Welcome to a Chicago Work Trip

For how much of my life I spent going to Michigan, one might have expected that I had (at some point) taken a side trip to Illinois to see one of the most famous cities on the Great Lakes. After all, it’s not that far from the Mitten State and both my parents often traveled there for one reason or another.

So it might surprise some of you, that this was my first trip to Chicago.

It also might surprise some of you, that I loved it.

Technically, my trip to the Windy City was a work trip. During the first weekend of June, the Chicago convention center is turned into basically Disneyland for Oncologist (minus the rides). I was there working at an information booth in the East Building pretty much all day. I got there at 6:30AM CT and didn’t leave until approximately 6:30PM CT, except for one day where I had a couple of receptions.

That meant that I only had a couple of hours each evening to explore the city.

And I did not waste them.

My hotel was close to Navy Pier, the River Walk, and Millenium Park. I had a great view of the Navy Pier and Lake Michigan from my room. Since it’s summer, the sun stayed up lake enough for me to enjoy the sunsets. It only rained one day.

Truthfully, I barely got a taste of Chicago.

I didn’t have an opportunity to go to any museums, see the aquarium, or take that famous river architecture cruise that everyone at work jokes about (there are multiple types). However, I made it a priority to enjoy my time, see some of the sites, and try the great food famous offerings.

From my understanding, Chicago is famous for three things: the prohibition mob, the unique architecture, and the food. 

I decided to focus on the food and ended up trying my first authentic deep dish pizza (apparently I did right to get it at the Giordano’s on the Navy Pier), my first Chicago hot dog (Detroit Coney dogs are still better, but it was worth the try), and spent an evening at The Dearborn (one of the chef’s is a guy who beat Bobby Flay on Food Network).

In my quest to try all this food, I also took the opportunity to enjoy the local street art, which included the architecture. I caught a glimpse of The Bean (yes, I know that’s not it’s real name; no, I will not call it the proper name because the artist is a massive d*ck). The Blue Cross Blue Shield building had lights lit up that said #ENDALZ (end Alzheimer). The river walk has tons of art displays - some of which are actually play areas for kids. I especially loved the play area in the park behind Millenium park. Each play area was incredibly sensory stimulating, physically challenging (I only walked over a shaky bridge because I’m well over the age of 12, but my inner child was so happy), and incredibly well taken care of. I wish we had more of them in other cities.

Navy Pier was my first stop. That evening, I had the longest amount of time to go out and explore and I could easily see the famous pier from my hotel. Though I didn’t go up to the area with the rides, I did enjoy walking around the area. There’s a combination of indoor and outdoor spaces available to walk around with a Children’s Museum, hotel, shops, and restaurants to go with the ride area. It reminded me a lot of boardwalks along the New Jersey coast, specifically the piers in Wildwood and Ocean City. The only thing that threw me off was the smell. Instead of the salty sea air, it was the scent of city mixed with fresh water of the second largest Great Lake. It wasn’t a bad smell, just different.

There’s still a lot I need to explore in Chicago, so I know I’ll be back (especially since my sister also loves the city and wants to visit during the Christmas markets). I really want to see the art museum and aquarium, and I have to take a ghost tour. I’d also like to see a comedy show or a recording for NPR’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me”. And apparently that architecture cruise is well worth the money.

So there’s only one question that remains.

Is Chicago deep dish pizza better than the famous New York slice?

No, they are both great for different reasons. The truly best slice of pizza (at least in the United States) is Jersey Shore Boardwalk pizza. It’s the oregano, trust me.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to those Hot and Humid Days

It's the unofficial start to summer in the good old USA and it's already steamy out there. Thanks climate change. 

But in all seriousness, scientists are already anticipating this being one of the hottest summers on record. 

I was in Orlando, Florida last week and it was in the 90s F (low 30s C) with 90% humidity each day I was visiting. Since I had to be out and about in that weather, I couldn't do my normal routine of hide in a cool dark place until the sun went down. It’s kind of hard to enjoy Disney World if you don’t leave your hotel room.

Yeah, I try not to go out at all in August and July in the northern hemisphere, especially not where I have spent the majority of my life, Washington DC. If you don’t have easy access to a pool or sprinkler system, it’s best to just stay inside during the summer month days. Otherwise, you’ll likely drown in a pool of sweat.

