Saturday Updates

Good morning, Stroock's Books weekenders. Our foot is bothering us. Our knee is bothering us. We have a rash. And we're heading down the shore this afternoon. Wish us luck. 

The things.

We tidied up the 5th nuke novel a bit and finished (more or less) the hippie commune story. The 5th nuke novel is 44,000 words. 

We worked on World War 1990: Thatcher's War all week. We have written Operation Sunday, 2 Para's (heh) assault on Dublin Airport and started Operation Monday, the landing at Howth. 

We had fretted for some time about how we were going to present these battles. We didn't want to repeat the Battle of Derry in which we jumped from A to B to C and back again. So we're describing the battle from the POV of the FCA commander and a bird's eye narrator. We're finding the latter quite challenging, actually. We shrug.  

World War 1990: Thatcher's War is 62,000 words. 

Jewy on a Friday (Which makes sense)

Good morning (or afternoon, anyway), people of Stroock's Books, and shabbat shalom. We awake tired, sore, and groggy. 

At the gym yesterday we just could not get lose and cut off our workout. Also we're having a minor and home treatable medical issue which we don't want to exacerbate. Why risk injury just before the beach? Everything is sore. It's definitely time for a gym break, which we've known for a while. 

So we watched Trump's election fraud speech last night. Okay. We're not sure what the point of all this is. Why drag this out again? That being said, Trump won. We saw them steal the election in real time. 

In Israel, The Jerusalem Post has yet another poll with bad news for Netanyahu and the coalition. This is interesting, 'The poll found that 83% of voters oppose the inclusion of Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties in the coalition...' Please. The poll shows Likud is down to 22 seats. This is not surprising. We ourselves could vote for Gadi Eisenkot, had we a vote. This blog awaits events. 

Oh look, Ehud effing Barak has something to say, so says the AP. Do click over, reader(s). The piece is amazing. Ehud, you see, has opinions about what the Israelis should do in south Lebanon. And the man who cut and run from south Lebanon overnight in 2000 worries that Israel is repeating the mistakes of the past.  The man who tried to turn the country over to Yasser Arafat* is the worst PM in Israeli history. There is no close second; Olmert probably. 

More on the Jews. Another interesting article on Gadi Eisenkot. So far, he's keeping the Haredi at arm's length. Reminder, a Haredi draft law is this blog's top domestic priority. 

There's some interesting questions about with whom Eisenkot would form a government, Haredi or Arabs. He says neither, more or less. We'd be open to forming a government with the Arabs, as it's an opportunity to address their concerns and improve their lot - and thereby strengthen the state. Reminder, Hamas thought they could spark an Arab-Israeli revolt. 

DOGE report. 

The Dublin airport assault and the battle for Dublin is really coming together. Right now it's big and messy. 2 Para hits Dublin airport, Operation Sunday; IYKYK. 

*'Just how many of our daughters do you want, Yasser?' Ehud Barak asked. Just kidding. Everyone knows Arafat didn't like girls. 

Dimmed by Canada

Baah! Even when we sleep well we sleep oddly with random intense dreams of people past. We shrug and drink our coffee. 

Effluvia from the Canadian wildfires has reached New Jersey. The air is smoky, like sitting around a campfire, and there's a vague haze coloring the sky. The sun is orange/brown.[You mean pink?-Ed] Yes, that's it. Screw you, Canada. 

England went up 1 nil against the Argies yesterday and played defense the rest of the game. NFL fans recognized this strategy, the prevent defense. Every NFL fan knows the prevent defense prevents you from winning. As so it did here. 

Also, reader(s) may have seen stories about the Norway's Erling Haaland bringing home a stuffed raccoon from his FIFA World Cup foray in America. We thought this curious. Our man on the ground in Norway informs us that they don't have racoons in Norway, little bastards [The racoons or the Norwegians?-Ed]. Every American knows racoons are a public menace. 

Don't be fooled by that cute little bugger. That is the face of the enemy. He'd kill you and everyone in your family if he had the chance. 

