Open the Pod Bay Doors

August 7, 2026 ~ gigicatchesair ~ Leave a comment

Good afternoon. Gigi the Parti poodle here to introduce this week’s blog. Bernard D. Bunny pulled the van up to Chrispin’s abode, which was essentially the wooded area by the curb of the cul de sac where the van was parked before.

He calmly strolled up to the passenger’s side of the van where I was sitting. As he approached, I cautiously rolled down the window. He sat on his haunches and asked, “Where are the catnappers?”

“In the van”, I barked.

“You going to open the door?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Perhaps.” I turned to Bernard and said, “Crispin wants us to open the door.”

“Not a chance,” Bernard said. “He’s a bloodthirsty predator.”

“Which is why we drove the catnappers here to be delt with.”

“How are we going to get the catnappers out of the van if we don’t open the door?”

“A fair question.”

Bernard pointed his paw forward. “We could tell Crispin to stand way over there at the edge of the cul de sac and then we could have Charlotte and Ruffles slide open the side door, push the catnappers out and then slam the door back shut.”

“Good idea. Let me tell Charlotte and Ruffles the plan.” I hurried back to Charlotte and whispered the idea to her.

“I will be ready when you are,” she said.

Then I hopped over to Ruffles and told him the plan as well. “I can do that,” he said. “I can do that.”

“Fantastic,” I said and then hurried back to Bernard. “Let’s tell Crispin to move back to the edge of the cul de sac and we’ll open the door and roll them out and shut the door.”

“What are you doing?” the woman in the olive raincoat said.

“We’ve taken you back to where you started,” I said.

“This isn’t the parking lot.”

I ignored her and ran back to the passenger seat. “Crispin?”

“Yes,” Crispin said.

“I need you to go over to the opposite side of the cul de sac and we’ll open the door and roll them out.”

“Why should I do that?”

“You’re a blood thirsty predator.”

“I take offence to that.”

“I apologize but you need to see it from our point of view.”

He shrugged, lifted his paw and studied his claws. “Where’s my toy?”

“Don’t worry, I have your toy. My novelist got me a new one and I will bring it to you. And just remember, we don’t want you to attack we just want you to terrify.”

“Terrifying is my thing.”

“Great.”

“Which stuffed toy is it?”

“What?”

“Which stuffed toy is it?”

“A leopard.”

“Awesome.”

Crispin rose and began walking over to the other side of the cul de sac when a pair of headlights pulled in behind the van. Bernard looked in the rearview mirror and motioned for me to come back to the front. “It’s the man with the shaved head and tattoos,” he told me.

I looked up in the rearview mirror. The man turned off his headlights and started to dismount the garish orange Hummer. “Our plan remains the same. Let’s do it.”

“What about Crispin? He can’t take on all three of them.”

“I thought you said he was a blood thirsty predator.”

“He is but he’s still on our side.”

“You have a point. Let’s stick with the plan but not leave. If Crispin needs help, we still have the van.”

“Can’t the man just hop back in the Hummer and mow us over?”

“Belle, I have a job for you.”

“Okay,” Belle said meekly.

“I want you to hop up here on the dash and watch the man with the shaved head and tattoos. If he heads back to the Hummer, I need you to jump on the horn.”

“I can do that.”

“Good. Now we have an alarm system. Bernard, get ready.”

“Okay,” Bernard said.

“Charlotte, Ruffles, open the Pod Bay doors!”

Until next week, I bid you adieu.

MY BOOKS

You can check out my books Chicane and all five installments of the Musicology book series Musicology: Volume One, Baby!, Musicology: Volume Two, Kid!, Musicology: Volume Three, Twist!, Musicology: Volume Four, Sweetie! and Musicology: The Epiquad on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback editions. You can also check out Musicology’s web site at www.musicologyrocks.com and vote for who you think will win Musicology!

STREAM OF THE WEEK: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966)-AMAZON PRIME, PLUTO, ROKU, TUBI

It’s hard to believe that one of the greatest westerns ever made was not nominated for a single Oscar. To be fair, it was a tough year with In the Heat of the Night, Bonnie and Clyde, The Graduate, Cool Hand Luke and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner all nominated in the same year. Yet, there was still plenty of room for this incredible never a dull moment classic to take its place at the table.

If you ask your parents, or maybe grandparents, they will tell you before video, DVD, Tivo, and the Internet, every May for five days straight was Clint Eastwood Week. This meant every night, Monday thru Friday at 8:00 pm sharp you needed to be in your chair in front of the television ready to watch one of five great films starring a thirtysomething man who would become a movie star, composer, and four-time Oscar winner twice for director and twice for producer. And the zenith of all the cinema for that short run was this timeless western classic about three anti-heroes in search of buried gold.

The film was directed by the incredibly talented Sergio Leoni who is the mind behind the first two films about the Man with No Name. The story takes place during the Civil War where two outlaw drifters run a scam to collect bounty money. Tuco (Eli Wallach who should have been nominated for an Oscar for his landmark performance) is wanted…for a lot of crimes: murder, armed robbery, theft of sacred objects, kidnapping, rape, statutory rape, counterfeiting and passing counterfeit money, bigamy, desertion, inciting prostitution, receiving and selling stolen goods, using marked cards and loaded dice, highway robbery, cattle rustling, derailing a train to rob passengers, hiring himself out as a wagon train guide and deserting, misrepresenting himself as a Mexican general, intention to sell fugitive slaves, illegal postal pickup, assaulting a Justice of the Peace, and vandalism and arson in places of high authority.

Tuco (the ugly) is captured by the Man with No Name (the good) which Tuco refers to as Blondie (Clint Eastwood in his iconic role) and drug into the nearest town. The town then pays Blondie the bounty, and Tuco is put on a horse with his hands tied behind his back and a noose around his neck. When they are about to set the horse free, Blondie, an excellent marksman, shoots the rope sending the horse running with Tuco free on its back. These two have been pulling this con for a while.

In the meantime, a man dressed all in black (the bad) named Sentenza aka Angel Eyes (played with gleeful villainy by Lee Van Cleef), a gun for hire, hunts down a man family man named Stevens (Antonio Casas). Stevens, a former Confederate soldier knows the whereabouts of a man named Bill Carson (Antonio Casale) who knows where $200,000 is hidden. As Angel Eyes hunts for Bill Carson, Tuco and Blondie find themselves at odds with each other and in a moment of sheer luck stumble into knowledge about where the $200,000 might be.

