Eternal Sunshine #141

February 2021

By Douglas Kent - 911 Irene Drive, Mesquite, TX 75149

On Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/270968112943024/ or on the web at http://www.whiningkentpigs.com/DW/. Follow on Twitter at @EternalSunshDip. Also be sure to visit the official Diplomacy World website at http://www.diplomacyworld.net.

Sign up for the Eternal Sunshine Mailing List at https://mailchi.mp/45376bbd05df/eternalsunshine

Check out my eBay store at http://stores.ebay.com/dougsrarebooksandmore

Quote of The Month – “First getting shot, then getting married - bad habits.” - (Cole Younger in “The Long Riders”)

Welcome to Eternal Sunshine, the only dipzine that caters specifically to the surly creep subset. If you find your enjoyment of this zine lacking in any way, it is most likely that you are not truly a surly creep. And for that, you only have yourself to blame. Send money immediately for my five-step program to becoming a surly creep. Offer void in Canada.

I am sorry if I’m not my normal chipper self this issue. I’ve been fighting an inner ear infection for a few weeks. It took a week to get in to see my doctor, only unfortunately my normal doctor wasn’t there. The doctor I did see wasn’t especially helpful. He begrudgingly prescribed some ear drops that cost as much as a kidney on the black market, and then started lecturing me about how the metallic taste in my mouth – which started at exactly the same time as the pain and terrible pressure in my ears, and the vertigo, and everything else – was probably the result of some kind of acid reflux. He was looking at his watch every thirty seconds, but talked for two minutes about the foods I needed to avoid, and what over the counter medication I needed to start taking for it. When he finally decided to take a breath, I pointed out that I already avoid those foods, and that I take something for reflux, and have for a number of years. He immediately suggested doubling the dose to 40mg a day. It was then that I signed and said “if you look at my chart, you’ll see 40mg a day is what this office has been prescribing me the entire time I’ve been taking it.” He suggested I see an ENT (a specialist in otolaryngology), and also said I had discoloration of my left ear drum which might be caused my ear wax (it isn’t). The whole thing was a waste of time, which only bothered me because I had to wait a week to get in the door in the first place. If it doesn’t improve in another week or so, I’ll make an appointment with a specialist. The appointment felt like he was just trying to avoid prescribing anything (or doing anything). It wasn’t as if I was demanding antibiotics (I never mentioned them at all), yet I felt I was being treated the way an addict trying to scam a week’s worth of painkillers probably gets treated. The drops are probably helping a little, although I am having a lot of trouble getting them to stay in my ears…no matter how long I lie on my side or how much air pressure I use to force the medication past the ear drum. When I feel the wetness of the drops slowly falling out of my ear, I immediately thing “great, may as well have liquid gold falling out of me for how much these drops cost.” Such is life.

I can’t think of anything else of the slightest interest that has happened to me in the last month. Oh, one thing that did happen: I reconnected with some of the kids I went to elementary school with between Kindergarten and 5^th grade, before my family moved from Connecticut to New Jersey. It wasn’t something I expected. I’d posted a message in a Facebook group, asking for photos of a toy store I remember. The inside was like a magic place to me, with wall displays of cars from Corgi, Dinky, and companies like that. The next day I got a friend request from a name I instantly recognized, one of my classmates I’ve never forgotten. I checked, and yes, it was the same one. She had remembered me too and through her I was reunited with dozens of names and faces from all those years ago.

It has been a heartwarming, but also bittersweet, experience sharing memories with those familiar names (and familiar smiles; whatever else changed, the smiles are the way I remember them). I’ve found myself desperately wishing I could recapture the comradery and acceptance I felt in those classrooms. Our family was already a mess at that age – mostly due to my mother’s battle with mental illness – but there was a magic in our class. There were some divisions and cliques even at that age, but they were soft and ill-defined. Mostly we all seemed to like each other, had fun with each other, and supported each other. It was the kind of communal atmosphere you would never be allowed to experience today. Maybe it was because most of our teachers were ex-hippies? We’d sit there on the floor during music or reading time, or watching filmstrips, gently scratching the back of the person in front of us, with the girls also braiding each other’s hair. Recess was huge games of tag or whiffle ball or kick ball, nobody excluded that wanted to play. (Here’s me in my 2^nd grade class photo, bottom left. I look like I’m three years old). Gotta love those pants.

What hit me most of all, in good and bad ways, were the things these friends of mine had to say so many years later. I’ve been talked about and remembered all this time, thought of as very funny and – most of all – exceedingly smart to the point of hilarity. Maybe that legend has grown rather tall in the time since we moved away. But I can’t help but wonder what my life might have been like if we’d stayed in that town. Within a few months of starting school in New Jersey, I became painfully aware that I was no longer surrounded by friends and allies. Instead, the jokes thrown my way were of a much hurtful nature. I wrote about this in a guest blog I did when Helplessly Hoping was just being released, detailing the exact moment I understood my place in the world around me, which you can read here:

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2020/07/book-spotlight-helplessly-hoping-by.html

Despite what I wrote in that piece, I think in some ways I had been revising history a bit because of my later experiences. A part of me had come to believe that Connecticut wasn’t the way I remembered it, and that I’d just been too lacking in self-awareness to recognize I’d always been the object of ridicule. This recent reconnection with my classmates has illuminated the fallacy of that idea. Those days in Connecticut were the last time in my life I remember believing in myself; the last time I felt accepted, liked, and supported; and the last time I recognized being encouraged. By the time we’d lived six months in New Jersey, I’d lost the idea that I could accomplish things. And I’d forgotten how it felt to be encouraged. It’s similar to when I see one of my brother’s kids, and how happy they seem and all the things they’re doing and experiencing. On one hand I feel happy for them, and feel joy when they succeed. But part of my brain can’t help but look at the big picture and wonder “what could I have done with my life if I’d gotten that kind of encouragement and support? If I’d been taught to believe in myself? How different would my life have turned out?” I listen to the things my now-grown elementary classmates imagined I might be doing before I’d been found, and I realize they held a lot more hope for me and my path and my future than I ever did.

In zine news, I dropped the Kremlin opening for the time being. It has been open for eight months or so, and only three people signed up. I might offer it again in the future, but I don’t like to leave openings out there for so long with no movement on the waiting list. Inevitably when someone new finally joins, I’ll discover that one of the early players no longer has the time or inclination to play. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m just not sure how many games this zine can properly sustain. This isn’t the old days…based on participation levels and contact with players, I’d say I sometimes feel lucky the current games are continuing on schedule to begin with. I need to let content follow demand, not vice versa.

Peter Sullivan and Andy York are here this issue too. So, you get a lot better material than just my garbage. I’m trash. I’ll always be trash. Nothing but trash. I guess that’s it from me for now. See you in March!

Game Openings

Diplomacy (Black Press): Signed up: Brad Wilson, Paul Milewski, needs five more.

Gunboat (No Press): Check out the opening in Andy York’s subzine. Only one spot left! Sign up through Andy York ONLY!

By Popular Demand: Ongoing. Join in the fun! You can join at any time.

Where in the World is Kendo Nagasaki?: Ongoing. Join in and play NOW!

Also in Andy York’s Subzine – You can find his ongoing “Hangman, By Definition” and Facts in Five, plus an opening for Breaking Away.

Standby List: HELP! I need standby players! – Current standby list: Andy York, Andy Lischett, Paul Milewski, Harold Reynolds, Jack McHugh, Brad Wilson.

Meet Me in Montauk

The Eternal Sunshine Letter Column

Mark Nelson: As you may have gathered from my last email, like you I am looking forward to a return to watching movies on the big screen. There is only one local cinema, so the selection is not oftentimes not great.

In our previous city there was only one cinema, so again not great. However, they beefed things up by always showing a small selection of movies from the "Sydney Movie Festival" and the "French Film Festival", the latter I think being another movie festival based in Sydney. Those don't travel down to our new location.

