Steven Helmer Publications

The furnace at my office building is on its last legs right now and, while the landlords have made arrangements to fix it, it'll be at least a couple weeks because it is an older furnace and they had to special order parts for it. Meanwhile, I get to listen to this noise pretty much all day:

Synopsis: When master thief calling himself The Tornado steals priceless artifacts from around the world (including the Pink Panther Diamond), Inspector Clouseau is promoted from his duties as parking officer and assigned to a team of super detectives. However, his constant bumbling puts him jeopardy of being kicked off the team and embarrassing France and, at the same time, he is on the verge of losing the love of his life, Nicole. Who's in it? The movie stars Steve Martin , Jean Reno , Emily Mortimer , Andy Garcia and John Cleese . Review: The cats got me out of bed really early yesterday morning and, while trying to wake up, I ended up watching this film after coming across it on one of our movie channels. It had been a while since I had seen the movie and I didn't remember much about it as a result. However, it turned out to be an entertaining way to wait for the rest of the family to get out of bed. While not as good as the first movie and maybe not as good ...

Synopsis: With Halloween fast approaching, Silver Shamrock masks are in high demand from kids around the country. However, Dr. Daniel Challis thinks something is askew and seeks the truth about the Silver Shamrock company. Who's in it? The movie stars Tom Atkins , Stacey Nelkin , Dan O'Herlihy , Ralph Strait and Michael Currie . Review: Our local ice rink had its annual Halloween Open Skate on Saturday and, since my wife and I both volunteered to help (as well as our kids), we didn't get home until late. We still needed to have something for dinner and, while eating the McDonald's we picked up on our way home, ended up watching this movie. This was the first time I had actually seen this film in its entirety and I wasn't really sure what to expect from it. I knew there were a lot of people who were unimpressed by the movie. However, I also figured most of them were just upset/confused by the fact it didn't have Michael Myers in it. After seeing it ...

I was a little concerned last night because there were other things going on in the area (including trick-or-treating in a near-by city). But, the turnout for open skate was decent. We had roughly 170 skaters show up and, at $5/each, it ended up being a nice fundraiser for the ice rink. It seems like everyone had a good time too. We only had three people ask for their money back because they couldn't find skates in their size (we always run out of certain sizes) but even they ended up sticking around to hang out with their friends. As far as my volunteering went, I bounced around a little bit. I didn't need to be the DJ last night (though, as it turns out, I probably would have been a pretty good one considering the kid that took those duties picked out virtually every song I would have). Instead, after helping with decorating, I ended up at the admission table before taking over in the skate rental room (a job I hate, but we were short-handed and one of the other volunteer...

Synopsis: Hercule Poirot receives a letter from a wealthy landowner in France who is desperately looking to hire the detective at any price because he believes he and his family are in danger. However, by the time Poirot and his companion, Captain Arthur Hastings, arrive, his would-be client, Paul Renaud, has already been murdered. Image courtesy of Pixabay Review: I am continuing with my goal of reading all of Agatha Christie's novels and had an opportunity to read this book (her third) over the past week or so. When I first started reading this book, I wasn't really sure if it was one I would enjoy. However, as it turns out, once I started reading it, I found it was hard to put down. There are a couple things I really liked about this book. The biggest was the mystery. The victim's murder didn't seem random. But, it was truly difficult to figure out who the murderer was, especially as the story progresses, we learn more about who Paul Renaud really was and ...

Since she is now a teenager, I've been making my daughter take a little more responsibility when it comes to her skating. She already helps pay for her private lessons (she earns money helping her grandparents on her non-skate days) and, today, she's going to be helping out with the Halloween Open Skate. One of the projects I volunteered her for was making a donation bucket for the ice rink (my idea, it's going to go by the concession stand as a place for people to put their change). I figured she would just decorate the bucket with some bats, pumpkins, etc. I wasn't expecting her to do this. I think it'll be a big hit so we'll see if it succeeds in raising some additional money for the rink.

