Midweek Mellow (need to)

Autumn is here in full effect. Temps are in the mid-50s right now. The sky is overcast. The leaves remain green, though.  

Aye, a busy day yesterday. Among writing, taxiing and household chores we got glasses. Mrs. Stroock has advised one that one must needs stop driving oneself crazy about paperwork and waiting room times, etc, etc. Mrs. Stroock is always right. 

We've taken to posting, beneath local stories of ICE roundups on FB, 'I voted for this'. We enjoy the angry comments. When someone calls us stupid we reply, 'I have an MA, sir.' When someone spits invective, 'Madam, might I suggest you switch to decaf?' [Really, this is what you're doing with your time? -Ed]. Helps us warm up in the morning. 

Pete Alonzo has hit 40 + homers for the fourth time in his career, but the Mets didn't want him at 5/$155. Beat the Mets, cheat the Mets. 

Thank you, New York Giants, for your participation in the 2026 football season. We've seen this injury prone quarterback movie before. The Giants should draft a QB. 

DOGE Report.

Same. Things are moving along. The sub story is getting cleaner and better. 

We still need one more story in the 5th nuke novel. 

We are reading through Thatcher's War. So far, so good...so what, as Dave Mustaigne would say. 

We discussed with the Grognard the Marines' defense of Iceland in a possible GIUK Gap novel. But one must needs not get ahead of oneself.  Damn you, Tom Clancy. And damn you, Harpoon for all those scenarios where the Soviets controlled Iceland. 

Note: this post is this blog's 6500th post.

Wither Blue and Orange, Blue

Baaah, for some reason we're up at 0530....We're tired with a dull headache. We know, more coffee

Autumn has arrived. We wore a pair of blue jeans yesterday for the first time since...May, we guess. We always approach these moments with a bit of hesitation. [Not great fear and trepidation? -Ed]. No.  But the jeans buttoned just fine and required a belt. Phew. 

We lifted yesterday. The back is a little tight but we are otherwise okay. 

Jaxon Dart is out. Jameis Winston sucks. And the Giants are not in the Rams' league. 

Beat the Mets, cheat the Mets...In baseball news, Baltimore's Pete Alonso clubbed his 39th and 40th homeruns last night, seemingly to stick it to the Mets. Lol Mets. The Mets also suck.

We filled out paperwork for an eye exam last night but left much of it blank. These people don't need to know or hobbies or 'social history' to check our eyes. 

Kurt Schlichter (the colonel is always right) vivisects Karl Rove and what's left of the establishment GOP for supporting Democrat weirdo James Talarico in Texas. Okay we don't quite agree with the unnecessary swipes at W. But this, 'We had his back even when he wouldn’t defend himself because he was too much of a gentleman to respond to them calling him Chimpy McBu$hitlerburton.' W never did fight back.

Election night 2004 was a great night, 22 years on now. Whoa. But W's second term led to...not very much. No governmental reforms. No reduced federal workforce. An attempt at amnesty (defeated by the senate GOP). Profligate spending (he promised $60 billion to New Orleans after Katrina), etc, etc... 

This blog has no use for the GOP-e. Losers. You see, Karl, there's more to politics than winning elections. You've got to get stuff done.

Trump is getting stuff done.

DOGE report.

More good work on the Soviet sub story.

We began the next and last read through of World War 1990: Ireland. 

The Grognard grognarded The Managua Campaign. We'll review his notes later. 

Yom Kippur Interrupted

We got in a Judaism last night for Yom Kippur. Circumstances being what they are, we most likely won't be able to get in a Judaism this morning. 

Israel is shut down and we shouldn't even be blogging, oh well. 

There is talk of a renewed Israeli offensive in Gaza to disarm what's left of Hamas. This strikes us as not worth the negative PR. 

NFL wrap: the Cowboys beat the Redskins. That's a game where whoever loses, we win. The Colts were surpisingly good in their loss to the Chiefs, especially given that when one plays the Chiefs, one also plays the refs. We counted three Taylor Swift sitings. Mrs. Stroock's Eagles won in the last minute against the hapless Titans. There are no style points in football. 

Political report, local: Tom Kean's campaign is getting signs out. But lots of people are putting Rebecca Bennett signs in their front yard. 

DOGE report. 

Lots of good work yesterday on the 5th nuke novel. The sub story is really coming along. 

Because we were feeling whacky, we sent World War 1990: The Managua Campaign to the Grognard, who, being a weirdo, read the 52,000 words in a few hours. The Grognard was pleased, he told us. 

We actually don't think we need a final White House scene in World War 1990: Thatcher's War. It's fine the way it is. 

We did some thinking about World War 1990: Battle of the GIUK Gap. Reminder, naval stuff is our weak point. Who's the guy in the corner manning the thing that tells the captain about the contact? 

Anyway, we'd need a US sub, a Soviet Sub, a Canuck P3 Orion, a Brit hunter-killer group, POV for the Soviet invasion of Iceland, POV for the US defense of Iceland, a Danish frigate patrolling Greenland.

Yes, we feel some ju-ju.

Will's Good Idea for the Week of 9/20/26

Ah, Yom Kippur. The Day of Atonement. We wouldn't even know where to begin. We'll be hitting schul at 6. Then the big one comes tomorrow morning. First Yom Kippur at the new synagogue. 

Saturday wasn't too bad. 

