"We're In This Together" - August 28, 2020

[Homer Buckle]

Ashore at last. I did have to rely on Dr. Google to help me find one answer - my lack of knowledge of pop culture hurt me there.

Why is it I know more about defendants in a 1920's trial than newer things?

[cherikee]

I'm still where I was - saw enough to dive off the boat and start swimming, but now am stuck. I am not in "nudge" territory yet (it's too early), but I did have a question to ask of someone who has solved, if anyone would be so kind.

Edit: question has been asked and answered, although I'm not sure if it was even a good question now. I've climbed back into the boat and am still working. Thanks to all who reached out.

[Tom Wilson]

By the way: Anyone else get an earworm from the title? My kid was 4 or 5 when High School Musical became hugely popular with the preschool set, and I must have heard the soundtrack hundreds of times. (The song actually has "All" in the title, but close enough!)

Curse you, Laura M. It took me 11 years to get that song out of my head - I volunteer in community theater and was a propmaster for a summer production featuring wall-to-wall teenagers - and now it's back! There are worse earworms, I s'pose. And, now that I think of it, an upbeat reminder of our shared humanity couldn't hurt.

[Joe Ross]

Made it to the correct shore, this time, with nothing 90% about it. (I will say that Matt is diabolical if he deliberately slipped that red herring into the grid. More Monday.)

I'll hold off on the Guinness, just yet, as I plow into MGWCC Week 4.

[lbray53]

Wow! Fun. I was sure that I had the answer two times but could not quite nail it down. Now I have it. The third time was the charm.

These are so much easier to see in retrospect. Why did it take me so long? Great stuff.

[Scooby]

On shore...way too many twists and turns, typical of MG!

[LadyBird]

I am COMing out of the water on this hot suMmer day and planting my umbrella upON the beach! The path to the answer was a bit of an eNIGma at first, but then the ligHT came on. I am HAppy to be sitting here listening to the seabirds squaWK while I sip on a summer shandy.


**These birds are on their fall migration now. I've seem them before, but never from my yard. Until last night when I saw a few winging overhead at dusk. That now makes 63 species that I have seen from my yard--not bad for a lot that is 25 feet by 150 feet.

LadyBird,
I was just going to message you about seeing the nighthawks fly through here like crazy last week. They are a fun bird to watch. Enjoy!

Keep sending them my way! They are such an elegant bird to watch.

[Wendy Walker]

Or, to quote Gene Hart, the long-time voice of the Philadelphia Flyers: "he shoots, he scores...for a case of Tastykake!"
Genius-level 1970s product placement.

Michael, I have not thought about that slogan for decades but I vividly remember it -- as well as "The Flyers win the Stanley Cup!!!" of course! As suburban Philly kids in the 70s, we all loved the Broad Street Bullies and learned to skate at Radnor Rink and on the frozen pond at Malvern Prep.

[diplomatt]

I'm back on the beach! After 3 weeks of treading water! It feels GOOD.

Also, the meta construction was amazing. Literally applauded when I figured it out.

[DrTom]

Well I certainly remember TASTYKAKES and Broad Street bullies. I grew up eating TastyKakes and I'm sad to say they are not a shadow of what they used to be. For that matter neither are the Flyers. I can remember when "fight night in America" was any night the Flyers played the Rangers.... I'd love to go back and watch one of those classic matches complete with Kate Smith and God Bless America (and yes I know Kate Smith had some skeletons in her closet, but I am remembering the situation not the person)

[EdStrong]

Through the first two steps, but not putting the final answer together yet, i also see the “inelegance” others are referring to, but maybe this is an oversight on my part.. will step away for a while.. great construction on this one. Impressive..

[eagle1279]

After a week on the ship, I am ashore. Saw the mechanism early and just had to do the work (like long division), fixing errors along the way. I liked this one but I always like the ones I get. Pretty sure I would NOT have liked (solved) it without 72A.

[brulo]

By the way: Anyone else get an earworm from the title? My kid was 4 or 5 when High School Musical became hugely popular with the preschool set, and I must have heard the soundtrack hundreds of times. (The song actually has "All" in the title, but close enough!)

Curse you, Laura M. It took me 11 years to get that song out of my head - I volunteer in community theater and was a propmaster for a summer production featuring wall-to-wall teenagers - and now it's back! There are worse earworms, I s'pose. And, now that I think of it, an upbeat reminder of our shared humanity couldn't hurt.

Every time there is a clue referencing the film in 58A (which seems frequent lately) a song inevitably gets stuck in my head for days.....doesn't help that our three year old watches it nearly daily too.

[MarkL]

I don’t know know how many people would get PAGEANT’D if that puzzle came out today - Based on what I’ve seen in my 18 months of doing this puzzle and from what I am told by a few on here who have been doing the puzzle a lot longer - the difficulty has steadily ramped where I think that would be a 60-70% puzzle now. I’ve certainly seen more difficult mechanisms is year with higher solve rates. But that is just my opinion.

Many are wiser from the Pageant experience. At the time, the extra step was a bit out of left field and caught many off guard. That's why we say experience is the best tool in the box.

Cheers!

[Wendy Walker]

Well I certainly remember TASTYKAKES and Broad Street bullies. I grew up eating TastyKakes and I'm sad to say they are not a shadow of what they used to be. For that matter neither are the Flyers. I can remember when "fight night in America" was any night the Flyers played the Rangers.... I'd love to go back and watch one of those classic matches complete with Kate Smith and God Bless America (and yes I know Kate Smith had some skeletons in her closet, but I am remembering the situation not the person)

Dr. Tom, if you don't get the meta by Sunday, I have a really, really good hint for you! And you are SO right about the Tastykakes.

[MarkL]

On shore. To quote Johnny Most "he fiddled, he diddled and then he scored"

Not quite in the Havlicek Stole The Ball category but...

Only, "Do you believe in miracles?" can come close to "Havlicek stole the ball!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[Abide]

"Less and Less" last week took me 8 minutes, but after a day and a half I am solidly on the ship. Think I will print out and start over.

[tim1217]

On shore! (100%'er)

A Matt Gaffney meta that I actually enjoyed...who knew?

[BarbaraK]

"Less and Less" last week took me 8 minutes, but after a day and a half I am solidly on the ship. Think I will print out and start over.

Glad to see you here! Hope you survived the hurricane without too much trouble.

[mheberlingx100]

Well I certainly remember TASTYKAKES and Broad Street bullies. I grew up eating TastyKakes and I'm sad to say they are not a shadow of what they used to be. For that matter neither are the Flyers. I can remember when "fight night in America" was any night the Flyers played the Rangers.... I'd love to go back and watch one of those classic matches complete with Kate Smith and God Bless America (and yes I know Kate Smith had some skeletons in her closet, but I am remembering the situation not the person)

Dr. Tom, if you don't get the meta by Sunday, I have a really, really good hint for you! And you are SO right about the Tastykakes.

As a kid, I used to love Butterscotch Krimpets.

I also remember something else about the Flyers and Tastykakes. I can’t remember the player, but someone calculated that had he eaten all the Tastykakes he received for goals one season, he would have gained 15 pounds.