September 3, 2022

Title: HOME OPENERS

Constructor: Brooke Husic

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

VIDEO CHATS (16A: Hangs out with a long-distance friend, say)

COOKING CLASS (37A: Lesson in the culinary arts)

PAGE TURNER (57A: Book that's hard to put down)

Theme synopsis: The opening word of each theme answer can follow the word HOME to form a new phrase. We have a HOME VIDEO, HOME COOKING, and HOME PAGE.

And now a word from our constructor:

Brooke: i had a lot of fun including the long down answers in this grid, and my favorite clues/references are 63a, 64a, 3d, 24d, 34d, and 60d :)

Things I learned:

• YOGA (64A: Discipline with ujjayi breath) Ujjayi breath is also sometimes referred to as "victorious breath," "ocean breath," or "cobra breath." The breathing technique is associated with some YOGA practices, and involves inhaling and exhaling through your nose. Inhalations and exhalations are of equal duration. 
• ELECTRO-SOUL (10D: Moses Sumney genre) I have previously written about Moses Sumney, so I recognized the name. However, I needed help from crossing answers to identify the genre. ELECTRO-SOUL is a sub-genre of ELECTRO, a music genre characterized by drum machines and heavy electronic sounds. ELECTRO-SOUL is characterized by a predominant bass line and SOUL-ful male vocals.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• OSU (36A: School in Stillwater, OK) Oklahoma State University (OSU) is located, as the clue tells us, in Stillwater, a city in north-central Oklahoma. The OSU sports teams are known as the Cowboys and Cowgirls. OSU alumni include legal scholar Anita Hill.
• LAURA (47A: Gay icon Dern) LAURA Dern has appeared in too many TV shows and films to list in one blog post. Her recent credits include this year's Jurassic World Dominion, and 2019's Marriage Story. This PinkNews article talks about the tribute paid to LAURA Dern by the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles at the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
• ISLAM (52A: 32-Down religion) and EID (32D: "___ Mubarak!") "EID Mubarak" means "Blessed feast" in Arabic. In ISLAM, the greeting is used for the festivals of EID-al-Fitr (a festival marking the end of Ramadan) and EID al-Adha (a holiday honoring Abraham's obedience to God).
• MARIE (54A: Physicist Curie) MARIE Curie (1867-1934) is the only person who has won the Nobel Prize in two different fields. She won a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903, and a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911.
• AREN'T (63A: "___ you a little short for a stormtrooper?") "AREN'T you a little short for a stormtrooper?" is a quote from the movie, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. (The movie was simply called Star Wars when it was released in 1977 as the first Star Wars movie.) The words were said by Princess Leia to Luke Skywalker when she saw him for the first time disguised as a Storm Trooper.
• RID (3D: "Get ___ of Him" (Dionne Warwick song)) "Get RID of Him" is a song from Dionne Warwick's 1964 album, Make Way for Dionne Warwick. 
• HERO (24D: Mariah Carey hit with the lyric "Look inside you and be strong") "HERO" is a 1993 song by Mariah Carey from her album, Music Box. 
• SKA (31D: Music genre for Millie Small) I learned about SKA artist, Millie Small from the March 1, 2021 puzzle.
• AGE (34D: "Such a Fun ___" (Reid novel) I learned about Kiley Reid's 2019 debut novel, Such a Fun AGE, from the November 24, 2020 puzzle. 
• SAM (44D: ___ Wilson aka Captain America) Anthony Mackie portrays SAM Wilson aka Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

Geography review:

• OHIO (13A: Toni Morrison's birth state) Author Toni Morrison (1931-2018) was born in Lorain, OHIO. Lorain is in northeastern OHIO along Lake Erie.

 The first thing I noticed about this puzzle was the interesting grid shape. The puzzle is asymmetric by just one square to accommodate the 12-letter theme answer of COOKING CLASS. In addition to ELECTRO-SOUL, which I mentioned above, I also liked the other long downs of WIRELESS BRA (definitely a comfier option!) and TEA CEREMONY. Thank you, Brooke, for this puzzle that was a great way to start my Saturday.