Tag Archives: murder

Post-Christmas Crime

Posted on December 29, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

I bet you thought I was going to say, “Post Christmas Lame.”  Well, this is Lame Post Friday, but as I am watching episode after episode of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered, and Crime and Christmas are alliterative, I went another way.

I like all the different Datelines.

I had originally intended to watch movies this afternoon, but I got interested in the first Dateline, and it turned out to be a two hour episode.  The next episode was a case that was also covered by Snapped.  I can never resist those!

I loves me some Snapped!

I knew I had to make my blog post, but I watched that episode till the end, because I could not remember exactly what happened (I watch a lot of these true crime things; I can’t keep track of all the details).  I started this post as the next Dateline started.  It is a case we have seen before, definitely not on a Snapped, because it is the husband accused of killing the wife and not vice versa.   Once again, I do not remember all the details, and it is a two hour episode.  Will we watch the whole thing or switch over to a monster movie?  Hmmmmm….

In any case, having something interesting to watch helps ease my post-Christmas letdown somewhat.  When I am feeling blue, murder or monsters often help.

 

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Blog Post to Murder?

Posted on August 30, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

So we just had our first rehearsal for Donation to Murder.  At least, I think that is the title we agreed on.  How embarrassing that I do not know for sure, and how really embarrassing that I did not have a definite title when I wrote it.  Titles are hard.  Some writers know all about titles.  I know one fellow who told me that everything he ever wrote had a specific title that had a special meaning. Then again, I never read anything he wrote and have reason to believe he was NOT as good a writer as he believed himself to be.  That is neither here nor there.

As a matter of fact, I still do not have a lot of details on the murder mystery that will be presented at Herkimer Elks Lodge on Sept. 15, 2018.  I thought I would find out some stuff at today’s rehearsal, but we were so busy talking about our characters, costumes, props, and the script, that other details just kind of got lost.  These things happen, I suppose

In the meantime, it is Wuss-out Wednesday, so I guess this is my wuss out post.  I had fun at rehearsal and am mostly looking forward to less humidity tomorrow, which several meteorologists have promised me.  Meteorologists have disappointed me before.  Maybe next I shall write a murder mystery about a blogger who murders a weather predictor.

 

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Snap! It’s Lame Post Friday!

Posted on June 30, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

For the record, I have not reached mine yet.

My husband, Steven, and I are watching Snapped, one of my favorite guilty pleasures.  It is, with some exceptions, about women who kill people, most often women who kill their husbands, ex-husbands, lovers, or boyfriends.  I think it is a mark of great trust in my husband that he does not mind that I sometimes watch it with a notebook and pen handy.  Ahem, it is the TV Journal, not an Evil Plan Book.  I don’t have an Evil Plan Book, although now that I say so, it sounds kind of cool.  Note to self: get Evil Plan Book.

Where was I?  Ah yes, Lame Post Friday.  However foolishly I may have posted all week (I admit that some weeks it is a lot of foolishness), I still feel free to be silly on Friday.  You can shake your head, your finger, or you booty at me.  It won’t change anything.

That’s not me on the poster, but I was Roxy.

Speaking of women who snapped, a few years ago I played one who did in Roxy by Jack Sherman, which was presented by Herkimer County Historical Society and Ilion Little Theatre.  I wrote a few blog posts about it at the time.  I won’t link back to all of them.

On the Historic Four Corners, one of my favorite spots in Herkimer, NY.

The story of Roxalana Druse was a famous local story.  To make this a post of more local interest, I include pictures of a couple of the sites where some of it took place.  Above is the 1834 Jail, where Roxy stayed during the trial and awaiting execution.  She was hanged behind the jail, the last woman hanged in New York State.

Across the street from the jail.

This handsome building is the Herkimer County Courthouse where the trial took place.

Well I don’t know how lame this post turned out to be.  I started out with television and veered into local history, not saying very much about either one.  And I don’t know why I told you what I did; if you’ve read this far, you know what I wrote.  Kind of lame of me, would’t you say?  Happy Friday, everyone.

 

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Murderous Mental Meanderings.

Posted on April 24, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

I do not think it is any too early for this blog to become All Spring Into Murder All The Time.  I have six days to get my act together!  AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!  OK, got that out of my system.  I have just time for a fast Monday Mental Meanderings post before rehearsal.  And I just thought of my headline. I bet I’ve used it before.  Well, these things happen.  We must make the best of them.

I just walked to the library to print out a sort of a program for Saturday night’s performance.  I say a sort of, because it only lists the character’s names with a short identifying phrase.  No actors’ names, not even the title.  After all, WE don’t know there is going to be a murder.  It is always a little disconcerting when an audience member says, “So there’s going to be a murder tonight”  or, worse yet, “We’ve never been to one of these before, what are we supposed to do?”  I don’t want to break character (as we actors say), but I also don’t want to leave people in the dark and/or rudely not answer their questions.  We find ways of dealing with these things.  That is part of the fun of live, interactive theatre.