We went to Barnes & Noble yesterday and walked the shelves looking for, we dunno. Whatever we were looking for, we didn't find it. 

We were bored with our workout. So for the first time in more than a year we lifted weights yesterday. We can still bench 300. 

We finally broke down and made an appointment with the eye doctor. 

We sent World War 1990: The Managua Campaign to the grognard. Why not? Soon it must needs be time to get back to work on TMC. Soon.

Which summons Will's Good Idea for the Week of 9/20/26.

Write now our work in progress release order is World War 1990: Thatcher's War, the 5th nuke novel, and finally World War 1990: The Managua Campaign. It's very possible all three roughs will be completed by 1 January. 

Which would clear the decks for a new project. One supposes one could spend December researching and then come into the new knew year ready to write Battle of the GIUK Gap, one supposes. Or something completely different. 

Oh, and we promised James Young a Medieval alternate history story. What if King Harold took one step to the right?

Saturday Updates

Baaaah! Another bad day. We're not optimistic about today.

Political note, national: we'd much rather be the Dems. 

The Things.

We've, we think, like, one more scene to write for World War 1990: Thatcher's War. This scene should end with White House political machinations, no? Ireland's been invaded. Certain objectives achieved. But the Irish problem is not resolved. No, there will not be a third Ireland novel. However Ireland will simmer in the background of upcoming novels. Thatcher's War is 79,000 words.

The Soviet sub story advanced a bit.

Almost There...

Baah. Another bad day, also largely self-inflicted. We had a rough night too. 

It's 9 AM here at the Donut, and we've been coming here so often the kid behind the counter knows out drink. 'Norm!' he shouts as we walk in. The one morning we thought we might like a muffin they don't got nun. 

Thomas Crowne Affair...we forgot to mention that Renee Russo has a couple of topless scenes in the 1999 version. We apologize for the oversight. This blog still prefers Faye Dunaway. Also, we learned that a new take starring Michael B. Jordan will be in theatres next year. One might be annoyed at the race swapping, but race never really mattered to the character. Why not a black version of Thomas Crowne? And Michael B Jordan is an excellent choice. 

More apologies....we were remiss yesterday in not marking the 2nd anniversary of Operation Grim Beeper. 

ME observances...Reports of Iran 'rebuilding' nuclear sights...Parts delivered to US missile assembly plant...Military heads hold secret meeting in Germany...Saudis ask Israel for help against Houthis...US admits it has weapons in space...Trump openly wonders if he should 'annihilate' the Iranians. Exit question: Rods from God at Pick Axe Mountain?

Political note, local: Rebecca Bennett is touting her independence from any party. Which is interesting. She's hammering Keane on TV and YouTube right now.

DOGE report. 

Nevertheless we did some excellent work on World War 1990: Thatcher's War. We still haven't figured out Captain Liam Cox's final scene. He's the hero of Derry but led the unit which arrested Gerry Adams. Ah there we go. Got it. 

We remain ghosted by REDACTED Magazine. 

Wednesday Aftermath

Good morning, Stroock's Books people, and happy Thursday. 

Arrrr, just a bad day yesterday, mostly self-inflicted. It happens. But we don't feel good about it. We don't feel good about it at all. How about turning off the fire hose of news, eh? Also, a post-surgery thing? This was a Thursday downer mini-post. 

Jews-n-News: Israel is still heading for a hung Knesset. Ch14's poll is the outlier showing the Netanyahu bloc with 66 seats. But...most polls show Eisenkot's party gaining on Bibi's party. One supposes President Herzog would have to give Eisenkot the first crack at forming a government. Exit question: what if Ch14 is right?

Political note, national: the 'While Trump builds his ballroom....' ads write themselves. 

This blog endorses, without hesitation, independence referendums for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. 

What Will's Watching: The Thomas Crown affair, 1999. So they left off the 'e'. Piers Brosnan plays Thomas Crown and Rene Russo plays his antagonist, insurance investigator Catherine Banning. Dennis Leary is the cop on the case. This time the film opens with a guns-free art heist. We like it better than the bank heist in the original TTCA. The 1999 version has more or less the same plot, beats and turns as the 1968 version. Crown and Banning meet, pursue, fall in love. There are some excellent plot twists to distinguish this from the 1968 version. 

While Dennis Leary is not as interesting as the police detective as Paul Blake was, he's not bad either. Leary's detective Mike McCann  hits on Banning, and misses. But he's a sympathetic character with a troubled past (cop problems). He ultimately a good cop with a redemption arc.

This time TTCA takes place in New York City. This is the late 90s New York, turned around, cleaned up, and whimsical. The score, interesting and mature modern jazz, lends itself to a city on the make. This is another film one watches for time and place, for style. The late 90's were quite the time, the nation had not a care in the world. And that comes through here. 

Is the Brosnan version better than the McQueen version? Is it worse? We don't know. We can say Brosnan is his own version of the self assured business tycoon. Oh, and Faye Dunaway returns, this time as Crown's shrink, a very 90s affectation. Were we not entertained? We were. 3/4.

DOGE Report.

We advanced the plot. We can see the end of World War 1990: Thatcher's War. It's there. 

We tidied up the sub story. The tidying up will continue until the story is tidied up. 

Despite everything we had a pretty good day. 

Our editors at REDACTED Magazine refuse to respond to our emails.