Eternal Sunshine #169

June 2023

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 – “What do you know man? A stereo's a stereo. Art is forever.” - (Neil in “After Hours”)

Welcome to Eternal Sunshine, a zine awaiting execution. The date hasn’t been set, but there will be no appeals accepted, no calls for clemency granted. The sentence will be carried out.

By Popular Demand wraps up this issue. That leaves just the one Diplomacy game, and games in Andy York’s subzine. Andy and I haven’t had an official discussion about whether he’ll want me to put out any extra issues after “More Than Ever” ends. I imagine part of that will be based on when the game actually finishes.

I had a busy Memorial Day weekend. On Saturday I went to the Texas Frightmare Weekend convention, which is horror and cult film stuff. The last couple of years I had a ticket but wound up selling it at the last minute. This time, I made certain that I delayed selling for so long that I would be forced to go. I just don’t do enough stuff lately, and if I am ever going to find a girlfriend I suppose I have to leave the house for reasons other than work (where I see nobody but my boss).

Doors didn’t open until 11am, and for me 10am (I had a VIP ticket), but with a new location I didn’t want to deal with nightmare parking or really long lines. So I got there about 8am and wandered around until I found the right line. There was already about a hundred people waiting on the main line (entry for the general ticket holders, and for the John Carpenter autograph sessions). Carpenter was the main draw this year (director of films like Halloween and the remake of The Thing, among others). They had to put him on a separate floor, and sell special passes just to wait on line. This was actually a good idea, because it meant if you waited on line to get a signature you would actually get one, and it also meant the huge line wouldn’t crowd the main floor. There were plenty of other guests there too. The Raimi brothers, a big reunion of cast members from The Thing, another reunion for Killer Klowns From Outer Space, and much more. People spend a LOT of money at these events. The big-name signatures can cost over $100, and then there are photo ops professionally taken that also cost $100 or more. The non-headline guests charge $40 or $50 for an autograph, sometimes a bit more if you want a selfie at the table with them. Add to that all the money spent on merchandise from vendors, movies, shirts, posters, food, parking ($12, but a huge parking garage so no complaints from me). And just to get in costs like $75 I think for a single day, much more for a weekend.

I wasn’t planning on getting John Carpenter’s autograph, but since I had a VIP ticket I entered the VIP lottery that randomly chose which day you’d be allowed to get one. I drew Friday, which meant I REALLY wasn’t going to get an autograph because I was only going on Saturday (my pass was for the whole weekend). The VIP passes sell out in less than an hour, but when you buy them (back in September) you have very little idea what guests are attending. It’s become a bigger and bigger event in the years since I first went in 2014. Part celebration, part drunken hotel parties, part cosplay…and I wasn’t in the mindset to go all out. Not this time. Still, I had a good experience. Waiting on the Will Call line to get in I met a fellow from Oklahoma who shared some of my movie likes. We talked for a few hours about movies, Columbo, conventions, failed relationships….it was good to make a decent connection with someone. It would have been better if he was a cute female, but…well, in that case I probably never would have said a word in the first place!

My plan for the day was to get five or six signatures and to browse the vendors. And really not stay too long after the General Admission doors opened. There were three Twin Peaks folks I wanted to get, plus Keith David and Andrew Robinson. I could have done the Raimi brothers if I’d started there, but I had abandoned that idea the night before. I just didn’t want to spend an hour and $140. I was TRYING to keep the mindset that I never spend money on myself and I deserved to enjoy myself, but this seemed way too much. If I was staying all day, or doing two days, perhaps I would have looked at it differently.

Andrew Robinson wasn’t at his table when I was there, but I know he was for most of the weekend. I just didn’t wait around for him. Conversely, Keith David wasn’t feeling great and had to take a break just fifteen minutes in. I heard he can to cancel Sunday entirely. Too bad, I hope he is fully recovered. He was part of my favorite moment of the day. A really cute goth girl was getting his signature on her poster, and when he found out her name was Katie he started serenading her with the old standard “K-k-k-Katy.” She was of the wrong generation to know the song, but I thought she was going to burst with how big her smile was. Too bad I wasn’t rolling video.

