"The Party Starts at 10" - December 31, 2020

[John77]

One answer or two, right or wrong what has made 2020 tolerable is a community of smart, non judgmental, caring individuals. You all did not have to be so nice, I would have loved you anyway (wait a minute that sounds like song lyrics!). But seriously folks the level of support and camaraderie that I have experienced on this blog is unmatched anywhere. I count all of you as one of the few things I have to be thankful for in 2020 (particularly as I listen to the ravings and fireworks of a VERY drunken group of neighbors next door - but hey the end of 2020 should be celebrated). Without this diversion I would have had little to look forward to all year. I would never have guessed that a crossword puzzle and musings on same would be the rock on which I anchored my sanity. It either says a lot for this group or little for my sanity, and I am going to pick the former. Thank you my friends and Happy New Year

I have greatly enjoyed this board this year, thanks to all of you. I might differ with Dr Tom on one point; the crossword contest has been the rock upon which I've continued to dash my sanity.

Happy 2021

[gdshort]

Finally got it. As nearly always, it seems incomprehensible that the penny didn't drop sooner!. Anyway a nice start to the New Year

[Ann]

On shore!

[Bob cruise director]

Happy New Year muggles

Our first listing is a bit long but a few things first

If you have not read Bird's posting on Page 1, go back. It is sensational

And a welcome to our new cpelster, Matthew L and Roger Snowden. Always great to have more in the clan and we close out 2020 with 825 muggles. For our new muggles, a couple of things. We have a muggle zoom discussion on Tuesday at 7:30 pm Eastern time. The link is under Come Aboard. Also there is a wealth of help for solving these if you are new to metas. There is a learning curve that include all the past WSJ Crossword contests and solutions and various pages both in Come Aboard and Acapulco Lounge with advice on how to approach metas. And thanks to Joe Ross for creating the contest in Excel each week.

And if you did not see it, we have a new years mushroom drop in Kennett Square PA (thanks to Wendy), a ruby drop in NC (thanks to LizD) and a giant potato drop in Boise (thanks ro EVJ).

So far we have 2 muggles keeping Isaac company and 167 on the shore.

Beccacollins and whimsy (we need the backstory on the rabbits) are with Isaac

On the shore are
Al
Kay
Dannyvee
ky-mike
Heidi
Mike H
Joe R
Cap'n Rick
the Beths (ACT)
stmv
jrdad
MikeM000
mattythewsjpuzzler
Jim and Anita
bskptkl
Jace54
Les
meg
Dan A
Eric P
Powers2020
BirdLives
paige11
David K
Joepickett
joequavis
our cigar smokers Jeremy and cbarbee002
JimJim
PQ63
Flananigans
Tom Mueller
strerto
dk letter
copperriver
Barbara K
Wendy
MajordomoTom
damefox
Steveb
Dave C
Jeanrosz
M and M
Richard
Georgall
JeanneC
ladybird
janet P
Miki
RobM
boharr
Cindy
Tmart
sanmilton
joes
Abide
C=64
otlaolap
DBMiller
Lacangah
dplass
Squirrelly718
EVJ
FrancesY
lbray53
Gman
FrankH
ALS
moi
Schmeel
EmilyW
Mister Squawk
Orsys
CallMeshane
Janet
Bob Kerfuffle
Frankli.Bluth
martin
eagle1279
seans
MaineMarge - knee deep in her lily pond
DrTom
RDalehall
Rita and George
Kris
JaneGummy
Mary F
Plymouth Rock
Brian Mac in the northlands of NY
wb93
Jordanian
Roger
Connie
hunkra
Cosmo
MatthewL
CindyN
LizD
Tony S
mpmanning
Nalugirl
minimuggle
HeadinHome - love the picture of the family - were the matching PJ's from grandma?
jhseeman
SusieG
ImOnToo
John77
Jackie88
Guy L
Billy M
Grover
Jud
Olof
ReB
agatha
JohnB
cpelster
flyingmoose
sharkicicles
oldjudge
escapeartist
michaelm
Commodore
Prozach
dudeski
Anita
Toby
Chris
LittleGood
Jacksull
Trey and marion
joe
Billkatz
Omnibus
Tom Wi
rosiegirl
Susan G
mitchel674
tigerfly222
Matthew B
Roberta
Debbierudy
Crest
lyman
the Thurman8er
Hidden in 3D
Haari
Fred
Sean
NDStegs
JennyByrd
Inca
Kas
ddb13
BeTheLight
Cynthia J
scraps
PeterLee
mbryant
jarrod
PJM
Equinan
azdataboy
Glynn
and Ann


Good luck to all winning the mug in 2021. Stay safe and great to have everyone here.

