band, not just the name of the singer. All this time...

Thank you for including the link to "I, Too." I don't think I've ever read that poem though I've heard of it so many times.

One of my favorite stories from Greek mythology. Good puzzle!