WEDNESDAY’S SHORT STORIES #167: THREE BLIND MICE AND OTHER STORIES By Agatha Christie

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Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (aka, The Mousetrap) includes some Miss Marple stories, some Hercule Poirot stores, and a Harley Quin story.

“Three Blind Mice” is the basis for the famous play, “The Mousetrap,” which opened in London in 1952 and became the longest running play in the English language.

But my favorite stories in Three Blind Mice and Other Stories are “Tape-measure Murder” and “The Third-Floor Flat” and “The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly.” In “Tape-measure Murder” Miss Marple solves the murder with a clever twist. Poirot investigates the murder of a woman in an apartment building and solves a tricky time-line problem to snare the killer. A wealth couple see Poirot after their young son is kidnapped. They receive letters before the kidnapping asking for 25,000 pounds. The couple refused to pay. The kidnapper sent another note giving the day and the time of the kidnapping. The couple contacted the police who staked out their estate at the appointed time. Nonetheless, the boy was kidnapped. Poirot uses his little gray cells to resolve the crime.

If you’re looking for some short stories with engaging crimes and puzzles, Three Blind Mice and Other Stories will answer your needs. GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

  • Three blind mice — 1
  • Strange jest — 73
  • Tape-measure murder — 87
  • The case of the perfect maid — 103
  • The case of the caretaker — 119
  • The third-floor flat — 135
  • The adventure of Johnnie Waverly — 157
  • Four and twenty blackbirds — 173
  • The love detectives –189

NICKEL CREEK CONCERT

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Diane wanted to see Nickel Creek so I bought the tickets and we drove over to the State University of New York at Buffalo’s Center for the Arts. Sadly, the venue was only half full for the performance.

Nickel Creek consists of mandolinist Chris Thile, violinist Sara Watkins, and guitarist Sean Watkins with bassist Jeff Picker. Over the years, the group revitalized bluegrass and folk in the early 2000s and popularized a new era of “Americana Music.”

After a nine year absence, the Platinum-selling, Grammy Award-winning group returned in 2023 with a highly-anticipated album, Celebrants, with 18 songs written collectively during the Pandemic while in Santa Barbara.

After Monica Martin’s short set opening the concert, Nickel Creek lit up the stage with some furious playing. I’ve always considered Sara Watkins a talented singer and fiddle player. Chris Thile knows how to tickle the strings of his mandolin, while guitarist Sean Watkins (Sara’s brother) and bassist Jeff Picker provide melodic accompaniment. All in all, an enjoyable musical experience. Are you a fan of blue-grass music? GRADE: B

SETLIST:

  1. Where the Long Line LeadsPlay Video
  2. The Lighthouse’s TalePlay Video
  3. This SidePlay Video
  4. Going Out…Play Video
  5. CelebrantsPlay Video
  6. DestinationPlay Video
  7. Jealous of the MoonPlay Video
  8. In the House of Tom BombadilPlay Video
  9. Stone’s ThrowPlay Video
  10. Thinnest WallPlay Video
  11. When You Come Back Down(Tim O’Brien cover)Play Video
  12. Elephant in the CornPlay Video
  13. Somebody More Like YouPlay Video
  14. Water Under the Bridge, Part 1 / The MeadowPlay Video
  15. Out of the Woods(Sinéad Lohan cover)Play Video
  16. Smoothie SongPlay Video
  17. 21st of MayPlay Video
  18. When in RomePlay Video
  19. Sabra GirlPlay Video
  20. Scotch & Chocolate?Play Video
  21. The FoxPlay Video
  22. Hayloft(Mother Mother cover)Play Video
  23. Holding Patte

THE CREATIVE ACT: A WAY OF BEING By Rick Rubin

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Rick Rubin is a nine-time GRAMMY-winning producer, named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time and the most successful producer in any genre by Rolling Stone. He has collaborated with artists from Tom Petty to Adele, Johnny Cash to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys to Slayer, Kanye West to the Strokes, and System of a Down to Jay-Z.

Rubin approaches creativity to show what works…and what doesn’t. Rubin’s lessons apply to every aspect of creativity— whether music, writing, painting, or, as Rubin says, even more pragmatic situations, such as starting a business, or solving personal problems. The Creative Act is as much a guide to life as it is a guide to art. In a series of short, pithy chapters, Rubin focuses on all the elements of the creative process and how they should be used and improved.

