Category: News

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John H. Watson Fanfic Theater

This might be your week to listen to the Watsonian Weekly, the official podcast of the John H. Watson Society, if you’ve been passing it by due to all the “Sherlock & Co.” content, as a full contingent of bull pups are drafted into some poorly produced, unrehearsed reader’s theater for “The Adventure of the Second Die Hard,” which somehow combines the movie “Die Hard” and the story “The Adventure of the Second Stain” into one Watson mash-up that our members somehow thought they wanted for their Christmas pageant.

So here’s a link, if you’re not a regular listener . . .
https://watsonianweekly.libsyn.com/december-23-2024-the-adventure-of-the-second-die-hard

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JHWS December Meeting: “The Adventure of the Second Die Hard”

Because YOU asked for it! (Well, somebody did . . .)

The December meeting of the John H. Watson Society will be our Christmas pageant, a thrown-together reader’s theater production of “The Adventure of the Second Die Hard,” a Canonical Christmas tale that’s NOT “Blue Carbuncle.” We’ll be gathering up our volunteer readers from the registration list, so be sure to sign up for our Sunday, December 22nd meeting in advance if you want to take part. It’s going to be a busy weekend, so we know many of you will have to miss, but we’ll be sure to record it for the podcast.

So, Sunday, December 22nd at noon Central Standard Time. Here’s the link!

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZApfu2trzgoEtSNfArBuEmoUYxiW6mweztF

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The November JHWS Zoom Gathering

The eleventh month is rolling by quickly and it’s already almost time for Watsonians to gather again on Sunday, November 24th at noon Central Standard Time. What will we be up to this month?

For starters, we’ll have a little Watsonian “get to know you” with three questions for the cool Watson fan. What are the three questions that we’ll be asking anyone who is on-camera and willing to share? Funny you should ask . . .

Question One: Members of the John H. Watson Society have bull pup names. The BSI has investitures. We don’t get to pick either of those and they aren’t always cool. If you were going to pick a cool nickname for yourself out of all the words and phrases in John Watson’s writings, what would YOU pick?

Question Two: You’re going to add one piece of clothing or accessory to your daily appearance to show people you’re a cool Watson-like kinda person. What is that item going to be?

Question Three: People who can pull off cosplay are really cool. If you had the skills (or the money to hire someone with the skills) to cosplay as any Doctor Watson in the history of Doctor Watsons, which Doctor Watson would it be?

And once we’ve gone around with those questions and seen just how cool you Watsonians are, we’re going to start the open casting for next month’s John H. Watson Society Christmas Pageant, a Zoom theatrical production unlike anything you’ve ever seen, because IT’S NOT GOING TO BE BLUE CARBUNCLE. (Somebody in the Canon besides Henry Baker and Peterson should get to celebrate Christmas, right?)

So if all that hasn’t frightened you off, here’s the registration link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcpc-Ghrj4pG9Dugvf2bPMeTBCzPeKhIajp

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The Fall Issue of The Watsonian!

And a note from the Boy in Buttons.

Friends, the 2024 Fall Issue of The Watsonian is here! Pick up your copy from Amazon at a reasonable $5.50 USD at this link.

And remember, you don’t have to be a member of the JHWS to purchase a copy! Please enjoy The Watsonian whether you’re a bullpup or not! But also recall: membership is now free.

Speaking of membership, if you’ve recently gone through the registration process, you may not have received a welcome email yet. That’s on me, the Boy in Buttons/Boswell, and I am truly sorry to have kept our new bullpups waiting! I will be honest: there has been a lot going on in my everyday life that has kept me from having much time and energy for anything other than survival. Sometimes, life kicks you when you’re down and keeps on kicking.

I just wanted everyone to know — you’re not being neglected, I promise. And I’m hoping to get to all the newbies over the next few days.

Of course, the lovely thing about the Watsonian/Sherlockian community is that it is supportive and it helps you keep going through the rough times. So my thanks to everyone who is helping me keep going through this difficult time.

Lots of love to you all!

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Rescheduling the September meeting

Hello, friends!