[[I’m fortunate that I have two “art house” theaters that I’ve been to many times. Sadly, even those theaters now show big-budget mainstream movies on at least half their screens.]]

Like you I'm not really into superhero movies, though I do love Deadpool. Deadpool II might be the only superhero movie I've seen on the big screen since... well since whichever Superman movie I saw as a kid! Talking about movies I loved as a kid. Star Wars! The Star Wars movies started going downhill with The Return of the Jedi. I did stick it out when the original movies were re-released on the big screen. I did stick it out when the "first" three movies were released. I saw the first of the "final" three movies. But did not go and watch the last two, nor some of the other spin-off movies. The SF fans I know at work have all soured on the franchise, perhaps at different movies.

[[I loved the first film, where Luke Skywalker was someone I wanted to be. Riding around on my three-speed bike, many times I’d be flying the X-fighter against the Empire fighters. But even then, I didn’t want, or need, the story continued. A little of a great thing is better than a lot of a sometimes-good thing.]]

Agree with you (again!) about the role played by good film critics in helping the audience watch new movies and appreciate them.

[[I’ll probably never get around to doing those in-depth reviews online. It simply seems pointless, as I won’t build an audience and am unlikely to believe in myself enough to toot my own horn. Yeah, that’s a lifelong problem.]]

May not have been on the news in the USA. Peter Sutcliffe, aka the Yorkshire Ripper, based away 13th Nov 2020. (Big news in the British Press, or at least those parts I still pay attention to). Police attitudes towards women were unfortunately one of the reasons why he was not caught for such a long time. Have attitudes changes? You'd hope so...

[[That was one of my disappointments with the miniseries: the lack of updates at the end. They didn’t mention most of the later repercussions, including his death (nor the identification of the person who made the audio tapes).]]

Andy York: In your intro paragraph, as you left out those that like both Biden and Trump so they must be your base Granted it is likely only a handful of people, but it's a start!

[[I know plenty of people who dislike them both. Like them both? Yeah, the four people in the world who fit that description read Eternal Sunshine. They are my target audience.]]

Regarding your movies, find a good arthouse or check out the Dallas Film Society for their screenings (not sure how close to Mesquite any of them are located). I am sold on the Austin Film Society and it's programs (they now have their own theater, currently closed, but used to use screens around the City at Alamo Drafthouses mostly. They also have a small screening room at their studios (yes, they also run the Austin Studios, currently homebase for "Fear the Walking Dead" and "Walker").

[[The Angelika is the “best” arthouse theater in Dallas, but at least have the screens are used for mainstream big-budget movies. Or at least that’s how they were running pre-pandemic. When I start going to movies again, I expect that will be my mainstay. I used to go there quite often. They also show some of the Dallas Film Festival stuff. I haven’t been a huge fan of either of the area festivals. Plus, I seem to get my fill of festivals by helping to pre-screen and rate movies for a friend’s documentary festival (not in the Dallas area). I’ve got 50 more to watch right now if I am going to see everything submitted so far. There are some BAD movies in that submission pile, but a few really good ones too.]]

The Dining Dead – Eternal Sunshine Movie Reviews

The Blood on Satan’s Claw (Shudder) – I otherwise might have skipped this 1971 film, as the description is all over the place: in an 18^th century English village, children begin to grow fur patches and do “naughty things.” But it was also compared to Witchfinder General (Vincent Price’s most evil and abrasive role) and The Wicker Man with Christopher Lee, which is a personal favorite of mine. The comparisons are poorly chosen. Instead, you get a mess of a plot with no real surprises and no real payoff. The locations are good and the acting isn’t bad, despite wooden dialogue most of the time. But there are simply too many characters, none of which hold much interest to the viewer. The “creepiness factor” those other two movies have is missing, although you can see that’s something they were going for. There’s really only one scene in the entire film that hits close to the target they were aiming for, and that happens to be the most violent of the film. Even that scene (including incantations, screaming, and rape) doesn’t create quite the response the filmmakers were hoping for, despite being partially effective. I suppose you could say this film – also known as Satan’s Skin – is a bit closer to a cross between Witchfinder General and Robert Egger’s wonderful 2015 film The Witch in plot and style, but it’s a distant cousin at best. Forget the reviews on IMDB and elsewhere talking about how haunting it is; it’s just not very well executed, and not worth your time.

Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer (Netflix) – No, this isn’t the great TV series starring Darren McGavin (which I have on DVD and plan on watching again soon). Instead, this is a limited series documenting the case of Richard Ramirez, a killer and rapist in California in the 1980’s who was nicknamed (among other things) the Night Stalker by the press. I’ve read about serial killers since I was a teenager, starting with Helter Skelter and on up. As an east coast kid, this case never held much of a fascination for me. Despite that, I’ve seen other shows about him, and read a book or two. So I think I’m qualified to say this: despite the detailed interviews with lead detectives on the case and many other important people, this show just wasn’t that good. Most of the victims pass as names, without any kind of humanization. It was as if the filmmakers realized Ramirez had so many victims (including children he sexually assaulted and then released) that they wanted to cram every possible detail in, without stopping to spend much time on any individual crime (unless they had a family member to interview). In the end, I felt like Ramirez was glorified a little. At least they didn’t shy away from when Diane Feinstein held a press conference, releasing confidential information and screwing up many of the ways the police hoped to catch him. And they pointed out a few occasions where bad luck, or bad decisions by police executives, delayed identifying and catching the killer, resulting in unnecessary victims. If you don’t know anything about the Night Stalker case, you might enjoy this more than I did. And in closing, I probably should mention that online reviews say the use of crime scene photographs – and some cartoonish recreations of a few acts of violence – make this show bloodier and gorier than necessary, probably for shock value alone. So heed that warning as well.

Midnight Special (Netflix) – A sort of mystery/sci-fi story starring Michael Shannon. Shannon has “kidnapped” his own son from a cultish ranch where he and his son lived, and where the parishioners believe his son is their savior. Apparently, his young son Alton (Jaeden Martell) has fits where he speaks in tongues, including rattling off numbers and code words that are government transmissions made through satellites (but fully encrypted). The cult treats those messages as scripture, the Word of God. The whole movie has the same vibe as some X-Files episodes, although fortunately the story doesn’t feel like it has been dragged out to excess. Kirsten Dunst and Adam Driver also appear, and the movie was written and directed by Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter, another gripping film starring Michael Shannon). In typical X-Files fashion, Shannon and his son are being chased by the government and by members of the cult, while they try to make their way to a particular destination on a particular date, designated by some of Alton’s visions. This isn’t a great movie, but it’s good and the payoff is moderately successful. Wrapped around the story is theme of parental love for a child, and putting their happiness and safety above your own. The flaws aren’t large enough to ruin the experience.

Don’t Listen (Netflix) – A Spanish horror film released in 2020, sort of a combination of Poltergeist and The Sixth Sense. A married couple and their six-year-old son move into a large, old house in the Spanish countryside in over to renovate it and sell it (which is how they make a living). Strange happenings, a fly infestation, and weird unexplained voices take on a more sinister tone after tragedy strikes. There’s nothing particularly new here, and often the movie relies on jump scares more than I would have liked. But overall it’s an effectively creepy movie, and despite some more obvious plot devices and some eye-rolling decisions by a few characters, it comes to an acceptably original conclusion. This was director Ángel Gómez Hernández’s first feature-length film, which he handles well. Far from perfect, but a decent distraction.

Older Movies Watched on DVD (that I’ve seen many times) – Citizen Kane, Charade, The Producers.

Octopus's Garden

Issue Ninety-Four

12^th February 2021

Sub-editorial

HELLO, good evening and welcome to Octopus's Garden, the subzeen with its very own Railway Rivals game. It is a subzeen to Douglas Kent's Eternal Sunshine. It's produced by Peter Sullivan peter@burdonvale.co.uk. It's also available on the web at: http://www.burdonvale.co.uk/octopus/.