I was impressed by Rubin’s warnings about common mistakes in the creative process:

  • Clinging to rules or guidelines that may stifle the childlike creative impulse.
  • Trying to imbue art with too much intention rather than respecting a work of art’s own natural unfolding. The ultimate purpose or destiny of a work of art is almost never clear to the artist.
  • Competing with collaborators, or other artists or creatives, rather than nurturing one’s own voice.
  • Forcing art. The more it is forced, rather than allowed to unfold naturally, the more it loses its innate character.
  • Prioritizing the criticisms or voices of others, rather than oneself and staying true to the work of art.
  • Focusing on commercial outcomes— this can lead to a work of art that feels more artificial or compromised, and will likely not be as successful as it could be.
  • Aspiring to perfection. There are no objective measures for the success or purpose of a work of art, and to obsess over achieving perfection is to play a game you can’t win — in fact, sometimes art that is flawed can be more emotionally resonant than something that is “flawless.” It’s a bit of a paradox. Even flawless art contains a flaw, that of a lack of humanity.

If you want to understand and enhance your creativity, check out Rick Rubin’s THE CREATIVE ACT: A WAY OF BEING. Highly recommended! Where does your creativity come from? GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Everyone is a creator — 1

Tuning in — 5

The source of creativity — 13

Awareness — 19

The vessel and the filter — 25

The unseen — 31

Look for clues — 37

Practice — 43

Submerge (the great works) — 49

Nature as teacher — 51

Nothing is static — 55

Look inward — 59

Memories and the subconscious — 63

It’s always there — 67

Setting — 69

Self-doubt — 73

Make it up — 77

Distraction — 85

Collaboration — 89

Intention — 93

Rules — 97

The opposite is true — 107

Listening — 109

Patience — 113

Beginner’s mind — 117

Inspiration — 127

Habits — 133

Seeds — 143

Experimentation — 149

Try everything — 157

Crafting — 163

Momentum — 169

Point of view — 177

Breaking the sameness — 183

Completion — 191

The abundant mindset — 201

The experimenter and the finisher — 205

Temporary rules — 207

Greatness — 215

Success — 219

Connected detachment (possibility) — 225

The ecstatic — 229

Point of reference — 235

Non-competition — 237

Essence — 241

Apocrypha — 247

Tuning out (undermining voices) — 253

Self-awareness — 257

Right before our eyes — 263

A whisper out of time — 269

Expect a surprise — 273

Great expectations — 277

Openness — 283

Surrounding the lightning bolt — 289

24/7 (staying in it) — 295

Spontaneity (special moments) — 299

How to choose — 305

Shades and degrees — 309

Implications (purpose) — 313

Freedom — 317

The possessed — 323

What works for you (believing) — 325

Adaptation — 327

Translation — 331

Clean slate — 335

Context — 339

The energy (in the work) — 343

Ending to start anew (regeneration) — 349

Play — 353

The art habit (sangha) — 359

The prism of self — 363

Let it be — 369

Cooperation — 371

The sincerity dilemma — 379

The gatekeeper — 385

Why make art? — 391

Harmony — 397

What we tell ourselves — 403

SURPRISE SNOW!

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Just a few days ago, our temperatures were in the 70s. Then, this crazy weather surprised us by dropping five inches of snow on us. Plus Arctic temperatures that felt like ZERO! It was time to fire up Big Orange and snowblow the driveway and all the neighborhood sidewalks.

How’s the weather in your neighborhood?

THE DATA DETECTIVE By Tim Harford

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Tim Harford shows how statistics and be used–and misused. He uses a quote to introduce a factor that skews statistics. “As Donald Trump’s former right-hand man Steve Bannon infamously told writer Michael Lewis: ‘The Democrats don’t matter. The real opposition is the media. And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit.'” (p. 13). Making up “Fake News” and inventing statistics can overwhelm rational analysis.

Statistical analysis is only as good as the data being analyzed. In the 2016 Presidential Election, voters were unsettled by events–like the Justice Department probe into Hillary Clinton’s emails–and opinion polls didn’t reflect the actual state of the race. “Both problems hit U.S. pollsters in the notorious 2016 election, when the polls seemed to put Hillary Clinton ahead of Donald Trump in the swing states that would decide the contest. There was a late swing toward Trump, and also the same kind of non-response bias that had doomed the 2015 UK polls: it turned out to have been easier for pollsters to find Clinton supporters than Trump supporters.” (p. 147)

When used correctly, statistics can be a powerful tool. But today with all kinds of misinformation and hacking and data manipulation by Bad Actors, it is harder than ever to achieve accurate results. GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction – How To Lie With Statistics 1

