Pat Maginess: Private-Eye

STICKY POST

P.M.P.I. Contents and Updates

Saturday, 15. March 2008, 10:56:36

Pat Maginess, sea turtles, private-eye novels, private detective

"Astronomy compels the soul to look upward,
and leads us from this world to another."

— Plato, The Republic.

This blog is best viewed with Opera Web Browser 9.24
Opera MEMBER OF THE WEEK 26 January 2007

"I would never shoot a cat. Unless they really had it coming to 'em."

-- "All My Todays"

It was a long, dark, quiet drive back to Los Angeles.

-- from That Killer Smile

SHORT STORIES:

"Those Songs We Sing to Ourselves" -- NEW!
"Remember Me"
"Hello, Robert"
"All My Todays"
"The Salesman"
"It's a Dog's Life"

NOVELS:

That Killer Smile (Complete Novella).

Click on the book cover to go to the novel.

HISTORICAL:

Nick Carter: The Crime of the French Cafe (Anon/Piercy)

COVER ART MINI-STORIES:

As a service to my readers who might only have about two minutes
between Point A and Point B, I decided to post humorous bits using
the covers of old pulp magazines. Here's the link.

The Complete Cover Art Mini-Stories

REVIEWS:

Hollywood Confidential (Movie Review) -- NEW!
Margin for Murder (Movie Review)
The Proposal (Movie Review)
Best Detective Movies
Kiss Me, Deadly (Movie Review)
Attack of the Sabretooth (Movie Review)
Savior (Movie Review).
Bare Trap by Frank Kane (Book Review).
I, the Jury by Mickey Spillane (Review-Essay).
DaVinci's Inquest (TV Series Review).
The Snarl of the Beast by Carroll John Daly (Book Review).
Poisons Unknown by Frank Kane (Book Review).
V. I. Warshawski (Movie Review).

MISCELLANEOUS:

CSI: Noir
Survivor China Episode 2 (Parody)
The Jungle Book Revisited (Parody)
The Black Dahlia Revisted (Parody)
The Nazi Bastard Diaries
Einstein On Lunch (Tiny Tale #1)
Robespierre's Doll (Tiny Tale #2)
The White Book (Tiny Tale #3) -- NEW!
Barbershop Quartet #1
Barbershop Quartet #2
Barbershop Quartet #3
Barbershop Quartet #4

Green Car Buying Guide (Link) -- Check it out, it's really cool!
AutoBlog Green (Link) -- Excellent!

Check out what you've missed in the Archive.

My thanks to Glen Pierce of Topsail Productions for being so gracious as
to give me a link in their Blog Spot links. You can view that one here.

MAY UPDATE:

April was certainly an interesting month in a lot of ways, some new
things, some old things, some things passing out of view. Among the new
things, I managed to complete and post the new short story, Those Songs
We Sing to Ourselves. I have to say that it got a very favorable
response, more so than my earlier stories. As Mickey Spillane claimed,
the public is the ultimate jury. So I am very happy with the new story
based on the response. And I would like to thank everyone who took the
time to read the story. Among other things during April, I ended up
without any useable contact lenses at the end of the month. That
situation is still on-going but should be corrected by the middle of
next week. Then I will have a brand new set of contacts, and my vision
will (hopefully) be clearer than it has been in years. Which will be
nice for the summer months, the coming festivals, and nice in that I'll
be able to see my camera images better. Among the old things that came
around during the month was the visit of my sister, bro and nephews. I
also ended up getting the long-awaited fedora, which I will cover in an
upcoming post. This being Mayday, I was reminded of Loreena McKennitt's
song "The Mummer's Dance" -- And so they linked their hands and
danced / Round in circles and in rows / And so the journey of the night
descends / When all the shades are gone. The time for shades is
past. Enjoy the light, my friends.

"When life gives you flippers you make waves, right?" -- Karen Sota

Well the only thing that could possibly be better than private-eye fiction
are sea turtles. Humans have been around about 6 million years. Turtles
have been around for 200 million years. Unfortunately, they're having kind
of a tough go at it lately due to human civilization and a new virus out
there that's affecting them. Here's a quick link to several turtle hospitals.
Just click on the images and you'll get there. If you are a turtle hospital
or a turtle rescue organization, I will gladly post your link on this blog,
so just let me know.

Plus: Turtle Live Cam! (North Carolina (UTC -5) daylight hours)

Best wishes to all,
Edward Piercy

That I have made all transformations
According to the dictates of my heart
In all places that have desired my ka

13 Comments

STICKY POST

P.M.P.I. Theme Music

Tuesday, 20. June 2006, 01:54:38

Music

To play the music, click on George or Glenn's picture.

(Please be patient. It will take a minute to connect with your media player.)

George Friedrich Handel
Suite in d-minor HWV 447
Courante
Artist: Keith Jarrett
Format (MP3) / Timing (02:31)
Light and dark combined.

