This week’s Watsonian Weekly sets the year for the first use of the term Watsonian in a John H. Watson context as 1914. Do you know of an earlier use? If so, let us know at podcast@johnhwatsonsociety.com . But give us a listen in any case!
https://watsonianweekly.libsyn.com/november-9-2020-president-watson-and-the-first-watsonian

Society members will soon receive an email asking them to confirm their subscription to the John H Watson Society Announcement list.

We’ll be using this list to share important information with our members, so please do join us!

Name (or alias): Rich Krisciunas

Bullpup moniker: Hector 

Who is your favorite Watson and why? My first answer was the former hockey player, Bryan “Bugsy” Watson but I remembered who was asking the question, so it has to be Nigel Bruce because he was my first. He is also as fearless as Bryan Watson.

If Watson was writing a story about you, what would it be titled?

“The Romantic Adventure of the Tenacious Barrister and The Woman”

Give us an improbable fact about yourself!

In 1984, I attended the first Detroit Tigers fantasy camp which reunited the 1968 World Championship team and I hit a single off world series MVP Mickey Lolich and a double off Mark “The Bird” Fidrych. I was MVP of the Lawyer’s softball league in Detroit.

Why did you join the JHWS?Everyone in JHWS is very welcoming and knowledgeable. I want to be part of a group that takes the “game” seriously and I love “playing the game.” After retiring from a 37-year career as a criminal trial lawyer and law school professor, I had more time to re-read the Canon and attend local scion meetings; Ribston-Pippins, Amateur Mendicant Society of Detroit and Greek Interpreters of East Lansing.  I enjoy looking at the stories from a legal point of view and presenting papers, toasts and poems. I found the podcasts “I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere” and “Trifles.” Then, I discovered the blog Sherlock Peoria and listened to the “Watsonian Weekly” and “Sherlock Holmes is Real” podcasts because they are clever. I’m hooked.
Best wishes. Thanks for asking. Let me know if you need anything else.
Rich Krisciunas JHWS Hector
Retired Professor Trial PracticeDetroit Mercy School of Law
734-620-1052Ribston-PippinsAmateur Mendicant Society of DetroitGreek Interpreters of East LansingCrew of the Barque Lone StarThe Fourth GarridebSherlockians of BaltimoreJohn H. Watson SocietyTankerville Club of Cincinnati Harpooners of Sea Unicorn St. CharlesBlue Carbuncle of PortlandWatson’s Tin BoxParallel Case of St. LouisOrder of the Last Bow
Cesspudlians of London (Ontario)Sherlock Holmes Society of London

We want to feature all of our Wonderful Watsonians! Especially you! Please feel free to answer the questions above and send the response (photo optional but we love to see your smiling faces) to buttons@johnhwatsonsociety.com

Come for the traditional toasts, a little show and tell, the finals of our poetry contest, and a Watsonian artist panel on Saturday, November 14 at 9 AM PDT, 10 AM MDT, 11AM CDT, 12 Noon EDT, 5 PM BST, 6 PM CEST, etc. Wear your Watson hat if you’ve got one, and come say “Hi!” to our brand new Buttons. Our fifth meeting ever, and we’re hoping to get better every time.
If you need the Zoom invitation, please send a request to podcast@johnhwatsonsociety.com and we’ll get you the links.

Also, it’s time for your weekly does of Watson with the Watsonian Weekly!
https://watsonianweekly.libsyn.com/november-2-2020-watson-drinks-beaune-and-dies

Be your own Boswell and tell us a little about yourself! 

Name (or alias):

Brad Keefauver

Bullpup moniker (Contact us if you don’t know):

Calder

Who is your favorite Watson and why?

