Good Golly, Miss Molly!

Meet Molly, who entered our family on Friday. She's an energetic bundle of fuzz who would chew the couch into a wad of leather and padding if you give her half a chance. Toby and the cat hate her and are showing no signs of relenting, though we remain hopeful. She's a full-blooded German shepherd about 9 weeks old. I tried to find a dog through two rescue organizations and the Humane Society. The latter was helpful but bogged down in ridiculous regulations. The rescue groups are useless cookie eaters who constantly beg for donations but don't seem to have any interest in actually placing a dog into a home, in my opinion. Just as well; we love the little devil dog and wouldn't trade her for a carload of Rin Tin Tins.

This and That

I had some KFC yesterday. I don't have it very often because I think it's overpriced. I also think, thanks to yesterday's sample, that the quality has tanked. I recall plump pieces of chicken so tasty I was tempted to eat the bones. Now, the scraggly road kill they offer is barely palatable. And the biscuits are garbage compared to the wonderful rolls they used to sell. The Colonel must be rotating in his grave like a chicken on a spit.

I was waylaid by some Girl Scouts outside Albertson's today and forced to buy a box of Thin Mints, easily the best cookie made. But $4.00 a box? Larceny. Are they training these kids to be good citizens when they grow up or thousand-dollar-a-night call girls?

My hot streak at the casino continues. Five straight winning visits for a total of about $750. Two progressive jackpot wins ($233 and $143). I may buy another box of Girl Scout cookies if this keeps up.

Who writes ad copy for TV commercials these days? I keep hearing "less" used when "fewer" would be correct.

Tomorrow is Daylight Savings. Spring ahead. I always thought that if I died before the Fall Back date I'd be ahead of the game. Not looking to do it any time soon, though.

Have a nice weekend.

Need a Laugh?

One of my daily must-visit blogs is Ken Levine's. His varied career includes writing for hit TV shows M*A*S*H, FRASIER, MARY TYLER MOORE, CHEERS), baseball announcer, director, playwright, and bon vivant. He's published a book about his travels called WHERE THE HELL AM I? Each short chapter, and there are scores of them, recounts a trip he's taken to somewhere, either for business or pleasure. His pithy, witty observations are guaranteed to have you laughing out loud.

You can buy the Kindle version on Amazon. Other formats are also available.

Remember the Alamo

On this day in 1836 the final assault on the Alamo resulted in the death of all the defending Texians. It was a costly victory for Santa Anna (estimated 800 casualties), and the 13 days he spent in the siege allowed Sam Houston to assemble an army and ultimately defeat the Mexican army at San Jacinto. The deaths at the Alamo were not in vain. Revisionists now say that Davy Crockett surrendered and was executed. I don't buy that. Right after the battle one of the non-combatant survivors, Susanna Dickinson, saw Crockett's body in the area of the chapel, surrounded by dead Mexican soldiers. He and his Tennesseans were assigned the defense of the low palisade, an open area between the chapel and high wall in which a makeshift defensive position was fashioned from wagons, boxes, sacks, etc. That's on the lower right on the accompanying map (#14), on the slant.

Sling Free

I officially got permission to stop using my sling today. That's the one for my right arm. My butt will undoubtedly be in a sling forever. Unofficially, I stopped using it two days ago. Good riddance. Now, if I wanted a Singapore Sling I'd wish to share it with a vintage Anna May Wong. Speaking of her, I've seen some people spell her middle name Mae. I have a feeling both spellings were used over the years.

AMC Ticks Me Off Again

It was bad enough when AMC started inserting long commercial breaks into their movies, usually at inapropriate moments, but now they've gone and sicced their PC Police on a revered John Wayne movie. Yesterday I managed to catch EL DORADO from the beginning while channel surfing so I decided to watch it. This, you may know, is a remake of RIO BRAVO, but with Robert Mitchum in the Dean Martin/drunken sheriff role, James Caan instead of Ricky Nelson, and Arthur Hunnicutt taking over for Walter Brennan. Charlene Holt in the Angie Dickinson role is no slouch, either. Anyway, in one scene Caan, Mitchum, and Hunnicutt are trying to sneak into the back door of a saloon, but find it guarded by a bad guy. What happens in the unexpurgated film is Caan disguises himself as a Chinaman, missing no stereotype, until he can get close enough to the thug to knock him out. In the AMC snipfest, Caan says, "Wait, I have an idea." The next thing you know he's slugging the owlhoot. I don't know about you, but I don't need some clown at AMC censoring my movies for me. What's this world coming to?