 However, if I do find myself outside in the middle of summer, I have some ways to mitigate the effects of the heat and humidity. I utilized most of them in Orlando.

1. Have access to plenty of water - while in Orlando, I was drinking more than my usual amount of water. My sister and I carried around at least one bottle that we could easily refill. Thankfully, Disney World guests can ask for a free cup of ice water almost anywhere in the parks.
2. Wear a hat - a hat will keep your face covered and add some protection from the sun.
3. Wear sun screen and reapply it often - everyone, regardless of skin tone, should wear sunscreen if out between 10:00AM and 2:00PM when the sun is most intense. I also recommend choosing a sunscreen that is mineral based or a coral reef-safe brand. Don’t forget your ears and reapply as instructed.
4. Cover your shoulders - like wearing a hat, keeping your shoulders covered adds a layer of protection against the sun. It maybe temping to wear spaghetti straps or tank tops, but trust me, you’ll want the extra protection. 
5. Take a break in the shade - it’s usually a bit cooler outside of the sun and taking a break will give your body some time to recover. If you’re in a place that lacks shade (like the desert or grasslands), it maybe beneficial to have a pop tent set up or avoid that 10:00AM to 2:00PM time frame all together.

I’m used to humidity, but a few years ago, I took a trip to Arizona. The dry heat was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. I honestly wouldn’t have guessed it was in the 80sF (or high 20sC) while I was there. It didn’t feel hot to me. 

However, that can be just as, if not more, dangerous. With humidity, I can feel my body loose water and overheating. Without humidity, I can only guess how hot I am based on how much direct sunlight I’m exposed to. Again, that list above is important to keeping cool and hydrated. 

If you’re going to try to beat the heat by going hiking or spending time in nature, then there are a couple of additional precautions you should take.

Bug spray is a must. Ticks, spiders, other insects are at their peak in summer months. Ticks in particular are super dangerous in my area, but mosquitoes are nothing to sneeze at either when it comes to being a danger to a person’s health. Wearing big spray (preferably a natural one) will keep you safe. Again, reapply often (about every two hours) and do a tick check as soon as you return from your out door activity. And for all that is holy…

…Avoid tall grass. Stick to the marked trail. Ticks, spiders, snakes, insects, and other animals often hide in tall grass. Sticking to marked trails will keep you safe from these critters along with plants like poison ivy, hogweed, and prickly plants that might scratch your skin.

Adventurers await all of us this summer, whether we leave our homes or not (some of us can have adventures while reading at home). If you plan to be out and about in the heat and humidity, please keep yourself safe while having fun.

Until the next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it pissed you off), please like, share, or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Welcome to a Happy DC Universe

Please note that this is a piece on my own experience with superhero media. My experience was very limited in the 1990s and 2000s and was often drawn from early incarnations of the characters shown on TV. I started reading the comics more in the 2010s.

In an era where Marvel has taken over (thanks to Disney) and the latest X-Men animated series has taken pop culture by storm (pun loosely intended), it seems that Marvel is currently winning the long standing rivalry between them and DC. My first introduction to Marvel was through the Spiderman movie from 2002 and the animated series X-Men Evolution. I was aware of other animated Marvel shows from the 1990s, but they weren’t often on the kids channels as reruns. 

Though both the Spiderman movie and X-Men Evolution TV series had their dark moments (Uncle Ben dying and learning Nightcrawler’s origin were both traumatic for little me), they were overall lighthearted and fun. Those properties are what I associated with Marvel for a long time and wasn’t familiar with other heroes like Captain America, Iron Man, or Deadpool.

I was much more familiar with DC heroes.

The 1992 Batman the Animated Series (which introduced me to Kevin Conroy as the best Batman) along with the 1989 movie were some of the first superhero properties I watched. Plus, with my dad being a fan of Scooby Doo, Justice Friends, and the 1960s live action TV show, Batman popped up a lot. Sure the older versions were lighthearted like Marvel, but it was the dark and brooding 90s incarnation that caught my attention. That didn’t mean that these versions didn’t have their fun moments. The animated Batman is still one of my favorites, even if his story ends more on the tragic end, and that series joined up with Superman the Animated Series to bring us Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, Batman Beyond, and a ton of crossovers with the amazing Static Shock. 