Yes, I am tired and definitely feeling Monday.  Luckily, I am not driving to rehearsal but bumming a ride from my friend, Kim.  She is very tired too, but I hope to keep her awake enough to drive with chitchat.  I am rarely too tired to chat.

The murder mystery, once again, is Spring Into Murder, at Morning Star Methodist Church at 36 Second St., Ilion, NY, 5 p.m. Saturday, April 28.  $20 includes a delicious roast pork dinner (I know this, because they feed the actors and this will be the third one we’ve done there).  Advance tickets must be purchased by Thursday by calling 315-894-4093.  You can go to the Facebook Event for more information.

 

 

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Murder or Monsters on Wrist to Forehead Sunday

Posted on January 15, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

Are they plotting somebody’s demise?

I interrupt the movie-watching portion of my day for a fast blog post.  Of course I am having a Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  I would swoon onto a lounge if I had one, but that is not the important thing.  The important thing is to make a blog post. My husband, Steven, and I just watched Evil Under the Sun, a star-studded Agatha Christie adaptation, one of our favorites.  We are now looking at House of Wax, the 1953 version starring Vincent Price.  I said I wanted either monsters or more murder.  This is kind of both.

“As you see, my hands are not capable of great art any more.”

A Facebook friend shared the above picture, which got me thinking about House of Wax.  This movie also features Carolyn Jones, in a sadly small role.  That makes me think about watching Invasion of the Body Snatchers, which I would call more monster than murder, although I suppose that would be open to debate.  Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves.

And before this, they were drinking martinis. Mmmm…. martinis…

Carolyn Jones doesn’t have too big a part in Body Snatchers, either.  Maybe I should invest in a couple of DVDs of the old Addams Family TV show.

In the meantime, I’m over 200 words.  I call that acceptable.  We’ll see if I can do better as the week wears on.  Happy Sunday, everyone.

 

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Not Enough Murder on Non-Sequitur Thursday

Posted on January 5, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am sitting here watching an episode of 20/20 on OWN and loudly calling bullshit on the murderer who is trying to pretend he is innocent.  I need to make my blog post so I can pay more attention to the next episode.  As you may guess, I did not write a blog post while on break at work today nor do I have a brilliant idea for a non-foolish post I can write now.  So it is another Non-Sequitur Thursday.  What a surprise.

This is a four day work week for me, because I fortunately had New Year’s Day off.  On Tuesday, I said, “Yay, it’s not Monday!”  On Wednesday, I said, “Yay, it’s already Wednesday!”  Today I said, “Why is it Thursday and not Friday yet? Damn!”  I am sure other people with a four day week feel the same way. Those of you who worked Monday and/or are in the middle of a more than four-day stretch, just go ahead and turn your nose up at me.  I’ve been there, done that.  Revel in your own virtue and superior work ethic.

John Quinones, News Personality.

I just thought I’d put in a photo of John Quinones, our host.  Only I don’t know how to put a tilda on the first “n” in his name.  My bad.

Ah, the next episode has started.  It seems to be about identity theft, not murder.  The first episode was just the kind of case I like:  a cheating, murdering spouse.  I suppose I have rather sordid tastes.

No matter.  The best thing to do with a foolish post like this is to keep it short, so I will.  I will just throw in another picture for good measure.  Maybe I can find a nice murder in my Media Library.

Without a shadow of a doubt, one of my favorites.

 

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Merry Mental Meanderings

Posted on December 26, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

I think since today is Christmas (although I may be posting late enough that WordPress will stamp this Dec. 26), it is appropriate to use “merry” in the headline.  And I am certainly not up for much beyond mental meanderings.  Oh, I have had a nice holiday.  Two days of hanging out with my family:  lots of good laughs, good food, a few drinks… I am so blessed.

So I am back home, pajama pants on, bra off, crime show on television (Forensic Files), and a little glass of Pinot Noir.  I am basking in holiday thankfulness.  Gee, I hope that is not too boring for a blog post. Perhaps I should look for a picture of a monster to pep things up.

So it’s not a monster. Sue me.

Forensic Files is one of the classier crime shows we watch.  They indulge in re-enactments, but the concentration is on the science of detection.  It is very educational.  We were just talking about it last night, when we found out that one of my nieces likes to watch it on Netflix, sometimes at three in the morning.  The last episode we saw was a case that was previously covered on Snapped.  Regular readers may remember that this is one of my favorite things:  to see the same case covered in different true crime shows.

OK, so I’ve gone from Merry to Murder in just over 200 words.  I’m going to call that acceptable for a holiday Monday.  Merry Christmas everyone.

 

 

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Muddled Monday with Murder

Posted on November 28, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

Just for the record, I have not reached my breaking point yet.

I decided to continue with the theme of murder largely for the sake of alliteration.  As regular readers know, I adore alliteration.  I am typing this post while giving the occasional glance at an episode of Snapped that I believe I have seen before, although I do not remember much of it.

So this is Day One of my New Leaf.  Did I mention the new leaf in yesterday’s post?  Ah yes, I said I was going to write more and make better blog posts.  This morning, as I put a new notebook and pen into the bag I carry to work, I felt I should actually renovate my entire life:  clean house, lose weight, get organized, learn things, do things, make things, be a whole new person!  I can just hear my readers asking in varying tones of sarcasm, depending on who it is, “How’s that working out for you?”  For heavens’ sake, it’s only the first day!

