How Many Words Can You Rhyme With Fall?

Fall
Ball
Stall
Call
Mall
Doll
Shawl
Gall
Hall
Tall
Brawl
Wall
Crawl

Lucy says- "D'oh!"  but I don't think she understand or she is turning into Homer Simpson.

Six Word Memoirs

Today's challenge is to see how many six word memoirs I can make in one hour using the topics from the official six word memoir website.  I am jumping right in.

*Six words that absolutely terrify you:

I am so disappointed in you.

*Your favorite fads in six words:

Chokers not the dog collar kind.

*What does "character" mean to you?

Living the way Jesus Christ modeled.

*This is nature in six words:

Oregon's Crater Lake 1,946 feet deep.

*My Best Day: [Add Three Words]:

My Best Day: What Happens Next?

*Your six words for staying cool:

I'm going to take a nap.

*What's on your six-word campaign button:

We are doomed- vote for me.

*Summer road trips in six words:

Smelly, sweaty, sleepy keep rolling on.

*The six-word spoiler of your life:

SPOILER: He names all the children.

*Your family story in six words:

Distance and awkwardness sums it up.

*Your commencement speech in six words:

Get over yourself, please, serve others.

*I always call my mom when...

I really need a guilt trip.

*Bust a rhyme in six words:

Wasting time, think of a rhyme.

*On my first day as president....

Will resign on Mr. Peterson's advice.

*Your college pride in six words:

Attended Western Baptist College not Corban

*I unplug to...[add three words]:

I unplug to keep sanity alive.

I still have about 4 minutes left but I need to leave it here because the last one is perfect for the message I want to say today.  I am seriously considering deleting my Facebook account and slipping quietly into the night so that I can write.  I want to write without pressure of likes.  I am tired of being jealous.  I barely ever see the things I want so I will write what I want to see- life, love, quirkiness, depth of soul, hope, books, fun, and learning.  I feel like I am about to go crazy and maybe it is because it is election season but I can't take it much longer.  I will write to keep living.  

Change Is in the Wind

I am ready to make a big change.  I am ready to take the plunge.  I am ready to write on the regular.  I think I promise this on the regular and never make good on it.  I hope this is time it will be different.  Every time I hope it will be different.  Please, make this time different.  No more excuses.

Ten Things I loved about "A Scandal in Belgravia"

(in no particular order)

NOTE: if you watch this on Netflix- it skips to the title sequence and the ending of the pool scene with Moriarity!!!!!!  I almost freaked out!  Where was "Staying Alive"?  I knew to expect it because I saw it on DVD but if you don't rewind it by yourself you will miss it and you don't want to miss it!

1. We see the first appearance of the deerstalker cap!

2. Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch!) in only a sheet at Buckingham Palace.

3. The Boomerang Mystery- "Brainy is the new sexy."

4. Naked Irene Adler- The Woman

5. Christmas with Sherlock Holmes- this episode has the best violin solos especially Irene's theme.  I really want to know what Molly bought for Sherlock!  "You always say such horrible things. Every time. Always."  Dr. Watson's Christmas sweater is adorable.

6.  The fight scenes with the Americans- just how many times did he fall out the window, it was ll just a blur.
7. All the passwords Sherlock tries on Irene Adler's phone- SHERlocked: "Everything I said- it's not real. I was just playing the game." -Irene Adler "I know. And this is just losing." -Sherlock

8. The plane full of dead people- mentioning the bombing of Coventry which Cumberbatch also stars in the movie The Imitation Game which is also about codes.

9. Dr. Watson's blog takes off- I also discovered it HERE

10. Sherlock saves Irene Adler's life.

Ten Things I loved about "The Great Game"

(in no particular order)

1. Sherlock Holmes IS the grammar police!

2 "Bored! Bored! Bored!"- Sherlock Holmes, Here is the first time we clearly see the yellow smiley face on the wall paper and a very pouty Sherlock who had been shooting at it.