I’d forgotten that my VIP Swag Bag had a card to be used towards a free autograph ($40 maximum) so I used that to have Eileen Dietz sign my Exorcist DVD. She was the demonic face you see a few times in the film. I happened to be wearing my Exorcist “Captain Howdy’s Ouija Boards” t-shirt with her face on it, which she was happy to see. She had to explain to her TFW staff handler who Captain Howdy was. That’s not too embarrassing, as the name is only mentioned during one early scene in the film.

Harry Goaz from Twin Peaks – He lives in Dallas now, apparently a few blocks from my office.

Sheryl Lee from Twin Peaks. She was thrilled when I asked her to sign my Mother Night DVD. “You are one of very few people to see that movie” she said, and started telling me what an amazing experience it was to work with the director Keith Gordon (who you may know better form his acting roles such as the “loser” who buys the car in Christine, or Rodney Dangerfield’s son in Back to School). Mother Night is my favorite Vonnegut adaptation. She was one of the few guests who offered selfies but kept at a table’s distance from all guests. I didn’t mind at all; she was super sweet and the photo has a bit of a Twin Peaks vibe to it.

Ray Wise from Twin Peaks, Swamp Thing (a cable favorite from my teen years), and Robocop. He was genuinely happy to meet his fans. I was laughing as he signed the poster of the person in front of me. He used a paint pen, so he started blowing on the ink to help it dry faster. “Bet ya didn’t think you’d get my DNA for no extra cost!”

Keith David, just a few minutes after serenading the aforementioned Katie. I swear he must do ten projects a year. Pull up with IMDB page and the list of things he has been in (film, television, and voice over) goes on and on and on. I had him sign my They Live DVD, which was more in tune with the event than Platoon. Most of the fans getting him this year were getting all the cast members of The Thing, and in some cases adding on John Carpenter at the same event.

I picked up a few horror t-shirts, but not much else. I saw a LOT of great stuff in the vendor booths, but either they were movies I just didn’t need, or (more often) they were cool pieces of jewelry, home décor, or other gifts that I would have considered buying for my girlfriend…if I had one. In this case, being solo and without a relationship saved me plenty of money! Who knows, maybe next year? I do plan on going. Maybe for multiple days, depending on what guests will be there and depending on what’s going on in my life. I’m already considering a possible cosplay too!

Then on Memorial Day I went out to the retro arcade for a few hours, playing Galaxian, Robottron, Dig Dug, Centipede, and other games, plus some random pinball. They didn’t have Tempest this time, so that saved me an hour more of game time. Not surprisingly, I am not very good at any of these games. But I never was that good back in the day either. The difference here is I can just hit the start button and play again, while back in the day I’d have run out of quarters. It was a good time overall.

I guess that’s it from me for now. See you in July!

Game Openings

No game openings, as the zine will fold when the currently-running games are completed.

Standby List: Current standby list who are qualified to standby in More Than Ever: Harold Reynolds.

Meet Me in Montauk

The Eternal Sunshine Letter Column

Nothing. Which is fine, not a complaint I’m running down to a fold after all.

The Dining Dead – Eternal Sunshine Movie Reviews

Cleaned up a few DVDs that have been on my “to watch” shelf for over five years. Bloody Island was a micro budget slasher I backed on Kickstarter in 2016. I don’t think they every had a general DVD release; just us KS patrons got one. It was exactly what you’d expect: continuity problems, a bit of a jumbled plot (this being a sequel to a film I never saw), lots of fake blood, a few laughs. Then there was Blood Orgy of the She-Devil. This early 70’s b-movie had more of a plot than you’d think, even if it was rather simplistic and mostly obvious (from writer, producer, and director Ted V. Mikels). Nothing great, but better than I expected, with some notable attention to detail (such as sound effects dubbed in meticulously for a film of this stature). Still, the scene where the Queen of the Witches has her “Indian Spirit Guide” speak through her was more eye-rolling than Tonto on the old Lone Ranger show. “White squaw, you go across biiiiig water. You have papoose.” And too many dark rooms and too much poorly-miked dialogue. Normal drive-in B-movie standards.

