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

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: 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.

The Woman in the Olive Trench Coat

June 11, 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 when we last left off, the nefarious catnappers had investigated Ruffles owner’s van and found us inside. The tattoo littered man had told the woman in the silk Camo dress that some of us might do well on the black market. Suddenly, their attention was turned towards a Cadillac Escalade that had just pulled into the parking lot of my favorite summer restaurant and parked nose to nose with their garish orange Hummer. The catnappers headed back to the Hummer on the other side of the parking lot. Our little crew sat watching out the side window of the van as the driver’s side of the Cadillac Escalade opened and from out of the behemoth emerged a slender woman wearing an olive trench coat and a matching trilby hat.

“She is a bad woman,” Artemis the Persian said. “A terrible awful woman. We must attack.”

“No,” I said. “We must wait and see if they have Demeter. Then Ruffles must move closer.”

“Move closer, move closer,” the twin Dachshunds chanted.

“Quiet! We must concentrate.”

“What if we can’t tell if it’s Demeter,” Madeline the British Shorthair said.

“It’s still some poor cat,” Charlotte the Chow said. “If its some poor cat we don’t know, we must rescue it just as if it were Demeter.”

“It’s got to be Demeter,” Artemis caterwauled. “It’s got to be.”

“There, there,” Bruiser the Jack Russel said. “There, there.”

“The big tattoo guy is getting something out of the Hummer,” Ruffles said. “He’s getting something out of the Hummer.”

We all turned our attention back to the Hummer and saw the tattoo guy open the back hatch and take out a pet carrier.

“My goodness,” Edison the Manx said. “He’s a fiend! What kind of monster puts a cat in a cage?”

“Shh,” I said. “Watch.”

The woman in the olive trench coat studied the contents of the cage as if she were a scientist examining her experiment. I looked through my opera glasses and could see words were being spoken. Words between her and the woman in the silk camo dress. The tattooed man set the carrier down and opened it.

“It’s my sister,” Artemis exclaimed as soon as she saw him take the white Persian out of the box. “It’s Demeter! Drive, Ruffles, drive!”

“Wait,” I said. “If Ruffles turns on the engine, they’ll notice us.”

“They’ll notice us, they’ll notice us,” the twins said in unison.

“Hush up!” Artemis said with a hiss.

“The moment we see the woman in the trench coat take the cage and begin walking towards her car,” Charlotte said, “that’s when Ruffles will drive.”

“That’s when I’ll drive,” Ruffles said. “That’s when I’ll drive.”

We watched the woman in the trench coat pick up poor Demeter and examine her from all angles. It was most gauche. Demeter tried to struggle but the woman held her firmly. Then the woman nodded and put Demeter back in the cage, took an envelope out of her deep coat pocket and started to hand it to the woman in the silk camo dress.

“We’ve got to go now,” Artemis said. “Now, Ruffles, now!”

“Wait…!” But my words came too late. Ruffles turned on the engine and hit the gas. Until next week I bid you adieu.

MY BOOKS

**STREAM OF THE WEEK: TOOTSIE (1982)-NETFLIX**

Right in the middle of one of the golden eras of soap operas came this film, a gender bending comedy with a serious statement about the sexism women faced in the workplace and in everyday life. The film received ten Oscar nominations including a win for Best Supporting Actress for Jessica Lang. Lang also won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. Dustin Hoffman won the BAFTA and the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy. The film has endured over the years and is considered one of AFI’s 100 Best Movies of All Time. It was brilliantly directed by Sydney Pollak and written by Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal. However, there were other writers involved in penning the script, primarily Elaine May who strengthened the female character’s roles, but also Barry Levinson, Robert Kaufman and Robert Garland all who went uncredited.

