November 22, 2021

Title: SINKING FEELING

Constructor: Aaron Paulsen & Brooke Husic

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

MAKES A DAY OF IT (4D: Turns a short outing into a dawn-to-dusk adventure)

GRACIAS A DIOS (6D: "Thank god!" in Spanish)

DOUGLAS ADAMS (22D: "Hitchhiker's Guide" author)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer contains the word SAD spanning words in the answer. Since the theme answers are vertical, the word SAD is SINKING. The SAD FEELING is also SINKING in the grid, moving from left to right.

And now a word from our constructors:

Aaron: Thank you so much for taking a stab at the puzzle, it means a lot! I’m so blessed to have gotten to work with Brooke on this! She is not only a stellar and insightful constructor who makes every puzzle and collaborator better, she’s just a treasure to be around (even if only virtually). You all should listen to her on the Crossnerds podcast if you don't already.
Some bits:

• I’m a huge Bowen YANG fan, and would put him in every grid if I could (hope he sees this 🥺)
• Speaking of, always so happy to have a puzzle infused with some things I love: queerness, and Spanish! I always love it when they appear in puzzles and I hope they brought you some joy as well.
• If you'll indulge the brag: Partway through filling the grid I noticed that there weren't yet any abbreviations, and so set a little challenge to have an abbr.-less puzzle. Proud to have pulled it off!

Thanks again for solving! See ya next time.

Brooke: Working on this puzzle with Aaron was an absolute dream and I'm so excited about our collab debut! I love how he worked such great stuff like JADE PLANT and HARD PASS into the grid. My fave clues of his are NET, POLE, HARD PASS, BOW, TEN ... and that's only in the acrosses! In general I'm so lucky to be not only co-constructors but also friends with Aaron. I super appreciate his optimistic and insightful takes and all of his art that he shares, whether it's comedy or collaging. Also, from both of us: many thanks to Amanda for being so great to work with!

Things I learned:

• POLE (19A: Tool for Dutch canal jumping) Although the answer here was easily inferable, I was not familiar with the sport of Dutch canal jumping. Canal jumping, called Fierljeppen in The Netherlands, is exactly what it sounds like. Contestants use a POLE to jump across a canal. 
• SODAS (32A: Cokes and Ramunes) Although familiar with Cokes (whether specifically used to refer to Coca-cola, or generically used to refer to SODAS), I am not familiar with Ramunes. Ramune is a Japanese soda, introduced in 1984. "Ramune" is a Japanese transliteration of the English word "lemonade." A distinctive feature of Ramunes is that they come in a Codd-neck bottle, sealed by a marble. Lemon-lime is the original Ramune flavor, but the SODAS are now available in a variety of flavors. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• KARMA (1A: ___ yoga (spiritual path of action)) KARMA yoga is a classical spiritual path in Hinduism. It is a path based on the spiritual practice and discipline of unselfish and right action.
• RAGA (14A: Framework in classical Indian music) In classical Indian music, RAGA is a melodic framework used to create mood or atmosphere. A RAGA is derived from a scale, but is more specific. The word "RAGA" comes from the Sanskrit word for "color" or "passion." 
• NET (18A: Divider on a sepak takraw court) Sepak takraw is also known as kick volleyball. Players are only allowed to used their feet, knees, and head to get the ball over the NET. Sepak takraw is an incredibly athletic sport, requiring agility and coordination.
• METAL (35A: Category for iron and Iron Maiden) This is a clever clue. Iron is an element classified as a METAL, and Iron Maiden is a heavy METAL band.
• JADE PLANT (39A: Succulent that's toxic to cats) The JADE PLANT, a succulent with rubbery leaves, is popular because it's easy to grow, but note to owners of PETS, it is toxic when ingested by cats and dogs. 
• MAYO (41A: Kewpie condiment) Kewpie is a brand of Japanese MAYO made with egg yolks and vinegar. Its packaging is red and white with a picture of a kewpie doll (essentially a naked baby) on it. I remember the first time I saw Kewpie MAYO in a store, because I took a picture of it. You see, the Kewpie was my high school's mascot. Yes, that's right, I attended the only school in the country with the kewpie doll as its mascot. 
• BOW (63A: Hair accessory for JoJo Siwa) JoJo Siwa is a dancer, singer, and YouTube personality that I first learned about from the June 16, 2021 puzzle. She is often seen wearing a hair BOW, and in 2016 released a line of hair BOWs. In June of this year, however, JoJo Siwa announced that she may be wearing a BOW less often. 
• K-POP (1D: Genre for EXO and BTS) The K-POP bands BTS and EXO are both South Korean boy bands. BTS featured as the title of a puzzle in October 2020. 
• ADA (5D: Math genius Lovelace) Always a joy to see ADA Lovelace in the puzzle. Today this clue reminded me of something I learned about yesterday, a downloadable solitaire game called, "ADA Lovelace Saves Christmas." 
• YANG (10D: Bowen who played an iceberg on "SNL") If you missed this SNL skit featuring Bowen YANG as an iceberg, you can watch it here. 
• PETS (12D: Animals in family photos) A fun clue for PETS. Willow is not cooperative enough to
  
  appear in many of our family photos. She does, however, like to do photo sessions with me. (I have so many pictures similar to this!)
• DOUGLAS ADAMS (22D: "Hitchhiker's Guide" author) The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is the first of the "trilogy of six books" written by DOUGLAS ADAMS. It was first published in 1979.

Geography review:

• SPAIN (48A: Country where the Camino de Santiago ends) The Camino de Santiago is a network of  routes leading to the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in northwestern SPAIN. The cathedral is reputed to be the burial place of St. James. During the middle ages, the Camino de Santiago became a route used for religious pilgrimage.
• TEL AVIV (58A: City in Israel) TEL AVIV, nicknamed the "Non-Stop City," is the economic and technological center of Israel.

I have a SINKING FEELING that this puzzle is SAD, SAD, SAD. Fortunately, there's some GLEE in the top row to lift it up. A fun theme today presented in an asymmetrical grid. I really liked the visual of the word SAD SINKING in the grid. My favorite theme answer was MAKES A DAY OF IT. Smooth (abbreviation-less) fill all-around. This puzzle was a delightful way to begin my Monday.