At The Times of Israel, a good article on the Israeli's efforts to hunt down and eliminate anyone and everyone remotely involved in October 7th. Defense Minister Israel Katz said, 'They are marked for death wherever they are.' Good. From Pharoh to the Ayatollah, one fate awaits all enemies of the Jews. 

Related, also via TOI, the oppo block led by Gedi Eisenkot would win 61/120 Knesset seats, right now. We won't go into the ugly details, but the Knesset has been passing a flurry of Haredi friendly legislation lately. We don't like it one bit. That's Netanyahu trying to secure his right flank. 

We've noted this date before, five years ago to be exact. But 25 years ago today we moved from Arlington Virginia to our rustic farmhouse in bucolic Peapack, New Jersey. We knew we'd been living in Northern Virginia too long when on the day of the move, people were complaining about a heat wave, and we didn't think it was that bad.

We've lived in the same house for 21 of those years. We're a New Jerseyan now, there's no getting around it. A Jersey guy, if you will. We've disavowed our New York heritage and take a weird pride in New Jersey.  

A lot's happened. 

Grogged not Grog

Baaah! We are groggy. Can't keep our eyes open, but can't go back to sleep. If we're going to feel like this anyway, we might as well drink at night. More coffee. 

We found a couple of books to read at the beach, which we will be hitting this Saturday. Wish us luck. 

We ordered a couple of Operation Rising Lion T-shirts. 

A deal is finalized for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq by 30 September, they say. Good. Now do Syria. Whoops, looks like they already have. Exit question: is this a prelude to US troops taking Khark Island or some other important piece of Iranian territory? 

Related...Victor Davis Hanson talks about the evolving legacy of George W. Bush. Lo those many years ago this blog staunchly defended W. We still do, really, though we're not really that kind of conservative anymore. Here we are making the case for W in 2017.  And here we are making the case against W way back in 2015, Taking a Look at W, the Bad. And that's how you got Trump. 

More...the bombing of Iran continues, and Trump is talking about Bridge and Powerplant Day again. If you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk. This blog is generally pleased, though. 

DOGE report. 

The battle for Dublin airport is coming along fine. The pov character is developing nicely. 

We spent a lot of time thinking about nuclear war stories and editing the hippie commune story. 

Axe to Pick

Afternoon, Stroock's Books, and happy Bastille Day. Vive le France! Lafeyette, we are here!

We're having a scorcher today through Thursday. 

We approach the coming days with a sense of melancholy and angst [Again?-Ed]. 

Ynet does a deep dive on the Iranian nuclear facility within Pickaxe Mountain. It may be invulnerable to even the GBU-57 Bunker Buster which destroyed Fordow, they say. This blog submits that the Pentagon has been working on this problem for some time and probably has something even bigger designed specifically for Pickaxe Mountain. But we're an optimist by nature. Stroock's Books awaits events. 

Kyle Smith reviews Heartbreak Ridge on the film's 40th anniversary. Do click over and read. We found this especially interesting, 'What I did identify with was Heartbreak Ridge's depiction of garrison life—the hanging out part of the military career, the bit between wars, and consequently the vast majority of your life in uniform. The soldiers (in this case, the Marines) play tricks on each other, goof off, go on runs, do whatever their day-to-day assignments may be.'

Forget combat, maneuvers, waiting in Saudi Arabia etc etc. Garrison life was the hardest part of writing A Line through the Desert. We just couldn't quite wrap our head around what soldiers did all day in peacetime. Honestly, the answer seemed to be not quite as much as civilians do on a 9-5. And hanging around a barracks at night was pretty much like dorm life in college. 

DOGE report.

We edited the hippie commune story. It moves fast, perhaps too fast. But it works.

We worked on the Dublin airport operation. It'll work, eventually. More Bofors 4mms, more crashing Chinooks. 

The Wait and Weight of Time

Baaah! An odd night following and odd day. Summer ennui? 

In our brief summation of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, we were remiss in not mentioning his defense of Judge Brett Kavanaugh. His was the moment of the Kavanaugh hearings farce. Enjoy. Our post on the matter was titled Right, Fierce and Terrible, but it should have been titled Right, Fierce and Lindsey.

