January 7, 2024

Title: SEE YOU!

Constructor: Bruce Haight

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

CARRIE UNDERWOOD (16A: First country artist to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart)

CREDIT UNION (34A: Nonprofit lender)

COOKING UTENSILS (53A: Peelers, graters, whisks, spatulas, etc.)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer has the initials C.U., a homophone of SEE YOU!

• CARRIE UNDERWOOD
• CREDIT UNION
• COOKING UTENSILS

Things I learned:

• TWO (15D: Number of players needed for 7 Wonders Duel) The board game, 7 Wonders, was first published in 2010. It's a card drafting game featuring ancient civilizations. Players attempt to build a city and construct an architectural wonder. The original game is designed for three to seven players, but in 2015, a version of the game called 7 Wonders Duel was released. This version of the game is specifically designed for TWO players. Although I was previously familiar with this game, the word "duel" in the title of the game was a nice clue about how many players are needed.
• LULU (51D: "The Farewell" director Wang) The Farewell is a 2019 movie starring Awkwafina, Tai Ma, Diana Lin, and Zhao Shuzhen. The movie tells the story of an aspiring Chinese-American writer who maintains a close relationship with her paternal grandmother. Her grandmother has recently been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, but the family has made the decision to keep the diagnosis from her. LULU Wang not only directed the movie, but also wrote the screenplay, which is partially based on her experiences.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• CARRIE UNDERWOOD (16A: First country artist to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart) **Spoiler Alert!** CARRIE UNDERWOOD won the fourth season of the singing competition TV show, American Idol, in 2005. Her debut single that topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart was "Inside Your Heaven," released in June 2005. 
• AWW (21A: "Those kittens are adorable!!") and SIAMESE (13D: Shorthaired cat native to Thailand) The SIAMESE cat, known for its distinctive features – almond-shaped blue eyes, triangular ears, short hair, and slender body – is one of the most popular cat breeds in the world. AWW! Willow is not a kitten anymore, and she's not a SIAMESE cat,

  

  Adorable Willow

  but I do think she's adorable. She has good timing, too! Just as I was getting ready to write this entry, she jumped on my lap and decided to help me. So, I took this photo to share instead of the one I'd previously picked out. 
• MEL (24A: First name shared by two Spice Girls) Yesterday we saw a reference to GERI Halliwell-Horner, aka Ginger Spice. Today's Spice Girls mentions are MEL Brown, aka Scary Spice, and MEL Chisholm, aka Sporty Spice.
• BONE (32A: One of 206 in the adult human body) Hooray for science in the crossword! It's important that the clue mentions the "adult human body," because at birth, the human skeleton is composed of 270 BONEs. As people age, some of the BONEs fuse together, eventually resulting in 206 BONEs. 
• BLM (42A: Letters on some racial justice signs) It's always a good time to be reminded that Black Lives Matter (BLM).
• SADE (43A: "The Sweetest Taboo" singer) "The Sweetest Taboo" is a 1985 song by SADE. 
• DELI (59A: Place to get a hero) A hero is, of course, another name for a submarine sandwich. Knowing that, as I was solving I immediately filled in the correct answer of DELI. When I was reviewing the puzzle, this clue made me think of the Bonnie Tyler song, "Holding Out for a Hero," with the lyrics, "I need a hero / I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night..." It made me smile to think, "Well she should have gone to a DELI!" Sometimes the meanderings my mind takes are ... interesting. (Side note: Jennifer Saunders covered the song, "Holding Out for a Hero," for the 2004 movie Shrek 2.)
• ROOIBOS (10D: Herbal tea type) ROOIBOS is a red tea made from the leaves of the ROOIBOS plant. ROOIBOS is naturally caffeine-free. I figured out the correct answer here pretty quickly, but it took me a bit longer to remember how to correctly spell ROOIBOS.
• NOTRE (29D: ___ Dame) NOTRE Dame most commonly refers to the cathedral in Paris France, or the University of NOTRE Dame in NOTRE Dame, Indiana. There are many other churches named NOTRE Dame, including ones in Cambodia, Guadaloupe, and Luxembourg. There are also other cities and colleges named NOTRE Dame. The name "NOTRE Dame" translates to "Our Lady."
• BIRDS (32D: Creatures on Wingspan cards) I will always be happy to see a reference to the board game Wingspan. The drawings of the BIRDS on the Wingspan cards are excellent. The beautiful artwork is one of the many things that makes me a fan of this game. If you've missed my previous admiration of Wingspan, check out the post about the January 14, 2022 puzzle.
• LOS (56D: The "L" of UCLA) UCLA is the University of California, LOS Angeles. 

Geography review:

• GOD (30A: Mount Olympus resident) With an elevation of 9, 572 feet, Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece. In Greek mythology, Olympus was considered to be the home of the GODs. 
• IRELAND (36D: Country where flavored potato chips were invented) The European country of IRELAND is located on the island of IRELAND It shares the island with Northern IRELAND, which is part of the United Kingdom. The capital and largest city of IRELAND is Dublin. IRELAND is also, as the clue informs us, the country where flavored potato chips were invented. Isn't that fascinating? The potato chip itself was invented in New York. Legend has it that a customer at Moon's Lake House in Sarasota Springs kept returning their French fries complaining they were too thick and soft. The chef, George Crum, responded by slicing potatoes thinly and frying them until crisp, thus inventing the potato chip. Potato chips were originally sold unseasoned, with a packet of salt that could be poured over them. (Potato chips also led to the invention of the wax paper snack bag, sealed for freshness.) Tayto, a company in IRELAND, came up with the technology to add seasoning to the potato chips. The first potato chip flavors were Cheese and Onion and Salt n' Vinegar. The first potato chip flavors in the United States were Sour Cream and Onion and Barbecue. You just never know what fascinating tidbit of knowledge you'll learn from solving a crossword.

I play a game with myself each day when I solve the puzzle. I look at the title and try to deduce from it what the puzzle's theme is. Sometimes I win this game, and other times I am far from being correct. Today was quite satisfying, because as I read "SEE YOU!" I thought, "Oh, like C U! That's cute." Themes that require the title to be interpreted in a slightly different way are some of my favorites. In addition to the answers I've highlighted above, I also liked COOKIE (yum!), WELCOME HOME, TOOK A GANDER, and FLY SOLO. Thank you, Bruce, for this puzzle that was a stupendous way to start my Sunday.