September 13, 2023

Title: PEACE OUT

Constructor: Jess Shulman & Amanda Rafkin

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

PEANUT SAUCE (20A: Common satay topping)

PEAK PERFORMANCE (39A: Display of a person's absolute best)

PERSONAL SPACE (53A: What you might need more of if you ask someone to scoot over)

Theme synopsis: The word PEACE is found at the OUTside edges of each theme answer.

Things I learned:

• Random thoughts and interesting things:

• CDC (1A: Public health org. headquartered in Atlanta) This is a timely answer, as just yesterday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended an updated COVID-19 vaccine for everyone aged 6 months and older. I plan on getting this COVID-19 vaccine and my flu shot as soon as I can.
• ATE (17A: Enjoyed some eggs Benny) and PEANUT SAUCE (20A: Common satay topping) I'm out of my usual routine, and am blogging before eating breakfast. This puzzle has made me hungry! I'm not sure which of these dishes sounds better at the moment. Eggs Benedict, aka eggs Benny, consists of an English muffin topped with Canadian bacon, a poached egg, and hollandaise sauce. That sounds delicious, but I'm also a fan of satay (skewered, grilled meat) with Peanut Sauce. Yum. (The reality is that I will likely have oatmeal for breakfast, as I do most mornings. Oh well, I like that, too.)
• NEST (24A: Big Bird sleeps in one) In case you haven't noticed by now, Sesame Street clues always make me happy. Big Bird sleeps in a NEST large enough to accommodate this eight-foot two-inch tall Muppet character. Big Bird's NEST is located right next to Oscar the Grouch's trash can on Sesame Street. To operate Big Bird, a puppeteer inside the costume extends one of their arms over their head to hold Big Bird's neck and head. The Big Bird costume doesn't have any openings for the puppeteer to see out of, requiring the use of a small TV inside the suit for navigation. Carroll Spinney (1933-2019) portrayed Big Bird from his introduction in 1969 until 2015. Big Bird's puppeteer is now Matt Vogel. 
• TULANE (37A: New Orleans university) TULANE University is located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Writer N. K. Jemisin is a TULANE alum.
• MAISEL (58A: "The Marvelous Mrs. ___") The Marvelous Mrs. MAISEL is a TV series set in the 1950s and 1960s. Rachel Brosnahan plays the role of Mrs. MAISEL, who is pursuing a career in stand-up comedy.
• FLAT TIRES (5D: Woes that affect 220 million U.S. drivers each year) That's a lot of FLAT TIRES!  If these incidences were evenly distributed, that would be 602,739 FLAT TIRES each day, or approximately 7 FLAT TIRES per second. To decrease the chance of being one of the drivers experiencing FLAT TIRES this year, have your car's TIRES checked and rotated and check the TIRE pressure on a regular basis. 
• REBA (7D: McEntire with 24 No. 1 hits) REBA McEntire's first number one hit (on the U.S. Country chart) was "Can't Even Get the Blues," released in 1982. REBA McEntire's most recent number one hit (on the U.S. Christian chart) was "Back to God" in 2017.
• CHICO (8D: Topo ___ (sparkling mineral water)) As I uncovered this answer with help from crossing answers, I thought, "Hmm, I've never heard of Topo CHICO." However, when I went to write about it, I discovered that isn't quite true, since I "learned" about this Mexican mineral water brand just a few weeks ago. Perhaps I have actually learned it this time!
• MILA (26D: "Luckiest Girl Alive" actress Kunis) Luckiest Girl Alive is a 2022 Netflix movie. MILA Kunis portrays Tiffani "Ani" Fanelli, a successful twenty-something woman who is struggling with trauma from past events. When MILA Kunis received the script for Luckiest Girl Alive, it seemed vaguely familiar. That's when she realized she'd read Jessica Knoll's 2015 book on which the movie is based.

Geography review:

• STL (35A: First U.S. city to host the Olympic Games) The 1904 Summer Olympics were held in St. Louis (STL), Missouri. St. Louis was the first non-European city to host the Olympic Games. Fun Fact: It was at the 1904 Olympics that the current medal format - gold, silver and bronze for first, second, and third - was introduced. 
• INCAN (33D: Like many Peruvian ruins) From the mid-1400s to mid-1500s, the South American country now known as Peru was part of the INCAN Empire. After the fall of the INCAN Empire, the area was under Spanish Rule, and known as the Kingdom of Peru. The country of Peru has been independent since 1824. 
• ASTI (55D: Italian wine region) The sparkling white Italian wine known as ASTI is produced in the northwestern part of Italy, in the area around the towns of ASTI and Alba. ASTI wine is made from the Moscato Bianco grape, and is sweet and relatively low in alcohol content.

PEACE OUT! Three excellent theme answers at work in this classic USA Today theme type. I also enjoyed the answers: TRANSLATE, CLEAN SLATE, and I'M FINE. Any day is a great day for a DANCE PARTY. Congratulations to Jess Shulman making her USA Today crossword debut! Thank you Jess and Amanda, for this puzzle that was a fabulous way to start my Wednesday.