Ed Driscoll talks about 90s nostalgia. This was the decade between the Cold War and 9/11. We 'watched the world wake up from history' Jesus Jones sang. Honestly, not much happened in the 90s. Heck the nation spent 1998 tearing itself apart over the Lewinsky affair. 

But the 90s had plenty of worries: AIDS, environmental doom and gloom. 

The 90's saw horrible humanitarian crises: Somalia, Rwanda, the Yugoslav Wars. The 90s had moral panics: Trash talk TV (Springer) and violent videogames. 

Older people can be forgiven for looking back at their youth and thinking things were great. We do (ahh, the carefree summer of 1990). And Generation X used to look back at the 50s the same way the Zoomers look back at the 90's now. 

Speaking of we watched American Beauty (1999) the other night, in which Kevin Spacey plays Lester Burnham, a middle-aged man fed up with his boring life. He quits his stifling office job and chases his daughter's pretty best friend. Les tells his young neighbor that he had to flip burgers all summer to pay for a stereo. When the young neighbor tells him that sucks Les replies, 'All I did was party and get laid'. Sure enough Les gets a job at the local fast-food joint trying to recapture the glory of 1973, to American Woman and All Right Now. Just perfect.  And sad. Because there's no going back. 

We ourselves find ourselves [Nice, genius -Ed] thinking back lo these 20 years to the summer of 2006. We were coming off a very successful year substitute teaching. We had a rough draft of A Line through the Desert. We are waiting with baited breath for Strategy & Tactics to publish our first big feature, Marlborough's Art of War. We awaited the arrival of our first child. We could play some guitar. This is also the summer we began putting on weight. We were 33. 

Whoa. Breitbart tells us the in France, Marine Le Pen beats all opposition, 'According to the survey, the RN leader would defeat Philippe by 54 to 46 per cent, Attal by 55 to 45 per cent, and against far-left La France Insoumise (France in Rebellion/LFI) leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon by 70 per cent to 30 per cent.' The French Deep State (le stat d'deep?) will do whatever it has to do to stop Le Pen. Within a year she will be imprisoned or dead. 

DOGE report.

The rough draft of the hippie commune nuclear war story is more or less done. More or less.  We've still no idea what happens up at the DEW Line. Those interested can Google and Google Earth the CAM-1 DEW Line site on Jenny Lind Island. Maybe it's just a plane landing. We dunno. 

We'll be working on the Dublin attack chapter all week in World War 1990: Thatcher's War. We'll show the attack on Dublin airport through the POV of the FCA battalion commander there. We're not sure what else.

Will's Good Idea for the Week of 7/12/26

Good Sunday morn, you brave reader(s) of Stroock's Books. We awake meandering and listless with just a soupcon* of angst. 

More blessed rain yesterday. 

Last night was England's biggest win over Norway since King Alfred the Great defeated the Vikings' King Guthrum in the 890s. Hmmm...Argentina vs England. The jokes write themselves. We don't know for whom we will cheer [Hey!-Ed]. Shut up, Ed. 

Whoa, Senator Lindsey Graham, dead at 71.  We've always been less hostile to Graham than a lot of other MAGA hats. We admired his work when he was a house impeachment manager back in 98/99. And of course Senator Graham was a friend of the Jew.

In his long career there was a certain respectable consistency to Graham. He remained true (if sometimes very wrong) even as the GOP and the right changed. 

This blog had disagreements with the man too (Ukraine), but now’s not the time. Mensch.

Will's Good Idea (or ideas) for the week of 7/12/19.

Our magazine article query campaign has busted or ghosted. 

Maybe we should write another history book. Pershing in Command never caught fire. Buuuuut we never really thought it would. We've maybe 8 articles, or chapters about various AEF divisions sitting around. Should we gather those into a history? Which is what we planned way back in the teens.

Also...okay, next year, by which we mean 2027, we gotta write something other than World War 1990 and The Great Nuclear War of 1975. Don't know what. Maybe we finally do another To Defend the Earth novel. Maybe something new and radical [You always had a 1066 novel idea-Ed]. More Jake and Patricia? [Na-Ed]. Upon this problem, we shall dwell. 