The story is about a passionate, talented but difficult actor named Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman in one of his phenomenal performances) who waits tables and teaches acting while he desperately searches for work in New York City. One of his proteges, Sandy Lester (Teri Garr in a well-deserved Oscar nominated performance) is up for the part of Emily Kimberly, a hospital administrator for the soap opera Southwest General. Michael helps her prepare for the part and goes with her to the audition. But as soon as she arrives, they tell her she is wrong for the part and dismiss her without allowing her to read. Michael asks to see his fellow actor Terry Bishop, who stars on the show. But the receptionist tells him Bishop has taken time off to rehearse for The Iceman Cometh, a role Michael thought he was up for.

Michael tells Sandy to wait at the audition as he rushes over to the office of his enduring agent, George Fields (Sydney Pollak). George tells Michael nobody wants to work with him. Not in New York, not in Los Angeles nor anywhere else on the planet. Because despite being a great actor, Michael is intolerable. Michael tells him he is going to raise $8000 to produce and star in his roommate Jeff Slater’s (drolly played by Bill Murray) play.

Michael sets out to prove George and everyone else in show business wrong. He buys a wig, carefully applies makeup and dons a dress. He heads back to the auditions and meets chauvinist director Ron Carlisle (played with delightful sleaze by Dabney Coleman). When Ron tells “Dorthy”, Michael’s now alter ego he isn’t right for the part, Dorthy stands up to him with charm and aggression leading Dorthy to win the role. But complications arise when Ron’s girlfriend, actress Julie Nicols (Jessica Lang) befriends her new co-star.

The movie also features Charles Durning, George Gaynes, Doris Belak and then-newcomer Gina Davis.

The Cadallac Cometh

June 5, 2026 ~ gigicatchesair ~ Leave a comment

Good evening. It is I Gigi the parti poodle here to introduce this week’s blog. As you may remember we were trying to recover Demeter, Artemis the Persian’s sister . Ruffles the bulldog had just pulled his owner’s van into one of the stalls in the large empty parking lot behind my favorite summer restaurant. We had all scrambled to the tinted driver’s side window to see what would happen next. The black marketers had pulled their garish orange Hummer into a space on the far side of the lot and shut off the engine.

“What’s the plan, Gigi?” Charlotte the Chow asked me.

“Find out who they’re meeting and if who they’re meeting is planning to buy Demeter,” I replied.

“What kind of humans do you think they’re selling them to?”

“If I were to wage a guess, I would assume one of two types: a cat breeder or a cat exhibitor.”

“What is a cat exhibitor?” Bruiser the Jack Russell asked.

“Someone who owns show cats,” Edison the Manx said.

“Someone like my owner,” Madeline the British Shorthair said.

“You’re a show cat?” Ruffles said stunned.

Madeline licked her paw and preened her fur. “Yes, as a matter of fact.”

“We both are,” Artemis said, licking her paw and preening her fur as well.

Just then the passenger side door of the Hummer opened and the woman in the silky camo dress emerged from the inside. She started making a beeline for us with a determined gait. The menacing tattoo man climbed out of the Hummer, locked the vehicle which made a loud chirping sound and followed her, his fists curled and ready for action.

Bruiser began jumping up and down nervously. “They’re coming for us!”

“They’re coming for us, they’re coming for us,” Titus and Tyler, the twin dachshunds exclaimed.

“Act like you are animals,” I said. “Act like you do around the humans you own!”

All of us got down from the window and landed on four paws. The cats began to meow and we Canis lupis familiaris began to lower our standards by whining. The two black marketers marched up to the van and peered in the window. I heard tattoo man gasp.

“This is the motherload,” he said.

“We can’t be sure all of them are worth selling,” camo woman said skeptically.

“That British Shorthair and that Persian look like purebred show cat grade to me.”

“Maybe.”

“Must belong to some pet hoarder or something.”

“Perhaps.”

“I think we should snag them.”

“Imaginably.”

“We need to do it fast, or their pet hoarder might come back.”

“We have a deal to handle first.”

“Don’t let the customers know about the van.”

“They’re going to see the van, Cedric.”

