"This, That, and The Other Thing" - April 23, 2021

[Larrry]

DAD5D817-7CCD-4857-94E8-8BA50C9D16B9.jpegOh look! Page 4! I’m on the beach. Margarita in hand. Personal services. @Bob cruise director ...... care to weigh in?

Next time we need to raise funds for website maintenance, maybe we could design a muggle T-shirt and sell it for a few $ above cost. I am certain that we have quite a few clever designers on the forum who could contribute to a great design.

Still lost at sea. Have been distracted by T-shirt ideas:

1. The obvious, just a T-shirt with a picture of the holy grail - The Mug
2. 15x15 Grid blank other than 6 theme answers - beverages: Margarita, Urbock, Guinness (of course), Gin Mules, Ledaig, El Diablo
3. A rabbit hole (not idea how to draw) and a red herring

4. A Pageant, perhaps depicted by Isaac wearing a sash with a tiara
5. Group shot of Yoko Ono, Margaret Cho, Marie Kondo, Yma Sumac, Laila Ali, Oona Chaplin,...

[mlvilv]

omg. I may have spoken too soon. I've been sitting here going over and over this and I actually think I just solved it and am tentatively on shore. I submitted. Fingers crossed!

[Abide]

@Al Sisti did you forget we implemented the @ button so people would not quote the entire list to the Cruise Director?

@Bob cruise director you claim you don't know the Jetsons and you are dropping Dr. Doolittle/Pushmi-Pullyu references?

[Hidden in 3D]

I know there are quite a few MUGgles who are Jason Gay fans. Just wanted to mention his latest piece which is in today's edition for those who are WSJ subscribers. He writes about the texts that he is receiving lately from vaccinated friends and family who are so excited about "mundane trips" and "ordinary events we used to take for granted". One of those texts really resonated with me: "I sat inside a restaurant. Incredible. I nearly wept when they brought me the menu." Now I am afraid that I may do just that this evening! It has been two weeks since my second Pfizer inoculation and it couldn't have come on a better day: our wedding anniversary. Indeed, I have not stepped foot inside a restaurant for almost 14 months and I can't believe how stoked I am about doing so!!

[Hidden in 3D]

omg. I may have spoken too soon. I've been sitting here going over and over this and I actually think I just solved it and am tentatively on shore. I submitted. Fingers crossed!

That's what we MUGgles call post-enlightenment! Welcome and congrats!

[Bob cruise director]

@Al Sisti did you forget we implemented the @ button so people would not quote the entire list to the Cruise Director?

@Bob cruise director you claim you don't know the Jetsons and you are dropping Dr. Doolittle/Pushmi-Pullyu references?

The only reason I know about the 1967 movie of Dr. Doolittle is from my wife. You have to understand that the Jetsons were on ABC from 1962 to 1963. The town I grew up in could only receive 1 TV station and that was CBS. If it was not on CBS, it did not exist.

[JeanneC]

DAD5D817-7CCD-4857-94E8-8BA50C9D16B9.jpegOh look! Page 4! I’m on the beach. Margarita in hand. Personal services. @Bob cruise director ...... care to weigh in?

Next time we need to raise funds for website maintenance, maybe we could design a muggle T-shirt and sell it for a few $ above cost. I am certain that we have quite a few clever designers on the forum who could contribute to a great design.

Still lost at sea. Have been distracted by T-shirt ideas:

1. The obvious, just a T-shirt with a picture of the holy grail - The Mug
2. 15x15 Grid blank other than 6 theme answers - beverages: Margarita, Urbock, Guinness (of course), Gin Mules, Ledaig, El Diablo
3. A rabbit hole (not idea how to draw) and a red herring

4. A Pageant, perhaps depicted by Isaac wearing a sash with a tiara
5. Group shot of Yoko Ono, Margaret Cho, Marie Kondo, Yma Sumac, Laila Ali, Oona Chaplin,...

I’m all in on a T shirt with the mug! Will probably need WSJ permission for using the depiction of the mug, though!

[Joe Ross]

I know there are quite a few MUGgles who are Jason Gay fans. Just wanted to mention his latest piece which is in today's edition for those who are WSJ subscribers. He writes about the texts that he is receiving lately from vaccinated friends and family who are so excited about "mundane trips" and "ordinary events we used to take for granted". One of those texts really resonated with me: "I sat inside a restaurant. Incredible. I nearly wept when they brought me the menu." Now I am afraid that I may do just that this evening! It has been two weeks since my second Pfizer inoculation and it couldn't have come on a better day: our wedding anniversary. Indeed, I have not stepped foot inside a restaurant for almost 14 months and I can't believe how stoked I am about doing so!!