You Hurt My Feelings (In the Theater) – The new dramatic comedy from Nicole Holofcener (Friends With Money, Can You Ever Forgive Me). Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies star as Beth and Don, married and both feeling unsure in their careers (Don is a therapist, and Beth is a college teacher hard at work on her second book). Among the other challenges they are each facing, tension rises between them when Beth overhears Don admitting he really doesn’t like Beth’s new book, despite telling her many times that he did. And that’s sort of the main focus of the film, along with insecurities and the ability (or inability) of people to change. And look, it’s a good movie. But as I sat there watching it I realized the rest of the audience was laughing at loud in things that barely registered a smirk for me. And a few of the revelations between characters were plainly obvious to me beforehand. Some parts of the movie felt too contrived, or not honest enough. I suppose what I’m getting at is while I enjoyed this, either it’s getting a reputation that is over the reality, or else most people are liking this to a degree far above what I did. I’d give it a solid 6.

Older Movies Watched (that I’ve seen before, sometimes many times) – Mother Night. Platoon, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. After Hours, Dead Poets Society, From Hell, The Spell.

Out of the WAY #57

by W. Andrew York

(wandrew88 of gmail.com)

Howdy!

Below is the usual menu from the past few issues – book reviews and game reports for the most part. No letters again this month, hopefully we’ll get something to start another discussion going at some point.

That said, the Gunboat game moves along, though with another odd adjudication outcome (mistyping what was submitted that led to an interesting, but valid, result). However, retreats are still reported and the one change in the unit positions may or not make any difference to the majority of the players.

In Hangman, the word is guessed – by only one person this time! One other was so very, very close having figured out the definition but not being able to match it to the right word. Two more rounds to go for this set of five definitions, feel free to jump in with the new word next time.

In Facts in Five, the second to last round of this game is below. Final categories for this game are up and ready for folks to figure out what’ll be the most popular.

With those updates, I’ve decided that I need to run OOTW down to a fold…at least for the foreseeable future. The prime, personal, reason for running this column is to have an outlet for my writing efforts (and a nudge to actually write). However, as has been amply demonstrated for these past many moths, I’m not doing that. I’m currently doing a “rebuilding” review, along with a personal downsizing of what I own, have in boxes and my time commitments. This is one item that is not achieving my goal for it (the writing). I do like the letters (locs), interaction with the players and the ilk; however, from a personal point of view, it is a time commitment that I need to shed – at least for the time being.

At some point in the future, I might start a subzine (or even a zine!) again. But, first, I need to take the time to do an internal reset/rebuild, get rid of a lot of physical clutter, determine which activities I actually enjoy/gain something from and look to how I want to spend the back third of my life (presuming I have a whole 1/3 of my life left – you never know). And, definitely, writing is one thing I do want to find time for once the transition is substantively complete. Thus, an outlet in a subzine/zine is quite likely down the road.

Note – I am not shutting down immediately, as discussed previously and Doug has graciously offered, I’ll continue putting this out until my games end. That means two more words in Hangman and the end of the Gunboat game. As for Facts in Five, I’ll decide next issue whether to run one more set of five category rounds or not, mostly depending on how long I expect the other two to last.

My heartfelt thanks to Doug for giving me a place to put this out, and the continued support to run this to the end. Also, a BIG thanks to the person who offered to provide a home for this if I did decide to continue. If/when I decide to publish again, I’ll look there for a home first.

Enjoy your June, and your summer ahead. We should be in 100-degree days by early next week. It’s looking to be a long, hot, and dry season.

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Letter Column

(always welcome, send them in!)

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

None Received!

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Mini-Book Reviews

(finished since last issue)

56 by Kostya Kennedy (2011; 366p).

56, the “Last Magic Number in Sports”, is the story of Joe DiMaggio’s unrivaled (at least so far) streak of 56 consecutive games with a hit. There are sidebars discussing the other major records, mostly in baseball, such as “most home runs” and “highest batting average”. However, as is demonstrated through the course of the book, DiMaggio’s record is in a category by itself. The reasoning behind it, basically, is you can have an off day with a poor average (even .000) on a given day, but over the course of the season things will balance out. Consecutive games means you can’t have a “bad day” – as Yoda says, “…You Either Do or Do Not”.