We are not able to hold this month’s meeting today. To the people who registered for today’s meeting and intended to come, we sincerely apologize! Work and other real-life issues conspired to make both of your regular Zoom hosts forget that this Sunday was our meeting Sunday, and not the next one. (Mayhap a certain Professor was simply jealous that one of the hosts devotes so much time to Dr. Watson…)

We will still meet this month, however! Our meeting has been rescheduled to next Sunday, same time. If you have already registered, you should have gotten an email alerting you of the change, and you do not have to re-register. If you haven’t registered, now’s your chance!

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtc-ugpzMoHtb-0ggSNf2Bf9mlESghCfio

Again, we’re really sorry. (But we also hope that our volunteers will take advantage of the extra time to build up their teams!) Also, happy first day of autumn! (Or spring, to those of you south of the equator!)

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The JHWS September Meeting: Hounds All Around!

If you were at our last meeting, you know what we’re up to this month. A panel of specially selected Holmes movie buffs are going to fantasy draft their perfect film adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles. Who will be the stars? How will they make it special? And you get to pick the one you’d want to see!

To pre-register for this Zoom meeting on September 29th (EDIT: no longer the 22nd, sorry!) at noon Central time, just click the link below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtc-ugpzMoHtb-0ggSNf2Bf9mlESghCfio

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Final Results of the Annual Treasure Hunt!

The 12th Annual John H. Watson Society Treasure Hunt has officially ended. Familiar names were among the leaders in four categories; US and International individual entries and US and International groups.

One team had a perfect score of 192 submitted by the Sound of the Baskervilles, whose members were Margie Deck, Naching Kassa, Cameron Brandon, and Steve Mason.

The international Team LaFayette from France, comprised of Anne du Ranquet, Aline Hinh, Sylvia Israel, Daniel Henocq, Thomas Leandre-Helbecque, and Thierry Saint-Joanis, BSI, scored 190 and missed one question which, arguably, may have been confused in translation.

International individual honors went to Mark Doyle (190), who finished ahead of Enrico Solito, BSI (184) and Allessandro Melillo (160).

The top scorer for US teams was Joanna Freeman (188), who edged out Erica Fair (180), Regina Stinson, BSI (179), and reigning Hunt champion Michael Ellis (177), who answered all of the questions correctly but was unable to solve “the easiest cipher in Hunt history.”* Kristen Mertz and Tom Campbell also gave their best efforts.

The correct translation of the cipher was “Come Watson. Come. The game is afoot.” Quizmaster Rich Krisciunas said, “The thing that always amazes me is how many times someone comes up with an answer I didn’t foresee that fits. I go back and read the story and have to admit that the person deserves credit for their answer and my list of correct answers grows.” 

The Hunt’s questions and answers will appear on our webpage by the end of the week.

*The Boy-in-Buttons continues to have her doubts.

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The John H. Watson Society Treasure Hunt final week! (And Final Team!)

It’s the last week for doing the annual August treasure hunt of Canonical details from Watson’s writings, and Watsonians around the world are scrambling to get their entries polished up and turned in by the time September 2nd is done. (Scroll down to find the full Treasure Hunt details!)

The “Final Team” Zoom had to be cancelled at the last minute, but you can still give it a go on your own!

Meanwhile, here’s the latest episode of the John H. Watson Society’s official podcast, which sadly, contains no audio from Sunday’s meeting:

https://watsonianweekly.libsyn.com/august-26-2024-when-one-watson-runs-short-the-answer-is-elementary

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The Watson Challenge Is Coming!

We know you’re all busy testing your wits on the annual John H. Watson Society Treausre Hunt (scroll down if you haven’t started yet), but we wanted to let you prep for our August meeting and the John H. Watson Storytelling Challenge on Zoom this August 25th. How does it work?

Our willing participants will be given the title of one of Watson’s sixty stories at random and be asked to tell the tale in 30 seconds (and only 30 seconds). Each story will have a list of ten items worth a point a piece, and our storyteller, in actually retelling the story, will get a point for every one of those items they mention. It could be a person, a place, an activity, a color — you just don’t know! — that our judge feels is key to that story (or worth bonus points!). Are you up to telling a story with the level of detail only Watson could? Come to our August meeting and find out!

The registration link is still: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZctcumprD4jHdMHHw1JWSYq4kJ_YCDqolE0

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Our August Meeting Is Coming!

