Tanga Puzzles: January 22 - January 28

Here are the daily clues for the Tanga puzzles this week. To see the hint, highlight the space to the right of the date.

I don't give away answers here, just a small hint each day to help get you started or past a rough patch. If you want stronger hints, you can check the blog on the Tanga site itself, which is chock full of spoilers.

While I avoid giving away the answers on this page, be warned that there may be spoilers in the comments to this post, so open those with care.

Good luck!

January 22: Dammit, I'm mad. Should have seen this one faster. After all, a Toyota's a Toyota.

January 23: Wow, I got it because someone told me the answer. All I can say is, if you reflect all the letters, you might be able to come 10 letters that make no sense. Then if you remove "ALL SMOKE" from that, you'll have 5 letters that can be anagrammed to the answer.

January 24: Another tough one, but once it clicks it's really quite good. Go for the obvious answers and fill in the grid as indicated. But remember, sometimes one thing can have two purposes. I'm glad I solved this one. Sometimes I feel like Tanga eats away at me.

January 25: Nicely done. Those are blenders in the background. Keep in mind what happens if the lid isn't on tight. (Oh, and if the puzzle still isn't showing the image, use this link.)

January 26: Don't count on much help from me. This is all I got: One, look at the words one at a time. Two, don't worry if there's a gap.

January 27: I'm Numb from Musing over this one. Oh, and Alphabetical order matters at some point here.

January 28: I was confused when my first letters didn't make a word.

Quote of the Day, 1/22/07: Hammett

As soon as I sat down to get my quotes today, the name Dashiell Hammett popped into my head. No idea why, but I'm going with it.

Who shot him? I asked.
.
The grey man scratched the back of his neck and said: Somebody with a gun.
...

The truth is you don't like the theater except the times when you're in a room by yourself putting the play on paper.
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After a fraction of a year in high school- Baltimore Polytechnic Institute—I became the unsatisfactory and unsatisfied employee of various railroads, stock brokers, machine manufacturers, canners, and the like. Usually I was fired.
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An enigmatic want-ad took me into the employ of Pinkerton's National Detective Agency, and I stuck at that until early 1922, when I chucked it to see what I could do with fiction writing.
...

Samuel Spade's jaw was long and bony, his chin a jutting v under the more flexible v of his mouth. His nostrils curved back to make another, smaller v. His yellow-grey eyes were horizontal. The v motif was picked up again by his thickish brows rising outward from twin creases above a hooked nose, and his pale brown hair grew down -- from high flat temples -- in a point on his forehead. He looked rather pleasantly like a blond satan.
...

Dorothy patted the dog's head and left us.
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We found a table. Nora said: "She's pretty."
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"If you like them like that."
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She grinned at me. "You got types?"
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"Only you, darling -- lanky brunettes with wicked jaws."
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"And how about the red-head you wandered off with at the Quinns' last night?"
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"That's silly," I said. "She just wanted to show me some French etchings."

Quote of the Day, 1/21/07: Chaplin

From Wikipedia: Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr. KBE (16 April 1889 – 25 December 1977), better known as Charlie Chaplin, was an English comedy actor, becoming one of the most famous performers in the early to mid Hollywood cinema era, and also a notable director. He is considered to be one of the finest mimes and clowns caught on film and his influence on performers in these fields is great.

From Charlie Chaplin:

A day without laughter is a day wasted.
...

A tramp, a gentleman, a poet, a dreamer, a lonely fellow, always hopeful of romance and adventure.
...

Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself.
...

I do not have much patience with a thing of beauty that must be explained to be understood. If it does need additional interpretation by someone other than the creator, then I question whether it has fulfilled its purpose.
...

Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot.
...

That is why, no matter how desperate the predicament is, I am always very much in earnest about clutching my cane, straightening my derby hat and fixing my tie, even though I have just landed on my head.

Creative Writing: A Poetry Snippet

In my notebook of random writing, I find several scenic descriptions, a few completed poems, and then a big collection of sentences, half-poems and various scribblings. For this Sunday's installment of creative writing, I offer one piece of a poem. I don't know where the rest of the poem is, because I haven't found the words to write it yet. But this little piece has been sitting around for a few years, just waiting for a home.

They grew too fast
And flashed
In fiery hue,
Then fell too soon
To see
Their season through.