Okay...looks like our services will be required for some short story compilations next year. It's a start. 

*That's French. Here's where we learned the word, lo those 20 + years ago. 

Saturday Updates

Relax, doomers. We're going back to war. 

We had an excellent week at the gym, but our body is sore, tired. We feel bursitis coming back in our right knee and had better take it easy this weekend. 

What to do in the afternoon, though? 

The things.

No hits on article queries. We think we're being ghosted, actually [You? Never, love. Never -Ed]. 

We had a fine week with World War 1990: Thatcher's War. We began the Dublin assault chapter and like where things are going. World War 1990: Thatcher's War is 59,000 words. 

We began the hippie commune chapter in the 5th nuke novel. Really, it's more of a farm where the young people there have some hippie leanings, but commune is good shorthand. We're sticking with the bikers. The 5th nuke novel is 43,000 words. 

We still need nuke short story ideas.

We had planned a tentpole story for War Night, never happened. Maybe we should think up a tentpole story here? Something that's 15,000 words? But we run into the same problem. Of what and who would we write?

Friday Post Wrap

We got some much needed rain yesterday. At one point there was a real down poor and authorities warned against travel. We took Youngest Daughter and friend to the Donut. Seriously, it was just a lot of rain. 

We being we, we worried about the sump pump not going off when we thought it should. The sump pump was fine. [You ever think of, I dunno, maybe seeing a doctor about the worrying and fretting?-Ed]. Why? It'd just be us talking about our feelings and a prescription. Hard no. No with extreme prejudice. 

We took in a Somerset Patriots game last night. The oppo had scored 10 runs by the 6th inning. Mrs. Stroock was pleased as the oppo was her Reading Phillies. We counted at least five Patriots errors though the official scorer charged them with only two. At times we felt we were watching a little league game. Still, it was nice to get out to the ballpark. 

'Dad! Dad!' Youngest Daughter said. 'I was looking at your books on Amazon and there's this one reviewer who says how much you suck. He goes on for like nine paragraphs.' 

'I know who that is,' we replied. 'You know when I say I have enemies? This would be what I'm referring too.' Usually we would have resorted to immature name calling with comparisons to Yasser Arafat.  But Mrs. Stroock doesn't like that kind of talk around the house, and it is the wise man indeed who does not unnecessarily antagonize his wife, hell hathing no fury and all...' ['Hathing' is not a word-Ed]. Whatever. We recall the facts of the case and move on. That review is 11 years old and 20[?] novels ago. 

DOGE report. 

Same. 

Right now we have a biker gang showing up at our Berkshire hippie commune, which seems a little trite, tropey even. But the bikers showing up does work. Honestly we can change the bikers to whomever we want. The point of the story is how the hippie commune reacts. Meh, the commune is more of a working farm. 

We're working on the Dublin Airport scene in World War 1990: Thacher's War. We think we'll show the Brit assault from one POV character. FCA battalion commander? We don't know. 

Thursday late Post

Good afternoon, people of Stroock's Books. Thursday is upon us. 

Is the war with Iran back on? We feel like the war with Iran is back on. Okay. We have questions. What is victory and how is victory achieved? Did Trump agree to the original ceasefire to empty the Persian Gulf of bottled up traffic? Do the Israelis join in?

Oyster Fuhrer Graham Platner has dropped out of the Maine senate race. Sorry GOP enthusiasts and optimists. Graham Platner is only an issue if he's in the race. The good news is there are lots of DSA freaks and weirdos running for office. It's like the Mos Eisley cantina up there, yo. 

DOGE report.

We wrote one scene in World War 1990: Thatcher's War.

We began a short story about a hippie farm in the Berkshires. We've lots of good characters and have a good idea of where things are going. 

Midweek and (trying) to Mellow

Good morning, reader(s) of Stroock's Books and happy Wednesday. 

Biopsy appointment made. No one seems to be in any rush. In fact, during our consultation the doctor said if we wanted, we could hold  off the biopsy and just get another PSA in three months. So chill. 

The appointment is made. The lawn is mowed. The rain has come. The new AC passed inspection. The car is lubed and the AC fixed for under $300. Writing is going pretty good. The girls seem to be enjoying themselves this summer. Yet we remain uneasy. We don't know why.