Calling Crispin

July 30, 2026 ~ gigicatchesair ~ Leave a comment

Good afternoon. It is I Gigi the parti poodle here to introduce this week’s blog. Bernard D. Bunny drove the van out of the restaurant parking lot with his little sister Belle working the peddles. Ruffles had the woman in the silk camo dress pinned down to the floor while Charlotte had the woman in the olive trench coat pinned down to the floor as well. The cats circled all around our vile villain to make sure she did not get up any time soon.

“Who is Crispin?” the woman in the silk camo dress demanded.

“You will find out soon enough,” I barked at her.

Bernard flew around the corner, over the bridge, and plowed down the hill with Belle working the peddles. “We could use a little help,” he said.

I turned and told Bruiser the Jack Russell Terrier to help Belle with the peddles.

Bruiser leaped over and took over on the break as Belle continued to man the gas pedal.

The woman in the olive trench coat attempted to get up and all the cats leaned in and hissed at her like cobras. The woman relented but shouted, “We have a right to know who Crispin is!”

Demeter had a right to walk down the sidewalk of her neighborhood without getting kidnapped by a black market catnapper too, I shouted back. Shut your mouth and do not yell at me again!

“Poodles,” she said. “The vilest of all dog breeds.” The twin dachshunds hurried over and began licking her face. “Stop that! Stop that I say!”

I took out my cellphone and dialed 411. “Information,” the woman on the other end said.

I need the number for Crispin Z. Coyote.

“Just a moment, please.”

“Crispin has a cell phone?” Madeline the British Shorthair asked.

Doesn’t everyone?

“My owner won’t let me have one. She’s afraid I’ll become a screen addict.”

“I have the number for you,” Information said over the telephone. She told me the number and I dialed Crispin.

“Who is this?” Crispin answered with a snarl.

This is Gigi the parti poodle.

“Who?”

The toy poodle from earlier this evening. The one in the van.

“I didn’t think we’d cross paths again so soon, curly.”

Be that as it may, I have a couple of catnappers who need a comeuppance.

“What’s it to me?”

You are one of the animals in the neighborhood. This concerns you too.

“Uh…no. I’m a wild animal, see. A loaner to boot. I’m not some pampered indoor pet.”

Neither are Bernard D. Bunny and his little sister Belle.

“Who?”

The rabbits you were chasing when you came across our van.

“Oh yeah, them. So, what?”

They are driving the van as we speak.

“Why?”

We have the catnappers in custody.

“In custody?”

Yes. And we want you to reprimand them.

“Why don’t you just call the police?”

We believe this matter should be handled by those of the resident animal kingdom.

“You never included me before in your resident animal kingdom. Why should I help you now?”

In exchange for your efforts, you will receive a proper bath.

“A…bath?”

Yes.

“I’m listening.”

A bath and…a chewy toy.

“A chewy toy. I wouldn’t mind a chewy toy.”

We will see you in fifteen minutes.

“I always wanted a chewy toy.”

Until next week, dear readers. I bid you adieu.

MY BOOKS

**STREAM OF THE WEEK: PROJECT HAIL MARY (2026)-AMAZON PRIME**

The biggest head scratcher about this week’s pick is that it wasn’t released in the fall. Clearly, this is an Oscar contender for several categories including Best Picture. Clearly the script, the performances, the direction, the cinematography, the sets, the editing, and the fantastic special effects are all tip top. It has an 8.2 at IMDB and a 95% positive at Rotten Tomatoes. The Martian, from the same novelist, was released on October 2, 2015, and frankly, I thought this was a better film. I saw it on streaming and can’t imagine how fantastic it must have looked on the big screen. So, it is a bit of a conundrum as to why this movie was released on March 20th. That isn’t even a summer blockbuster release date. What were they thinking? Seriously, what were they thinking? Hollywood never fails to baffle me with their inability to tell brilliant from mediocre and their constant barrage of peculiar decisions.

That said, if you haven’t guessed already, this is an excellent sci-fi film. And coming in at two hours and thirty-six minutes it never has a dull moment. It’s at once charming, heartbreaking entertaining, intelligent, and tense. It was masterfully co-directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, with a great script by Drew Goddard from the book of the same name by sci-fi darling Andy Weir, cinematography by Greig Fraser, editing by Joel Negron, and production design by Charles Wood.

The story is about Ryland Grace (brilliantly played by Ryan Gossling), a middle school teacher who was once a brilliant molecular biologist. His paper on speculative astrobiology has caught the attention of Eva Stratt (well-played by Sandra Hüller) who heads up the Petrova Taskforce. It has been discovered that there is a “Petrova line” or rather a line from the Sun to Venus which is filled with infrared light called “astrophage” which is essentially destroying the Sun. This will cause a massive world-wide cooling of the Earth within thirty years. In fact, the same situation is happening to all the nearby solar systems to earth…save one. A place called the Tau Ceti system. Eva enlists Ryland to work on the team of scientists who will send a small group of astronauts to the Tau Ceti system to figure out why this is the only one that is immune. Unfortunately, it is a suicide mission in that Earth will only have enough fuel to send them out and only enough fuel for their messages to return.

Ryland is only supposed to assist the other scientists in the planning of the mission. But when an unexpected event leaves key members of the crew dead, Stratt decides Ryland is the only one left who can take their place. Ryland wakes up out of a coma to find he is the only one who survived out of the three people on board the ship and is left on his own to try and save Earth…that is until he comes across an unexpected alien named Rocky (wonderfully voiced by James Ortiz).

Gigi’s Seasonal Post: Back to School Preview Part 3

July 28, 2026 ~ gigicatchesair ~ Leave a comment

Usually, Gigi and I only post on Thursdays. But we have started doing an Annual Back to School shopping post in July which we have touched on in the past couple of years. First, a few things:

We believe financial literacy should be taught in schools so that everyone can make the best decisions on their purchases and investments.

We are not influencers. We are writers.

We do not receive money or any other compensation for our selections.

We ourselves have purchased mulitple items from the establishments we list.

We see the value in purchasing quality clothes and accessories that will last and not fall apart and are made of natural materials with a few occasional non-natural exceptions.

We hate seeing students getting ripped off.

We believe in getting the best possible deal for the best possible items.