No Giant Turkey Legs, but Boy, What a Ride!

Wow... I just came from a carnival and I'm excited, overwhelmed, and itching to go back!

It is not too late for you to soak up all that carnival joy and nourishment. I like the funnel cake and corndogs personally, though I saw one guy walk by with a big turkey leg and I'm considering going back to get one myself.... Oh wait, it's a blog carnival. Okay, no corn dogs, but you can get plenty of nourishment anyhow, in the form of oodles and oodles of fun and informative bloggers talking about the world of children's books.

That's right folks, it's the 10th Carnival of Children's Literature, and it's IN TOWN NOW! Step right up! Step right up!

Seriously, the carnival Kelly's put together over at Big A little a is pretty awesome. Go!

Tanga Puzzlethon Hints

Here are a few hints for the Tanga puzzlethon.

All 24 are hinted below. Highlight to the right of the puzzle time if you have trouble seeing the hint.

Good luck!

7PM - This grid contains...

8PM - Find the word in the middle by finding the words across.

9PM - Don't forget the "s" in the first part.

10PM - The note at the bottom should sound vaguely familiar. A few of these clues are oddly worded though, so try these variations: "It's up to the rodent" and "Become educated."

11PM - A couple of notes: The scale is important. I'd also suggest you use "tile" instead of "piece." It makes the pairing easier to figure out.

12AM - It's easy to overlook the 31st letter, and that turns out to be the most critical.

1AM - Notice how the top instructions are written. The clues are understated, but not too hard to find.

2AM - Now I've got it stuck in my head. By the way, it's important that you know who the woman is. She was back in my pre-Christmas quotes, along with Danny Kaye.

3AM - Once you get the word, the last element is to translate for the final answer.

4AM - Be sure to use the decryption shape. And yes, numbers matter.

5AM - Reading this one out loud is very helpful.

6AM - The instruction at the top is a question and an order.

7AM - Well, I'll be! This one shouldn't be too tough for you, but I had trouble getting started.

8AM - Use a thesaurus. Keep it short. This one is a pun similar to the infamous "butter" puzzle.

9AM - The answer really is right before your eyes.

10AM - Prince Michael's instructions are clear.

11AM - That picture in the third line is a net.

12PM - You need to get the link to the image from the puzzle discussion on Tanga. Once you have that, you can solve this by getting just the first 4. If you figure out the last 3, let me know -- I never did get them.

1PM - This one is well within reach.

2PM - Two things to notice. One, there's a reason to use #, and two, if you can think of one word for "fundamentals" that starts with BA, but you think it should be one letter longer, don't give up.

3PM - If you have trouble taking this one in, you might need to change your filter.

4PM - Very popular tanga theme here.

5PM - There is a reason magenta and Apricot are special.

6PM - You're looking for an 8-letter answer. Also, keep in mind that Ernestine often gets the last word.

Quote of the Day, 1/19/07: Poe

Happy Birthday Edgar Allen Poe!

Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears.
...
I have no faith in human perfectability. I think that human exertion will have no appreciable effect upon humanity. Man is now only more active - not more happy - nor more wise, than he was 6000 years ago.
...
Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.
...
Depend upon it, after all, Thomas, Literature is the most noble of professions. In fact, it is about the only one fit for a man. For my own part, there is no seducing me from the path.
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There are certain themes of which the interest is all-absorbing, but which are too entirely horrible for the purposes of legitimate fiction.

A Poe-tic Tribute

I heard my first Edgar Allen Poe story when I was just 12. My seventh-grade Social Studies teacher read "The Tell-Tale Heart" with a sinister glee that sent chills up my spine. We also learned all the state capitals and the definition of communism that year, but the Poe was way more fun.

Today is Poe's birthday. Did you know there is a man who leaves cognac and roses on Poe's grave every year on this date? It's been happening for 58 years -- starting with the 100th anniversay of Poe's birth.

People gather to try to catch a glimpse of the "Poe Toaster." I just think that's so cool.

Thanks to Kathleen for the link!

A Little Poetry for You: Wilbur

Note: Poetry Friday Round-up is over at Big A little a

I can't find any record that I posted this for Poetry Friday before now. But I know this is a recent find, so I wonder if I found it from someone else's Poetry Friday post.

