WELL, NOT OUR SHIP, THE GRAND PRINCESS, BUT THE….. CARNIVAL TRIUMPH, which is still illmobile. (Actually, it’s “In Mobile.”) Mobile, Alabama, that is. I feel sorry for those passengers. At first they had a sinking feeling, and then they had a stinking feeling. Fortunately, nobody was seriously injured. (Not counting wounded pride.) As many of you know, we were down in Cozumel, Mexico, anchored along side of the Triumph. (Happily, we were NOT down wind.) Being a writer (of sorts) I quickly wrote a screenplay about the incident, but now I need a title. (This is where you guys come in.) Kindly review the below titles and let me know which one you prefer:
A. “Shitty Shitty Bang Bang.”
B. “Sh_t Floats.”
C. “Ship of Stools.” (My apologies to Katherine Anne Porter.)
By the way, did you folks know that Katherine Anne Porter was a native Texan? Yep, she was born in Indian Creek, Texas. (Spent many years in Kyle, Texas!) Now here’s the interesting part….. Did you know that she married a man named….. Pressley?? (As the distinguished author of THE PRESLEY PLOT I make it my business to know this meaningless stuff!) Ms. Porter married a dude named Eugene Pressley in 1930. (No connection to our beloved rock ‘n’ roll singer.) Her first (and only) novel was “Ship of Fools,” which was published in 1962. The book helped her win the Pulitzer Prize, but to be perfectly honest, it’s not half as good as THE PRESLEY PLOT or MURDER ON MAIDEN LANE. (Still, it’s ironic that a “Porter” would write about ships, eh?)
AND NOW FOR SOME INTERESTING (NON-LITERARY) NEWS………. I went to a surprise party yesterday. (Frankly, I’m always surprised when I’m invited to a party.) Judge Susan Marquess celebrated her 39th birthday in grand style, complete with homemade margaritas, delicious Mexican food, cold beer, homemade margaritas, birthday cake, and homemade margaritas. From what I remember, I had a great time, and so did everyone else. The party was hosted by Her Honor’s wonderful children….. Kellie, Aimee, Ryan, Greg, and Tyler. After dinner, we all participated in the first annual South Austin Punchbowl Poker Tournament.
INCREDIBLY…… despite the presence of The Cobra (Me) and the Legal Eagle (Susan) the tournament was won by a relatively new player….. a young man with a very bright future in the murky world of high-stakes poker….. Mr. Jackson “The Whip” Whitaker. The nom de guerre came about for two reasons. Mr. Jackson severely “beat us,” and the lad is “smart as a whip.” Thank God he’s not old enough to go into a casino!
Congratulations to the lovely and talented Mr. and Mrs. Lee Bomblatus (of Round Rock, Texas) who recently discovered that their wonderful daughter, Rita Hennecke-York, is pregnant with a….. baby girl! (I humbly suggest the name of “Stephanie.”) Rita and Michael are on “Cloud Nine,” and we all wish them the very best. They will make wonderful parents!
Dr. Laura Talbott is in town this weekend! As many of you know, the beautiful and extremely talented violinist is a professor of music at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. When she comes to visit, there are “no strings attached,” and she always hits the “right notes.” Dr. Talbott will be “fiddling” around with her family today, and we wish her a safe and pleasant visit.
SINCE A FEW OF YOU HAVE ASKED….. THE PRESLEY PLOT continues to inch toward the best-seller list, and believe it or not, I now have 12 blog followers in Afghanistan! (Including a brilliant new friend, Steven W. Barnes, who I met during our last cruise.) Be safe, Steven, and send back some of my money! (The guy is a dang good poker player!) MURDER ON MAIDEN LANE (Book Two) is at the publisher and should be available sometime in March. DEVIL’S COVE, Book Three, has just finished the editing process and should be ready for submission by the end of the month. I will send a post when the books are ready to be ordered.
As I type this blog post, I keep wondering if illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup. (Is that odd?) Finally, since we have mentioned babies today, I would like to leave you with a rhetorical question to ponder….. If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, then what is baby oil made from?
Just asking.
Have a wonderful week! Love to all,
Doc Yanoff
Books By Stephen G. Yanoff 
Dang Computer just SENDS AT WILL!!!!!!! Anyway, you are a dear for mentioning Laura and all our buddies in your blog. We had such a great weekend with Laura and think she is getting back on track. She loved being home and I am hopeful that we can get her to come for a few weeks this summer. I know I can rest easier now.
Susan’s party was great and sounds like the poker game was a riot. I talked to Susan today and she said Jackson had a great time playing and was the VICTOR with a little coaching from the Cobra. See, you have launched yet another Hold em player! The Academy continues to grow. Ha!
Give Patty a squeeze and hope to see you Thursday night………..or is that Steiner???
Loved the blog as usual!!
xoxox, Barb
Hi Steve:
Another great blog and you are such a dear for all the shout outs to
Omg. We are laughing our heads off. My friends and I are in LA in way to Vegas. We vote for Shitty shitty bang bang. Love the South Austin Punch Bowl tourney. I almost peed my pants on that one. Clearly I need a life and am seriously easily entertained.
Oh and we’re very disturbed about the baby oil question. Let us know what the correct answer is.
Love you so much!!
Sharon “the Shredder” Francia and her Vegas posse pals