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TIME CHANGE and meeting agenda

Hello, Watsonians! Sorry for the all-caps, but I wanted to make sure I got your attention. Are you got? Excellent.

We will be going back one hour to 1 p.m. ET on our next meeting after all. That’s 1 p.m. Eastern/noon Central on Sunday the 29th, and the meeting will last one hour exactly. Why? Well, at 2 p.m. ET, Ed Pettit (JHWS “Pipes”) will be hosting the next episode of Sherlock Monthly with Dan Stashower and Derrick Belanger as co-hosts, and they will be discussing “The Adventure of the Devil’s Foot.” We want to make sure that we’re not conflicting with this one-time Sunday edition of Sherlock Monthly, and that any Sherlockians who want to make it to both virtual events can do so!

So what’s our agenda? Since our attendance has changed so much in the past few years, we’re bringing back an old discussion topic and seeing what we can come up with this time!

In The Sign of the Four, Watson says of Mary Morstan: “In an experience of women which extends over many nations and three separate continents, I have never looked upon a face which gave a clearer promise of a refined and sensitive nature.” Which three continents do you think Watson is speaking of? And for that matter, what are the “many nations” we think he’s visited? Join us on the 29th to share your ideas!

All Sherlockians are welcome. You can register for the Zoom here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/IT5XUbeBRN2EkuHvnJ4mNQ

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Our January Meeting

View halloo, it’s time to register for the JHWS January Zoom! Come join us, whether you’re a bullpup or not!

We will be meeting on Jan. 25th, a Sunday, at two p.m. Eastern/one p.m. Central Time. Please note the time change — we are meeting one hour later than we used to!

In the aftermath of all the birthday celebrations, we’ll be recalling all the things we got to do in a guided discussion. Also, suggestions and recommendations for what we can do at future meetings are welcome!

You can register for the meeting here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/u4dVv5vBQ1WWfMOkqTw1eQ See you then!

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The November JHWS Meeting Consults Again!

It’s been a while since we held a Watson Consultation and called a patient subject into Watson’s examination room and checked on their Watson-based afflictions via interview. After some rounds of questioning by our resident practitioner, we’ll open things up for the gallery to ask a few questions of their own, to make sure we miss nothing of seriousness in our diagnosis. Our subject this month will be long time member of the John H. Watson Society and literary sort, Margie Deck.

Here’s the link to sign up and see what we find out:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/fQWlwE0AQYmeyDcPJL9g2g

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The JHWS October Meeting and Masquerade!

The time has come at last for the masks to come off, for Moriarty’s minions to be exposed, and the John H. Watson Society to be as free of Moriarty as a Morris Chestnut Watson!

Sunday, October 26, 2025th, at noon Central Standard Time, the John H. Watson Society will gather on Zoom for our October meeting. It’ll be a Zoom costume party, so come in whatever guise suits you, Sherlockian or not. We’ll wind up our game of London 1891, we’ll see what’s new with us in the last month, and meander into our usual chat.

Here’s the registration link! Come and see who . . . and what . . . turns up!

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/az9hZVvVROS65YProC-e-Q

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Your September John H. Watson Society Engagement

The time has come once again for the spirit of John H. Watson to whistle up his bull pups for their monthly meeting over the digital streams. The date is Sunday, September 28, 2025, and the time is high noon Central Standard Time. Things are getting serious for the residents of London 1891 as we approach October’s finality and the veil between the solid and the spirit world grows thin. If you’d like to find out exactly what that all means, or just want to be present for it, here’s a registration link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/dDe6e2kRTFyfTTML5y_Frw

And while we’re sharing links, here’s a link to the latest episode of the official John H. Watson Society podcast:

https://watsonianweekly.libsyn.com/september-22-2025-one-of-these-doctors-wants-your-blood

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A Blazing Hot August JHWS Meeting?

Baker Street may have been like an oven in August, as Watson told us in “The Adventure of the Cardboard Box,” but how hot will the August meeting of the John H. Watson Society be at high noon CST, Sunday, August 24th? Will a Victorian Londoner from 1891 die of heat stroke or Moran’s bullet?