Anyhow, I like this one for several reasons -- it's a solid poem with good use of language and imagery; it's got a good story to tell that would appeal to younger poets; and it's got audio so you can listen to the poet read it and hear his commentary about it beforehand. I do truly think hearing the audio makes the poem so much more of a poem, so as always, I encourage you to click and listen.

The Writer
Richard Wilbur

In her room at the prow of the house
Where the light breaks, and the windows are tossed with linden,
My daughter is writing a story.

I pause in the stairwell, hearing
From her shut door a commotion of typewriter-keys
Like a chain hauled over a gunwale.

Young as she is, the stuff
Of her life is a great cargo, and some of it heavy:
I wish her a lucky passage.

But now it is she who pauses,
As if to reject my thought and its easy figure.
A stillness greatens, in which

The whole house seems to be thinking,
And then she is at it again with a bunched clamor
Of strokes, and again is silent.

Go here for the audio commentary and reading from the poet, and for the text of the rest of the poem.

Quote of the Day, 1/18/07: Buchwald

American journalist and humorist Art Buchwald has died at the age of 81. Today's quotes are from him, just to give you a sense of his style.

Whether it's the best of times or the worst of times, it's the only time we've got.
...

We seem to be going through a period of nostalgia, and everyone seems to think yesterday was better than today. I don't think it was, and I would advise you not to wait ten years before admitting today was great. If you're hung up on nostalgia, pretend today is yesterday and just go out and have one hell of a time.
...

I worship the quicksand he walks in.
...

So far things are going my way. I am known in the hospice as The Man Who Wouldn't Die. I don't know if this is true or not, but I think some people, not many, are starting to wonder why I'm still around.
...

Dying is easy. Parking is impossible.

Nancy in the Sky with Diamonds

Many thanks to Featherbee for showing me how to add a little psychedelic-mind-trippiness to my blog.

Check it out!

Quote of the Day, 1/17/07: King

On Martin Luther King day -- January 17 -- 1994, I was in Los Angeles for their last big earthquake. It struck at around 4AM and was one of the most terrifying events I've experienced.

Since then, I have always considered January 17 to be Martin Luther King's birthday. Tonight I learned from Wikipedia that King's birthday is January 15, which coincidentally was the same as MLK Day this year. So, I missed it. Hopefully you'll overlook the small error, and still appreciate today's quotes, from Martin Luther King, Jr.

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.
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I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.
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It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important.
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The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
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Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.

Words on Wednesday: Puzzle-makers

Has anyone had experience with edHelper.com? I found this site while looking around for word puzzles. It's a subscription site where teachers or others working with kids can create all sorts of cool puzzles.

There are logic, sudoku, math and word puzzles. Among the word puzzles are word searches --which they do let you put together without subscribing (here's mine!) -- crosswords, bingos, and others.

It seems like a pretty good resource -- any teachers out there or others who've used something like this?

On Family Names, and Uncles Named Peeper

What's in a name?

Liz and Grace remind us of how fluid names can be. One day you're living your life as Bridget, the next day you're Beatrice.

In my family, we have similar stories. On my father's side, these are what you'd expect in any family. My grandmother changed her name ever so slightly over the years, from Jeanie to Jeane to Jeanne, ever-conscious of the dramatic effect such spellings might have. Her mother was always Margaret as far as I had heard, but when she entered the U.S. she came in as Maggie. My great-aunt Jerrie was really Jemima. These were the nice easy examples....

On my mother's side of the family, things get stranger. My Uncle Roy didn't find out till he was 60 that his name was Charles. Uncle Peeper probably knew his real name was Harry, but nobody else called him that, not even his wife. This is the family where Donald grew up as "Duck", Doris was "Honey" and Jean Baptiste was "Butsis." Dolores was Tootsie, for rather unflattering reasons. George was George because he was born near Washington's birthday, and Noella was born near Christmas.

My mother, who was born on the 4th of July, barely escaped being named Liberty or Independence, for which I'm eternally grateful: I was named after her.

What are your family names?

Quote of the Day, 1/16/07: Deborah Kerr

Yesterday Cary Grant, today his counterpart in one of the best all-time sappy movies (An Affair to Remember) -- Deborah Kerr. I like these quotes from Kerr. She seems spunky, which is how I always think of her.

