"Team-Building Exercise" -- Sept. 20, 2024

[femullen]

Ahoy the Muggles! Pride is a sin, but this week I'm proud to be far out to sea. Since Friday I've been in New London reliving past glories and shameful stories with friends and shipmates from the old Coast Guard icebreaker Glacier. Some of these people I'd not seen in nearly 45 years. At last night's gala, I found myself on trial for some gross ensign-like flub-up I'd made at Fanning Island back in the Jurassic. Found guilty, of course. After the verdict, sobriety was not permitted. (Nor before, if I correctly judge the jury.)

Shaping a course for home now and will have a look at the meta on arrival. Theme is football, which is not my forte, so I may see you at Last Call.

Cheers!

[Wendy Walker]

Sunday morning report:

What an amazing array of stories Muggles have shared this week -- everything from a fancy gala to a rowdy Coast Guard reunion!
Those who are still stuck at EOD are welcome to join Last Call tonight (Sunday) at 8 p.m. Eastern time in the Muggle Zoom Room.

Joining those on the ship is LadyBird, though Susan Goldberg has found her way to shore. And arriving on Muggle Beach are:

JoDave
WDunbar
Fogway
Katiedid
Susan Goldberg
Lee-Ann
ZooAnimalsOnWheels (last week’s Mug winner!)
Shays
Cap’n Rick
Bread-girl
Crest
Jarrod
CPJohnson
JaneGummy
Aragorn
Bobj
Mirage
B4alltime
diplomatt

Muggles interested in exotic cocktails (I believe there are a few) may want to visit Mr. Fogg's Apothecary (Fogg being Jules Verne's explorer Phileas J. Fogg). I found this site while transcribing some old family papers, including a recipe for Fogg's Salve that was heavy on the laudanum.

[Harbo]

Got ashore quickly on Thursday. What’s with the second correct answer? Was that a mistake? Or is there some complexity I missed?

[sharkicicles]

I’m about to watch a Bears game, so I could probably use some laudanum.

[Streroto]

Watching some football in hopes of inspiration. Seems most are seeing it easily. I am not. Have been down some epic rabbit holes including one I was certain was it but hit a wall at about 80% there. So back to the drawing board.

Maybe I'll ask for a lifeline later...

Go Birds!!

[LadyBird]

I’m about to watch a Bears game, so I could probably use some laudanum.

Laudanum is NOT nearly strong enough!

[Required_ransom]

For some reason my private messages aren't sending. Is anyone willing to offer me a hint in the right direction? Lost in the sauce with this one.

[JeffS]

Ashore!

[hoover]

I took another look at this and managed a Slow Solo Swim to shore. Hey, it's SSSunday, right?!

Meanwhile, in other news, the fantasy team that I'm managing for my brother has 100+ points already, despite that I've never played FFB before.

[Richard]

Did not start until Saturday and got it in about an hour or so. Grid was hard for me. On the beach.

[whimsy]

Still on the Ship.

As others are mentioning, I'm obviously making this too Chard --

For me anyway, it's not exactly Reeses Peesy --

But I have enjoyed playing with the bits and pieces.

[Colin]

Ashore and so proud!
My type of football is round,
And uses the feet!

[clonefitz]

I am on the beach! Hope everyone is doing well, I'm hoping one of these days to be able to hop back onto a Friday Zoom call.

[Streroto]

DNF. I am sure @Wendy Walker got a deep belly laugh from the convoluted answer I came up with after a nudge. Can't think of last time I failed two weeks in a row...hoping to turn that around Thursday!

Stay well all

[Joe Ross]

Meta lovers, Evan Birnholz's WaPo Sunday Crossword this week is a meta, as next week's will be.

[Wendy Walker]

Final Sunday Report:

Required Ransom and Whimsy are still enjoying Isaac's hospitality.

Making it to Muggle Beach were:
Harbo
Streroto
JeffS
Hoover
Richard
Colin
Clonefitz

and late entries:

LadyBird
JRS51
femullen
ReB

Meg's Cabana Boy, sporting a Town Crier outfit ("Hear ye! Hear ye!"), is making his rounds, reminding everyone to submit their answer before midnight Eastern time.

[Joe Ross]

For some reason my private messages aren't sending. Is anyone willing to offer me a hint in the right direction? Lost in the sauce with this one.

I'm guessing, based on experience with other new muggles (Welcome!), that you see that your PMs are shown in your Outbox, not in Sent Messages. A PMed message is shown in your Outbox until it is read by the addressee. When read, it's shown in the Sent Messages.

Board index/Come Aboard!FAQs - Technical/PM stuck in Outbox

[LadyBird]

On shore--finally! I thought last week was easier than this-- everyone's meta mileage varies!

Could not fall asleep last night so I went downstairs to read--and look at the puzzle a bit. Went upstairs around 3am. Still tossing and turning, and then....step one came to me! Probably not a wise sleeping choice, but I went downstairs to try and finish it. No luck, but I found a heck of a rabbit hole. So I gave up and went back to bed. Unfortunately, inspiration did not strike again.

But inspiration did strike my husband this afternoon, so we are on the Beach.

In honor of my rabbit hole, we had some Ginja (cherry liqueur) that we bought in Lisbon. Over there, we drank it out of a chocolate shot glass. Here we poured it into a leftover chocolate Easter bunny. Whatever works!

[JRS51]

I guess I am too late to be included in Wendy's final report but I am ashore!

[femullen]

Thanks Zoomers. First down pass was over the receiver's head. Had to be pushed over the goal line.