Round 1 (RR 2473 B) — "Garrett Hobart" — Railway Rivals Map "B" (Lon&Lpl)

JGL black (John David Galt)

1a) (Liverpool) - Bolton [+6] - Manchester {+6} - H8 ;
1b) (H8) - H10 - I11 - I12 ;
1c) (I12) - Stoke [+6] - Wolverhampton [+6].
=20+26=46

AYUP yellow (Mark Firth)

1a) (Hull) - J43 - I44 - York [+6] - D42 ;
1b) (D42) - A45 - Leeds [+6] ;
1c) (A45) - Sheffield [+6] - C50.
=20+12=32

HJA red (Hank Alme)

1a) (London) - H70 - G71 - E70 ;
1b) (E70) - D70 - Oxford [+6] - B68 ;
1c) (B68) - B62 - Coventry [+6}.
=20+12+5[B]=37

BASH sky-blue (Bob Blanchett)

1a) (Bristol) - F31 - H32 - K31 ;
1b) (K31) - A69 ;
1c) (A69)- Oxford - D70 [-5 H] ; (F31) - F30 - G30 - G29 - Gloucester [+6].
=20+6-5[H]=21

Rolls for Round Two: 5, 4, 7. Orders to me, Peter Sullivan, at peter@burdonvale.co.uk by WEDNESDAY, 10th MARCH 2021.

Mark Firth's company acronym expands to "All Yorkshiremen Utter Profoundly."" In the best traditions of RR company names, I suspect this is (at least in part) a backronym.

Thanks to Tony Robbins, we have a newly-minted RR number for this game!

EDITORIAL

"It is better to light a candle rather than curse the darkness," goes the old Chinese proverb. It's certainly been a dark 13 months for face-to-face Diplomacy play, both for organised tournaments and for informal "seven mates in the back room with plenty of beer" play. But, with the rapid progress of vaccinations in most western countries, it's not too hard to see some light ahead, with face-to-face play becoming possible again either later this year or early in 2022.

To help facilitate this process, a group of Diplomacy luminaries have set up the "Diplomacy Face-to-Face Registry." The intent is for this registry to serve as a resource for organizers trying to get a game, a club, or an event together. The data is presented as a Google Maps overlay, cleverly designed to appeal to Diplomacy players' fascination (alright then, *this* Diplomacy player's fascination) with matters cartographical. You can find the map at https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1FIGzlMU-DBZTBDrNyobU_7_TK5jfiAbE&usp=sharing

You can add your own information to the database via Google Forms, at https://forms.gle/3b41kYG1j6nipSmSA. (Your contact information will only be used to promote Diplomacy events and only will only be shared with your consent.)

That was Octopus's Garden #94, Startling Press production number 390.

Out of the WAY #30

by W. Andrew York

(wandrew88 of gmail.com)

Howdy!

It’s the start of an arctic weekend here in Austin. It’s looking like a historic few days ahead on the weather front. From what I remember from Friday’s weather forecast:

Valentine’s Day – the coldest February 14 on record

Monday – coldest day on record in Austin

Tuesday morning – single digit, chance for coldest recorded temperature ever on record, certainly in the top (bottom?) 5

Sunday/Monday – could be a record snowfall, but at least the most snow since the mid-1960s

Around 6 Day Stretch – longest continuous period below freezing on record

True winter weather is not kind to us, not only because our houses/homes/apartments are not insulated for cold. So, faucets drip and heaters work overtime. We don’t have any snowplows, while dump and sprayer trucks are modified to spread mixtures designed to impeded ice on roadways. But, many roadways are elevated and open to the cold air on all sides (in other words, they ice over as soon as water hits them in freezing weather) – the north does this better, with few fully elevated road sections (mostly bridges) and ramps firmly embedded in the earth rather than soaring in the air.

So, I’m inside until the snows clear late on Monday (not just because of some pandemic, for once). But, that’s fine – I have plenty to occupy myself, maybe binging a few TV shows or diving into the stack of unread magazines. At least I’m warm, have plenty of food and enough diversions to keep me occupied. Now, just have to hope that the power doesn’t go out again due to downed powerlines as it did in the middle of last night.

In other news, there’s really not much is new on my front. Inside is the usual, I did finish a few cookbooks this time as they were mostly recipes rather than food philosophy. I had an eager anticipation to read South, but was sadly disappointed at how the book was put together. A new turn in “Hangman by Definition” starts, feel free to join in. Still one more for the Gunboat game, any takers? WAYWords and the recipe are tied together, I’m dabbling in trying to define my philosophy towards cooking and food with feedback gratefully accepted. No Texas Talk, didn’t find the time to put in the research on the various pieces I’ve already outlined.

As a follow-up to my tickler at the start of the Book Reviews last time, no one commented. So, I won’t add an upcoming book review list. If you missed the ask, and are interested, let me know. If its a couple folks that would like to know, I can keep you updated as I start a new book and when I finish one so can submit your comments to run along mine.

Well, that about covers it and Doug is probably refreshing his in-basket wondering where this is. So, I’ll close, do the proof, and send it off. Have a great February – and stay warm!

==================================

WAYward Thoughts

Over the past months of lockdown, I’ve had several discussions/exchanges with family and friends about my food preparation philosophy (basically an extension of my salad making preparations bit a couple issues back) and approaches to cooking just for myself (which I’ve done most of my life). So, I thought I’d bring those things together and come up with a more comprehensive presentation. Below is probably version 1.0, as I’m sure I’ll miss some things that I’ll need to add and some items will need refining after further thought or to better represent my thoughts and practices. So, questions, feedback, suggestions and such are welcome.

Overall Philosophy: try to prepare healthy, balanced, tasty meals, fairly quickly, with a goal of quick clean-up and enough leftovers to have a second (third?) meal or use it as a basis for a subsequent dish

How do I do that? Well, there are a number of strategies I’ve put in place, and refined, over the years that help with achieving the philosophy. In getting to where I am, I’ve dropped some things, revised others and am always looking for a way to make it better! Some of the strategies include:

- A strong pantry by having a can or jar of a wide variety of products that I can grab for a dish (and then put on the shopping list for the next trip). That includes cans of many vegetables, staple soups (broths, cream soups), dried pasta, sauces (tomato, cream, pesto, bbq), rice, beans (dried and canned) – basically a handy stock of mix-and-match items to build on

- A selection of supporting ingredients, such as a mix of oil choices, several mustards and vinegars, hot and soy sauces of different flavors and strengths, salad dressings and a basic spice/herb mix to be immediately available to add a dash here or an enhancer there

- Freezer with a selection of ground and cubed meat, chicken/turkey pieces, couple packages of fish/shellfish, some veggies/fruits (including potatoes), sausage, beef and pork that can be thawed for that night’s meal.

- A good mix of fresh veggies pre-prepped and ready to use in the fridge (onions, lettuce, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, etc.) along with some lunchmeat, cheese (sliced and shredded), eggs, milk and such

Now, much of my back stock has grown over the years and I have to keep an eye on some of the expiration dates to use them up before they go bad, and to have a replacement on hand. One of the holes in my strategy is finding something forgotten in the back of the freezer that is unearthed in a desiccated and inedible condition or a can in the back of the pantry that didn’t rotate forward and now has bulged.

However, many things have long shelf lives. For instance in making a recipe from one of the cookbooks reviewed below, I used a store brand Apple Cider Vinegar from a store I haven’t visited in at least 25 years – it was fine, though some sediment on the bottom. Pasta actually will last a considerable time, if properly stored (I store mine in plastic bags after one summer decades ago when I pulled some out that had been infested with teeny-tiny insects) and honey will last forever. So, for those items pick-up the large sized version, at a cost-effective price point, and you won’t have to replenish it in some time.

For things that have shorter lifetimes, keep an eye on the expiration date and plan to use it by then (or shortly thereafter, as most items will be perfectly fine for days, or weeks, after the given expiration date). If you’re not using something up, look at buying a smaller quantity as you’ll likely save money once what is tossed is taken into account – it took some time before I realized that buying a quart of milk was better for me than the ½ gallon, with 1/3 being poured out, that I’d automatically always bought.