John C. Reilly, whose genius as a comic actor in movies like Walk Hard and Step Brothers brought a John H. Watson to the screen who could explore his relationship with Sherlock Holmes in the movie “Holmes and Watson” more than any other film Watson has done. (Yes, I’m serious about this point. There is more insight in “Holmes and Watson” than most folks would like to admit.) Unfortunately, Reilly’s Watson is not discussed on this week’s episode of The Watsonian Weekly, but you can listen to it anyway at:
https://watsonianweekly.libsyn.com/october-26-2020-sherlock-holmes-is-the-weasel-one-not-watson

If Watson was writing a story about you, what would it be titled?

“The Case of the Persistent Podcaster?” (No, that’s too Perry Mason.) How about “The Adventure of the Perpetual Writer?” That gets it, I think.

Give us an improbable fact about yourself!

I served a year aboard the S.S. Albatross under Captain Jinks and first mate Salty Sam. (It was an afternoon kids show that I wrote for and occasionally appeared on camera as “Bosun Brad.” And that’s the whole of my experience as a seaman, as I do not swim well.)

Why did you join the JHWS?

I don’t know. I think it was just cool that there was a John H. Watson Society.

(Also, it has this great podcast that you can also listen to on Apple Podcasts at
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-watsonian-weekly/id1465553726 )

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You’re a Wonderful Watsonian, aren’t you? Answer the questions above and send to buttons@johnhwatsonsociety.com because we want to know your Watsonian secrets too!

Desperate for the sound of another human voice talking about John H. Watson? Well, look no further — here comes another Watsonian Weekly, the Frankenstein’s monster of podcasting!
https://watsonianweekly.libsyn.com/watson-and-the-baboons-candy-bass

Be your own Boswell and tell us a little about yourself! 

Name (or alias):

Elinor Gray, aka mistyzeo

Bullpup moniker (Contact us if you don’t know):

Misty

Who is your favorite Watson and why?

I have a strong fondness for Michael Williams, the Watson to Clive Merrison’s Holmes in the 1989 audio series by Bert Coules. His warm voice and laugh and his energy with Merrison make them a delightful pair to enjoy the stories with.

If Watson was writing a story about you, what would it be titled?

The Three Cat Problem

Give us an improbable fact about yourself!

I have knit over 65 pairs of socks in my 15+ year knitting career, most of them in the first 5 years. Now I can’t stop knitting sweaters.

Why did you join the JHWS?

I’ve moved several times since getting into Sherlock Holmes–from Philadelphia to Baltimore, from Baltimore to London, and from London to Portland–so an online society was a big draw for me! That, and the opportunity to be part of something as it was built, to put having fun and being chill at the forefront of “traditional” Sherlockian appreciation, and to make new friends. The crossover of internet fandom and old school Sherlockiana is awesome.

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Want to participate? Answer the questions above and send to buttons@johnhwatsonsociety.com!

This week we ramble on about our usual bits, but eventually get to talking about yesterday’s Left Coast Sherlockian Symposium. Maybe we’re not completely Watson-focused this week as a result, but after a day like yesterday, things need to be said! Spend a few minutes out of your lazy Sunday with Margie Deck, Robert Perret, Paul Thomas Miller, Rob Nunn, Phil Bergem, Heather Hinson, and Brad Keefauver (though not all at once) with some chat about John Watson and more.

https://watsonianweekly.libsyn.com/october-12-2020-we-get-to-left-coast-watson-eventually

https://open.spotify.com/show/23X2gDGeWfsvapGDrZfVQs

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-watsonian-weekly/id1465553726

Be your own Boswell and tell us a little about yourself! 

Name (or alias):

Beth Gallego, but you can find me as plexippa on most social media platforms

Bullpup moniker (Contact us if you don’t know):

Selena

Who is your favorite Watson and why?

I’m partial to Dr David Q Dawson, faithful companion to Eve Titus’s Basil (of Baker Street). I’m a Children’s Librarian, and I collect Sherlockian children’s books, and Dawson is Watson, but adapted for children.

If Watson was writing a story about you, what would it be titled?

The Adventure of the Lost Librarian

Give us an improbable fact about yourself!