Rule 1 Search Your Feelings 19

Rule 2 Ponder Your Personal Experience 47

Rule 3 Avoid Premature Enumeration 65

Rule 4 Step Back And Enjoy The View 87

Rule 5 Get The Backstory 105

Rule 6 Ask Who Is Missing 135

Rule 7 Demand Transparency When The Computer Says No 153

Rule 8 Don’t Take Statistical Bedrock For Granted 185

Rule 9 Remember That Misinformation Can Be Beautiful, Too 213

Rule 10 Keep An Open Mind 239

The Golden Rule Be Curious 265

Acknowledgments 281

Notes 285

Credits 307

Index 309

FRIDAY’S FORGOTTEN BOOKS #785: THE SCIENCE FICTION SOURCE BOOK Edited by David Wingrove

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What was the state of Science Fiction in 1984? The answers can be found in THE SCIENCE FICTION SOURCE BOOK edited by David Wingrove. Wingrove provides several sections to give a wide range of information to the reader (just check out the Table of Contents below).

The book begins with an introduction by Brian Aldiss on the history of SF, following from his earlier Billion Year Spree (1973) and preparing for his revision of it with Wingrove as Trillion Year Spree (1986).

Then there are 40 pages on SF sub-genres by Brian Stableford (my favorite part of the book!):

I enjoyed the 10 superb vignettes by leading writers (Bradbury, Cowper, Le Guin, Silverberg, Sladek, Tuttle, Wolfe, Zelazny) revealing their own writing habits. While the pieces by Wingrove and Malcolm Edwards on sf publishing and criticism are informative, given the 1984 publishing date, these analysis’s are good for historical value only.

Finally, there’s the superbly grumpy and negative afterword by Kingsley Amis on why none of it is any good, at least none that has been published since his own New Maps of Hell in 1960.

THE SCIENCE FICTION SOURCE BOOK is a consumer’s guide to 880 novelists and more than 2000 works; a brief history of science fiction; 15 sub-genres of Science Fiction, analysis of major works; verbal pictures of science fiction writers at work while 12 writers explain their methods; a status report on science fiction publishing and checklist of science fiction magazines; science fiction criticism and checklist of critical works. Highly recommended! GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

LINDA RONSTADT, COLLECTOR’S EDITION [3-CD Set]

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I found this 3-CD set of Linda Ronstadt songs in a local thrift store for a dollar. These 30 SONGS from this 2009 collection include most of Lonstadt’s hits from “You’re No Good” to “Blue Bayou.” Ronstadt charted 38 US Billboard Hot 100 singles. Twenty-one of those singles reached the top 40, ten reached the top 10, and one reached number one (“You’re No Good“).

Ronstadt skyrocketed to fame in the 1970s with the release of her multi-platinum, chart-topping albums “Heart Like a Wheel,” “Simple Dreams” and “Living in the USA,” which cemented her status as one of the decade’s leading musical stars. 

One of the most successful female singers of all time, Ronstadt has released 29 studio albums and sold over 100 million records across the genres of rock and roll, country and Latin music.  Dubbed the “First Lady of Rock,” Ronstadt is the only female artist to have released five consecutive platinum albums. Ronstadt is the recipient of 11 Grammy Awards, including a lifetime achievement award.

Diane and I saw Linda Ronstadt in concert in Buffalo in 1983 at Shea’s Performing Arts Center. Of course, it was a sell-out. Ronstadt delivered a rousing concert and earned plenty of applause. Beautiful voice and beautiful songs!

In a 2022 interview with “Today,” Ronstadt explained that she learned she was suffering from progressive supranuclear palsy, an incurable brain disorder similar to Parkinson’s disease. 

I’ve been a fan of Linda Ronstadt and her music since the early 1970s. Are you a Linda Ronstadt fan? Do you have a favorite song?

TRACK LIST:

-1Silver Threads And Golden Needles Written-By – Reynolds*, Rhodes
1-2Poor, Poor Pitiful Me Written-By – Warren Zevon
1-3Tracks Of My Tears Written-By – Tarplin*, Robinson*, Moore*
1-4Love Is A Rose Written-By – Neil Young
1-5That’ll Be The Day Written-By – Holly*, Allison*, Petty
1-6Blue Bayou Written-By – Melson*, Orbison
1-7Someone To Lay Down Beside Me Written-By – Karla Bonoff
1-8Love Has No Pride Written-By – Kaz*, Titus
1-9It’s So Easy Written-By – Holly*, Petty
1-10Different Drum Band – The Stone Poneys Featuring – Linda Ronstadt Written-By – Mike Nesmith*Band 
2-1Tumbling Dice Written-By – Richards*, Jagger
2-2Back In The U.S.A. Written-By – Chuck Berry
2-3Ooh Baby Baby Written-By – Robinson*, Moore
2-4Just One Look Written-By – Payne*, Carroll*
2-5Hurt So Bad Written-By – Hart*, Weinstein*, Randazzo
2-6Heat Wave Written-By – Holland*, Holland*, Dozier
2-7You’re No Good Written-By – Clint Ballard Jr.
2-8Get Closer Written-By – Jonathan Carroll
2-9I Knew You When Written-By – Joe South
2-10Long, Long Lime Written-By – Gary White
3-1When Will I Be Loved Written-By – Phil Everly
3-2When Something Is Wrong With My Baby Featuring – Aaron Neville Written-By – Porter*, Hayes
3-3Someone To Watch Over Me Written-By – Gershwin*, Gershwin
3-4All My Life Featuring – Aaron Neville Written-By – Karla Bonoff
3-5How Do I Make YouWritten-By – Billy SteinbergWritten-By – Billy Steinberg
3-6When I Grow To Old To Dream Written-By – Hammerstein II*, Romberg
3-7What’s NewWritten-By – Haggart*, Burke*Written-By – Haggart*, Burke*
3-8Easy For You To Say Written-By – Jimmy Webb
3-9Don’t Know Much Featuring – Aaron Neville Written-By – Mann*, Weil*, Snow*
3-10Winter Light Written-By – Kaz*, Ronstadt*, Preisner

WEDNESDAY’S SHORT STORIES #166: THE OXFORD BOOK OF IRISH SHORT STORIES Edited by William Trevor

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In the run-up to St. Patrick’s Day, I decided to give a nod to my Irish heritage by reading The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories. I’ve had this book on my shelf for years so this seemed like the Right Time to finally read it. William Trevor does an excellent job selecting stories for this book. Trevor omitted George Bernard Shaw and Sean O’Casey “because they conveyed their ideas more skillfully in another medium; and Samuel Beckett…for the same reason.” (p. xvi)

Of the writers Trevor includes, James Joyce’s “The Dead,” Joyce Cary’s “Bush River,” Liam O’Flaherty’s “The Pelar’s Revenge and “The Fanatic” stood out to me. Trevor doesn’t hesitate to include more than one story for some of the authors.

The stories in The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories are arranged chronologically so the development of Irish literature is on display. If you’re interested in wonderful short stories with a wide variety of styles and sensibilities, I highly recommend you try The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories. Do you have a favorite Irish writer? GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

INTRODUCTION — ix

Hour of death — 1

Fionn in search of his youth — 2

Cromwell and the friar — 3

Girl and the sailor — 9

Four-leafed shamrock and the cock — 11

Cow that ate the piper [folk-tales edited and translated from the Irish by Sean O’Sullivan] — 12

Conal and Donal and Taig [folk-tale translated and retold by Seumas MacManus] — 14

Adventures of a strolling player / Oliver Goldsmith — 19

Limerick gloves / Maria Edgeworth — 27

Death of a devotee / William Carleton — 52

Brown man / Gerald Griffin — 73

Green tea / Sheridan Le Fanu — 78

Albert Nobbs / George Moore — 109

Sphinx without a secret / Oscar Wilde — 152

Philippa’s fox-hunt / E. E. Somerville & Martin Ross — 157

Priest / Daniel Corkery — 172

Weaver’s grave / Seumas O’Kelly — 182

The Dead / James Joyce — 228

My little black ass / Padraic O Conaire — 267

Triangle / James Stephens — 271

Bush river / Joyce Cary — 277

The Pedlar’s revenge / Liam O’Flaherty — 287

The Fanatic / Liam O’Flaherty — 300

Her table spread / Elizabeth Bowen — 311

The Faithless wife / Sean O’Faolain — 319

The Sugawn chair / Sean O’Faolain — 338

Guests of the nation / Frank O’Connor — 342

The Majesty of the law / Frank O’Connor — 354

Pastorale / Patrick Boyle — 363

The Hare-lip / Martin O Cadhain — 375

The Poteen maker / Michael McLaverty — 382

The Ring / Bryan MacMahon — 388

Sarah / Mary Lavin — 392

Desert Island / Terence De Vere White — 401

The Pilgrims / Benedict Kiely — 412

Weep for our pride / James Plunkett — 425

Loser / Val Mulkerns — 437

The Bird I fancied / Aidan Higgins — 445

Death in Jerusalem / William Trevor — 455

The Diviner / Brian Friel — 471

An Occasion of sin / John Montague — 482

Irish revel / Edna O’Brien — 495

First conjugation / Julia O’Faolain — 515

The Beginning of an idea / John McGahern —

Life drawing / Bernard Mac Laverty — 541

Airedale / Desmond Hogan — 553

ACKLOWLEGEMENTS — 565

INDEX OF AUTHORS — 569

I OUGHT TO BE IN PICTURES By Neil Simon

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Diane and I and a group of our friends went to Desiderio’s Dinner Theater to see Neil Simon’s I Ought to Be in Pictures, a play from 1980.

