- A little Watson music?
Take a listen to this week’s Watsonian Weekly, while we ponder just what was going on with the good doctor and the tunes.
https://watsonianweekly.libsyn.com/september-21-2020-the-musical-watson-episode - The 2020 John H. Watson Society Treasure Hunt Finals
Announcing the winners of the 2020 John H. Watson Society Treasure Hunt concocted by Paul Thomas Miller and myself. They are:
Rich Krisciunas, who earned an Honorable Mention for managing to turn in some answers in between attending every Sherlockian society’s Zoom meeting in existence.
Joanna Freeman and Alessandro Mellilo who both reached the “Honours” level with their skilled attempt at solving the unsolvable, and enough “close enough” answers for a virtual tie.
And the big winner, receiving “High Honours” for going beyond all others in his answers of this year’s John H. Watson Society Treasure Hunt, is returning champion Michele Lopez!
All four of these hardy souls deserve medals for such an achievement, especially this year, with all the undue strain placed upon us all in normal life. Eventually, they will be receiving some little token of their achievement, depending upon the many factors involved in producing and mailing such tokens during the current state of things. But it will happen!
Here is a link to the answers: https://www.johnhwatsonsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/JHWS-2020-Treasure-Hunt-Watsonican-Answer-Key.pdf
And for your weekly dose of Watsonian Weekly tidbits, along with the reader’s theater production of “Watson’s Lion’s Mane,” here’s a link to our club podcast: https://watsonianweekly.libsyn.com/
- JHWS Meeting September 12th, Stress-free Winners, and MORE
Next Saturday, September 12th at 9 AM PDT, 10 AM MDT, 11AM CDT, 12 Noon EDT, 5 PM BST, 6 PM CEST, etc. the John H. Watson Society meets again! We’ve got a full program, including:
- Toasts! (Actually assigned ahead so they’ll be better this time!)
- Show and tell! (Not required, but if you have something cool, show us!)
- Dr. Watson’s birthday (Come with any month and day you think the good doctor was born and make your case! No established dates need apply!)
- “The Watsonian Lion’s Mane” (A cast of Watsonian talent will enact a reader’s theater dramedy before your very ears. Sherlock Holmes definitely didn’t give us the full story of what was up in Sussex!)
If you haven’t received a Zoom invitation already for attending in the past, just send a request to podcast@johnhwatsonsociety.com before Saturday to get in on the fun. (Saturday morning requests for an invitation, sadly, not guaranteed. Meeting mornings are busy ones!)
IN OTHER WATSONIAN HEADLINES
The 2020 John H. Watson Society Treasure Hunt Stress-Free Winners!
This years winners of the special, take-it-easy, pandemic-stress-reduction part of the Treasure Hunt were Anuj Dutt, Michael Ellis, Roger Johnson, Michele Lopez, Alessandro Mellilo, Naching T. Kassa, Rich Krisciunas, Stefan Guerra, Nancy Holder, and Robert Perret. Their well-deserved winners reward will be headed their way, USPS willing and the creeks don’t rise, around month-end.
As for the winner(s) of the full Watsonicon, those entries are currently being scored and the results will be announced at Saturday’s meeting, and then on this page. (The contenders have initials JF, ML, AM, and RK.)
No team entries this year, and we were using a different e-mail address than normal, so if you think your entry to either the stress-free or the full Watsonicon quiz might not have reached us, we hope you will re-send it to podcast@johnhwatsonsociety.com . Apologies for any confusion this might have caused.
The Watsonian Weekly remains the greatest weekly John H. Watson podcast on the planet!
Sure, there are Sherlockian podcasts, but a true Watsonian podcast? Get into a new podcast habit, if you’re not there already, for a weekly dose of Watson. You can find it, as always, at Libsyn — https://watsonianweekly.libsyn.com/ , Apple Podcasts — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-watsonian-weekly/id1465553726 , or Spotify — https://open.spotify.com/show/23X2gDGeWfsvapGDrZfVQs . If you hear of it anywhere else let us know.
The autumn issue of The Watsonian, currently in the editing stage
Our first issue for 2020 was a beefy boy, looking more like a book than a journal. Did someone say “twice as thick as The Baker Street Journal?” Yes, it was, but to be fair, they come out twice as often, and as most Watsonians know, [Joke deleted for mature content]. Will our fall 2020 issue measure up? Hard to say, but your editorial team is on the job!
Those Watson poems! Halp!
Back when we were fumbling through our first Zoom meeting in early summer, a call went out for Watsonian poetry to fill in as a “221B” to close out our meetings. Due to the chaos of covid summer, we hope we didn’t lose any. Due to come out in the fall issue of The Watsonian before a final poll of what we might use as our new Watsonian meeting closer, we have poems from Sandy Kozinn, Margie Deck, Sheldon Goldfarb, and Robert Perret. If you think we missed yours, or want to be a last-minute addition to that roster of Watson-centered Vincent-Starrett-esque poetry, send it in before Saturday’s meeting!
As always, for all editorial matters featuring The Watsonian, just drop us a line at publisher@johnhwatsonsociety.com.
