Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: With his crew in desperate need of a break, Kirk ( William Shatner ) approves shore leave on a peaceful planet with no people or animals. However, when Dr. McCoy ( DeForest Kelley ) encounters a large white rabbit and Kirk himself sees people from his past, it is apparent there is something strange about the world. Review: It's been kind of wet and dreary out there so ended up going home for lunch today. While there, I decided to continue with my Star Trek watching and ended up watching this episode. I wound up having my doubts about it, but it did turn out to be better than I was expecting it to be. At first, when McCoy saw that white rabbit ( Bill Blackburn ) and, a short time later, a little girl that looked like the storybook character, Alice ( Marcia Brown ), I was concerned this would wind up being a bit too campy to be enjoyable. However, that turned out not to be the case. I think the thing that ultimately won me over was the episode's campy nature ...

Synopsis: A compilation of "vampire-themed" stories from Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The book was edited by Robert Eighteen-Bisang and Martin H. Greenberg. Review: I went to the library Friday evening with the intention of checking out a couple more Hamish Macbeth books and was disappointed to learn someone had beat me to them. Figuring I still needed something to read, I decided to use it as an excuse to change things up a bit and wound up checking out this book. In addition to enjoying all Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, I am also a big fan of his Brigadier Gerard series. Up until this point, however, I had not taken the time to read this collection of short stories. After doing so, I find my opinion of it mixed. I'm going to first start out by saying the title of this book is very misleading. If you check this out thinking you are going to get a book full of traditional vampire stories, you are going to be very disappointed. The book...

Synopsis: Police detective Perry Trethowan is embarrassed by his eccentric family and has been estranged from them and the family estate since a falling out with his father years ago. However, when is father is murdered while pleasuring himself using a Strappado-style torture device, Perry is forced to return to his ancestral home and face his family while helping the official investigators figure out who the killer is. Review: After reading primarily Agatha Christie and M. C. Beaton murder mysteries the past couple of months, I decided to change things up a bit the last time I was at the library and grab something by a different author. I faintly remembered reading another novel by Robert Barnard (though I couldn't tell you which one or anything about it) and, not remember if I enjoyed it or not, decided to give this one a try. After finishing the book last night, I am a bit undecided. To tell you the truth, I almost gave up on this book after a couple chapters. Barnard...

As hard as this should be to believe, they are actually talking snow by this weekend. So, just in case, I decided to get a walk in while the weather was nice enough to allow for it. I decided to take the new boardwalk to the park today rather than driving (not necessarily because I'm in love with the $199,000 addition. I just figure I should get my money's worth) and stayed mostly near the lake instead. I did manage to get a few photos though.

It was a bit wet at the park after the rain we got earlier this week. But, I still managed to get a couple walks in today. The first was limited to the new boardwalk area but, at lunch, I braved the wet trails and got a few extra steps in. Here are some of the photos I got:

A little over a year ago, my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer. This wasn't much of a surprise. He used to be a smoker plus he was exposed to a variety of other toxins both in the military and in his wood shop so it probably was just a matter of time before it happened. He has other health issues and, because of those, doctors were a bit reluctant to let him fight it. He, however, chose to go through radiation treatment and defeated it. Or, so we thought. He injured his back last fall and, on Thanksgiving, the pain was intense enough to justify an emergency room visit. While there, they did a CT Scan and discovered nodes on his liver and, earlier this year, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 liver cancer. The most frustrating thing about this experience hasn't been the fact he has cancer. It is the ongoing reluctance, both because of his age and his other health problems, to even bother to fight it. The only option his doctors will even consider is immunotherapy and, because ...

Synopsis: Two professors at a small Arizona college investigate a newly-fallen meteorite and discover rapidly-evolving alien organisms. Their research is hijacked by the United States Army but the military intervention isn't enough to keep the quickly-growing creatures from spreading through an underground cavern system and terrorizing residents in a near-by town. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/movie-review-evolution-2001/

We are supposed to get rain (potentially storms) later so, while the weather was still nice enough to allow for it, I slipped out for a lunchtime walk at the park. I didn't see too much out. But, I did managed to get a few photos before returning to the office.

