July 22, 2023

Title: OH GEEZ

Constructor: Amanda Rafkin

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

DOGGY DAYCARES (20A: Places for pups to hang with other pups while you're away)

HOGGED THE BALL (38A: Refused to pass)

SAFETY GOGGLES (57A: Chemist's eyewear)

GROGGY (21D: Tired and out of it)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer contains the letter pattern -OGG-, an O and 2 Gs, or OH GEEZ.

Things I learned:

• ALI (22D: Soccer great Krieger) ALI Krieger played on the U.S. Women's national soccer team during the 2011, 2015, and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cups, and for the 2016 Summer Olympics. ALI Krieger currently plays soccer for the National Women's Soccer League's (NWSL's) NJ/NY Gotham FC. She has announced that she will retire at the end of this season. This is a timely answer, because although ALI Krieger isn't on this year's team, the FIFA Women's World Cup is currently underway in Australia and New Zealand. Team USA defeated Vietnam 3-0, in their first game, played today.
• TYLER (55D: "Psychobabble" co-host Oakley) TYLER Oakley is a YouTuber, activist, and Twitch streamer. Since 2014, TYLER Oakley and his best friend, Korey Kuhl, have hosted a podcast called Psychobabble, "a half hour of unfiltered gossip sessions, pop culture scrutiny, and stories never told before."

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• HIS (1A: "___ Name is George Floyd" (Pulitzer Prize-winning book)) Washington Post journalists Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction for their book, HIS Name is George Floyd: One Man's Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice. Using the life of George Floyd, and his murder by a police officer, as a lens, the book examines racism in the United States.
• A LA (17A: Arroz ___ cubana) Arroz A LA cubana is a rice dish that originated in Cuba, and typically consists of white rice, tomato sauce, and a fried egg. The dish often includes a fried plantain as well.
• BROS (25A: Einstein ___ Bagels) Einstein BROS. Bagels is a retail chain specializing in bagels and coffee. 
• MELISSA (48A: ___ Schemmenti ("Abbott Elementary" character) Abbott Elementary is a mockumentary TV series created by Quinta Brunson. The show focuses on a group of educators in the Philadelphia public school system. Lisa ANN Walter plays the role of second-grade teacher Melissa Schemmenti.
• POETS (65A: Claudia Rankine and Terrance Hayes, e.g.) I have previously written about POETS Claudia Rankine and Terrance Hayes. 
• HEADEY (1D: "Imagine Me & You" actress Lena) Imagine Me & You is a 2005 rom-com about a relationship between two women who meet on the day one of the women is getting married (to a man). Lena HEADEY portrays Luce, and Piper Perabo plays the role of Rachel. I learned about Lena HEADEY, who also portrays Cersei Lannister on Game of Thrones, from the July 13, 2020 puzzle.
• ASMR (8D: Tingle-inducing video genre (Abbr.)) ASMR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response, and refers to a tingling sensation beginning at the scalp and moving down the back of the neck and the spine. ASMR may be triggered by auditory or visual stimuli, and some people are more susceptible to the experience. There are millions of YouTube videos designed to induce ASMR.
• IDA (11D: ___ B. Wells-Barnett) I wrote about journalist IDA B. Wells-Barnett last month. 
• LABEL (32D: "Once you ___ me, you negate me") "Once you LABEL me, you negate me," is a quote from Danish theologian and philosopher Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855). I enjoyed reading this essay, "Does Labeling Me Really Negate Me?", which explores the meaning of this quote and discusses the difference between a LABEL and an identity.
• HIKE (38D: Walk you might bring trekking poles on) I am a fan of my trekking poles! My family likes them too, as I am clumsy and they help keep me safe. When I HIKE, I often take a photo of my poles, and I affectionately refer to each of these photos as "ODE to my hiking poles."

  

  ODE to my hiking poles

  This particular ODE photo was taken in the Grand Canyon.
• ODES (59D: Many Sharon Olds poems) Pulitzer-Prize winning POET Sharon Olds has written many ODES, including her 2016 poetry collection titled ODES, and "ODE of Girls' Things." If you're looking for a delightful listen today, in 2019 Sharon Olds was a guest on "On Being with Krista Tippett" (or you can read the transcript, as I did).

Geography review:

• SWEDE (16A: Stockholm native) Stockholm is the capital and largest city of Sweden. The city of Stockholm is located on 14 islands at the point where Lake Mälaren flows into the Baltic Sea.
• LIBYA (42A: Tripoli's country) LIBYA is a country in North Africa. Its northern border is along the Mediterranean Sea. Tripoli is the capital and largest city of LIBYA. Tripoli is located in the northwest part of LIBYA, along the Mediterranean coast.
• YEMEN (66A: Country south of Saudi Arabia) YEMEN is located on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, south of Saudi Arabia, and west of Oman. The capital of YEMEN is Sanaa.
• LOS (42D: ___ Angeles) LOS Angeles, California is the second-most populous city in the United States, after New York City. Nicknames of LOS Angeles include "City of Angels," "The Entertainment Capital of the World," and "La-la-land."

When I opened up today's puzzle, I laughed. Following yesterday's GEEZ puzzle, today we have OH GEEZ - absolutely perfect! I especially liked discovering the bonus theme answer, GROGGY. I'd already uncovered the three main theme answers, and as I was typing in the answer "GROGGY," I had a nice "Aha!" moment realizing it fit the theme pattern. Thank you, Amanda, for this puzzle that was a delightful way to start my Saturday.