For this special post Gigi and I wanted to feature another sale we think is one of the best summer sales and that is the James Avery Free Bracelet Sale. James Avery is out of Texas, and they make excellent high quality sterling silver and gold charms, bracelets, anklets, earrings and rings in their studios in Texas in the USA. The craftsman ship is top notch. I would put them just one tier below Tiffany’s in quality. They are really that good. Once a year they run a promotion where you purchase two of their charms and get a Free Charm Bracelet. You can also choose a Free Charm Ring or a Free Charm Holder Necklace or a Free Anklet and this year they also have a chain necklace. You can choose to have them attach the charms to the bracelet, ring, charm holder etc. of the choices they provide or purchase the bracelet, ring, charm holder, etc. unattached. There is no extra charge for them attaching the charm. I will say many of the bracelets look fantastic on their own. I really like wearing them. They are amongst my favorite bracelets I own.

Some of the jewelry is very Texas centric while most of it is not. They have charms from categories like hearts, crosses, animals, flowers, initials, sports, school, nature, professions, art glass, travel, nature, and enameled charms. All their charms are either solid sterling silver or solid gold. Some have bronze work on them. All their jewelry is incredibly sturdy and built to last a lifetime and the rings on the charms are shouldered so they do not fall off.

I have been purchasing jewelry from them for several years now and I have never, disappointed. The price of the charms correlates with the size and the type of metal. If you want a piece of jewelry that will quite literally last a lifetime and you have been saving up for something special for going back to school, I strongly recommend their pieces. Although Gigi is still hoping for them to make a poodle charm. They do make other dog charms, just no poodles. The sale is going on now until Monday, August 3^rd. We will keep you posted for a couple more back to school sales we think are frugal and worth the money soon.

Places, Everyone! Places!

July 23, 2026 ~ gigicatchesair ~ Leave a comment

Good afternoon. It is I Gigi the parti poodle here to introduce this week’s…alright, places everyone! Places!

“I can’t remember where I was last time. I can’t remember where I was.”

Calm down, Ruffles. You had just knocked the woman in the silk camo dress to the floor and commenced to stand on top of her as the cats surrounded her and growled.

“Oh, yes. That’s right. Yes, that’s right.”

“I have no intention of being knocked to the floor again. I’ll just lie down on the van floor.”

That works just fine, woman in the camo dress. Alright, Charlotte. Are you ready?

“Just a second. I need to get into character.”

“You’ve had two weeks to get back into character.”

“Oh, do shut up would you, Bruiser.”

“Just because you studied method acting, Charlotte, it doesn’t give you the right to judge the rest of us.”

“Can we just get this over with, little dog? I came out of retirement to play this part.”

“Tell me, woman in the olive trench coat, were you a method actor?”

“What’s your name again, little dog?”

“Bruiser.”

“Well, Bruiser, I’ve studied several types of acting methods: the Stanislavsky System, the Meisner Technique, the Adler Technique, the Chekhov Technique, and practical techniques from David Mammet and William H. Macy.”

“I suppose you think that makes you special.”

“Yes, actually, I do.”

“Gigi, what do you mean by “the cats surrounded her and growled”? I find that vague. I feel like I need better motivation here.”

It means exactly what it says, Demeter. You, your sister Artemis, Madeline, and Edison surround the woman in the olive trench coat who is trying to buy cats on the black market. Together you want to show her you are mad, and you mean business.

“There are many ways a cat can convey that they mean business. We can flatten our ears, we can puff our tails, we can flick or thump our tails on the ground. I feel we need a bit more direction here.”

“I agree with my sister, Demeter. We have other options here.”

Alright, Artemis. Fine. You can growl, hiss, and do all those things. Whatever feels natural to you.

“I want to say for the record I was already flattening my ears when I growled.”

Thank you for your fortitude, Madeline. If you’re growling as well as flattening your ears or any other cat gestures, I am fine with it.

“What if I decide I want to reach out and scratch the woman in the olive trench coat?”

That is not an acceptable motivation, Edison. You might end up scratching Charlotte instead.

“I refuse to get scratched. If you scratch me…”

No one is going to scratch you, Charlotte. That’s why we’ve done all the blocking.

“Gigi, why don’t I have any lines?”

I’m sorry, Belle. I will look over the script and see if I can write a couple of lines for you.

“Thank you, Gigi. I appreciate you looking out for my little sister.”

You’re welcome, Bernard. Are we all ready now?

“Yes!”

Fantastic, we’ll take it from here next week. And to you, dear reader, I bid you adieu.

MY BOOKS

**STREAM OF THE WEEK: BLOW OUT (1981)-TUBI & ROKU CHANNEL**

This week’s feature is a fantastic neo-noir mystery thriller film from Brian DePalma who wrote the script with Bill Mesce Jr. The movie is based on the 1966 French film classic Blow Up directed and co-written by Michelangelo Antonioni which was based on the short story “Las babas del diablo” by Julio Florencio Cortázar. The title essentially means “the devil’s drool”. The short story is about an amateur photographer who believes he has taken a photo of a sinister act between a middle-aged female prostitute and a teenaged boy. Blow Out was praised for DePalma’s imaginative direction, Vilmos Zsigmond’s fantastic cinematography and John Travolta and Nancy Allen’s excellent performances.

Jack Terry (John Travolta) is a sound technician for low budget slasher films. His most recent outing is called Co-Ed Frenzy in which a knife wielding psychopath is stalking a house of college girls. When he reaches the naked girl in the shower, the actress’s scream is less than convincing. Jack’s longtime business partner, producer Sam (Peter Boyden) asks Jack to find an actress who can scream convincingly and to go out and record better sounds of ominous wind.

Jack packs up his equipment and heads out to a nearby park at night. He stands on a bridge and begins filming the wind. He also hears a couple on a second bridge below, a frog croaking, and an owl hooting. As he is recording a car comes barreling down the road below. Suddenly, Jack hears a bang and then the car drives off the road and into the lake. He sets down his equipment and hurries down to the lake as a man under the bridge named Manny Karp (Denni Franz) runs away. Jack dives into the lake where he finds the car. The driver, a man in a suit is dead, but in the driver’s seat a young woman named Sally Bedina (Nancy Allen) is still alive. Jack rescues Sally and takes her to the emergency room. He is surprised when the dead man in the car turns out to be presidential hopeful, Governor George McRyan.

