Cryptically Mitzi Day Aug 28 - September 1

Sunday to Wednesday. A stretch of some four days. I did the bulk of the Monday 'Omega' but was not able to crack some of those pesky cryptics embedded with the rest. I did get some great clues out, explained below (after this disclaimer!)

Cryptic crosswords are like yoga: if your mind isn't in the right place of stillness, you will topple over. My mind has been busy at work, so much so that even when I did try my cryptic crossword in the past few mornings, I literally could not balance on the cyrptic beam. Added to that, I have a funny excuse - Dylan Moran. I went to hear the Irish comedian on Tuesday night. His performance was brilliant and his manner with the audience is respectful and generous.

A night at the opera following northern style Chinese dumplings tied up my Wednesday night. I am finally home and able to concentrate on my crossword. No matter how hard on tried - on buses and trains in the past few days - nothing sank in. I could tell my concentration was at a weird ebb, because I lost my ATM card. Needless to say, I was in a furious funk of irritation as a result.

The Monday Omega contained a few clues with the word "converted".
eg Q Salacious in-flight society, converted
I knew the answer was related to The Mile High Club (wolf whistle!) but how? What is meant by 'converted'?
Answer: a conversion of measurements from American 'miles' to Aussie 'kilometres'...hence The One Point Six Kilometre High Club.

Same for the heavy rock industrial goth band Nine Inch Nails...who, 'converted', became 'twenty-three centimetre nails'.

Now that my brain has settled down, here are four clues from the Thursday mini.

Q Rides his bike around on the worst windstorms (8)
A cyclones
(cycle + cyclone)

Q Encroachment in the street (6)
A Inroad

Q Destiny, it's said, is a celebration (4)
A Fete
(Fate + fete)

Q Start off in the thing I ingested (8)
A initiate
(to initiate + ate/ingested!)

Mitzicryptic catchup

I have been crypticising diligently.

Here are some more accurate results of my efforts.

Q New piece of fiction (5)
A Novel

Q Meeting up once more on a French island (7)
A Reunion
(this relied on general knowledge; post-colonial island near Mauritius.)

Q Piggy friend to whom one writes (3-3)
A pen-pal

Q Reforms only in French city
A Lyon
(anagram of 'only'; gen knowledge of French geog required! plus, what's with the Frenchness? Bloody Dominic Strauss-Kahn.)

Just realised I have lost a cryptic (or mislabelled soemthing, somewhere) because I can't find the solutions for the "pen-pal" edition...oh well!

Onwards to 'Friday'.

Q Spotted area on Adriatic Coast (8)
A Dalmatia

Q After starters, be with her for choice language (6/2)
A Either/or (I mainly got this from the use of the / !)

This was my favourite.

Q Dusty whodunnit a welcome sight at a summer barbie? (ie Barbecue) (4, 4)
A cold case

Mitzicryptic August 27

3 clues from yesterday, and a couple from the day before. Many activities in meat-space have prevented me attended to the blogging part of the challenge, but I find it's good to prioritise 3-D activities and not become a slave drone to technology (said daucer-eyed with itching typing fingers.)

I am curious about how much cryptic crosswords rely on one's general knowledge beyond the vocab-knowledge that is concealed in the actual clue.

My recent reliance on Aussie slang was incorrect. While a "terrible blue" is related to fury', the clue simply needed me to mix up the letters in 'blue', at it to the letter "c", and think of a word related to 'cell'...the answer was CUBICLE (not 'century'...): it was not a cricket question.

Either way, from 'cubicle', I worked out another answer.

Q Bloke has right to be concealed (6)
A Covers
('cove' is old-fashioned cockney word for bloke)

Q Lubricates tablets in tanker's mishaps (3, 6)
A Oil Spills
(the tanker mishap was a bit of a giveaway, but the "tablets" reference is a synonym for 'pills'.)

Q Omen Sean misplaced for windflowers (8)
A Anemones
(my friend T used to have Japanese windflowers in a pot; it took me a while, and I would not have known anemones were the nerd name for windflowers, but I went with a gut instinct, seeing as the letters were 'misplaced', as you can see.)

Q Model in sleep ruined grinding tool (6)
A Pestle

Mitzicryptic Day August 24

Tackling cryptic xwords is a humbling pastime, because I reckon there are word nerds out there who must fly through it in a "Harry initially joined curry" (hurry).

