June 9, 2023

Title: VET CENTER

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

I HAVE TO GO (16A: "Can't stay!")

LEAVE TOWN (31A: Get outta Dodge)

OLIVE TREE (48A: It's branch symbolizes peace)

DRIVE TIME (64A: Rush hour, to broadcasters)

Theme synopsis: The word VET is found at the exact CENTER of each theme answer.

Things I learned:

• ARIA (37A: Guanqun Yu solo) and OPERA (53A: 37-Across show) Guanqun Yu is an OPERA singer from China that performs worldwide. I noticed she will be performing in Don Giovanni at the Los Angeles OPERA in September and October of this year. I am positive she will sing an ARIA.
• ELTON (49D: NBA exec Brand) ELTON Brand is the general manager of NBA's Philadelphia 76ers. He is a former NBA player. During his playing career he played for the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, and Atlanta Hawks.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• OWLS (5A: Birds in a battle in Hawaiian legend) In Hawaiian legend, the "Battle of the OWLS" is a story about a man that collected an OWL'S eggs from its nest. The OWL asked for its eggs back, and the man (eventually) returned them. The OWL then told the man to build an altar, which ultimately resulted in the man being arrested for building an altar before the king built his altar. When the man was arrested and sentenced to be put to death, OWLS came and fought the king's army. You can read a longer (and better told!) version of the legend here. 
• CAR (38A: Decepticon in disguise) In the Transformers franchise, a Decepticon is a robotic lifeform that can disguise itself in an alternate form, such as a CAR. The Decepticons are the antagonists of the Transformers franchise.
• ANN (42A: "The Dutch House" author Patchett) The Dutch House is a 2019 novel by ANN Patchett. The book tells the story of a brother and sister. The mansion they grow up in is known as the Dutch House.
• DELETE (45A: Remove from the comments section) This answer / clue pair is timely, as I recently made the decision to DELETE a comment from one of my blog posts. This happens occasionally. Often the comments I DELETE are spam, obviously generated by bots. I made the decision early on in my blogger journey that I wanted the comments section to be a kind place, as I strive for the blog to be. You are, of course, allowed to disagree with my opinions in the comments section! But please do so kindly. Also, I allow anonymous comments - mostly because I know Blogger can be cantankerous about posting comments and some people have difficulty getting it to post using their name. That being said, if an anonymous comment is designed to provoke or shame, it's likely I will DELETE it.
• TAO (56A: ___ Te Ching) The TAO Te Ching is a fundamental text for Taoism.
• EDIE (69A: "Nurse Jackie" star Falco) Nurse Jackie, as you might expect from its title, is a medical TV series. The show originally aired from 2009-2015 on Showtime. EDIE Falco played the title character.
• WOO (6D: "Red Cliff" director John) John WOO is a film director, producer, and screenwriter known for his highly chaotic action sequences. His directorial credits include the two-part epic war film, Red Cliff (2008-2009). The movie is based on events at the end of the Chinese Han dynasty.
• ATP (9D: WTA's counterpart) The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) is the governing body of men's professional tennis. WTA is the Women's Tennis Association. I learned about these organizations when they both appeared in the February 26, 2023 puzzle. 
• EVA (44D: Broadway star Noblezada) I learned about EVA Noblezada from the October 5, 2020 puzzle. EVA Noblezada is currently starring on Broadway as Eurydice in the musical Hadestown, a role for which she won a Broadway.com Audience Choice Award for Favorite Leading Actress in a Musical.
• ARAB (55A: Word before "Spring" or "League") ARAB Spring refers to a series of protests and pro-democracy uprisings that occurred in the ARAB world in the early 2010s. The ARAB League is an organization of ARAB countries. 

Geography review:

• MEI (22A: ___guo (Chinese name for America)) MEIguo, the Chinese name for the U.S., means "the beautiful country." 
• EMIR (60A: Head of state in Kuwait) Kuwait is a country in Western Asia. Located on the Persian Gulf, Kuwait borders Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Kuwait is an Emirate; the country's current EMIR is Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

A straightforward theme today. As I noted above, I appreciate the fact that the word VET appears in the exact CENTER of each theme answer. It's also a nice bonus that VET appears across a word break in each answer. And the part of my brain that admires symmetry is elated by the fact that all of the theme answers are nine letters long, making the non-VET / VET / non-VET pattern 3-3-3. Thank you, Zhouqin, for this puzzle that was an excellent way to start my Friday.
Today is this blog’s birthday – SALLY’S TAKE is three years old today! As has become my tradition, I’ve compiled some thoughts and data to share with you to celebrate my third year of blogging. I do like data, and as you have surely noticed, I have lot of thoughts!