Opening with the game in which the first hit occurred, it follows through the end. Not every game or at bat is detailed, but many are – especially those against notable pitchers/fielders, when potential error vs. hit determinations were made or other events of interest. Side bars discuss the other consecutive hitting streaks, other players (excellent bit about Pete Rose) and how stats were compiled and recorded. These add to the value of the book, and provide much context around the record.

Studded throughout, much as a color commentator during a game, are side narratives giving the look and feel of the time, some of DiMaggio’s relationships with others in the community/on the team and, especially, discussing his marriage. Not all of these, I’m sure, are entirely factual (such as the description of the number of bites he took before making a comment to his wife or the specific refreshments chosen in a soda shop by some neighborhood “sandlot” teams on a given day). However, those additions do add much to the context of the time and improve the readability the book.

Recommended for the baseball fan! [June 2023]

Casca: Panzer Soldier by Barry Sadler (1980; 218p).

Unlike the previous three volumes, which built up a chronological background of Casca’s backstory, this jumps centuries into the near modern day and the Second World War. I’m guessing this was an attempt to “up the readership” by building on the, then, current interest for the time period rather than a planned detour. The fifth book moves back and appears to fill in the transition between book two and three.

The book opens with Casca returning to the Eastern Front as an NCO in the Panzer arm of the Wehrmacht. Initially, it centers around his panzer crew and their exploits. Later, it carries through Kursk, the retreats from Russia and into the last days of the Reich. Partisans, the Holocaust, fanaticism and the Soviet mindset (as generally depicted in the ’70-80s) are all incorporated into the story.

More than the previous books, this one seems to have a bit of an assumption that the reader has, at least, a passing understanding of the backstory of the series. Little time is spent on explaining why Casca is who he is and his motivations, though near the end of the book, this is rectified to some extent. And, as in previous books, the language and graphic descriptions may be off-putting to some. Recommended only if you enjoyed the previous books. [May 2023]

Everyday Calm by Darrin Zeer (2003; 96p).

A collection of one-page tips for calming yourself (heavily illustrated). There is nothing really new in it, consisting mostly of many oft repeated techniques such as deep breathing, stretching, time-outs, cleansing/cleaning, etc. Most of the rest is plain common sense; like don’t daydream while walking, paying attention to where you are headed (avoid trips, other people, intersections). [Curiously, yesterday while out on errands, noticed person walking down the sidewalk looking at his phone who walked directly into a very obvious pole]

Not really worth the time or effort to search out oandread unless this is something you feel you would benefit from. The listed cost is $9.95 (!!), but it appears I may have received this through an offer from a supplement company (promo item?). For me, it’s going in the get-rid of pile. [June 2023]

The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis (1961; 172p).

This book came to me through one of my high-school English teachers (and she received it from someone else, based on the names on the inside cover). I’ve read bits and pieces of it before, but don’t recall ever going through it cover to cover. It was worth the read (and I wish I’d done it sooner).

Written by Lewis as a series in The Guardian newspaper during the early part of the Second World War, it is a collection of letters purported to be from a Senior Tempter to his nephew on his first assignment. The letters provide a “negative” picture of how humans may be tempted by Evil in their relationships to others and in their lifestyle (by negative, I mean you should do the opposite to “do good”). With the background of the war, there are comparisons to the Nazis and the effect of their bombing campaign on the British Isles that weave into the narrative.

This volume concludes with a bit written after the war, “Screwtape Proposes a Toast”. It peers into the graduation dinner of a new class of junior tempters where Screwtape is the guest of honor. His speech touches on the post-WWII political environment, the more “modern” viewpoints of folks at the time and, in a sense, sums up the previous collection of letters.

Definitely a book to read and ponder, I read a letter a day. Some of the thoughts are influenced by the English culture, the Anglican church (I’m guessing) and a more conservative viewpoint than many have today in the US. That said, it was an excellent book that I’d had on my ‘to read’ list for far too long. Recommended. [June 2023]

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Babylon 5 Quote

In “Mind War” – Bester: “Anatomically impossible, Mr. Garibaldi, but you’re welcome to try. Anytime. Anywhere.”