Hence, I should not be mortified when I can only get 2.5 clues out of 3; well, I'm 99% sure of my aptness for number 3, but there's that doubtful niggle.

Q Captain has terrible blue about nearly a hundred in cell (7)
A Century
(cricket term - 100 runs; a "blue" in Aussie slang is a fight/row, ie fury (rhymes with tury....I think I got there: I'm suspicious of the "nearly a hundred" part - which refers to "ce" in cell, but could be something I've missed.)

The next two are worry free!

Q Twin flags reveal flexibility of principles. (6, 9)
A DOUBLE STANDARDS!
(I was quite proud of this one.)

Q Diplomacy of South American City read to those misbehaving badly (4, 3)
A Riot Act
... I was up late in bed counting off on my fingers all the South American cities I know; Rio got me there (my baby must have smiled at me...) and I still didn't even see the "diplomacy" part until now (tact, joining Rio to Act.)

There are a few more clues where I annoyingly felt I was a third or two thirds of the way to the correct answer: and the frustration can be agonising*. This is why one shouldn't attempt cryptic xwords around breakable glass or grindable teeth, and perhaps taking up yoga would provide the ultimate calming effect?
*exhilirating, you know I love it.

Mitzicryptic Day 8

Q Two Days off sound like a feeble goal (7)
A weekend

Q Canberra finds the cash (7)
A capital

(NB Canberra is the capital city of Australia. It's alright, I keep forgetting too.)

Not sure about this one:
Q Drum that got a good run in France (5)
A snare? (the word "ran" is backwards in 'snare')

Those 2 from the mini, and here's a dreaded clue from the Monday Omega:

Q Tool used to get rid of workers you no longer need (3)
A Axe

Time to hide the crossword book and get back to real work!

Cryptically Mitzi Day 6 & 7

My challenge is progressing. The grade of this challenge is so steep, it's almost vertical. Partially, I suspect the cryptic crosswords get harder as the week goes on. Or maybe I got tireder?

Still, I got some clues out.

Q Head brought back gem and spice (6)
A NUTMEG

Q Mine history ends in shame (4)
A PITY

Q Old mathematician reversed half-size curved structures outside (10)
A ARCHIMEDES
(I liked this one: arch + the maths dude in the bath Archimedes + demi backwards)

QFive hundred each? Remainders is the most expensive? (7)
A DEAREST

Q This occasion completed the opening? (5)
A EVENT

Q Certain old town in the southeast (4)
A SURE
(That 'old town' being Ur, the town which the biblical Abraham came from; see? all those years of Jewish education paid off!)

So that's my six successfully answered cyrptic clues. The endorphins effect of getting over-excited about my newly exercised skills can be deceptive - as the crosswords start difficult, stay tricky and grow more cunning by the day. I was right ot stick with only 3 clues a day. Any more is like that extra martini - dangerous!

Cryptically Mitzi Day 4 & 5

An uninvited headache and asthma got me all exhasuted and hypochondriacked last night, so my post is delayed to what is actually Day 5.

I'm off to the swimming pool shortly to continue my Round 1 Legacy of daily exercise. Yesterday I did my serious kilometres while listening to her highness Tina Fey reading Bossypants - memoir - into my jogging ears. She rocks. "Gay people are just as good and screaming at their hockey-playing kids as straight poeople" (or something to that effect, and other gems.)

Matters Arising

* duck-bill is definitely (4-4)
*I have been going over the limit of 3 where possible.

Wed 17.8

Q 1A Some fakery in hte building trades? (3-2, 3)
A Put-up job

Q 11A It fixes tooth holder (3)
A gum

Q 29A steer and span two universities (8)
A oxbridge

Those were achieved without extra assistance.
Extra assistance are like "second tier" recognitions (guesses) when you have a letter or two provided by a previous answer.

eg

Q17D Storage for driver's mittens (5-3)
A glove-box

20 A What causes reaction making everything sort of green? (8)
A Allergen

This next one was my EUREAKA moment.

Q 13d Relative destruction of nice dangers (5-5)
A grand-niece

which led to ...

Q 21d Smiled when rending another way (7)
A grinned

A lot of these depend on anagrams, as I am learning. Then, there are the harder logical leaps to make.

So that's about 7 clues over two days. I have attempted four clues from today's cryptic and will view the results later on in today's paper.

I think my challenge is working well, perhaps too well. I return far too feverish with excitment to my comfy chair for cryptical conundra.