Mark your calendars now for 1 PM Eastern/Noon Central, etc. on Sunday, August 25th, as the John H. Watson Society and friends gather on Zoom to have a little fun and ease your mind into the last week of the John H. Watson Society Treasure Hunt. What are we going to be up to? A completely different test of your ability to Watson that should be most entertaining to those you aren’t under the bright exam room lights.

The registration link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZctcumprD4jHdMHHw1JWSYq4kJ_YCDqolE0

In the meantime, give that Treasure Hunt a go and we’ll also check in on your state of mind as we round that last turn.

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The 2024 John H. Watson Treasure Hunt

Hello, Watsonians! It’s time for our annual Treasure Hunt! Actually, it’s a little past time, so let’s dig into the adjusted rules (which are also at the back of the Hunt itself, but this is for safety, sooo…):

The Annual John H Watson Canonical Treasure Hunt is being posted on the Society’s website on the Treasure Hunt page at exactly midnight (Pacific) on July 31st on August 2nd this year. A link is posted at that time to allow participants to download the Treasure Hunt as a .docx or .pdf document. All participants will have an equal opportunity relative to time and access. The Treasure Hunt will end at 12 a.m. (Pacific) on September 3rd. All categories of competition will be required to meet the same deadline.

  1. The Treasure Hunt will have four categories: Open Individual (U.S.), Open Individual (international), Open Team (U.S.), and Open Team (international). Two individuals and two teams will be accorded High Honors with runners-up given Honors. As the competition is Open, participants do not have to be members of the John H Watson Society to compete. No registration is necessary. To be considered for Honors, simply submit answers as per below.
  2. Participants may enter as individuals or as teams of two to five. Participants may not compete as both an individual contestant and a team member, and individual participants and team participants may not confer on their answers.
  3. All requests for clarification of questions shall be either posted to this post or sent via email to the Treasure Hunt Master by email at rkrisciu@yahoo.com.
  4. The winners will be determined by two criteria: (1) Number of correct answers, and (2) Time of receipt of the answers by email at rkrisciu@yahoo.com. Answers may be submitted in a numbered list in the body of the email or in a document attached to the email. Attachment formats should be either .pdf, .doc or .docx; handwritten documents are acceptable when scanned as a .pdf. If submitting a handwritten document, please print clearly. Each submission must include the name(s) of the participant(s), contact email for each participant, and one contact telephone number.
  5. The announcement of the Honors will be posted no later than September 14. A fully documented answer guide to the Treasure Hunt will be posted at the time the winners are announced.
  6. All matters concerning the Treasure Hunt, the contest, the answers, and the determination of the Honors will be the sole decision of the John H Watson Society Directors. The only purpose of the Annual John H. Watson Society Canonical Treasure Hunt is to encourage fun, collegiality, scholarship, and a deeper understanding of the writings of John H Watson, MD.

Here’s the .docx (Microsoft Word) version, and here’s the .pdf! Ready, set, GO! And good luck!

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Our July Meeting!

At noon central time on Sunday, July 21st, the John H. Watson Society will Zoom again, with a bit of Watson fun for the middle of your Sunday. Into team sports? It might be something like that . . . you just never know! Here’s the registration link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUscuqgpz4jHdOoAjlVyFGUjr9-8Z6B49zw

And after that, take a listen to the latest Watsonian Weekly. Sure, we just talk about another podcast (“Sherlock & Co.”) most of the time these days, but if John H. Watson has his own weekly podcast, what else do you expect the John H. Watson Society’s official podcast to do? Here’s that link:

https://five.libsyn.com/show/episodes/view/32133542

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The Great Watson Debate — Our May Meeting!

The Best Watson Up For Battle!

The greatest Watson?

For the May meeting of the John H. Watson Society at high noon (CST) on Sunday, May 26th, The Great Memorial Day Weekend Watson Debate will be our main event. And when we say “main event,” we mean Main Event!