- Time for the JHWS Treasure Hunt Police Boat Chase!
“The cursed greed which has been my besetting sin through life has withheld from her the treasure, half at least of which should have been hers.”
— Thaddeus Sholto
Did Thaddeus Sholto create this year’s John H. Watson Society Treasure Hunt with the express purpose of keeping Watsonians too confused to find their treasured answers? Does half of that treasure still elude the deserving Morstans of our number, with no Sherlock Holmes on the scene to make matters right . . . though it we may be watching it fall into the river even now?
Well, climb aboard the police boat that Athelney Jones has provided and let’s give chase, even if the stokers have to put pieces of the boat itself into the furnaces. Let’s throw that page 279 of Strand Magazine into the furnace first.
The eight points to come away with are those questions Mary Morstan badgers her poor husband with.
1. “Why, vampires should fill up the very Earth, they’re so prolific! Tell me his name, won’t you?” (It wasn’t Bram Stoker, but another writer, perhaps?)
2. “This fellow has the makings of a proper pirate! Tell me why!” (I think she means Hatherly.)
3. “Because he eventually got fitted with a wooden peg-thumb?”
4. “Speaking of ships, this one plainly had a fleet. Name please!” (Someone with a fleet, I guess.)
4. “If the man with the fleet lived up to his name, which marvelous sequel would his fleet appear in?” (Modern folk do have two names, unlike the fleet guy. And you might need to capitalize a word in that question to fully get the reference.)
5.“How many times do I spread Napoleon III’s cheap alternative to butter?” (Napoleon the third might have invented the generic, but the name brand is what Watson uses.)
6.“Tell me about the seven hour bear, at the very least!” (Someone engaging in a bear-like behavior for seven hours, perhaps?)
7.“Highest paid strumpet in England! Tell me!” (Oh, don’t tell Watson that she walked the pavement!)
8. “Who gave you sixpence and who gave you a farthing? The opium addict on his off day or the drunkard between nips?” (The opium addict gave sixpence, the drunkard the farthing. Somebody with a filthy mind concocted a puzzle based on the location of one of these.)
All of the answers can be found on that page 279 in the image in the hunt, and even with those clues, you may not find it easy, as this part of the hunt was plainly the work of a madman on a deadline, grasping at allusions to history, pop culture, and body parts.
Do we need to stoke the fire with more of the dread Watsonicon?
For “The Adventure of Two Men,” you have to think like Sherlock Holmes. Exactly like Sherlock Holmes.
“Mystery Missive,” “Bunch of Places,” perhaps those were straightforward?
That “Breakfast Interrogation.” Hmm. Let’s count those out.
“First question. If we applied the canon process thrice, the result from my notes would be six. Can you name the six?” (Six answers, and maybe not the canon you’re thinking of with your canon eyes.)
“Home alone and the two lovers made a trio. Can you name the three?” (Three answers, a movie reference and two synonyms, maybe?)
“These other three weren’t snowmen and one was not a man at all. To whom do I refer?” (How many kinds of snowmen are there? These folk weren’t that one kind.)
“Three who didn’t have to pay a bill?” (There are a couple ways to get out of paying a hotel bill. One always works, but few use it.)
“Two with the same attorney?” (You can get this one.)
“I’ve got the 3 R’s, 3M, 3G, and Triple H, yet all are the same subject.
Give me the dozen and the subject!” (Well, it’s not a bakers dozen. The apostrophe in bakers is missing on purpose. When you get the twelve points, the thirteenth point might be something in the same category as “baker.”)
“A lady with a snake unknown to science!” (It’s not an adder.)
“Both women gave off light, yet their sources were entirely different!” (Two answers, pretty much as described.)
“Sergius! Gruner! One is an anagram.” (Get in the pool, you’ll figure it out.)
“Only a superman fears no disease.” (You know a superman, don’t you? Google him if you don’t.)
Is that enough stoking of the furnaces to keep your police boat in the chase? Do we have to break this boat of a JHWS Treasure Hunt up even more? A third of the month left!
- The Trouble with Treasure Hunting
As we approach the mid-point of the John H. Watson Society’s annual Treasure Hunt, the question ever rises . . . is it even possible to complete this monstrosity? Can I keep looking at this same set of words and see sense where none has appeared before? Or maybe even, “Hey, I just noticed this! Am I such a Sherlockian prodigy that I can start it now and still show the world what a Watson scholar looks like?”
Perhaps those questions are the hardest ones in the whole Treasure Hunt. But the masters of this year’s hunt have their own question: Did we finally break the spirits of our Treasure Hunters? Are clues needed for some sections? Or has this hunt been mastered by a quiet few who might consider clues unfair to them?
So here’s the solution to our quandry: Clues will be released on August 20 to anything requested (except maybe “The Adventure of the Two Men” . . . oooooh, you’re gonna not enjoy missing the secret answer to that one). If you want to demonstrate a strength of purpose that rises above the need for clues, you can turn what answers you have in before that date and get extra special no-clue credit. (The turn-in address is for this year is still podcast@johnhwatsonsociety.com )And in case you just want to take it easy, the the Stress Free version of the Hunt is still available, where you are not only most probably a winner, but also have the potential to gain style points on top of that.
