NYT XWord - 7/6/08

I got all but 3 spaces in Sunday's NYTimes Crossword [apparently there are other weirdos out there like me who comment on their crossword experiences - and one of them is even named Ryan. I also learned from their site that I get the puzzle a week late (guess that's why I get the answers with it)]. Not being a pen connoisseur, I did not get the clue "Cross stock" which apparently refers to Cross brand pens; not being an inhabitant of Minnesota or Georgia, I did not know that Edina was a suburb of Minneapolis, nor that there is a town near Atlanta called Villa Rica. I've never heard of an orfe, a kir, or an aril. [What did I do before Google and Wikipedia?] I suppose a handheld device called a 'palmtop' makes sense, but I had never encountered such a thing before, but apparently they are common enough for those in the know. Also of interest, El Al is Israel's national airline based out of Ben Gurion Airport, and apparently El Al means 'skyward' in Hebrew - amazing the things you can learn in the crossword (whether you wanted to or not). I'm embarrassed to say that I was unfamiliar with the Verdi opera 'A Masked Ball', so I was unable to identify the aria Eri tu - ['You will be...'?] (full title: "Eri tu che macchiavi quell'anima"). And finally, I have never seen the perfume brand Coty. Despite this wealth of ignorance, however, I remind my readers that I only missed three of the boxes. TTFN!

P.S. I have now gotten my Mesopotamian myths text, and as soon as I get caught up on my grading, I will embark on my odyssey. But do take a look at the lists I've added at the foot of my blog.