Well this is annoying. from The Jerusalem Post: 'This is a sign of what's to come:' Ehud Barak warns of Netanyahu's next move. The former prime minister told 103FM that the government’s decision not to comply with High Court rulings is a sign of worse to come, and called on the opposition to lead a public campaign.' Ehud Barak tried to give the country away to Yasser Arafat in 2000 and only failed because he couldn't find a way to give him enough territory. Camp David negotiation (2000) transcript follows -

Barak, ‘How many of our daughters would you like, Yasser?’

Arafat: ‘I don’t like girls.’*

It's possible that transcript excerpt may be altered, slightly - or may not even exist at all. 

DOGE report.

We've been saying that we need another foreign story in the 5th nuke novel, but do we? Right now, we've stories taking place in: Ireland, Soviet Salyut station, the BAOR, the Canadian DEW line, the Suez. Still, we'd like a story from a foreign leader(s) perspective. 

We did have another good story idea late yesterday, a hippie commune. We may place the commune in the Berkshires. Write what you know, they say. We're working on it now. 

*Homosexual. Died of AIDS.

Damn the Flemings, damn the Walloons

Good morning, Stroock's Books people, and Happy Tuesday.

Temps will climb into...the low 70s today. Wow. We're enjoying the cold snap. 

The girls are home. In their absence We got used to the house being clean and organized. Everything is back to normal. 

Sports wrap: Not even presidential intervention could save the American soccer team. Belgium dominated throughout. The US looked like it was on the backfoot the moment the match began. Losing to a fake country like Belgium...We're sure the Americans will do the honorable thing. 

We saw the matched at a neighbor's house. Our Chindian immigrant neighbors cheered on their adopted home team. One friend from Ghana explained stoppage time rules to us. We had Indian rose flavored ice cream. 

DOGE report.

Just an excellent all-around day. After vowing to focus on the nuke novel we cranked out two scenes in World War 1990: Thatcher's War and finally have a good idea of where things are headed. Exit question: how to handle the Brit assault on Dublin airport?

The First Monday of the Second Part

We had lots of much needed rain here last night and this morning. Right now a light drizzle is coming down. That's four days in a row with at least some rain. 

The fam returns this afternoon, thank the Lords of Kobol. And so begins the second stage of summer. 

Let's just try to stop worrying and relax. 

We watched a lot of World Cup yesterday. Don't FIFA shame us. 

Norway was playing the refs as well as the Brazilians. Brazil is obviously the Kansas City Chiefs of FIFA. We watched the officials do everything they could to give Brazil a chance at a game tying goal. 

Mexico vs England was the best soccer game we've ever seen, which ain't sayin' much. During the last 20 minutes, England's goal was under siege. The limeys made a heck of a defensive stand. We were impressed. 

Overall, were we not entertained?

At The Times of Israel, a profile of Netanyahu's chief electoral rival, Gadi Eisenkot. The headline and subhead: 'Gruff and unpolished, Gadi Eisenkot is becoming the face of the anti-Netanyahu movement. The plainspoken ex-IDF head embodies a shift from the PM’s slick style, which has come to define Israeli politics. But after surging in the polls, he now faces a brutal campaign as Netanyahu’s chief foe...' This is very interesting*. 

Polls remain where they've always been, Bibi's Likud leading followed by Bennett, Eisenkot, and Lapid. At the moment an election would probably result in a hung parliament. But beware Netanyahu enthusiasts, the Bibi fatigue is real. [How would you vote?-Ed]. We'll put it this way, if one wants to make the case for Bennett or Eisenkot, we're listening.  

DOGE report.

Okay, we have a vague outline of the first part of the Dublin op. At least we know what we're writing this morning. 

We spent a good chunk of yesterday working on the details of the DEW line story. The prot-a-gon-ist (IYKYK) is a nerdy kid from Cincinnati who likes electronics and is obsessed with baseball. And he's really disappointed that his beloved Reds were destroyed with the rest of Cincinnati. If you know your baseball history, you know what the Reds were up to in 1975. 

