October 18, 2023

Title: CORE MEMORY

Constructor: Rebecca Goldstein

Editor: Kelsey Dixon

Theme Answers:

NOT FOR A MOMENT (12A: At no time ever)

EXTRA MAYO (30A: Request in a deli sandwich order)

TAMERA MOWRY (50A: "Sister, Sister" star)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer has a CORE of RAM, which stands for Random-Access MEMORY.

Things I learned:

• MEG (45A: "___ 2: The Trench" (supershark movie)) MEG 2: The Trench is a movie that was released earlier this year. It is based on Steve Allen's 1999 book, The Trench, and is the sequel to the 2018 movie, The MEG. The MEG in the title is short for Megaladon, a species of shark (now extinct except in the movies). "The Trench" refers to the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean.
• CAMEO (5D: Ed Sheeran's "Game of Thrones" appearance, e.g.) Although the answer here was inferable, I haven't watched Game of Thrones, so didn't previously know about Ed Sheeran's CAMEO in the first episode of season 7. (This is the second time in two days I've had to admit to not watching Game of Thrones. Does this mean anything?) Ed Sheeran was as one of a group of Lannister soldiers sitting around a campfire. The CAMEO was intended as a surprise for Maisie Williams, who portrays Arya Stark and is an Ed Sheeran fan. The CAMEO apparently didn't go over well with some Game of Thrones fans. 
• CEO (40D: Jacqueline Hernandez, for New Majority Ready) New Majority Ready is a marketing and content development firm founded by Jacqueline Hernández in 2019. In addition to being its founder, Jacqueline Hernández serves as the CEO for New Majority Ready. The company helps businesses and brands develop strategies to succeed in an "increasingly inclusive world where identity, purpose, and values have never been more prominent."

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• AORTA (10A: Major artery) The AORTA is the largest artery in the human body. It exits the left ventricle of the heart, and its branches distribute oxygenated blood throughout the body. 
• SKI (19A: Compete like Mikaela Shiffrin) Mikaela Shiffrin competes in alpine SKI events. In the 2023 season, she won her 88th World Cup race, making her the record holder for World Cup wins by any alpine skier. Mikaela Shiffrin has two decals on the back of her racing helmet. The first is the initials ABFTTB, which stands for "Always Be Faster Than The Boys." The other decal says, "Be nice. Think first. Have fun."
• TAHINI (27A: Sesame seed-based condiment) TAHINI is essentially ground toasted sesame seed. You might think of it as sesame seed butter. TAHINI is a main ingredient in hummus and baba ghanouj. A couple of months ago I made a big batch of hummus. After I'd made it I realized I'd forgotten to put the TAHINI in! We dubbed it "chickpea dip" instead of hummus, and it was okay, but I would not recommend this omission. It was definitely not one of those happy accidents that led to a wonderful new discovery.
• TAMERA MOWRY (50A: "Sister, Sister" star) When you read this clue, did you think, "Oh, I just read the answer to this on Sally's Take yesterday? Yesterday we saw the answer TIA clued as ["Sister, Sister" sister], and I wrote, "Identical twins, Tia and TAMERA MOWRY, play identical twin sisters, Tia Landry and TAMERA Campbell, on the TV show, Sister, Sister." I promise this was a coincidence, but I like that it makes me appear to be omniscient!
• HOODS (6D: Parts of some sweatshirts) I solve the puzzle fairly soon after I wake up each morning, and sometimes I make mistakes that are probably due to not being quite fully awake. Here, for instance, I had the HO___ when I encountered this clue, and I confidently filled in "HOLES" as [Parts of some sweatshirts]. I mean, in my defense, I'm sure that's true...
• NOKIA (12D: The ___ Brick (allegedly indestructible cellphone)) In the 2000s, NOKIA phones, in particular the NOKIA 3310, became known as "brick phones" for their virtual indestructibility. There have been numerous memes about the indestructible NOKIA Brick, dubbed "The Terminator of cellphones."
• GEN X (20D: Demographic group of many Zoomer's parents) Generation Z, shortened to GEN Z and colloquially known as Zoomers, are the demographic group of those born between the mid-1990s and the early 2000's. GEN X refers to those born between the mid-1960s to the early 1980s. My daughter is a Zoomer. And, bearing witness to the truth of this clue, I am part of GEN X. Our family of four represents four different demographic groups: Baby Boomer, GEN X, GEN Y (millennials), and GEN Z!
• RAE (31D: President Barbie actress Issa) In my opinion, Issa RAE was fabulous as President Barbie in the Barbie movie.

Geography review:

• CHI (54D: Ho ___ Minh City, Vietnam) Hồ CHÍ Minh City is the most populous city in Vietnam. It is named after Hồ CHÍ Minh (1890-1969), who was the president of Vietnam from 1945 until his death in 1969. Until 1976, the city was known as Saigon (Sài Gòn), a name still commonly used to refer to the city's central urban district.

This is a great theme. This puzzle has left-right mirror symmetry, a choice I appreciate, as it allows the RAMs to line up exactly in the center (or CORE) of the puzzle. I liked the clue for SNORE (3D: Fitting rhyme for "bore"). I also enjoyed the entries HOT TUB, ANORAK, I'M HYPED, GET LOST, and IT'LL BE FUN. Thank you, Rebecca, for this puzzle that was a wonderful way to start my Wednesday.