3. Meeting "Gay" Morriarity!  Poor Molly!

4. Fighting the Golem in the planetarium.

5. Solving the fake painting puzzle with astronomy.  See, Sherlock, it comes in handy.

6. "You see, you just don't observe."-Sherlock Holmes

7. Watson and the Westie Case- I like that this episode has 2 mysteries that intertwine and Watson gets to shine on his own and is used as a go between for Sherlock and Mycroft.

8. Solving the Carl Powers death mystery- this gave us a glimpse of young Sherlock's past and his solving mysteries

9. The Greenwich Pips Allusion

10. THE POOL SCENE.... I know I said this wasn't in a particular order but we all know this is the best seen ever!!  "Jim Moriarty, Hi." "I will BURN you.  I will burn the HEART out of you."  "No, you won't." "Sorry, boys, I am so changeable."

"The Blind Banker" Things I Loved

I love the list type review the other guy did so he can take credit for the idea but here is what I loved about The Blind Banker and it does contain SPOILERS.


1. The tea ceremony at the museum- I love how important tea is culturally to both the Chinese and the British.

2.  "Sometimes you have to look closely to see its value"- Soo Lin Yao

3 Her colleague trying to ask her out...maybe don't criticize her work.  She says, "Please, stop asking."

4. Dark and alone in the museum....something sinister is about to happen!

5. The Opening!  Always love that music...we even get a quick flash of the yellow paint.

6. Watson fights with the self-check out machine which doesn't accept his card while the scene flashes to Sherlock fighting someone dressed in a fully covered turban and brandishing a scimitar.  I love the juxtaposition between someone fighting a mundane battle and someone fighting in a larger then life adventure with a swordsman.

7. Sherlock's foot hitting the sword while Watson complains about Sherlock never moving from the spot all day.  Sherlock lets John use his card.

8. John Watson's sarcasm..."Don't worry, I can manage."

9. Sherlock using John's computer.

10. Watson looking through bills and suddenly Sherlock says, "I need to go to the bank."

11. We meet Sebastian someone Sherlock went to uni with.

12. Sebastian says he did a trick....not a trick just observation.

13. They enter an office room with mysterious yellow spray paint- a line over the eyes of the portrait (hence the blind banker) and another symbol off to the left side.

14. Sebastian is ready to pay $5,000 to help find the security loop hole that allowed someone to get in.  Sherlock says that is not his motivation, but John snatches that up.  He knows he needs the money.

15. Sherlock looks out the window for clues.  The hilarious looks he gets from the office workers as he bobs up and down and between the computers and the pillars has he checks his hypothesis- LOVE this scene.  Now we know the "message" is meant for Edward Van Coon.

16. "There can't be very many Van Coons"

17.  Sherlock pretending to live in Van Coon's building so he can sneak around.

18.  Finding Van Coon shot in the head....locked in the room...suicide?

19. "Yean, I'm not desperate to root around some bloke's dirty underwear." -Watson

20. Sherlock finds something in the victims mouth

21. We meet Detective Inspector Dimmock.

22. An explanation of some of the facts...

23. Van Coon was left handed but shot in the right temple...would require a bit of contortion.

24. The scene of the very scared bald man running with a book in his hand.  He throws down the book on the stairs.  He locks himself in a room but turns in horror...end scene.

25. We are at the museum with man who has a crush on Soo Lin Yao.  He finds out she has resigned.  He can not believe it.  He goes to her place and no one answers.  He leaves her a note and pushes it through the mail slot.

26. Dr. Watson is interviewing for a local clinic job.  We meet Sarah. "Mundane is good, sometimes."

27. "I learned clarinet in school"

28. All the symbols that Sherlock tries to match to the yellow graffiti flash around his head.

29. The Pen Scene!

30. Watson calls the job he interviewed for "she" and then tries to recover "She's great."  "She?"  "It."  Classic Dr. Watson

31. Sherlock sees on the computer the news about another "apparent" suicide the journalist Brian Lukis.  Time to go to the New Scotland Yard- that sign though.

32. "Take my word as gospel!"

33. While searching Lukis' flat he sees a crumpled piece of black paper....Sherlock, "They think they are safe because they are four floors up."  They climb the walls. "Like Spiderman?"

