October 19, 2023

Title: THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

Constructor: Enrique Henestroza Anguiano

Editor: Anna Gundlach

Theme Answers:

URSA MINOR (20A: Constellation also known as the Little Dipper)

ALWAYS BE MY BABY (37A: Mariah Carey hit with the line "Our love will never end, no")

SONIC YOUTH (53A: Rock band that featured Kim Gordon on bass)

Theme synopsis: The RIGHT-most word of each theme answer is a synonym for KID. The KIDS that ARE ALL RIGHT are a MINOR, a BABY, and a YOUTH.

Things I learned:

• SONIC YOUTH (53A: Rock band that featured Kim Gordon on bass) SONIC YOUTH was a rock band that was active from 1981-2011. Kim Gordon was one of the bands founding members. She played bass and guitar, and sang.
• BYERS (66A: Will, Jonathan and Joyce's last name on "Stranger Things") Stranger Things is a Netflix TV series about a small town dealing with a hostile alternate dimension. Although I have not seen Stranger Things, I have written about the show several times previously. Most of the previous Stranger Things clues we have seen have been about the character Eleven, a young girl with psychokinetic abilities, who is portrayed by Millie Bobby Brown. I did once mention Joyce BYERS, but apparently the name of BYERS did not stick with me. This is all to say that I relied on the help of crossing answers to come up with the last name of Will BYERS (Noah Schnapp), Jonathan BYERS (Charlie Heaton), and Joyce BYERS (Winona Ryder). Will and Jonathan are brothers, and Joyce is their mother.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• URSA MINOR (20A: Constellation also known as the Little Dipper) URSA MINOR is a constellation consisting of seven stars, the brightest of which is the north pole star, Polaris. In Latin, URSA MINOR means "Little Bear," which is another name used for the constellation.
• ALWAYS BE MY BABY (37A: Mariah Carey hit with the line "Our love will never end, no") "ALWAYS BE MY BABY" is a 1996 song by Mariah Carey, from her album, Daydream. Mariah Carey recorded a new version of "ALWAYS BE MY BABY" in 2021, which was used in the HBO Max animated TV special, The Runaway Bunny (based on Margaret Wise Brown's children's book of the same name).
• SUI (41A: Fashion designer Anna) I have previously written about fashion designer Anna SUI.
• SHED (68A: Lose fur) I know I have said it before, but it always amazes me just how much fur an animal can SHED. Fortunately, the cooler weather means we're moving out of

  

  Willow checking the grid

  shedding season, though the shedding never completely stops, just slows down. Willow was delighted to see this answer today, as it's been a little bit since we've had a cat reference in the puzzle. (Okay, this isn't specifically a cat reference, but notice I've turned it into one!) Here's a photo of Willow checking the puzzle for cat references.
• BALLOONS (40D: What Carl used to move his house in "Up") What a delightful clue! If you didn't know this answer, please watch Pixar's 2009 animated movie, Up, as soon as possible. Ed Asner voices the character of Carl Fredrickson, a widower and retired BALLOON salesman.
• LOVER (49D: "I Wanna Be Your ___" (Prince hit)) "I Wanna Be Your LOVER" is a 1979 song by Prince. It was the lead single from the album, Prince, and hit number one on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart.
• NINE (55D: Number of Enneagram types) The Enneagram is a model for discussing types of personalities. According to the model, there are NINE dominant personality types. Part of my personality is that I like data, and that extends to liking personality tests. I recognize the limitations of the tests (humans don't fit neatly into categories), but enjoy the insights gained from each approach. I am an Enneagram 1. Anyone that is familiar with the Enneagram and knows me, will not be surprised by this result at all.
• TIDE (57D: "A rising ___ lifts all boats") "A rising TIDE lifts all boats." This is a saying I use fairly often. I have thought of it recently in relation to crossword puzzles, in fact. There are multiple venues for crossword puzzles at the moment, and I think this is fabulous. We all benefit from an overall increased interest in crosswords.

Geography review:

• NEPAL (28A: Himalayan country) and YAK (33A: Himalayan ox) The Himalayas are a mountain range in Asia that abut or cross five countries: NEPAL, China, Pakistan, Bhutan, and India. Approximately 75% of NEPAL is located in the Himalayas. The capital of NEPAL is Kathmandu. It was fun to see the YAK clue soon after the Nepal clue. YAKs, which are related to cattle and bison, are found throughout the Himalayas.
• ETNA (30A: Sicilian volcano) Mount ETNA is an active volcano on the east coast of Sicily, an Italian island located in the Mediterranean Sea. Here's an interesting thing I learned today about Mt. ETNA: this summer the volcano has been producing smoke rings. The rings, made of smoke, steam, and volcanic gases, are released from vents in the volcano, and can remain airborne for several minutes. I encourage you to take a moment to enjoy photos of Mt. ETNA's smoke rings.
• OHIO (62A: The Buckeye State) OHIO's nickname of "The Buckeye State" comes from the OHIO Buckeye trees that grow across the state. The buckeye tree produces brown nut-like seeds that are round and have a lighter-colored circle on one side. Some people believe if you carry a buckeye in your pocket it will bring you good luck.
• EMIR (8D: Qatari ruler) Qatar is a country on the northeastern coast of the Arabian peninsula in Western Asia. The hereditary EMIR of Qatar is currently Tamim bin Hamad. The Qatari EMIR holds all executive and legislative authority, and controls the judiciary system.

I enjoyed the slight tweak of the title of the 1966 song by the Who, "THE KIDS ARE Alright," to make this theme: THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT. Thank you, Enrique, for this puzzle that was a great way to start my Thursday.