Sure, there were dark moments (like what happened to Tim Drake and Richard Grayson), but overall things were still pretty light hearted going into the mid-2000s with Teen Titans (minus any of that “go” nonsense).

And if you’re wondering how I can say all this without mentioning the comics, well… I wasn’t yet a comic book reader. In fact, the only graphic novels I was familiar with, at this time, were the Asterix ones my dad had from the 60s and started bring back from Europe for me to read (I didn’t see an Asterix book in the United States until the early 2010s). My sibling read Tintin. 

Superheroes were fun to young me. They could be dark and brooding, but they still smiled and laughed. They had friends and trusted people. Their villains were evil, but never to the point where the good guys lost hope.

Again, wasn’t reading the comics at this time. I had no idea who Jason Todd or how he died. I was only familiar with the Teen Titans version of Slade, not the comic book one. I didn’t know about Bane breaking Batman’s back. The animated series wasn’t allowed to kill anyone, but a child was tortured to the point of insanity on my screen.

And then “Batman Begins” hit theaters.

Suddenly broody superheroes were all the rage. It was quickly followed by the incredible “Dark Knight” and “Dark Knight Rises”. Both had huge body counts, intimidating villains, and high stakes without a happy Batman insight (probably because he didn’t have a Robin dressed as a traffic light to make bad puns while taking down bad guys).

You can even see how it influenced the early “Iron Man” and second iteration of “Spiderman” (the Andrew Garfield version) movies. However, they still maintained some level of fun. It wasn’t until I saw “Avengers” in 2012, that I felt that superheroes were being shown as fun again in theaters.

And while, Marvel (now owned by Disney) had taken Superheroes in a more fun adventure direction, 2010s DC cinema seemed to think that dark and gritty was the only way to go for more “realism” (or that’s the argument I’ve heard). By this point, the CW’s Smallville had ended and the “Arrowverse” was taking off. DC fans, luckily, still had fun adventures with DC Animation, but even that had gotten darker and grittier when not explicitly made for teens and kids (Young Justice was fantastic and was canceled because allegedly the “wrong” demographic liked it more than than the targeted one, it was later resurrected for two more seasons). 

DC fans may have liked “Wonder Woman”, but they hated “Batman v. Superman”. “Suicide Squad” was a mess and the less said about “Justice League” the better. DC did have a cool take with “Titan” and “Gotham” has the right mix of Batman 1989 and the 1992 animated series, but they seriously botched the ending.

And then the 2020s came and fans were given the light and joy that is My Adventures with Superman. Superman was suddenly fun again. He was young, inexperienced and hopeful. He wasn’t carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and he wasn’t fighting with any other hero. He was a dork on a mission to fit in apnea become a reporter. Of course he had to save cats in his down time, he’s a good guy. 

The second season is coming out soon and it’s like I’m back in time on a Saturday morning watching Justice League or Static Shock again. I’m excited and happy and, above all, hopeful.

More recently, I’ve become familiar with the Webtoon Batman: Wayne Family Adventures. It is everything I want in a BatFam (what the fans have dubbed Bruce Wayne’s growing collection of children and Gotham based superheroes) media. And it’s officially a DC publication!

Bruce is a tired single dad raising a gaggle of feral children while Alfred tries to keep everything somewhat stable. It is a must read for anyone who has ever wanted Bruce to finally find some measure of happiness. There’s a YouTuber who has been narrating the comic and, though I don’t love all the voices, it does add an extra layer to the experience. Some are calling it the best Batman comic to come out in a long time. 

I’ve talked before about the Scooby Doo and Batman crossover comics. The webtoon is similar in tone in that it’s a lighthearted adventure. However, the difference is that the webtoon is a bit more mature. It doesn't shy away from topics like Jason’s PTSD, Tim being a disaster bi icon, and the fact that Bruce makes mistakes, lots and lots of mistakes. He even has a mug that says “World’s Okay-est Dad”. 

I hope that DC listens to fans and understands that fans want a balance of fun adventure with the angst. We don’t want “Teen Titan Go”. We want 2000s “Teen Titans”. We like campy Batman villains that are actually threatening (“Gotham” has some seriously scary moments, but still has time for 1960s antics). Superman is a dork. He believes in Santa Claus (who actually does exist in the DC universe) and his costume was made by his mom. We really enjoy Harley Quinn post Joker breakup (she and Ivy are a truly iconic queer couple). 

