June 28, 2021

Title: IT'S A PHASE

Constructor: Rebecca Goldstein

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

BREAKING THE ICE (16A: Defusing an awkward situation)

TREADING WATER (37A: Trying to stay afloat)

PICKING UP STEAM (59A: Gaining momentum)

Theme synopsis: The last word of each theme answer is a PHASE of the chemical compound hydrogen oxide (or dihydrogen monoxide). We have the solid, liquid, and gas PHASEs: ICE, WATER, and STEAM

Things I learned:

• WARE (14A: Entomologist Jessica) Entomology is the study of insects. Jessica WARE is a curator of invertebrate zoology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. She is also the Vice President of the Entomological Society of America, and president of the world dragonfly association. Additionally, Jessica WARE has been an active organizer and mentor, co-founding Entomologists of Color, and co-organizing #BlackInEnto week which was in February of this year.
• MII (42A: Nintendo avatar) A MII is the customizable avatar used on some Nintendo game consoles and apps. This was a new term to me, revealing how little experience I've had with Nintendo games. 
• POET (9D: Joshua Jennifer Espinoza, for one) Joshua Jennifer Espinoza is the author of two collections of poetry: i'm alive/ it hurts/ i love it and THERE SHOULD BE FLOWERS. Espinoza is a trans women, and some of her work covers the topic of coming out as a trans woman. Her poems also explore mental illness, love, anger, and beauty. She says, "If I can help someone come to terms with who they are, or be more comfortable with themselves, or just find the courage within themselves to admit who they are, then that's amazing."
• DAD (21D: "Seahorse" subject Freddy) Seahorse:The DAD Who Gave Birth is a 2019 documentary about Freddy McConnell, a gay transgender man who wanted to start a family and decided to carry his own baby.
• EAT (61D: Enjoy some cholent) Cholent is a traditional Jewish stew that is usually simmered overnight and eaten for lunch on Shabbat. The cooking method was developed to conform with Jewish laws regarding cooking on the Sabbath. (My computer's autocorrect changed "cholent" to "coolant" - please don't EAT coolant.)

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• NATASHA (54A: "Russian Doll" actress Lyonne) Russian Doll is a TV series starring NATASHA Lyonne (who also co-created the show) as a game developer who is stuck in a time loop and repeatedly dies and relives the same night. Here's a fun fact: In addition to occasionally being featured as a crossword clue and answer, NATASHA Lyonne enjoys solving crossword puzzles and has co-constructed a puzzle with Deb Amlen. 
• WADE (30D: "___ in the Water") "WADE in the Water" is a Black spiritual, created and first sung by African Americans in slavery. WADE in the Water is also the title track of a 1966 album by Ramsey Lewis. 
• LEA (31D: Comedian DeLaria) LEA DeLaria is a comedian, actress, and jazz singer who integrates musical performance into her comedy. I first learned about LEA DeLaria from the August 14, 2020 puzzle, but we've seen her a couple of times since then. 
• BEAN (34D: Red ___ paste) Interestingly, I just mentioned red BEAN paste in yesterday's write-up.  Red BEAN paste is made from adzuki BEANs, and is used in East Asian cuisine.
• GINSBURG (39D: Part of RBG) Always happy to see RBG in the puzzle. Ruth Bader GINSBURG was a Supreme Court Justice from August 10, 1993 until her death September 18, 2020. RBG was a tremendous advocate for gender equality and women's rights, and she also had tremendous sense of style when it came to collars. 
• AHI (51D: Protein in a poke bowl) That's a "poke" (rhymes with "okay") bowl, not a "poke" (rhymes with "joke") bowl. Poke is the Hawaiian word for "cut crosswise into pieces," and a poke bowl is a dish of diced raw fish, such as AHI (yellowfin tuna).
• BETTE (53D: Jennifer Beals' character on "The L Word") BETTE Porter, played by Jennifer Beals on the TV series, The L Word, ranked 35th on Decider's 2017 list of "The 50 Most Important LGBTQ TV Characters of All Time." 
• MAY (63D: National Bike to Work Day month) National Bike to Work Day is recognized on the third Friday in MAY. The day encourages people to bike to work, as well as raising awareness of cyclists.

Geography review:

• ROO (28A: Quintana ___, Mexico) Quintana ROO is one of the 32 states of Mexico. The capital of Quintana ROO is Cheturnal. The popular tourist destination, Cancún, is in Quintana ROO.

IT'S A PHASE was my parenting mantra when my kids were younger. When they were exhibiting some challenging behaviours, I would remind myself, "IT'S A PHASE!" Even the enjoyable PHASEs eventually evolved into other PHASEs. Of course, some PHASEs lasted longer than others...or seemed to anyway! Today's puzzle is not about raising children, however, but about the PHASEs or WATER. I enjoyed all three of the theme answers, and the progression of them moving through the puzzle, from just starting out - BREAKING THE ICE - to maintenance - TREADING WATER - to full throttle - PICKING UP STEAM. Some really nice non theme answers as well, with NACHO CHEESE, DO OR DIE TIME, and OPEN MIC. This puzzle was an excellent way to begin my Monday.