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Game Section

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

Game Openings: None currently

Standbys: Gunboat Diplomacy (x1)

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

“Round Rock Express”

(No-Press Gunboat, Game #1)

MN: 2021Crb32

Note – Shortly before the deadline, a question was raised about results of the German convoy to Edi. In researching the

question, it was discovered that I had taken the submitted “F Nth s A Yor-Edi” and, when I typed it in, converted it to “F Nth c a Yor-Edi”. Thus, I misadjudicated the dance between Germany and England (I did the convoy correctly, but used the wrong order in the adjudication).

With what was actually ordered, A Yor attempted to move to Edi supported by F Nth. On the other side, F Edi moved to Yor supported by F Lon and A Lpl. Thus, Germany’s A Yor is annihilated. Positions were correct last time, with the exception that the report listed German A Edi which really didn’t exist. Therefore, I’ve only reported Summer retreats from Spring 1908 and will call for Fall 1908 orders next time. Orders on file for most players and they will be used unless superseded.

Summer 1908

Austria: A bud-SER

England: F spa(sc)-POR

Germany: A sev-MOS

Existing Positions after Summer 1908

Austria: F ALB, A TRI, A SER, A RUM, A BUL

England: F KIE, F BRE, F POR, F WAL, F YOR, F LON, A LPL

France: A SPA, A GAS

Germany: F NTH, A PIC, A TYL, A UKR, F NWY, A MOS, A BUD, A GAL, A BUR, A RUH, A MUN

Italy: F BLA, A SEV, A VEN, F AEG, F GOL, A PIE, F ION

Supply Center Count

Austria: Tri, Ser, Gre, Bul, Rum, Bud

England: Edi, Lpl, Lon, Por, Spa, Kie, Bre

France: Mar, Par

Germany: Ber, Mun, Den, Hol, Swe, War, Mos, Stp, Vie, Nwy, Bel, Sev

Italy: Nap, Rom, Ven, Tun , Smy, Con, Ank

Neutral: none

Next Due Fall 1908

Note – Split seasons are granted when 2 or more requests are received if 4+ players; 3 or less requires only 1.

+++++++++++++++++++++

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 greatest 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 up to three different letters 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 2, Round Three Turn 4:

Letter Votes: Doesn’t Matter – Word Guessed!

Words Guessed: (Firth) Throughout; (Galt) <>; (Kent) Hieroglyph; (Lischett) Disregards;

(Maslen) Petroglyph; (Smith) Prodigious; (Wilson) Prodigious

Solution:

Word: PETROGLYPH (10)

Definition: A (1) CARVING (7) OR (2) LINE (4) DRAWING (7) ON (2) ROCK (4)

Never Revealed: E, S Already Revealed: A, G, N

Words Previously Guessed in this Game: Accusation, Adjuration, Anticipate, Balderdash, Circumflex, Complicate, Contention,

Contrition, Disruptive, Embroidery, Heptameter, Laboratory, Lampadrome, Metabolize, Persuasive,

Possessive, Repertoire, Watercolor, Yellowlegs, Yellowroot

Game Words Correctly Guessed: Metamorphosis (Firth, Maslen, Smith, Wilson); Chromatic (Firth, Maslen, Smith);

Petroglyph (Maslen)

Player Comments:

[John David Galt] – I thought of INELIGIBLE (barred by the N) and REFRIGERATE (too long).

[Andy Lischett] – Another wrong guess for Hangman….

[Dane Maslen] – The definition is “a carving or line drawing on rock”. I’m sufficiently confident of that that I won’t bother

nominating any letters. [WAY] – Bingo!

[Richard Smith] – I did think of “petrograph”: A carving or drawing on rock but that has an extraneous “A”. [WAY] – Oh, so

close!

Redacted Comments from Previous Rounds -

Turn One

[Dane Maslen] – It looks like we’re after a noun, so let’s start with the alphabetically last 10-letter singular noun in the Collins

Scrabble word list: YELLOWLEGS

Turn Two

[Mark Firth] – A present or line joining in time…

[Andy Lischett] – [Reference guess of Persuasive] …although it is wrong. The definition would not start with an A

Turn Three:

[Andy Lischett] – My incorrect guess (a definition starting with “A” doesn’t work) for Turn 3 is: Disruptive

[Richard Smith] – The G [reference this turn’s letter guess] is to help with the definition for which I came up with “A dancing

of guns playing in time”, hmm

+++++++++++++++++++++

FACTS IN FIVE

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 Seven, Round Four

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.