Baby Time

Granddaughter Sofia is three months now so here's a photo of her taken a few days ago.

Birthdays

I was off line most of Thursday-Friday so I didn't get a chance to mention my mother turned 88 on the 24th. Today, the 26th, my wife hits another birthday milestone. I guess I'm not supposed to mention which one. The photo is my mother about 70 years ago. Can you say Catholic Italian?

13 Days to Glory Commences

On this day in 1836 the siege of the Alamo began. The vanguard of Santa Ana's forces came up from the south and invested San Antonio de Bexar. Col. William Barrett Travis and Col. Jim Bowie brought their men to the Alamo mission, determined to stop the advance of "The Napoleon of Mexico." It would take 13 days for the battle's outcome to be determined.

Dog Heavies

Dog Heavies, the third and final Lucas Hallam mystery by L.J. Washburn, takes us to Texas. Lucas and some other cowboys who work in the picture business are sent to a ranch outside Fort Worth to teach a young actor, Adrian Tremaine, how to appear like an authentic westerner in an upcoming big budget movie. The ranch needs the money it's getting for hosting the group because their cattle are being rustled, but that doesn't endear them to some of the working cowboys, especially the foreman, Armstrong. Armstrong picks on Teddy White Horse, a Native American, worse than the rest. Nice guy. Other than a bit of huffing and puffing, though, things are working out fairly well. The kid is learning the ropes (including roping), and the real cowboys start to respect the intruders. But a murder changes everything. Hallan has to use his private eyes skills to help the accused and discover not only who committed the crime, but who's behind the cattle thefts. No small task when the local law is hostile to his efforts.

A nice extra touch is seeing Lucas Hallam back on the turf he roamed as a youth. He's not one for nostalgia, but being on the ground of his old home pulls at the heartstrings of his memory for a touching moment. There's also the rancher's beautiful daughter and cussed old cook on hand to add a fun touch to the proceedings.

I hope these books sell well enough in their Kindle editons to inspire Washburn to write more. Lucas Hallam is too good a character, and 1920s Hollywood too great an era, to wither away.

Turn Away, Bill Crider

More great moments from Paris here.

The Final Dapa-Em

In today's mail I got my final copy of Dapa-Em, #216. It will never be published again, and I'll miss it. The idea of an apa (Amateur Press Association/Alliance) is that a limited membership (35 in Dapa-Em)--usually fans of a genre--produce individual zines, print enough copies to cover the membership plus a couple of extra copies, and send these copies to a single individual, called an Official Editor, or Central Mailer, or Big Toe, etc. The OE then collates each person's zine into one large volume and mails the big volume, called a mailing, back to each member. In the next mailing people can remark or reply to what was in the previous mailing or discuss whatever they want. Dapa-Em was a mystery apa, the only one to ever exist. It started around 1974, under the leadership of Donna Balopole, but it really took off 35 years ago when Art Scott took the helm. I joined in 1979 and have missed only one of the bi-monthly mailings in all that time. But all things must pass, and Art needed a rest after so many years of remarkable service and punctuality. Kudos to him for an incredible service.

The illo shows one of the typical Dapa-Em room parties at a mystery con.

I wish.

Packers!

It's not that I'm that much of a Packers fan, but I hate the Stealers and revel in their loss. That said, it was an exciting Superbowl and the officials didn't interfere with the game other than that phantom face mask call against Green Bay, which helped Pittsburgh sustain a scoring drive. Now begins the lull in my sports year. I don't follow hockey or basketball, so until baseball season starts I'll make do with other entertainments. Like staring at Natalie Wood photos. Won't you join me?

Pimpmobile, RIP

Today I said good-bye to my wonderful 1995 Oldsmobile Regency 98. Alas, it was becoming too unreliable to continue driving. In its place is a 2008 Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck (14,00 miles). I got a good deal on the truck, but it's a bare bones model and I'll miss such amenities as keyless entry and power windows and locks. I also need to replace the radio with a radio/CD player, but I have a very nice one in the garage and I'll have that installed soon.
And if that's not worth a look at Natalie Wood, I don't know what is.