A lot of us grew up with fun superheroes who dealt with tough topics, especially those of us who are products of the 1980s and 1990s.

So, please DC, let your heroes be happy.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you like hearing from me.

Until the next week.

Welcome to Some Cozy Horror

I recently finished reading Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynn’s Jones. I was familiar with the 2004 Hayao Miyazaki animated movie, but had never read the book. It was delightfully cozy - probably the coziest fantasy book I’d ever read. The book and the movie match maybe a third of the way through the beginning before both go off into their own adventures. Though, Calcifer does get the last word in about rain in both versions.

Typically, when I think of fantasy stories, I think of grand adventures, good versus evil, and epic battles (even when the stakes aren’t very high). Cozy fantasy was new for me and I loved it. Though, if I really think about it, a lot of Miyazaki films are fairly cozy in nature (like “My Neighbor Totoro” or “Ponyo”). Much the same could be said about Science Fiction, too, with the likes of “Castle in the Sky” or “Nausaicaä of the Valley of the Wind”. 

That got me thinking about other genres that occasionally have the cozy sub-genre attached to it.

 Mystery, is probably the best well-known genre to have a cozy sub-genre. There are a ton of cozy-mysteries out there (usually starring a middle aged female protagonist with a bookshop, a pet, and a cop boyfriend - though that’s not always the case).  My personal favorite was The Cat Who series by Lillian Jackson Braun (which starred a retired male newspaper columnist with his two cats 500 miles north of everywhere).

Romance might also have a lot of cozy sub-genre stories. I’m not super familiar with the romance genre, but I’d say that a lot of Jane Austin and the movie “The Princess Bride” are cozy romances. However, I’d probably have to ask an actual romance reader for their opinion on the genre.

Now horror seems like it shouldn’t have anything to do with the cozy sub-genre. Yet, I would argue there are several horror stories, films, and books that could count as being a part of the cozy horror sub-genre.

Gather around the campfire kids.

I’m not the first to ponder the cozy horror sub-genre. I’ve seen conversations on the-app-formerly-known-as-Twitter, posts on Instagram, and YouTube videos all discussing the idea. I identified a few children’s movies (mostly Disney or Disney Channel Original Movies) and books that could fit the bill. Think “Don’t Look Under the Bed”, “Phantom of the Megaplex”, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (the animated short), “Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman” (which has a lot of great callbacks to the original movie and Frankenstein book), “Over the Garden Wall”, R L Stein’s Goosebumps books, and Coraline (the movie and book). These stories may scare kids (and some adults), but they focus more on atmosphere rather than cheap jump scares.

A good balance of cozy mystery and spooky horror that usually spring boards kids into either adult versions of the genres would be Scooby Doo. Scooby Doo typically starts the mystery out with a spooky legend, curse, or ghost story that leads the gang on a merry chase looking for clues that culminates with the reveal that there wasn’t anything supernatural at all going on (minus movies like “Zombie Island” and “The Witch’s Ghost”).

During the Halloween season, “Hocus Pocus” and “Halloweentown” are fairly cozy movies - though, maybe, only “Hocus Pocus” could be considered a horror movie.

But what about the jump from children to adult horror. Sure adults can enjoy Scooby Doo and the animated or TV-movies of their youth, but are there any strictly adult cozy horror movies?

This Batman likes cozy horror.

Well, I think that depends on what we define as cozy. A quick Google search brought me to Kim Berkley’s 2022 blog post where she links readers to a 2021 Nightmare Magazine post by Jose Cruz where he lays out what defines cozy horror (I know that was convoluted, but it’s accurate to my search history). There are four basic components:

1. Familiarity

2. Sensuousness 

3. Distance

4. Fun

These four components, when applied to horror, allow people to have a safe space to explore all things spooky without causing true trauma. Much of this can be applied to children’s horror like the above named media. 

Cross stitch cozy horror!

It’s a lot harder to see how these apply to adult horror media.

Except, sometimes I do crave a spooky movie that’s not meant for children, but also mind numbingly scary. These might be “Practical Magic” (granted this is a bit of a romance, too), “Sleepy Hollow” (the Tim Burton movie that was described like being on a Scooby Doo movie set), “House of Wax” (the Vincent Price version), “Crimson Peak”, “The Woods”, “Willy’s Wonderland” (don’t ask), many Hammer Horror movies, and (probably most odd) “The Ring”. All can be scary, especially for the younger audience, but overall are just delightfully spooky after multiple viewings.