“But Cutie pie, someone is going to get to this windfall before we do.”

I jumped up on the window and barked at them just in time to see a Cadillac Escalade pull into the parking lot and park nose to nose with the Hummer.

“Our customer is here,” Cutie pie said. “We’ll deal with this merchandise later.”

Cedric and Cutie pie turned and headed back towards the orange Hummer. Until next week, I bid you adieu.

MY BOOKS

**STREAM OF THE WEEK: BLACKBERRY (2023)-NETFLIX**

Winner of 14 Canadian Screen Awards (the Canadian Academy Award), the most in history, this brilliant biographical film is one of the best biopics to come out in years. Shamefully, it was nominated for zero Oscars which went to somewhat less impressive fare such as Anatomy of a Fall, Barbie, Past Lives and Poor Things. This proves once again how rabidly vapid Hollywood continues to be and how it keeps missing its mark in judging excellence.

The film is directed by Matt Johnson who won Achievement in Direction for his outing here. Johnson wrote the script with Matthew Miller, and both won Adapted Screenplay which they adapted from the book Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry by Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff. Johnson was also nominated for Performance in a Supporting Role, Comedy.

Set in the aptly named Waterloo, Ontario, the story is about Mike Lazaridis (brilliantly played by Jay Baruchel who took home the award for Performance in a Leading Role, Comedy), an electrical engineer who co-founded the company Research in Motion with his best friend and fellow computer-whiz engineer Douglas Fregin (Matt Johnson). The two have been working on a device they call PocketLink which is essentially the first smart phone. The young men are waiting to have a meeting with Jim Balsillie (a knock-out performance by Glenn Howerton who took home the award for Performance in a Supporting Role, Comedy), an Ivy League Business School graduate. Balsillie, who is a huge hockey fan and an all-around reptile, at first dismisses the guys’ proposal.

But after being fired for presenting his company with an intricate way in which they can avoid paying taxes, Balsillie heads to the bank, mortgages his house, and hunts down Research in Motion. He offers nearly all his money for 50% of the company and a position as CEO. Lazaridis agrees to the deal provided they are Co-CEOs. Balsillie staunchly makes it his mission in life to drive the business to ultimate success. He bullies Lazaridis and Fregin to round up the crew and throw together a prototype of the PocketLink to pitch to Bell Atlantic who will eventually become Verizon. Instead of PocketLink, Balsillie changes the name to BlackBerry. But Balsillie’s ambition knows no bounds and Lazaridis struggles to keep up with the imminent future as the company soars to prominence.

Rounding out the cast are Saul Rubinek as John Woodman, Rich Sommer as Paul Stannos SungWon Cho as Ritchie Cheung, and Cary Elwes as Palm Inc. CEO Carl Yankowski.

Parking Lot

May 29, 2026 ~ gigicatchesair ~ Leave a comment

Good evening. It is I Gigi the parti poodle here and as you may remember last week, we were in hot pursuit of the garish orange Hummer. We had just headed down the curvy dark hill and had reached the bottom. Ruffles the bulldog attempted to remain inconspicuous as we waited behind the rotten black-market brutes as they pulled into the left-hand turning lane as the light turned green. We followed the van down the long road towards the next town.

“Where do you think they are going?” Edison the Manx asked Ruffles.

“Left,” Ruffles replied.

“Yes, I know they went left. But left to where?”

“All that matters is they didn’t get on the freeway. I do not like the freeway.”

“What matters is that my sister is in that monstrosity,” Artemis said pointing her paw forwards at the Hummer. “Do not lose them.”

“I will not lose them,” Ruffles said. “I will not lose them.”

“I’ll bet they are going to that parking lot on the other side of the bridge,” I said.

“What parking lot?”

“My novelist takes me out for scrumptious lunches there in the summer when they have outdoor seating. The city shut down the street in front of the restaurant to allow for safer foot traffic. But they have a large parking lot around the back. At this time of night, it would be empty. They could easily meet someone there to take Demeter.”