Another part of my strategy is, not only having a variety of staples, keeping versatile ingredients ready. This allows me to throw things together quickly and create whatever I decide to have for a meal. I also mix in the week some “dump” dishes to use up fresh items that are losing their edge. Some of those includes breakfast scrambles – you can put just about anything in that from diced/ground meat, all sorts of diced veggies, shrimp, cheese… Mini-pizzas are another good place to use up veggies, meats and cheese. I also have a side salad most days, again a great place to use up veggies, meats and cheeses.

By doing this, if you end up making the same dish in the same week, say a mini-pizza, you can make each unique by changing up the toppings. One pizza may be ham, mushrooms, onions on a pesto base with mozzarella while the next may be pepperoni, sliced olives on a tomato sauce base with cheddar cheese. An egg scramble one day could have pesto mixed in the egg, with sautéed pieces of bacon, diced broccoli stem and spinach sprinkled with parmesan. The next would have Cholula or salsa mixed in the egg, with sautéed sausage, onion, jalapeno and tortilla pieces.

A great example of this overall strategy is when, such as the other day, I was at the store and saw a package of Oscar Meyer Carving Board Southwestern Seasoned Chicken on deep-discount (about 60% off, “must sell” meat is a prime instigator of my quick meal strategy). Using ingredients already on hand (or from routine weekly fresh veggie purchases), I leveraged two dinners and one lunch from it. I made Quick Chicken Enchiladas (heavy on veggies) that made two servings of two enchiladas each. The rest of the chicken was broken up, mixed in mayo/mustard, with added diced onions, then spread on bread with a tomato slice and lettuce leaf (might have added sliced fresh mushrooms) for a lunch, with a pickle spear on the side.

Well, as mentioned this is a first stab at putting this down. I’m sure some of what I wrote didn’t come across as I intended, other things raised an eyebrow and some things might raise questions. So, feedback, thoughts and questions are quite welcome.

To end this ramble, I do know that there’s bits missing, I haven’t figured out where to bring in the strategy of cooking extra for use later. An example from tonight is that shrimp was on sale, so I picked up enough for tonight with a few extra. I’m planning on taking those, cutting them into a few pieces, warm them up in the microwave, then mix into a mayo/Dijon base with garlic powder (I’m a sucker for garlic anything), diced onion and shredded red cabbage then put into a tortilla (maybe sprinkle some chopped lettuce or diced tomatoes on top) for a couple shrimp tacos for tomorrow’s lunch.

===================================

Letter Column

(always welcome, send them in!)

(if something shouldn’t be included here, clearly mark it as a personal comment)

Mark Nelson - The commentary tracks would appeal to me, particularly any by JMS. Finding time to rewatch B5 is one thing, but for sure I would never find the time to watch the commentary tracks. I didn’t do that for Game of Thrones… Oh, to be a student again! [WAY] – Just wait until you retire, all the time in the world. But, I belie that as I’m as busy as I was before retiring. Then, you’d think the recent lockdowns and no socializing would free up time. But, in my case I think I’m more booked than I was before.

[MN]- Random B5 clips appear on my YouTube recommendations on a regular basis and it’s always great to watch them!

A long time ago, if you read English at Oxford you started by learning Anglo-Saxon so that you could read Beowulf in the ‘original’. I recall reading that in recent times this has been stopped, so you the option of reading it in translation. One of the local stations has been showing ST: Voyager, six or seven episodes a week. Under normal circumstances I would not be home in time to watch this, but as I was working at home… I managed to watch almost all the episodes. (There’s also a couple of episodes that I missed for some reason or the other). The *last* time I watched Voyager season one I guess they must have been released in early 1995? Two episodes to a tape. [WAY] - Voyager started airing in 1995, so videos were likely available in 1996. [MN] - Their Beowulf episode is one of the few that I remember from 25 years ago! Stopped watching them when the friend I was watching them with finished his PhD and moved away (he was the one buying them). Then didn’t watch the series again except for the occasional episode. So a strange viewing experience to see one-a-day (almost) over half-a-year. [WAY] – I bet it was. For me, I watched most/all of the first 4-5 seasons when they aired then started to lose interest – maybe Star Trek overload with all the content then available at the time. As for watching it now, the show rotates on BBC America which is currently showing a mix of Next Generation and Deep Space 9. Also, on Pluto TV (free app, lots of commercial breaks with no fast forward), they have a Star Trek channel. I pulled it up and it was showing a Next Gen episode.

[MN] - Even 25 years ago I was able to predict that despite the vast distances involved Voyager would return to Earth in the final episode of the final season! Shame that it had to involve time-travel, which is a pet hare of mine. (I religiously watch Dr. Who… so I am not consistent…). [WAY] – I think everyone was expecting them to “get home” by the end. Regarding time travel, I don’t think it isn’t consistent to like it in Dr. Who, where it is part of the core fabric of the show from day one. In Star Trek, it mostly seemed to be a deux ex machina to resolve an issue or for one-off plots twists that bent the central narrative a bit too much (ditto with alternate universes bleeding over).

[MN] - Returning to Beowulf. When you talk about reading the original text, I assume that you *are* talking about reading in the Anglo-Saxon… 8-) [WAY] – ‘fraid not, it was a Dover Classic edition (more on them in this issues review section) that consisted of “…an unabridged republication of Beowulf as translated from the Anglo-Saxon by R[obert] K[ay] Gordon, originally published in the volume Anglo-Saxon Poetry, J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd., London, 1926.” I actually was referring to an original first translation of the text into English rather than a polished subsequent republication. Now, somewhere around here I do have a copy of Le Morte d’Arthur in Middle English that I read when I was much younger. Should probably add it to the tottering piles of “books to (re)read” that cover much of one bookshelf.

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Random Review

Some of the books I’ve recently read and reviewed, in the series of “classics”, has been mostly drawn from the publishing line “Dover Thrift Editions” that are put out by Dover Publications in New York (Canada from the General Publishing Company Ltd., and in the UK from Constable and Company, Ltd).

The line consists of reprints of books in the copyright public realm and include a wide range of classics (both fact and fiction), poetry collections and the like. Each book is complete from the source publication, reset into a modern layout, and include a table of contents (where appropriate) and usually a brief modern introduction to the piece. Back covers have a short synopsis and other notes. Some additional material may be included (such as in Beowulf, a genealogy chart, though I can’t determine if it is part of the 1926 book or a modern addition). Lastly, the publisher clearly identifies anything omitted (such as the translator’s explanatory notes in The Mabinogion) or unusual (see review of The Mabinogion).

Unlike the vanity publishers of today that reprint old titles at a hefty price, considering they pay no royalties and, in some cases, the “book” consist of photocopies of original pages, the Dover line are priced for everyone. Back when I purchased my “stash” most books were under a hundred pages and cost $1. A few thicker books were at a $2, with the thickest I recall priced at $3.

The line is still available today, and apparently is adding new books (saw some with 2020 publication dates). Today’s cost seems to be mostly at $3, several in the $4-6 range, with a smattering above that. The most expensive I saw with my brief review was $11 for a 544 page printing of The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James. Interestingly, I saw a copy of The Confessions of St. Augustine for $6 – in college in the 1990s I paid about $20 for the one I used in my class. I could have saved a good bit of textbook money!

The books are, in my opinion, well done, clearly readable and printed as standard paperbacks. The covers appear to be a bit sturdier than a couple of other paperbacks of the same publication time frame that I have in my collection. 25 years on, the blank inside covers have, in some cases, darkened as have the edges of some pages. This may be due to my storage and handling of them over the years as others have little change. None of the ones I checked had broken spines or loose pages.

I would heartily recommend anyone wanting to read an older book to look for a Dover Thrift Edition first. This will likely save a few dollars (to a lot, if you happen upon the vanity publishers out for your money). You can be assured of getting a good quality product that will let you enjoy writings of the past!

