Our family loves to ride on the train. My daughter found this smile last summer (it’s the panel that folds out into a tray):

I’ve noticed that American Express is airing ads that use objects with smiles (and frowns) in them. I’m happy that they didn’t seem to plagiarize any of mine. Also, some of their “faces” are posed or arranged, which I don’t allow myself to do. Nevertheless, it is an eye-catching campaign.

Have a great weekend!

This is a new cartoon / puzzle hybrid that I’ve been working on. What’ I’m pasting below is a sketch, so I hope to have better art, to refine the title / subtitle, and resolve whether to have instructions, etc..

I would appreciate any comments: Do you think the puzzle needs directions? Are the boxes and arrows self explanatory, or are they confusing?

]]> http://puzzlebits.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/cartoon-so-close/feed/ 0 puzzlebits fingerpoint http://puzzlebits.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/answers-t-and-t/ http://puzzlebits.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/answers-t-and-t/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:25:25 +0000 puzzlebits http://puzzlebits.wordpress.com/?p=1045 ]]>

I didn’t think of as many phrases as I thought I would, so I’m sure there are more out there. Toss and turn just came to me a few minutes ago, for example.

Here’s my list of 14 T__ and T__ phrases: tall and thin, thick and thin, this and that, through and through, time and temperature, toil and trouble, Tony and Tina, toss and turn, trash and treasure, trials and tribulations, tried and true, tux and tails, twist and turn, and two and two.

In honor of yesterday’s time change, this week’s challenge is to find phrases that follow the pattern T__ and T__. For example, “time and temperature” is a valid answer (time for the fall back, temperature because it’s now November, and seems a bit colder). Please note, “trick or treat” does not count, because of the “or” in the middle.

How many T__ and T__ phrases can you think of by Wednesday? I have about five so far, and hope to have 10 or more by Wednesday.

Happy November!

I’m fairly certain the smile on this Halloween house is intentional. Nonetheless, I think it fits for today’s posting.

And there’s an extra hour of sleep tonight… that’s something to smile about!

In all, there weren’t as many famous people as I thought whose initials are BG. My list of 16 names is below, and a few people who I consider more obscure are below that.

Eerily, Bill Gates’s birthday is today, and when I looked up Brian Austin Green, to remind myself who he is (most famous for his Beverly Hills 90210 role), there was a news item about him from an hour ago. Coincidence??

The list: Bill Gates, Bobbie Gentry (a stage name), Boy George (also a stage name), Barry Gibb, Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top lead singer), Bernard Goetz (the “subway vigilante”), Barry Goldwater, Benny Goodman, Berry Gordy (founder of Motown record label), Betty Grable, Billy Graham, Brain Austin Green (who is really BAG), Bryant Gumble, Bob Guccione (Penthouse founder), Ben Gurion, and Buddy Guy (blues musician).

More obscure names include Ben Gazzara (actor), Bob Geldof (Irish singer and activist), Ben Gillies (musician), Bill Goldberg (professional wrestler), and Bob Greene (Oprah’s trainer).

I saw a headline today about Bill Gates… so I’m going with B.G. for today’s initials puzzle.

How many famous people can you think of whose initials are B.G.? Your list may include people living or not, but they may not be fictional characters, and they should be relatively well known.

I will post my list on Wednesday. I’m not sure how many I’ll have, since I only am thinking of two names right now, but I’ll shoot for 12 to 15.

Have fun!

TGIS. Here’s a smile to brighten your weekend:

It’s a brighter weekend here because our daughter, who had pneumonia after an H1N1 bout, is on the mend.

Be well.

Here are my 17 words that contain the consonants CLR, in that order:

Éclair, caller, calorie, celery, cellar, clayier, clear, cloyer, cluer, coiler, collier, collar, color, cooler, couloir, culler, and ocular.

A couple of obscure words that work are coalier (more coal-like) and celure (a drape or canopy).

The two phrases that started me thinking were “water cooler” and “water color.”

I read the phrase “water color” at some point this weekend, and it occurred to me that another common phrase contains the exact same consonants in two words. Because the WTR part of the equation didn’t interest me as much, I’ve chosen CLR as today’s consonants.

How many non-capitalized English words can you think of that contain the consonants CLR, in that order, and no others? Complete rules are at the link at the upper right. I have a list of 10 so far and expect to have 12 to 15 by Wednesday, when I’ll post my list.