As most of you know, our humble meeting host has a great and honest affection for a particular portrayal of John H. Watson (pictured above) and is challenging all comers to try to take the crown of World’s Greatest Watson Portrayal from that Watson. Debaters will have three minutes (and ONLY three minutes, after which time a horn will sound, ending their time) to present a case for their candidate of choice. Only positive cases for a chosen Watson will be allowed, and any negative statements about any other Watson will result in immediate disqualification. What makes a great Watson? Can those qualities be put into words? Can you convince a jury of your peers that your favorite Watson is, indeed, better than the actor known as the best John Watson in any theatrical film from 2018?

IMPORTANT NOTE: Only three minutes per Watson will be allowed to keep this competition fair. Multiple debaters choosing the same Watson will be forced to share the same three minutes.

Somebody better show up to make a case for their Watson, or the one candidate already entered will walk away for with the title as easily as he dealt with “Brawn” in his famous Fumbles Gymnasium match. So BRING IT ON!

To register for the meeting go to: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcuc-GsrzsqHd3ahReFZwkkA7gwiOAAxcIw

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Watsonian Wednesday: New journal and April meeting!

We are so excited to announce that the Spring 2024 edition of The Watsonian is finally available! Members can log in and download a PDF version for free, or, for the first time, members and non-members alike can order the print edition on Amazon! Please go to https://a.co/d/1A7nN06.

We also have our monthly meeting coming up this Sunday, April 28th, at 1pm Eastern/noon Central. Meetings are open to all Sherlockians. Please register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtdO2oqDIjGdDkQXhJW4Y-bUmvBSdfBxDF, and we’ll see you there!

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The March Meeting of the JHWS: The Great “Watness” Experiment!

On Sunday, March 17, at noon CST, the John H. Watson Society will gather on Zoom to decide the final rounds of “Watson Watness,” a horribly named process to determine what John H. Watson’s best characteristics are. What are his “sweet sixteen” aspects? And of those, what are his “great eight?” Four things he wouldn’t be Watson without?

It’s a bracket style tournament to see just what makes Watson so lovable, and you’ll get to help decide the finals if you can make it to the Zoom. Here’s the link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwvcOisrzgtHNIJZtNOyVMbJqAg5-3xp6z7

Sign up now and you might get to help decide the second preliminary round later this week before the meeting!

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February 18th for the John H. Watson Society meeting!

Due to an online symposium from the Legion of Zoom that most of of members will want to attend, this month’s meeting of the John H. Watson Society will be held on Sunday, February 18th at noon. The Watson Consultation will be back, and this month’s guest meeting host, bull pup Maddy, will be interviewing a special bull pup guest! You won’t want to miss that!

Here’s the registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZItcOmppzgsH9Sz9wFJhkGd84E1Yrpkc7ns

And while you’re clicking links, here’s this week’s episode of the Watsonian Weekly: https://watsonianweekly.libsyn.com/february-5-2024-watsons-car-and-his-rants-about-the-rich

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A January Pitch Meeting for the JHWS!

January may start with Sherlock Holmes’s Birthday and all the attention on the birthday boy, but at the end of the month, it’s time to pay attention to our old friend Dr. Watson once more! On Sunday, January 28th, at noon CST (or whatever that works out to in your home zone), the John H. Watson Society will again gather for our typical discussion and fun — but with a current news twist!

You’ve surely heard — and if you haven’t, listen to this week’s Watsonian Weekly on that — there’s going to be a new television show with Watson as it’s main character coming soon. We’ve seen Watson featured over Holmes on TV before, as in Netflix’s The Irregulars, but as any good Watsonian knows, there’s more to Watson than just two TV shows can show.

So our January meeting is going to be a pitch meeting! Come with your thirty-second elevator pitch for a TV show that features John H. Watson as it’s lead, and our panel of fake TV executives will be awarding the one we like best a special Watson prize package. (Books! You know it will be books! Watson books, enough to fill a Priority Mail box, if the winner is in the US. There will be an alternate prize if one of our friends across the ocean comes up with the best pitch.) Any time period, any setting, any casting, just a somewhat recognizable version of John H. Watson in a premise that would make a good TV series! (No straight Canon adaptations allowed. We’re not going to force the judges to vote against Canon.)

Here’s the registration link for our January fun, so get that pitch together and come join the fun:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUudOytrjMsGtIEBCQksQh2ukMctwZF6B2U