“I think the poodle might be right,” Edison said. “An empty parking lot at night seems like a likely place for questionably legal commerce.”

“Personally, I would meet at the Bakery,” Madeline the British Shorthair said.

“The Bakery?” Charlotte the Chow said. “Why would you meet someone in the middle of the night at The Bakery?”

“Sometimes they throw the day olds into the dumpster.”

“I tend to think Gigi might be onto something,” Charlotte said. “I think the back parking lot of the café makes a lot of sense.”

“Café, café,” the dachshund twins called out.

“Oh, do shut up, will you,” Artemis said with an edge in her voice.

“They are driving up the bridge,” Ruffles said. “There they go up the bridge.”

We all watched out the windshield to see where the orange Hummer was heading.

“If it’s going to the parking lot, it will veer left,” I said.

“You mean it will suddenly turn evil?” Bruiser the Jack Russell said, fear in his eyes.

“No, veer left. I think you are referring to bend sinister.”

“Bend sinister, bend sinister!” Titus and Tyler barked.

“Not bend sinister, veer left!, I barked back. “Stop acting like nitwits!”

“They’re veering left” Ruffles said and started turning the steering wheel.

“If we park in the parking lot at the same time, they’ll see us,” Charlotte said.

“But there’s no where else to park around there,” I said.

“What if they take off and I never see my sister again?” Artemis said, panicking.

“We have to follow them or we’ll lose them too,” I said.

Ruffles drove the van into the parking lot right behind the orange Hummer.

“Park the van and shut off the engine,” I said.

“But what if they drive out of the parking lot and we lose them?” Ruffles said.

“We can’t lose them; we can’t lose them!” Artemis said.

“Park the car and shut off the engine!” I yelled.

Ruffles swiftly pulled into one of the stalls and shut off the engine. We all scrambled to the tinted side window and looked out. The Hummer had stopped at the far side of the lot and shut off the engine.

“Now what?” Ruffles said.

Until next week, I bid you adieu.

MY BOOKS

**STREAM OF THE WEEK: THE PAPER TIGERS (2020)-NETFLIX**

This week’s pick is a sleeper of story that is part Kung Fu, mystery, and comedy cleverly written and directed by Bao Tran. Back in the 1980’s a Kung Fu master and chef, Sifu Cheung takes on only three young students: Danny (Kieran Tamondong), Hing (Junior Kinder), and Jim (Malakai James). They practice in Sifu’s garage and slowly become martial arts experts. When they become teens, Danny (Yoshi Sudarso), Hing (Peter Adrian Sudarso) and Jim (Gui DaSilva-Greene) take to the streets and fight anyone willing to take them against Sifu’s orders. Even their nemesis Carter (Mark Poletti) who trains under a different Kung Fu master. Danny is sent an invitation to fight in Japan and Jim is to go with him. But something happens along the way.

A few decades later Danny (Alain Uy) finds himself disillusioned and divorced from his wife Caryn (Jae Suh Park). The former couple share a young son named Ed (Joziah Lagonoy) whom Danny refuses to teach Kung Fu to. Danny tries to help raise the boy but finds his insurance job often gets in the way.

Danny runs into Hing (Ron Yuan), whom Sifu taught ancient Chinese medicine. Hing also did construction and seriously hurt his knee and now collects disability. Hing also tells Danny that Sifu recently died. Hing says the coroner claimed the cause of death was a heart attack, but the two old friends suspect something more sinister is at play. They attend the funeral and run into their former rival Carter (Matthew Page) there who provides some possible information on what may have happened. Danny and Hing track down Jim (Mykel Shannon Jenkins) who has become a Jiu Jitsu trainer and is in the best shape of the three. Despite their age and a couple of physical setbacks, the old friends set off on an odyssey to find out who killed their beloved Sifu and bring the villain to justice.