A B D E H

Famous Non-Patriot from the (US) Revolutionary War

Mark Firth <> <> <> <> <>

Doug Kent Benedict Arnold John Bacon Andrew Deveaux Robert Eden John Howe

Andy Lischett Ben Arnold Thomas Brown Lord Dunmore <> Thomas Hutchinson

Walt O’Hara Benedict Arnold Joseph Brant Heinrich Doerr Bernard Engelhard Thomas Hutchinson

Kevin Wilson Benedict Arnold John Butler James De Lancy Sir Robert Eden Thomas Hutchinson

Living, US Top-40, Solo Singer

Mark Firth <> <> <> <> <>

Doug Kent Adele Zach Bryan Drake Billie Eilish Tyler Hubbard

Andy Lischett Christina Aguilera Beyonce Drake Billie Eilish Jack Harlow

Walt O’Hara Bryan Adams Garth Brooks Neil Diamond Eminem Halsey

Kevin Wilson Adele Beyonce Celine Dion Gloria Estafan Don Henley

Oceanographer

Mark Firth <> <> <> <> <>

Doug Kent Susan Avery Alexander Buchen Robert Dietz Sylvia Earle Bruce Heezen

Andy Lischett Albert, PoM Robert Ballard Robert S. Dietz Sylvia Earle Bjorn Helland-Hansen

Walt O’Hara Albert Robert Ballard Robert S. Dietz Sylvia Earle Sir William Abbott Herdman

Kevin Wilson Albert, PoM Robert Ballard Robert S. Dietz Sylvia Earle Bjorn Helland-Hansen

Name of a Type of Apparel (not a Manufacturer)

Mark Firth <> <> <> <> <>

Doug Kent Ascot Boot Dungarees Earmuff Hat

Andy Lischett Anorak Blouse Dress Earmuffs Hoody

Walt O’Hara Apron Bikini Dress Earmuffs Hoodie

Kevin Wilson Anorak Bra Dress Evening Gown Hoodie

Name of Former Sports Team (specify the sport and the city/region identified with them)

Mark Firth <> <> <> <> <>

Doug Kent Aeros Blizzards Diamonds Eagles Hitmen

Andy Lischett Americans Braves Dragons Expos Hoosiers

Walt O’Hara As Braves Dodgers Express Hustle

Kevin Wilson Athletics Browns Dodgers Expos Hoosiers

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

on Doug’s Answers: Doug notes Aeros is Akron Aeros (Baseball), Blizzards is New England Blizzards (basketball), Diamonds

is Nashville Diamonds (Soccer), Eagles is New Jersey Eagles (Soccer), Hitmen is NY/NJ Hitmen (XFL)

on Andy’s Answers: Albert, PoM is Albert, Prince of Monaco; Andy notes Americans is Brooklyn Americans in Hockey,

Braves is Boston Braves in Baseball, Dragons is Des Moines Dragons in Basketball, Expos is Montreal Expos in

Baseball, Hoosiers is Indianapolis Hoosiers in Baseball

on Walt’s Answers: Walt expands on his entries - Benedict Arnold (infamous turncoat), Joseph Brant (native American leader

fought against the Americans), Heinrich Doerr (Hessians of Nova Scotia, fought against the Americans), Bernard

Engelhard (Hessians of Upper Canada, fought against the Americans), Thomas Hutchinson (Governor, Massachusetts);

Walt expands on his response of Albert as (Prince of Monaco – 1889 to 1922 – seaman, amateur oceanographer and

patron of science); Walt notes As is from Albany-Colonie, NY, Braves is from Anderson SC, Dodgers is from

Albuquerque NM, Express is from Chicago in Basketball, Hustle is from Chicago in Basketball

on Kevin’s Answers: Albert, PoM is Albert, Prince of Monaco; Kevin notes Athletics is from Kansas City, Browns is from St

Louis, Dodgers is from Brooklyn, Expos is from Montreal, Hoosiers is from Indianapolis

General Player Comments:

[Andy Lischett] – Easier than list time, but Oceanographers and Non-Patriots were tough. Can I make Benedict Arnold my

Joker? [WAY] – Sure, but it doesn’t count extra here.