[Note – I did check other editions of The Varieties of Religious Experience at the local BookPeople website. There were two cheaper editions, one a Dover Economy edition at $9.95 and one for the same price that appears to be from a vanity publisher but it is abbreviated at only 234 pages long (or has very tiny type), both out of stock while the Dover edition is on the shelf. Oher paperbacks I glanced at ranged from $12.99-$34.95 (I didn’t check page counts to see if they were comparable).

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Mini-Book Reviews

(finished since last issue)

How to Let God Solve Your Problems by Charles F. Stanley (2008; 148p).

It is subtitled “12 Keys to Finding Clear Guidance in Life’s Trials”. From that premise, it tackles a dozen aspects of life, such as waiting for God’s answers, the purpose of adversity and reaching your full potential. It does so by drawing examples and quotations from a Christian Biblical perspective both in the written word and in real life examples.

Overall the book strives to turn your mindset to a more God-centered expectation and build trust by faith. There are few concrete actions, with those being more along the lines of setting expectations and in praying. It is definitely more an emotional/supportive, than a step-by-step/how-to-do, self-help guide

Only for the Christian or Christian-leaning person looking for a support and encouragement through difficult times. [January 2021]

The Homesick Texan Cookbook by Lisa Fain (2011; 358p).

My 20-year “Thank-You” gift from the State of Texas. The genesis of the book was a native Texan moved to New York and missed the food they grew up with. So, they tried to recreate the tastes, but years ago in the Big Apple ingredients were hard to find. So, this is a collection of very “home” approachable dishes with alternate ingredients often suggested for potentially scarce items. Today, in most cities, there are enough specialty grocers that you can find a bodega or “Mexican” food section in a regular store to obtain what you need; or, especially these days, order online and have it delivered.

The first chapter of the book discusses the Texan’s Pantry. It discusses such things as the types of chiles/peppers commonly used, spices and herbs and kitchen equipment – if you don’t have a tortilla press, what is a good substitute and what the heck is a tomatillo.

Each chapter and recipe begins with a personal story from her past about what that means to her, such as stories from her time preserving food with her grandmother to memories of biscuits and sawmill gravy for dinner. Some of the recipes are recreations of what she enjoyed in particular restaurants. She also points out when a recipe is based on a regional (yes, in Texas, there are definitely different styles/tastes depending on where you are –Panhandle food is different than the RGV (Rio Grande Valley) than the Deep South tastes of East Texas than the German/Czech influences in the Hill Country. There are even regional differences in making tortillas.

Though I have yet to make any of the recipes, all appear approachable. Some, such as the Seven-Chili Texas Chili (no beans!), are a bit involved. However, most are very approachable with a reasonable number of ingredients and not too time consuming to put together.

Recommended for anyone interested in the dishes, tastes and flavors of Texas. [January 2021]

The Mabinogion translated by Lady Charlotte E. Guest (1997; 209p).

This is a collection of 13^th/14^th century Welsh bardic tales of knights, quests and honor with an Arthurian background (no round table yet). Translated from the Welsh in the mid 1800s, it is an exciting collection that must have been enjoyed by many a court in the centuries when bards (who knew how to pronounce the names) performed them,

From a modern storytelling perspective, one can find all sorts of a plot holes, especially if trying to recreate a map of the locations of various stories (don’t try, not possible). However, if taken as a verbal entertainment showcasing the actions and intents, and leaving factual reconstruction aside, it is much more enjoyable and satisfying.

As I do with books collecting oral stories, I read this out loud. That presented some difficulties, much as I had with Beowulf, with names. The most trying part was when “Kilhwch, the son of Kilydd, the son of Prince Kelyddon, by Goleuddydd, my mother, the daughter of Prince Anlawdd” requested from Arthur aid for a quest to “obtain for me Olwen, the daughter of Yspaddaden Penkawr” with a four page list of people to join him – including “Llenlleawg Wyddel, and Ardderchawg Prydain. Cas the son of Saidi, Gwrvan Gwallt Avwyn and Gwyllennhin”.

But, overall, it was an excellent read of prose from that time, and poetry, with the story “Taliesin” including a number of bardic poems. I’m a tad surprised, with the mining of older tales for various films, parodies, cartoons and the ilk, that this doesn’t seem to have been used (at least I can’t place anything specifically from it).

Recommended if you like Arthurian-style stories – just don’t try to read it to anyone [February 2021]

South by Sean Brock (2019; 375p).

I was fortunate to obtain a ticket to Brock’s presentation at the 2019 Texas Book Festival interview (which included a signed book). I thoroughly enjoyed the event, he talked about working to improve restaurant staff conditions (benefits, living wage rather than depending on tips, etc.), finding and restoring regional recipes and preserving heritage plants. So, I was looking forward to reading the book.

Unfortunately, the book was a big disappointment from my high expectations. There is very little discussion of the previously listed topics, though the introduction was promising. Once past that, the majority of the book was recipes geared more towards specialty ingredients (long list of sourcing in the back), restaurant style approach and time-intensive preparation. For instance, the “Deviled Eggs” recipe lists two items to source (though one is “preferred”) and expects to have already prepared three other recipes (though one has an alternative item to source).

There are several side bars that are worthwhile, such as the bit on “Taking Care of Cast Iron” and “Fireplace Cookery” (though leaning more towards a cooking hearth than the usual household fireplace). Also, a few of the recipes are definitely approachable by the home cook such as the Pork Shoulder Steak with Grilled Mushrooms as well as the Slow Cooked Onions.

I can’t recommend this book to anyone, with the possible exception of someone looking for inspiration in opening a southern themed restaurant in the future. [January 2021]

The Walking Dead: The Official Cookbook and Survival Guide by Lauren Wilson (2017; 144p).

The source of this cookbook is obvious, with all of the recipes inspired by dishes on the show or from a “survival” mindset. There are plenty of photos from the television show, with many of the pages appearing “distressed” as if it was well used.

The first chapter is on “Food Survival Basics”, though I’d title it “Food Survival Teaser” – giving a hint on what to expect and the skills needed rather than a foundational how-to guide. That said, given a choice between using the book and not having anything, I’ll take it.

The next four sections are the recipes, loosely separated into breakfast food, lunch/dinner fare, sweets and drinks. Some of the recipes include:

Homestead Home Fries – using ingredients that would be found at Herschel’s farm

Dwight’s Egg Sandwich – recreation of his “go to” sandwich

Negan’s Spaghetti all’Arrabbiate, Carl’s Biscuits and Alexandria Lemonade - recreations form that memorable episode

Chicken a la Lucille – contrived connection to bring a mention of Lucille with this dish via flattened chicken breasts

Homemade Big Cat Bars – a substitute for that commercial product that’s popped up a couple times

Carol’s Beet and Acorn Cookies – no Walking Dead recipe book would be complete without these

The final section has seven recipes illustrating survival cooking techniques from making jerky to preserving/pickling foods. Canning produce and making preserves are covered in the book, from a high-level perspective.

I know the results of two recipes that have been used from the book. The first, a co-worker, who I’d bought a copy of the book for, made the Cherry Moonshine. She shared some with me and it was tasty, and quite potent (made with Everclear). She didn’t mention having to make any substantive changes, so definitely a solid recipe.

I made Rick’s Cucumber and Onion Salad. Unfortunately, the recipe is not usable as written. Some flaws include having onions, and their preparation, in the ingredient list. However, in the recipe instructions when to add the onions is completely missing. Also, the prepared dressing seems to be for a half recipe of vegetables while the amount of sugar appears to be for a double recipe. The first batch I made I was able to “save” by making a second batch of the dressing, though it was sweet. The next time I made it I cut the sugar in half and doubled the dressing. This made a good salad – in both cases I added the onions with the cucumbers.

Given this book was written by a professionally trained chef and cookbook author, I’m very surprised at the lack of proof reading and repeated recipe testing by different people. Whether the issues with the Cucumber and Onion Salad is a one-off or part of a pattern, I couldn’t say.