Q too comfortable beneath when glass is shattered
A ass

Cryptically Mitzi, Day 3

Matters Arising:
Following some consultation with Parental Unit-M, I have revised some answers to Omega cryptic clues.
Now, "Youngster's Horses (3-4)" is not cryptic but I would never have known this. Apparently Uiver knew the phrase all along, and I'm foolishing for not asking him. The answer? Gee-gees. Weird. Ancient cockney or Aussie slang?
I also revised "identity nucleus if a neat plan" - the answer is IDEA based on gee-gees.

Just checked another answer from the Monday mini-cryptic. "Repossess" was correct for "what the devil may do if you don't pay the exorcist".

From the Tuesday mini-cryptic, I attempted 5 but I believe I only got three right.

Q Remove old North Brit in sketch (6)
A Scotch

Q Affirmative Returning after family doctor involved in sex research (6)
A Kinsey
(the "yes" of affirmative is "reversed" - clever, ha?)

Q Avoid invoice for monotreme (4-3)
A duck-bill

Ba-bowm. I got two out of three. My error was in the old North Brit.
the answer is DEPICT. That was very tricky. I was thinking of the slang term "scotch a plan".

Despite the 2 out of 3 success rate, I am getting a little addicted to the cryptic challenge. I am toddling through the Wednesday cryptic and looking forward to the solutions tomorrow. Major geek attack from within responds sharply (3): eek!

Cryptically Mitzi, Day 2

Some of us are going beyond our comfort zones. That is what we taught our boys at school camp (when I taught at high school) when encouraging them to drop down from 15 foot ledges attached to a rope and carabine; or to climb 20 vertical feet on a ropes course, wearing a helmet and safety rope. In all of those team-building activities, the poor sucker trapped on a fashioned log at way too high metres is forced to trust the people below, and the person within.

Metaphorically, here in 30 Days land, we are holding each other's safety rope. I am so at the edge of my comfort zone I am in danger of falling off! Still, the second security feature on this madcap challenge - attempting 3 cryptic clues only - has got the second half of my August off to a cracking start.

Yesterday's answers - I won't know if they're correct until Monday.

I also attempted the mini-xword below the Omega, and I am able to check my answers using the Tuesday edition.

Here goes (and by the way, the first two are totally non-traditional cryptics, in my humble op!)

1. (weird, does not use the letters of the questions words)
Q Young and Grizzly (4, 3)
A Bear Cub

2 (weird, also does not use letters from question words, but it's bloody funny.)
Q What the devil may do if you don't pay the exorcist? (9)
A Repossess

3 (I tried this because the answer was only three letters. I got two out of the three letters. )
Q sounds like little dog gets every last bit of scrap (3)
A Yap
(I got "pup" and "ap" but could not make it from "pap" to "yap"...this one was a learning experience)

BONUS GLORY
(The answer was three letters, and this was a trad the-answer-is-in-the-question cryptic clue.)
Q Reach the abyss but not by donkey (3)
A Ass

Nerd note: I am cutting and pasting the crosswords into a special book. Am regressing to teenage geekdom. Fun!

Cryptically Mitzi, Day 1

For 30 Days Challenge Round 2 I am going to (gulp) attempt an intellectual rather than physical feat. I am going to attempt to solve three cryptic crossword clues per day. Earlier in the year I made it my mission to make the 2010s-20s the "Decade of the Cryptic", as it's a long-term goal that I know I can only reach slowly and painfully.

Over the months, my cryptic skills have improved microscopically but noticeably, so I thought I would sneak some into the 30 day shebang, to keep my crypticise regular.

I will need to be organised. Every Monday, usually, I get the SMH newspaper with the "Omega" crossword. It's a ritual commenced when living with my parents as an adult between bouts of wishful independence. So, here I am, a tentative crossword junkie on the make. If I don't buy the newspaper daily, it's no hardship: I plan to hang on to each attempted cryptic crossword puzzle and check on results the next day ... the system is still under construction.

By the way, the Monday Omega seems somehow easier or more accessible than the daily puzzle. It's because cryptic clues are mixed in with regular clues, so you have more of a chance of getting some letters down to help you.

Here's Day 1. I won't know if I'm correct until next Monday.
1.
47 Across: ?Those taking part in audition?
A: Listeners

(it's not so cryptic, but fits in with surrounding letters...)

