I'll Bet Mycroft Never Had This Problem

It's not always easy coming up with something to write about. I realize I only put out a post once a month while others type away with a constancy that surprises everyone, but that one post can be taxing. I would love to be more prolific on here, but my time is usually taken up by other writing assignments. Still, I enjoy doing this, so I write even when I don't have a topic. And today is one of those days.

A lot of my time recently (okay, this past month) has been spent worrying about my job. I'm not going to get political on here, and I won't run anyone down for the choices they made in the last election, but every day I wake up not knowing if I still need to go into work. See, I'm a federal employee. Have been for over twelve years. My record is spotless, and I have given my all to what I do. I have won many awards and bonuses, and have been recognized in various ways for my skill and dedication. I've even earned the nickname Mr. Integrity because I choose to practice the adage that honesty benefits everyone. My bosses and co-workers trust what I say, and I return their faith in me by not lying to them. I've also never had a complaint against me, nor ever been investigated or written up - not even a verbal warning. (I've never even been late in all that time. Really.) But, I am not a bragging man. These are simply facts. I'm a great employee...and it makes no difference right now.

I understand some of what's going on, and I get what is trying to be accomplished, but it's a scary time since my particular department is not exempt from what's happening. Please know that I'm not complaining. Whatever the outcome is, it's one I'll live with, and if released, I'll look back on my time with the government very happy with my performance. 

The reason I am telling you all of this is so you get why there's no real subject this time. I've worked on other Sherlockian things, so I'm keeping my fingers pecking for Holmes and Watson, but as the end of this month drew nearer and nearer, I had a feeling I wouldn't have any gas left in that tank. And I didn't. My life was already in a bit of a fog, and now it's in a darker one. I did consider writing something about Mycroft and his role in his government at the time, but I didn't open a single book in my collection to start it. I'm also going to be selling or donating most of my library, and a large chunk of it is titles about late-Victorian London. I thought about that, too, but couldn't find the strength. Oh, I'm attending the Holmes, Doyle, & Friends conference in Dayton next month, so maybe that'll lift my spirits. I guess we'll see. And I'm a little stoked about the surprise the Sherlockian Chronologist Guild is going to introduce to the world at that event, so there's that. (Hopefully I'll still be employed by then.)

At this very moment I am sitting in a restaurant. I've finished my meal and have been allowed to stay here as long as needed to work on this. (They're used to me here, and know this is the sort of thing I do.) When I left work today, the uncertainty about tomorrow was even greater (due to several new factors), and I had to decide between going to bed as soon as I got home and just laying there in the dark trying to figure out what I may be forced to do next, or get something in my stomach and write this. I chose the latter. Happily. But, please do not think for a second that I'm putting all of this before you for sympathy. Far from it. I'm just being honest with you. This is my situation right now, and it's a bleak one. I require no words of encouragement or platitudes, I'm just getting this off my chest to help explain (in part) my lack of a decent post.

I still have my grandchildren for joy, and going out to eat is still something I like, but worrying every minute about hearing my text notification sound go off and seeing it's from my Supervisor is making me a little crazy. I have a back-up plan, sort of, but it isn't necessarily one I want 100%. I have options, but a lot of people don't. I'm happy I've gotten myself into that position, but I still don't want to have to act upon it. And for the record, I am stating once more that this is not a political post. I usually don't bother with such things. Frankly, it bores me to tears. But, people are allowed their opinions, so I'll say no more. Again, this is just what's going on, and I'm in the middle of it pretty deep. All I've done is my job - very well, I might add - but the world is ever-changing, and it isn't always in a good way.

There may come a time when I might need a break to get my life on another track. Or perhaps I won't be writing this blog anymore. Or maybe neither of those will come to fruition. It's impossible to know such things, however. I am certain I'm not ready to give it up, though I can't say what will come next for me. I'll try not to ever write something like this again, and instead get back to the business of talking about Sherlockian chronology. I've done it for so long I don't think I could ever fully walk away from it. Nor do I want to leave you, my loyal readers. Hopefully I won't have to. I fully expect to see you next month, so I'll just end here. See you soon, and as always...thanks for reading.