Synopsis: Already frustrated because his constantly-fighting parents decided to move to a new town, Brian finds himself blamed for a series of things he did not do. When his little brother claims the acts of sabotage were caused by a monster living under his bed, Brian doesn't believe him, accepts a challenge to switch rooms and is proven wrong. He befriends the monster,  Maurice, and is invited to visit the monster's world. What Brian doesn't know is his new friendship is putting him in danger of becoming a monster himself. Who's in it? The movie stars Fred Savage , Howie Mandel , Daniel Stern , Margaret Whitton and Ben Savage . Review: Things have been a bit hectic the past few weeks and, as a result of that, we haven't been having as many family movie nights as we usually do. Since my daughters had off from school yesterday and today, we were finally able to find some time to do that and, after looking at a few other options, I picked out this film. ...

There's a little over a month left in the "I Love Beaver Dam" photo contest but, as of right now, it is pretty much a 4-way race. As of about a minute ago, my goldfinch photo was holding a 5-vote lead. But, within the past 24 hours, it has dropped all the way down to 4th place and fought its way back up. Your votes, which can be cast at the below link, would be appreciated. http://woobox.com/94ugfu/gallery/2wfmNshhL4U

As I mentioned before, when I volunteered to help organize the upcoming Halloween open skate at our skating rink, I knew I was stepping outside my comfort level by becoming one of those parents who spends time working with other parents to organize something like this. I didn't realize this might be more than I was even expecting. The event is fast approaching (3 days) and I'm helping get all the last-second things done. This includes, potentially, volunteering to be the DJ for the event. Keep in mind, I have a very dated taste in music (basically, with very few exceptions, anything recorded after 1989 is crap). But, I do have a Pandora account and, with nobody stepping up to fill that role, that might wind up being what gets me the job. So, just in case, I'm starting to compile a Halloween play list now so I don't have to scramble to figure one out later.

Synopsis: After joining forces with the Kingdom and the Hilltop, Rick ( Andrew Lincoln ) leads an attack on Negan ( Jeffrey Dean Morgan ) and the Saviors while dreaming about what the world will be like in the future. The episode first aired October 22, 2017. My Thoughts: 1. This episode made me wonder if maybe the writers are going to phase out and possibly kill off Rick at some point this season. Part of this is his obvious desire for a peaceful life (something that is just not going to happen, at least until they decide to end the series). But, he also made it clear he wants to pass the leadership torch to Maggie ( Lauren Cohen ). 2. To tell you the truth, if that is the case, I think it's time. Rick, in my opinion at least, became boring a few seasons ago. Unless the writers do something to give him some new life (maybe having him betray his friends and join Negan?) I would much rather see the series focus on someone else. In fact, I would love to see Carl ( Chandler ...

My oldest daughter, Azalea, competed at her home skating competition yesterday and did relatively well. She finished third in beginner compulsory and beginner jumps, both solid finishes considering she was up against skaters from a pair of elite (solo-oriented) clubs. And, while she came in 4th out of 4 in her beginner artistic program, her first performance in that category was solid and she was even given a 3rd place vote by one of the judges. Of course, when she finished yesterday, we figured she had something to build upon as she heads into her last competition of the year (November 25th). But, as it turns out, she's actually going to have to start over a bit. She's taking a US Figure Skating freeskate test the first weekend of November and, barring a complete screw up or an unusually strict judge, she'll likely pass it. Once she does, she's no longer considered a beginner skater and will need to skate at a higher level. I was actually expecting this. But, I...

Synopsis: Childhood friends Tommy and Tuppence bump into each other in London. When Tuppence learns they are both cash-strapped and unemployed, she convinces him to form a partnership and advertising themselves as adventurers for hire. Their first case involves searching for a woman who went missing during World War I while carrying a top secret document. The case puts them at odds with a group of dangerous criminals led by the mysterious "Mr. Brown." Image courtesy of Pixabay Review: After finishing The Mysterious Affair at Styles earlier this month, I decided to stick with Agatha Christie and read the book that was published after that one. Since was not overly familiar with her characters Tommy and Tuppence, I wasn't really sure what to expect when I read it. But, overall, I have to say I enjoyed it. One thing I found I liked best about this book was the adventurous pair themselves. They had such an immediate rapport, even after not seeing each other fo...