To find out, sign up for this month’s Zoom meeting and pop on come Sunday! Here’s the link to register:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/AbFzzEFzRTqaJGuX2BETeg

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Annual Treasure Hunt Postponed

Hello, Bullpups and assorted Sherlockians! We regret to inform you that the annual treasure hunt will not take place this year. More on this matter from our Treasure Hunt Master, Bullpup Hector (Rich Krisciunas):

The Treasure Hunt 2025 will be postponed due to unforeseeable circumstances. The Treasure Hunt Master, Rich Krisciunas, was preparing another strenuous test of Sherlockian and Watsonian knowledge but had completed only 25 questions, thinking the Treasure Hunt started in October, and he also needed to come up with this year’s cipher. 

He was concerned about complaints from some Hunters that the cipher was becoming too difficult to solve. Backward lettering, fourth word in a sequence, “why does it have to be so hard? You’re supposed to be my friend, can’t you give me a clue?” were messages he received in e-mails every August.

This year, the Treasure Hunt Master spent too much time trying to come up with a simpler cipher so that, for instance, if you were a Sherlockian friend who lived in Texas, you could figure it out. One example was, “Can you decipher the following cipher with a phrase concerning Watson in the Canon?

 “If YOU HAVE a map of the world that shows places where you have BEEN to or thought about visiting IN the last five years not including AFGHANISTAN or Italy. Cross your t and dot your I.  Do you think you could PERCEIVE the names of three countries without much effort?”

Nine test subjects figured out the solution quickly, but one subject said it was too difficult. So, back to the drawing board.

Then the Treasure Hunt Master was reminded about posting the 2025 Treasure Hunt on the usual August 1 start date. His response was, “Ooops. Not October 1?” What to do? 

I apologize for any disappointment, although the TH Master believes one Hunter will be relieved, and at least there are 25 questions already prepared.

Therefore, it is with great disappointment that this year’s Hunt will be postponed until next year in 2026, in August (it’s already in my calendar).

We look forward to renewing the treasure hunt next year, and we at the JHWS remain grateful to Rich for all the work he puts into the hunt each year!

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Attenta, new members!

Hello, everyone! There have been many sign-ups for membership in the JHWS in the past month, and I (Madeline, “Boswell,” “Buttons,” oy) have fallen behind in processing the new members and sending you your welcome emails. I offer my sincerest apologies. I am currently slammed with genuinely serious issues in my personal life at the moment, but I am going to do my best to get caught up soon! We appreciate each and every new bullpup, and we absolutely want you to feel welcome here.

In the meantime, please register for our next meeting! https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/mnOD13oKQAWAZasmJvr4mA

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Watson’s Worst Summer — July JHWS Meeting!

The July of 1891 sat in the middle of John H. Watson’s worst summer at that point in his life, and the July meeting of the John H. Watson Society promises trouble all its own, as we reflect upon that time, see what the remnants of the Moriarty organization were up to, and discuss matters both Watsonian and non.

The date will be Sunday, July 27th. The hour will be high noon CST. The code to pass the gate will be:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/mnOD13oKQAWAZasmJvr4mA

Join us, won’t you? You might survive the experience.

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The April Meeting of the John H. Watson Society

Moriarty’s minions have conspired to keep several of our members away on Sunday, April 27, 2025 when the John H. Watson Society will meet again on Zoom. As you learned if you attended our March meeting, a great game has begun. If you missed that in March, you’ll learn about it at this next meeting and get to find out if Colonel Moran has already eliminated one of the Londoners who are trying to finish taking down Moriarty’s organization since he and Sherlock Holmes perished at Reichenbach Falls.

There will be other fun to be had, as well as the usual random chat, for those who can make it at our regular time of noon CST on April 27. Here’s the link to register:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/7JZ_Br25S9Onioz1Q1Qk1g

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Moriarty’s Agents Infiltrate The JHWS!