The OTHER Chronologists

 As usual, I'm going to warn against the excessive use of the word chronology. Yes, there are other words like timeline, sequence, history, and the close linguistic relative of chronicle. But, we are known as chronologists. We study Sherlockian chronology. We brush our teeth with Baring-Gould, and gargle with Zeisler. (Okay, that's a bit much, but you can see what I mean.) Still, it's the word everyone uses when discussing the timeline problems in the canon, and I have to follow suit. But, is our kind of chronology the only kind? Allow me to explain.

Seems there are many types of Sherlockian chronology - maybe even kinds that don't cause people to get all glassy-eyed and sleepy. And it's everywhere. You probably have some of it on your shelves right now. I'm talking about those that place timelines on other things related to Holmes and Dr. Watson. We are all familiar with the chronology of the life of Arthur Conan Doyle. As more research is done on him, more is found, and more updates are needed. To me, that's wonderful. Ol' Arthur isn't a big draw for me personally, but without his part in all of this, I wouldn't be here talking about it. There are those who do pursue him, though. Matt Laffey and Mattias Boström have a series of books out that track the known instances where Holmes and Doyle appeared in newspapers around the world in the sequence in which they occurred. It may not fall under the same umbrella that we stand beneath, but it's chronology.

Recently I came across a blog that was all about soundtracks and scores for movies, and placing them in the correct order that they appear in the film. Seems the order that's listed in the film credits isn't always accurate. I mention this because the blogpost from them that was on my feed was about the first Downey, Jr. / Law film. It goes quite deep. Called Chrono-score, it not only covers the bonus tracks, but also the theater version versus the commercial release version and the differences in the music. And then it does something that goes after my own heart - it discusses the recording sessions and what order the pieces were recorded in. Now that's dedication! I can't imagine anyone needing all of this, and the site plainly states on its header that it's for informational purposes only, but I applaud their fortitude.

In the back of the Sherlockian Chronologist Guild newsletter TIMELINE is a listing of all known chronologically-based works that have been put out over the last 100+ years. It's an ongoing project as new pieces come out, or are discovered, with some regularity. It is a true Sherlockian Sherlockian chronology chronology. (I think that's a legitimate sentence.) We all know that a new article or paper can appear seemingly out of nowhere, and like the Doyle chronology, Brad Keefauver (publisher of the newsletter) makes sure the list is updated when it does.

The last example I have of this kind of thing is from a conversation I had with someone, though I cannot for the life of me remember who. I also seem to recall reading about it somewhere, but again - no idea. The idea was about the Jeremy Brett / Edward Hardwicke episode for Granada of 'The Musgrave Ritual' (MUSG). Mention was made of the fact that the Holmes and Watson were in it from beginning to end. (Based on the original story, that's very wrong.) And that they were of advanced years. (Based on the original story, that's also very wrong.) We discussed if I had ever considered trying to figure out a chronology of Holmes movies and TV shows. Basically, it would be interesting to figure out the dates the shows are trying to portray, and making a chronology out of that. In the case of the Granada episode, for example, MUSG would be much later than the accepted early chronological dates we hold as true. See what I'm getting at? I remember thinking it wouldn't be totally impossible, and would be a fascinating endeavor. I think this would also be considered Sherlockian chronology. Different, yes, but you know what I like to say - all chronology is good chronology.

So, it seems that other people are dabbling in our trade without being "orthodox" chronologists themselves. They don't even know they should be sitting at our table at a party! They've unknowingly contributed to our cause, and there's plenty of room for more of them. It's a big table. And there's going to be a seat for you here anytime you want to sit for a spell. Stop by whenever the fancy strikes you, and enjoy yourself. We'll all gather right back here next month for another installment of my Sherlockian chronology thoughts and adventures. I'll see you then, and as always...thanks for reading.