Our lives are always a little hectic, to the point we usually don't know what we're going to be doing a week in advance. So, our decision to purchase wristbands to the Harry Potter Festival in Jefferson, WI a couple months ago and circling today's date on our calendar is a big deal, especially since we have other things going on this weekend too (including my daughter's skating competition tomorrow). That's why I'm sad to say we were all seriously disappointed by this event. I don't consider myself a die-hard Harry Potter fan. I've seen most of the movies and liked them. But, it was never anything that I would consider an obsession. And, knowing Jefferson is a small community and this is their first year hosting an event like this, I did lower my expectations a little bit before going to the festival. However, even with my expectations tempered, I honestly didn't expect it to be as bad as it was. This "festival" looked a heck of a lot l...

I had to stop at the store after work last night and had planned on just picking up something for dinner there. However, I just couldn't find anything that looked good and, because of that, my wife and I decided to just take the kids to McDonald's instead. I've seen their Buttermilk Chicken Tenders advertised on television but, up until very recently, we weren't able to purchase them at either of our McDonald's restaurants (both had signs saying they were sold out). So, when I saw they finally had them, I decided to give them a try. As it turns out, they really weren't worth the wait. I'll start out by saying the tenders came in a really awesome-looking box, which was both unique and practical (it had a slot for the dipping sauce). But, after trying them for the first time, I honestly feel that box was really the only thing special about them. McDonald's, at one point, used to offer something similar to these and, compared to those original chic...

Even though I, personally, would rather be going to an Indiana Jones festival or Star Wars festival, my oldest daughter is a huge fan of the books (she's only seen a couple of the movies) and her younger sister is taking an interest in them too. So, since it's only about 40 minutes away from us, I decided to spend the money and get each of us an (nearly) all-access wristband. Image courtesy of Pixabay The festival technically starts today and our wristbands are good for the entire 3-day event. However, by the time we get done with school and work today, it'll be too late to make the drive down there (I hate driving at night). And, we won't be able to go Sunday because my oldest daughter has a skating competition. So, we're going to try to get on the road first thing in the morning so we can get down there and make a full day of it. I just hope it lives up to the hype.

Synopsis: Archie ( K.J. Apa ) takes up a nightly vigil at his house in an effort to protect his dad ( Luke Perry ) from the still-at-large gunman. He begins to suspect the shooting wasn't random when he learns Geraldine Grundy ( Sarah Habel ) has been murdered, despite the fact there is no evidence to link the two crimes. When Pop's Diner loses business because of the shooting, Betty ( Lili Reinhart ) goes on a mission to keep its doors open. My Thoughts: 1. Am I the only one who thought Fred Andrews was able to come home from the hospital awfully soon? The man was shot, nearly died and was in a coma. Shouldn't he be monitored a little bit longer? Is his health insurance that bad? 2. I get that Archie's friends are concerned about him. But, I also find it a bit ironic that, with all the advice they are giving him, none of them have stepped up and offered to help him guard his dad. You want him to get some sleep? Grab a baseball bat and stand watch for him for ...

I was out taking photos a couple weeks ago and, shortly after taking a picture of a frog, I ended up thinking about Dig'Em from the Honey Smacks cereal commercial. Well, one thing led to another and, before I knew it, I realized I was in the mood for it. However, when I went to the store in search of it, I couldn't find it on the shelf. In fact, after not finding it at another store, I began to wonder if it was no longer being made. I did, however, find this at the grocery store last night (same one I first visited, the cereal was just well-hidden on the bottom shelf). I was quick to buy it and finally had it for breakfast this morning. I guess patience is ultimately rewarded after all.

OK, I know that won't happen until Sunday. But, honestly, I'm getting a little burnt out on the non-stop analysis stemming from Aaron Rodgers injuring his throwing shoulder this past weekend and backup quarterback Brett Hundley making his first NFL start as a result. I, personally, am not as concerned as some of my fellow Green Bay Packers fans. Sure, I'm sad to see Rodgers get hurt, especially since he was having an MVP-caliber season up until that point. But, I'm not freaking out about it too much either. The last time Rodgers missed significant playing time, back in 2013 with a similar injury, Green Bay was nowhere near as prepared. His replacement, Seneca Wallace, was signed after the preseason and, when Wallace got hurt on the first series of his first Packers' start, he was replaced by a guy (Scott Tolzien) who also had literally been added to the roster that week. Hundley, in comparison, is on his third year with the team. He has almost no playing ti...