If you’re looking for a go-to recipe book, or post-apocalyptic survival guide, skip this one. If you’re looking for a fun Walking Dead tie-in, with recipes to dabble in without expecting it to come out right the first time, look for it. Just think about pulling this out when talking with someone your having over for dinner (at some point in a year or two). And, for those wondering, no recipes from Terminus.

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Babylon 5 Quote

In “The Deconstruction of Falling Stars” – Brother Alwyn: “Faith and reason are the shoes on your feet. You can travel farther

with both than you can with just one.”

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Recipe of the Month

Recipe Philosophy: Except for baking, recipes are only suggestions. I rarely precisely measure, eyeballing most everything. The

listed measurements, for the most part, are estimates from the last time I made the recipe. Feel free to adjust to meet

your personal tastes – and remember, it is easier to add “more” of something than to compensate when “too much” has

been added.

For ingredients, if you don’t like raw onions, omit them or replace with celery to retain the crunchiness. If you like food with

more spice, add an extra jalapeno or use habaneros instead. On the other hand, if you don’t like spicy food, replace the

jalapeno with a bell pepper. Optional items are used when I’m looking for a variation or making it for individuals

with specific preferences or allergies.

NOTE: For background, see WAYWords column.

Quick Chicken Enchiladas

by W. Andrew York

(last reviewed February 2021)

Ingredients, as I recall – feel free to substitute with what you have on hand

4 oz Precooked Chicken (large pieces split into two)

1 cn Cream of Chicken Soup (or Cream of Mushroom, or Cream of <Fill-in the Blank>)

Milk or Water, enough to loosen the condensed soup into a thick sauce

1 Hdfl Diced Onions (I used sweet onions)

1 Hdfl Sliced Fresh Mushrooms (I used buttons)

1 Hdfl Diced Jalapenos

Oil for Sautéing

Garlic Powder to Taste

4 ea Flour Tortillas

Shredded Cheese (I used Colby, but Cheddar, Pepper Jack, etc. could be used)

Salt

(optional) Sliced Green Onions, especially the green tops

Steps:

1) In a skillet, heat up oil and sauté onions, jalapenos and mushrooms, dusted with salt, until cooked through and soft

2) While sautéing, put about ½ of the soup in a bowl and mix with milk to make a thick sauce. Add garlic powder to taste

3) Once the vegetables are done, mix into the soup sauce along with the chicken and some shredded cheese

4) Lightly spray a small baking dish with oil while warming the tortillas in the microwave

5) Lay out the tortillas, then spoon the filling along the center of each tortilla. There should be enough filling for the four tortillas without over-filling them – try to leave a chicken bit in each bite.

6) Fold the two sides of a tortillas over the filling, turn over and place in the baking dish (open side down)

7) Put the remaining soup in the mixing bowl, adding milk and mixing to make another sauce

8) Pour sauce over enchiladas, topping with a good amount of shredded cheese

9) Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes (so the enchiladas are heated through and the cheese has melted)

10) Turn on the broiler for 2-3 minutes to brown the cheese on the top

11) Optionally, before serving, sprinkle sliced green onions tops for a dash of color and crunch

Notes:

- If you wanted to skip the sautéing, use canned mushrooms and either omit the onions/jalapenos or cook the enchiladas a bit longer to soften them if you don’t want the crunch. Reportedly you can soften veggies in the microwave, but I have no experience with it

- This can convert into a cheese enchilada easily with leaving out the chicken/vegetables and upping the cheese content. Ditto with a veggie enchilada by upping the veggies and adding others

- Be careful not to overfill the tortillas as this can make putting them in the baking dish more difficult and require longer cooking times

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Updates/Corrections

When I have updates to previous items, or corrections outside the games, they’ll be here. If there are none, this section won’t appear.

Mustard Bistro Vinaigrette Recipe last time had a typo – the ingredient list should read (change to the amount of mustard):

2 tbsp Wine Vinegar

2 tbsp Dijon Mustard

6 tbsp Oil (divided)

½ tsp Salt (fine grain)

1 tbsp Shallot, Diced (optional)

Additional Salt and Pepper, to taste

Also, please note that these are base levels, if you want to use less oil or more vinegar or shallot – by all means try it out. I’ve adjusted many of the amounts and the only caution I’ve discovered is don’t unilaterally increase just the oil. It dilutes the taste and has an unappealing oily aftertaste.

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Game Section

Everyone Plays Games: Hangman, By Definition; Facts in Five

Game Openings: Breaking Away (Kent, Burgess, Smith; Firth, minimum 6 players needed)

No-Press Gunboat Diplomacy, sans preference lists (6 Players)

Standard Choice (Smith, minimum 4 players needed)

Possible Game Openings: Breaking Away Variants

Suggestions accepted for other games to offer.

Standbys: Breaking Away (x1); Gunboat Diplomacy (x1)

Rules for Breaking Away. Breaking Away Variants and Choice available on the Variable Pig website (variablepig.org)

~~+++++++++++++++++++++~~

Hangman, By Definition

This is a five round game, with each round consisting of a variable number of turns. The winner will be the person who wins the most rounds, with a tie breaker being fewest total number of turns in those winning rounds. Second tie breaker will be the most number of letters guessed (by total count revealed, not by individual letter).

Each round will consist of identifying a word of at least six letters. Along with each word will be the first definition given. All words and definitions will be identified by blank spaces. Words and definitions are verified in a dictionary that was my high school graduation gift (slight hint to those who might want to find the edition).

The goal is to guess the word in as few turns as possible. Each turn, all players will submit one letter to be revealed. The letter submitted by the most players will be the letter revealed in the next turn. Ties will be broken by a randomized method. Additionally, each player should submit a guess for the word. Once the word is correctly identified (spelling is important), that round will end and a new round will begin. All players who guess the word in the same turn will share in the win for the round. If the word is not guessed by the end of six turns with no letter being revealed, no one will win the round.

Along with revealing letters in the word, letters will be revealed in the definition. There are no bonus points for guessing any part of the definition, it is only there to help players figure out the word. No guesses about parts of the definition will be confirmed or displayed except by the letter revealed in that round. The letters “E” and “S” can never be chosen as the letter to be revealed.

Game 1, Round Three, Turn 1:

Letter Votes: pending Revealed: pending

Words Guessed: pending

Solution:

Word: __ __ __ __ __ __ (6)

Definition: __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ (8); __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ (8); __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ (8).

Never Revealed: E, S Already Revealed: None, First Turn

Game Words Correctly Guessed: Infinitesimal (David-Gardner, Firth, Kent, Smith, Wilson);

Triclinium (Firth, Maslen, Smith, Wilson)

Player Comments:

Andy Lischett: My guess for the new round is NOTHING, with the definition of THE LACK OF ANYTHING.

~~+++++++++++++++++++++~~

FACTS IN FIVE

***Rules Revision in Bold below***

Rules: There will be five rounds, the cumulative high score at the end of the fifth round will be the winner. Anyone may join anytime with a starting score matching the lowest total from the previous round. Anyone missing a round will add the lowest score of that round.

Each round will consist of five categories and five letters. Each player submit may an entry for each category which has a key word that starts with each of the letters (twenty-five total entries). Key words are generally the first word; however articles (the, a, etc.) and modifiers (“red” in red bicycle for “R” in “mode of transportation” or “general” in General Lee for “G” in “Military Leaders”) are not key words. A word in the category may not be the key word (“bank” in “Bank of America” for “B” in the category “Banks”). For given names, the last name is the key word, if married it will be their post-marriage last name. However, in the case of commonly used stage names, that name should be used (in a category of female singers, ”Q” could be “Queen Latifa” and “Cher” for “C”). An entry may only be used once per round. Please clearly identify which individual you are using as your answer if there are multiple potential people with a given name. For instance, if the category is American Presidents, answering Washington is fine as there is only one; however, if you decided to use Bush you need to indicate whether you are submitting the father or the son. Unclear answers will be matched to score the least points. Using the Bush example, if one person submitted “Bush” and three people submit “George W. Bush” the latter would score 2 points and the former 1.