Have you ever played a game sometimes called “Mafia,” sometimes called “Werewolf,” or watched some version of the reality TV show “Traitors?” If you have, you know the basic concept, that a community has been secretly infiltrated by murderous characters, and must come together to remove the threat all the while their citizens are being slowly picked off, either by the baddies or their own misguided attempts at justice.

As a part of our 2025 meetings, March through October, the John H. Watson Society will be playing its own version of this game, where we’ll interrogate our members for Moriarty employ during meetings, while in between said meetings, Moriarty’s agents will be working to take over the society for their own evil purposes. Our usual diverse meeting activities will also be going on, some tying to this campaign, and some just random fun. But a few minutes of each meeting will be dedicated to dealing with the Agents of Moriarty among us. Who are those agents? How murderous are they?

Come to our March meeting to find out — and if you have to miss March, don’t worry. We’ll be bringing more folks in as the meetings progress. Here’s the link for said March meeting and our launch of the game:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/jNTydH9mRIuYij9g-I8Leg

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The February JHWS Meeting: Instant Symposium!

As you may have heard and seen demonstrated at our last meeting, the February Zoom gathering of bull pups and friends will be a series of presentations by Watsonians who don’t know what they’re talking about! (Well, not yet anyway.) In the manner of presentation called “Powerpoint karaoke” or “battledecks,” our presenters will be giving talks about John H. Watson based on a series of slides they have never seen before, on a topic that they only find out about when the talk starts. Are you up for the challenge? Would you rather just watch someone else attempt to leap that abyss? Come to the meeting!

Sunday, February 23rd, at noon Central type, over the usual communication channel, with the registration link provided below. Speaker names will be drawn out of a deerstalker from those who volunteer at the start, and the best of the talks will make it on to the Watsonian Weekly podcast for that week. And, of course, there will be the normal John H. Watson Society stuff and nonsense. Hope to see you there!

That all-important link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/p_wslrzaTAaRlmtAhXkpqA

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January JHWS Meetings and More!!!

On January 26, 2025, the John H. Watson Society will have a rare double event! First, of course, will be our regular January meeting, which will be a free-flowing discussion of all the January Holmes birthday events at noon central time. Here’s the registration link for that:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/9-KxvzVHRIKKLsRVr4Fn4Q

And then, once darkness falls upon the land and the glow of televisions light the night, a second meeting to watchalong the premiere episode of CBS’s Watson will occur. We’ll wait for the AFC Championship game to be over, mute the mikes for a typed-chat-only convo while the show is on, and then open up the microphones again to record some immediate reviewing for that night’s Watsonian Weekly podcast! (You’ll have to watch on your own TV, of course. The meeting will just be here for our chat.) Here’s the link for that meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/YTleULCXTpWHOm4UMp11hA

And while we’re talking about the Watsonian Weekly, the offical podcast of the John H. Watson Society, here’s a link to the latest episode:

https://watsonianweekly.libsyn.com/january-13-2025-mark-merrilow-and-watsons-literary-agents-moriarty-novel

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New Year, New Us!

Dear Watsonians,

New year, new us! Well, kind of.

Here’s the deal: last year, we started the year by declaring membership free to new and existing members for the year of 2024. Now, we are making that change permanent.

Every bullpup’s account should now be set up without an expiration date. (There are a handful that may need fixing, so please reach out to Bullpup Selena at selena@johnhwatsonsociety.com if you have any trouble logging in to your account.)

If you are new here and want to join as a member, please go to johnhwatsonsociety.com/membership-5/ and fill out the form. I (Bullpup Maddie) will get back to you with a welcome email and a bullpup moniker (which we can always change if you don’t like the one you start with).

The Watsonian will remain available for purchase on Amazon. And remember, the submission deadline for The Watsonian is coming right up on February 1st! Please email Bullpup Evidently Harmless with your submissions at publisher@johnhwatsonsociety.com.

Also coming up is our regular meeting this month on the 26th. Stay tuned for the registration link!

Please let me know if you have any questions; my email is boswell@johnhwatsonsociety.com.

Otherwise, stay safe and healthy, and we hope to see you soon!
Bullpup Maddie Buttons (aka Madeline Quiñones)