February 25, 2023

Title: WE'RE GETTING THERE

Constructor: Kate Chin Park

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

THICK AND THIN (19A: What a loyal friend will be with you through)

THEATER KID (28A: Drama club member)

THERAPY DOG (44A: Pet providing anxiety relief)

THE REAL WORLD (51A: MTV show where strangers sharing a house have their lives taped)

Theme synopsis: Progressing down through the grid, the word THERE is being built at the beginning of the theme answers.

Things I learned:

• THE REAL WORLD (51A: MTV show where strangers sharing a house have their lives taped) THE REAL WORLD first aired in 1992, and ran on MTV until 2017, making it the longest-running MTV show. In 2019 the show was revived and aired on Facebook Watch. Each season of the show was filmed in a different city. In 2021, a spin-off called THE REAL WORLD: Homecoming reunited the cast of a previous season. The premise of the show is nicely summed up by the opening narration used in the first 28 season of THE REAL WORLD (voiced by the housemates): "This is the true story...of seven strangers...picked to live in a house...(work together) and have their lives taped...to find out what happens...when people stop being polite...and start getting REAL...THE REAL WORLD."

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• PUMAS (1A: Big cats also called cougars) and EAR (49A: Pointy feature of a cat) Not just one, but two cat clues today. That's a good day by Willow's standards.

  

  Willow with EAR on full alert

  Willow helped me write the blog today, as she often does. As you can see, her pointy EAR was in full listening mode. 
• CHI (6A: "The ___" (Showtime series)) The CHI is a TV series about life on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. I learned about The CHI earlier this month when I wrote about Jacob Latimore, who stars in the show along with Jason Mitchell, Ntare Guam Mbaho Mwine, and Alex Hibbert.
• SHIBA (13A: ___ Inu (dog breed)) and THERAPY DOG (44A: Pet providing anxiety relief) A couple of clues for dog-lovers today, too. SHIBA Inu is a Japanese breed of hunting dog characterized by long, thick fur, pointed EARs, and tails that curl. A THERAPY DOG is one that has gone through special training to provide comfort and support to people. I found a number of articles explaining why a SHIBA Inu would not make a good THERAPY DOG, but I also found this article explaining that SHIBA Inu can be trained as THERAPY DOGs. I'm guessing it might depend on the particular SHIBA Inu's temperament.
• SUMAC (16A: Tangy spice in za'atar) Za'atar is a spice mixture associated with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. The mixture contains sesame seeds, SUMAC, and a variety of other spices. SUMAC is a tangy, crimson spice that is the ground dried fruits of the SUMAC plant.
• NBD (39A: "Don't worry, it's cool," in a text) NBD = no big deal.
• ANISE (61A: Absinthe flavoring, whose letter are all in absinthe) Absinthe is an ANISE-flavoured spirit that has a natural green color (though some absinthes are colorless). In addition to ANISE, fennel is also used in the production of absinthe. The ANISE and fennel give absinthe a hint of black licorice flavor.
• LIN (10D: Maya who designed the wall memorializing American deaths in Vietnam) Maya LIN won a design competition to be selected as the architect to design the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. I have previously written about some of Maya LIN's other works, including The Wave Field and Ghost Forest.
• HENRY (29D: "Barry" actor Winkler) The title character of the TV drama series, Barry, is a hitman from Los Angeles, portrayed by Bill Hader. Barry travels to Los Angeles for a job, and finds himself an acting class taught by HENRY Winkler's character, Gene.
• RIRI (55D: "Lift Me Up" singer, to fans) Rihanna, known as RIRI to fans, released the song, "Lift Me Up," in October of 2022. The song is from the soundtrack of the 2022 movie, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Geography review:

• RICA (15A: Costa ___) Costa RICA is a Central American country that lies between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Its neighbors are Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the southeast. The capital of Costa RICA is San José.
• ASIA (62A: Tibet's continent) The region of Tibet, in East ASIA, is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Located in the Himalayan mountains, Tibet is Earth's highest region, and has an average elevation of 14,000 feet. 
• RENO (66A: Nevada city where parts of "Sister Act" take place) In the 1992 movie, Sister Act, Whoopi Goldberg portrays Deloris Wilson, a lounge singer working in RENO, Nevada. After Deloris witnesses her boyfriend, Vince, execute an informant, she is placed in witness protection, and the action moves to a convent in San Francisco. Later in the movie, when Deloris is kidnapped by Vince's gang, the action moves back to RENO.
• PIERRE (24D: Capital of South Dakota) With a population just above 14,000, PIERRE is the second-least populous U.S. capital. (The least populated state capital is Montpelier, Vermont, population just over 8,000.) PIERRE, South Dakota is also one of just four U.S. capitals that are not served by the U.S. Interstate Highway System. The other three capitals not on an interstate are Juneau, Alaska; Dover, Delaware; and Jefferson City, Missouri.

Well, this is fun...yesterday we were EN ROUTE, and today WE'RE GETTING THERE! I wonder if we'll arrive tomorrow, or if we have a few more stops to make along the way? Time will tell. I enjoyed today's theme. I enjoyed this build-a-word theme, which is a theme type we only see occasionally. A couple of clues that made me laugh today: MIMI (3D: Apt-sounding name for a selfish person) and ICY HOT (8D: Oxymoronic pain relief brand). I also enjoyed PUPPY LOVE, and EASY MONEY. Thank you, Kate, for this puzzle that was a fantastic way to start my Saturday.