Books might be a little more difficult, but I’d argue that Abram Stoker’s Dracula, Mexican Gothic, and Kingfisher’s What Moves the Dead are good examples of cozy horror (I also recognize that two of those books mentioned prominently feature mushrooms). Why Dracula, you may wonder? There are parts of Dracula that are oddly quaint - once you get past the first third of Jonathan’s “wacky fun times” in Transylvania (that quote is from Overly Sarcastic Production’s summary of the book).

The manga “Another” and video games like Silent Hill (at least the first one) and Luigi’s Mansion would also fall under cozy horror - in my not so humble opinion. They are atmospheric, spooky, and, most importantly, fun.

And remember these are my opinions. What I find cozy versus what someone else finds cozy in the horror genre might vary greatly. It’s all subjective and relative anyway.

If you enjoyed this post (or if it really pissed you off), please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to Pink on St. Patrick’s Day

 Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! 

It’s been a long few days weeks months. I’m right now watching the Disney Channel Original Movie “Luck of the Irish” - a movie that kickstarted my interest in my heritage (I am not Irish, like at all). 

Lots of people were out dressed in green to celebrate St. Patrick banishing the pagans snakes from Ireland. Though there were also plenty of people out in their finest pink today too in the DC area.

It’s a beautiful day in the DMV. So beautiful in fact, the cherry blossoms are at Stage 5 in their bloom cycle (the stage before peak bloom). This is fairly early for the blossoms, though it might be becoming the new norm for the blossoms to peak in March instead of the historic April.

Thanks climate change.

And speaking of climate change, DC will soon need to cut down over 100 of the famous trees along the tidal basin because the land the trees are on is slowly sinking back into the swamp. This includes the infamous stumpy (which I do not have a picture of, but here’s a Washington Post article), a tree made famous by a Reddit meme. 

Yeah that’s right, DC is sinking into a swamp (it was built on one) and the city hopes to prevent further erosion by building a sea wall. The tidal basin floods daily and parts of the original walkway are now always underwater. 

Unfortunately, fully grown trees are too hard to uproot and plant. So, the city has to cut them down. I’m sure grafts of the old trees will be used to plant new trees once the project is complete. There are plans for the National Arboretum to take some clippings of old Stumpy, so there might be hope that the Child of Stumpy eventually comes to live on the Tidal Basin after the sea wall is complete.

In the meantime, the Cherry Blossoms are blooming. The Martin Luthor King Jr. (MLK) memorial looks particularly stunning while framed by the pink trees. People come from all over to see the trees and partake in the festival (which starts next week).

If you’re in the area or already planning on visiting the city, the best way to see the trees is to either park near Jefferson and walk through FDR memorial, towards MLK or fight for a space near FDR. You also can’t go wrong taking the metro to either Arlington National Cemetery (walk over the bridge and make a right at Lincoln), Foggy Bottom (walk past Lincoln), or from Smithsonian (walk towards MLK, then follow along the Tidal Basin and loop back along the 14th street bridge). Personally, I think the best trees are around and near the FDR memorial, plus you get a great view of MLK, Jefferson, and Washington.

I know I’ve been a bit sporadic with my blog posts. My personal life has been a bit of a mess and I recently learned some more tragic news this week. Thank you for still reading and checking up on me. I’ll try to restart my webcomic and food blog soon, I just have a few more things to do first before things settle down again.

Until next time.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Welcome to Murder on the Orient Express

I know it's been a while since I last posted a blog post. There's been some tragedy in my life and it's been taking me a while to work through and get into a place where I can regularly write again. However, this weekend, I was finally able to do something "normal" - go to a local play. 

My community center occasionally hosts a theater group. This time they were putting on an adaptation of Agatha Christie's famous story Murder on the Orient Express. I am very familiar with this story. I've seen the original 1974 somewhere in the hundreds of times. I read the book in college (for fun). I've seen the David Suchet adaptation. I've been listening to a podcast called "All About Agatha Christi" that goes through all of her novels and short stories. I've even watched that vanity project Kenneth Branagh calls an adaptation. 