34. West Kensington Library Book

35. Off to the library for clues...I learned that the scenes were filmed at the Cardiff Central Library.

36. We find the symbols again behind some books!  We know it is a threat!  Cue the music!

37. "Why do they die, Sherlock?"- Watson  "Only the cipher can tell us." - Sherlock

38. Beautiful shot of Trafalgar Square...what I wouldn't give for a trip to London at this point?

39. "I need some advice.  I will not say it again"

40. Raz, the spray paint expert- "I call it Urban Bloodlust Frenzy"  "Catchy."- Watson

41. Yellow Spray Paint Michigan

42. Raz and Sherlock ditch Watson so now it looks like he was responsible for the vandalism....Ha! Ha!

43. Museum scene...unwanted attention....hum....

44. "They're giving me an ASBO!!" -angry John Watson.  I had to look this one up- it is a United Kingdom thing and it stands for Anti-Social Behavior Order.

45. We see someone (we later find out it is Shan) taking a picture of Watson getting into a cab.

46. Sherlock goes to bank and speaks to secretary about Van Coon's schedule.  He theorizes that Van Coon's and Lukis's paths had to have crossed paths.

47. Sherlock and Watson literally bump into each other in Chinatown- this is where the victims crossed paths!-->this leads to The Lucky Cat store.

48. "Lucky Cat? for your wife... 10 pound!"

49. John turns over a cup and now we know that the symbols are actual numbers...Hangzhou.  The numbers that were spray painted are 15 and 1.

50. Sit down at a restaurant....Watson never gets to finish a meal (haha) and as we find out later in this episode Sherlock never eats when he is working on a case...it slows him down

51. Two men come back from China...why are they now dead?  They were smugglers.  One of them stole something.  Sherlock sees Soo Lin Yao's flat and observes that no one has been home for many days.  This calls for an investigation.

52. While Sherlock is in the flat..."No, I'm Sherlock Holmes and I always work alone because no one else can compete with my massive intellect!"- another great sarcastic John Watson waiting angrily for Sherlock to let him in.

53. Sherlock is nearly choked to death and finally comes out and speaks to John in a very croaky voice..."I'm fine."  They discover the note which leads them to the museum.  There they find the symbols painted on a statue that was under the sheet in the beginning of the episode that had been uncovered by Soo Lin Yao.

54. Raz has a lead.  John and Sherlock are in an underground skate park.

55. John Watson finds a whole wall of yellow graffiti numbers by the railroad track, but after getting Sherlock to look at it, it has been painted over!  This scene!! from Imdb.com

Dr John Watson: It's been painted over. I don't understand. It... it was... here. Ten minutes ago. I saw it. A whole lot of graffiti.

Sherlock Holmes: Somebody doesn't want me to see it.

[he grabs Watson's head]

Dr John Watson: Hey. Sherlock, what are you...

Sherlock Holmes: Shh! John, concentrate! I need you to concentrate. Close your eyes.

Dr John Watson: No. What? Why? Why? What are you doing?

Sherlock Holmes: I need you to maximize your visual memory. Try to picture what you saw. Can you picture it?

Dr John Watson: Yeah.

Sherlock Holmes: Can you remember it?

Dr John Watson: Yes. Definitely.

Sherlock Holmes: Can you remember the pattern?

Dr John Watson: Yes!

Sherlock Holmes: How much can you remember it?

Dr John Watson: Well, don't worry.

Sherlock Holmes: Because the average human memory on visual matters is only 62 percent accurate.

Dr John Watson: Yeah, well, don't worry, I remember all of it.

Sherlock Holmes: Really?

Dr John Watson: Yeah, well, at least I would if I can get to my pockets. I took a photograph.

56. All the numbers have been figured out. It is a code.  Can't figure it out without Soo Lin Yao.  She is in dnager.  Sherlock knows she is still working on restoring the teapots at night.

57. "Fancy a biscuit with that?" -Sherlock- "Centuries old, don't break that."

58. Zhi Zhu- the spider...he is her brother

59. The mark of the Tong...The Black Lotus- it is a smuggling ring.  Soo Lin Yao had no way to survive without smuggling.  She managed to start over in England but they did not leave her.

