December 20, 2022

Title: WESTBOUND

Constructor: Stella Zawistowski

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

WEATHER FORECAST (16A: Important information when making outdoor plans)

WENT AGAINST (30A: Opposed)

WEB CARTOONIST (48A: Producer of online panels)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer is BOUND by the word WEST.

Things I learned:

• AMER (35A: "Mo" star Mo ___) Mo AMER is a stand-up comedian, and the star of the Netflix TV series, Mo, which premiered in August of this year. Mo is loosely based on Mo AMER's life as a Palestinian refugee living in Houston, Texas.
• ACKEE (44A: Fruit in Jamaican cuisine) The ACKEE is a fruit native to tropical West Africa. The fruit was imported to Jamaica more than 450 years ago. The ACKEE is the national fruit of Jamaica. and is prominently used in Jamaican cuisine. The national dish of Jamaica is ACKEE and saltfish. The ACKEE has a thick red skin. When an ACKEE fruit ripens, it splits open, or "smiles." Unripened ACKEE is toxic, so it's important to allow the fruit to naturally ripen before using it.
• BUENA (1D: ___ Vista Social Club) BUENA Vista Social Club is a Cuban musical ensemble established in 1996. Their eponymous album released in 1997, became an international success, and sparked a revival of interest in Cuban music.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• WEATHER FORECAST (16A: Important information when making outdoor plans) This is a timely theme answer, because where I live, many people are watching the WEATHER FORECAST carefully, as a winter storm is predicted for later in the week. One WEATHER FORECAST I saw yesterday made me laugh, because is predicted we would get between one to 29 inches of snow. That's quite a range! Today's WEATHER FORECAST gives a much calmer prediction of four to six inches.
• WEB CARTOONIST (48A: Producer of online panels) This is a fun clue, which misled me for quite some time as I tried to think about online webinars and such.
• EEL (68A: Its teeth might be cleaned by teams of shrimp) This is an interesting fact. There is a species of shrimp commonly known as cleaner shrimp, that clean parasites off of other organisms. These shrimp have a symbiotic relationship with fish, including the EEL. The shrimp congregate in teams, and will clean the entire body of the fish, including its teeth. We have had a number of EEL sightings in the puzzle recently, (both singular and plural). 
• YEUN (69A: Actor Steven) I learned about Steven YEUN earlier this year. Steven YEUN will star with Ali Wong in an upcoming Netflix TV series, Beef, about two people who become obsessed with a road rage incident.
• HER (8D: "How Stella Got ___ Groove Back") How Stella Got HER Groove Back is a 1996 novel by Terry McMillan, which was adapted into a movie of the same name in 1998. And this clue is "How Stella Got HER Name in HER puzzle." Well done.
• HACK (10D: Trick that makes life easier) I have a life HACK related to the holiday season. All of our presents are wrapped in reusable fabric bags (that I made years ago) and tied up with ribbon. Wrapping presents is so easy, and the clean up afterward is a breeze as well.
• TESLA (12D: Inventor Nikola) I have previously written about Nikola TESLA. 
• MEOW (38D: "Change my litter, please") Well, how did Stella know that this particular task is on

  

  Nose-to-nose with Willow

  
  my to-do list today? Willow often communicates with a MEOW, but she will also get right up in my face when she has something to tell me, so we can see nose-to-nose. 

Geography review:

• TUNISIA (13A: Northernmost African country) TUNISIA is on the northern coast of Africa (as the clue informs us). TUNISIA's neighbors are Algeria, to the west, and Libya to the southeast. The Mediterranean Sea borders TUNISIA to the north and northeast. The capital of TUNISIA is Tunis.
• DOVER (45A: Delaware's capital) DOVER is the second-largest city in Delaware, following Wilmington. The state's capital is named after DOVER, Kent in England.
• CUBA (53A: Caribbean's largest island) The island of CUBA, Isla de la Juventud, and several smaller islands comprise the country of CUBA. The island of Cuba is located in the northern part of the Caribbean Sea, and with an area of just under 41,000 square miles, it is, as the clue informs us, the Caribbean's largest island. The second largest island in the Caribbean (just under 30,000 square miles) is Hispaniola, which is home to Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
• ROME (66A: Non-Spanish city with Spanish Steps) The Spanish Steps in ROME, Italy begin at the Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Square), and lead up to the Trinità die Monti, a Roman Catholic church and monastery. The Piazza di Spagna, one of the most famous squares in Rome, is the location of the Embassy of Spain to the Holy See. The Trinità die Monti and its surrounding area are property of France. So to recap, the Spanish Steps, located in ROME, Italy, link a Spanish Embassy and a French church. There are 135 steps and three terraces in the Spanish Steps. Here's another fun fact: There are also Spanish Steps in Washington, D.C., named after the more famous landmark in ROME.

This puzzle has left-right mirror symmetry. It's symmetrical around a vertical axis down the center of the puzzle. This type of symmetry allows for theme answers of different lengths, in this case, 15-, 11-, and 13-letters. Mirror symmetry grids often result in fun shapes that, to me, resemble a face, or ears, or boots. Thank you, Stella, for this puzzle, that was a delightful way to begin my Tuesday.