2.
31 Across: ?Cheese is sharp for the most part?
A: Brie

(I may well be incorrect, but the letters R and E where provided, and I like Brie, so nyah. Also, it sounds likes brief, so brief is the "most part" of a word?)

3.
29 Across: ?Identify nucleus of neat plan?
A: ions

(The letter I was provided; The "n" and "p" could stand for positive and negative, which relate to the ions in a nucleus, if faded memories of Year 9 science class serve me well.)

Wrap-up Round 1 a la Mitzi

The 30 Day Project came just at the right time. I was getting slovenly, and couldn't access the right inner zing to inspire me toward exercise. Un/fortunately, I am obliged to exercise for health reasons. The mental uplift is vital, and the maintenance of steady (decreased) weight is preventative of potential nastiness. Then a score of vanity reasons follow.

Getting out to the sea was an initial form of exercise, as I spent a good deal of brisk walking time exploring the local area. As I have only lived here eight odd months, the walks were exploratory and fun.

Despite the zensome joy of strolling by the sea and my initial stoicism, bad weather forced me indoors and back on the treadmill. The mental leap I made between about day 10 and now is exciting. It used to be gruelling to make it to 30 minutes. Now, it is distance rather than time thatI look forward to achieving. I also have proof that steady jogging of about 4 k's on a regular basis has shifted my shape around a bit. I became reacquainted with my waist which is once again the slightly narrower bit in the middle.

Now that the exercise hit from 30 Days round 1 has kickstarted my health and fitness needs, I may return to a mental challenge. One ten year goal I set earlier this year was to be able to do cryptic crosswords. The more I try, I find I've been able to make more sense of them. However, I don't want an unrealistic challenge. To complete an entire cryptic crossword is still impossible for me, but I can work out two or three clues. Therefore, one possibility for 30 Day Challenge Round 2 is to complete 3 cryptic crossword clues per day. As Monday 15th arrives slightly earlier for me than Northern Hemisphereans, I shall have to decide overnight!

My other desired challenges are: yogic stretching; a daily swim; contimued jogging; resume my learning of Gaelic; and a million other things.

Meanwhile, I will try to blog about a daily jog on my regular blog so that I maintain momentum. I also suggest that the highlight of my 30 Day Challenge round 1 was doing The Bay Run of 7 kilometres with relative ease. It showed how it only took about 15-20 ish days to resume a happy level of fitness and determination. Hooray for all of us, and Bob for getting the party started in cahoots with Daisyfae, and the rest of us tribal types. It's grand to form a fun yet frolicsome collective.

Daily Jog (through water, horizontally)

Yesterday's jog was actually a swim.
I'd arranged to meet a friend at the cafe near the pool, and finished my 20 laps in time for lunch.
It was a little tiring on the shoulders, but the slow and steady approach helped.

Today's final jog will be the end of my challenge. I might have to do the Challenge on my own blog after this inspiring collective effort.

The Daily Jog Day 28-ish

The thing they say about knees and jogging is starting to ring true. My right leg is acting suspiciously during exercise. It is starting to resent my 4 km prowess. Today I took two or three "interval walks" during my 4k's to ease the way.

I may have to exchange my sneakers for "togs and goggles" tomorrow and swim instead. Still, I'm feeling fit and healthy, which is exciting.

The Daily Jog

Exciting to know we have scaled the 27 day cliff-face. I wonder what will occur beyond the 30 day horizon? Will there be 30 Days Mark 2? Or 30 Days redux?

Whatever happens, it's as good to "let go" as it is to "hold on for one more day", Wilson Phillips style.

Today I used my new 7-km distance legs to jog a sensible 4km - not too crazy lengthy, but a serious jaunt. I know I need to stretch more. My right thigh keeps asking "why? why?"

I am quite looking forward to adding swimming to my exercise pattern, such as it is.

Triumph

Finding my jogging friend yesterday was a challenge. I was only familiar with the southern end of the circuit. Now I know the whole lot, all 7k's of it. With only four or so "recovery walk" intervals, we jogged most of the way. The Bay Run is spectacular. The surrounding traffic on one side turns out to be not so bad, as most of the circuit is bordered by parks, sports fields, fine architecture and rowing clubs. The final leg is a wonderful pedestrian and bike bridge.

I'm not sore at all after yesterday's effort and the 4.25 I managed the day before.

It's a lot easier to run a sizeable distance when you can see it physically in front of you. It means you can't stop until you get back to your car. In true Mitzi style we celebrated the triumph with coffee and cannoli at a fabulous Pasticceria in Haberfield.