I'm a huge Jason Gay fan & will be dining with 4 of my siblings tomorrow night for the 1st time in too long. I'll have to remind my self with which fork to pick my teeth.

[Limerick Savant]

Weighing in but not yet ready to weigh anchor.

Since many have said they are not 100% sure of their solution, here is my math so far. I am 83.33333333...% sure that I understand the mechanism but only 25% sure of the meta. My guess would certainly lend a sense of finality but so far I can only find partial justification and that does not satisfy my need for completion.

I think I’ve got this. I keep leaning toward that. But I may need to think other wise.

[Pembroke]

DAD5D817-7CCD-4857-94E8-8BA50C9D16B9.jpegOh look! Page 4! I’m on the beach. Margarita in hand. Personal services. @Bob cruise director ...... care to weigh in?

Next time we need to raise funds for website maintenance, maybe we could design a muggle T-shirt and sell it for a few $ above cost. I am certain that we have quite a few clever designers on the forum who could contribute to a great design.

Still lost at sea. Have been distracted by T-shirt ideas:

1. The obvious, just a T-shirt with a picture of the holy grail - The Mug
2. 15x15 Grid blank other than 6 theme answers - beverages: Margarita, Urbock, Guinness (of course), Gin Mules, Ledaig, El Diablo
3. A rabbit hole (not idea how to draw) and a red herring

4. A Pageant, perhaps depicted by Isaac wearing a sash with a tiara
5. Group shot of Yoko Ono, Margaret Cho, Marie Kondo, Yma Sumac, Laila Ali, Oona Chaplin,...

This one made me laugh out loud:
5. Group shot of Yoko Ono, Margaret Cho, Marie Kondo, Yma Sumac, Laila Ali, Oona Chaplin,...

[jimbo1]

On shore but forgot to post.
Very much a fun challenge

[BarbaraK]

Hi everyone--I'm new here! I only just discovered the meta puzzles in the paper and I love them. I look forward to the challenge every week but so far I'm on my fifth puzzle and haven't gotten it yet! Tell me there's hope. I make quick work of the crossword, compile the special clues/answers, take note of the weird things about the puzzle but just can't bring it home. I've tried enlisting my family but they are not as committed

Welcome!

In February, WSJ ran some easier metas intended to help the newbies gradually get the hang of this. Sounds like you just missed it, but you can go back and give them a try. All the PDFs are here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/43ln7h5uvnkj ... tracking=1

There is definitely hope! There's a knack to these, a way of looking at things, that develops with experience.

[iggystan]

Well, I pondered some more and went with my gut as to the answer, so I guess you can consider me onshore now. (I understand the qualms others are having over the "solution." We'll see.)

[SewYoung]

"I'm a huge Jason Gay fan & will be dining with 4 of my siblings tomorrow night for the 1st time in too long. I'll have to remind my self with which fork to pick my teeth."

Our flatware set came with these three sizes of forks. NOW I know what the little bitty one is for.

[Colin]

Still with Isaac... spaghetti carbonara and generous red wine should sort me out!

[lbray53]

I had to get some help. But I think the answer I finally arrived at has a nice click.

By the way. Declaring myself on shore.

[BreeZynCO]

I think we will be staying aboard the boat for this one.

[otlaolap]

On the boat, happily floating, amidst a myriad of herrings. Will howitzer a Hail Mary Wall-Street-ward in good time. Off to Zion National Park for four days and Bryce for two -- first time out of Silicon Valley since March of last year.

[Jeremy Smith]

I’m still with Isaac. I have, what I believe, the final two words of the four-word phrase. What I found, and the way I got there, cannot be a coincidence, but I’m now at a complete roadblock. Hoping for post-enlightenment.

[BarbaraK]

On the boat, happily floating, amidst a myriad of herrings. Will howitzer a Hail Mary Wall-Street-ward in good time. Off to Zion National Park for four days and Bryce for two -- first time out of Silicon Valley since March of last year.

I love Zion. Can’t wait to get out there again. Have a wonderful trip!