The third year of SALLY’S TAKE by the numbers:

• 3 = Goals. This number has remained the same since I began writing this blog. My goals for the blog are for it to be Informational, Conversational, and Kind. Yes, these are my ICK goals. The acronym was unintentional, but when I realized it I was amused, so now I try to avoid being ICK by adhering to my ICK goals! Hopefully I’ve succeeded this year.
• 365 = Puzzles. The 365 USA Today crosswords during the third year of SALLY’S TAKE were constructed by 45 different constructors. (That compares to 39 constructors in year one of the blog, and 58 in the second year.) Zhouqin “C.C.” Burnikel constructed an impressive 85 puzzles for the USA Today this past year. Thirteen constructors made their USA Today debut in the past year: Rena Cohen, Li Ding, Scott Earl, Bonnie Eisenman, Anna Gundlach, Bruce Haight, May Huang, Nijah Morris, Emet Ozar, Kavin Pawittranon, Jimmy Peniston, Tom Pepper, and Nancy Serrano Wu. Anna Gundlach also made her USA Today editorial debut on September 27, 2022. This past year, 63% of the puzzles were by women and nonbinary constructors. There were 54 puzzles this past year that were collaborations by two constructors, and one that was a collaboration among three constructors. That’s 15% of the total puzzles that were a collaborative effort. Brooke Husic maintained her title as the “Queen of Collaboration,” as she was one of the constructors on 20 of the 55 collaborative puzzles. I am grateful to all 45 of the constructors for making puzzles that were delightful to write about!
• 5118 = Answers highlighted. The 5118 unique answers I’ve highlighted during the past year range alphabetically from A LA MODE to ZOOMS.
• 128 = CAT mentions. Have you noticed I talk about CATS frequently? My CAT,

  

  Willow

  Willow, and I have a deal that requires me to highlight the word CAT anytime it appears in the puzzle – either as an answer or as part of a clue. Other times, I simply manage to talk about CATS because I like them. CAT has been mentioned in some manner in 35% of this year’s posts. (That compares to 13% of posts in year one, and 31% in year two. I like this trend!) This past year also saw the arrival of a new page on the blog. CATS+, featuring the CATS OF SALLY’S TAKE as well as a few dogs and a guinea pig, debuted on July 12, 2022. It’s been fun featuring the pets of readers and constructors. If your pet would like to have its photo on the blog, see the invitation on the CATS+ page! As you can see, Willow takes her job as SALLY’S TAKE mascot seriously.
• 1 = Contest. This past year saw the first ever SALLY’S TAKE contest. Neville Fogarty was the winner of a SALLY’S TAKE mug. Will there be more contests in the future? Perhaps if I can think up another one…
• 30 = ERIE appearances. Once again, our crossword friend ERIE was the definite leader in blog / puzzle appearances. However, we saw ERIE fewer times this year than in my first (38) and second (45) years of blogging. ASIA, with 17 appearances this year, came in second, just beating out OREO, with 16 appearances, and ARAB, with 15 appearances. Perhaps this is a good time to mention that

  

  Eating an OREO by Lake ERIE

  in April I visited ERIE, Pennsylvania, and marked the occasion by eating an OREO on the shore of Lake ERIE!
• 16 = Posts by guest bloggers. I am extremely thankful for Shannon Rapp (5), Kelsey Dixon (4), Matthew Stock (3), Brooke Husic (2), Mollie Cowger (1), and Erica Hsiung Wojcik (1) for filling in over the past year so I could have some time off. 
• Too many to count = Delightful moments. Writing this blog continues to bring me many moments of joy. As long as that’s true, I’ll continue to show up and write about the USA Today crossword every day. 

Special thanks to Erik Agard, Amanda Rafkin, and Anna Gundlach for their amazing editing of the puzzles over the past year. I have no official ties to the USA Today, and am thankful to the editing team for their support of the blog.
Of course, my biggest thanks are for you, the readers! Whether you read the blog daily or just occasionally, I’m grateful. I love hearing from you, so feel free to reach out at any time, whether it’s in the comments, on Twitter, or by email.
As has become our tradition, my husband and I are celebrating the blog’s birthday by eating cake. We had to get creative this year, because I realized that today I would be on the road traveling with my mom. So my husband and I celebrated early with a B(lueberry) LOG roll cake, and I brought a couple of pieces along so my mom and I could celebrate today. Happy 3rd birthday, SALLY’S TAKE!