I know the ending of the mystery, but that's okay. Because its how we get to that ending and how it's handled is what is most interesting. 

The play was fine, certainly entertaining, but mostly just fine. I liked some of the changes made. They expanded the role and personality of at least two characters - though a bit at the expense of other characters. Additionally, they removed about 5 characters from the original story. Though it is understandable that changes must be made during an adaptation, this choice was a bit unfortunates. The number 12 is incredibly symbolic in this story and some of that gravitas is lost by the exclusion of those characters. 

All of the adaptations have some character shuffling and plots dropped. I find that the 1974 movie is the closest to the book, while the Branagh version takes the most liberties. I find that the Suchet version has some confusing flaws, but overall an entertaining watch. Though there are other TV adaptations, these three are the ones I am most familiar with. 

- - -Warning Spoilers Ahead- - -

It is in the Suchet version that we first start to see shifts in characters. The Countess is made to be a bit more delicate than in both the book and the 1974 version, while the Princess is shown to be more of the mastermind than the two characters who really planned the murder. Additionally, one of the characters is missing, with the doctor now having a connection to the murder. Originally, the doctor was just a random person in another part of the train. 

The characters in the Branagh version have been placed in a tumbler, shaken around, and dropped into the story. Some of the changes are interesting (like combining the doctor and the colonel into one person and making him a Black man - this added a whole new element to his romance with Miss. Debeham). Others seems to exaggerate already made changes from the Suchet version (the Countess appears to have manic depression and may have a drug habit). One character was actually from an entirely different Poirot story and removes some of the original book character's racism. 

The real character change in the 2017 version was to Poirot himself. I'm sorry, but Poirot is not an action star (despite what the out of nowhere novel The Big Four might try to have you believe). Poirot is a thinker, not someone who chases other people on a precariously located bridge.

The play toned down some of Poirot's funnier quirks and took away some of his gravitas. However, I loved the changes and combinations made to the characters who were included. The Princess is a much bigger presence with a louder personality. In this version, it makes sense that she's a friend and confidant to an actress. Mrs. Hubbard gets to show up her show tune side (she's supposed to be a dramatic actress, but a comedic musical theater performer works well with her character). Some of the characters who were written out do get mentioned, so there is acknowledgement that they

My favorite change, in the play adaptation, was to the Countess. Her husband isn't included in the play, so she's already traveling on her own. She's introduced as eye candy, but the audience is quickly put in their place when she slaps the future murder victim after he acts like a total creep to her. She then becomes the doctor character as she volunteered to become a nurse during the first World War (the story takes place in the 1930s). She's awesome in the play...a bit to the determent of other characters like McQueen and the Colonel. 

The play was a lot funnier than any of the movies or even the book. In the 1974 movie, Poirot has some funny moments that are fairly dry. The Suchet adaptation includes the series running joke that Poirot will only eat his boiled eggs if they are exactly the same size. The number of funny moments in the Branagh version, I think are mostly unintentional (good lord who approved that mustache?). I liked the humor that was added to the play. There was some physical comedy between two characters trying to hide their romance, Mrs. Hubbard performed some fun showtunes, and the Princess had some of the best comebacks.

However, the real star of every adaptation must be the Orient Express herself. In the 1974 version, you know the train is a main character, shepherding her passengers through the snowy terrain. The Suchet version doesn't feature her engine as front and center, but the cinematics beautifully show off her interiors and lets her presence be known to all who are trapped onboard while murder investigation takes place. I'll also concede that the Branagh version got this right, too. The play does a decent job of including and acknowledging the Orient Express. Though we only see one part of one car, you can't help but feel the claustrophobia as characters dodge each other while running around or how tiny the compartments are when you have a bunch of people crammed together looking over a dead body.

No adaptation of The Murder on the Orient Express can be complete without the Orient Express and each version shows her beauty in some capacity. My favorite will always be the 1974 version with how the music is perfectly timed to crescendo as the engine's front light illuminates as she begins to pull out of the station

Unfortunately, the play's ending just didn't have the same dramatic feel or impact as any of the other adaptations (yes even the melodrama of the Branagh one). I mentioned earlier that the play lacked the inclusion of the symbolic 12. The murder victim is stabbed 12 times in the book. There are 12 people with direct connections to a pervious murder case (technically 13, but one person doesn't stab the body in the book or movies). There are 12 threatening notes to the murder victim before he is killed. When the Colonel goes on his rant about justice he mentions that 12 jury members deciding the fate of a plaintiff is a solid system. There are 12 occupied compartments in the first class train car. Poirot continues to come back to the number 12 because he's noticing it everywhere. 