One point will be scored for each entry that unarguably meets the letter and category. An additional point will be added if anyone else also uses the same valid entry for the same category. Maximum possible score in a round is 50 with a lowest possible score of 25, presuming an individual submits a valid entry for each category and letter in that round.

Research is allowed, collaboration between players is not.

Game Two, Round Three

Bolded - Scores 2 points for matching another entry; Crossed Out - scores 0 points; otherwise scores 1 point.

REMINDER - Last names are generally the key word, not first names.

Players G H I K P

Female Poet

Mark Firth Virginia Graham Phoebe Hesketh Maria Ilnicka Gertrud Kolmar Sylvia Plath

John David Galt No Entry Recieved

Doug Kent Ellen Gilchrist Julia Ward Howe Helen Ivory Kiwus Dorothy Parker

Andy Lischett Amanda Gorman Hrotsvitha Jean Ingelow Anne Killigrew Sylvia Plath

Walt O’Hara Nikki Giovanni Joy Harjo Princess Iwa Jackie Kay Dorothy Parker

Kevin Wilson Amanda Gorman Joan Holihan Helen Ivory Rupi Kaur Sylvia Plath

Deceased Famous Person of African Descent

Mark Firth Dizzy Gillespie Alex Haley Rex Ingram Martin Luther King Walter Payton

John David Galt No Entry Recieved

Doug Kent Marcus Garvey Hannibal Mo Ibrahim Kenneth Kaunda Nick Price

Andy Lischett Bob Gibson Lena Horne Marvin Isley M. L. King Walter Payton

Walt O’Hara C Grelombe J Hayarimana J Aguiyi-Ironsi E Kabushemeye E Pena

Kevin Wilson Robert Guillaume Langston Hughes Rex Ingram Gladys Knight Prince

Artificial Satellites

Mark Firth Galaxy 14 Hubble Intelsat I KH-13* Pan

John David Galt No Entry Recieved

Doug Kent Glory Hinode INSAT 1-A Kepler PALAPA D

Andy Lischett Goliat Hellas Sat 2 ~~Intastat~~ KazSat1 ~~Plymouth~~

Walt O’Hara Giotto Hubble ISO Kepler Pioneer

Kevin Wilson Galileo Helios Iridium Keyhole* Pegasus

* - Individual satellites in a series, and the name of the series, are being counted as the same

Unit of Weight

Mark Firth Gram Hyakume ~~Istar~~ Kikkar Pound

John David Galt No Entry Recieved

Doug Kent Gram Hundredweight (no answer) Kilogram Pound

Andy Lischett Gram Hectogram (no answer) Kilogram Pound

Walt O’Hara Gram ~~Hecto~~ ~~Imperial~~ Kilogram Pound

Kevin Wilson Gram Hundredweight Imperial Ton Kilogram Pound

Modern Era Olympic Sport* (non-Demonstration)

Mark Firth ~~G-R Wrestling~~ Handball Ice Hockey Kayaking ~~Pole Vault~~

John David Galt No Entry Recieved

Doug Kent Golf ~~High Jump~~ Ice Hockey ~~Kickboxing~~ ~~Pommel Horse~~

Andy Lischett Gymnastics Hockey ~~Ice Skating~~ Karate ~~Ping Pong (Parcheesi)~~

Walt O’Hara Golf Handball Ice Hockey Karate Polo

Kevin Wilson ~~G-R Wrestling~~ ~~High Jump~~ Ice Hockey Karate ~~Pentathlon~~

Note – for allowed and disallowed answers, please feel free to correct me!

Notes on Mark’s Answers: Mark notes the weight Hyakume is Japanese, Istar is Egyptian and Kikkar is Hebrew; Istar is

disallowed as I can’t find a listing for an artificial satellite; G-R Wrestling is Greco-Roman Wrestling, but is disallowed

as the IOC lists it as “Wrestling Greco-Roman” as a discipline in the sport of “Wrestling; Pole Vault is disallowed as the

IOC lists it as an event in the sport of Athletics

Notes on Doug’s Answers: High Jump is disallowed as the IOC lists it as an event in the sport of Athletics; Kickboxing is

disallowed as it is not an Olympic sport, though the similar Taekwondo is; Pommel Horse is disallowed as the IOC lists

it as an event in the discipline of Artistic Gymnastics in the sport of Gymnastics

Notes on Andy’s Answers: Intastat and Plymouth are disallowed as I can’t find a satellite by those names. Ice Skating is

disallowed as the IOC calls it the discipline “Figure Skating” or “Speed Skating” in the sport of Skating; Ping Pong

(Parcheesi) is disallowed as the IOC lists it as “Table Tennis”

Notes of Walt’s Answers: C Grelombe is Christphe Grelombe, J Hayarimana is Juvenal Habyarimana, J Aguiyi-Ironsi is

Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, E Kabushemeye is Ernest Kabushemeye, E Pena is Elias Salupeto Pena; Hecto is disallowed as I

can’t find a discrete weight by that name alone, as a prefix it could be used on certain units of weight. Imperial is

disallowed as, though it is a system of weights, it is not a unit of weight in and of itself.

Notes on Kevin’s Answers: G-R Wrestling is Greco-Roman Wrestling, but is disallowed as the IOC lists it as “Wrestling Greco-

Roman” as a discipline in the sport of “Wrestling; High Jump is disallowed as the IOC lists it as an event in the sport of

Athletics; Pentathlon is disallowed as the IOC title is “Modern Pentathlon”

General Player Comments:

Mark Firth: (For “H” in the Deceased Famous Person of African Descent, he comments) – “Alternatively, this Egyptian

pharaoh: Horwennefer (also known as Hurganophor, Haronnophris, Harmachis, Hyrgonaphor, Herwennefer, or

Hugronaphor)”

Game Two, Round Four

Letters: F M U Y * (Wildcard)

Categories: Online News Website; Deceased American History Writer; Fictional Character on a TV Show;

Living Music Composer; Computer Term

Current Standings

Scores by Category 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Now Previous Total

Kevin Wilson 8 6 6 9 4 33 + 73 = 106

Doug Kent 7 5 6 8 4 30 + 73 = 103

Mark Firth 6 8 7 6 5 32 + 67 = 99

Andy Lischett 7 7 3 7 4 28 + 70 = 98

Walt O’Hara 6 5 7 6 9 33 + 63 = 96

John David Galt 28* + 65 = 93

*NMR, receives lowest score from this round

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Deadline for the Next Issue of Out of the WAY:

March 10, 2021 at noon – See You Then!

Game entries, letters of comment and other material can be sent to:

wandrew88 at gmail.com; or by post to: W. Andrew York; POB 201117; Austin TX 78720-1117

Eternal Sunshine Game Section

Acquire – “Blind”

Players:

Kevin Wilson – ckevinw@gmail.com; John David Galt – jdgalt@att.net; Mark Firth – mogcate@aol.com; Andy Lischett – andy@lischett.com; Tom Howell – off-the-shelf@olympus.net

Turn Five

Howell: Plays 5-D. Buys 3 Imperial for $400 each.

Wilson: Plays 11-H. Buys 1 Festival for $300.

Galt: Plays 2-B. Buys 3 Imperial for $400 each.

Firth: Plays 4-B. Buys 3 Imperial for $400 each.

Lischett: Plays 7-D. Buys 1 Imperial for $400 and 1 American for $500.

Howell: Plays 2-H. Buys 1 Worldwide for $300.

Order for Turn Six:

Wilson, Galt, Firth, Lischett, Howell, Wilson

Deadline for Turn 6 is March 12^th at 7pm My Time (12 hours earlier than the standard zine deadline)

Diplomacy, “Indestructible Machine”, 2020A, S 06

Austria: Rick Davis – redavis914@aol.com - F Albania – Greece, A Galicia Supports A Rumania,

A Rumania Supports A Warsaw – Ukraine, A Serbia Supports F Albania – Greece, A Warsaw - Ukraine.