J.S. Bach
Partita in G Major BWV 829
Praeambulum
Artist: Glenn Gould
Format (MP3) / Timing (01:47)

Now playing in a galaxy near you...

Didn't know where to put this map, so I'm putting it here.

10 Comments

Extreme Money Makeover

Friday, 16. May 2008, 20:05:24

Culture, Manipulations Of Reality

This starts a new series, which I will
be continuing over the next week or so.

Subtle Manipulations of Reality, Part 1.

Unless you've been living on some other planet
during the past decade, or are legally blind,
you've no doubt noticed that the U.S. Treasury
Department has been making a lot of changes to
our money recently.

Most of the changes are no doubt designed to make
paper money less capable of being counterfeited in
an age of digital technology. But some of the changes
are more cosmetic.

5 DOLLAR BILL

Abe Lincoln might have been our greatest
President, but god knows he suffered in the looks
department. He also looks depressed and as if he
might be contemplating suicide.

Abe on the new $5 bill is a little better looking.
They've somehow managed to deemphasize that mole
of his a bit. The new Lincoln has been taking his
Prozac and is feeling pretty good about things.

10 DOLLAR BILL

James Madison on the old bill looked very
similar to Barbara Bush. And -- is that lipstick
he's wearing?

Madison on the new bill doesn't look like a
transvestite. In fact, with a slightly different
hair style he could be a candidate for office
these days.

20 DOLLAR BILL

The old Andrew Jackson looked, well, old.
Not to mention kinda seedy, like he had just
stepped out of an Opium den.

The new, totally buffed Andy looks like he
could very well beat a Federal Bank president
senseless with his cane, no problem. He looks
younger and much more dashing.

Too bad he's still the same genocidal bastard
he always was. I really don't know why they
keep putting his face on money.

And for a really funny view of some features
of the new currency, check this out at the
Harvard Lampoon.

7 Comments

A Few Shots Around Town

Thursday, 15. May 2008, 19:34:20

Photography, The Four Seasons

Yesterday I had to go up to Deaconess Hospital to let the nice, friendly
vampires up there take some of my blood. I ended up missing the bus when
I came out by about five seconds -- it was turning up at the corner when
I came out. But it was more or less of a nice day, cool, overcast, and as
it so happened I had my camera with me. I decided to walk back downtown.
Which I am now able to do these days thanks to my doctors.

After stopping a few times to take some pictures I ended up at the Satellite
Diner and Bar. I had a couple of bourbons and talked with a few people. A
guy at the end of the bar at one point ended up asking the bartender to take
a ride with him on his Vespa. To which the guy next to me joked, "Yeah, cause
you know there's nothing sexier than two bald guys on a Vespa." I wish I had
thought of that one. Hilarious.

Then I met a girl from California named Hana (pronounced with a soft "a"
as in Japanese). She was a pre-med student up to see her mother. We had
a couple drinks, went out to smoke a couple of cigarettes together. And
we had a good long conversation over a couple of hours on a variety of
subjects ranging from chemistry to Raymond Chandler. Interestingly enough,
I was the one who brought up chemistry and she was the one who brought up
Chandler. Go figure that one. I asked her if she knew the phrase "all dolled
up." She said she didn't. Ah, if I was 20 years younger, I would go over it
with her in great detail: Hat to heels. She was a very nice girl -- and quite
the babe.

Later I ended up back in my own neighborhood, and got into a bit more
trouble before the night was over. Then I came home and ate some very
good homemade potato soup. Which, on hindsight, really doesn't seem to
follow very well upon bourbon. But that's the way it goes.

An alley downtown.

This golden rhinoceros is in the doorway
of the Davenport Tower Building.

And of course if you have a golden rhino,
you've got to have a golden hippo to match.

"Looking up" as Allan would say.

A shot down Sprague Avenue outside
of the Satellite.

3 Comments

Waiting for Indiana Jones

Tuesday, 13. May 2008, 20:08:10

Indiana Jones, Movies

It's the return of Indiana Jones.
"It's not the years, honey, it's the milage."

It's tough, all this waiting. Sitting at my
desk looking distractedly out the window,
tapping a pen on the blotter. Or staring at
the wall twiddling my thumbs. The time seems
to be passing so slowly.

Will May 22nd ever come? Because that's the date
for the opening of the new movie in the Indiana
Jones chronicle -- Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

It's been 19 years since the last Indiana Jones movie.
And according to what I've read, this movie continues
the saga 19 years later in the fictional chronology as
well. As such Spielberg decided to play up the character
of the aging action-hero. So I imagine that you'll find
Indiana complaining a lot more in this one about various
bumps and bruises, and perhaps even dealing with a few
physical limitations that he didn't have before. All of
which will be played for the humor, of course. But for
all us old guys, it will be a bit more than that. It will
be us out there, having those adventures in spite of age.
Which of course will be wonderful.