Synopsis: If there's one thing Constable Hamish Macbeth can't stand, it is bullies. So, when newcomer braggard Randy Duggan challenges him to a fight, Macbeth decides to accept the challenge even though it could cost him his job and possibly even his health. When Duggan doesn't show up for the fight and is later found murdered, Macbeth, a potential suspect himself, must find out who was tormented enough by Duggan to want to kill him. Review: Even though I don't need to spend as much time as the ice rink now that the ice show is over. But, I have still been making an effort to find time to read nightly. This includes this book, which I finished last night and can say I definitely enjoyed. The thing that surprised me about this book was the mystery wasn't as easy to solve as I originally thought it would be. I had a suspect in mind from almost the beginning and, ultimately, my suspicions proved to be correct. However, until Hamish figured out the connecti...

I had a few extra minutes and it was just a couple blocks from the office so I figured I would try out the new boardwalk connecting the city of Beaver Dam to Edgewater Park, located just outside of town. I'm not convinced it was worth the $199,000 the city spent on it, especially since one end of it is on a street that is badly in need of some repair. I was also very disappointed to see the number of trees that had to be cut down in order to put this walkway in place. But, it was kind of cool being able to reach a park that, up until this point, required me to drive about a mile outside of town to reach. I did bring my camera with me and got a few photos of the boardwalk and along the lake on the other side of it.

Synopsis: Craig Owen, a successful musician and unfaithful husband, drives to a convenience store and is abducted by a notorious Los Angeles serial killer known for using a blow torch to decapitate his victims. Tied to a chair in the killer's basement, Craig is subjected to torture as the killer, wearing a series of costumes, forces him to stand trial and be punished for the murders his captor committed. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/movie-review-the-basement-2018/

Synopsis: Eight guests and two servants are invited to an isolated island mansion and are targeted by a serial killer copying a grim nursery rhyme. Unable to leave and cut off from rescue by a storm, the guests must figure out which of them is the killer before there are no survivors. Review: I started reading this Agatha Christie novel some time ago. However, I had just finished watching a movie that was based off of the book and, since it wasn't as enjoyable when I already knew who the killer was, I gave up reading it after a couple chapters. However, while at the library a couple weeks ago, I came across the book again and, realizing I no longer remembered anything that happened in the film, decided to give it another try. This time, I finished the entire book and enjoyed every page of it. I've read quite a few Christie novels and this one is right at the top of my list of favorites. I can honestly say I think this is the perfect murder mystery. The thing that ...

Synopsis: A cave research team accidentally releases a race of flying prehistoric creatures that hunt by sound. As the creatures spread out, killing humans by the hundreds, the Andrews family decides to leave the city and find a remote shelter instead. As the world begins to collapse back to the dark ages, they face their own challenges, including a religious cult looking for more members. You can read the review here:  https://wizzley.com/movie-review-the-silence-2019/

I figured I should enjoy the spring-like weather while I was still able to (before we potentially get snow again) and slipped out for a walk at lunch. It is still a little too wet and muddy to go too far into the park. But, I still managed to get some photos of the sandhill cranes and turtles that were there.

Synopsis: Feeling down because of his recent demotion and shunned by his neighbors because of his breakup with Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, Constable Hamish Macbeth decides to take a vacation at the Friendly House bed and breakfast on the coast. However, his vacation is ruined when another guest, abusive husband Bob Harris, is murdered and, because of an earlier altercation, Hamish becomes the prime suspect. Review: I finished reading this book a couple days ago but found I needed some time to reflect on it before drawing a conclusion about it. After taking time to think it over, I am going to say I very much enjoyed this murder mystery. There are a couple things about this book that really stood out for me. One of the big ones was the murder mystery itself. Even though his wife had the most to gain from his death (especially since she seemed to have romantic interest in another guest), Bob Harris was just mean enough for just about everyone to want to murder him. And, while my...