* Yes! 'In terms of one of Israel’s most intractable and urgent issues, integrating its growing Haredi population into mainstream society, Yashar proposes two initiatives: First, expanding national service for all Israelis, including Arabs and Haredim, the vast majority of whom do not currently enlist, with a particular emphasis on military service. Second, mandating the study of a core curriculum (generally including subjects such as English and math) in all schools, including ultra-Orthodox ones that eschew secular subjects.'

Will's Good Idea for the Week of 7/5/26

Happy July 5th to all you Brits out there tired of hearing about America 250. Canadians too. 

The heat has broken and temps will only reach the high 80s today. We got some badly needed rain last night. More rain is expected tonight and tomorrow. 

Yesterday we mowed the lawn and cleaned the house, mostly because we were bored. We remain morose. The girls return tomorrow. 

We caught some of America 250 last night and watched part of Trump's speech. It was fine, but we've seen the schtick before.

What Will's Watching: Project Hail Mary. We've about 20 minutes left. But so far, 'Amaze! Amaze! Amaze!' IYKYK.

Furthermore, this blog believes there are only three important space/NASA movies: The Right Stuff (where we've been), Apollo-13 (where we're trying to go), and Interstellar (why we stopped). These all show the evolution and eventual stagnation of the Space Program. When NASA launched the shuttle in 1980, school stopped so we could all watch. When was the last time that happened because of NASA?

This blog morphed into Will's Diary so gradually we hardly even noticed. 

Well have some in depth and cutting edge political analyses this week [Um....yay?-Ed].

Will's Good Idea for the Week of 7/5/26...Throughout July we'll be working on World War 1990: Thatcher's War. But this month we'll be prioritizing the 5th nuclear novel. This is the big push to finish the rough draft by the end of the month. We gotta get another book out there. We've eight finished stories and 40,000 words. This blog believes it needs 2-3 more stories and 20,000 words. DEW line this week and lay the groundwork for another story. 

Patriotic Saturday Updates

Good morning, Stroock's Books reader(s) and happy July 4th. 

At about 7 PM last night the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning promising 70 MPH winds and nickel sized hail. We tracked the storm on the Weather Channel ap, a band of yellow and purple sweeping down southeast from the mountains. We sat on the deck and watched the ominously low and dark clouds roll in. Some places got slammed but we only got some much needed rain. We felt very let down. 

100 + yesterday. Temps won't be quite as bad today. But as we write (9:37 AM) the temp is 87 degrees, American. Heat breaks tomorrow. 

It's America's 250th anniversary.  We've been around for 52/250, huh one fifth of America's history. Look, what could we really add? What can we really say except happy Fourth of July. 

On a personal note, we'll say again, there has never, in three thousand years, been a better place for Jews than America, and that includes Israel. It is worth recalling President Washington's letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island: 'May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and figtree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.'

With the fam still gone we'll treat today like a normal work day. We write this from the Donut which is seeing spritely business this morning. 

DOGE report.

An excellent week, especially so given that we had two dentist and a doctor appointment. 

We've done most of what we wanted to do with World War 1990: Thatcher's War up to the Dublin attack. We've really no idea how to handle the Dublin attack. And now idea what happens after. World War 1990: Thatcher's War is 56,000 words. 

We wrapped up the Soviet Salyut story and began the DEW Line story. We've still no idea what this is about. The 5th nuke novel is 38,000 words. 

The Temps and the Percentages have Risin

Mr. Mojo Risin'...

We arise with a sense of melancholy, moroseness even. 

So we saw the urologist, 20-30 percent chance he says. He wants to do a biopsy. No rush, he said. They'll call next week to schedule. Hmmm...we are much less sanguine about this than before. 

When did we start fretting about air conditioning? [Last summer, during the AC Wars-Ed]. No need to fret at all. The new unit is functioning perfectly, perf, as the kids say. We set the thermostat to 78 yesterday and the AC kept the temp there till early evening. The thermostat topped 80 degrees, but the house gradually cooled after that. Today we'll set the thermostat to 75 degrees and see what happens.

