NYT Spelling Bee

[cathwen]

Good evening!

QBABM yesterday, last word nabob.Today I got to QB, but only with a little help for the last two words.  And it took me ages to find the second pangram!

LB:  I had the "official" carnival-ladybug.  I found two 2fers today. 

I did all my puzzles today, then learned that due to The NY Times strike, people were being asked not to do the puzzles as an expression of solidarity with the strikers.  Oh well...too late now.

Happy puzzling!

[ab_grp]

Good afternoon/evening!

Got to genius and both pangrams (finally... one took a while) so far.  Guess we all had that experience.  Yesterday my final word for QBABM was banjo.

Ugh, yesterday I had ladybug but no mate.  Congrats, cathwen, and on two today! No luck yet on that either.

Speaking of luck, things didn't go great yesterday for husband (well, he came out of the angio fine, no emergency there, but an additional stent was not going to do the trick).  So we are relocating to a city, not sure which yet, for a week, not sure when, possibly tomorrow, so he can have either a quadruple or quintuple bypass.  So, that was a surprise and a rough day and night and etc.  I think we have more or less digested the news now, but it's frustrating to have no idea at all when we might have to pick up and go or where to so I can make my own arrangements to actually have a roof over my head.  He got some preop testing today, pulmonary function test and carotid ultrasound, so now we wait to hear about logistics. 

In any case, I guess I also missed the news about not doing the puzzles today but was glad to have them through several more hours of medical waiting.

I also haven't looked at the bee stats lately and didn't realize that they have been inactive.  Hmm!

Happy solving!

[Langue_doc]

ab_grp, sorry to hear that things are a bit tumultuous at the moment, but sending you good wishes for husband's bypass surgery, and for the relocation. I hope you find the right hospital and also the right surgeon. Can you get some time off from work so that you can take care of the logistics and also the stress?

I knew that the NYT was going on strike, but wasn't aware of the request to refrain from reading the paper or working on the puzzles. It appears that it is a 24-hour strike, so perhaps we could work on the puzzles tomorrow?
https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/07/media/new-york-times-strike/index.html

As for the pangrams, I found the weird one first--tried the combo just for the heck of it and was surprised to find that it was indeed a word!

[cathwen]

So sorry that the news for your husband wasn't better, ab_grp.  The fact that everything is up in the air—which city, which hospital, where to stay—must be very stressful on top of worrying about the surgery itself.  In the meanwhile, I'm sending all my best wishes for him and for you.

[Langue_doc]

Good morning!

Pangram and well above 300 points.

Don't remember the last word yesterday, but made it to QB. I found non-apology by trying combinations with the prefix non-, and was surprised to see that the bee accepted the word, which autocorrect keeps correcting as in the line above!

As for the NYT strike, I'm not sure if refraining from the puzzles will be of any help to the strikers as these, along with the subscription to the newspaper have already been paid for. In addition, for me, the bee is the only thing that I can do before coffee and also something that I resort to when I wake up in the middle of the night, as I did around 3.30 and then 5.40 this morning, so I would consider it punitive as well as ineffective to refrain from reaching for it.

ab_grp, sending you good thoughts.

Happy solving!

[cathwen]

Good morning!

I got to QB yesterday with hints for galop and goop (and I already had goopy!).  It took me ages to find nonapology; I didn't think it was one word, and apparently my iPad doesn't think so, either, because it took me several tries to write it as one word just now.  Today I am well into Beta but struggling. 

LB:  I had southward-devoir and various-swathed.  I have a 2fer today also.

Like Langue_doc, I have decided that my boycotting the puzzles will (a) have no effect whatsoever on the strike, and (b) just annoy me. 

Happy puzzling!

[ab_grp]

Good morning/afternoon!

Got to genius with the pangrams.  I think yesterday we had team QB, and I needed help with papaya. Husband needed galop, which I think is a sneaky one that I happened to remember.  We both found nonapology first and somehow both math majors struggled with polygonal.  As it turned out, we were both trying polygonally instead for some reason. 

Congrats on your 2fers, cathwen! I had no luck.  And congrats on another today!