Synopsis: When Enterprise encounters a planet that is identical to Earth, Kirk ( William Shatner ), Dr. McCoy ( DeForest Kelley ), Spock ( Leonard Nimoy ) and Yeoman Rand ( Grace Lee Whitney ) and learn the planet is only inhabited by children because of a fatal disease that affects anyone that hits puberty. Unable to return to the ship because they too are infected, McCoy must figure out a cure. Review: I had a chance to watch this episode yesterday, in the short time I had between church and going to my daughter's ice show. I was intrigued by the premise. But, as I watched it, I realized I just didn't enjoy this one as much as I thought I would. The disease itself was kind of interesting. I'm still a little confused about how a disease that is the side effect of a genetic experiment can infect people who weren't part of that experiment. But, I liked how the sores gave us a visible representation of how it spread and did think it gave the episode a bit of a th...

Synopsis: Defeated and almost completely forgotten by the citizens he terrorized, Freddy Krueger resurrects Jason Voorhees and sends him on a killing spree so his former stomping ground, Springwood, would blame him for the murders, remember who he is and give him enough power to escape Hell. Unfortunately for him, his plan works too well and ultimately leads to a one-on-one confrontation with Voorhees. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/movie-review-freddy-vs-jason-2003/

My oldest daughter had an ice show this past weekend and, since I was in charge of the raffle table, I had to do some last-second running on Friday. I figured I would need something quick to eat for lunch and picked up this product. When I first saw this at the store, I was skeptical about it. It was nearly $1 more than a normal noodle cup and I was doubtful the quality would be good enough to justify the extra money. As it turns out, when I made this on Friday, I quickly discovered I was right. First of all, the cover on the cup is very deceiving. It makes it look as though there is more shrimp/vegetables than you would get with a normal cup noodle product. That, however, really wasn't the case. I only found 3 1/2 shrimp in my cup and didn't notice any significant difference in the quantity of vegetables. When it came to flavor, I will admit I do think this was slightly better than the 48-cent cup noodles I normally buy. However, it wasn't enough of a difference t...

Synopsis: The Enterprise visits an icy planet in search of missing exobiologist, Dr. Roger Korby ( Michael Strong ) and his team. Captain Kirk ( William Shatner ) believes Kirby is dead but, to his surprise, the scientist makes contact with the Enterprise and invites both Kirk and Kirby's former fiancee, Nurse Christine Chapel ( Majel Barrett ) to visit him on the planet. When they arrive, they discover Korby has discovered an alien technology with the ability to merge humans with androids, which he intends to secretly take with him and use on unsuspecting humans. Review: When I decided to finally sit down and watch the original Star Trek episodes for the first time, I wasn't really sure what to expect. However, most of them, so far at least, have been very entertaining and enjoyable. Unfortunately, this episode was one that was a little bit of a letdown for me. I think the overall "mad-scientist" concept of the episode was a decent one. I especially liked how...

They sit in the waiting room Waiting for the doctor to call their name. Shoulder to shoulder Sometimes dozens at a time. Stress, anger issues, suicidal thoughts Hoping the doctor will help them straighten out their minds, help them connect the dots. Image courtesy of Pixabay Is everyone needing some sort of help the new norm? Or, is it some sort of passing fad? In any case, I realize It's making me a little mad. That I'm trying to raise children in a world That has really become as bad as this. Where so many struggle And everyone seems to need a therapist.

Synopsis: The village of Drim is normally a quiet, largely forgotten part of Sergeant Hamish MacBeth's beat. However, when the young, handsome and single Peter Hynd buys a house there, the local women fall head over heels for him. When Peter goes missing, Hamish suspects the worst, especially when one of the local women is found dead under suspicious circumstances. With his superiors convinced Peter just moved away and the woman's death was accidental, Hamish puts his career on the line by investigating without authorization while, at the same time, trying to save his rocky relationship with Priscilla Halburton-Smythe. Review: It was probably because of the weather, but I found I wasn't overly enthused with doing some of the chores I had planned on doing this past weekend and, instead, found myself reading this murder mystery. Fortunately for me, this turned out to be a really good one. I've read enough murder mysteries (and seen plenty of movie mysteries as w...