I suppose the part nearest me is Laura Reynolds in Tea and Sympathy. Of course playwrite Bob Anderson didn't know that, but he wrote Laura Reynolds and Laura Reynolds happened to be me. It was the coming together of a part and an actress - the same attitude to life, a certain shyness in life, a deep compassion for people who are being persecuted for anything.
...

Personally, I think if a women hasn't met the right man by the time she's 24, she may be lucky.
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I adore not being me. I'm not very good at being me. That's why I adore acting so much.
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Years from now, when you talk about this, and you will, be kind.
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I respect anyone who has to fight and howl for his decency.

Life on the Edge... of the Forest

Looking for one spot where much of the really great thinking about children's lit is compiled?

Silly you, why are you looking here? Go to The Edge of the Forest! The January issue is waiting for you.

Quote of the Day, 1/15/07: Cary Grant

Okay, back on the quote bus now. Today's quotes are from the man himself. Mr. Cary Grant.

I suddenly found my articulate self in a dazzling land of smiling, jostling people wearing and not wearing all sorts of costumes and doing all sorts of clever things. And that's when I knew! What other life could there be but that of an actor?
...

Do your job and demand your compensation -- but in that order.
...

Everyone wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant.
...

I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be until finally I became that person. Or he became me.

Lives in Letters: Postcard from Central Maine

Just a quick postcard this week, but one I found intriguing.

Postcard

Norridgewock, Maine
August 19, 1935

...

.
Addressed to

Miss Lucy C-
St. Albans Maine

Wed. Morning-
Dear Miss C-
Montie is staying
with his brother Merle.
Was over last evening and
looked fine and said he
was feeling much better.
He stays with Merle so
as to have it quiet.
Said to tell you if noth-
ing happens and bad
spell doesn’t return, he
will get Merle to bring
him back a week from
Sunday, 30th of August.
Regards, Alice H.

Notes:

I'm not sure why I'm fascinated by postcards like this, but I suppose it's because of the stories I can invent around the brief messages.

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For instance, I wonder who Miss Lucy C is. Who is she to Montie, that she'd be getting updates about where he is? And why wouldn't Montie send his own updates?

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Who's Alice? Neither Lucy nor she seem like they could be related to Montie and Merle. Why would these two women exchange messages about the men?

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I wonder what the bad spell could have been. Polio perhaps. Although plenty of other diseases were available to choose from at the time: influenza, malaria, tuberculosis....

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Where is Norridgewock, Maine? About smack-dab in the middle of Maine, maybe a little southeast of the middle. Near Colby college (which by the way, opened its doors back when Maine was part of Massachusetts). It was the filming spot for the 2005 HBO movie Empire Falls. Here's a little history, circa 1886 of Norridgewock. Although this history was written 50 years before the postcard, from all signs on the web, the town did not change much in the interim.

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St. Albans, where Miss Lucy C was receiving this postcard, was 30 miles away from Norridgewock. Again, from what I can find out, St. Albans was a similarly small and remote town.

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For the life of me, I can't figure out who Alice and Lucy were to Montie. No matter how many times I read this, no story I come up with makes sense.

Tanga Puzzles: January 15 - January 21

Here are the daily clues for the Tanga puzzles this week. To see the hint, highlight the space to the right of the date.

I don't give away answers here, just a small hint each day to help get you started or past a rough patch. If you want stronger hints, you can check the blog on the Tanga site itself, which is chock full of spoilers.

While I avoid giving away the answers on this page, be warned that there may be spoilers in the comments to this post, so open those with care.

Good luck!

January 15: I'D recommend you read the top of the puzzle carefully. OR this clue.

January 16: It helps to be a perfectionist.

January 17: I knew I was missing something on this one, but for the longest time I had trouble seeing what it was.

January 18: Why are the clues on the right multi-colored?

January 19: Go here for hints for the puzzlethon puzzles.

January 20: Don't worry about the picture in the background, but try to describe what is added in the foreground. Describe it specifically.

January 21: The silvery thing in the middle is actually a picture of a diamond. Now that you know it's a diamond, that's the easiest pair to start with. If you look through the rest of the pictures, you should find one that goes quite nicely with diamond. Don't mess with "key." Unless you really know the subject matter, key is probably the toughest one to make the connection for.

24... and WOW

So, Stephen King wasn't kidding about how disturbing 24 was tonight.

Wow.