In this one, Indiana must deal with fanatical Soviets
instead of Nazis. Cate Blanchett plays the villain in
this one. I don't like Blanchett. Hopefully she won't
screw things up too much. And in a truly inspired move,
Spielberg got Karen Allen from Raiders of the Lost Ark
to come back as the romantic interest. I would expect
her to do a bit more fighting in this one than in the
earlier movie. These days, women get to stand alongside
the heroes, not behind them. Shia LaBeouf, who is unknown
to me, plays Indiana's sidekick.

Only nine more days. I guess I'll finish this and stare
out the window some more.

"You and I, Dr. Jones, are simply passing
through history. But this...this IS history."

-- What you might call the archaeologist's
credo from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Karen Allan, looking almost unchanged
since Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Kate Blanchett in the latest chic
Marxist-Leninist outfit. I think Spielberg
got his decades mixed up on this one.
Probably on purpose, of course.

Once again, Indiana seems to have a bit
of trouble when it comes to motor vehicles.

6 Comments

My Date With Myself

Monday, 12. May 2008, 19:07:21

The Republic of Bullshit

This girl seems to like herself very
much. I can't say that I blame her.

Being a single guy now, I had a hot date Saturday night -- with myself.

I took a shave, being sure to shave nice and close. Then I showered and
put on my deodorant and my nice (if cheap) "Antarctica" cologne. Then I
dressed in a nice pair of fresh slacks and put on a matching polo shirt
and brushed my hair in the mirror.

Myself arrived exactly on time. I opened a bottle of Pepperwood Pinot
Noir that I had bought. I thought that the wine was from California, as
it wasn't among the imports but down by the California wines, but as me
and myself looked the bottle over a little closer we discovered that it
was actually from Chile. Both me and myself agreed that it was the best
wine we had tasted in ages.

We watched Raiders of the Lost Ark on cable. We had both seen it
before, but it is always nice to see it again and both me and myself
have been pretty excited lately about the opening of the new Indiana
Jones movie later in the month.

It's amazing how much me and myself have in common. And as it turns
out we're pretty much on the same page when it comes to our dislikes,
too. We both agree that it is sometimes a lot better to spend time with
one's self than to bother with people who just don't seem to care. But
me and myself don't have that problem. We like each other very much.
And we treat each other right and don't take each other for granted.
Myself is also familiar with all my many flaws, but for some reason
seems to accept them.

I won't go into details after that, but me and myself did end up spending
the night together. And in fact my dog Baron joined us. So I guess you
could say that it turned into a threesome.

I think that this is the "start of something big." And I think that me
and myself will be very happy together down the road.

37 Comments

I Like Pie

Monday, 12. May 2008, 01:42:43

private eye gear

"I like pie" Nick White Feather says in my recent story. "I like lemon
meringue best. But I like all sorts of pie, really."

I guess writing all of that got me to thinking about pie recently. And I
got into an exchange with Richard about the subject. I'm not much of a
guy for sweets, at least not since I was a kid. But when my local grocery
store put Cyrus O'Leary's Pies on sale last weekend, I decided to get one.

I got the lemon meringue. As far as the lemon goes, I've had sweeter in
homemade pies. But this was better than most bakery pies. The meringue
was incredible -- so thick and rich you could literally slice it with the side
of your fork.

Taking a picture of the pie was not nearly as pleasant of an experience
as eating it. My new Sony is good for most situations, but sometimes it
is just a bear to work with. The photo for this post is the best I could
manage. I'm not happy with it -- but I took something like 40 photos of
this piece of dang pie. I'm glad it wasn't some sort of "pie supermodel"
that I had to pay by the hour. Anyway, it looks as if I'm either going
to have to get my old Olympus digital out of mothball, which is a tank
to carry around, or buy a new Nikon D40.

20 Comments

The Cover Art Mini-Stories

Saturday, 10. May 2008, 21:40:56

Cover Art Mini-Stories

This post functions as a summa link to the Cover Art Mini-Stories for
the P.M.P.I. Contents and Updates post.

The Complete Cover Art Mini-Stories

A Really Bad Night for Jane (Pulp Cover Mini-Story #1)
Everybody's a Critic (Pulp Cover Mini-Story #2)
The Trouble with Velma (Pulp Cover Mini-Story #3)
Another Disasterous Date (Pulp Cover Mini-Story #4)
A Cold Call Gets Hot (Pulp Cover Mini-Story #5)
A Little Incident on the Plane (Pulp Cover Mini-Story #6)
The Problem with Molly (Pulp Cover Mini-Story #7)
The Strange Friends of Clarence V. Patterson III (Pulp Cover Mini-Story #8)
Another Tough Flight (Pulp Cover Mini-Story #9)
A Little Problem at the Bank (Pulp Cover Mini-Story #10
A Pleasant Little Drive in the Country (Pulp Cover Mini-Story #11)
The Dark Side of Mary Poppins (Pulp Cover Mini-Story #12)
Misty's Little Adventure (Pulp Cover Mini-Story #13)
The Ironic Death of Pietro Rizzello (Pulp Cover Mini-Story #14)
Danny Roma Pops the Big Question (Pulp Cover Mini-Story #15)