This time of year, FB memories shows us the photos we uploaded from our vacations to Rehoboth Beach in summers past. We'd always go the first week of the summer after dance recitals and classes were over. Our last Rehoboth vacation was in 2017. Oldest Daughter would have been eleven. Yep. in 2018 we went to France and Great Britain. In 2019 we visited the land of Eire. 

DOGE report.

A good day yesterday with Thatcher's War. Three scenes are coming together. You know, we have no idea how this novel ends. 

We had the germ of an idea for 5th nuke novel story, in the US. Something about army units gathering somewhere outside a nuclear blast. We shall let this idea percolate. 

Probably a bad idea, but if one knows us on FB one saw this post: Hear me out: World War 1990; the Irish Trilogy.' Yes, with Thatcher's War being 55,000 words...[Oh stop-Ed]. We could conceivably [I said stop-Ed]. Ed's right. As the president in Star Trek VI: The Best One said, 'Just because we can do a thing does not mean we must do that thing.' 

Thursday Title Withheld Upon Request

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

Temps will push past 100 degrees today. Wish us luck. We approach the heatwave with great unease [Not great fear and trepidation?-Ed] That too. No idea why. The AC just switched on at 9:11 AM, 78 degrees. And then it cooled and switched off. Just the way we like it. 

Sigh...that early onset summer morosity (huh, that's actually a word) has really set in. We really haven't been able to get into the America 250 thing. Bah! We swipe at the air and drink our coffee.

The dentist finished our tooth cleaning yesterday. The foot seems recovered from the gout attack. Today we visit the urologist to discuss the results of our MRI. We are not enthused. 

Last night, the Bosnian-Herzegovinian fell to the USMST. Take that you Bosnian-Herzegovinian bastards. [Seriously?-Ed] No, not really. 

1000 days since the October 7th Massacre. 1000 days of war. 1000 days of progress. The Times of Israel reports that the Gaza border area is rebuilding and even growing, 'Over 92% of the region’s residents are back home, joined by more than 5,000 new residents, the directorate reported.' And Israeli Hayom tells us that 6,000 Jews will make aliyah to Israel this summer. Israel renews and grows. Remarkable. 

DOGE report.

Things are fine. We did some light work on Thatcher's War yesterday. the pre-Dublin stuff is about as good as we can make it for now. We admit we don't really know how to proceed on the Dublin op. We don't want to do an A then B, A then B, telling of the op. To put it another way, we don't want to relive the Battle of Derry [Londonderry-Ed]. Shut up, Ed. You're from Liverpool.  We want to show the fighting at Howth, LE Sive, and the various British columns converging in Dublin. 

Ah, and just like that the creative dam is breached. Actually we've just gotten the juju for a trio of scenes leading up to Dublin. Ser goot, as the Krauts, reeling from their World Cup travails, would say. 

In the 5th nuke novel, what happens up at the DEW line? We don't know. 

Midweek 1st July

Good morning, Stroock's Books weekenders and Happy Dominion Day to all our Canadian reader(s) out there. 

Related, a new season of Shoresy, we learned, is on Hulu. 

Ah, there's that fear and trepidation we're always warning about, brought on by solitude and the heat wave - even though we have a brand-spanking-new AC system. 

Also we had a massive gout attack yesterday. It just snuck up on us at the gym, right in the small of the left foot. This was a bad one, but it passed. The foot is still sore though, as is the left toe from the gout attack the other day. 

Supreme Court...no complaints. The court went 3 for 3 yesterday as far as Stroock's Books is concerned. Sorry, fellow MAGA hats, the 14th amendment is absolutely clear, 'All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.' If one is born in America, one is an American. However, Section V states, 'The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.' Couldn't congress end birthright citizenship?

And there's an important principle here. In many countries, say Whogivesadamnistan*, if your parents are from Slobovia, you won't be Whogivesadamistani since your parents aren't Whogivesadamnistani even though you were born in Whogivesadamnistan.