The number 8 doesn't have the same symbolism, nor is it repeated as often. It is 12 people needed for a jury to convict a criminal, not 8. And it's 12 people who commit the crime in a symbolic act of justice after the justice system failed them.

Poirot was also not as forceful as other adaptations in the play (not that the actor didn't play him well, I'm fairly certain it was the material). Poirot is a man who takes pride in the justice system. He was a policeman in Brussels prior to fleeing to the United Kingdom during World War 1 and becoming a private detective. In nearly all versions, Poirot is torn as to whether or not he should tell the police what really happened while they were trapped on a train in a snow bank. The Suchet and Branagh versions have Poirot angrily verbalizing this indecision, but eventually allowing the murderer(s) to go free. The play has Poirot more sad than angry. 

I like the 1974 version best, where Poirot leaves the choice up to his friend (who is not involved with the murder). They go with the simple solution, not only because it would the easiest, but because it's what all the characters deserve.

The Murder on the Orient Express has long been one of my favorite mysteries. The 1974 version will also likely always be my favorite adaptation. My recent personal tragedy has nothing to do with the book or play except that it was a story that the person I lost also loved. We frequently watched the 1974 movie and had fun picking apart the Branagh version. I had wanted to take them to see the play, but we never had a chance to talk about it. 

And that's okay.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me. 

Welcome to All the Fall Things

 Yes, that is a misquoted blink-182 song title.

No, I will not follow all the lyrics in this post.

Fall is still technically a couple of weeks away. However, that hasn't stopped me from excitedly starting my celebration of the best season (don't argue with me on this - I'll ignore you). This past week, it was in the high 90s, nearly 100 degrees F (or around 28 - 30 degrees C). That did not stop me from picking up a pumpkin spice cold brew from Starbucks...or a bag of witches brew KitKat bars from Target.

But it was my trip to Trader Joe's where I finally caved and just bought all the fall (and pumpkin) flavored goodness. I admit that I have no shame. Though, I will need self control to not eat everything in one sitting. Pacing myself is key - especially since a lot of this fall themed merchandise is either sold out by mid-October or replaced with Thanksgiving or (ugh!) Christmas nonsense before Halloween has passed.

Today, I added to my fall festivities by going apple picking with a friend. We each left with a huge bag of apples and a quart of apple cider (the non-alcoholic verity). I also grabbed a six pack of apple cider donuts...and may have already eaten three.

Aren't apple blossoms so pretty?

Don't judge me, you know you'd do the same.

And you know what, I don't feel bad about starting my fall celebrations. Despite the heat, the leaves are already starting to change. Plus, this was the last week for peaches at the farmer's market. Once the peaches are done for the year, it's officially fall.

Peaches are the unofficial fruit of summer. Apples are the fruit of fall. (Please note: oranges are for winter and berries are for Spring). This is just my personal feelings on seasonal fruit, technically blue berries, blackberries, and raspberries can be gotten locally throughout summer in my area. 

I'm super excited to try my hand at butternut squash soup this year. My first batch of apple sauce will likely be made tomorrow night (or Tuesday, I'm not picky).

And let's not forget EVERYTHING PUMPKIN!

This is from a Kusama exhibit

I promise to not go too overboard this year (you can't see my fingers crossed behind my back....not at all).

My friends and I are already planning on going to a few farms for corn mazes, hay rides, and other fall goodness. No haunted houses for me, but I will appreciate other people's creepy decorations. I'm still not a fan of jump scares. 

My first big horror movie of the season was the 2021 Resident Evil movie and while it wasn't anything spectacular (critics panned it), you can tell it was made as a labor of love. There are some scenes straight out of the first two games. They even get a Jill's sandwiches joke in.

What are you excited about for fall? Is it the cooler weather? The pumpkin flavored nonsense? Apple cider donuts? Do you go out and visit farms or celebrate Mabon? Is Halloween your favorite holiday? Any haunted houses to recommend (sorry I'm too chicken)? Please leave a comment below.

Until next week. 

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