I wasn't totally accurate when I said I didn't see any signs of life when I was out on my walk today. In addition to the squirrel I photographed, I saw this bird (I think it is a type of finch) hiding in a small tree.

It was a beautiful out when I went for my walk today and I couldn't figure out why I wasn't seen much activity in the park. Then I happened to see this guy (or girl) flying overhead. Could be why everything was hiding.

I saw this squirrel while on my walk at lunch today and, as luck would have it, the tree it was perched in was next to a hill. As a result, when I climbed that hill, I was actually able to get a fairly decent eye-level shot of it before it ran off.

Synopsis: Amy Bruni and Adam Berry investigate a house after the family reports paranormal activity that is scaring their three kids. The ghost, they claim, has even attempted to strangle their sons while they were sleeping. The episode first aired October 13th (I finally got around to watching it last night). My Thoughts: 1. Perhaps it's just me. But, if I were investigating alleged paranormal activity at a house and the homeowners told me they found a grave stone buried in their back yard, I would most likely use that as a starting point before investigating other theories. The theory it might be her deceased brother was plausible but a longshot at best (why would he strangle his nephews?). The idea the ghost might be connected to a 19th-century bank robbery and murder was just grasping at straws. Neither seemed more likely than the person who the grave stone belonged to. 2. Speaking of the grave stone, I try not to judge people I don't know but I must admit, the...

A couple weeks ago, my oldest daughter was practicing a figure skating move, caught a divot in the ice and fell backwards. She ended up smacking her head on the ice as a result of this. Fortunately, other than a bruise on her tailbone and scraped elbows (both of which hit first), she walked away from the fall relatively unscathed and showed no signs of suffering a serious head injury. However, this was the second time this has happened to her (the last time was a little less than a year ago). As a result, I let it be my wake-up call and went searching for something to give her some more protection. I had heard other skating parents talk about the Crasche headbands they had purchased for their daughters and, after checking them out on their web site, decided to order one for her that night. She's been wearing it for a little over a week now and, so far, I'm happy with my purchase. While the headband isn't designed to replace a helmet (they even have a disclaimer s...

The furnace is running this morning, for the first time this autumn. I had hoped to hold off until at least the end of October. But, when I got up this morning, the thermostat had 66 degrees, meaning it was closer to 60 degrees in the living room and kitchen (there's usually a 5 or 6 degree difference from the back of the house to the front of it). While that doesn't seem overly cold, it, combined with the damp weather we've been having, did make the house a little uncomfortable. I could have toughed it out and I'm sure my youngest daughter would have been OK too (the girl is still sleeping with a fan). But, my wife and other daughter likely would have caught a bad chill. I'm just hoping out allergies don't flare up too badly. We didn't get a chance to vacuum out the vents yet and I'm sure the furnace is kicking out dust as a result. I also hope our kitten, Mouse, calms down. It's his first time hearing the furnace running and I think it'...

My wife was in the mood for BLTs on Saturday and, since I wasn't really in the mood to make anything more complicated than that (we had been running errands all day), I agreed. When we made the sandwiches, we used this product for the bacon component. I had actually purchased this bacon a couple days earlier. It's not a brand I would normally buy. But, one of the local grocery stores had it on sale so I decided to pick up a package of it. After having it Saturday night, my overall opinion of it was a bit mixed. The bacon did have a decent flavor to it. In fact, not only could we taste the maple flavor when we were eating this bacon, we could smell it when I was frying it up on the stove. So, as far as that category is concerned, I was happy. However, when I started making this bacon, I also noticed it was very fatty, even more fatty than what you would expect bacon to be. And, predictably, by the time the bacon was fried up, it had shrunk down considerably. In fact, by...

Synopsis : Despite being shot 6 times by Dr. Loomis and falling from a balcony, Michael Myers escapes and starts a new killing spree while hunting down hospitalized survivor, Laurie Strode. Who's in it? The movie stars Jamie Lee Curtis , Donald Pleasence , Dick Warlock , Pamela Susan Shoop and Tawny Moyer . Review: My wife and I had planned on using last night to get caught up on the shows we recorded during the week. However, I came across this film on one of our movie channels and we ended up watching it instead. While it's considered a classic, I'm actually not a huge fan of the original Halloween film, mostly because I thought it took too long to get going. But, after seeing this film for the first time in a while, I have to admit I enjoyed it much more than I was expecting. I think the thing I like most about this film is the way Myers (Warlock) doesn't waste much time going after Laurie (Curtis). Unlike the first movie, which was him mostly standing a...