What Will's Watching: on the recommendation of a friend, To Live and Die in LA. This is a noir film, an 80s cop film about a pair of Secret Service agents very often at odds as they try to bring down a counterfeiter. William Dafoe is a nihilistic criminal. William Peterson is driven to revenge for his partner. John Pankow is a reluctant agent.  To Live and Die in LA was directed by auteur William Freidkin. Watch the film as a product of its time and place. Watch the film for its style. And there's a hell of a twist, 3/4.

DOGE report.

We finished the Soviet Salyut station story yesterday. 

*Term borrowed from M Steyn, upon whom we wish good health. 

The Last Tuesday of the Month

Good morning, reader(s) of Stroock's Books and happy Tuesday morn.  

Because we ain't sat it enough waiting rooms and enjoy filling out paperwork, we took ourself to the dentist yesterday. We'd had some gum sensitivity issues for a few weeks and wanted to make sure something serious wasn't happening. The dentist took one look and said, 'Yep that's periodontitis'. X-rays confirmed nothing more serious. So we got half our teeth cleaned and will go back on Wednesday to get the other half cleaned. 

The gums feel better already. 

The heat wave's arriving. Temps will only reach the low 90s today but they'll hit a hundred tomorrow. Heh, one year ago today we were fighting the AC wars with Gold Medal Service in similar temps. 

Anyway, the European AC wars are amusing AF. the elites put up plenty of excuses. AC causes the global warmening. AC is bad for a neighborhood's aesthetics....yada, yada, yada. This is about America. Something like 90 percent of American homes have AC (one may not actually need AC in Fairbanks, Alaska. We don't know). The Euro-elites can't countenance anything American. If Ursula Van der What's-her-Name allowed AC, why the Europoors would want big honking SUVs and guns next. Reminder, were Britain to join the United States, it'd be the poorest state in the Union. 

The Euro-AC wars are both sad and hilarious. 

The Times of Israel reports, 'A Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist who held hostages in the Gaza Strip and commanded members of the terror group as they invaded Israel during the October 7, 2023, onslaught, was killed in a strike this week...' And another one's gone...and another one's gone...another one bites the dust...' Honestly, if you're on camera participating in the October 7th genocide, your only long term option may be to surrender to the Israelis and hope for a lenient prison sentence. 

DOGE report.

We finished the BAOR story. 

We edited and read through a good part of World War 1990: Thatcher's War.  

It's the last day of June. We should be considering our July writing plans. 

The Good, the bad, the Monday

Good morning, Stroock's Books reader(s) and happy Monday.

Ack, we got gout, in our left big toe. Serves us right. Too much whisky last night and it wasn't even Irish Whisky; The Matsui, 4/5.

A heat wave is a'coming. Despite our brand new HVAC we wait for the heat wave with [Don't say it-Ed] great fear and trepidation. 

We're seeing the urologist on Thursday for our MRI follow up. The internet says we've a 10-20 percent chance of having prostate cancer, which is a damn sight better than the 50-70 percent chance before the MRI. They will almost certainly want a biopsy. 

We're trying to remain positive. But the fact remains that we've felt great fear and trepidation about many things in recent weeks/months. HVACs, rattles in the car, Hormuz negotiations....we've always been something of a worrier. The worrying has gotten worse in recent years. 

New York remains unsafe for Jews. Arial Plashkin writes, 'I am addressing you, Jews of New York, in the same way the Jews of my grandparents' extended family addressed relatives in Europe in the 1930s. Berlin? New York? Who can tell the difference?' Quite right. We maintain vigilance. While we wear an Israel hat out, and Israel themed T-shirts to the gym, we've not flown our Star of David flag since October 7th. Stabby lives in Chindia too. 

Israel terminates, terminates with extreme prejudice, yet another perpetrator of the October 7th genocide. If one is on camera within Israel on October 7th, celebrating the capture, rape, and murder of Israelis, then one will never again start a car without breaking a sweat. 

What we got this week? We should finish the rough-rough draft of World War 1990: Ireland, up to the Battle for Dublin. We must needs figure out how we're getting the Irish Ranger Wing from Letterkenny to Dublin...ah, there we go. 

We'll tidy up a few nuke novel stories and maybe start the Dew Line. 

Cubans in Angola ain't a bad idea, not a bad idea at all. 

This post is ending on a better note than in began.