Dead Stick

Dead Stick, by L.J. Washburn, is the second Lucas Hallam mystery. I talked about the background of the character and setting in an earlier post. Now, Hallam is hired by a studio to discover who's sabotaging their picture, a WWI flying epic. Suspicion is on a KKK group upset that one of the actors is a former German ace. Also in the movie are four American airmen whose squadron had been betrayed during the war., They were the only survivors. The German was part of the force that set upon the Americans. There are also a couple of jealous hearts in the mix due to some Hollywood bed-hopping, a brash stunt pilot, and an ex-jockey who runs a speakeasy and has a shady reputation. Washburn cleverly works parallel plots, so smoothly you're not aware of it, and brings the story to a satisfying, action-packed climax.
Liz Fletcher, from the first book, Wild Night, reappears, too. She moved from her ghost town saloon to Hallam's apartment building and got a job as an organ player at Graumann's Egyptian Theater. But she's not sure the city life is for her and, well, the course of true love never runs smooth.
Available on Kindle.

Am I Wrong?

Am I wrong or is this the anniversary of The Day the Music Died; i.e., the day Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and The Big Bopper died in a plane crash in an Iowa cornfield? I was sure Bill Crider would have mentioned it.

Pictured are classic rockers (l-r) me, Dave "Evan" Lewis, & Tough Jim Gaston. We strive to keep the music alive.

Wild Night

Wild Night, by L.J. Washburn, takes place in Depression-era Hollywood. Lucas Hallam is a former lawman, Pinkerton, and cowboy who has also spent a little time on the owlhoot trail during his heyday. Now, in the 1920s, he works part time as a Western movie extra and also maintains a private detective business.
While scouting a ghost town as a possible movie location he gets into a shootout with a couple of thugs. The town's owner and sole inhabitant, Liz Fletcher, thinks they were after her stash of hooch. Back in Hollywood later that day, Hallam is hired by an evangelist, Rev. Forbes, to accompany him to a meeting that evening. They go, and in short order Hallam is knocked out and the two people they went to meet are dead, with the reverend standing over them with a gun in his hand. He swears he didn't do it but the cops toss him in the graybar hotel anyway.
Hallam is asked to clear the minister, and even though Hallam doesn't like the man, he agrees to help. Only he and Forbes know a fact about the night of the crime that no one else does, and they're holding it back.
As Hallam delves into the church and Forbes' past he finds himself the target of a gunman. Seems like someone doesn't want him to find the truth. Or does it?
Washburn writes a strong mystery with an extra twist in the end that I didn't see coming. Her prose is clear and eminently readable. Best of all, Hallam is a wonderful character--strong, simple, honest, brave, and nobody's fool. The early Hollywood setting--with its studios, speakeasys, and cultish temple--captivated this reader and rings true. Some of the luminaries of the day also step in for cameos. I've already started the sequel and I'm grateful that the Kindle has made these hard-to-find books available again. Check them out.

Scandal in Toy Soldier Land

Director Peter Jackson (LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy) is a toy soldier collector. He even had figures created just for him. Jackson also shopped at the Michigan Toy Soldier Company. Rick Berry, owner of MTSC, is now accused of using Jackson's credit card to steal $189,000. A sad moment for the hobby. Berry's excuse is that the economy has made it difficult to keep his business going, and that he intended to repay the money.

Have a Scar?

Just thought you'd like to see the pretty scar on my shoulder. The one the doctor said would be a couple or three inches. Rick Robinson asked for an update, and all I can say is that the healing continues apace. Today's physical therapy was the hurtingest one yet, but I hope that means it's working. I may be able to ditch my sling in a few weeks and that will be a real benchmark.

Speaking of benchmarks, I ordered a Kindle and it arrived the day before yesterday. Yesterday I ordered my first download, WILD NIGHT, by Livia Washburn. I find it easier to read than a book right now because of my sore shoulder, and it's not too tricky to learn how to use it. Now, I love books and have no intention of abandoning them, but there are a few things better loaded into a Kindle, and some things only available in Kindle format, and for these I'm glad I have the device.

Health Update

I've been sleeping better and feeling saner. Better yet, I've been able to sleep in my bed as of yesterday, to the relief of everyone in the house. Physical therapy starts tomorrow. And tomorrow is another day.

Say hi to Anna May Wong.