J. H. Authors

One Woman. Three Names. Many Books.

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Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming

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I learned how to swim when I was a kid. You couldn’t keep me out of the water. My grandfather used to make me “dry out for a bit” on the dock at Lake Winnipesaukee until he got so sick of me pestering him that he let me back in the water. He sat for hours on the deck, playing solitaire and watching me in the water.

Thanks to proximity to the ocean (I grew up on the south shore of Massachusetts) my swimming wasn’t limited to lakes. I could body surf with the best of them.

But here’s the deal. I am trying for a triathlon. And my swimming wasn’t, shall we say, efficient. In fact, I could barely get yardage in. I tried to improve my own form, to no avail. And then I read that it was a good idea to have someone check your swimming for efficiency. So I joined the Master’s Class at the Y, and signed up for a couple of lessons. And I swallowed my pride (which is pro forma these days) and relearned how to float. And kick. And how to be streamlined. And how to breathe.

Learning (or relearning) as an adult is challenging because I think to much. And worry. I worry about hurting myself while running. Or traffic while on my bike. Or drowning while swimming. All legitimate concerns, but they overshadow the joy. And there is joy.

I have a long way to go before I am a strong triathlon swimmer. But I am better than I was last week. And for now, I’ll just keep swimming.

2010 MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS–A Rant

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I wrote my thesis on Agatha Christie, and her use of POV. One of the books I used was Murder on the Orient Express. Because of that, I have read it (over and over and over) fairly recently. I am a fan of the 1974 film.

I am also a fan of Agatha Christie. She is sometimes dismissed, but shouldn’t be. She was a master of her craft, and contributed a great deal to the genre. And 30 plus years after her death, she is still widely read. (Another blog post to come, I see.)

I will leave my rants about the recent Miss Marples to another post. This one is for the 2010 adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express, starring the quintessential Poirot, David Suchet. The cast was wonderful. The production values were fabulous. But the adaptation. Mais non.

There were changes to the story (spoiler alert) like a stoning at the beginning (which Poirot seems to condone) and the seeming lack of a relationship between M. Bouc and Poirot that made me nervous about other changes, but I went with the flow. I know that a 2010 version, made in the shadow of the great 1974 film, would have changes. But where 1974 was a faithful adaptation, 2010 was more of an inspired by. And herein lies the problem. By tweaking the plot (to make it darker?), they ruined the story.

Some of my biggest problems? Colonel Arbuthnot considers murder to cover up his crime? No. Poirot doesn’t solve the case, but has it explained to him by the Princess Dragomiroff (not Caroline Hubbard? Was that because Eileen Atkins was playing the Princess?) No. The doctor is part of the conspiracy? No. And Poirot fights for the Law over Justice? No.

I will discuss what they’ve done to Miss Marple in another post, but I’ve come to expect those. But to have David Suchet play Poirot in a version of Murder on the Orient Express that I hated? Such a waste.

Tri Tri Again

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OK, so the plan is not going to work. I am just going to write what I want, when I want and try to make it regular.

So here’s the story. Last fall I ran the BAA Half Marathon. There are posts about that journey. And while it was life altering, I didn’t do it right. I didn’t take heed about the cross training (and strength training). I think I ultimately lost muscle mass. So rather than becoming fitter, I did a huge thing, then nothing.

So this year I thought it would be good to train for a triathlon. Cross training, blah blah blah. I figured I could ride a bike. And swim. And I’d learned how to run. So I joined BostonFit (a great support system), bought a bike and set forth. And I have been humbled. Supported, but humbled. I got my bike fit, and realized that I had to relearn how to ride a bike. I swam, but can’t swim far without reverting to a backstroke. And I realized I have bad form.

Ironically, I am slow at the running, but that is going well.

So the last few days (beginning of July, the tri I’ve signed up for is Aug 28) has been a regroup. I could bow out, keep on with the fitness quest. Or I could crank it up a notch. I decided to crank it up. Which meant:

  • Download THE SLOW FAT TRIATHLETE on my Kindle, and reread it. It is by Jayne Williams (who also blogs) and makes the whole process seem doable.
  • Sign up for a Master’s Class at the Y for swimming. This is a class for people who want to get better at swimming. Hopefully it will help me break through this hurdle. I start tomorrow.
  • Ride my bike to work. I got a space there, and bought a pannier for my bike. I psyched myself up this AM, and then the pannier didn’t fit right. So I transferred everything to my knapsack, then rode around the parking lot a couple of times to make sure I wouldn’t fall over. I got there, sweaty and disgusting, but I got there. Problem was, I had to ride home. Close to rush hour. I ended up walking the bike to the esplanade, cursing the whole thing. But then, the esplanade. I rode for a few miles, then over the Mass Ave bridge to home.

What did I learn? That I am stubborn. The whole bike bag thing would have derailed others. That I should wear bike shorts every time. And, in a related topic, that I have to learn to anticipate bumps and stand up. (ow)

The Plan

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So much whirring around in my brain. The perfect recipe for blogging, right?

Well yes. And no. Because the whirring is about a lot of different things. But I need structure. For potential readers. And for myself. To help frame conversations. And to help create deadlines.

So here’s the plan. I blog three times a week on the following topics:

Mondays: Mysteries. Writing and reading. And everything in between.

Wednesdays: Adult onset athleticism. For some reason, after avoiding athletic pursuits for 40 plus years with great success, I have decided to try and find my inner athlete. This summer it is Triathlon training. Which means learning how to ride a bike again, realizing that competitive swimming is not the same as floating at the beach and running. Or jogging. So on Wednesdays I will check in on how it is going.

Fridays: Theatre. Shows. The business. What’s happening, and what I think about it. Theatre is my profession. It is also the background of the mystery I am writing. It is also a passion. I love it. And think the world is a better place because of it. So Friday its about theatre. And maybe other performing arts.

I may have other posts during the week, but these three are it for now.

Sound like a plan?

The End of the Season

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Thursday marked the end of my theatre going season. Well, not really. I would like to see ASP’s Timon of Athens. And there is the Gloucester Stage Company summer season to look forward to.  But all of my subscriptions have run out for this season.

Happily, the last show I saw was Speakeasy Stage Company‘s fun The Great American Trailer Park Musical, which has been extended through June 5. Such fun.

I also saw ART‘s Johnny Baseball. I saw the third performance of a world premiere, so it was still rough. That said, the ART is doing a great job at creating a baseball feel around the show (Scott Sinclair has a great blog post about this), and I plan to go  back in June and see what changes are made.

I will say it it best that the season is over. There was a woman texting at Johnny Baseball, and had a been on an aisle I would have persuaded her to stop. Likely by ripping the phone from her hand and stomping on it.

Will catch up with my thoughts on the season later, but suffice it to say, it was a good one.