[AL] – Lord Dunmore is tricky. The internet says he was governor of Virginia, so was he a non-patriot for staying loyal to the

King? [WAY] – Yep [AL] – Also, I don’t know if Dunmore was his actual name or his title. [WAY] – His actual

name/title was John Murray, 4^th Earl of Dunmore. However, he is known as “Lord Dunmore” in reference to the

American Revolutionary War and, thus, is equivalent to a well-known stage name of a performer for the game.

[AL] - I am so behind the times. I’ve heard of all of these singers except Jack Harlow, but wouldn’t recognize any of them. I

was so proud of myself for thinking of earmuffs.

[Kevin Wilson] – All the defunct sports teams are defunct MLB teams. I counted teams that moved (i.g. Dodgers) as defunct in

the prior city. I like the one-name folks for singers. I think that bumps the chances of a hit a little bit.

*****************************

Game Seven, Round Five

Letters: C D I K S

Categories: Statesman from Africa; Country (under 250,000 square miles); Living Male Writer;

Common Name of an Aircraft Type (such as Zero, not a Mitsubishi A6M or a Cessna);

Geometric Form

Current Standings

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

Kevin Wilson 8 7 10 8 7 40 + 114 = 154

Andy Lischett 6 8 10 9 7 40 + 111 = 151

Doug Kent 7 8 7 6 5 33 + 116 = 149

Walt O’Hara 7 5 9 8 5 34 + 108 = 142

Mark Firth 33* + 105 = 138

* Null response receives lowest score from this round

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

Deadline for the Next Issue of Out of the WAY:

July 5, 2023 at noon Central US Time Zone

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

Diplomacy, “More Than Ever”, 2021A, W 08/S09

Austria: Andy Lischett – andy@lischett.com – Retreat A Rumania - Budapest..Build F Trieste..

F Aegean Sea - Eastern Mediterranean, A Albania – Greece, A Bohemia Supports A Munich,

A Budapest Supports A Galicia, A Bulgaria Hold, F Constantinople - Aegean Sea,

F English Channel Supports F North Sea, A Galicia Hold, A Serbia Supports A Bulgaria, F Trieste - Adriatic Sea,

A Tyrolia Supports A Munich, A Vienna Supports A Galicia.

France: Brad Wilson - fullfathomfive675@gmail.com - Build A Marseilles..A Burgundy Supports A Munich,

A Marseilles – Gascony, A Munich Supports A Galicia - Silesia (*Void*), F North Atlantic Ocean – Clyde,

F North Sea Supports F Norwegian Sea – Edinburgh, F Norwegian Sea – Edinburgh, A Paris - Picardy.

Germany: Andy York – wandrew88@gmail.com - Retreat F Norwegian Sea - Barents Sea..Remove

F Barents Sea..F Baltic Sea Hold, A Berlin - Munich (*Fails*), ~~F Edinburgh - North Sea~~ (*Dislodged*,

retreat to Yorkshire or OTB), A Kiel Supports A Berlin – Munich, A Ruhr Supports A Berlin – Munich,

A Silesia Supports A Livonia – Warsaw, A Sweden - Denmark.

Russia: Graham Wilson - grahamaw@rogers.com – Retreat A Constantinople - Ankara..Remove

F Gulf of Bothnia..A Ankara Supports F Black Sea – Constantinople, F Black Sea – Constantinople,

A Livonia – Warsaw, F Norway Hold, A Rumania - Bulgaria (*Fails*), A Sevastopol – Armenia,

A Ukraine - Galicia (*Fails*).

Concession to Austria Fails

Now Proposed – Concession to Austria

Please vote. NVR=No

PRESS

Russia - France: Congrats on retaking Paris! It must be wonderful to be back. But it is your duty to retake ALL of your homeland. Do not shirk your duty. Retake Brest. It is your destiny...