As the press storms the hospital, Jack is first interviewed by Detective Mackey (John Aquino). Jack says he heard a bang before the car went off the bridge as opposed to a blow out of a car tire. Jack is then approached by Lawrence Henry (John McMartin), an associate of McRyan. Henry explains that Sally was an escort for the deceased governor and the governor was a family man. He tells Jack to get himself and Sally out of the hospital to avoid the deceased governor’s family public embarrassment. Suspecting foul play, Jack returns to his studio and studies the audio tapes he made of that night, slowly realizing that the situation is more sinister than he imagined.

In the meantime, the city finds itself in another crisis involving a serial killer named the Liberty Bell Strangler (John Lithgow) who has been murdering young women around town.

The Big Sale

July 17, 2026 ~ gigicatchesair ~ Leave a comment

Good afternoon. It is I Gigi the parti poodle here to introduce this week’s blog. As you may know from last week, my novelist has decided to have us take a short hiatus from my story. I am most disappointed. But one cannot stop the wave of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, which is a rather big deal here in the Pacific Northwest. She has promised me we will return to our story next week. Until then, despite my protestations, she has resolved to have us discuss this sale.

Good morning, I am Gigi’s novelist. Before we begin, Gigi and I want to tell you the following:

We are not influencers. We are writers.
We do not receive money or any other compensation for our selections.
We ourselves have purchased multiple items from the establishments we list.
We see the value in purchasing quality clothes and accessories that will last and not fall apart and are made of natural materials with a few occasional non-natural exceptions.
We hate seeing students getting ripped off.
We believe in getting the best possible deal for the best possible items.
We believe financial literacy should be taught in schools so that everyone can make the best decisions on their purchases and investments.

That said, Gigi and I have been attending the anniversary sale for some years now and it is a big northwest tradition. This is quite a year because it is their 125^th anniversary. As we are not influencers, but rather veterans of this sale, we would like to provide a few good tips should you wish to pick up some items for going back to school.

Nordstrom’s sterling silver cubic zirconia stud earrings.

If you are looking for a good basic stud earring, they have these at the sale regularly. They are made of solid sterling silver, and the cubic zirconia is excellent. They come in both gold over sterling and platinum over sterling with the gold being good for spring and autumn pallets, the silver for summer palettes and Winter palettes can generally wear both. TIP: The 1ct is the best size. It is the one that looks most like a diamond. If you want something more petite, you can get the .25 ct. If you want them slightly bigger, go up to the 2ct. We do not recommend purchasing the larger sizes. Although they are still sparkly, they are not as realistic looking. Also, throughout the year, Nordstrom will put other Nordstrom sterling silver cubic zirconia styles on sale sometimes for a great price, so if you find you like these, watch for other sales on occasion. These pieces include not only earrings but rings, bracelets, and necklaces.

Nordstrom’s bath towels are excellent.

If you like big fluffy towels that hold up well over time, these are a great buy. Great to add to your heading off to college list. TIP: Purchase the lighter colors. The darker colors can get bleach marks on them that you won’t like. But the lighter colors such as Grey Vapor, Beige Oatmeal, and White do not tend to do that.

Avoid the sale’s fast fashion brands.

Nordstroms sells a lot of good brands, including their in-house labels such as Nordstrom (signature brand). But it also sells fast fashion brands such as Free People, Topshop, H&M, ASTR The Label, Steve Madden (clothing & shoes), River Island, Sanctuary, Socialite, Love, Fire, O’Neill (clothing), Vero Moda, Leith (Nordstrom brand), and BP. (Nordstrom’s in-house junior line). Their in-house brand Halogen is not fully fast fashion, but some pieces are, which are often the ones made of synthetics.

Some better brands are Madewell, Treasure & Bond, Caslon, 1901, French Connection, CeCe, Pistola (denim is decent; knits vary), and Faherty (higher quality, not fast fashion — but expensive for the durability).

The ones that are not fast fashion at all are Ralph Lauren, Theory, Vince, Eileen Fisher, AllSaints (not fast fashion; quality varies but not disposable), Boss, Club Monaco, Lafayette 148, Reiss, Hobbs, L.L. Bean, and Barefoot Dreams (not fast fashion; longevity varies).

And yes, the price tends to go up with the quality. So, budget for what you really want in the better and higher brands and purchase them on sale at a price you can afford.

I will also mention Quince (not carried at Nordstrom, but good quality). If you cannot find what you are looking for at the Anniversary Sale, I do recommend Quince. They have free shipping and 365-day returns. And yes, Gigi and I have purchased from them before, and they do live up to their positive reputation.

Check the label on every piece of clothing you purchase.

Gigi and I were stunned when we found out a lot of shoppers out there do not check to see what a piece of clothing is made of. So, unless you have an allergy or need to wear synthetic fabrics for work, sports, or other activities, it is wisest to purchase natural fabrics. They last longer and look better. A little bit of spandex or spandex type materiel mixed with say cotton is okay like 95% cotton 5% spandex. But in general look for fabrics and yarns which are made of merino wool, lambswool, cashmere, cotton, alpaca, linen, Tencel / Lyocell, high-quality modal, organic cotton blends, and hemp. I might add traditional cashmere is better than brushed cashmere. The brushed variant may cost more but the traditional holds up better. Brushing cashmere is an attempt to mimic angora which is naturally fluffy looking. Brushing cashmere tends to weaken the yarn and makes the cashmere more delicate.

Unfortunately, there are very few mohair and angora pieces out there these days because the angora rabbits, angora goats, and mohair goats were not treated humanely. This has caused a huge problem. Mohair and angora are simply wools just like sheep wool and cashmere wool. They are very soft and durable yarns that when made right last for years, not a season or two. Bunnies and goats need to be treated humanely so they can love us back and we can hopefully have these sturdy beautiful yarns available again. But because of issues in the clothing chain, and pure unadulterated greed, people now instead end up wearing “clothing” made from the same type of garbage you fill your car up with at the gas station. Things like polyester, nylon, acrylic, Spandex-heavy blends (over 10–12%), and Polyamide, are bad for your health and the environment. Athleisure clothes are not your friend, whether they have been made from recycled variants or not. If you don’t need them for a specific purpose, do not buy them.

TIP: The lighter the colors, the less toxic the dyes tend to be. White and pastels are the least toxic while red (especially yellow based red), bright orange, bright yellow, and black are the most toxic.

Know what colors and styles look best on you. Consider using AI to help you choose.