England: Mark Firth – mogcate@aol.com - F Mid-Atlantic Ocean - Spain(sc).

France: John David Galt – jdgalt@att.net - F English Channel - Belgium (*Fails*),

F Gulf of Lyon Supports F Tunis - Tyrrhenian Sea, A Paris Hold, A Piedmont – Tuscany, F Tunis - Tyrrhenian Sea.

Germany: Andy Lischett – andy@lischett.com - A Belgium Hold, A Burgundy – Gascony,

F Denmark Supports F North Sea, A Kiel – Munich, A Munich – Silesia,

F North Sea Convoys A Edinburgh - Norway.

Italy: Toby Harris – toby@responsiva.biz - F Naples - Tyrrhenian Sea (*Fails*),

F Portugal Supports F Mid-Atlantic Ocean - Spain(sc), A Rome - Naples (*Fails*), A Tyrolia – Piedmont,

A Venice - Apulia.

Russia: Bob Durf – playdiplomacymoderator@gmail.com – F Black Sea – Sevastopol, A Edinburgh – Norway,

F Liverpool – Wales, A Moscow – Warsaw, ~~A Ukraine Supports A Moscow - Warsaw~~

(*Dislodged*, retreat to Moscow or OTB), F Yorkshire - London.

Turkey: Jack McHugh - jwmchughjr@gmail.com – F Aegean Sea Supports F Constantinople - Bulgaria(sc),

F Constantinople - Bulgaria(sc), ~~A Greece Supports F Ionian Sea - Albania~~ (*Disbanded*), F Ionian Sea – Albania,

F Smyrna - Eastern Mediterranean.

Thanks to Andy York for the standby orders!

PRESS:

Czar Bob explaining to his mutinous generals the lack of fresh armies, colorized:

Czar Bob attempting to explain to Germany why he did not respond to the German ambassador's telegrams:

Deadline for F 06 is: March 13^th at 7am My Time

Diplomacy, “Wine Lips”, 2020B, W 03/S 04

Austria: Harold Reynolds – hjreynolds2@rogers.com - Build A Vienna..A Berlin Hold,

A Bohemia Supports A Silesia, F Constantinople - Aegean Sea, A Serbia Hold, A Silesia Supports A Berlin,

A Tyrolia – Munich, A Vienna Hold.

England: David Cohen – zendip18@optonline.net – Remove F Norway..A Belgium – Picardy,

F English Channel Supports A Belgium – Picardy, F North Sea Supports F English Channel, F Wales – Liverpool,

A Yorkshire Supports F Wales - Liverpool.

France: David Burgess – burgesscd@roadrunner.com – F Irish Sea - Liverpool (*Fails*),

F Mid-Atlantic Ocean Convoys A Spain – Clyde, F North Atlantic Ocean Convoys A Spain – Clyde,

~~A Picardy Supports A Ruhr - Belgium~~ (*Dislodged*, retreat to Brest or Paris or OTB), A Spain - Clyde.

Germany: Mark Firth – mogcate@aol.com - F Baltic Sea Supports A Sweden, A Kiel Supports A Ruhr,

A Ruhr Supports A Kiel, A Sweden Supports F Norway (Impossible).

Italy: George Atkins - GeorgeWrites@outlook.com - Build A Venice..A Greece Hold,

F Ionian Sea - Tyrrhenian Sea, A Piedmont – Marseilles, F Tyrrhenian Sea - Gulf of Lyon, A Venice - Piedmont.

Russia: Heath Davis-Gardner – heathdavisgardner@gmail.com - Retreat F Sweden - Gulf of Bothnia..

Build A Warsaw.. A Ankara – Rumania, F Black Sea Convoys A Ankara – Rumania,

F Gulf of Bothnia Supports A St Petersburg – Finland, A Moscow - St Petersburg, A Munich – Burgundy,

A Smyrna – Armenia, A St Petersburg – Finland, A Warsaw - Prussia.

PRESS

France to board: ....my orders this turn should have been build F-BRE...but I'm a bonehead!!! Sorry to all my allies. Thank you to everyone who sent kind words about my Mother-in-Law. It was a very tough 4 weeks. I will be back for good. Nothing crazy happening anytime soon....I hope.

Anonymous:

Portugal

A Portuguese woman has done,

A stunt that's annoyed everyone.

She's made a soft roll

Whose name takes a toll

Because she has named it Lisbon.

Liverpool

The Beatles were from Liverpool

And music was their greatest tool

For promoting change

Over a wide range

Of social injustices cruel.

Galicia

Galicia's a region of Spain,

And also, is found near Ukraine.

They claim limericks

Are linguistic tricks

For reasons I cannot explain.

Greece

The Greek people know that the key

To keep hair from being icky

Is coffee sipping

During a clipping

By folks in Thessaloniki.

Picardy

Grapes grown on the Picardy coast

Are fancied by connoisseurs most

Often for flavor

They like to savor

While wishing the English were ghosts.

Kiel

The north German city of Kiel

Is really not such a big deal.

Though there's a canal

Within the locale

That really adds to its appeal.

Serbia

In Serbia they rate their bells

By their sounds and not by their smells.

When a rating is made,

It's called the Belgrade.

It's a joke that nobody tells.

Vienna

Vienna's the city of dreams

Where nothing there is as it seems.

It gave us "that" waltz,

That musical shmaltz,

Played so much it generates screams.

London

Yes, London is known for its fog.

It's not good for taking a jog.

You can't see too far,

Or know where you are,

Watch out or you'll trip on your dog.

Deadline for F 04 is March 13^th at 7am My Time

Balkan Wars VI, “Bad Way to Go”, 2020Apb08, W 14/S 15

Albania: Mark Firth – mogcate@aol.com – Build F Trieste, A Valona..F Gulf of Corfu - Valona (*Fails*),

A Montenegro Supports A Nish (*Ordered to Move*), F North Adriatic Sea Supports F Trieste – Croatia,

F Rhodes – Cyclades, A Skopje Supports A Salonika - Macedonia (*Void*),

F South Adriatic Sea Supports A Montenegro, A Tirana Supports A Skopje, A Valona Supports A Skopje,

F Trieste - Croatia (*Bounce*).

Bulgaria: Jack McHugh - jwmchughjr@gmail.com - A Arda – Thrace, A Athens Supports A Salonika,

F North Black Sea - South Black Sea (*Bounce*), A Salonika Supports A Arda - Thrace.

Serbia: Andy York – wandrew88@gmail.com – Build A Cluj.. A Belgrade Supports A Bucharest – Nish,

F Bosnia Supports A Cluj – Croatia, A Bessabaria Supports A Constantsa (No Such Unit), A Bucharest – Nish,

A Constantsa Supports A Dubruja, A Dubruja Supports A Varna, A Kolarovo Unordered, A Nish - Mt Tara,

A Plovdiv Supports A Arda – Thrace, A Sofia Supports A Bucharest – Nish,

A Varna Supports F Constantinople (*Ordered to Move*), A Cluj - Croatia (*Bounce*).

Turkey: Heath Davis-Gardner – heathdavisgardner@gmail.com – F Constantinople - Aegean Sea,

F Izmit - South Black Sea (*Bounce*), A Smyrna - Constantinople.

All Proposals Fail

Now Proposed – A/S Draw. NVR=No

PRESS

None.

Deadline for F 15 is March 13th at 7am My Time

Where in the World is Kendo Nagasaki?

The Rules were in Eternal Sunshine #131, read them if you want a detailed explanation and examples. Basically, this is a guessing game, trying to guess the mystery person and their location (both chosen by me before the game started). Closest guess gets a public clue and notification they were the closest. Everyone else sees the clue but has to figure out on their own who was the closest that turn.

Turn 1