PLEASE NOTE: TODAY’S PRIZE AND TOMORROW’S PRIZE ARE BOTH, AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED, GRAND PRIZES. THEREFORE, THE DRAWINGS ARE OPEN TO EVERYONE, INCLUDING THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY WON TWICE!
I have many failures as a mother. More than I thought I would before I had a child, actually. I am not very organized. I forget lots of stuff. I could be very impatient with my kids when they were toddlers and preschoolers and I didn’t really how very small they were compared to my expectations. I am not the best cook or housekeeper, and I really, really hate driving around everywhere.
Also, I don’t like manga.
This is manga. One of a zillion.
Ok, it’s not like I actively dislike manga, I’m just not into it. I really can only handle one obsession at a time, and I am pretty sure we know which one I’ve chosen.
My daughter, on the other hand, adores manga. She adores Attack on Titan, Fairy Tale, Ame and Yuki, and a whole host of others. It’s shaping her classwork, and her future plans. It is an important part of her universe, and she wants to share it with me, her mother.
But when she comes up to show me something, or tell me something else, I become, well, this man….
(Jabez Wilson of “The Red-headed League.” Definitely one of the dumbest of Holmes’ clients.
It all sounds like very fast talking, and I nod stupidly and say “uh-huh” a lot. I know I am not getting it right.
I’ve done it to people myself. A few years ago, we were in our hometown, and decided to attend services at the church we grew up in. I started talking to a man who was one of my parents’ friends, and said something about Sherlock Holmes. He said, “I like Sherlock Holmes,” and I was off to the races. I could see his eyes glaze over, his attention wander, his feet shuffle as he longed to escape, but I Could. Not. Stop. It was embarrassing. Now, when people say they like Holmes, I just nod and smile.
Yes, I like Sherlock Holmes. Look! A cake!
Fortunately for my daughter, there’s an anime group at the library. They meet to watch films, discuss their favorite manga, and generally geek out with each other over snacks. She is always so excited when I pick her up. So very happy and enthusiastic. It’s so very important to be with your “tribe” sometimes.
I know I say this all the time, but I am a mom, and we moms repeat ourselves, but–if you love Sherlock Holmes–in any form–and you feel like you’re all alone out there, afraid to share your mania because you’ve seen them nod and hear them say, “uh-huh” far too many times–if this is you–do yourself a huge favor and seek out a scion society in your area, or online. Every time I go to a meeting of the Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis, a conference like A Scintillation of Scions, or talk on the phone with a Sherlockian friend, I come away feeling like I’ve just had a shot in the arm…NO, NOT THAT!…and life–all of it–seems that much brighter. No matter what you love about Sherlock Holmes, I promise you, someone else there shares it, and is waiting for the chance to find someone else to share it with. Here’s a link to get you started: http://www.sherlockian.net/societies/
Perhaps young Dr. Percy Trevelyan might have done better for himself if he’d found his tribe–new physicians, just starting out, and some older ones, who’d made some mistakes and learned from them. Perhaps then he would not have fallen for a situation that was, in the end, too good to be true. You can read about it here, in Harper’s Weekly, August 12, 1893:
It starts on page 761:
It comes from the library of the Mechanics Association in Lowell, Massachusetts, but you won’t need to return it…..
…provided you identify this quote and win the drawing:
‘All is well that ends well,’ said Holmes. ‘But I certainly did not know that the Aurora was such a clipper.’
As always, send in your answers via blog comment, Facebook PM, or Twitter DM. Again, everyone is eligible to participate, including previous winners!
The Well-Read Sherlockian 