"I Won't Spoil The Ending" - January 15, 2021

[Joe Ross]

Looks like I'm hanging with Isaac this week. First time checking in this year so happy new year fellow muggles-- I hope my fellow Pennsylvanians got their pork and sauerkraut on the first.

My younger sister recently started writing for the US version of The Spectator magazine and wrote an article about PA Dutch food traditions (including, of course, Shoo-Fly Pie).

Unfortunately that one isn't published on their site yet but here's the rest of her work so far for anyone who may be interested- she's pretty funny: https://spectator.us/author/mary-kate-skehan/

"I love my hobbies too — knitting, reading, complaining — but his all seemed a bit much."

Ooh! She is going to be a great read. Thank you, Sean, and Happy New Year!

[Hidden in 3D]

On Shore! I guessed the answer early on, but it took some googling to be sure.

[Scott M]

Ashore is a GReat thing to sAY--only a few rabbit holes! I am GOing straightAWAY to the tiki bar since it is closing in a BIt. I'll have a nice tankaRD of mead, I think.

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I was told where to go by a great many of these on our South African safaris in 2019. So grateful we got our act together and went when we did!

When you say "I was told where to go"--did you do an independent driving safari? I'm not sure that I would be adventurous enough for that! The only time we could walk about on our own was in camp during daylight hours.

I imagine that you are very glad that you planned your trip for 2019 and not 2020! Alas for us, we SHOULD be boarding our ship in Ushuaia today.

We drove from Capetown along the Garden Route to Hermanus, DeHoop Nature reserve (Morukuru Beach Lodge is fantastic in every way), Knysna, and finally to Port Elizabeth. From there we flew to Kruger and did guided safaris at Arathusa in Sabi Sands and Kapama Buffalo Camp. Here's my shot of a one-eyed lion that I took from about four feet away. I'm happy he was full from eating half a warthog before he got that close to our vehicle.

[Bob cruise director]

Good Friday morning muggles

The tenders bringing muggles to shore have been very busy with 86 on the shore and 5 hanging with Isaac.

I have been wondering


if the people who got this easily have had children or grandchildren around to see animated movies
or
how many people like me have not seen an animated movie for 30 years and are clueless and having to slog their way through with extensive use of google.

[Plymouthrock]

Puerto Vallarta here I am, on shore and ready to go.
No dry January for this household.

[Franklin.Bluth]

Good Friday morning muggles

The tenders bringing muggles to shore have been very busy with 86 on the shore and 5 hanging with Isaac.

I have been wondering


if the people who got this easily have had children or grandchildren around to see animated movies
or
how many people like me have not seen an animated movie for 30 years and are clueless and having to slog their way through with extensive use of google.

I just don't understand how anyone could guess the answer without working their way through the entire puzzle. I've certainly seen this "well known animated movie", but I'm not sure that matters until you've solved the other pieces. But maybe my brain is just too analytical to see the forest for the trees.

Thinking back to AP English last week, even if you had a hunch the answer could be "synonyms", wouldn't you have to solve basically every step to get there? Surely nobody just saw APRON and "protective covering" and immediately shouted "SYNONYMS!", right?? Or at least couldn't be certain at that point?

[Franklin.Bluth]

If Matt had wanted to be a real jerk, he should've made the answer AVATAR or THE AVENGERS, just to mock those "live action" movies for being 90% animated

[Amanda Hugginkiss]

I'm on the shore! Trying to get a better record in 2021. I hope you all have a great weekend.

[Homer Buckle]

I too am safely ashore. Looking forward to enjoying the new snow on the ground, so I can celebrate with a nice cup of hot chocolate!

[C=64]

Really can't give her a good reason why you need to know the difference of cubes formula.

I hate teaching that crap.

[Bob cruise director]

Good Friday morning muggles

The tenders bringing muggles to shore have been very busy with 86 on the shore and 5 hanging with Isaac.

I have been wondering


if the people who got this easily have had children or grandchildren around to see animated movies
or
how many people like me have not seen an animated movie for 30 years and are clueless and having to slog their way through with extensive use of google.

I just don't understand how anyone could guess the answer without working their way through the entire puzzle. I've certainly seen this "well known animated movie", but I'm not sure that matters until you've solved the other pieces. But maybe my brain is just too analytical to see the forest for the trees.

Thinking back to AP English last week, even if you had a hunch the answer could be "synonyms", wouldn't you have to solve basically every step to get there? Surely nobody just saw APRON and "protective covering" and immediately shouted "SYNONYMS!", right?? Or at least couldn't be certain at that point?

My preference is to come up with a logical reason for my answer. Others will throw up a Hail Mary and submit it. Sometimes they are correct.

[PQ63]

Ashore. Not my favorite but fun nonetheless. Since it’s still morning I’ll have a Bloody Mary.

[Thurman8er]

Really can't give her a good reason why you need to know the difference of cubes formula.

I hate teaching that crap.

33 years of teaching math and I have never once taught the Difference of Cubes formula.

[Franklin.Bluth]

My preference is to come up with a logical reason for my answer. Others will throw up a Hail Mary and submit it. Sometimes they are correct.

If I did that I would've thrown out APOSTROPHE last week. Started with AP, fit with English class, and the 8 AP-words in the grid contained its missing letters (i.e. the 8 letters OSTROPHE could be anagrammed out of the 8 AP words with 1 letter per word).

FRANKINCENSE was a Hail Mary for me, except after coming up with it I saw it in the grid.

That's four in a row for me...I expect the losing streak to begin next week

[Prozach]

On the shore.

[CPJohnson]

I’m on the boat, and I expect to be here all weekend. I don’t think I have the knowledge base to do this one.

[Henry Paul]

If Matt had wanted to be a real jerk, he should've made the answer AVATAR or THE AVENGERS, just to mock those "live action" movies for being 90% animated

Well, there goes my first guess.... (JK)

Per usual, hanging with Isaac and thinking that those numbers are trying to trick me somehow...

[michaelm]

This was a level of genius I’ll never understand. Well done, Mr. Gaffney!

In other words, if we feel even a hint of cleverness when having solved them, the creators should experience a rush many times that!

[tori.l]

Took me a long time but I *think* I got it.

[cinemagical]

On shore very quickly this week. Helped quite a bit that one of my passions was central to finding the solution. A clever puzzle from Mr. Gaffney -- though for folks like me, it may have bordered on the obvious...