Good luck! And throw us a comment below if there’s a part you especially think clues should be offered on, or if you just want to offer general encouragement to our competitors!
- The Watsonian Weekly has all the latest buzz!
The long-awaited report on Holmes-ish hives, which seem better thanks to the care of a Watsonian. A little Canonical commentary on the John H. Watson Society’s annual Treasure hunt, that most prized of wines, and that other “mendi.” Will all this make more sense if you listen to the Watsonian Weekly? Life always does!
Ready for a listen in all the usual spots!
https://watsonianweekly.libsyn.com/august-10-2020-watsons-b-reel
- New date for the next John H. Watson Society Zoom: Saturday, August 15
We’ve had to move the next JHWS online meeting to Saturday, August 15 at 9 AM PDT, 10 AM MDT, 11AM CDT, 12 Noon EDT, 5 PM BST, 6 PM CEST, etc. We’ll be doing the usual toasting, a little show-and-tell, and then discuss what we’d like to see at future meetings: Speakers? Watsonian games? A little reader’s theater? Watsonians can be very creative, so don’t spare the suggestions. Who knows what is possible with this bunch?
If you attended the last meeting, you should already have the Zoom invitation, but if you missed last time and want to get on the list, just write to podcast@johnhwatsonsociety.com and we’ll make sure you’re invited.
Additional news . . .If you haven’t at least given the “Stress-Free” portion of the John H. Watson Society Treasure Hunt a shot, you might want to take a look. For the simplest of quizzes, the answers coming in are getting very creative, and charter bull pup Count has already raised the bar in the part of the competition where it’s not that hard to win, but style points can make you smile. Listen to the Watsonian Weekly for our ongoing list on that side of things.
And for those of you who demand the harder challenge, don’t forget to keep scroller for the full hundred-plus point full JHWS Treasure Hunt, “the Watsonicon” as we’re calling it this year. Glory awaits those who survive, as always. For the Word doc and PDF versions of both sides to the JHWS Treasure Hunt, check out the lines below. Both come to a close on August 31.
https://www.johnhwatsonsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/JHWS-2020-Treasure-Hunt-Watsonicon.pdf
- Watsonian Weekly: Watson’s dirty laundry? (Aug. 3, 2020)
The search for Watson’s treasure begin, a cat Watson, a known Parker, an unknown Anderson, a rappin’ Watson, the mystery of how Watson’s clothes were clean, and the clients we really wonder about. Hope his red pants are clean enough for Monday, because it’s here! You can find the Watsonian Weekly thru a few links or podcast services, such as . . .
https://watsonianweekly.libsyn.com/august-3-2020-watsons-dirty-laundry
On Apple Podcasts at
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-watsonian-weekly/id1465553726
Or now on Spotify!
- Alert! Alert! The 2020 John H. Watson Society Treasure Hunt is here!
Here’s your chance to get in on some Watsonian action, regardless of your time and tolerance level. With everything else in our lives at present, your hunt masters are painfully aware that not all of us need the added stress of hardcore trivia hunting. With that in mind, for 2020, we are offering the most stress-free JHWS Treasure Hunt in the history of the Hunt itself! How stress-free? Just open up this link and the document attached to find “The JHWS Stress Free Zone.”
All you need do is complete it, and if e-mailing those answers and your mailing address is a non-stresser, you can know you’re a winner with a special prize coming at the end of the month. Here’s the address to send it to: podcast@johnhwatsonsociety.com (the usual address is in limbo at the time of this writing, but that one will work). What sort of prize? The kind that can be mailed as cheaply as possible, but a prize nonetheless! And that makes you a winner.
There are those, of course, who want more than just winning. They want the sort of hardship and strain that pushes one to the limits, and possibly beyond, the sort of effort that might drive a man mad. For the pleasure of those folks, and the word “honours” spelled with a “u,” we are posting a second link, which leads to the Watsonicon of JHW, the collection of tales that his own Literary Agent could not accept from that unknowable place he now dwells. If you find yourself drawn to read those tales, and further still, attempt to record the answers to the questions they pose, you can also submit them by e-mail ( to the aforementioned podcast@johnhwatsonsociety.com ) before the Watsonicon of JHW is lost to all those who dared not gaze upon its cryptic text at that prophesied date of August 31, 2020. What happens after that, no one dare say. Answers may be given. Honours may come to many, and others . . . well, we shall see.Herewith, the links:
https://www.johnhwatsonsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/JHWS-2020-Treasure-Hunt-Watsonicon.pdf
- Almost time for the JHWS Treasure Hunt 2020!
With August first comes that time of year we await with assorted levels of Watsonian breath — the annual treasure hunt! As that fateful date nears, here is a little appetizer from a 1986 press release for a certain unfrozen Sherlock TV movie. See if you can do as well as someone thawed out from 1986!
The Open and Inclusive Worldwide Online Sherlockian Society (Really, We're about Having Fun)