crossword #2

I actually solved the entire crossword this week! Although it's not because I knew everything; but I knew enough to piece together the things I didn't know. Going forward, my general policy will be to only list clues I couldn't figure out at all. But for the sake of writing Something, here are a few things that I learned from solving this puzzle:

DJ Rick Dees- Seems to be an iconic example of the goofy/bland DJ; he's the man behind Disco Duck, and owns the website rick.com.

Alexei Ramirez- White Sox second baseman who set the record for grand slams in a rookie season with four in 2008. Before that, he played in Cuba for seven years, and his nickname is "the Cuban Missile."

outs- the name for the cards, in a game of poker, that, if drawn, significantly increase your odds of winning. An interesting topic that I understand on the surface level. This article on poker strategy also looks interesting.

MIT mystery hunt- not sure how to describe this other than, it sounds incredibly cool and incredibly difficult.

Saul Bloom- a character portrayed by Carl Reiner in the film Ocean's 11… maybe I'll see it this year.

Judge Joe Wapner- the first judge to preside over real cases in a court-themed TV show, the People's Court (1981-1993.)

The Haj- a 1984 book by Leon Uris, about a Palestinian Arab family living through the vast historic events of the 1920s-1950s. It's an intensely sad story about the family becoming refugees, torn away from their values and their homeland by the intensity of the political and religious conflicts of that era.