Deadline for F 09 is July 8^th at 7am My Time

By Popular Demand

The goal is to pick something that fits the category and will be the "most popular" answer. You score points based on the number of entries that match yours. For example, if the category is "Cats" and the responses were 7 for Persian, 3 for Calico and 1 for Siamese, everyone who said Persian would get 7 points, Calico 3 and the lone Siamese would score 1 point. The cumulative total over 10 rounds will determine the overall winner. Anyone may enter at any point, starting with an equivalent point total of the lowest cumulative score from the previous round. If a person misses a round, they'll receive the minimum score from the round added to their cumulative total. In each round you may specify one of your answers as your Joker answer. Your score for this answer will be doubled. In other words, if you apply your Joker to category 3 on a given turn, and 4 other people give the same answer as you, you get 10 points instead of 5. Players who fail to submit a Joker for any specific turn will have their Joker automatically applied to the first category. And, if you want to submit some commentary with your answers, feel free to. The game will consist of 10 rounds. The score for Round 10 is doubled.

Turn 10 Categories:

1. An amusement park ride.

2. An airline which is not based in the U.S.

3. A movie with the word “house” in the title.

4. A laundry detergent (brand name).

5. A serial killer.

Joker category shown in BOLD. Most popular answer shown in the bottom row.

Walt O’Hara had a PERFECT score of 104, the maximum possible this round. Andy Lischett gets the low score of 56.

Kevin Wilson is the winner!

Comments by Category:

An amusement park ride: Kevin Wilson – “I love roller coasters. Most of the other rides at a park don’t hold much interest since the kids were old enough to skip the small-kiddie rides. My daughter, Rachel, loves them too. Six Flags is only about 30 minutes from our house. Rachel and I used to have a daddy/daughter day each year when we’d take the day for just the 2 of us, go to Six Flags, get a Flash Pass and ride roller coasters all day. On a nice day, with the pass, we could get 20-30 rides in. We’d be worn out by the end. For most, except the absolute most popular, the pass let us cut right to the front and ride 2 times in a row without getting off. She’s not as interested now and has also since developed solar urticaria (a skin allergy to sunlight!) so those days are a lot tougher.”

An airline which is not based in the U.S.: Kevin Wilson – “Lots of great airlines out there. I’ve never flown one of the airlines from the Gulf region. Those, or Singapore, are supposed to be the best in the world. But Lufthansa is just fun to say and type.”

A movie with the word “house” in the title: Kevin Wilson – “If the detergent wasn’t a choice this time, I would have chosen this as my joker. The #1 has to be Animal House. It’s one of those movies that as many times as I’ve seen it, if I stumble across it on the TV on a weekend scan-by I still stop and watch most if not all of that remains. I guess I’ll have to start drinking heavily if it’s not #1.” Andy Lischett – “Animal House may be a better joker, but I'll stick with Ted. Animal House is one of those movies that most people love and I don't. Not one character is the least bit likable. Kind of like Mash.” [[In theory, if you didn’t like anyone else, you’re supposed to like Pinto or possibly at least feel for Flounder.]] Brad Wilson – “I hope you win the lottery!!”

A laundry detergent (brand name).: Kevin Wilson – “If the detergent isn’t Tide, then I’ll be surprised. I think it’s the #1 brand in the world by a long shot.” Brad Wilson – “My grandmother always used Oxydol, which always stuck with me as what detergent should sound like.”

A serial killer: Kevin Wilson – “I thought of Jack the Ripper for the killer but I suspect there may be a recency bias in our answers.”

General Comments: Kevin Wilson – “Some easier ones this month which only means catching up will be harder.” Andy Lischett – “If Brad, Andy, Graham and I promise to drag out More Than Ever for another five game-years, will you consider starting another game of By Popular Demand?” [[Nope. Unfortunately, this is the end of the line.]] Mark Firth – “I initially wondered if Helter Skelter was going to link them all but that dried up.

Can I avoid relegation?” [[Apparently not.]]

Deadline for the next issue of Eternal Sunshine is: July 8, 2023 at 7am My Time (U.S. central time) – some games and subzines earlier