Not colors and styles that look good on an influencer, not colors and styles that look good on your best friend, but colors and styles that suit you. Not everyone has the same shape or seasonal palette. AI is relatively good at helping you figure out what suits you best after it gets to know you. It is not perfect, but it is decent. It is relatively good at helping you figure out what is the right size, style and color. So, after you get acquainted with it and it helps you figure out your palette, if you see a piece of clothing you like, copy and paste the link and the picture of the item into AI. Ask it if the article suits you and you’ll often get good advice. TIP: When you use AI, no matter what information you are trying to get from it, treat it kindly and politely. Research shows that being mindful of your manners and saying please and thank you to AI gives you 30% more accurate results.

I also recommend the book Color Me Beautiful by Carole Jackson to help you get started on figuring out which palette is right for you. The different palettes within each season have become more specialized and varied since the book came out, but the basic concept remains the same. I personally do not advocate going out and paying a lot of money for private color typing consultations. If that’s what you want to do, that’s your prerogative. But be aware it’s going to be expensive.

Create a Wishlist on the site.

There are a lot of wonderful items at the sale. But one must always pick and choose wisely. It is a good idea to create a wish list on the site or on your own so that you can evaluate what you will wear or use so you don’t overspend. Gigi and I do this every year. We cast a wide net and narrow it down to the essence. If you find you have purchased something that is the wrong size, not the color you hoped for, or is just plain wrong, return it in the condition you received it in. If possible, factory sealed. Remember someone else is going to purchase that item. Return it to Nordstrom in the same condition you would have liked to have received it. TIP: If you live near enough to a Nordstrom store (not The Rack) go to the store and try on the items you purchased so if you decide they are not for you, you can return the items you bought sealed in the factory packaging.

Be aware that some items are Nordstrom Marketplace

If you see these words at the bottom of an item’s description, usually below where it says, “Shipping & returns”, they are part of Nordstrom’s Nordstrom Marketplace and have a different return policy:

“This item has a different return policy. Items sold and shipped by (brand name) can be returned by mail or to a Nordstrom store within 90 days of when the item shipped and must be in new condition, with tags attached.”

These items cannot be returned to The Rack. They must be mailed back or returned to a Nordstrom store. Most of them come straight from the original company, which is good, but if you decide you want to return them, you must return said item or items within 90 days of purchase or they are non-refundable. And there are no exceptions. It is not bad to purchase a few, I have purchased a few, just be aware of the return policy, get a good price on whatever you buy, and make sure you really, really want to keep them.

Check out the sale items which are not Anniversary Sale items

A lot of these are worth looking at and sometimes you can find a few great buys in all categories that are discounted, often more discounted than the Anniversary Sale items. The one difference is the Anniversary Sale items are brand new to the store whether they be a new style, a new color in an already existing style or a brand-new item altogether. The Anniversary Sale items are more likely to be delivered to you straight from their warehouse in factory packaging. That doesn’t necessarily mean the non-anniversary sale items will not, but it doesn’t mean they will either. That said, Gigi and I often find a few things in this area that are well worth the buy, and we do recommend you consider perusing what they have.

MY BOOKS

**STREAM OF THE WEEK: ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)-TUBI**

I have been spending time trying to find gems on Tubi because it is a streaming service that most anyone can watch for free. And there are some great finds in there which I will post here and there over the coming weeks. This week, I thought I would feature a must-see four-star film for anyone who considers themselves a cinephile.

Though a fictional story, the film is based on “Crime on the Waterfront,” a 24‑article investigative series written by journalist Malcolm Johnson. These articles were originally published in The New York Sun in 1948–49 and later won the Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting.

The story is about Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando in a superb Oscar winning performance), once a boxing contender who, after throwing a fight at the request of his brother Charley Malloy (Rod-Steiger in an Oscar nominated performance), is stuck working as a long shoreman in New York City. Charley is a lawyer and long-time employee of mobster Johny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb in a wicked Oscar nominated performance). The mob runs the unions for the long shoreman in New York and Johny is in charge. Terry inadvertently helps Friendly’s mols throw a young man named Charlie Doyle off a rooftop. Charlie courageously stood up against the mob by informing the police about their illegal union practices and ended up paying the ultimate price.

Shortly after, Terry meets Doyle’s sister Edie Doyle (Eva Marie Saint who won Best Supporting Actress for her role) who attends private college and is home for the holidays. She is determined to get justice for the death of her brother. She finds support in the form of Father Barry (Karl Malden in an Oscar nominated performance) who provides his church as a meeting place for those who want to band together against the unfair labor practices of the crooked union. As Terry gets closer to Edie, he hides his involvement in her brother’s death. His conscience begins to eat at him, and he finds himself caught in the crossfire between the way things stand and the way things should be.

The movie was nominated for twelve Oscars and won eight including Best Director for Elia Kazan, Best Writing, Story and Screenplay for Budd Schulberg, Best Cinematography Black-and-White for Boris Kaufman, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White for Richard Day, Best Film Editing for Gene Milford, and Best Picture.

Why Is There No Story?

July 9, 2026 ~ gigicatchesair ~ Leave a comment

Good afternoon. It is I Gigi the parti poodle here to introduce this week’s blog.

“What is going on?”

What do you mean, what is going on, Ruffles?

“What I mean is we are supposed to be continuing our story. I am supposed to be pinning down the woman in the silk camo dress in the van, but there is no story. Why is there no story?”

Allow me to explain—

“And I am supposed to be pinning down the woman in the olive trench coat. Now suddenly there is no set. There is no van.”

Yes, Charlotte, I know you are supposed to be pinning down the woman in the olive trench coat. And thank you for your bravery. But the situation is—

“I’m perplexed. I was kidnapped by these horrible catnappers, finally reunited with my sister Artemis, and now…poof! Nothing. No story, no van. No humans.”

I understand your concern, Demeter. And might I add it is lovely to have you in the story now. I cannot begin to imagine the terror you have been through, however—

“Demeter is right. Suddenly, everything is wonky. Everything is off. She and I are finally reunited and now there is no story. I am utterly perplexed.”

I am sympathetic to your situation, Artemus. You have been through quite an ordeal with your dear sister having been missing for so long. It’s just—

“Who’s running the show here? We were on a mission. We were in a quest. Now we’re all just standing around. I’m a cat. I’m a Manx. I was not born to just stand around.”