Synopsis: Smothered by his over-bearing mother, bullied by the other kids at school and envious of his much-more-popular cousin, teenager Hoax calls the number listed on a flyer and receives advice and supernatural powers that help him get his revenge. Who's in it? The movie stars Stephen Geoffreys , Patrick O'Bryan , Sandy Dennis , Lezlie Dean and Maria Rubell. Synopsis: I came across this film on one of our movie channels the other morning and, realizing it had been a long while since I took the time to watch it, I ended up recording it. My wife and I watched the movie this weekend and, overall, thought it was worth watching. The film does start out a little slow and you do have to get through quite a few boring sequences as the movie establishes the main characters. However, once Hoax (Geoffeys) finds the Satanic phone number and becomes a regular caller, it becomes entertaining. Geoffreys does an excellent job in his role. While Hoax starts out a bit fr...

Even though my daughters are both involved with sports (dance and figure skating), I've never been one of "those" parents who spends a great amount of time volunteering. Sure, I'll pitch in when asked and will fill in my required volunteer hours at the concession stand, etc. But, I've never been overly interested in doing anything beyond that. This is largely because I'm not a person who is overly social and have never been enthused about spending extra time with people I probably would never interact with if our kids weren't in the same sport. Not to mention, I'm also horrible with remembering names (my wife is the one who does that), something that can lead to some awkward situations. I am, however, making an effort to change that. And, I started this month by volunteering to help organize the annual Halloween Open Skate at the ice rink on October 28. To be honest, I'm still undecided about this new role. I'm definitely outside my com...

This isn't a new one. I actually took it about a year ago. The trails have been a little too wet for me to get a walk in the past couple of days so I figured I would re-share a photo I already had.

Synopsis: A wealthy widow re-marries and, a short time later, is poisoned. Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is asked to investigate but, while all the evidence seems to implicate the victim's much-younger husband (who stands to inherit her fortune), Poirot is reluctant to name him as the murderer. Image courtesy of Pixabay Review: I used to read mystery novels on a regular basis when I was younger. But, as I got older, married and had kids, I found I just don't have the time to read books as often as I used to. Well, actually, that isn't completely accurate. I have time. However, I'm one of those people who has a hard time reading when there's others making noise, etc. And, with kids, my quiet time is limited. However, after realizing I can find a peaceful corner to read while I'm at the ice rink (which occurs multiple times each week) or during my youngest daughter's gymnastics class, I decided to make an effort. And, I started with this book...

Synopsis: While traveling and causing carnage in the Wild West, Dracula learns of a beautiful ranch owner and, desiring to make her his undead bride, poses as her never-seen uncle. There's just one person standing in his way, the young woman's fiance, Billy the Kid. Who's in it? The movie stars John Carradine , Chuck Courtney , Melinda Plowman , Olive Carey and Roy Barcroft . Review: I ended up watching this movie yesterday evening while my wife was finishing up a craft project. At first, I wasn't really sure what to expect from it and, in all honesty, thought I would end up turning it off after a few minutes. However, as it turns out, this movie was surprisingly good. Don't get me wrong, I didn't watch this film and come away thinking it should have been nominated for an Academy Award. But, in my opinion at least, the best movies are ones that are just fun to watch and this film falls into that category. I will admit, I wasn't a huge John Car...

I debated about whether or not to take a walk today. It's been raining on and off the past couple of days and I figured (correctly) the trails would be really wet. But, I also realized it's going to be snowing in the near future and I decided to get my walk in while I still can. Not a whole lot out today. It's a bit cooler out so the turtles, frogs, etc. were hiding and I haven't seen too many birds anywhere lately (my bird feeders at home have been unused for weeks). But, I still managed to get a few photos as shown below.