[bread-girl]

On shore! Happy New Year!

[OGuyDave]

Done (yesterday, last year) and done (today, this year).

Happy New Year, all (nope, I don't think that's the four-word phrase).

TFTXWD

[Nlobb]

In Biloxi, we have the oyster ball drop.

[spotter]

On Shore!

[RichA2]

On shore. And since I didn’t get there until this morning, can I claim this as a 2021 solve? If so, my 2021 solve percentage is way above last year’s. (Let’s see how long that lasts).

Happy New Year to all, and thanks to all who make this forum the delightful place it is.

[Bob cruise director]

In Biloxi, we have the oyster ball drop.

You and Peter Abide who is also from Biloxi

[Homer Buckle]

Got on shore yesterday - nice puzzle to end the year on!

[higgysue]

Bob, that list is long and my eyes are old, but I’m on shore too!

[Nlobb]

On shore!! Happy new year to all the muggles. And on my swamp shore walk this morning, I saw egrets, turtles sunning, herons and a boat stuck under the dock which apparently came downstream last night. Free for whoever wants it...

[MaineMarge]

Happy New Year muggles

Good luck to all winning the mug in 2021. Stay safe and great to have everyone here.

Thanks Bob for all you do for us.

With apologies to Bird Lives, our Bard extraordinaire.

Here’s to our faithful cruise director
A wise Muggle meta inspector
With Brian Mac and Joe Ross
And you, Bob, as the Boss
These Muggles have won the trifecta.

[ajk]

On shore. Or at least on a shore. Like last week there's a bit more uncertainty than I'd like that it's correct one, but I think in the distance I can make out the pile of champagne bottles strewn about last night.

[whimsy]

Alrighty --
I have made it
ASHORE finally.

And confessing to inadvertently pos(t)ing under false pretenses --
NOT ME in the rabbit-swarming picture --- a photo from the web taken on Rabbit Island (Okunoshima) Japan. (There's also a town in Canada -- and no doubt other places too -- with similar large lagomorph populations.)

It could be me when we finally get to visit with my son out on the West Coast once again-- he has 3 as pets -- which explains my propensity for posting the images that I do. (Not horns! Bunny ears!)

[Tom Shea]

Merry new year to all.

Many thanks to the folks who put in sooooo much time into keeping this site fun. You know who you are and it makes it all the more enjoyable that you do. (although with all of the new friends here, it is hard for me to keep up with all of the comments). Amazing that a group this large has zero snarkiness. It should be bottled and injected into every politician running for office. One of these years -- after the plague -- it would be fun to meet all in person. A cruise seems the appropriate place. Haven't been on one since my honeymoon (and it was a 12 person excursion), but I'd make an exception to hear the non-stop puns.

Best to all for a happy, healthy, less exciting new year.

For the record, I am at the chilly tiki bar.

[Isw]

Ashore...Happy New Year

[Bob cruise director]

Ashore...Happy New Year

Welcome to the clan. A good way to start a new year

[Colin]

Oh, what a night
Late December back in twenty-twenty
Ten o'clock with Isaac and martini
Trying to remember, what a night.

Oh, what a night, you know I didn't even know my name
But I was never gonna be the same
What a party, what a night

Oh, I, I got a funny feelin' when I walked in the room
Oh my, some muggles had left for the beach much too soon

Oh what a night, hypnotizin' mesmerizing me
That grid was what I had dreamed it'd be
Fairly easy, what a night

Then the meta, like a rollin' ball of thunder
Spinnin' my head around and takin' my body under
Oh, what a night

Oh, I, I got a funny feelin' when I walked in the room
Will I, ever get a chance to solve it sometime soon

Oh, what a night
Why'd it take so long to see the light?
Seemed so wrong, but now it seems so right
What a meta, what a night

Now I woke and swam to shore like a boat with no propeller
Spinnin' my head around and callin' for Alka Seltzer
Oh what a night!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR FELLOW MUGGLES!

Original lyric credits: Bob Gaudio, Judy Parker