I completed all six of the Tinker Bell Half Marathons at Disneyland.

Why did you join the JHWS?

I fell into the Sherlockian world comparatively late and a little bit backwards, and when I get interested in something, I want to know everything I can about it. I ran across the Watson Society site in my digital wanderings and loved it right away. Through the Society, I’ve met so many clever and interesting people who are here to have fun among friends, and what could be better than that?

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Want to participate? Answer the questions above and send to buttons@johnhwatsonsociety.com!

Podcast time again, with a brand new feature!
https://watsonianweekly.libsyn.com/october-5-2020-its-a-wild-wild-watson

My dear Watsonians, we are starting a new feature all about you! At the end of this interview you will find a set of questions that we would love to hear your responses to, if convenient. If inconvenient, maybe come back to it in a little while all the same?

Be your own Boswell and tell us a little about yourself! 

Name (or alias): 

Robert Perret

Bullpup moniker (Contact us if you don’t know): 

Sampson

Who is your favorite Watson and why? 

I have never met a Watson I didn’t like. I think H. Marion Crawford is the happy medium of a lot of traditional Watsons. I think Lucy Liu is the most compelling of the modern Watsons. She really develops as a detective in her own right.

If Watson was writing a story about you, what would it be titled?

The Adventure of the Facetious Footnote

Give us an improbable fact about yourself!

I have a published Nancy Drew story. 

Why did you join the JHWS?

I love the character and the stories of Dr. Watson (and that guy he lives with, I guess) and I want to celebrate him. I have yet to meet a Watsonian who isn’t friendly, engaged, creative and welcoming. I am very excited to serve as the new Buttons and hope to continue our great legacy as the open and inclusive worldwide online society! We need more Watson energy in the world! 

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We want to hear from all our Wonderful Watsonians! (Yes, especially YOU!) Please answer these brief questions so we can introduce the world to our friends.

Be your own Boswell and tell us a little about yourself! 

Name (or alias):

Bullpup moniker (Contact us if you don’t know):

Who is your favorite Watson and why?

If Watson was writing a story about you, what would it be titled?

Give us an improbable fact about yourself!

Why did you join the JHWS?

Please feel free to include a picture that we can use alongside your interview. Or you may elect to see what sort of bullpup image we pluck from Sherman’s digital menagerie in lieu.

Send your responses to buttons@johnhwatsonsociety.com

 

October’s coming up on us soon, the costume shops are open, and you can buy a deerstalker cap in most of them. But what about the faithful Watsonian? Where’s our hat? What’s our hat?

A hat is perhaps the simplest cosplay available and with the costume shops selling hats of all varieties, it seems like a great time to start picking out a Watson hat for your Zoom calls and the like. But what was Watson’s hat of choice?

Let’s take a little poll in the comment section below and start thinking about a little Watsonian cosplay from the top down, even if we never get past the moustache. (Oh, no, once the hat’s discussion is down, we have to start with moustache talk. But don’t rush it. Don’t rush it.)

Also, it’s a new episode of The Watsonian Weekly!

https://watsonianweekly.libsyn.com/september-28-2020-hats-on-for-john

It has been my immense honor to serve as your Boy-in-Buttons since March of 2016. Our Society has grown and changed over the last four-and-a-half years, and it is time for a new person to lead us into the future.

I am delighted to announce that Robert Perret (JHWS “Sampson”) is our “Sampson Buttons”, effective 1 October 2020. 

While I am passing on the mantle of “Buttons”, I remain JHWS “Selena”, and your faithful webmistress. While I work on improving the site, I look forward to seeing our Society as a whole move forward with new energy and ideas.

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

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/

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.

“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!

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 )

https://www.johnhwatsonsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/JHWS-2020-Treasure-Hunt-Watsonicon.docx

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.

ttps://www.johnhwatsonsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/JHWS-Treasure-Hunt-Stress-Free-Zone.docx

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 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