No one is asking you to stand around, Edison. I am merely trying to explain the circumstances. Now, the situation is—

“I agree with Edison. We are all Felis catus and Canis lupis familiaris standing around without a story.”

Yes, Madeline, I know we are without a story, but I need you, and everyone else, to understand what is going on here.

“What is going on here? What is going on here!”

“Will someone put a muzzle on those twin dachshunds?”

Enough! I have had enough! Everyone needs to zip their traps! Bernard, will you please help me explain what is going on here?

“Certainly. What Gigi has been trying to explain is that the Nordstrom Anniversary catalogue dropped this week.”

“What? That’s this week?”

“Yes, Bruiser. The Nordstrom Anniversary catalogue just dropped this week, and Gigi’s novelist did not help Gigi write a chapter for this week.

“The nerve of that so called writer!”

“Yes, Charlotte, I know. I understand how you feel. But we must all be patient until Gigi’s novelist has finalized all her favorite sale items in her wish list and then she will help Gigi write another chapter of our story.”

“It’s maddening, I tell you. Absolutely maddening.”

“Not to mention highly unprofessional.”

I know you are disappointed, Edison. I know you are all disappointed. But I can assure you my novelist and I will have a new chapter up soon. The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Fever simply must break and all will be well again. Thank you, Bernard, for helping to explain that. And thank you, Belle, for the visuals.

“I simply do not know what I would have done without the PowerPoint presentation to go along with this.”

Yes, Bruiser, I know. And as for you dear readers, a new chapter is on the horizon. Until next time, I bid you adieu.

MY BOOKS

**STREAM OF THE WEEK: WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1957)-TUBI**

Every so often I like to search through the selections on Tubi which has a wonderful collection of classic movies. So, for the next couple of weeks I am going to pick a few from here. This week’s film was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Editing, Best Sound, Best Actor for Charles Laughton, Best Supporting Actress for Elsa Lanchester and Best Director for Billy Wilder. It is a genuinely brilliant courtroom drama with an unusual surprise. The screenplay is based on the play of the same name by Agatha Christie and was written by Billy Wilder and Harry Kurnitz.

Sir Wilfrid (Charles Laughton) has just been released from the hospital after a heart attack. He has been assigned a private nurse, Miss Plimsoll (Elsa Lanchester) who desperately tries to keep him away from alcohol and cigars. Wilfrid, a highly touted senior barrister, is supposed to rest and not take any legal cases. But when his friend and solicitor Mr. Mayhew (Henry Daniell) asks him to defend a young man named Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power) for murder, Wilfrid cannot resist and agrees to take the case along with the help of his junior counsel, Mr. Brogan-Moore (John Williams). Vole had befriended a wealthy childless middle-aged woman named Emily French (Norma Varden) who developed a crush on him despite the concerns of her deaf housekeeper Janet McKenzie (Una O’Connor). French was found struck on the back of the head by a blunt object in her home during the night.

Further complicating the case, French had named Leonard her beneficiary shortly before her death. Vole swears he was nowhere near the scene of the crime that fateful night, and his wife, a former German actress and singer named Christine (Marlene Dietrich) can vouch for his whereabouts. Sir Wilfrid interviews Christine and finds her to be cold and self-assured. He tells her courts often frown on the testimony of spouses and is surprised when he finds out that Christine is set to be called a witness for the prosecution.

As a side note, I thought it interesting that Vivian Leigh was up for the part of Christine. She was also up for the part of the second Mrs. de Winter in Rebecca (1940).

Seasonal Post: Back to School Preview

July 4, 2026 ~ gigicatchesair ~ Leave a comment

Good afternoon and Happy 250th 4^th of July. Usually, Gigi and I only post on Thursdays. But we would like to start doing an Annual Back to School shopping post in July which we have touched on in the past couple of years. We are from the Pacific Northwest and are fans of one of our favorite northwest traditions, the annual Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. We are not, however, fans of fast fashion and believe in purchasing, as best as possible, clothes and accessories that are made of natural fabrics. We will discuss our beloved Nordstrom Anniversary Sale later after the catalogue comes out on July 6th. First, a few things:

We are not influencers. We are writers.
We do not receive money or any other compensation for our selections.
We ourselves have purchased mulitple items from the establishments we list.
We see the value in purchasing quality clothes and accessories that will last and not fall apart and are made of natural materials with a few occasional non-natural exceptions.
We hate seeing students getting ripped off.
We believe in getting the best possible deal for the best possible items.
We believe financial literacy should be taught in schools so that everyone can make the best decisions on their purchases and investments.

The reason we are doing a preview today is some of these online sales end this weekend or Monday and we think they are worth a look. Here they are:

Monica Vinader Summer Sale Final Markdowns

Monica Vinader makes excellent demi‑fine, refined jewelry. By demi-fine we mean her pieces are made from solid sterling silver, gold vermeil, 14k gold and real stones. She often does one of her best sales of the year at the end of June and early July. This year it is 60% off many sale items. If you are considering purchasing a quality piece of jewelry that will not go out of style and last for years, this is an excellent opportunity to pick up one or two of her pieces. She has Free US Shipping on $150, and her regular shipping is very reasonable. Last we checked for shipping to our location it was under $5.

Classic Hardware 31% off Sitewide

Classic Hardware is high quality small batch jewelry made in the USA. They are known for durable, expressive, hypoallergenic fashion jewelry. Their lines have been sold in Nordstrom and Disney. Their jewelry is lead and nickel free and made with solid construction. Amongst our pieces we have one of their Disney Tinkerbell bracelets as well as one of Gigi’s personal favorites, Scottie Dog drop earrings. They hold up very well and tend to be artsy and rockabilly in nature. The selection is large and a lot of fun and their prices are very reasonable. And at 31% their prices are outstanding. We highly recommend you check them out. Free US Shipping on $35. Coupon Code is WEBE31.

Levi’s Extra 50% Off Sale

Levi’s is a solid well-known clothing brand that has been around since 1873. Their clothes are easy to wear, wash well and make a great standard denim choice for the school year. Right now, they have an extra 50% of their sale items online. Which means if you see a pair of jeans on sale for $44.98 the actual cost of them is $22.49. And it isn’t just the jeans that are in the sale. There are also denim jackets, T-shirts, skirts, hats, etc. We also find they often have great prices in August as well. If you want to take advantage of some early school clothes shopping, we recommend checking them out. Make sure to carefully check the red writing at the bottom of the picture of the item to make sure it is specifically on the extra 50% off sale. Free US ground shipping on $75.

