Meeting Minutes
Max Magee
Meeting Minutes
Notorious Canary-Trainers
Election
Max nominated Johanna for President, Kevin seconded. Vote was unanimous with no objections. She’s been playing the role for years by making room reservations, hosting zoom calls, leading story discussions, bringing great show-and-tell, news and announcements, running the website and group email, responding to queries from prospective new members, helping to schedule our group readings, and doing everything except sending out the meeting invitations, which Glen is awesome at and the organization around the Birthday Luncheon which many chip in for (but which John H. tends to take the lead on, as far as programming) and that all will continue.
For full disclosure and communication purposes for those that weren’t at the meeting, there are many qualified candidates for President of our club, but the group wanted to acknowledge the work that Johanna puts in by making her the official lead. Nothing about the organization or function of the group will need to change and if anyone else wants the title, they should discuss it with the group and we can motion and vote on it again—there’s really no term limit or specific authority that comes with that title, just more responsibility as the point-person. This also gives her more visibility as the leading organizational force of our group (which she is), even though we (and especially she) don’t necessarily need or care about titles.
Annual Birthday Luncheon
Noon, Sunday January 12, Great Dane Fitchburg
Announcements
No Story for January a we’ve got the birthday luncheon
Thursday, December 5th is the Norwegian Explorers meeting
http://www.norwegianexplorers.org/2024_dinner.html
Lots of show-and-tell and overstock/gift exchanges
Oh, and Max will be on the Christmas Carol show today at 6pm with Ed Pettit at the Rosenbach: https://rosenbach.org/events/biblioventures-monsters-and-ghosts/
Catch the first episode here to see if it's your jam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg6OShMmYrc
Attendees:
Johanna
Tom & Cherry Smith (from Kenosha)
Diane
Dave
Max
John H.
Mary Hendricks & Kevin “Giant Rat of Sumatra”
Glen (also a member of the Transfixed Correspondence of Phoenix)
Story Discussion:
Cherry - Liked it, really liked that Hopkins was included
Tom - There’s an evil villain that you hate from the outset, convoluted plot, unexpected directions. Holmes gets to be brilliant against a Scotland Yard inspector. Off to Norway? Mentions Notorious Canary-Trainer. How was the senior Neligan going to clear his name by absconding to Norway? “What savage creature…” quote is overdone.
Glen - I enjoyed it. It’s actually in my Top-10. I like it for many of the same reasons. There was a lot, but it hinted at more things (Holmes’ other “refuges” throughout London). Must be a refuge by the docks or something. Especially if you go by whether it has the standard things in it: 221b Mrs. Hudson, a scuffle and danger, and even how Holmes outsmarts Scotland Yard. How did he get away with flogging his daughter and wife?
Johanna - Didn’t really enjoy the story this month. I can’t think of this one without thinking about the Sherlock scene with the harpoon where Watson says “you went on the Tube like that!?” and Holmes answers “None of the cabs would take me.”
Max - Not sure it’s in my top 10, but maybe 12. I liked it quite a bit, but the plot is a little thin (P.C. not being Peter Carey, the convenient timing) What are Holmes and Watson doing in Norway at the end of the story?
Diane - I like it quite a bit, just for the atmosphere alone. The sea background and sailing. I love picturing Sherlock going after the pig. I don’t have a list, but I rate it pretty highly…23 1/3
Dave - There were a lot of elements to recommend it. Stanley Hopkins is treated pretty poorly. Has anyone eaten a Riptson-Pippen? Has anyone stayed at the Brambletye Hotel (they have a Black Peter Bar)?
John - I like this story a lot. There are a few in the Canon with very intriguing death scenes. This is a reflection of Study in Scarlet (flogging the corpse vs. stabbing the pig). A lot of classic moments and classic bits—pretty well put-together story. Doyle always puts the emphasis on adventure rather than the mystery.
Mary - I enjoyed it a lot. Wasn’t there a mouse named Basil?
Kevin - Oh, I love this one for the yo-ho-ho of it. A lot of coincidences, though. Why did Sherlock Holmes think the harpoon had to be thrown rather than stabbed.
What about Wilson the Notorious Canary-Trainer? Article in the Strand Magazine about training canaries from phonographs. Nick Meyer wrote the Notorious Canary-Trainer pastiche about the opera. And in Private Life, it was a little old lady with a cage full of canaries.
John Hopley Neligan (J.H.N.) Senior and Jr. have the same initials, the notebook was the father’s (since it was 1883).
Reminds us of Gloria Scott, and Boscombe Valley Murder where the past drives the plot of the
Portsmouth’s version of STUD/Machete version of STUD
What about the securities? How was Neligan Sr. going to make it up to the shareholders? Possibly through liquidity.
GROG tasting and Harpoon discussion kind of derailed note-taking, but it was fun! Here are some photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/VBEoPDHHbetE38jK6
And the recipe from here (although I did adulterate the non-fluoridated bottled water with a bit of non-iodized salt, to taste):
https://drunkardsalmanac.com/black-tot-day-grog/
If you didn’t get enough violence against pork in this month’s story, check out Cold Steel’s Pork Sword “You’re tellin’ me that Pork Sword can Pop a Balloon!? I’m in!” is a quote from a decade ago when I used to watch the television show Tosh.0. It’s not available online, but here’s the original sword-sellers’ video (warning, mildly gross violence against a side of beef and pork belly, etc.):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hfLZozBVpM&t=231s
Next month’s story: The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton (1891)
Next month's discussion leader: Who knows!? It could be YOU!
Max Magee