60. While they talk to Soo Lin Yao there is a shoot out and Sherlock and Watson chase him, but they kill her.  A black lotus is left in her hand.  Now we know why at all the scenes there was left a black origami flower.

61. "Pork or pasta?"  Molly's cute little grin

62. The tattos on their feet to prove the Black Lotus gang is a real thing

63. Chinese antiquities website, the Black Lotus is selling them.

64. Books, lots of books "Are we collecting for charity?" Mrs. Hudson

65. Turn to page 15 and it is the first word- depends on the book....so many books to go through.  "Some silence right now would be marvelous"  sorry,  DI Dimmock   This scene always goes by way too fast for me...I want to know which books they were, guess I will have to google it.

66. John Watson falls asleep on his first day at his new job.

67. "What kept you up so late?" "I was attending a sort of book event." awww "I don't have a date tonight

68. A book that everyone would own.  Sherlock takes down the Oxford Dictionary, The Bible, and a book on sexual diseases.....nope, they don't work....

69. Sherlock suggests taking Sarah to the circus.  Tickets are reserved under Sherlock and guess who also tags along on the date.

70. "I am trying to get off with Sarah!!"  Arguing, knowing this is a lead to finding the killer.

71. An escapology trick is demonstrated...crossbow on a delicate string while a sandbag slowly lowers to set off the trigger

72. Sherlock snoops around (my daughter actually watched this part and said, "Sherlock never has free time!) and ends up fighting and using the yellow spray paint he found as a defensive weapon.

73. Sarah gets in the fight there too!  She is awesome!

74. "Is it just me or is anyone else starving?"  a girl after my own heart

75. Sarah has some great sarcasm too.  Oh yeah I should have known it was Ancient Chinese.  AND she noticed the code had been partial translated.

76. Now Sherlock needs the book!  He knows Soo Lin had it.  He knocks into a Germany touring couple who have the A to Z London Guide book.  He realizes THAT is the book.

77.  "I like to wrestle a few Chinese gangsters, but a girl can get too much."

78.  While Sherlock is so intent on figuring out the message, John and Sarah are kidnapped!!

79. Message..."9 Mill for Jade pin. Dragon den black tramway."

80 "A book is like a magic garden that is carried in your pocket." Chinese Proverbs

81. Shan has mistaken John Watson for Sherlock Holmes based on some observations- he has Sherlock's check, tickets under Sherlock's name, and even his sarcastic comment at Soo Lin's flat.

82. The same trick with the crossbow is used to threaten Sarah to get Watson to talk.

83. "How would you describe me? Resourceful? Dynamic? Enigmatic?"-Sherlock  "Late"-Watson

84. Watson manages to redirect the crossbow in a different direction and kills The Spider.

85. "Don't worry.  Next date won't be like this." Watson to Sarah

86. "Nail a plank across your window and all your troubles will be over." -Watson to Sebastian

87. The BEST part when Sherlock tells the secretary how much the hair pin that was given as a gift from her boss Eddie Van Coon was worth NINE MILLION POUNDS!  NINE MILLION POUNDS!

88. Too bad General Shan is still out there...Watson looks out the window and sees someone else spray painting something.

89. Shan is talking to a faceless computer person named M....even casual fans know this is MORIARTY!

90. Scene ends with her being shot with a sniper.

What was your favorite scene???  I think I listed almost all of them!

"A Study in Pink"

Here I was at 5am watching the Sherlock "A Study in Pink" because that is the ONLY time I get to watch what I want to watch because my kids are little too young to watch Sherlock.  But since this is the third time I have seen this particular episode I feel confident in listing the awesome things I love about this episode.

BUT I also fell asleep because I am a mom and since it doesn't get dark till 9:30 and there are still 3 more days of school and it was so hot that no one could sleep until almost 11:00 I was just exhausted....so many excuses.  This person did most of the work for me: 94 Things I Love About "A Study in Pink"   Also just a reminder that there is a great Sherlock Wikia which is really helpful if you are slow like I am and some of the dialogue and action is too quick or you might need more explanation.  I almost cleaned the whole kitchen today listening to the Sherlock theme music.  I wish I had more to say right now but I am about to keel over.