The play begins with a knock on the door. Steffy Blondell (played by Lisa Hinca) opens the door and finds a 19-year-old girl, Libby Tucker (played by Reagan Zuber). Libby has traveled from New York City to West Hollywood to visit her father, Herb Tucker (David Lundy). Herb walked out on his wife, daughter, and son 16 years ago.

When Herb wakes up from his nap, he’s stunned that his daughter is in his bungalow. Herb has written scripts for movies and TV shows over those 16 years and now Libby–who has decided to be an actress and be in movies–wants her father to get her into the movie business.

While Herb is trying to get his head around this unexpected visit from his daughter, he has to deal with his girlfriend, Steffy, who works as a make-up artist for a major Hollywood studio (she has applied make-up to Meryl Streep’s face–Libby’s favorite actress!). Steffy and Herb have been dating for two years and Steffy, with her two children, wants more from Herb. Herb, of course, thinks things are Perfect.

Neil Simon puts Herb through the wringer as he has to deal with his teenage daughter–who speaks with her dead grandmother daily–and his wonderful girlfriend who is considering “moving on” if Herb can’t commit. On top of all of this, Herb contends with Writer’s Block.

Amid the comic moments in I Ought to Be in Pictures, there are some very moving moments as Herb realizes how much he has missed by being absent from his daughter’s life for 16 years. And, long-suffering Steffy, brought a tear to my eye when she tells Herb they are not getting younger and frivolous sex does not cement a relationship. She’s dating another guy.

I Ought to Be in Pictures is not top-shelf Neil Simon, but it was ideal for the Dinner Theater audience. Plenty of laughs as Herb’s world is turned upside down, some tears as the characters in this play grow closer, and a typical Neil Simon conclusion. Are you a Neil Simon fan? GRADE: B

COMEDY BOOK: HOW COMEDY CONQUERED CULTURE–AND THE MAGIC THAT MAKES IT WORK By Jesse David Fox

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“Right now, a comedian can perform a joke in front of three hundred people, film it, and have it watched as part of a special by 5 million people on Netflix, record it and have it listened to by 300,000 people on Spotify, clip it and have it watched by 1.2 million people on YouTube, 640,000 people on Instagram, and 1.1 million on TikTok. This is what adapting to the audience looks like today, and the audience responds accordingly.” (p. 50)

Jesse David Fox is a senior editor at Vulture, where he works as the site’s comedy critic. Fox loves comedy and studies it through interviews with comedians. Fox’s new book, The Comedy Book, not only dissects jokes and stand-up routines, but goes into detail on key movers and shakers in the comedy world. Here’s Fox on Adam Sandler:

“Between 1995 when he came out with Billy Madison, and 2015, when he started making movies exclusively for Netflix, Adam Sandler starred in seventeen live-action movies that each grossed more than one hundred million dollars worldwide. During that 20 year period, that’s more hits than Ben Stiller made, more than Jim Carrey, more than Will Ferrell, more than Julia Roberts, more than Will Smith, more than Tom Cruise. It’s tied with Tom Hanks…” (p. 58)

Fox explores the various elements of comedy from adjusting to an audience to the timing of a joke. It becomes apparent that Fox prefers “cerebral” comedy. This leads him to focus on one of his favorite comedy TV shows:

“Getting through a lot of the early writing about The Simpsons, the Harvard of it all stand out. While none of the show’s three creators went to Harvard (Matt Groening went to Evergreen State College, James L. Brooks dropped out of NYU, and Sam Simon went to Stanford), four of the original seven staff writer did (Al Jean, Mike Weiss, Jon Vitti, George Meyer). Season 2 include writing from two more Harvards (Jeff Martin and Nell Scovell). Seasons 4 and 5 brought on another four (Conan O’Brien, Bill Oakley, Dan McGrath). In 2021, Harvard Magazine reported that over thirty writers from the show were Harvard alumni.” (p. 68)

Fox covers all the major comedians: Jerry Seinfeld, Louis C.K., Chris Rock, Kevin Hart, Richard Pryor, Amy Schumer, Dave Chappelle, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Cosby, and over a dozen more. If you’re interested in comedy and how the magic works, read The Comedy Book. Who is your favorite comedian? GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Comedy — 3

Audience — 24

Funny — 51

Timing — 73

Politics — 99

Truth — 127

Laughter — 161

The line — 189

Context — 232

Community — 263

Connection — 297

Notes — 317

Acknowledgements — 335

Index — 339