Run Mitzi Run

Yesterday's walk ended up being not exactly seaside, but there was water nearby - in a swimming pool in a local park. From the train station, myself and Uiver walked to a music show happening at a fun, warehouse-type venue. This was in a groovy, inner-city residential area where I lived as an undergraduate and also later on during the year of my Diploma of Education.

We walked about 15 minutes to the venue, got our wrists stamped and had plenty of time up our sleeves. The doorman pointed us towards the nearest pub but we were in more of a dessert mood. Thus, a further 20 minute walk up the hill necessitated some relaxing sit-down time at a very tasty gelateria. The sesame gelato turned out to be utterly scrumptious, more tasty than the chocolate. We walked off our dessert back down the hill and swayed on our few for a couple of hours to some fantastic indie rock.

Today I redressed the exercise balance and ran a solid 3 Ks. My good friend is visiting Sydney this weekend. She is in training for a 10Km run! I am going to help her out by joining her for a 7km practise jog. I feel a hell of a lot fitter than I did in the fortnight before the 30 Day project started, so I will be able to do 7km, even if it's hare rather than tortoise-style.

Gym Gymunkie

The evenings are warming up. Spring is budding and the afternoons are bathed in golden hues - I'm not even trying to sound Romantic. There are literally golden hues pervading the very air, the good old sunshine is gearing up for summer.

The weather means more outdoorsiness, or at least the longing for it. Still, the lack of time and fuss spent going to and from the downstairs gym is awesome in its insignificance: not having to drive for a good gym fix is so idea.

Thus, yesterday I was joined by the good Uiver for some exercise in the gym. I favoured an extended run on the treadmill, interrupted by a stitch, a breather and continued on the stair-climber. The bloke himself favoured a mash-up of different cardio and weights activities. He jokingly admitted to popping into the gym for brief visits in order to say "I go to the gym every day". He needn't be at all sheepish. It's part of one's shaky motivation.

As to that, there is only so much daylight left before I head out for a concert tonight . And still the motivation to break a sweat is a struggle, but I may yet get there.

Seaside Strolling

The week began languidly as Uiver enjoyed a day off for some bizarre reason associated with bank holliday. I worked diligently throughout the morning and then we both went bushwalking in the nearby National Park.

We walked a cross-country track for a short few k's, seeing rosellas, green type parrots and cockatoos. Eventually we arrived at a lookout which showed The Heads, the entranceway to Botany Bay where da man Captain Cook sailed in to occupy Australia in April 1770. So there was a bit of colonial history to add to the nature walk.

We explored another area of the National Park further south with views over Cronulla towards the Royal National Park, "the Nasho". On approach, we saw whales! Two! They were spouting, though I saw them first and one was breaching the surface. It was exciting. They are plentiful during the winter. A chart outside the visitor centre showed the number of whales (humpback and many other kinds) spotted off the nearby coast. Also spotted were umpteen seals and dolphins.

The walk along that part of the coast was energising and salty from all the coastal winds but we couldn't find the walking path very easily. It's easier to find in "The Nasho". An adventurous day was had by all, whales included.

Back to the Beach

The weekend is winding to a quiet close. I spent Saturday in a culinary moode and prepared some serious feastings. Good friends came for dinner, we ate and drink. Somewhere among the menu planning and fish marinating, I didn't go running, but I did walk to and from the shopping centre to get a roasting pan!

Today, however, I walked along the bayside esplanade with Uiver in tow. We enjoyed the scenery of the distant bush foreshore and had coffee at the funky new sailing club cafe. After the there and the back, it turned out to be a long and energising walk.

Mitzi On the Move

Today a young woman and her late middle-age parents were bustling about the apartment complex - she has bought a place is and was showing the folks around. They were all very excited, except for not having the right key to the gym.

Early in today's jog I therefore hopped of the 'mill to let the newcomers into the gym. They looked around while I kept on keeping on until 3.93 k's elapsed under my feet. I am very into the number 3 at present, as my performance-presentation is about a character in Finnegans Wake whose symbol is the triangle. 

Today's distance was thumped along in 36 minutes (adding to the 3-ness) including a "cool down", so it's nice to know that if wanted to do a serious distance like 5 K's, it's not too far off.

Today I listened to Indigo Girls' album Become You, an old favourite. Mellow tunes, great rhymes, subdued angst and hymnal qualities. Happy weekend, all.