Thanks, Langue_doc and cathwen, for your good thoughts.  It was a gigantic surprise and really overwhelming to think about from just about every angle.  I think we both have periods of calm execution and others of panic, probably normal.  I am glad to have a day or two to try to get some things done in the background to prepare.  Still no info about where or when, though we may get that today if the results from yesterday's tests are back and they can call around and get it scheduled.  Lots of little (and big) things to do.  I am very, very fortunate that work is not an issue right now.  Plus, I guess I will have quite a lot of free time next week if everything goes well, as he will have to stay in the hospital for 4 days or so, and I'm sure he will be pretty well out of it.  I have to say, having grown up with open heart surgery and bypasses being such major and doom-filled events on TV, I am really dreading this, but apparently things have really advanced, and the success rate is about 98%.  I'm sure the recovery will not be easy, but hopefully he will benefit and was told he is an excellent candidate with a strong heart.  Anyway, thanks for the kind words, and sorry for the rambling!

Happy solving!

[Langue_doc]

Good morning!

Pangram and well above genius so far. Don't remember my last word for yesterday's puzzle, but was not too happy about gannet https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Gannet/overview# not being accepted. Today's puzzle too didn't accept a word that I thought was quite legit.

brothel/lumina

ab_grp, vent/ramble away even if you don't have the time or energy for puzzling.

I have a bird walk later today, but it's Santa Con, so hope I don't have to deal with drunken revelers on the way out and back.

Happy solving!

[ab_grp]

Good morning/afternoon!

Got to genius but no pangram yet.  I had a ton left yesterday when we compared, but we managed to almost get to team QB.  However, even with Shunn and Steve G hints we had to google the Steve definitions to figure out the final two words.  We both remembered galangal being in there before (I think I tried galagal, oh well) but do not recall gamelan very well.  The gannet is an interesting looking bird!

And I would never have gotten the schmofficial solution, but I did have brothel and couldn't find a mate.  Congrats, Langue_doc!

And I hope you enjoy your bird walk without bad behavior interfering.  I have not been to a Santa Con, but it doesn't sound like something I'd want to experience the aftermath of.  Thanks for the support!! Husband's cardiologist called after hours last night, and it looks like we will not hear from the surgical group until Mon or Tues.  Kind of glad to know that the weekend is ours to just enjoy together without fearing news that requires immediate packing.  Having a little break from the stress would be good.

Happy solving!

[cathwen]

Good evening!

Not a great puzzle day for me yesterday or today!  I did make QBwH both yesterday and today.  Yesterday my final word was nametag.  I kept misspelling gamelan, but finally figured that out.  I was also annoyed that gannet was rejected.

LB:  I had brothel-luminal. I found a 2fer today also.

Langue_doc, I remember SantaCon!  The revelers are kind of cute until they start drinking, but they start that early and then become annoying. 

Ab_grp, I do hope that you and your husband can enjoy the weekend without stress!

[ab_grp]

Got a 2fer on my first try! I haven't gotten back to the bee, though.

Congrats on your 2fers yesterday and today, cathwen! And thanks!

[ciao_yall]

Hi all - was having computer issues so nice to be back! Still had my phone so kept up with puzzles.

Yesterday I learned a new word gamelan and got the official abnormal-luthier.

Today QBAM but just 3fers and 2fer b4ss.

Ah, I missed you all!

[Langue_doc]

Good morning!

QB and a twofer this morning. Last word yesterday was trinity; surprised that tyrannic wasn't accepted.

dogmatic/clover

I bailed out on the bird walk yesterday as I didn't have the energy to ride the subway.

Happy solving!

[ab_grp]

Good morning/afternoon!

Got to genius with the pangram so far.  Congrats on already getting QB, Langue_doc! Yesterday, husband had to give me help with the pangram! I just could not see it.  His idea of a hint was something related to The Big Lebowski, which I am just not nearly as much of a fan of, so that took a while to help.  Then I think I needed help with 3 words at the end, array, cynic, trinity.  We both tried tyrannic as well.  I have found that it often doesn't take -ic words that I think it should, favoring -ical I guess.   

I also got dogmatic-clover and am not hugely surprised to see that it's schmofficial given how quickly it came together. 

Sorry to hear that you didn't get to do the bird walk, Langue_doc. 

Glad to see you back, ciao_yall! I was wondering how you were doing.  Sorry to hear about your computer.  And congrats on your QB today as well!

Happy solving!

[ciao_yall]

QBAMBM yesterday - last word itty. Close 3fers yesterday dramatic-clover-reg, dramatic-clove-erg.

Happy solving!

Still getting used to the new keyboard. And my new mouse is paired but doesn't work, even after restarting so IDK.