FJs for the 2/25/13 week

[seaborgium]

No clue on Edna Ferber, though I did figure out the clue was looking for the author of Show Boat, which I hadn't previously known had been anything before it was a musical. I found it similar to my performance on the FJ in Tom Nissley game 5, where it was clear what novel was alluded to, but I was clueless on the author.

I knew the railroad cities were in a song, but I got off on the wrong foot when I tried to think of a title with Albuquerque in it, and never recovered. I might have pulled it out if I'd gone straight to Santa Fe, but my mental process never got past that left turn.

I wouldn't have gotten Odessa without question #2 on LearnedLeague just over a week earlier. I lucked into getting that question right by naming the only Ukrainian city I could think of besides Kiev. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known about the organization for ex-Nazis, and would have been at sea for the J! clue.

[This Is Kirk!]

I'm a little shocked that Trinity College is polling under 50% right now. Thought that was an easy one. I guess the ones you know always are!

[TenPoundHammer]

Well, of COURSE I remain the spoiler on Thursday.

[marpocky]

Ms. Ferber prevented my sweep for the week.

I checked all five above.
ComingUpMilhouse

Heh.

[nlw44]

As others have stated, I have heard of "The Odessa File" and Odessa, Texas, but I certainly couldn't put them together that fast. On the other hand, as a big-time and life-long fan of movie musicals, the railroad was right there for me, with no eye to brain to mouth delay at all.

It's not that I object to all the (relatively) easy FJs lately, because I certainly do like having a long string of gets, but it feels like TPTB have lost all sense of the easy-to-difficult gradient. That 1841/1881 one was the most egregious, IMO, but my usual get rate is 60-80 %. For the last few months, I've been doing much better. Probably jinx myself with this post, however.

[seaborgium]

It's not that I object to all the (relatively) easy FJs lately, because I certainly do like having a long string of gets, but it feels like TPTB have lost all sense of the easy-to-difficult gradient. That 1841/1881 one was the most egregious, IMO, but my usual get rate is 60-80 %. For the last few months, I've been doing much better. Probably jinx myself with this post, however.

It seems to me like TPTB try to err on the side of easiness for the last FJ for a ToC. (Too bad that didn't work out for me!)

[nserven]

Knew both years, and knew the Santa Fe part for railroad.

[Johnblue]

N/A

[opusthepenguin]

I'm a little shocked that Trinity College is polling under 50% right now. Thought that was an easy one. I guess the ones you know always are!

Nah. I reasoned my way to Edna Ferber, but it wasn't easy. And more than once, I've gotten a clue right while thinking it's too obscure to be a good clue. Sometimes I yell at the TV, "Oh, come on! Who knows that?!?!" There are plenty of things I happen to know that I don't expect most contestants to know. The author of the Second Helvetic Confession. Edgar Allan Poe's birthday. The mascot for Baton Rouge High School. My favorite color.

[gsn93]

5/5 for Finals.

I said Transcontinental Railroad on "Trains" clue (even though I knew it was wrong).

[ElendilPickle]

I guessed on the Presidential question; fortunately, it was right.

I also came up with Katherine Anne Porter and Ship of Fools for Monday's FJ.

My brain tried really hard to come up with Odessa, but failed.

[jmenjes]

(Howdy. Hope there's room for one more new person here...)





Had to think for about 20 seconds, but came up with 1841.
Thursday's and Friday's FJs came to me instantly.

Odessa also came to me instantly, as well as the question for the Trains clue (kinda helped that I am a train buff).

[bpmod]

(Howdy. Hope there's room for one more new person here...)

Always!

Welcome.

Brian

[TenPoundHammer]

Okay, I see 73/75 on the Pluto clue now. Who else missed it?

[alietr]

(Howdy. Hope there's room for one more new person here...)

Always!

Welcome.

Brian

Unless, of course, you have issues with your eyebrows ...

[Vanya]

[Volante]

Mon - Woolf, because To the Lighthouse, because North Carolina has lots of them. (Conveniently forgetting the floating theater bit and the whole Woolf being English bit. Other than that though!...)

Negged with Ipcress here too. Feh, top row, it was worth the shot.

[StrangerCoug]

N/A

[TryphonTournesol]

Monday: had no great guess, went with Margaret Mitchell as "Southern female author I knew was active in that general time frame" but figured it was unlikely to be right. Wife knew it was the author of Show Boat but didn't have the name.
Tuesday: knew 'em both without even having to think. Presidential history is kind of a thing of mine.
Wednesday: wrote "Don't Ask" first because it was more conversational, then quickly figured I was overthinking and corrected in time.
Friday: best guess was Marconi, though I knew that wouldn't be it. Wife came up with Nielsen.

Railroad: only had Santa Fe from the obvious clue; wife came up with "Atkinson/Topeka/Santa Fe" at which point I was able to correct her to Atchison.
Odessa: like Craig, my first thought was Ipcress!

[davey]

I can't remember not knowing Edna Ferber wrote Show Boat - she's mentioned so often in crossword clues, even if I didn't know about the musical...but then I'm no good at mid-19th C. presidential dates, so it all evens out...
Did not know Trinity College was synonymous with U. of Dublin...The Ipcress File is what leaped to mind, even though I actually read The Odessa File many, many years ago...