Synopsis: After spending years in a mental institution and now believing it was her, and not the doll, Chucky, who murdered her family, Nica is transferred to a minimum-security facility. However, when she arrives, she is once again terrorized by Chucky. Only, this time, there is more than one of him. Who's in it? The movie stars Fiona Dourif , Brad Dourif , Michael Therriault , Alex Vincent and Zak Santiago . Review: Even though I still, admittedly, had some doubts about this film, I liked Curse of Chucky enough to give it a try. And, my wife and I ended up watching it this week, finishing it last night. Unfortunately, while Curse of Chucky gave me some hope for the future of the Child's Play franchise, I found myself extremely disappointed by this film. The one thing I did like about this movie (and Curse of Chucky ) is the way it at least attempted to stick to the franchise's horror roots. Humor and sex were kept to a minimum with the focus being on Chuck...

Our bathroom sink is clogged and, before work, I stopped at Wal-mart to pick up something to unclog it (it's the only store open that early in the morning). This was a last-second decision and, since I didn't want my wife to do the same, I sent her a text from Wal-mart's parking lot to let her know. After getting to the office, I checked my phone to see if she replied and was surprised by this message: At first, I was a little confused because I couldn't figure out why my wife was driving (my youngest daughter didn't have to be at school yet) or why she would text me to let me know that when she is opposed to texting and driving. Then, I realized the message came from my phone. She apparently replied to me while I was driving and my car decided to reply back to let her know I was too busy driving to answer her. This was a complete surprise to me. I've never seen it do that and never knew it could. On the surface, this is really cool. But, as...

I heard these two all the way on the other side of the park but, since there were a lot of people out walking their dogs, I wasn't sure if I was going to have an opportunity to see them. However, they were in an open field when I came around a corner and I was able to get a video of them. Hopefully you can hear them over the noisy geese that were swimming in the pond behind me.

I was trying to get a photo of some small birds in a bush behind this tree but couldn't get a good shot of them. As I gave up, I happened to notice the squirrel poking its head out from behind the trunk and grabbed that photo instead.

Synopsis: After her boyfriend breaks up with her, Emily Middleton can't find anyone to go on a non-refundable trip to Ecuador with her and ends up inviting her reluctant and very conservative mother, Linda, to go with her. Not heeding her mother's advice, Emily hangs out with a man she met at the bar and both women end up kidnapped and held for ransom. Who's in it? The movie stars Amy Schumer , Goldie Hawn , Wanda Sykes , Joan Cusack and Tom Bateman. Review: My wife is not an Amy Schumer fan and I had yet to see Goldie Hawn in a role I really liked. So, when we ended up watching this movie last night, neither of us had high expectations for it. In fact, the only reason I had this film was it came free with the pizza we ordered a few nights ago. However, after watching it last night, I have to admit it surprised me. I'm not going to tell you it's the best comedy I've ever seen because it isn't. In fact, there are a few scenes in the movie that rea...

My daughter, Summer, came out of her bedroom last night playing with an empty Gatorade bottle tied to a string (I think she was pretending it was a dog on a leash). Me: "You have all those toys and you're playing with a Gatorade bottle on a string." Her: "Actually, I'm playing with my imagination." *Mic Drop* I have no worries about that child.

My wife and I finally got caught up on the show Gotham  last night, watching both last week's episode and last night's episode one right after the other. As we did that, I found myself wondering if maybe the show, which tells Gotham City's backstory leading up to Bruce Wayne ( David Mazouz ) made a mistake when the show's creators decided to center the series around Jim Gordon ( Ben McKenzie ) as a Gotham City police detective. Don't get me wrong, I like Jim Gordon and his "me against the world" saga as the police department's only honest cop does have some merit. But, other than the fact he is constantly up against Gotham City's future super criminals, there are plenty of times when this show isn't much different from other cop shows that we've already seen. Plus, to tell you the truth, he is kind of dull when compared to the bad guys he's chasing. Not to mention, now that Bruce Wayne is older and starting down the vigilante p...

My goldfinch photo (below) currently has enough votes to keep it in second place in the "I Love Beaver Dam" photo contest I entered earlier this week: Voting is open until November 30th so hopefully I'll keep getting enough votes to take over and hold the top spot until then. Here's the link to cast your vote (if interested): http://woobox.com/94ugfu/gallery/2wfmNshhL4U

This is actually an older photo, taken about a year ago. I didn't go for a walk today because of the weather (it's very cloudy and a bit too dark to get decent photos, plus the trails are going to be under water after all that rain we had last night). I decided to share it again, however, just for the color.