Westminster, 1921

July 2, 2026July 2, 2026 ~ gigicatchesair ~ Leave a comment

Good afternoon. It is I Gigi the parti poodle here to introduce this week’s blog. As you may remember from last week, we turned the tables on the kidnappers and when the woman in the silk camo dress and the woman in the olive trench coat boarded the van. Under my command we slammed the door shut and Ruffles hit the gas. For a moment both women were stunned as the van barreled towards the parking lot exit and then pandemonium broke out.

The woman in the olive trench coat yelled, “Stop this van! Stop this van!”

Charlotte the Chow, bless her heart, hurried over, knocked the woman to the ground and stepped on her. The dachshunds, who are normally ditsy, sprang into action and started scratching their big thick paws at Demeter’s cage. Their efforts paid off and they managed to spring the lock on the cage open and Demeter rushed out.

Poignant is the word that came to mind when we saw the twin Persian sisters reunited. Much caterwauling ensued. But we had to burst into action to stop the woman in the silk camo dress as she ran up to the front to try and oust Ruffles the bulldog from the driver’s seat. This was no small task as Ruffles and Charlotte were the biggest of all of us. Charlotte already had her paws full keeping the woman in the olive trench coat pinned to the floor and Ruffles needed to keep the van from driving out of control. But one should never underestimate the power of the Felis catus. Madeline the British Shorthair and Edison the Manx leaped on top of the woman in the silk camo dress and forced her to pry her lime green acrylic nails off our dear driver.

Believe it or not, my next plan was to engage Bernard D. Bunny and his little sister Belle. Our magnificent Ruffles rolled out of the seat, knocking the woman in the silk camo dress to the floor. He then commenced to stand on top of her as the cats surrounded her and growled. Bernard hopped into the driver’s seat and Belle positioned herself at the peddles. Bernard clucked and honked out commands. He manned the wheel as she pressed the gas and the brake as we drove out of the parking lot.

“Get off me, mangy cur,” the woman in the olive trench coat roared at Charlotte.

“Watch your filthy mouth,” I barked at the woman with a growl. “I am the one running the show!”

“Don’t try to pull the fur over my eyes, parti poodle. You aren’t even all one color.”

“Do not try to pull the fur over my eyes, black market thief. Parti poodles were allowed to compte in dog shows in the United States in 2001. And might I add a parti Spaniel won Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club in 1921!”

“But a parti-color Poodle has never won Best in Show and never will!”

“Your harsh words do not affect me. Someday we will. Someday we parti poodles will win all sorts of Best in Show titles.”

“Of course, it would be a non-winning dog who would be behind this,” the woman in the silk camo dress said. “A common house pet.”

“I take offense to that. I am a common house pet who is driving away with you instead of you driving away with us. Bernard, let’s go see what Crispin is up to, shall we?” Until next week I wish you a Happy 250th 4th of July and bid you adieu.

MY BOOKS

**STREAM OF THE WEEK: SHARP CORNER (2024)-HULU**

This week’s pick is a smart, tense, psychological thriller featuring another terrific performance by Ben Foster. The movie was written by Jason Buxton and Russell Wangersky and directed by Buxton.

Josh McCall (Ben Foster) and his domineering wife, psychologist Rachel Davis-McCall (Cobie Smulders) have just purchased their dream house. The corner house lies outside the outskirts of suburbia on what seems to be a quiet and peaceful upper middleclass paradise. But as soon as they start moving in, their son Max (William Kosovic) takes an instant dislike of his room. Small wonder as in the late evening shortly after they move in, a car swerves around the corner and crashes into the tree outside their house, killing a teenage football player who was driving some of his friends around on a weekend night.

Josh is the first to run to the car and find the driver dead. He wants to discuss the incident openly with Rachel, but she wants to push it aside and move on, proving she might be one of the world’s worst counselors. Instead of allowing him to talk about his feelings, she belittles him by saying he should be thinking about his son first and foremost.

But as Josh watches the dead teen’s family place a cross at the location of the road where the car swerved off, he begins to think more about the incident and question his job, his value as a person, and his place in the world.

Once the Butterfly is in the Net

June 26, 2026 ~ gigicatchesair ~ Leave a comment

Good afternoon. It is I, Gigi the parti poodle here to introduce this week’s blog. The kidnappers were skulking around Ruffles’ the bulldog’s owner’s van. The woman in the olive raincoat had made the cheeky remark, “I’m looking for cats, not dogs.” I wanted to have Ruffles unlock the door so I could spring out and give this rude woman a stern talking to. But Bernard D. Bunny spoke sooth and thus I chose not to reprimand this heathen. Instead, I have come up with a plan to thwart these evil black market catnappers once and for all.

Inside the van we all stoically watched as the man with the tattoos attempted to open the door.

“They’ve settled down now,” he told the woman in the olive trench coat.

“As it appears,” the woman in the olive trench coat replied.

The man pulled out a long Slim Jim and slid it down the length of the driver’s door.

“He’s getting in,” Ruffles the bulldog said. “He’s getting in.”

“Okay,” I said. “Everyone needs to stay calm. Once the butterfly is in the net, we will pin it to the board.”

We watched the man wriggle the long thin metal in the lock. He looked up at us and we stared back. A perplexed, worried look crossed his face. He did not know what to make of our stoicism. He wriggled the metal one last time, and the door unlocked. I could see Ruffles gripping the wheel with his paws. Madeline the British Shorthair, Edison the Manx, and Artemis the Persian were all hissing. I think this is what they do to warm up. Charlotte the Chow, Bruiser the Jack Russell Terrier and I all had our ears perked. The Dachshund twins had gotten bored and were playing go fish with a deck of cards they found under one of the seats.

“Go ahead and take a look,” the tattooed man told the woman in the olive trench coat.

The woman in the olive trench coat looked at him as if he were out of his mind. “You expect me to enter your den of misbegotten animals? I think not. You open the door and go into your own van.”

Tattoo man looked at the woman in the silky camo dress who shrugged and back at the woman in the olive trench coat. “Do you want to see the merchandise or not?”

“Obviously, you’ve just gotten your hands on this merchandise. Not only that but you’ve stolen the van as well if you had to open the door with a Slim Jim.”

“I take offense to that.”

“Am I wrong? You are a criminal who works on the black market. And apparently aren’t averse to committing grand theft auto as well.”