I started writing a letter to a friend (I thought I would keep the rule of “any writing counts”).  I made an appointment to have a mammogram, something I have not done in at least seven years.  I started a list of Things to Get Done This Week.  When I got home, I called the neurologist about the headaches I have been having.  One reason for that was that I had one.  Oh dear, was I coming down with a cold?  I checked my Facebook and email and thought about how I usually let myself off the hook on Mondays.

Then I bestirred myself and spent some time getting a few things done.  I cleaned the house a little.  I folded the laundry and hand-washed one of my better pair of leggings.  I got a start on the onerous task of organizing my yarn and craft supplies.  I’m hoping to make a few Christmas presents.  I have a hot glue gun and I’m not afraid to use it!  I took a shower and said to myself, “See?  You CAN get stuff done when you have a headache!”

Hey, I know I did not get a lot of stuff done.  The fact is, I can’t just be a whole new person.  I have to start with the person I am and try to make improvements.  So far my improvements today have not extended to my blog posts, as you see.  I’m wondering if I should leave the Snapped logo at the top and “murder” in the headline.  Oh what the heck.  It’s Muddled Monday.  I’ll go with it.

 

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Remember Roxy?

Posted on September 8, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

So there I was, trying to think of something to make a blog post about that was not whining about how I couldn’t make a blog post today or sharing pictures of monster movies, when I saw that a friend on Facebook had shared a memory from 2015, and I said, “Ah, Roxy.”

I’m being threatened by the guy with the ax, but don’t worry: I turn the tables on him.

This is a rehearsal shot from the play Roxy by Jack Sherman, that was presented by the Herkimer County Historical Society at Ilion Little Theatre in September of 2015.  It concerns a famous local murderess, who was tried in the Herkimer County Courthouse and hanged behind the 1834 Jail. I played the title role.  It was a large cast, and everybody had a chance to shine.  It was quite the theatrical experience for all involved (I believe I wrote a few blog posts about it).  Having downloaded the above photo for inclusion in today’s post, I typed “Roxy Ilion Little Theatre” into the Facebook search box to see what else I could find.

I didn’t really look like this, although I tried.

This is the poster.  The Historical Society also had little magnets of it made up.  I have one on my refrigerator now.

Isn’t he handsome?

This is my wonderful husband, Steven, who played four different roles.  Here he portrays Dr. Suiter, who rather fancied himself as a forensic expert and had a lot to do with getting Roxy hanged.  Thanks a lot, Steve!

That reward isn’t really being offered, so don’t go calling “America’s Most Wanted.”

A friend put this frame on a picture of me.  As far as I remember, no reward was offered for Roxy’s capture, and she wasn’t that hard to take in anyways.  If you want to know the real story of Roxalana Druse, I recommend James M. Greiner’s book, Last Woman Hanged.  I said I was not going to be in any more plays for a while.  Still, if anybody decided to stage a revival of Roxy… well, let’s just say I would take it under consideration.

 

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I Ax You: Is This a Good Picture of Me?

Posted on February 1, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

 

Oh I am having a dreadful case of Writer’s Block.  Seriously, my brain is blocking me from writing this post (I know, I know, that’s not writing, that’s typing, as Truman Capote said).  It is Tired Tuesday, but I truly did not want to spend 200 or so words whining about how tired I am and how I can’t think of anything to write.  So I went to my new standby: looking through photos we’ve downloaded to this laptop and picking a few to write about.  I had found some good ones of me and my husband, Steven.

I don’t want to post any pictures of me!  I don’t even like looking at pictures of me!  Many people feel this way.  Most of us look better in pictures to others than we look to ourselves.  I can’t tell you how many times people have said, “Oh, what a great picture of you,” and I have thought, “Wow, I’m not nearly as cute as I think I am.”  I don’t even like to have my own picture as my Facebook profile.  This is what I currently have:

14601127_569210533270207_287460256763850175_n

I was having a Lizzie Borden kind of a day.

The caption doesn’t show on my Facebook.  I prefer threatening people with an ax on general principles, not to get candy.  I can buy candy.

Oh, OK, I have never actually threatened anybody with an ax in real life.  On stage once, I held an ax over the guy who was playing my husband, after I had shot him and he had fallen on the floor. However, I was not threatening; I actually brought the thing down on that bastard.  He had it coming.  This was in Roxy, a play about Roxalana Druse, a famous local murderess. Herkimer County Historical Society presented it at Ilion Little Theatre in September of 2015.  Perhaps you read some of my blog posts about it at the time.

So now I am over 300 words.  Whined a little, showed a picture, shared a memory.  I call that all right for a Tired Tuesday.  Now I’m off to my rehearsal for Steel Magnolias at Ilion Little Theatre.  Maybe I can find my Tablet and take pictures of the progress made on the set.  I think it’s looking pretty good, and will make a marvelous Wordless Wednesday post.  Hope to see you then.

 

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