The man sneered at her “You need to give the cat back to her until I get out of here, then.”

“Not a chance.”

“Fine.” Tattoo man said. “Then you can’t see the merchandise.”

The woman in the olive trench coat huffed. She looked at the cage and then at the man with disdain. “I have my cat. I don’t need to be led into a trap.”

“Oh, no,” Artemis said as we watched the woman in the olive trench coat turn on her heel. “She’s leaving with Demeter!”

“Don’t panic,” I whispered. “Stay the course.”

Suddenly, the woman in the silk camo dress said, “What if you both went in the van together?”

The woman in the olive trench coat stopped and looked at her. They stared at each other for what must have been a solid minute. “I’m taking the cat inside with me. And you are going into the van. Not him.”

Tattoo man frowned as the woman pointed an angry finger at him.

“Alright,” the woman in the silk camo dress said. “Let’s do this.” She turned to tattoo man. “Open the door.”

Tattoo man hesitated for a moment, likely considering the safety of his partner in crime. Then he opened the door. We all sat still as the woman in the camo dress climbed inside. The woman in the olive trench coat picked up the cat carrier and boarded the van.

“Artemis!”

“Demeter!”

“Shut the door,” I yelled.

Charlotte the Chow slammed the driver’s side door shut and Ruffles hit the gas. Until next week I bid you adieu.

MY BOOKS

STREAM OF THE WEEK: TEEN MOVIES

As school is now out, I thought I would do something different this week and offer up a list of some of the best teen movies available on streaming and where to view them. To be fair, some of these are more about teens than for young teens so viewer discretion is advised. Here is the list:

AMAZON: Napoleon Dynamite, Bring it On, Tuff Turf, River’s Edge, The Cutting Edge, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Empire Records

DISNEY & HULU: 10 Things I Hate About You, Holes, Cruel Intentions, The Edge of Seventeen, Flower, Adventures in Babysitting, Donnie Darko

PARAMOUNT +: Grease, Mean Girls (original 2004), Speak, Clueless, Election

TUBI: Disturbia, Ferris Bueler’s Day Off, Precious, Fear

PLUTO: Boyz n the Hood, Footloose, Big, Better Off Dead, Some Kind of Wonderful, Adventureland, Bully (2001)

NETFLIX: The Karate Kid, The Breakfast Club, 13 Going on 30, La Bamba

The Bunny Has a Point

June 18, 2026 ~ gigicatchesair ~ Leave a comment

Good afternoon. It is I Gigi the parti poodle here to introduce this week’s blog. As you may remember, Ruffles hit the gas and we all went barreling towards the orange Hummer and the black Cadillac Escalade.

As we drew closer, we could see the look of shock and awe in the three people’s posture. And when we drew closer still, we could see the look of shock and awe in their faces from the realization that a bulldog was driving the van. The van lurched to a stop, and we all fell back into our seats. The woman in the olive trench coat scuttled over to take a close look at us. She narrowed her eyes and scrutinized Ruffles.

She turned and looked at the black marketers. “Is this a stunt?”

The woman in the silk camo dress looked at the man littered with tattoos. “A demonstration, actually,” she said. “We thought you might be interested in looking at some more of our inventory.”

The woman in the olive trench coat narrowed her eyes. “Perhaps,” she said with caution.

“Go open the van,” the woman in the silk camo dress told the man littered with tattoos.

The man gave her a quizzical look as if to say, “I don’t have the keys” before slogging over to the driver’s side of our van.

“He’s trying to open my door,” Ruffles said. “He’s trying to open my door.”

Bruiser the Jack Russel Terrier hopped into Ruffle’s lap stood up and started barking at the tattooed man. He was quickly joined by Titus and Tyler, the dachshund twins who pressed their big wide paws against the side window and barked in unison. The woman in the olive trench coat said, “I’m looking for cats, not dogs.”

This tart little comment raised my ire. “Unlock the door, Ruffles.”

“Unlock the door?” Madeline the British Shorthair said. “We can’t unlock the door.”

“Yes, we can. Ruffles, unlock the door.”

Ruffles looked at the rest of our group with warry eyes. “I don’t know, Gigi…”

“This woman has insulted me, and I must give her a stern talking to.”

“If Ruffles unlocks the doors we must attack,” Charlotte the Chow said.

The twins barked, “Attack, attack!”

“I am not ready for this,” Edison the Manx said. “I haven’t had my midnight popcorn snack and I feel puckish.”

“Gigi, I do not think this is wise,” Bernard D. Bunny said.

I looked over at his little sister Belle who seemed terrified. “The bunny has a point,” I said. “I have, in my usual ENTJ fashion, jumped into action when I should have trusted my strategy. We will stand our ground. Ruffles, do not let them in. Instead, make them come to us. I have a plan. Until next week, I bid you adieu.

MY BOOKS

**STREAM OF THE WEEK: QUEEN OF CHESS (2026)-NETFLIX**

Back in the 1980’s and before, there was a belief that only men could play chess at the highest level. Especially aggressive chess strategies such as Evans Gambit, Danish Gambit, Smith-Morra Gambit, Albin Counter-Gambit, Marshall Attack, and Sicilian Defense. At the time the greatest chess player in the game was Garry Kasparov who liked to play a version of the Sicilian Defense called Sicilian Najdorf Defense. Bobby Fisher said in interview that women were simply not intelligent enough to be great at the game.

But a man named László Polgár, became obsessed with the idea that genius is not born but rather made. He read piles of books and concluded if you could rigorously teach children abilities when they were young, they could then become brilliant at them. And so, after they were born, he used his three daughters as his experiment: Susan, Sophia, and his youngest Judit. He had them train at a very early age with him for long hours every day, homeschooling them with his wife and employing professional chess players to come into the home to train them as well. By the time the girls were tweeners, they had risen to the top of women’s chess. Judit, at age 12 became the youngest player to break into the FIDE top 100 rating list ranking at position 55. In 1991, at the age of 15 months and 4 years she became the youngest player to be named grandmaster. Both Susan and Sophia became grandmasters as well.

All her life, Judit had one dream: to beat Kasparov. This thrilling well-paced documentary directed by Rory Kennedy and written by Mark Bailey and Keven McAlester is the story of her determined attempt to rise to the occasion. She and her family had to overcome a ridged Polish government, sexism and psychological roadblocks to fight not only for their position as chess players but to set a precedent for female chess players to come.